Went to see some live jazz last night, which was pretty good. The issue was this monstrosity of a cocktail they served me. How is the waitress going to watch me order this drink off of the cocktail menu, tell me it’s an excellent choice, and NOT warn me that it’s going to be served inside of a massive ceramic fucking parrot? Typically I’m fully content to unabashedly order a fruity drink; cosmos, peach schnapps, coconut rum, a little purple flower garnish on top - you name it, I’ll get it. Totally shameless. You’re going to judge me? That’s fine, enjoy your piss-flavored Negroni. But this is where I draw the line. I do not want to pay 22 bucks to drink out of a side character from the movie “Rio”. The patrons at the tables near us didn’t even try to suppress their giggles as this thing made it over to us. The waiter dropped it off and whispered “better drink it before it flies away!”. Do I look like some sort of clown to you? I’m paying copious amounts of money to watch a man play the saxophone and you’re serving cocktails from the poolside bar of a carnival cruise, I’m in no mood for jokes. There’s a high probability that I was captured mid-sip in an Instagram story from the girl sitting adjacent to us with the caption “only in New York 😝”. The worst part? It was downright delicious, and I had 3 of them. Would recommend.
I think everybody should write substack personal essays. I think everybody should be self-indulgent and self-flagellating and narcissistically milking the most mundane minutiae of their lives. Because what else do you have but stories… And maybe it brings us closer
The birthrate is unfixable, your options are to live in a country with declining standards of living where 50% of the population is elderly like Germany or Italy or to have immigration.
There are no other choices.
The idea that the BRICS Countries are trying to move away from the Dollar while we stand by and watch is OVER. We require a commitment from these Countries that they will neither create a new BRICS Currency, nor back any other Currency to replace the mighty U.S. Dollar or, they will face 100% Tariffs, and should expect to say goodbye to selling into the wonderful U.S. Economy. They can go find another “sucker!” There is no chance that the BRICS will replace the U.S. Dollar in International Trade, and any Country that tries should wave goodbye to America.
California HSR will connect two metropolitan areas with a combined GDP equivalent to that of Australia in just 2 hours and 40 minutes. How am I supposed to not think this is the most transformational transportation project on the continent?