Drinking and Writing: Do’s and Don’ts
Do drink your beer or other frosty beverages with lots of fruit. Limes, oranges, whatever. However, in an effort to not get a finger wagged at me by one of my best friends (who is also a dentist), have water there as well and sip it between beverages. It will save your teeth’s enamel from being whittled away to nothing.
Don’t squeeze your lime near your keyboard. It’s impossible to clean between keys and the keyboard will end up looking like ‘ol Bessie here…missing keys, filled with lime slime and grime.
Do sit near plugs so you get free electricity while drinking and writing. Sometimes they’re hard to find. Ask bartenders to help you find a plug behind the bar if you’re in a bind. They have sneaky little plugs back there.
Don’t drape your computer cord across walkways and become a tripping hazard for others (or yourself. I speak from experience).
Do be nice to bartenders, waiters, waitresses, etc. Their job sucks.
Don’t be a sucky tipper. Their job sucks.
Do look up occasionally and smile at people. They’ll wonder what you’re up to or what company works you so hard that you are working in a bar. It sells books, trust me, I speak from experience.
Don’t write after you’ve had way too many.
Do go back and read what you wrote (at least the last few paragraphs), the last time you were drinking and writing, due to the don’t directly above.
As you can see, the do’s and don’ts are extremely important. Trust me. I know from experience.
Love,
Johnell, the Jo in Joan
P.S. I was drinking while I wrote this.
Rye Toast
Ry Post, sounds like rye toast, which is funny since I can’t stand rye bread and therefore, rye toast. It is one thing I don’t think I’ll ever come to like, no matter how much my tastes change over the years. And my, how my tastes have changed over my thirty-some years (let’s not get into too much detail, shall we?).
I like tomatoes now – there, it’s out of the bag – those of you who know me must be shocked. I’ve always hated tomatoes, picked them off a burger (back when I ate burgers – more on changing tastes), looked at tomatoes in distain and could never understand someone’s (Mom’s) affinity for them. Now I get it, though I need their taste somewhat disguised and I don’t like it when the little cherry tomatoes pop in my mouth, it’s too slimy and tomato-y tasting. Guess I still have a little ways to go with this whole tomato-taste-changing-life-event, though I doubt I’ll ever be one of those that takes a big bite out of one like they would an apple. Yuck!
I like fresh asparagus now. I mean I really, really like it. Used to couldn’t stand it, except in my grandmother’s asparagus casserole properly drenched in cream of mushroom soup and melted cheese. Who wouldn’t like that (Dad)? Now it’s great perfectly steamed with a little olive oil and cracked black pepper. On the grill, wrapped in foil, best achieves this.
And Scotch, yummmm. One of my favorite changes in taste, just wish it would have happened sooner. Like when I bartended at Morton’s and had many of Scotland’s finest at my fingertips and could have partaken freely (like that jack-ass bartender Chris) during my shifts. But NO, I didn’t like Scotch back then. I was stuck with finishing off what was left in a bottle of wine (sometimes half) from the guests. Tough, almost torture, especially the Chateau Haut Brion and Chateau Lafite Rothschild. Scotch just sounded tasty to me recently and so I had a Glenlevit and water and sure ’nuff, it was good. I’ve evolved further and I like my scotch on the rocks, but not too many rocks. Don’t want to water it down. Maybe I’ll get to where I like it neat, we’ll see.
My favorite taste change of all is books. I’ve not only expanded what I like to read, I’ve gone from being a reader to being a writer. It started with an idea that wouldn’t let go and here we are, three years later, publishing our first novel, writing our second and have all sorts of ideas for the series. That equates into lots of trips you Getaway Girlz out there. Woo hoo!
I never had plans to be a writer and I can say Johnell didn’t either. I just had to do it. I knew it was the direction I needed to take and I convinced her to take it with me. I’m glad she did and boy, do we have fun! You always hear people say to do for a living what you loved to do as a child. I distinctly remember my Mom saying to me, more than once, that all I liked to do was have fun. Well, why not?! Who doesn’t?! And now my tastes in having fun have changed. The fun bartending job was replaced with the fun mortgage career (thanks to great co-workers) and now to my true passion, writing, which is the most fun of all.
I hope you’ll join us on our adventures of traveling, writing and having a fabulous time. We try to entertain, not bore, even though I started out this post talking about rye toast and how much more boring can you get than that? Pumpernickel?
Seriously though, if you ever see me eating a piece of rye toast and enjoying it, please get me to the nearest hospital. Something is wrong.
Over and out!
Robbyn, the Ry in Rylen
Life’s Little Mysteries…
Who shot JR?
What is that ancient Chinese secret?
Who is Joan Rylen?
That last one we can answer! Joan Rylen is actually several people all rolled up into one pen name.
Johnell – Angela – Robbyn – Lea
Author – Conspirator – Author – Conspirator
Clever huh?!?!
We are four Pasa“Get Down”dena, Texas girlz who hope to entertain
you for years to come with crazy stories (some are true…others are
not) that center around our annual, sometimes biannual, trips.
We’ve all been friends since we were youngins so we know each other’s
secrets. We’ll never tell ’em though! Well, we might tell some, but
you won’t know it because they are in works of FICTION!
This project (the book not the blog) has been many years in the
making. We hope you enjoy!
L,
Jo and Ry
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