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Friday, May 31, 2019

I'll Drink to That!

Thought for the day: Unlike a hangover, some things are worth repeating.
[source: unsplash]

Funny, but when I looked for an image to show hangover, the pics were all of men. Gee, I wonder why that is...

Anyhow, no I don't have a hangover. The truth is, I've never been much of a drinker, unless you count tea and water. Even so, I do enjoy a nice glass of wine or sip of bourbon from time to time.

But, um, yeah... this is gonna be a re-run. This post originally ran in June of 2013 with the title Cheers' Y'All! and it got a lot of comments back then, so some of you may remember it. Then again, maybe you won't. That wonderful dude Geo recently re-read and re-commented on that old post, so I figured, if he still got a kick out of it, maybe you would, too. (Heck, I'd even forgotten some of it...)

So here goes. I hope you enjoy! I'll be back with a brand new post for next Wednesday's IWSG Day. (The week after THAT, I'll show you some pictures of where we did our adventuring to celebrate our anniversary... I should be recuperated by then...)

P.S. Thank you guys so much for the anniversary wishes. (Yes, you WERE all brilliant.)

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Thought for the day:  Whiskey is, by far, the most popular of all remedies that won't cure a cold. [Jerry Vale]


In 1952, Armon M. Sweat, Jr., a member of the Texas House of Representatives, was asked for his opinion of whiskey. Being the true politician that he was, this was his response, as recorded in the Political Archives of Texas:

"If you mean whiskey, the devil's brew, the poison scourge, the bloody monster that defiles innocence, dethrones reason, destroys the home, creates misery and poverty, yea, literally takes the bread from the mouths of little children; if you mean that evil drink that topples Christian men and women from the pinnacles of righteous and gracious living into the bottomless pit of degradation, shame, despair, helplessness, and hopelessness, then, my friend, I am opposed to it with every fiber of my being.

"However, if by whiskey you mean the lubricant of conversation, the philosophic juice, the elixir of life, the liquid that is consumed when good fellows get together, that puts a song in their hearts and the warm glow of contentment in their eyes; if you mean Christmas cheer, the stimulating sip that puts a little spring in the step of an elderly gentleman on a frosty morning; if you mean that drink that enables man to magnify his joy, and to forget life's great tragedies and heartbreaks and sorrow; if you mean that drink the sale of which pours into Texas treasuries untold millions of dollars each year, that provides tender care for our little crippled children, our blind, our deaf, our dumb, our pitifully aged and infirm, to build the finest highways, hospitals, universities, and community colleges in this nation, then my friend, I am absolutely, unequivocally in favor of it.

"This is my position, and as always, I refuse to compromise on matters of principle."

You've gotta love a politician who can speak so articulately out of both sides of his mouth, but he's right, ya know. The abuse of alcohol can lead to all kinds of horrors, but as a social lubricant, it can also be quite... delightful.

Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy. [Ben Franklin]

Whoever drinks beer, he is quick to sleep;
Whoever sleeps long, does not sin;
Whoever does not sin, enters Heaven!
Thus, let us drink beer!   [Martin Luther]



While Smarticus and I were in Dahlonega, we went to a wine tasting... in broad daylight even. How decadent! I must admit, I'm a lightweight when it comes to alcohol, so those little bitty glasses of delight put a giddy little giddy-up in my step and made the world look even rosier.

Here's to alcohol, the rose-colored glasses of life. [F.Scott Fitzgerald]

While in that wine-tasting shop, I took pictures of some stuff that tickled my funny bone. So this post is gonna take a look at the funny side of drinking. Yeah, like the good politician Sweat from Texas, I know alcohol has a nasty underbelly, but who wants to write... or read... about a nasty underbelly? Far better to share a smile or two.


A cute bar towel, huh? Not that it's at all applicable to any women I know.

I cook with wine; sometimes I even add it to the food.  [W.C. Fields]



I should've bought some of these napkins, darn it.

I like to have a martini,
Two at the very most.
After three, I'm under the table,
After four, I'm under the host.
[Dorothy Parker]




Another bar towel.

I knew I was drunk. I felt sophisticated and couldn't pronounce it. [anonymous]


Yet another towel.

In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is Freedom, in water there is bacteria.  [Ben Franklin]



My personal favorite. This sign was next to the cash register.


Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut. [Ernest Hemingway]

This sign was at an antique shop we visited after the wine tasting. It cracked me up. Of course, after three teensy weensy glasses of wine, everything cracked me up.

Not all chemicals are bad. Without chemicals such as hydrogen and oxygen, for example, there would be no way to make water, a vital ingredient in beer.  [Dave Barry]

Here's one of those fun make-believe billboards from the fine folks at dribbleglass (Which reminds me, we're overdue for one of those road trip posts, aren't we?)

Actually, it only takes one drink to get me loaded. Trouble is, I can't remember if it's the thirteenth or fourteenth.  [George Burns]


One must always respect one's beverage.

When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading.  [Henny Youngman]

I drink too much. The last time I gave a urine sample, it had an olive in it.  [Rodney Dangerfield]

Don't try to join the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. It turns out they're apparently against all three.  [Wiley Post]

Wine is sunlight, held together by water. [Galileo]

The mouth of a perfectly happy man is filled with beer. [Ancient Egyptian proverb, circa 2200 B.C.!!!]




The following video is just over nine minutes long, which may be longer than you want to hang around. No problem. But if you have time, I think you'll get a kick out of Bill Cosby's 30+ year-old take on drinking...


And one final clip. A short one, which I could hardly believe I found. This is one of the folk songs my cousin Phyllis and I used to sing when we were teenagers. Anybody else ever hear of it before?




Okay, that's it for now. Until next time, take care of yourselves. And each other.


48 comments:

  1. Beer made civilization safe from untreated water. Whiskey made lots of trouble for the safe civilizations.

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  2. Fun post!. I don't drink much alcohol, as coffee is always my first choice. There was a lot of alcohol drunk here in Germany yesterday, as it was a bank holiday where the men traditionally go out and celebrate themselves and drink till they have forgotten who they are! Have a great weekend, hugs, Valerie

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    1. I like that... they "go out and celebrate themselves and drink till they have forgotten who they are." Very clever. :)

      You have a super weekend, too. Hugs back atcha.

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  3. Your post is so delightful and humorous that it made my day (which is not an easy thing to do). It's well worth a rerun. My youthful drinking days (and nights) are legendary. Lately, however, I can hardly tolerate a beer or two.

    I was so impressed by Sweat's 1952 dissertation about whiskey that I Googled him and was presented with a puzzle:

    If you do a search on Armon M. Sweat Jr. of Texas, there are many results that give him credit for writing the whiskey speech.
    BUT, if you Google Judge Noah S. Sweat Jr. (1922-1996) - also known as "Soggy" - you'll find just as many results attributing the whiskey speech to him. Judge Sweat lived in Mississippi and claimed that it took him over two months to write the 1952 whiskey speech.

    This is an enigma worthy of Geo (*smile*).
    I doubt if Armon and Noah were the same person. I couldn't find any concrete bio information about Armon, but there is some bio info about Judge Noah.
    My uneducated guess is that Noah is the true author.
    Perhaps one of your many knowledgeable readers can shed more light on this.

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    1. Hmmm, interesting puzzle over the attribution of that quote. Whichever one of them said it, it's a brilliant straddle-the-fence piece worthy of any politician, but you could be right about it coming from the judge. I reckon we'll never know for sure...

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  4. After a long and stressful day I am sipping a restorative wine (with bubbles in it). One will be more than sufficient but it is delightful - like your post.

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    1. One is more than sufficient for me, too, and it definitely has the power to restore and relax. More than one, and I'd fall asleep. (Which is even more relaxing, I suppose. HA!)

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  5. Hi Susan - oh gosh I wish I'd known that Luther quote ... I'd have used in a talk I recently gave about him! Loved the song you used to sing ... and what fun, pertinent all those quotes and sayings are ... while I'm just happy reading the whiskey quote - excellent. Brilliant post ... I'm off for another cup of coffee now - that tipple will need to wait. So glad you're having a wonderful anniversary time ... cheers to one and all - Hilary

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    1. Hi-ya, Hilary. Evidently, there was a lot more to Luther than they taught us in church. :)

      Cheers back atcha. I hope you have a super weekend.

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  6. A fun post, even for me who has never drank wine or whiskey and no beer since I last had a sip of shandy aged about 6.

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    1. Never? Wow, I'm impressed. :) I'm glad you enjoyed the post, anyway.

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  7. funny re-post. Cheers to you!

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    1. Cheers back atcha, sweet lady! Have a super weekend.

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    2. That was a fun post to replay, Susan. You picked a good one to make us smile.

      When I let the devil in, I choose either white or Rose’ wine. I never liked the taste of beer and have only had hard liquor when it is in a concoction of some sweet, colorful mix and has a paper umbrella. However, last Valentine’s Day while out to a celebratory lunch, My Retired Man asked for Courvoisier, which I was told was a cognac. Because he had ordered an expensive drink and I had Ice tea, I asked for a sip. Oh my, it was lovely. My throat didn’t burn but my face lit up. I will have to try that again someday, but just a small taste will do.

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    3. I've never liked beer, either. Our daughter is always trying to get me to try some fancy version of beer that she's sure I'll love, but nope. It's just putting a top hat on a frog. It still tastes like beer to me. :)

      I've never tried cognac, but I've got a soft spot for a yummy chocolate liqueur. Just a little dab'll do ya.

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  8. Whatever Bill Cosby is or may be he has always and will always be hilarious.

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    1. Agreed. His old video called "Himself" is a hoot from start to finish. Same for his old record albums.

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  9. I'm no fan of beer, but LOVE that Martin Luther quote! That, and the bar towel and the billboard. Heck, I'm loving (almost) all. Jus' waiting on Tom to come watch Cos' video with me. Always loved his unique humor.

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    1. Me, too. There was more to Luther than we were taught in church, eh?

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  10. I love that Ben Franklin quote. I do like beer and it does make me happy :) Great post as always!

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    1. I like his quote, too, but I don't like beer. Guess I'll have to find my happy somewhere else. :)

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  11. I love these quotes. I don't drink a fraction of what I used to, but a beer or wine with dinner is still a delight.

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    1. Yes! A nice glass of wine with dinner makes a good meal even better.

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  12. I can't even look at alcohol anymore without my stomach squirming. Cured myself of wanting to drink in university.

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    1. Moderation wasn't in your vocabulary when you were in college, eh? :)

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  13. Thankyou. It's been a busy month here and I needed to be knocked back in time. You're my hero, brava!

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    1. You're welcome, dude. We all need to be knocked back every once in a while. :)

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  14. Away With Rum seems familiar, but maybe it's because I heard it here. I love the quotation from Dorothy Parker. A very funny post.

    Love,
    Janie

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  15. I tried alcohol in my teens and got very sick from it and the experience was not funny … Have not tried it again not even a thimble full … nothing … nada. Anyway … Happy June 01, 2019, friend Sue. Love, cat.

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    1. Makes a lot more sense to me to not drink alcohol if it makes you sick. What doesn't make sense is when people keep drinking... and keep getting sick. YUK!

      Happy June to you, too, sweet lady!

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  16. I love the quote " alcohol not the answer, but make you forget the question".

    Thank you for sharing the fun memes.

    Have a wonderful weekend.

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  17. What a great post - and I love all the clever quotes.

    I had to get new glasses recently and found a print of the "At my age I need glasses" in the optical place where I filled my presciption.

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    1. Cool! I'm glad you liked it. It sounds like the folks at the optical place have a good sense of humor.

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  18. Awesome memes and quotes and interesting post!

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  19. Some of those are pretty daggone funny. I'm with you, bring on the tea or the water (add coffee for me too, that's a fave over here). :)

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    1. Coffee used to be high on my list, too, but it turned against me... :)

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  20. funny shit. I'm going to find some of those napkins

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    1. Cool! I'm glad it tickled your funny bone. Good luck finding those napkins!

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  21. What a fun post! I liked all the quotes. Being French you know we don’t consider wine alcohol, just what to drink with meals. I don’t drink wine without food. It is cheaper in restaurants at lunch in France to order a ¼ bottle of wine than a bottle of coke. At my mother’s assisted living near Paris they served wine with meals and at their Christmas party all the seniors would sing wine songs, but they did not at my late husband’s assisted living place in TN, and they did not sing.. ..

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    1. I'm glad you enjoyed it. Drinking wine with meals is so... civilized, ya know? Alas, I've never been to France, but in my fifth year of studying French, we got immersed in French culture... which included learning some French drinking songs. (Which I still remember!)

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  22. Funny post, Susan. Well worth the reposting. I'm mostly a water, milk, tea, and Diet Pepsi drinker myself. I like the cash register sign too.

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