online happy hours

We realized tonight that it's about two months until all of us kind of shut down because of the pandemic.  March 17 for me - that was the last day I was in my library for about 1.5 years.  Time flies when you are drinking cocktails.

From an early point in the pandemic, Conrad and I set up social activities online.  Brunches with Courtney and Robert, but also with others.  Sushi with Natasha, living on opposite corners of our building but not getting together in person for weeks.  Happy hours on Zoom.  We did many of those, but for three years, the most durable has been with Marie, Allison, Rachel, and Chris.  Core friends (and my sister, but really, my sister is one of my closest and dearest friends).  I love our meet-ups.  Conversation ranges all over, and it feels like a loving, supportive group.  A loving supportive group that makes some kick-ass cocktails.  And, delightfully, meets up as best we can!  Rachel and Chris had 50th birthdays last November, and while Allison and Van couldn't join us, the rest of us met up in Chicago

for evenings of dining out and - surprise! - cocktails.

What's fun about the cocktails is that we choose a theme, and then we spin off from there.  Last December, for example, we did solstice cocktails. 

Van may call my drink Milk of Magnesia, but there was something odd and compelling to me about a mix of tequila, creme de menthe, white chocolate liqueur, lime juice, and heavy cream. 

No, I mean it!

Tonight was the January happy hour.  The upcoming Chinese New Year will be the year of the rabbit, so we started there.  Is it appropriation somehow to spin off from that and interpret the theme as we see fit?  I sometimes fret over that, I do.  And yet, I press on.  We made three drinks centered on rabbits somehow, only one of which I photographed.  The Conejo

was tasty enough, but I agree with Van's assessment, that it tasted like a spa vegetable juice with booze added.  I would actually make it again, though.  I would not make the El Conejo Bueno cocktail again, though Van drank it down.  As for the Follow that Black Rabbit - Allison had made a version but lacked the Fernet Branca and had to substitute Amaro Montenegro - it grew on me.

 Next up, Presidents' Day.  I'll go digging.  That should be an interesting one to interpret!

infestation

Waaaaay back in the days of the dinosaurs, I studied at the University of Victoria - UVic, as it's known. A new-ish school (my first semester there, it celebrated its 25th anniversary) with modern-ish buildings and lots of green space built within and outside of a ring road and tucked up near some nice and really nice neighbourhoods a distance from downtown.

I have only lukewarm memories of my degree program, but I have strong positive feelings for the university overall. This past weekend, on a quick overnight visit to Victoria to spend time with my best friend from UVic days, we drove up to campus and strolled a little.

I would love to show you many of the buildings I remember: the residences, the gym, the library, the student cafeteria, the SUB. I wish we'd taken lots of photos of the handsome gardens. I'm sorry we didn't run into any familiar faces after all these years, so I have no stories of that either. No, none of those. Instead - good as it was to see the campus and feel the energy of the student orientation weekend - we were captivated by the campus bunnies.








Yes, yes, yes. Conrad and I have our little bunny in-jokes that spill through our lives and tend to nauseate everyone, so we did think it cute in a way. But I do read Canadian newspapers online, and I have been aware of this problem at UVic. The campus rabbit population has exploded to the point where there are colonies (buries? husks? warrens?) of rabbits all over. Big groups of them, not at all afraid of people, blithely munching away on the lawns and leaving droppings everywhere.

Cute, yes, but truthfully an infestation.

We left campus shaking our heads, laughing, but you can be sure I'll be following this story in years to come. I consider it a cute thrill to see an occasional bunny on my own campus, but this? Frankly, a little ridiculous. And maybe it's just me, but gosh, could those res students have a treat if the critters were caught and cooked.

wee New Zealand post (2)

It's an in-joke between me and Conrad we carry too far, I tell you. On our return to Wellington, we simply could not resist...

It's beginning to look a lot like...

...bunnies!



Chocolatey good bunnies. Easter must be upon us. Conrad caught sight of them in the window of a neighbourhood coffee shop yesterday, and we couldn't resist posing me with them when we went in for coffee today.
Nice little shop, by the way. I am a fan of Starbucks and gladly go to the one nearby, but I like this little independent shop, too. We each got our lattes and set out lakeward. Hopping along? Perhaps.

just messing around

It's a lot of work, in retrospect, so I'm not sure we can call this relaxation. Just the same, though, there's a certain satisfaction I get from spending time in the kitchen.

Conrad's sister, Karen, had given me a book of cookie decorating ideas last month, and I had hoped to spend a weekend with it - and then the fire happened. I didn't have the time and patience to go to town with royal icing today, but I did have some fun with flavours and colours of dough, textures, layers, cut-outs, and coloured sugars. A Valentine's (slightly late) and Easter theme to the results. I'm pleased with them, all in all.








While I was showering before dinner (terrific sushi at Wakamono with Allan and Paul - sorry we didn't bother with photos), Marshall and Micro came out to see what was going on....

So, let's see: baking, sushi double date, listening to Dolly Parton a lot. Yep, still gay.

taking the joke a step farther

Blame Conrad is all I can say....

Aloha bunnies?

You know that the day is ending well and that life overall is pretty good when you come to bed to find this scene:




Don't be freaked out. Conrad has a lot of work travel to Honolulu, after all, and next travels there in a few weeks. As for the other two characters, well....

swim team Christmas party

Reaching way back to the busy days of last weekend now....

The second party last Saturday night was at Dan's place (and the only shot I got of him was too blurry to post - why don't I get more photos of our hosts??) right around the corner. A convenient walk, so we parked the car back at home and strolled over, arriving to find the party in full swing and some of our teammates rather well lubricated, socially speaking.

No need for too much commentary. We stayed until almost midnight, I nursed one glass of wine because I knew I had a big day of baking ahead of me, and walked home on sidewalks dangerously slick with wet ice.

So then, the team:

Rudy and Steve

Allison, Brad, and Tina

Deep in conversation with Daniel

Dave

With Daniel and John

Conrad and Max

Newly-minted co-president Dana

Newly minted co-president Anthony, enjoying other goings-on, I guess....

Dana and Anthony

Mike (a Smelt spouse) and Heidi

Lee, Carl (a Smelt spouse) caught in a not-flattering expressions, and Steve

With Allison, Brad, and Tina

Carl and Romel

Patrick, Romel, Steve

Mike and Medgar

One of these people is rather inebriated. Oh, why be coy? Tina, wow, stay away from Dan's martinis!



As for the bunny, well, nevermind. Conrad likes it.