Monday Miscellany: Special Labor Day, 2006 Edition

- Hate to kick it off with such sad news...but as I have no doubt most of you have heard by now, Steve Irwin a.k.a. the Crocodile Hunter is no longer with us, courtesy of a Stingray barb through the heart.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060904/ap_on_en_tv/obit_irwin

I cannot express enough how much this depresses me...Steve Irwin and Jeff Corwin were my tour guides in the later half of my childhood whenever I wanted to visit the animal kingdom, particularly the reptile/amphibian part of it.

And not to mention that I honestly did not know that Stingrays were *that* poisonous...I knew the ones around Australia were up there, but the one that got the Croc Hunter sounds even more lethal than the Box Jellyfish, which is said to be the most toxic animal in the world. Then again, when the poison immediately enters your heart instead of having to travel through the bloodstream, it apparently *is* much more deadly. Wow...just, wow. O_O

Anyway, may thee R.I.P. :*(

- This morning has finally convinced me that the people at Lifetime are on some kind of whack drug...as if those cheesy-a**, "men are s***" movies they show all the freakin' time and the ODing on The Golden Girls and Will and Grace are bad enough, they go and reduce my beloved breakfast viewing in Frasier to a mere half-hour. I probably wouldn't be so steamed about this if it were not for the 10:30 Frasier's replacement: Still Standing. EWWWWWWWW...I only saw two minutes of that and HATED it, from the so-called jokes to the gawdawful theme song. I sure as heck hope those who are too stupid and/or classless to enjoy an hour of the last great sitcom, and really, overall show ever (IMnot-soHO) enjoy what Lifetime regurgitated for them...yeah, don't mind me, I'm just fuming... >:(

- Needless to say, after that "wonderful" discovery, I needed some good news relating to TV...and the following, found on my LiveJournal's Friends List, tickled the mess out of me: (PG-13 warning for language)

http://community.livejournal.com/horror_movies/1706429.html

Regardless of how one feels about Rob Zombie's movies and/or music, (I, for one, like a few of his tunes when I'm in a good, party, and/or Halloweenish mood...particularly "More Human Than Human", "Thunderkiss '65", "Black Sunshine", "I'm Your Boogie Man", "Dragula", "Living Dead Girl", and "Foxy, Foxy" (which does indeed have a T-Rex feel...as Zombie said he and his band were going for in a VH1 Classic interview about his recent Educated Horses album) the man is PERFECT for hosting a "classic cheese" Horror show. As a matter, when I was watching the aforementioned VH1 Classic interview, easily my most favorite of the ones I've seen on that channel, I kept saying to myself "This dude *really* should host some kind of Horror or Sci-Fi movie marathon.". And actually, while Rob is perfect for a Horror genre show of some kind, his younger brother Spider, who fronts Powerman 5000, would be perfect for a marathon of either Sci-Fi (Remember the Tonight, the Stars REVOLT! album?) or Kung-Fu (And/or Mega!! Kung-Fu Radio?) films.

Unfortunately and despite my being a night owl, I *really* hate that the show (which will begin on Turner Movie Classics next month, appropriately enough) will come on at 2 freakin' AM. Yuck. That may not necessarily be a bad thing...I think the only movie of that bunch I'm itching to see is Wild Guitar, which according to the user comments here is not even a Horror film!! Making me want to see it *that much* more...especially with Zombie's commentary. Thank god for DVR.

- On the front of my being a bartending journey(wo)man, I finally got to add Grenadine syrup to my arsenal this past Saturday.

What. A. Difference. That. Stuff. Makes.

I got to try three recipes with the Grenadine...all of them tasting pretty dang good. Then again, if they did not taste good, I would not be posting them. ;)

Cheap Sunglasses

Fill glass with ice.
2 oz. Vodka
Fill with equal parts of Cranberry (Cocktail) Juice and Lemon-Lime Soda. (I used 7-Up.)
Stir.
Top with a dash of Grenadine and stir again. (Optional)
Garnish with a Lime Slice. (Optional)

You know I just have to try a drink with an obvious classic rock reference like this one. That said, I would recommend the "optional" Grenadine...it helped the drink taste more raspberry-ish. Thus really making it a winner in my book, especially since I love raspberries and stuff flavored with them. That said, Cheap Sunglasses is really not supposed to have Grenadine (according to my Bartender's Black Book), so maybe this particular version could be named "Raspberry Beret". :D

What prompted me wanting Grenadine was thinking back on the lovely Sex On the Beaches I had at the Cary Embassy Suites, and constantly swearing that there were more to those flavor-wise than Pineapple and Cranberry Juices. Well, who says swearing doesn't get you anywhere?

Sex On the Beach At Sunrise

Fill glass with ice.
1 oz. Vodka
1 oz. Peach Schnapps
A dash of Grenadine
Fill with equal parts of Cranberry (Cocktail) Juice and Pineapple Juice.
Stir.
Garnish with a Cherry or Pineapple Slice. (Optional)

Thanks to the addition of Grenadine, I rediscovered what has so far been my most favorite cocktail. Just as awesome, if not even more delicious than my first Sexes at Embassy.

I also had to try the Winter version...

Sex On the Beach In Winter At Sunrise

Fill shaker with ice.
1 oz. Vodka
1 oz. Peach Schnapps
Dash of Grenadine
Fill with equal parts of Cranberry (Cocktail) Juice and Pineapple Juice.
1 tsp. Cream of Coconut
Shake.
Fill glass with ice and pour from the shaker.
Garnish with a Cherry or Pineapple Slice. (Optional)

This one was tasty too...though, I wonder if I put in a little too much vodka, 'cause you could taste more alcohol than you usually should. Other than that, it was fine, and a must-try for those who like their drinks having a little coconut.

BTW, despite these, or at least the first of the Sex recipes, being treated as THE Sex On the Beach at Embassy, I am calling these "variations" 'At Sunrise', since the Black Book acts like Sex On the Beach should not have Grenadine in it. Tough.

Current Music: "Kismet" by Amon Duul II