Well, all that changed. He was a homebrewer and had worked as a vintner’s apprentice, and taught me all about good quality beers and wines, and I expanded my tastes. He was a good teacher. Perhaps too good.
This is not to say I spend nights dancing on bar tops with a lampshade on my head, yelling “Woo!” as I swig from a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon. (At least not often.) But I do enjoy my wine, and as I’ve gotten older, I’ve noticed it hitting me harder. And it’s been harder to lose weight. It’s not so much that I eat more when I have a glass or two of wine – it’s just the calories in the glass or two of wine are sticking to me much more than they used to.
Many years ago, I started getting Real Simple magazine, and I have vowed to keep getting the magazine until the day I opened an issue and said, “Huh, nothing new here.” But every month, I find something new, whether it’s a new use for binder clips (you can hold a sponge with them!) or an article a month or so ago on mindful drinking.
As a result, I’ve gotten into making classic and craft cocktails (although supposedly the craft cocktail movement is dead) and I have noticed several things:
- It takes longer to make a cocktail than it does to pour a glass of wine.
- I sip at it over a longer period than either wine or beer.
- I keep the hard liquor and mixers upstairs, so making a second one would involve my going upstairs (if I’m downstairs watching TV) or back in the house (if I’m sitting on the porch) or downstairs (if I’m upstairs reading). This is not to say that I never have a second one, but it’s more unlikely. The wine and beer, on the other hand, are kept in the basement and access is too easy.
- I feel greater satisfaction, like I created something all by myself. I seek new recipes to try to see what else is out there.
- Consequently, I have less to drink.
- I feel more clear-eyed and sleep better.
- I’m more productive the next day.
- I need to have all my materials on hand so that I can access them more easily.
- When I practice, I need to be cognizant of how everything is working, rather than race through vocalises and pieces without thinking.
- I need to keep distractions out of the practice room. Phone on airplane mode or out of the room entirely.
- As a result, my improvements will be faster and I’ll try new things.
- Consequently, I will practice more.
- I will get even better.
- I will get even more singing work (which will then keep me from getting other things that I want to do …. see Feast or Famine: Dammit).