Hot Sauce and Aspirin

See You Never, 2020

January 1, 2021

2020 was a huge year for me. My spouse and I officially moved from Texas to Florida. We became empty nesters when our son went off to college in Washington state. Like many of you we did the covid graduation. We helped move Brian’s parents into assisted living while his mom recovered from a stroke and a heart attack. We watched so much TV, seriously so much. I ran over 200 miles. Through it all, like everyone else, we kept waiting for life to go back to normal, then we learned what the new normal meant. The new normal, to me, felt a lot like grief. We said goodbye to being carefree, to leaving the house without a mental checklist. Mask, sanitizer, steely will. Remember washing our groceries? But here we are, on the cusp of a new day, of a new year. We have vaccines on the horizon, and a lot of people have already received their first dose. 2021 is bringing us here in the US a new President, and new hope. To everyone who made it through with me, you are strong, you are resilient, and I’m so happy to have you here with me, to drink another day! Take your milk thistle, drink your water, and I’ll see you next year! So much love, my gorgeous drunkies! Happy New Year!

Sangria and Ugly Sweaters

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December 20, 2020

I’m not sure if I have mentioned this before, but the entire month of December is Eggnog Month, and I have been partaking. My amazing former neighbors sent us a bottle of boozy holiday nog from Stinson Distilling in Driftwood Texas, and it goes really well with early afternoon coffee. My hip is out of commission, so there has been a noticeable uptick in the alcohol as the running has had to take a pause in favor of yoga and walking. Today is not just a nog day though, it is National Sangria Day, and I suspect it may also be Global Sangria Day, as Sangria itself is not rooted in American tradition.

Sangria dates back to early Greece, when people would add a splash of alcohol to their water to kill bacteria. Mulling it and adding a bit of fruit made it sweeter and more palatable for the masses, they called that early sangria hippocras. Around the same time people in what is now Spain, were making wine using their extensive vineyards and accessible fruits, until they were conquered by Moors. At that point, Spanish wine and sangria went on break until the 1400’s. By the 1800’s Sangria branched out of Spain into the rest of Europe. France would sometimes use their rosè or Beaujolais, but most of the rest of Europe would use Tempranillo or Garancha grapes. It took a while for the delicious nectar to make it’s way to us in the states, but fortunately it got a stronghold at the 1964 world’s fair. What a year for the US, that fair not only brought us “It’s a Small World”, “Great Moment’s with Mr Lincoln”, “the Carousel of Progress”, and an actual Rocketeer, but it also brought us Sangria! Thank you, 1964!

But all that was in the past. Today Sangria is enjoyed the world over, with South Central Florida being no exception. For my recipe, I decided on Casa Belfi, an Italian sparkling red wine that I found at my local cafe, I also used 2 12 ounce bottles of organic, real sugar cane ginger ale, 2 oranges, the zest of 1 orange, 1 apple, and 2 handfuls of cranberries. Any red wine on the dry side should work. If you want to go with a white wine, Spanish table wine is recommended, and people usually use summer fruits, like peaches and strawberries, but I operate under the “use what you have” motto. If you like white wine more than red wine and winter fruits are in season, I don’t see why you can’t find a combination that will work for you. Either way, you cut up the fruit, add the wine and ginger ale, and let all the flavors marry for at least 2-3 hours, overnight being the ideal. And if you are not into alcohol and would prefer a non alcoholic version, I saw a recipe that called for black tea, pomegranate juice, orange juice, and fruit. I bet that is delicious and it definitely won’t give you a hangover! Whatever your preference, there is a sangria for you! If you drink it today, December 20th, be sure to pair it with your ugliest holiday sweater; today is also Ugly Sweater day. And please tag me @hot_sauce_and_aspirin on instagram, or #hellodrunkies, I will give you a like and a follow! Show me your sangria and your sweaters today! I’ll post a sweater pic soon as well!

National Screwdriver Day

Hot Sauce and Aspirin

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December 15, 2020

It’s odorless, it’s colorless, you can develop somewhat of a tolerance to it. No I’m not talking about iocane powder, I’m talking about vodka. Specifically, I’m talking about the age old tradition, allegedly born in the US, of sneaking vodka into OJ to catch a buzz on the DL. From what google and wikipedia could tell me, there are rumors that fliers in WWII would sneak the illicit treat into their cups, also that the men who would operate dangerous machinary in oil fields would add it in with their juice as the day wore on, and then they would use a screwdriver to stir their drink. I guess you can’t get tetanus from drinking rust. In the 1940’s there were at least 2 different news articles declaring the screwdriver to be the new hit drink of America. Part of me wonders if this sneaky elixir wasn’t a holdover from the days of prohibition, but google was unable to confirm that suspicion. Either way, orange growers of the country rejoice that this drink is one that took a firm hold and stuck around. Now sneaky drinkers everywhere can partake wherever they might be, and no one will be any the wiser, until they start talking. Just make sure you aren’t sneaking it to fly planes, operate dangerous machinery, or drive your vehicle! Otherwise, enjoy Dec 14th, National Screwdriver Day responsibly. Remember, if you have an early morning tomorrow be sure to drink it with some milk thistle, keep water on hand, and break out your bottle of Cheers, formerly known as Thrive+. Cheers, fabulous drunkies, and happy National Screwdriver Day!

Beaujolais Nouveau Day AND National Zinfandel Day!

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November 19, 2020

Today is an exciting day if you are a wine lover. According to the Smithsonian Magazine, every third Thursday in November is Beaujolais Nouveau Day. This day marked the end of the harvest season, and celebrated the efforts of wine makers introducing their newly created wine to markets all over Europe, and now all over the world. Beaujolais Nouveau is a lighter red wine, fruity, almost pink, but despite its humble and inexpensive qualities it has created a massive following. Today millions of people eagerly await the release of the newest vintage. Being in south central Florida, I did not have access to any brand new vintages, but I will remain on the lookout and update things if I am able to locate one. I did pick up a bottle of Beaujolais-Villages to have something to toast the day with, but I haven’t opened it yet.

When researching Zinfandel Day, things got a bit murkier. According to Thirst Mag’s calendar, today is their day. According to a google search it is usually celebrated on the third Wednesday in November, which would have been yesterday. Regardless of which day you choose, this holiday was created by the ZAP, the Zinfandel Advocates and Producers, to drum up business for an often overlooked wine. Researchers think that what we now know as Zinfandel originated in Croatia in the 18th century, under the name Primitivo. The wine is made from black skinned grapes. Nowadays it is considered a very American wine, in fact over 10% of California vineyards produce Zinfandel grapes. If you are a BBQ lover, Zinfandel pairs well with smoky meats, though I think it stands alone quite well. Whether you celebrate today, or you were ahead of the game pairing your Zin with your cider yesterday, you will find it is certainly an easier wine to grab ahold of, no matter where you are. I am currently enjoying a bottle of Saldo Zinfandel, it’s one of the pricier ones, coming in around $25. It is made by The Prisoner and always a safe choice, sure to be a crowd pleaser or make a great hostess gift. It has a soft feel, and a rich but still very smooth flavor. The reason I chose it over a less expensive bottle was the design of the logo. The simplicity grabbed my attention on a shelf full of very busy labels.

Red wine is NOTORIOUS for a hangover, the sulphates are killer and it seems to get worse as I age. In an attempt to ward off any potential malaise tomorrow, (remember I am training for 2 long races and a 800 mile distance challenge), I will be taking a complex B vitamin, a milk thistle, and drinking 40 ounces of water today. That should be enough, but if it is not, I will let you know what I take tomorrow to get me over the hump. For now, carpe diem, and enjoy your wine! We are all safe in our houses anyway, so drinking and driving won’t be an issue. Cheers, and happy wine day! If you participate and use instagram, please tag me #hotsauceandaspirin or #zinday, and like yesterday I will like and comment on my favorite submissions!

National Apple Cider Day!

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November 18, 2020

Good afternoon! Happy National Apple Cider Day! Or as I prefer to think of it, National Rum In Your Cider Day. A couple of days ago I was thinking about ways to create more consistent and fun mid week content. The thought occurred to me that Facebook reminds us of the big holidays, margarita day, taco day, favorite child day, blonde hamster day. But it probably misses some pretty important ones too. Curious about what I was missing, I went to the old internet and found Alesessions.com, which lists all drinking holidays for 2020. Thanks to their hard work, I have a plan. So check back often, because every national or world drinking day, I will be here with recipes and photos, so you too can enjoy the day!

There are a lot of ways to spike your cider, you can make it hot or cold, you can add rum, brandy, or bourbon. My friend Lisa recommended using cinnamon sticks, lemon slices, and orange slices in the cider and adding bourbon. That sounds amazing! I went with a recipe I found online, but changed it up to fit what I had/what I like. I did 1/4 gallon of apple cider, 1/2 cup of spiced rum, 1/2 an apple, peeled and cubed, the juice from 1/2 a lemon, and some cinnamon. Mix the cider and rum in a pitcher. Mix the cinnamon, lemon juice, and apples in a bowl and stir until the apples are coated. Put the apple cubes on a skewer (I broke a chopstick in 1/2 because I had no skewers), and use as garnish. Pour the cider and rum over ice and enjoy! For the purposes of the photo I kept the apples out of the drink, but after that I put them inside the drink and poured a little of the left over cinnamon lemon juice into the drink. (That was my husband’s idea, and it really added some depth to the drink.) And that’s it. 2 minutes of work to enjoy 4 glasses of slightly alcoholic apple cider! Cheers! If you partake in the festivities, please tag me on instagram #hotsauceandaspirin #nationalappleciderday.

Race Training and Champagne

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November 16, 2020

Happy Monday, friends and drunkies alike! Some good news before I jump in. My new laptop arrives on Thursday, so I will not be cobbling this together from my phone and an Asus from 2012 for much longer. Impressed by my technological wherewithal? I know you are! Hopefully this new laptop will mean better photos, better editing, and maybe even some videos getting linked up. Who knows? We may get wild. For today though, it’s me, my busted ass base model laptop, that if I’m being honest, for cost $200 8 years ago, has held up remarkably well, and my phone for last looks. Now that we are all caught up, let’s jump in shall we? Almost, let’s almost jump in. Originally, this post was going to be about Sanding Ovations Master’s Cup, a festival with sand castles, food, and art, on Treasure Island Beach, near Sloppy Joe’s, (those certainly are all words that go together). BUT, 2 things happened. 1, I thought, it’s Covid, people should not have or attend large festivals, no matter how cool they are, they will be just as cool next year. And 2, a crazy thing happened to me today, so the sand castles can wait while I tell you about today.

Of course, talking about today means nothing if I don’t mention yesterday. Yesterday, Sunday medium fun day, was going to be a day where we stacked our washer and dryer and reorganized our Florida room (a mud room/laundry room for non Floridians). It was also going to be the day I washed my work out clothes from last week. You know what it ended up being? The day I walked down to the St Pete General Store, bought a bottle of Brut, a slice of the most delicious apple coffee cake known to man, and proceeded to sit on the couch in my living room, drink the bottle of bubbly, and binge watch “The Vow” and “Why Women Kill”. It was also not the day I drank any water. So, that was yesterday, relaxing, lazy, slightly dehydrating day, followed by a pretty early bedtime, and a good sleep. 1 bottle of bubbly spread out over an entire day will not get you drunk, therefor, it will not get you hung over. But it will get you less energized than if you had drank water all day instead.

So now we are all caught up. I woke up, feeling super thirsty, and super unmotivated to leave my cozy house and go for a run. But, I have 2 virtual races and a distance challenge going on right now, so just not doing anything was not an option. Unfortunately I had not done laundry yesterday, meaning I was stuck with some leggings that have zero pockets, which seems inconsequential, but matters because it means I couldn’t drive to the place I planned to run at, because I would have no where to put my keys. St Pete is not a place where you can just leave your keys in your car and expect it to still be there a few minutes later. At this point, I drank 2 glasses of water, but still felt bleary as hell, still felt thirsty, and was annoyed about the no pockets. But, I’m not throwing in the towel, so I grab my air pods and phone, which I’m just going to hold, like a pocketless loser, and head out. It takes me almost a mile before I feel like even walking faster than a meander, but eventually I resign myself to my fate and head to my neighborhood lake, figuring I can at least run around it a few times. Something is always better than nothing, and if you are going to be a runner and a drinker, you just have to deal with days like this. That’s expected. What was not expected was what happened next.

I arrived at the park, and was really happy to see 4 different neighborhood people or groups, 2 women were walking dogs, a man was grabbing lunch, and a couple was doing yoga. Whenever I consider running around this park, I always scan for safety because it’s a very public area, but there are several centers for men and addiction nearby, and occasionally it feels a bit unsafe. But not today, today it was bustling with life and neighbors. I ran around it once, and as I finished the first lap, I had not even noticed that like a western film when the bad guys arrive, it had completely emptied, save 2 men. Still, it’s a public area, lot’s of shops and restaurants and homes surrounding it. So, my guard up a little more once I noticed I was almost alone, I decided to do a few more laps around the lake. The second time around I noticed one of the men staring at me. I smiled when I ran by, women are taught to smile when interacting with strange men, because it’s safer to keep them from becoming angry. The third time around he was REALLY staring at me, and I considered bailing out, and should have listening to my inner alarm bells. Because the fourth time, he spoke to me, invited me to his house for beer, cigarettes and sex. I continued smiling, and said no thank you, and that is when he nodded to the other man who had been sitting up the hill from us. That man stood up and started cutting off the path between myself and the street, I ran. Thank goodness I am in almost decent shape, and while running I texted my husband to let him know what was happening and where I was. We live less than 600 steps from this park. By the time I had made it to the street on the far side of the park, near the general store that had sold me my wine mere hours before, the second man had closed the gap to just a few feet. However, by then I was safely in front of the shops, so he quickly turned down an ally. I texted Brian that I was safe, but did not want to go directly home, so they did not see where I live. Once I felt sure man #2 was not coming back I walked back toward my house, but took some side streets to finish out my run, and make sure the creeps did not follow me home. I immediately felt annoyed that this isn’t the first time a thing like this has happened to me, probably not even the 10th time. Guys, especially white guys, get to freely explore the world, safe from sexual harassment and threat of bodily harm. But women can’t run around a neighborhood lake 600 feet from their home without taking many precautions. It’s a weird thing too, at no point was I truly in danger, I am faster than they were, we were in a public space, I am a good puncher if need be. But in moments like those, you forget all of that, and feel so alone. But to all my other women who run even when hung over, even when they might experience harassment and fear, I see you! Cheers! Until next time, stay safe and hydrated out there!

She’s Back!

Hot Sauce and Aspirin

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November 12, 2020

Hello my completely fabulous drunkies! I feel like I missed a huge opportunity to spend 2020 drunk quarantined with all of you, and I am sorry for that. Back in 2019, before the world ended, I questioned if I was setting a poor example to the world writing so much about drinking. I even tried to segue to buying your drinks and your everything else responsibly. But I couldn’t stay on that topic, it was so upsetting to be constantly reading and then writing about such horror. I am glad I made the posts and did the research though, because now that I know better, I do better, and will continue to live the things I learned. Who are we kidding though? My brand is socially exploring my environment and occasionally drinking too much. So, to that end, here as we wrap 2020, the craziest year we have collectively experienced, I decided, like sanity to our presidency, to make a dramatic return! 2020 was a big year for us, we sold our Austin home and moved full time to St Petersburg, Florida. During the pandemic. Our son moved 3,000 miles the other direction to Seattle for college, also during the pandemic, and he took our grand-cat with him. My husband started working from home at the same time, which gave us almost no opportunity to meet new people. Which also brought me back here. I found, over the time I spent with this project, it was such a great excuse to talk to strangers. And is there any place drunker than Florida? I’m seriously asking! Maybe restarting the project will help us find new fun friends too. I have a lot of ideas for the directions of this reboot. Trying to make new friends in our 40’s, supporting minority owned bars and breweries, how our little city is adapting, surviving, and thriving during these crazy times, and of course, new remedies that have hit the market during my reprieve. What do you want to hear about? Comment here or on facebook with ideas, and look out for new content coming this weekend! As always, you can find me on Instagram @hot_sauce_and_aspirin, be sure to tag your own socially distanced party pics #hotsauceandaspirin or #hellodrunkies so I can follow your fun too!

Liquid IV

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May 29, 2019

Several weeks ago we had a welcome home party for my great friend and her husband, who came back to us from the wilderness of Delaware. It was a super fun party, sandwiched in between a very busy weekend. (Story of my life, I know!) Because we had plans for Sunday, it was important that I manage to avoid my signature 2 day hangover. I had recently been given a code for free Liquid IV, which is really just a re-hydration system, not a tailored hangover cure. It is designed for athletes or illness, as a way to immediately replace electrolytes and provide essential vitamins. Over the course of the last couple of years, I have learned that hangovers and the effects of running a marathon are very similar in terms of depletion, so things that claim to be excellent sources or hydration are usually worth a try as a hangover remedy. Since this post is largely personal experiences and no larger data pools, whenever I have the opportunity for several people to try the same thing after drinking approximately the same amount of the same beverages, I jump at it. Now, I did not count how many beers everyone had the night before, myself included. But I did buy the beer, so I know we were all drinking the same kind, and we all stayed the night, so I can affirm we all drank more than 1-2 beers. In order to mitigate the disaster, I handed out B Complex vitamins and Milk Thistle the night of the party, and encouraged everyone to take it with a glass of water. That alone is enough for some of my heartier friends to sail into Sunday mornings carefree and happy. For me it’s an excellent base, but doesn’t get me all the way home. So, after some amount of beer, no liquor and no wine, I woke up Sunday feeling thirsty, tired and like I might be hungover later. I got ready for our day, we were driving about an hour out to Real Ale for an event, then checking out Jensen Ackles brewery, and heading home. When I got downstairs, my friends Sonia, Michael, and Charlie also came down looking bleary, and my stubborn husband wandered down as well. Myself, Sonia, Michael, and Charlie all drank a liquid IV. The taste was not unlike Gatorade, but it really needed to be very cold, and maybe diluted in 20 ounces of water instead of 16. It says it provides the hydration of 2-3 bottles of water, using “Cellular Transport Technology.” The claim is that due to it’s proprietary ratios of potassium, sodium, glucose and water the liquid can be efficiently absorbed into the upper digestive tract. As someone who suffers from absorption issues, and really should not drink at all, I was especially interested in that claim. Brian, the stubborn, said he did not need that, and I believe instead took a blo-fish. Sonia and Michael went to a family BBQ, Charlie, myself, Brian, and Liam, who does not drink as he is a minor with good sense, all went off to Real Ale. The one thing lacking in the Liquid IV, as far as a hangover cure goes is a stimulant, but it is not designed to be for hangovers, so it kind of makes sense. Besides being tired, my nausea went completely away, headache was gone, skin and eyes didn’t feel dry. It worked for me. Charlie reported the same findings. Once the coffee we stopped for kicked in, we were both fine. Brian, on Blo-Fish, had to stop talking several times because he thought he was going to throw up, and his head never stopped hurting. We tried to rally, but were all kind of over being out in the hot weather after a long weekend of activity, so after a ridiculously delicious grilled cheese and a mediocre beer from Family Business Beer Company, we headed home. Sonia and Michael, coincidentally had left something at our house, and ended up back there the same time we arrived home. They both also reported that their family BBQ was only doable because the liquid IV took care of the hangover, but they were tired and ready to veg out at their new home. I will absolutely buy more of this stuff, it has no harsh chemicals or stimulants in it, and as a sufferer of chronic dehydration, I will use it to survive hot Texas and Florida summers even without drinking! To find out more about it, or order some for yourself, here is the link! Liquid IV

Fun side note, the makers of Liquid IV also include a packet that is supposed to be a sleep aid, I have not tried it yet, but look forward to testing it out while I am in Florida. For some reason, I have a hard time sleeping there. The price point for liquid IV is great too, it’s less expensive than some of my other favorites, and serves more than just one function. My son could take it to the pool, I can drink it after a run, it can keep me alive after a night out on the town, and when I’m in a bad flare it can keep me hydrated. Any UC/IBD sufferers out there may want to give it a try as a supplement. Nuun has been my go to, but I feel like Liquid IV has the edge as far as total hydration goes. If I can get a discount code from them for you all, I will include it at a later time, but in the meantime, it’s worth paying full price for it.

Cheers! And be on the lookout for my spin off blog, Shop The Good Guys, a guide to spending your money on earth and human friendly products, while not going broke or joining a cult! Hopefully coming later today, May 29th, 2019.

Ethics in Shopping

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April 30, 2019

This is a huge departure from my normal antics of traveling, drinking, and drinking while traveling. This is also extremely important, and since hot sauce is my biggest platform to reach strangers, I wanted to announce it here. Last Thursday, I woke up in a terrible mood. You ever have those days? For no reason you just think it’s going to be a bad day, and so it is. I woke up already defeated, and started scrolling through Facebook. You know how when you have those days, rather than look at we rate dogs, or dogs of Instagram, you search for the people on your friends list who you really don’t like, just so you can stay annoyed, and you click on the articles about the world ending, school shootings, immigration disasters, and other massive things that you can’t control very much, but can definitely get mad about? That’s where I was. Scrolling through my feed past the cute babies, the bluebonnet pics, the new houses, and stopping on the “area priest rapes again”, etc. Well, one of the articles I clicked on was basically “You are supporting slavery every day.” And grumpy pissed off me was like, “great, what else am I doing wrong?” But, I read it anyway. The article, which I so wished I had saved, or that I could even remember from where I found it, was from 2018, and talked about Nestle and how they benefit from slavery, deforestation, anti union practices, and child labor. It painted a horrible and very effective picture of children stolen from beds being forced to pick cocoa beans, species of animals becoming endangered due to the over farming and deforesting effects of palm oil, forced slave labor of both children and adults, campaigns that convinced mothers to use formula in areas where they had no access to fresh water. I mean, it was terrible. Still, I thought, it’s 2019 now, probably they were exposed and decided to make a plan to improve. I fired up the old google box and learned that once they were exposed as the monsters they are, they said it would be more expensive not to use slavery, and in fact increased the amount of slavery they use. They argued that the slight cost increase to the consumers was a greater ethical issue than actual child slavery. At this point in my already bad day, I found a flow chart from the free thought project that uncovered the main companies owned by Nestle. Then I learned they even recently bought out formerly Austin owned, and beloved in my household, Chameleon Cold Brew, which I was in fact drinking, right at that moment. Upset and overwhelmed I turned to Facebook, I figured they broke me, maybe they could fix me. The question I put forth was, how do I know what is bad, and how can I find something better? This innocent question, asked from a hopeless place during a bad day, quickly returned an answer. Then another one, and another one. Some were so small like, I’m sorry your coffee is evil now, but Ruta Maya is ethically sourced and delicious, and available near you. So, I was like, OK, I have coffee now, but what about every other thing I buy that is terrible? (Coffee was kind of the least of my problems, since I usually get my coffee from a local, woman, LGBTQ owned cafe any way, shout out to Crema for keeping me caffeinated.) But one game changer was a link to Better World, which lists thousands of companies in dozens of categories, and ranks them A to F based on their extensive research. Once I learned that just because my toothpaste was evil, that didn’t mean all toothpaste was evil, or that I had to start using baking soda and lemon juice or something, to avoid the evil toothpaste giants, I realized it was not going to be that difficult to avoid the big bads, and send them a message by using my money to support their competitors who operate with a soul.

My plan is to create a blog, separate from Hot Sauce, that provides practical guides for all kinds of things. A one stop shop for you before you shop. An ethical pre-store. It will include what to buy, but also where to buy it. How to best travel (hint, southwest isn’t too bad if you need to fly.). Where to bank, what cars to buy. And unlike most of the lists, I will skip the overly crunchy stuff, and focus on cost effective, easily accessible items that receive high user ratings. Doing the right thing shouldn’t be more expensive, it shouldn’t take more time, and it shouldn’t be something you agonize over. Let me do all that research for you, you just keep shopping and living your best life. And if any of my drunkies stuck with me this far, I will be making sure that going forward my hangover remedies are all ethically sourced.

What I need from you all is a name! My friend Leslee (Taming of the Two), said she likes Supreme guide to shopping without raping the earth and its inhabitants. My niece, who is currently in college majoring in environmental studies likes Capitalist Hellscape Survival Guide. I was thinking something short and sweet like The Ethical Capitalist. But what do you all think? Whatever I decide, it will be launching on it’s own site soon!

Odessa, not the one in Russia

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April 25, 2019

I have to take a minute before I start, to say thank you to Stouthaus Coffee for being cool with the 20 people taking up all their table space with our laptops. I usually write from home, planes, hotels, and once the bathroom (I have IBD, sometimes I spend a lot of time in there!) Today I needed to vacate my house for a couple hours, so I decided it would be an excellent time to catch up on posts over a couple beers. My husband suggested Stouthaus, since they have coffee and beer, so here I am, joining the sea of laptops, taking up space, looking important, drinking the prettiest beer ever! Shout out to people who “work from home” from bars, that’s such a smart choice, I hope you are ordering something every hour or so to pay for that privilege. I certainly have been, which makes me think I should have ubered here, but I have left my car in this parking lot more than once!

Moving on, this past weekend was Easter for Roman Catholics and Christians, it was also Passover, so happy holidays if you align with any of those things. I personally am not religious, but am a sucker for tradition, so we travel to west Texas whenever possible for Easter fun. My best friend in the universe lives in Odessa, and obviously going there spells shenanigans. Normally I pack all my best remedies to help us muddle through. This year everything sneaked up on me, and I found myself shoving clothes in a bag Friday morning as we tried to get out of town. No remedies, no vitamins, no plan! We were unofficially hoping that Friday would be the crazy night, so if we were hungover we could still function to hunt for eggs then drive home on Sunday. It’s a 5 hour drive from Austin to Odessa, Texas is huge. I have done that drive hungover more than once, it is terrible. Friday night though, we were so tired. 5 hours in the car, followed by a heavy pasta dinner with Nikki’s parents (we had to see them if we were in town!), and we all came back to the house sleepy and full. So, I tried to rally, but ended up calling it at 10 PM, and heading to bed. The obvious part of this story is that meant Saturday we were all well rested and ready for fun. We loaded up in a car and headed out to buy tiny bottles of liquor for an adult Easter egg hunt, hit the grocery store for beer and snacks and started our day. At the grocery store I bought some milk thistle, a b complex vitamin, and a hydration/vitamin power, figured it would have to do. We stuck mostly to beer, despite a successful bottle hunt, but added a dark and stormy and a dirty martini to the mix. I also made sure to take the vitamins before we started and add in lots of extra water. Plus, my son brought his switch which has Just Dance on it, so we danced our drunk asses off for HOURS. So much fun was had by all, and we stumbled off to bed around 2 AM. Y’all, Milk Thistle and B complex, I know I have told you this before, but it works! Especially if you add extra water to the mix. The best part of this particular remedy is that it’s cheap. You simply buy bottles of vitamins and take one capsule of each every time you drink. Hell, you can take them every day if you want, they are vitamins, it won’t hurt you! I woke up around 11 the next morning, feeling fine. Nikki, who can have 2 drinks and end up hungover, was fine, Randall and Brian were also fine. If you are ever stuck out of town with none of your go to remedies, just hit up a grocery store, target or pharmacy and get some b complex and milk thistle, you will thank me! If you are allergic to ragweed, be careful with the thistle, it can cause a reaction. We wrapped up the weekend with an Easter Egg hunt at the park and a 5 hour drive, happy, tired, and not at all hung over! It was a springtime miracle! I hope you are all having happy, healthy, non hung over spring times as well. If you are, let me know what remedies are working for you, and what your favorite drinks are. See you soon, my favorite drunkies!