This is a favorite at the Villa. As you see in the picture, the pears go very nicely with a soft gorgonzola (or other soft blue cheese, I suppose) and a glass of port.
Monthly Archives: February 2014
Hot Buttered Rum
On a properly wintery evening, this is often my drink of choice. The “buttered” part tends to cause consternation in those who have not had it. Never let kneejerk reactions get the better of you! It has a very long history as a hot drink ingredient, and for good reason. In this case, it provides a wonderful, smooth topping to sip the rum through, and you will eventually find that it is one of the drink’s chiefest virtues.
Sex Diet?
Don’t forget: a “diet” is about regular intake or habits, which means both what you do and what you don’t do. Some intentional diets focus on what to leave out of your life – say, processed sugars – and others on what to have enough of – say, cruciform vegetables. It’s all in what you want out of it.
Acrostic Sonnet: Anne Sweetbriar
Last week I mentioned that acrostics are, for me, a fun and sometimes useful mental exercise. For a true étude (a more strenuous technical drill) I occasionally do acrostics in a Shakespearean sonnet format, conforming as much as possible to 16th century English as well. Quasi-Elizabethan style, if you will. Quite satisfying.
Quotes: Love & Music
Some would say that music is passion made audible. I’d say it could be, but there’s a lot of distinctly passionless music out there as well. Be that as it may, the overlap is hard to ignore. So I won’t! For the first of today’s two readings, I give you a short series of quotes combining love and music. Continue reading
Aphrodisiacs: History, part 2
We now continue our little overview of aphrodisiac history. Let’s move (for now) from odd practices, and look at things people have tried that could more recognizably be called aphrodisiacs.
Margarita
Did you know there’s a National Margarita Day? There is in the United States, at least, where it is by far the most commonly consumed tequila-based drink. It’s been assigned (for reasons opaque to me) the date of February 22, which happens to be tomorrow! It is my solemn duty to be sure you’re ready for it.
Lemon Drop
This often gets lumped in with martinis. It’s not, really, but I won’t get into it now. What is indisputable is this: it’s delicious! Lemon trees all around me are begging me to lighten their load, and this should be a big help.
Beautiful
She was walking North as I walked South. I saw her for only a few moments. She was, objectively, plain. An unremarkable face, not blessed with much of a figure.
But she had a spring in her step. Her hair flowed in the light breeze and bounced a bit from her cheerful gait. An expression of gentle happiness was amplified by her smiling eyes.
She was beautiful.
Acrostics, An Introduction
An introduction to mine, that is. It’s very doubtful you haven’t come across such things before. As sonnets were to Elizabethans, acrostics are to me: a poetical diversion and an exercise in one. The variation in name length (I almost always base it on a name) inspires different solutions for meter and rhyme… if I decide to use either.
Presented here for your entertainment are a few acrostics. More will likely follow.