I can resist anything but temptation.

Yesterday, I felt the need to get stuff done, so I started my laundry around 10:30, so that my employed neighbors might shower with hot water before going to their jobs. After that was done, I quickly checked the time: 2:30. I had an hour to complete at least 3 of 4 tasks:

Going to Jewel for groceries.
Going to Trader Joe's for more groceries.
Going to CVS to get cat litter
Going to the Chicago Music Exchange for a guitar stand.

Why did I only have an hour to do these things? Because I wanted to be back in time to watch Celebrity Jeopardy! at 3:30. I love watching that show normally, because I yell out the answers at the television. I love it even more when I get to call Regis Philbin names for getting answers wrong.

So, I got out my bike and got out in the 60+ degree weather, and I rode around like an idiot, power-shopping, and made it back home with 11 minutes to spare. In case you're wondering, yes, I am the king of grocery shopping. In and out with as little damage as possible, that's my way, and it works.

The bad part was realizing just how much my knees were screaming in pain, so I sat down with a glass of water and a couple ice packs. That's when my intercom buzzed. Our intercom tends to work intermittently, so we usually have to go downstairs to find out who's there, and with campaigning going on lately, there's been a lot of unanswered buzzes around here. Jess took a look and said "nobody I know, but there's a guy with a bag out there." I chose not to get up and answer, as I was just starting to enjoy the ice packs.

The buzzer rang again, with a little more insistence, so I gave up and got up to see who it was. It was my buddy S, the owner of the Globe. He's been contracting Jess to do some accountancy work lately, and was dropping off some stuff for her. As we ascended the stairs, he said "this is a fairly urgent meeting." I thought he was talking about the accountancy stuff. Nope.

I let them talk and went back to the couch and sat down with my water and ice packs. S came over and sat next to me. "So, what are you doing tonight?" I got the feeling I was going to be asked to host something at the bar, or emcee something, or have to do some other kind of unpaid work that I do for the bar to justify their contributing prizes to my pub quiz. I don't mind doing it, because I almost always drink for free at those kinds of functions, and that's a hard thing to say no to.

"Nothing- I was just planning on sitting around here, honestly." I was secretly hoping to get out of the house, really, it was too nice a day to spend indoors, and I spent most of it indoors doing laundry.

"No you're not. You're coming with me." He had an extra ticket for a Glenmorangie tasting. I had the fortune to be called in as his plus one. They were even going to feed us, so it was a win-win-win situation. I asked if I should dress up, was told it was casual, and said I would wear pants- something I know all of you know I hate to do. We planned on meeting up at 6 at the bar, so I had some time to kill, so I watched Jeopardy! and made fun of the celebrities and relaxed and started to marinate my steak and cleaned the catbox and all those other silly things I had promised myself I would do.

We got to the restaurant around 6:30, which was when we were told the event started. We were proudly the first there and last to leave, and we enjoyed 7 different scotches, or sketches, depending on whether or not you're in on the joke. One of them was so peaty it almost hurt. One of them is older than my current lady-friend, A. It was really, really smooth, and very tasty. My personal favorite Glenmorangie is the Port Wood Cask, because the wood adds a very subtle sweet flavor to an already very good sketch. S's is the Madeira, which is high on my list, but just can't topple Port Wood.

They prepared the food using sketch, too. Each course came with its own flavored sketch. The scallops were sauteed with Ardbeg, the peatiest sketch I have ever had. I'm not a fan of seafood, but I didn't want to be rude or miss out on the Ardbeg either. The beet salad was served with the Port Wood (which I had seconds on). The ravioletti was served with the Sherry Wood, probably my third favorite. Our entree, veal medallions, was served with the Burgundy Wood, a very high favorite of mine, as it, like the Port Wood, adds a very subtle sweetness to the sketch. The Burgundy does moreso than the Port, but is still an amazing flavor. I recommend it wholeheartedly. Before they brought out the dessert tray one of the guests, a chocolatier, handed out samples of his product and we all enjoyed some of the 1977 Glenmorangie. I'm still thinking about that scotch. It was just so enjoyable. So full of flavor.

Anyways, they brought out the dessert tray, and almost no one had any. The chocolate apparently did the trick for everyone. The final sketch? Ardbeg 10 year. Like I said earlier, it is so peaty it hurts. The Glenmorangie Rep told us that it has been crowned the peatiest sketch in the world, and I believe it. After that, I helped finish off the '77, and away we went, back to the Globe, for a couple drinks before it was time for bed.

Fortunately for me, we had lots of water and bread along with dinner, otherwise, I am certain I would have a hangover that would probably kill me. How fortunate, that after 4 hours of scotch drinking, I have absolutely no hangover. I guess I'll never learn.