Love Sick

2008 is almost over. A dear friend of mine, around this time last year, said to me, "Seth, 2008 will be your year." This friend is no slouch in life, either. He's earned himself more happiness than I'll probably ever know or even read about. He's financially set, he's got a beautiful family and a giant house. He's also way funnier than me or most people I know. To put it plainly, this man has nothing to gain from telling me this.

And he was right, I think. 2008 was kinda my year. For me, I mean, not for anyone else. Oh, nothing too spectacular happened, but for some reason, this was the first year I can remember being generally content with my surroundings. I've finally accepted that I do indeed live in Texas, not New Orleans. I wrote less, but I put more effort into what I did write. I don't think I bombed on stage all year, which feels pretty fantastic. I also turned thirty this year which, if obsessively reading music critique all my life has taught me anything, means I am at my creative peak. Perhaps I'll write my Ok Computer soon! Update: (Sgt Pepper was written when Paul and John were about twenty-six. Jesus Christ.)

Maybe all these reflections are a result of one huge difference between last year and this year: I like drinking now. This wasn't just my year.
This year also belonged to whiskey.

That's not as alarming as it looks. I once hated the very idea of drinking. I used to go months without having a glass of anything. Back home, I drank much less than my two roommates, who both drink like sharks. While I dated Holly, I almost never drank, even when she would. I just never wanted or needed it.

That all changed late last year when I sat and had a glass of scotch with my older brother Josh during Christmas Eve party at his house. We sat by his heater in his backyard, smoked expensive cigars and drank from a very, very fine bottle of single malt scotch. After around my second glass, I realized that something in me had changed. I was now in love with whiskey.

Whiskey is almost the alcoholic equivalent of marijuana and coffee. People feel compelled to drink whiskey if you're having some yourself. It is ideally a sharing drink. It encourages generosity and needs no mixer, while vodka encourages date rape and needs red bull, a drink that kills people*. Coincidentally, whiskey goes great with coffee and marijuana. That is one of the more fun life lessons to learn.

One of my favorite days all year was when two of my (old) work buddies spent pretty much the afternoon in my living room listening to records and sipping our way through an entire bottle of delicious, smokey bourbon and just talking our pain and anguish right out the door.

For my birthday this year, my buddy Matt got me a bottle of Gentleman Jack. Matt is a man who knows what he's doing.

What happened? Why did I dislike whiskey for so long? Why did I fart around with clear liquors and mixers all these years? Where is the joy in drinking a glass of vodka? I never found it, but I partook in it anyway because that's mostly what I witnessed others partaking in. Vodka and rum were pretty much the dominant liquors back home, and whiskey was more of a demon elixir. Crazy people drank whiskey.

Well, now I'm fuckin' crazy, and I'm in love with you, whiskey. God I hope whiskey isn't reading this.















*I still drink Tito's from time to time.