Putting the screw back in corkscrew

This seemed an appropriate post for hump day.

Voila! The Costaud (or "beefy") corkscrew. No bottle can resist his charms!

The spouse and I happened upon this humorous -- yet fully functional -- utensil while in Italy (though M. Costaud appears to be French). And no, I did not buy one (for myself or my friends), though I deeply regret not doing so. But it was the first day of our trip, and I feared M. Costaud, who is rather large, would be too big to fit... in my suitcase.

Is your glass half empty or half full?

Went out for lunch today with the spouse and my (unsweetened) iced tea came in this glass,

which has a line about halfway up with the word optimist on top of the line and pessimist below it.

Over the course of lunch, I kept staring at the glass until I got to the line. It was decision time.

Was I an optimist or a pessimist?

The verdict: I am a realist. Technically, the glass was half empty, as I had drunk half of the iced tea. Did that make me a pessimist? No. Had the glass been empty and the waitress filled it up halfway, I would have said it was half full.

So, what about all you? Do you see the glass half empty or half full? Do you consider yourself a pessimist or an optimist? Let me know via the Comments.

(Psst. All you pessimists. Check out these cool glasses over at Despair.com. I may have to get one.)

National Vodka Day? I'll drink to that!

I guess any excuse to drink. (Even though the people who put up the National Vodka Day website confess they have no idea why October 4th is National Vodka Day.)

But what the heck. Happy National Vodka Day, people!

[FYI, in Russia, every day is National Vodka Day. Here in the States it is also National Taco Day.]

Now I like vodka as much as the next Russian gal, but I never understood how something that is supposed to be tasteless and odorless could have so many variations. I mean, there must be dozens of premium vodkas out there -- and just as many non-premium brands. For a product that is supposed to be TASTELESS AND ODORLESS.

[For those wondering what the 10 best vodkas in the world currently are, here you go. Though I'm sure there's some other list touting 10 other brands. Back in the day, I drank Absolut or Stolichnaya. Then for a while I was drinking Smirnoff, after it won a bunch of taste tests -- AGAIN, FOR A PRODUCT THAT IS SUPPOSED TO BE TASTELESS AND ODORLESS. Currently, I am doing shots of Luksusowa, vodka distilled from potatoes, since I've been avoiding wheat.]

Me, I'm a vodka purist. I like my vodka neat, right out of the bottle (literally), though I have been known to enjoy the occasional Cosmopolitan, Sea Breeze, Cape Codder, or vodka and orange juice. But the whole flavored vodka thing? Just say nyet.

Seriously, marshmallow vodka? Cookie dough vodka? Salmon vodka? Bacon vodka? WTF people? It's enough to make a girl drink.

Na zdorovye!

[Hey, it's five o'clock somewhere.]

It's the little things

Just received my shipment of eight tiny (187ML) bottles* of Charles de Fere Jean Louis Brut Champagne from WineLibrary.com!

 Looks like it will be a Happy Hanukkah (which starts tomorrow at sundown) and a Merry Christmas after all!

Cheers!

*I'm a lightweight when it comes to alcohol, rarely being able to ingest more than a few sips of wine or beer or spirits without getting a killer headache. So I am always loathe to open a bottle of wine, and especially Champagne, for fear of wasting it. That's why I was delighted to come across these delightful mini bottles of bubbly -- Charles de Fere Jean Louis Brut -- while dining out last summer. More proof that good things often come in small packages. Now I can enjoy a sip of Champagne whenever I like, without the headache or the guilt.

UPDATED: Voila! My Champagne Menorah!

(I tried using my magnum of Dom Perignon, but it wouldn't fit in the frame.)