A typically untimely follow-up to this post – on that occasion we not only tried the «Nar», we not only tried the «Sourcherry», but we mixed the «Nar» and the «Sourcherry». Those were the days, my friend! When we still knew how to live!

Oatly. It’s oat milk – made from oats. Called Oatly!

It’s sorta preposterous the lengths I will go to, favors I will call in, international customs regulations I will break, etc. just to maintain the scantiest sense of personal tradition. Surely someone qualified could draw some sort of insightful conclusions from this.

But while we wait: SPRUCE BEER FLOATS.

I see that Grace, Kennedy & Co., Ltd. has re-branded their soda line. I can’t say I like the look – and certainly the ‘pineapple drink’ hasn’t the rep of Ting (alas, owned by Pepsi). What this bottle does offer, however, is advice. Under the cap:

Actually, no mikkle sticks round here long enough to mek a mukkle. Be that as it may, GraceCo. gets a lot of things right with this promotion: a page more-or-less correctly describing Jamaican Creole (aka ‘Patois’), and a useful list of irritating, sage expressions- with translations and audio clips!

The Occidental kombucha kraze being safely over, I can now express my (recently-acquired) conviction that you can’t find a better vinegary breakfast cereal. Anyway, I’m obliged to support any beverage you can manufacture in a small closet. And by “you” I mean you, i.e. not me.

Thanks to: Leonard, Ann, Black Cat.

Guangzhou, China – villagers try to stop demolition with Molotov cocktails, broken bottles, and propane tanks.

You might assume that ^this stunning photo was taken after the war – and you’d be right.
It was taken last week.      These, on the other hand…

So much more cheery, no?

A southern tradition! Which doubly appealed today, since bottomless black tea remedied the earlier mistake of expecting this liquid horsefeathers to work, or to even taste decent.

No comment – other than to say I had a difficult time deciding how to crop this photo. And: apologies.

Following a ‘tip’: fool’s errand of the month. Worth a shot, but – no, totally the wrong grandpa. Oh well.
So I payed a visit to the amerikanskie gorki instead.

Overheard on the B-train:

Geeky gamer kid 1: (offers juice)
Geeky gamer kid 2: No thanks – I don’t want anything with water in it.
Geeky gamer kid 1: Everything has water!
Geeky gamer kid 2: Naw. Not true.
Geeky gamer kid 1: What doesn’t have water in it?!
(very short pause)
Geeky gamer kid 2: Beef.

Also overheard on the Ⓑ:

In the Civilized World, this is how it’s done now.

Influenza vaccine: available in both 12oz. and two-liter formats. Three flavors.

While I’m no fan of the ubiquity of Illy, I must admit that – in a pinch – you can survive on these little espressos-in-a-can. Recommend you supplement with something substantial like… wasabi peas.

[Actual discussion about water HERE.]

If desperate, late-night, over-the-bar, five-dollar energy drink purchases aren’t what rock’n'roll is was all about – then I dont know what rock’n'roll is was all about.     Speaking as a member of the audience.

So it appears as if we’re in agreement then.

Because I’d rather drink what they’re offering in the store just below your billboard.

<— This photo represents the precise opposite of the conditions under which I last drank Natakhtari tarxun. Rather than sitting politely at a table, I was half-faint from heatstroke atop West 8th Street station. And rather than being poured into a glass, the contents of my bottle were exploding and leaking all over my belongings, hands, sidewalk. The not-twist-off bottlecap had given way to the day’s heat/pressure, and had come undone sufficiently to dump A LOT of the tarxun. But not undone enough to let me at the remainder. And I was thirsty. And I was not carrying a bottle opener. And it was a genuine scene of suffering and hardship.

——-WE INTERRUPT THIS captivating STORY WITH AN AD FOR «Georgian Bread», located at 265 Neptune Ave. Brooklyn, NY. —– Natakhtari™ fizzy drinks are sold there. Many (two) flavors on offer! Not to mention the excellent shoti, lobiani, etc. Baked fresh daily! DON’T MISS OUT. PAY «Georgian Bread» A VISIT TODAY! THAT IS ALL.——-

So there I was trying to unseat the bottlecap by smashing it deftly against any 90º angle I could find. There are disappointingly few solid, sharp corners around the platform of that subway station. Complaint letters to follow. After a while I abandoned finesse and resorted to force; I (…accidentally) broke the bottle at the neck. The glass was jaggy and sharp, but somehow I enjoyed the little remaining tarxun without butchering myself. It was only then that I began to appreciate the view from where I had been standing:

*oh.nvmd.