Yep. My 14th year doing ‘Dry January’. As others have said, a great reset. Will prob continue until Feb 10th / 11th. Also going Keto for the period. Bye bye desserts, pastries, bread, pasta, etc.
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Day 1 of Dryuary was uneventful. Heck, I didn’t even drink anything on NYE. Did I mention my in-laws are visiting? 
I wanted to get in a post before midnight here in Indiana. “New Year’s Day” by U2 is the obvious choice to kick things off, but I’d rather go with “One” from 1991’s Achtung Baby. To me, “One” has always had that melancholy feel of a cold, rainy day, with a few passing moments where the clouds thin out just enough to remind you the sky and the sun are still there.
I’ve never seen U2 in concert, but I did see them in an IMAX concert film called U2 3D. Filmed in Buenos Aires, the concert documented the Vertigo tour. Fans in South America are quite exuberant, and U2 gave a command performance. As a religious person, I can say that it felt like a religious experience. I know knew what all the fuss was about!
I saw the film with my friend and wine buddy, Mike. I hadn’t known Mike very long, but we hit it off. For a couple of years, we were inseparable, much to the chagrin of our spouses. But, as it often goes, Mike moved a few hours away and, while we still talked from time to time, our orbits drifted apart. Mike passed away three weeks ago. I miss him.
(I promise tomorrow’s musical choice will be happier!)
Stay dry, folks!
Patrick
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California sober is the way to go.
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I’m in this year, hoping to make it until Valentine’s Day.
Plan on eating better and changing some things up at the gym too.
I’m in. This is year 5 or 6. I honestly don’t remember. Stepped on a scale this AM and didn’t like what I saw.
In for 2023, 2024 is my 40th so I shall not be next year.
For those on the fence, dry January was a singularly transformative moment for me in 2019, bit of a kick start on a healthy transformation I sorely needed that led to sustained efforts in health and wellness. I’ve been able to maintain a much healthier drinking habit as a result and spend far less time off the wagon.
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I’m in , again…this will be my 5th Dry January…have been dry since 12/23/22(bad cold that I am getting over)
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Has anyone had OddBird Blanc de Blanc Non-Alcoholic? A foodie friend I trust recommended it to me.
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What are you referring to here?
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I did the research for you What is California Sober?
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Yup. Weed instead of wine.
WS turns up zero hits. Where might one procure said OddBird?
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It’s Day 2 of Dryuary. No wine, no problem.
I was five years old when my little brother was born. Around then, my parents decided that the my older brother, older sister, and I would take piano lessons for a year. Once a week, we’d get dropped off at the piano teacher’s studio, which was in a converted 1-car garage. My parents would then have 90 minutes of quality time with the newborn.
After the year was up, my older brother and sister quit but I kept it up. By the time I got to middle school, I was a full on music nerd. I took up the baritone horn in concert and jazz band. Both bands were directed by Mr. Cinnamon. “Mr. C” was a drummer, and a stereotypical one at that. He was kind of goofy and full of mildly inappropriate jokes, perfect for a bunch of middle schoolers.
Mr. C didn’t play any other instruments, but he did know how to play the beginning of a single song on the piano. One day after school, a bunch of us were hanging around the band room. Mr. C was sitting at an upright piano, and he played the only song he knew. I was in front of the piano, and as I listened to the song, something clicked. I walked around the piano, sat down, and banged out what I had heard, note for note.
That was the day I discovered I could play by ear. And the song was “Saturday In the Park” by Chicago. (Incidentally, the song is about Central Park in New York.)
Here’s a live version from 1973 with Robert Lamm and Peter Cetera sharing the vocals. Peter kinda looks like Mitch Hedberg.
Stay dry, folks!
Patrick
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Your two best bets for procuring non-alcoholic wines online in the U.S. are going to be Boisson and Better Rhodes.
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I know it’s behind the paywall, but the recent Wirecutter article on nonalcoholic wines was pretty good.
Everything starts today - no wine, exercise, and diet. Of course I made sure that I got in my last hurrah yesterday.
Glad to hear you are cutting out exercise and diet. Get those pesky inhibitors out of the way and start living your best life!
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No wine, no problem. It’s hard to drink when you’re looking for a bat in the basement. Never found it. 
There aren’t a lot of songs about bats. Paul Simon’s “You Can Call Me Al,” has a “roly poly little bat-faced boy” lyric, which is just… odd. But the song I really, really like is “Graceland,” the title track to Simon’s monster 1986 album.
In my view, it is the definitive song to begin a road trip. The quick tempo and instrumental intro build the foundation for our self-aware narrator, on the road to Memphis, trying to find himself and a bit of spiritual solace. I have started many a trip out of the driveway to this song.
Stay dry, folks!
Patrick
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I’ve reason to believe we all will be received in Graceland!
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