Cocktail Hour

by The Bartender · August 2, 2013

cupFriends!  I found the best nachos in NYC. And nachos are the best kind of toast being a vehicle for all sorts of topping goodness (mostly jalapeños). So to celebrate, I toast you with a glass of hefeweizen (objectively the best beer pairing for his heavenly food) and a half eaten plate of Mel’s nachos. Happy weekend!

 

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106 Comments

  3. SarcasticFringehead +4

    So I never really got the hang of Tumblr, and therefore tragically had not heard of Welcome to Night Vale until earlier this week when it came up in the comments on the Olive Garden post. I am now nearly halfway through the back episodes, and am totally loving it.

    In what I’m sure is entirely unrelated news, I’ve been having some very strange dreams this week.

    2. practical cat +2

      I have webpage open right now (and have since I read that post) but it all seems so exhausting I don’t know if I can handle it. (I’m also moving cross-country in a few days so EVERYTHING sounds exhausting for perspective.)

      1. sandwichharlot +3

        I feel like Welcome to Night Vale is *perfect* for a cross-country move; it will keep you awake and occupied! Also good for this: the entire back catalogs of podcasts 1) Caustic Soda (science, humor, and horror), 2) Spilled Milk (cheerful food topics), and 3) Slash Report (fandom).

    1. MalloryOrtberg +10

      The last time I was in a meeting that lasted more than two hours, I quit my job that selfsame day.

      1. anowlindaylight +3

        I found a posting for literally my exact job but in NYC so time to see about being a cog in a new place, I guess. I can write Knowing Pieces about self-actualization in your late 20s and then lay down on park avenue and give up.

  5. deleted2997279 +6

    I am traveling with coworkers next week to a place 6 hours away. We are driving there. I have lots of books, lots of podcasts, and will TRY to have lots of patience.

    Why, Toasties, why?

    1. Angry Panda +2

      Good luck! I’ve done multiple 10 hour road trips with colleagues, and lived to tell the tale. If all else fails, pretend to sleep. Assuming you’re not driving, of course.

  6. Caroline +2

    I would say you’re wrong and I know where the best nachos in New York are but I don’t wan anyone else to discover my secret so YOU CAN GO ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS. MOVE ALONG. MOVE ALONG.

  7. MrsTeacherFace +17

    I already posted this on the hairpin, but here are the bear blankets I made for the Bergy Bits that I talked about in last week’s Cocktail Hour:

    Also, I’m pregnant! Maybe making baby blankets was good luck. 😛

    2. elsamac +4

      Congratulations!

      Those blankets are triggering my iddle-biddle baby-talk reflex, which usually is only activated by exceptionally cute babies. Super cute!

    3. Sea_Money +4

      Congratulations!!! Hurray! Please keep us posted on the progress o the bun in your oven!

    5. icebergmama +3

      I’m so excited for these blankets! The pic on the Pin made me smile during a HORRENDOUS afternoon.

      1. MrsTeacherFace +5

        I hope the BBs like them! Please encourage them to mess them all up. My sister in law stuck the ones I gave my nephews in the closet because she didn’t want the kids to destroy them, but they are meant to be loved to death!

        My favorite bear blanket reaction was from my youngest nephew who, when he got his at the age of 1, laid down on it and and started growling. You know, because that’s what bears do. 😛

        1. Sea_Money +3

          I wrote an excited compliment about the blankets too! My intense debate logged me out and the compliment was lost! Rolling and growling! I love the Orange one with Pengin backing!

          1. MrsTeacherFace +3

            I’m about to make one just like that with a white front. I love that penguin fabric!

            My family has a thing where each kid gets themed ornaments (I have rocking horses, my cousin has angels, etc.) and for the next generation my brother and I were competing for penguins. I WON THE PENGUINS GUYS! I win.

        2. msjinxie +2

          Oh, blankets should SO be loved to death! I’ve knitted blankets for my nephew, my niece, and my best friend’s little dude. The nephew’s and niece’s have alway been packed away in a closet as they’re “too good” too use, but my bestie did it right – she gave my blankie to her boy, who apparently does uses it, as when I went to visit them last week I found the blankie on the kid’s wee chair in their living room and it was a clean, but clearly-appreciated, felty/loved on mess. I could not have been happier to see it in that state! My own Blankie is basically nothing more than a scraggly strip of fabric at this point, 33+ years later, because I loved the HELL out of that thing, and a similar result is the finest ending I could imagine for anything I make for a loved one.

      1. Janie_S +1

        I had nachos for dinner on Wednesday and I am already constructing my excuse for why it’s OK for me to have them for tonight’s dinner, too.

  9. johnwthompson +5

    I met a woman on OKC and she’s really into me? Like I could tell, that’s how into me she was. Texts every day for a week and then video skype. She told me I was cute, and charming, and she wants to meet in an hour. It feels like things are moving fast and I don’t have any scripts for this sort of social situation so the “what is happening” thrill is sort of being subsumed by “what is happening” panic. I don’t really know how to handle someone being infatuated with me.

    I’m just going to put on nicer clothes and stop ruminating. And I’m going to start using an alias again just cuz. And get this draft written, christ.

    2. elsamac +10

      > I’m just going to put on nicer clothes and stop ruminating.

      This is useful protocol for alllllmost any situation.

  10. anninyn +2

    Welp.

    My husband has been made redundant.

    I mean – they have to pay him his redundancy which is good and his skills are always in demand so it’s not a disaster but…

    still

    We JUST bought a house, you know?

      1. practical cat +5

        Yeah, me too. And I was teetering on the edge of judgmental because it seemed like a kind of heartless way of telling us.

        Sorry, anninyn. I hope things turn around quickly!

    2. SarcasticFringehead +2

      Oof. My husband just got “separated” from his company (fired, but in a nice way where they give you a month’s worth of pay and good references), and, like, so far I’m not worried about it, but I’m not sure if I’m just in denial or what.

      1. embryoconcepts +3

        Ah, US calls that severance, and the $ is your severance pay. I also thought the third sentence was going to mention something that involved batteries or a new friend.

      2. anninyn +1

        They have to give him a months pay for every year he’s worked there plus two months notice because that’s the contract he signed up under.

        So that’s £20k. Which sounds a lot, and it kind of is – if we were really careful we could live off it for a year. But it’s a recession. While we think – we hope – he’ll be back in work within months it might be longer and then we’d lose the house.

        1. Sea_Money +1

          Man, that just flat out sucks. Although it could be a lot worse, people lose their jobs with a lot less severance (at least in the States). I really really hope you don’t lose your house! Did your husband like his job? Maybe he’ll luck into a better one!

          1. anninyn +1

            He did like his job but was getting increasingly annoyed about how they werre treating him and other employees. Yeahm he’s goit skills, training and a great reference waiting. We’ve talked about him maybe taking a sideways step and doing something slightly different with more advancement in it, or retraining and doing something else entirely.

            He’s an IT engineer (he fixes peoples computers) and he’s always been quite into the coding side so maybe he’ll take a chance and learn how to do that. Or he’ll get microsoft certified and try for the job we saw advertised that pays £28K a year.

            We’re trying to see it more as an oppurtunity but the fear’s still there.

    3. icebergmama +2

      Oh girl I’m sorry! That sucks. I hope he finds a new job soon. At least you live in a country with decent public services, yes? Like health care etc?

      1. Kerry +1

        Not for long if the government keeps on doing what it’s doing! THANKS DAVID CAMERON, YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS ARE APPRECIATED!

      2. anninyn +3

        We do, at least, though the tories are trying to dismantle them. If I get really sick or hurt I don’t have to pay for my healthcare and the most I’ll pay for my prescriptions is £8. So that’s a plus.

  11. Janie_S +2

    I can’t think of a story to write about cuttlefish. I think this proves that my imagination is broken.

    1. msjinxie +4

      Write a story about a cuttlefish with writers block? I mean, they do that inky thing that other cephalopods do, right? Not such a stretch that one could be a writer, with all that ink.

      2. Janie_S +2

        I was thinking maybe a sea-witch who uses swarms of cuttlefish to do her bidding a la Willard and rats, but then I was thinking that that sort of sea-witch would be horribly mean and also it was probably just Ursula with better taste in minions.

        Also now I need to look up cuttlefish ink because I ought to know that and I don’t …

      2. SarcasticFringehead +5

        what. i don’t…..what.

        …god, my amazon recommendations are going to be so good now, though.

        1. LaughableWalrus +3

          shapeshifting cuttlefish erotica is ALL THE RAGE

          …but seriously, the “also viewed”!!! Calamari Spa Fantasies! Virgin Tentacle Sacrifice! I had no idea of the scope of this genre.

      4. msjinxie +1

        What! Omg it’s real. It’s actually real. I was scanning the thread from the bottom up and saw the photo but THEN I saw the amazon link and omg omg. Please somebody buy it!

    3. 1sic1 +6

      Well, I really don’t know why that is. I mean, it’s clearly such a rich, intriguing subject…

    4. embryoconcepts +2

      Here is some inspiration . It’s my friends art show featuring glow in the dark cuttlefish made from cardboard and trash. It was friggin amazing. I actually bought a medium cuttlefish and some plankton so he would have something to eat. The fish, and the friend:) The lightning, with a touch of fog, was amazing.

  13. t_fer +1

    Ugh you guys. I have had a stressful-as-fuck kind of week. My employer consistently pays us late. Knowing this, I took measures in the past month to ensure I’d be paid on time. Not only was I not paid on time by my employer, but the freelance clients I took on to ensure I had rent money also didn’t pay me. (Like, they said they did, I waited all week, overdrawn, and nothing.) Fuckers.

    Because of this, I had to make up an excuse to my landlord because I can’t pay the rent on time (although I can pay it and will do so on Tuesday) and I feel like a total sack of shit. I’ve been feeling so sick of this, and ground down by poverty. I’m doing better now, because drugs, but I seriously can’t take much more of this. Fuck you, employers. I’m trying to remember that I worked so hard just to get paid (like, multiple emails to HR/payroll, discussions, dropping by the payroll office to verify things, etc.) It’s not my fault, and I am not a bad person, but it feels like I am. Sorry for the vent–it’s been a really tough week.

    1. Sea_Money +1

      I wish I had advise for you! I understand being exhausted by dealing with HR/ payroll stuff. This seems pretty unacceptable! How late are you being paid? It there someone you can talk to up high? Can you spend your days imagining telling them you won’t work until they pay you?

  14. Sea_Money +2

    I am moving to Grad School in a week. I am having a very difficult packing. Partly because I’ve been living at home during this year between undergrad and Gradschool and I keep finding things like my AP Art History notebook. And my brain is shouting “are you really going throw out your sketches of Venus of Wilindorf?!” So instead of packing I have been taking naps. If anyone has any packing tips, or wants to knock me out and abscond with my scrappy junk I’d appreciate it.

    1. practical cat +2

      Oh man, oh man. You’re me! I don’t really have any packing tips but my stuff just left and I will say that It Gets Better when the packing is over. There is an other side and it’s glorious. You too can get there!

      1. Sea_Money +2

        Good luck with your big move! If I figure out how to get it done without misery I will let you know.

  15. erindubitably +3

    I had nachos for dinner tonight! Homemade, even, and they were delicous! Well, the chips and the cheese weren’t homemade, but the shredded chicken was, and the GUAC, which is good because it seems to be an unwritten law that you cannot get good guacamole in Scotland, period.

    1. TLO +1

      The existence of bad guacamole is continually baffling. The avocado is the greatest of all foods, so what on earth are people mixing in to ruin it?

    2. mamacitaconpistoles +1

      That is my experience of guac and salsa in Scotland. I have a get rich quick scheme involving taco stands and drunk university students in Scotland. And the guac will be so good…

      1. erindubitably +1

        I have not gotten that entrepreneurial yet but at least there’s one thing I know I can always make for friends when they come round that they will love (mostly because they’ve never had the real thing before).

  16. loren_smith +3

    For anyone with lingering curiosity about my centipede-in-my-Macbook woes from earlier in the week (what’s wrong with you! I wish I could forget, jk, jk…)

    I had my husband take the entire thing apart into component pieces, convinced that there was going to be a writhing ball of bugs right in the middle, and there was nothing. Some lingering wine stains, and some cat hair, but my laptop is 100% insect free. I still don’t want to use it though.

    1. bgprincipessa +1

      I missed wherever you mentioned this earlier but OMG I’m not even going to look for it because the nightmares, the nightmares….

      Not knowing where it is after dissecting the laptop is almost worse.
      WHERE DID IT GO? What places did you have your laptop?? Couch, bed..?
      (sorry. not helping, I know)

      1. loren_smith +2

        Oh my husband killed the original one! I figured that the entire case would be full, and that was the only one to make a break for it. Because, well, you know.

      1. Sea_Money +8

        You both proposed? That sounds super adorable! Your vegetable garden! Pumpkin blossoms!

        1. S. Pebbletush +5

          We are a stereotype! I like to garden! She played rugby! We listen to a lot of NPR! Her engagement ring was made of recycled gold! WE COMPOST!

  18. Chickensalad +1

    I only feel comfortable posting this here because I am 95% sure nobody here knows who I am, SO: I went to the hospital last night because I was Too Drunk and I kind of want to punch myself in the face, repeatedly, forever, and I just want some internet hugs really

    1. Chickensalad +1

      I mean also I know I was a MAJOR IDIOT with a definite drinking problem and the nurse was all, “WAY TO FUCK UP EVERYTHING DUMBASS” so I get it if you don’t want to hug me, I would probs just taint you

      1. franceschances +8

        I’m sorry the nurse was not helpful to you 🙁 You are definitely not tainting anyone! Have lots of internet hugs for you!

        And look, lots of people have drinking problems. They are not idiots. It’s an addiction, and it’s really hard to deal with it. I really hope that you are able to find the help you need, and have good people around you to support you. Please take care of yourself and stay safe. Even if you mess up, that doesn’t mean you’re worthless. Everyone messes up. We all just have to try again.

        1. Chickensalad +2

          Ahhh the nurse was actually great and I made her sound rude, but it was a lot of tough love- she didn’t tell me I fucked everything up, but she did tell me if I pull this shit again I’ll definitely lose a job or worse (I’m a nursing student so I really should listen to her). I know that I need to cut back on drinking- which hasn’t worked and proves that I really need to QUIT DRINKING, which I have done before but I am so so scared to do that.

        2. oneforthebyrds +1

          Yes. I think there’s such a huge gap between knowing you need to do something, figuring out what it is to do, and being able to do it when you’re dealing with something like alcohol that is physically and mentally drawing you back towards it.

          It is hard and takes time and strength and support. Being able to forgive yourself for your mistakes is not the same as giving in to repeating them.

      2. Angry Panda +2

        What franceschances said. And also, sending you lots of internet hugs! Take care!

  19. practical cat +4

    Does anyone else sometimes dream about reading this site? Only it’s called “The Stone” in their dreams and now they have a really rough time remembering which name is the real name?

  20. oneforthebyrds +2

    we had a party and some of us made nachos last night. while drunk. they were delicious at the time, but my apartment is kind of a wreck of dried cheese and broken tortilla chips. also I probably didn’t take enough lactaid. nonetheless, I call it a victory since my two month long nacho craving has been satiated.