On the sixth day of Gheorghemas
Big Gheorghe gave to me...
Six Random Items
Going to be honest...I dread this assignment each year. I said it. Am going to put on the calendar now as a reminder to begin the task in October, like I did for this year's work holiday cards. Unlike last year at this time, they've already been sent out - stress free, on my timeline. Effing lovely.
"Random Items" is not a yearly 12 Days Title for me, but this isn't the first either. For 2023, my Random Items are a mishmash, a smorgasbord, like I said - Random Items.
One. Let's start with the constant that is booze. My wife and I partook in dry January* last year which in turn led to, I do believe, less intake thereafter. Full disclosure - caught a peek at Whitney's Day 7, and let's say I'm in the camp of extending the month to....not sure yet, but something more than a month. The * signifies that it wasn't technically a dry January...my annual golf industry boondoggle is always in the last week of the month and well, that just won't happen. So in lieu of teetotaling those few nights, I added on the first week in February as penance of sorts.
As I'm always trying to find ways to save time on the thinking front, like Steve Jobs and his all black wardrobe but different...I'm done perusing the litany of bourbons on the shelf. I've got my go-to. I know it will be there. Don't cost much. And...I know I like it. From whiskeyshelf.com...
Unlike all the other releases that pick and choose one or some of the 10 combinations, Four Roses Yellow Label is made from all 10 combinations of mashbills (2 of them) and yeasts (5 of them), although there’s no way to know the percentage of each in the blend. I guess that means there’s the possibility of getting a little bit of everything that Four Roses has to offer.
If you rely on reviews for your product purchasing or moving watching, don't read the rest of this one should you meander on over to Whiskey Shelf. Meh. That's what's great about GTB nation - independent thinkers. Opinion naysayers. Uninfluenced by the masses. If someone told me I'd be stuck with this one for the rest of my years, I'd be okay more than okay with it.
Two. The next Random Item is a Podcast. Am counting about 25 different pods that I listen to, scratch that, try to listen to on a semi-regular basis. That number used to be more manageable so it's time to whittle, get rid of some clutter. I think I heard about this one....on another podcast.
Every company certainly has a story, and these guys tell those stories, from Standard Oil to Taylor Swift. How 'bout that range? Nike, NFL, Costco, Porsche, Lockheed Martin, Airbnb, Bitcoin and about a hundred others. You may think you wouldn't be interested in the genre, but I'm here to tell ya you could be right. But you might be wrong. Only one way to find out. These aren't the 45-minute "Stuff You Should Know" jobs (also a good one) but 2-4 hour deep dives. If you read Phil Knight's Shoe Dog, which only takes the reader from its founding in the mid-60's to 1980, and if you watched the Affleck/Damon duo's movie Air, you might think you know a lot about Nike but the Acquired guys are here to tell you otherwise. And they would be right.
If you have a penchant for reading about history, US military, the CIA, WWII - go to Lockheed Martin. Fascinating stuff. Car guy? Porsche is a must and that is even if you don't give two _____'s about the luxury sports car maker. I haven't listened to the Taylor Swift sesh but rest assured. (doubtful)
Okay, two down! That one didn't take as long....let's stay on stride Danny Boy!
Random Item #3 - A Coach. Or someone, something akin to a Coach. Therapists work too in other capacities, or so I've been told. I don't manage stress well. When tasks pile up, personal, professional, publishing deadlines!!! I don't freeze but I get pretty chilly. I'll tackle one then "bing", an email comes in and, well....ADD let's say. There was a time I was a master of the tasks. Checklist king. Boom! Bam! Take that you tasks. Nothing could get between me and the tasks. If you could name my tasks of old they'd all be named Heidi Klum. Just loved me some takin' care of tasks. And then, not sure when, how, why, not sure if it was overnight or gradual, I think gradual, I noticed the focus didn't go away but it waned a wee bit. Take this paragraph for example...I've gone from watching sports highlights, checking texts, getting some water from downstairs hotel lobby, putting some suitcase contents into the hotel dresser, all b/c my heart at this moment is not intent on finishing this thing. So I find things to help me stall it out - we were probably all very good at this in college.
Not a good recipe at work, where in the last 4-5 years the business I'm in has changed quite a bit, growth based mostly with our version of side hustles and, more people to answer to and many more to answer for. It's only going to continue in this direction so about 18 months ago I sought out a performance coach who I was referred to by my neighbor and good friend who I think a lot of and trust implicitly. She was striking out on her own so the timing was good for both of us.
I was able to get the biz to pay for most of it, which is nice. I will say in the 18 months since we started "seeing each other, virtually" she's been a big help. The decision to do this wasn't really easy ya know? It's kinda great doing nothing! So easy, like sitting on the coach. Cozy. Comfy. I don't wanna get up. Can't I just stay here with the clicker? There have been been personal/at home ancillary benefits as well. I'll go through the heavy lifting items at work. She'll ask, "what do you need to do next?" I'll answer after some thought. Then, "okay, what next?" I give answer, followed with, "When are you going to do it?" Ummm...tomorrow I guess? Of course that's over simplifying it but it isn't miles off of that. It's a little bit of a grift but a grift that produces at least some measurable outputs, so maybe it's a good grift. Here's a pic of a performance coach and her pupil - uncanny how this encapsulates my experience.
Three down!
Four! This ties in to #3 a lil bit. On Turkey Day and around the holidays, everyone here shouts out their appreciation for this great spot and those that congregate here. To go one more, I'd say that everyone here has influenced me to the positive in one way or form throughout the roughly 15 years I've been comin' round these parts. Really, and I do mean everyone. It's such an impressive collective in terms of character, credibility, experiences, smarts. Thank you for helping me be a bit better of a person in this life. Sadly no one has impacted my desire to post here more regularly, defined as "more than once per year", but keep your heads up.
Five. Would you like more sharing? I wrote Items 1, 2, 3, 6 and part of 4 before the workweek began with the hopes of having it complete by Monday. Didn't happen. It could have but it didn't. No one to blame but my wife and kids and their requirement of traveling to swim meets two states away, chewing up an entire weekend after an entire week on the road. When I came in to close out #4, I thought I was done but lo and behold, I had not even started on #5. Do you remember my "ADD" reference earlier? Go back and look, it's there. So what is Random Item #5? I don't know - how about, "Blame others when able"? I'm taking suggestions.
Six! Let's bookend this with hooch. My drink for Thanksgiving this year was a Toasted Marshmallow Old Fashioned. Bourbon or Rye. Homemade marshmallow simple syrup. Chocolate bitters. If you're feeling randy and have one of those drink smokers, smoke up Johnny!
Like with any simple syrup of a particular flavor, there isn't a shortage of recipe options. Through trial and error - burn 8-10 marshmallows....place in a cup or two of water with your preference of white or brown sugar....simmer....after the marshmallows have melted and sugar dissolved, pour though a strainer - set in fridge for a bit or even overnight.
On the chocolate bitters...you can substitute this with a chocolate liqueur and if you have neither, I wouldn't sweat it. Vanilla extract maybe? I prefer rye when making an old fashion. You do you though. And if you can make it look remotely close to this, you're winning. The sweet & chocolate factors can be controlled, so tinker until you find the sweet spot, pun meant. A few drops of the bitters and roughly two tablespoons of the syrup do the trick for me, and about another tablespoon of the syrup for Mrs. Danimal. Enjoy!
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20 comments:
I love long rambling heartfelt posts in list format. This is a gem.
I second Danimal’s “Acquired” rec. He told me to check out the Porsche pod which is amazing. Lots of stuff I didn’t know and they even made the Porsche/VW stock manipulation scheme understandable. The LVMH merger story is crazy.
this is the good stuff, danny. i'd grab a wee dram of the four roses yellow label that's over there in my bar cabinet, but folks sometimes frown on the 8:25 am tipple.
just started the LVMH story. had zero knowledge of the size and limited understanding of their brand power.
can't wait to read rob's post on his next chapter, whenever that may be. i feel something brewing.
Quality post, Danimal, even if you're a reluctant typist. Along those lines, as you're in the golf business -- or business of golf business -- I'm curious to know your thoughts on the PGA Tour-LIV Golf dynamic. If it affects you and your compadres and how.
I might be persuaded to sign an NDA if you share honest opinions, or at least do a virtual pinky swear.
Dave - would be happy to, but can't do it here! Lots of thoughts...I can say here that it is unfortunate on many levels and I wish it never happened. Will get an email post out in the coming week or so.
Danimal, sign me up for your email blast, or carrier pigeon delivery or however you roll.
tribe stud lb john pius headed to wisconsin as a grad transfer. bummer, but likely a good move for him.
Wow! Another primo post. Well done, Danny Boy.
Best Gheorghemas ever.
it really is - I am now polling at 0.0069%!
it's a gheorghemas miracle!
Great post. Don't give up, Teej! Tribe had a stud lb?
I come here to register a formal complaint. Here it is, mid-December, and I am settled in for the night and watching some tube. I am subscribed to too many streaming services (Apple TV, Amazon prime video, Hulu, Max, Disney, etc.) Not a goddamn one of them is airing the Christmas classic Die Hard in this holiday season without charging $4 or more to watch it. Utter bullshit. Un-American. Somebody do something.
Hey rob and T.J., and others familiar with D.C. and Nova, where's the proposed new home complex for Caps and Wizards that news reports discuss?
Is Potomac Yards right across river in Alexandria or some more inconvenient locale? And how the hell is land available in that area for 8,000,000 square foot project?
What a lousy idea that is. We were ringside 25 years ago when Abe Pollin took the teams from the inconvenient hell of the Cap Centre and went downtown. As the football team went the opposite direction. Boo.
potomac yard is just south of reagan national in alexandria. not far at all from dc proper. there's available land there because it used to be a massive railyard - it's been slowly developing for a while now. it's right on the river, so could have some interesting views. but it'll be a goddamn shitshow getting in and out of there. not nearly enough infrastructure.
to be fair, whit. potomac yard is a damn sight more convenient to dc than landover. but for people coming from anywhere that requires a car it's gonna be a nightmare.
I may be plagiarizing this someday:
Shane MacGowan Left Behind $12,000 Dollars for Funeral Bar Tab
Family and friends gathered at MacGowan's favorite Irish pub following his funeral
The Independent reports that following MacGowan’s funeral on December 8th, friends and family gathered at the singer’s favorite local pub, the Thatched Cottage in Nenagh. There, they enjoyed drinks courtesy of MacGowan.
https://consequence.net/2023/12/shane-macgowan-wake-bar-tab/
Given that Potomac Yards is actually a former railyard, I wonder if T.J. and his merry transportationistas could muster a campaign for a public transport component of the project, given the auto-unfriendly infrastructure described.
I imagine they will put this new facility right next to the new Metro station they're building over there. Between what Amazon is up to and this proposed new sports complex it could be quite the scene. I would need to actually read the articles to see if they're keeping public transportation options top of mind in the planning.
per a local DC reporter, LOL, of course they haven't thought about it:
from the transportation sources I’ve been talking to about about any major transportation plans for this new Wizards/Capitals arena - it seems like very minimal planning to this point other than the new Potomac Yard Metro station
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