I visited a local café and, for the price of one decaf latte and one toasted cheese muffin, I caught up on online business, posted on this blog, dabbled in the news – until my laptop battery ran low and Eskom began a 2.5 hour session of load shedding.
News blues…
The Republican National Convention. What to say? My brief glimpse into goings-on suggests a marathon Revision-of-History. Three days to reversion events of the last three and a half years, pit reality against Trump fantasy, wrap lies up in the Stars and Stripes, and hope The Base doesn’t notice and votes for him anyway.***
Fox News refuses to show a 30-second ad by the American Federation of Teachers union, “Enough is Enough” declaring it “inaccurate.”
AFT slams Trump and Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell for what the union says is failure to provide adequate personal protective equipment to educators and plan for a safe return to public schools during the coronavirus outbreak. “Enough is Enough, this November say ‘no’ to Trump and McConnell’s chaos.
***
The Lincoln Project:The Wall (0:55 mins)
Evil (0:55 mins)
Comedienne Sarah Cooper riffs on Trump at DNC (1.20 mins)
Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
Unlike some US states, liberal California allows grocery stores to sell limited selections of wine and liquor. Liquor laws, however, differ from state to state.In Texas, for example, sales of beer are permitted between 7am and midnight on all days except Sunday; Sunday sales are permitted between midnight and 1am and between 12pm and midnight (excepting certain sales of beer with food).
In the so called “dry” states - Kansas, Mississippi, and Tennessee — entirely dry by default - counties specifically must authorize the sale of alcohol in order for it to be legal and subject to state liquor control laws. Alabama specifically allows cities and counties to elect to go dry by public referendum. Other states permit sales by country, that is, some counties are “dry”, others not.
Complicated.
Apart from the ban on alcohol due to Covid, in KZN alcohol beverages are not sold in grocery stores but in specialized “bottle stores” or “off sales.”
I’m not interested enough in alcohol to visit a bottle store regularly to purchase alcohol, and it’s been six months or more since I’ve had wine, beer, cocktail, or a mixed drink.
Today, grocery shopping at a small mall, I noticed a bottle store and, out of nowhere, longed to taste a margarita, frozen. I entered the store – masked, of course – offered my hands for the doorperson to spritz, then scanned the shelves.
The tequila section comprised 3 unknown brands, all 2 liter size, priced around R200 per bottle. Cheap for booze in comparison to US prices, but more than I wanted to pay. No tequila offered in smaller bottles, and my dreams of a margarita dashed.
“What about a smaller size bottle of gin, say Tanqueray gin?” I asked.
I’m not interested enough in alcohol to visit a bottle store regularly to purchase alcohol, and it’s been six months or more since I’ve had wine, beer, cocktail, or a mixed drink.
Today, grocery shopping at a small mall, I noticed a bottle store and, out of nowhere, longed to taste a margarita, frozen. I entered the store – masked, of course – offered my hands for the doorperson to spritz, then scanned the shelves.
The tequila section comprised 3 unknown brands, all 2 liter size, priced around R200 per bottle. Cheap for booze in comparison to US prices, but more than I wanted to pay. No tequila offered in smaller bottles, and my dreams of a margarita dashed.
“What about a smaller size bottle of gin, say Tanqueray gin?” I asked.
No Tanqueray in small bottles either.
Gin and tonic sounded delicious.
I paid, asked her to remove the packaging, and stuffed 3 small bottles of Bloedlemoen gin into my backpack.
Limes, I knew, awaited me in the ‘fridge back at home.
Alas, it had been so long since I’d enjoyed a gin and tonic, I’d forgotten to purchase tonic water.
After a quick drive to the local grocery store, I enjoyed my first alcoholic beverage in months.
Delicious.
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