Drinkin' [Alcohol]

I'm piggy-backing off another blog entry for this post.

I think I'm partial to sweet drinks when I socialize at places that serve alcohol.  I hate the taste of beer (armpits), and I don't necessarily favor the meal wines (bitter wine face). One exception is a raspberry beer/cider from Belgium I had at FilmBar. Delicious! I order one every time I go there (Palace Parties FTW!).

I like to taste things, especially if they're fruity and or sweet. Unfortunately, these fruity sweet things seem to disappear pretty quickly because my idea of savoring the taste of a drink is to not let it fester in my glass, much to the surprise (read by horrific looks at my empty glass about two minutes after I receive my drink order) of the people around me (or people I so happen to hang out with).

One of my friends said it best when she responded on my behalf about not going out to beer bars (pubs, whatever) with (now ex) co-workers for a drink.  "Oh, she just doesn't drink beer." I still don't think that sunk in, that they thought I was some non-drinking square.

I'm a square, and I drink occasionally...and two drinks are usually my limit unless two things are true: I'm eating, or I feel confident enough that I won't look like and idiot in my social interactions (read: my friends accept me as I am regardless of the intoxication levels). And the latter is more of a rarity.

I'm opposed to drinking at home, but I'm starting to think it would be more financially feasible.  Drinks I always seem to order are an Amaretto Sour, or sour-puckers pressed (unless a fruity margarita blended is available, but those seem to go to my head the fastest...that and wine).  I've tried things from time to time, but based off this, and the fact that these drinks are increasing in price (anywhere from four to six dollars ($4-$6 USD)), I made an observation. A bottle of Amaretto costs about four-fifty ($4.50 USD) at CVS Pharmacies! I don't know exactly how many drinks I could make, but I know it would be cheaper.

HMMM!

Drinkin' [Sugary Stuff]

I don't drink this stuff often. But if I do, I'm trying to make sure that it doesn't have HFCS (high-fructose corn syrup) or too many artificial ingredients. Trader Joe's has been really great in this respect, as they have juices (sweet enough for me I think) that taste awesome and seem to be good for you anyway.

Guilty pleasures such as Squirt, Ginger Ale, or other non-caffeinated sodas are had on occasion, but I lean towards pepsi products, especially if they're being offered for free at some graduate student event. Can't pass up free on things at graduate student events, so yeah.

Not much more to it than that.

Drinkin' [Water]

These next three posts are about drinking. I'll break this down into three parts: drinking water, drinking sugary stuff, and drinking alcohol.

This is more of a thought and reflection I have on drinking water.  Ever since I was a pre-teen, adults have noticed I tend to drink a lot of water. I don't know why. I've been nick-named a 'water buffalo' by one teacher.  My water drinking annoys the mess out of coffee shops that I visit, and restaurants I eat at.  In my youth, I drank so much water, I had a swollen gut. Still do, to a certain extent, and it has served me well, but shrank due to the heat index in Phoenix.

Ever since I've come to Arizona, I've been purchasing my water because my love for water clashed with the disgusting taste of it down here. Man have I taken Washington State water forgranted. My family always laughs at how I keep commenting on how delicious the water is when I come to visit. But when I run out of my reverse-osmosis water, I panic, I relent on drinking at the fountains and faucets only to be reminded of my disgust for this water. I heard it was dangerous to drink. That it could give you kidney stones and all that other mineral-based scariness.

But most importantly, because I've had to purchase my water. I've been drinking less of it. I don't know if that's a good thing in this heat. But I've been going off 20 ounces (591.5 milliliters) for every bike-ride/trip I make on foot. And I haven't dehydrated.  In fact, I've been sweating ten-fold since I've acclimated to the heat. And I've been peeing less. Is that healthy? Some sources say it isn't, and yet, my body hasn't told me I'm in any danger yet.  Hmm.

As much as I like water, I do get tired of it every now and then.