Gamer Update........

Couldn't resist.

M.F. Has Absinthe in it….."Won't you come out tonight"

Happy 2010 Friends. Jess and I dubbed it the best year of our life…….that took 31 years and 14 seconds. So off to a good start I suppose. Ended the 9er with a nice little Trigon Reunion and started 10 with the Frey and about 30 glasses of Mulled Wine. Alas I Digress > Regress, I have been presented a drink recipe from a dear friend, The Urban Iccarus. He represents the DC Divisional Food and Beverage Rep for Trigon World Wide So here alas we start the best year of my / our lives with a drink. Kick back, get ready for a smooth silky drink and let the Captain take over (i.e. f$#k captain Morgans, sorry but he and i had it out a few years back). Also, special thanks for the food channel for blowing my mind about 2 seconds before i put you in the mental folder with The Hallmark Channel, Oxygen, TMC, etc, etc.

So without ado, welcome 2010 with a smooth silky throat smile known as the: Captain Handsome:

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 ounce Gin
• 1/2 ounce creme de violette
• 1/2 ounce fresh lime juice
• 1/4 ounce limoncello
• Absinthe, for the glass
• Splash of chilled seltzer
• Brandied cherry (sold in jars at gourmet stores), for garnish

Directions

Fill a cocktail shaker halfway with ice. Add the gin, creme de violette, lime juice and limoncello and shake well. Rinse the inside of a cocktail glass with absinthe. Strain the drink into the glass, add the seltzer and garnish with a brandied cherry. -Photograph by Jonathan Kantor

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/captain-handsome-recipe/index.html

Post Script: Shout out to my boy Ewing. Met Ewing on the 102nd floor of 30 Rock the day of my 31st phish show (12/3/09). I told him a story about Jordan dunking and putting his nuts in Ewing’s face while doing so. He said it musa been nasty…..then realized the Ewing reference played poorly toward his family name. Setting: Top of the Rock…….West Side. Jersey Side. I asked Ewing why no one ever looked at the Jersey view from the Rock. He said this was the first picture he has ever taken with anybody on the Jersey Side. History…….

Go Strong into 2010 my friends.

Dragged a Comb Across My Head.....

I guess sanity does come my way! I have always thought that song was amazing and to have one tossed down as a final night show opener stunned. My first sanity was of the Binghamton, NY lot and ended with a lot of BOOM POW! I am glad it came our way again. I am glad for all of my friends there to see it. And the Tube.......well "Gang wars and ails of richs, spewing forth their color" just about sums that one up. Goodnight, more to come.........It won't be good but it will come nonetheless.

Listeners Note: I was listening to the 3.6 show and at the very end of Farmhouse you can hear some guys in the audience yelling "The Connection.........Play The Connection". Guess not everyone has been listening to The Boy's as long as we have. Glad to see College is still cultivating Phish Fans. Hilarious.

Sanity Never Came My Way...

To be clear, this is not a Phish blog. It just so happens that the momenuts return of "The Boys" inspired me to get back on the horse. And frankly, It's the most damn exciting thing I got going on. These types of events bring everyone in my life a little bit closer and our spread across America, AMERICA!, seems all the bit smaller. Texts from Karl, Howard, Spaulding, Jeff and Big "Hellin a Bucket" Joe all hit last night. I can't remember when I have talked to so many of my close friends all in the same weekend. This is what it is all about. The community that goes along with these events is probably the strongest piece of the puzzle for this return to Hampton. The Return. That feels nice. That said lets chat a little more about the details of the night.

All reports from my crack field team in Hampton have nothing but rave reviews on last evening. Stories of the 2 hour 1st set, front row hygincs, Gordo's purple (probably aubergene) pants with sleeveless T, and flawless tone are pouring in from all who attended. Our Top Hampton Correspondant, Jeff B, threw down strong on the floor and brought us the first shots of our boys. Karl sat Crow's nest and took it all in. By all, you can assume I am not just referencing music. Just had my first listen of the show from http://www.livephish.com/ and I must agree that it is sharp, loose, fun, open and tight. Many tune's weren't overly drawn out but flawlessly played with a lot of energy.

Karl seems ready to continue the fight for another day. My last correspondance with him envolved him laughing untrollably from inside the Spaceship and eventually lunching himself right off the phone. Sounds like its gonna be another one of those nights for our correspondants in the field. Thanks for the first shots of the Show!

Skeet....Skeet for the phish......

And I Fall Down Drunk......

I am pretty sure I can't imagine what it was like to join Jeff, Steve-O and Karl this evening. I am pretty sure I know the exact way it felt to be there. I imagined myself on the hard flat concrete within the Spaceship. I feel the warm breeze of 12,000 anxious breaths. Some very heavy, some looked like they were ready to fall over either in an "i forgot how to dose myself for this shit" face or one of pure extacy. Figuratively...Sober. That is what the lead Jedi faces this evening. Rock star. Sober. Tonight was all about the fans.

I have been there before. Every time special, every time the same. Not same as some flatline emotion but similiar to the jubulant excitement a 12 year old boy feels with a playboy. I had a Penthouse, but I was lucky. I also had Phish. Many of my closest friends and friends of friends are watching the first show in all too many years. It was earily odd and lonenly beeing 3,5oo miles away while this strong experience I knew for so many years was being recreated without me. This is only temporary........I will be there again. Waiting for the lights to drop one milisecond between a heartbeat.....waiting to see if your heart would actually beat agian. Well it will. And they did. Gimme another sip...........