Friday, December 19, 2008

Cats and booze, booze and cats...

Don't worry, I didn' t get the cats drunk. I'm just combining two completely different sets of photos. First, the love story continues...

Naomi and Alex catch some rays on the couch.



Alex modestly looks handsome.


The funny bit is, these beds (with the cats in them) were both on my desk, but I had to go out and shut the dogs in my office, so I moved the beds (with cats still inside) to the other room. They were quite happy!

And now, for my Sri Lanka friend(s):

When we went to Sri Lanka in January 2006, we both sampled the national liquor, arrack. I thought it was revolting, but then, I think all liquor is revolting and only drink the occasional Guinness or Kilkenny Cream ale (although I do succumb to an occasion Bailey's mixed with ice and milk.) But Gordon liked it, so at the end of our trip he bought a bottle of it and some gin to bring home, since booze is much cheaper in SL than here.

There is packing tape on top of the gin bottle because both of these bottles have had loooong journeys. We brought them from Sri Lanka to British Columbia, then drove them across the country to Quebec, then over to Ontario to where we live now. They've been around, and because neither of us drink much, they still have quite a lot of booze left in them. Which begs the question: how long does arrack last before it goes off? And if it does go off, can I use it to remove paint? Nail polish??



If you read the price sticker, you'll see we bought these at the Keells Super grocery store. Probably we could have gotten them even cheaper somewhere else, but we were in Colombo at the end of our trip and disinclined to devote much energy to booze-shopping! I did devote some energy to getting a manicure and a pedicure, and eating a whole lot of delicious Sri Lankan food.

I have to say, I would much rather be in Sri Lanka today than here. There is a snowstorm on the way today, and another huge one slated for Sunday. Then more snow Tuesday! We are supposed to have some 40 - 50 cm of snow on the ground for Christmas. We'll see how it all pans out. The storm is currently causing chaos in Toronto, as flights are being cancelled on the busiest travel day of the year (everyone going home for Christmas.)

I raise a glass of arrack to you. Cheers! I'm off to yoga, to drink in the drug of relaxation.

7 comments:

  1. Anonymous2:34 pm

    I think these bottles will go "off" real soon - better send them to me ASAP (-17 celcius in quebec!)! Lovely puddies - I had a tortie once - miss her terribly - Alex is very handsome indeed.

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  2. Anonymous7:13 pm

    Aren't they SWEET!! ...and they look great on that red couch!

    so what does the coconut booze taste like?

    Anyway, I'm with you....give me a Guinness or any other lovely ale ... or nice red wine over liquor any day. In fact today I went with a friend to a wine / liquor store to find a split of champagne or sparking wine and we ended up tasting some Irish and then some Scotch whiskey. Ptuiii. Gives me a headache just to think about it...and this was supposed to be the good stuff!

    Enjoy your snowstorm. It was 75°F/24°C when I got home this pm. Now that the sun has set it's cooling off rapidly. My feeties are getting cold! Time to get in bed and watch some xmas movies :)

    did you get your snowtires on yet? ;)

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  3. I've heard that the best method of keeping fruitcake moist is with arrack.

    What?

    Just sayin'.

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  4. Aww they are so beautiful. As for spirits I'll stick to Rum and Whisky (but not together!)

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  5. how long does arrack last before it goes off? And if it does go off, can I use it to remove paint? Nail polish??

    - I don't know...never drank any even though I AM Sri Lankan ;o)...your nails might reek for days if you use it to remove nail polish though don't you think?

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  6. :-o arrack is excellent with either sprite or coke and ice :)

    haven't heard of arrack ever going off but that could possibly be because they were never allowed to "live" past a few months but i have a feeling it will probably get stronger the longer it sits.

    buuut if you don't really like to drink it, you can use it in christmas cake. gives it a subtle spicy taste-y aroma-y feeling.

    now this comments sounds like i've had too many arrack and cokes.

    btw, word verification was "reardope". a message maybe?

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  7. It's a sad testament to our drinking abilities that there is any arrack left, and it's something that needs to be dealt with. And who knew it went well with Coke or Sprite? Plus Gordon loves fruitcake so when I make him one next Christmas, I'll put in a little arrack if we haven't annihilated it by then!

    And those verification words... sometimes it's like they're reading your mind! :)

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Thank you for all your comments, which I love to read!