Bob N. Boguslavski's Blog, page 4
March 2, 2015
London #15 - In the pub (on the piss)
Pubs—there certainly seemed to be a LOT of them about in the UK in '89 when Bob first visited the place. At a March '91 wedding, the topic of their number came up in conversation. The lads were standing around for a few hours in The Kings Head in Shepperton, to "take the edge off" before that much more serious church ceremony stuff began on a Saturday afternoon.
From the book:
Pubs and churches went hand in hand, and were often physically side-by side—as close as possible to marrying the two, short of actually serving alcohol during the ceremony. Now that would be awesome.
This physical proximity to pubs wasn’t reserved solely for churches; pubs were everywhere in this country.
“Some 74,000 or thereabouts per current measure,” Rowland had told me. “Factor in another 35,000 on-license locations between restaurants, private clubs, other residential, and the off-licenses, and there is no shortage, my boy.”
You could be anywhere, doing anything, and if you fancied a pint, a short walk or drive in any direction would lead to a place to wet your whistle.
Pubs are friendly places, where even complete strangers can have a deep and meaningful conversation on just about any topic.
Full Posting:
http://BobNBoguslavski.com/News/view/...
From the book:
Pubs and churches went hand in hand, and were often physically side-by side—as close as possible to marrying the two, short of actually serving alcohol during the ceremony. Now that would be awesome.
This physical proximity to pubs wasn’t reserved solely for churches; pubs were everywhere in this country.
“Some 74,000 or thereabouts per current measure,” Rowland had told me. “Factor in another 35,000 on-license locations between restaurants, private clubs, other residential, and the off-licenses, and there is no shortage, my boy.”
You could be anywhere, doing anything, and if you fancied a pint, a short walk or drive in any direction would lead to a place to wet your whistle.
Pubs are friendly places, where even complete strangers can have a deep and meaningful conversation on just about any topic.
Full Posting:
http://BobNBoguslavski.com/News/view/...
February 7, 2015
Santiago #30 - Pisco Potation Punch-Up
So, Bob finds himself at a wedding In Santiago just before Christmas 1996, and one of the reception hour beverages being plied is that classic cocktail, the Pisco Sour. It’s pushed proudly as being Chilean in origin, when out of the crowd, some cat jumps out to have a say on that matter.
“Actually, there is some debate on this matter of the pisco sour and where
it comes from,” said a dark-haired fellow with black-rimmed glasses in a
blue suit beside us. “I don’t mean to curtail your enjoyment, so please excuse
me, but Peru believes it is the originator of the cocktail.”
Antonio Díaz Villamil introduced himself. Bolivian, he lived here in Santiago, and
was a friend of the Glüschitz family. “Both Peru and Chile consider it their national
drink and there are two competing tales of its origin.”
The Peruvian story behind the cocktail was that it was invented in Lima by a
Salt Lake City expat, Victor “Gringo” Morris, in the early 1920s at the bar he
ran called Morris’ Bar. The cocktail was essentially an alternative to the whiskey
sour. The challenging Chilean version of the tale attributed the concoction to an
Englishman, Elliott Stubb, a ship steward who disembarked at the port of Iquique
in 1872 to open a bar where he supposedly unveiled the drink.
So what’s up with all that, and who’s right?
There is some debate between Chile and Peru about the origin of the drink.
FULL POSTING:
http://bobnboguslavski.com/news/view/...
“Actually, there is some debate on this matter of the pisco sour and where
it comes from,” said a dark-haired fellow with black-rimmed glasses in a
blue suit beside us. “I don’t mean to curtail your enjoyment, so please excuse
me, but Peru believes it is the originator of the cocktail.”
Antonio Díaz Villamil introduced himself. Bolivian, he lived here in Santiago, and
was a friend of the Glüschitz family. “Both Peru and Chile consider it their national
drink and there are two competing tales of its origin.”
The Peruvian story behind the cocktail was that it was invented in Lima by a
Salt Lake City expat, Victor “Gringo” Morris, in the early 1920s at the bar he
ran called Morris’ Bar. The cocktail was essentially an alternative to the whiskey
sour. The challenging Chilean version of the tale attributed the concoction to an
Englishman, Elliott Stubb, a ship steward who disembarked at the port of Iquique
in 1872 to open a bar where he supposedly unveiled the drink.
So what’s up with all that, and who’s right?
There is some debate between Chile and Peru about the origin of the drink.
FULL POSTING:
http://bobnboguslavski.com/news/view/...
January 16, 2015
Los Angeles #70 - BFF neighbo(u)rs
You’re at some wedding in Greater LA just after the Blackout of 2003 took out a big chunk of the Northeast on both sides of the border, when the following comes up in conversation about supposed neighboring BFF countries, Canuckistan and Amerika.
“Canada is America’s invisible, steady, safe-sex partner. The Beaver’s only too happy to just bend over and take it like any good bum buddy. One day, we’ll just take the place over,” said Jock.
“That won’t happen,” said Wade.
“It’s not imaginable at this very moment, but go back almost 200 years. We attacked and invaded Canada in 1812. Then, in the 1930s, there was an attack plot—War Plan Red,” said Jock.
“OK, I’ll give you that. Canuckistan even had its own cockamamie preemptive plot to
invade south before that, in the 20s—Defence Scheme No. 1.”
“You never know how quickly close friends can become enemies, or vice versa,” said Lamont.
“Betcha there’s still some super-secret-squirrel crank Yank plan in the works under the guise of liberating Canada one day from its socialist left-wing tyranny—for water and oil. But,” said Wade, “that’s another topic altogether.”
“We’d still graciously let you keep all the hockey rinks, polar bears, maple syrup, and McKenzie brother tuques you’d need,” Jock said. “America’s munificence is unbounded.”
So whaddup with all that?
History and some obscure plans point the way.
FULL POSTING:
http://BobNBoguslavski.com/News/view/...
“Canada is America’s invisible, steady, safe-sex partner. The Beaver’s only too happy to just bend over and take it like any good bum buddy. One day, we’ll just take the place over,” said Jock.
“That won’t happen,” said Wade.
“It’s not imaginable at this very moment, but go back almost 200 years. We attacked and invaded Canada in 1812. Then, in the 1930s, there was an attack plot—War Plan Red,” said Jock.
“OK, I’ll give you that. Canuckistan even had its own cockamamie preemptive plot to
invade south before that, in the 20s—Defence Scheme No. 1.”
“You never know how quickly close friends can become enemies, or vice versa,” said Lamont.
“Betcha there’s still some super-secret-squirrel crank Yank plan in the works under the guise of liberating Canada one day from its socialist left-wing tyranny—for water and oil. But,” said Wade, “that’s another topic altogether.”
“We’d still graciously let you keep all the hockey rinks, polar bears, maple syrup, and McKenzie brother tuques you’d need,” Jock said. “America’s munificence is unbounded.”
So whaddup with all that?
History and some obscure plans point the way.
FULL POSTING:
http://BobNBoguslavski.com/News/view/...
December 29, 2014
Iceland #71 - Olfactory offense
After an overnight flight, you’re in a car for a couple hours in remote Iceland on your way to a wedding at the end of August 2003, when suddenly … you’re attacked by Dr. LoveSexy from his perch in the passenger seat.
The Dr. looked at me, paused for a moment of cerebral reflection,sniffed, and turned his upper torso toward the door.
“Monopoly this.” He loudly expunged a wet-sounding anal burp that reverberated with a slow and sloppy staccato.
He completely had me. I was not equipped at this very second to fire a volley in reprisal. The war was over with one shot, and you were dead..
FULL POSTING:
http://BobNBoguslavski.com/News/view/...
The Dr. looked at me, paused for a moment of cerebral reflection,sniffed, and turned his upper torso toward the door.
“Monopoly this.” He loudly expunged a wet-sounding anal burp that reverberated with a slow and sloppy staccato.
He completely had me. I was not equipped at this very second to fire a volley in reprisal. The war was over with one shot, and you were dead..
FULL POSTING:
http://BobNBoguslavski.com/News/view/...
December 3, 2014
Prologue - Long-term marriage
Sometimes in life, you have these encounters that affect you profoundly—things to be remembered forever. One such one for Bob was way back in the day when he was a teenager and got a very unique and powerful spin on long-term marriage from some life-wi(s/z)ened, gray-haired, French Canadian cat called Lulu he worked with.
When hardcore life experience got dished out by him, you know it was real—the kind of stuff you could never make up yourself unless you’ve been through it. To this day, it gives Bob something to think about.
FULL POSTING:
http://BobNBoguslavski.com/News/view/...
When hardcore life experience got dished out by him, you know it was real—the kind of stuff you could never make up yourself unless you’ve been through it. To this day, it gives Bob something to think about.
FULL POSTING:
http://BobNBoguslavski.com/News/view/...
November 26, 2014
Westport #94 - Large Wedding Parties
There seems to be a trend the last few years to ever-larger wedding parties.
What is "too many" in a wedding party? It sure can make the whole experience like herding cats in a few ways and create some problems. Is there a "right" number on this matter?
Too many people in the mix can slow things down, in terms of the ceremony processional, the receiving line and/or introductions. Wedding party photos are that much more lengthy and troublesome to coordinate as well, with so many present. Stuff also gets more complicated, especially for the ladies.
FULL POSTING:
http://BobNBoguslavski.com/News/view/...
What is "too many" in a wedding party? It sure can make the whole experience like herding cats in a few ways and create some problems. Is there a "right" number on this matter?
Too many people in the mix can slow things down, in terms of the ceremony processional, the receiving line and/or introductions. Wedding party photos are that much more lengthy and troublesome to coordinate as well, with so many present. Stuff also gets more complicated, especially for the ladies.
FULL POSTING:
http://BobNBoguslavski.com/News/view/...
November 17, 2014
Mustique #47 - Deconstructing that preposterous 'p' perversion
You’re on vacation on a luxe tropical island, and it’s midmorning on your sister’s wedding day when one of your British cohort offers up a local St. Vincent Hairoun lager to get the day going after breakfast.
Hey, it’s always night time somewhere, and that’s the way this lot rolled, especially Paine “Pongo” Lytton-Renworth. So you just go with the flow.
[PPLR] “In your case, this should act as prescient parallel post-party palliative and preemptive pre-party potation.”
[BNB] “That’s a plethora of p-p-ps, Pongo. Ten. Well done.”
[PPLR] “I take pains to perform and please.”
[BNB] “But not as many as in, say, uhm, uhhh…Peter Pocklington picked a peck of pickled Popocatapetl peppers with a passel of partisan professional paella peddlers from Pontevedra province peripheral to Portugal.”
[PPLR] “Good heavens. What preposterous p profligacy.”
So just what was Bob's crazy-ass parade of 'p' words all about?
FULL POSTING:
http://BobNBoguslavski.com/News/view/...
Hey, it’s always night time somewhere, and that’s the way this lot rolled, especially Paine “Pongo” Lytton-Renworth. So you just go with the flow.
[PPLR] “In your case, this should act as prescient parallel post-party palliative and preemptive pre-party potation.”
[BNB] “That’s a plethora of p-p-ps, Pongo. Ten. Well done.”
[PPLR] “I take pains to perform and please.”
[BNB] “But not as many as in, say, uhm, uhhh…Peter Pocklington picked a peck of pickled Popocatapetl peppers with a passel of partisan professional paella peddlers from Pontevedra province peripheral to Portugal.”
[PPLR] “Good heavens. What preposterous p profligacy.”
So just what was Bob's crazy-ass parade of 'p' words all about?
FULL POSTING:
http://BobNBoguslavski.com/News/view/...
November 10, 2014
Cancun #25 - EE erudition
Bob never liked his Electrical Engineering (EE) studies at all. It was not his cup of tea, he just stuck through to the bitter end and then moved on with life. As pointed out in the book at that wedding in Cancun when faced with a seriously misbehaving coffee machine, this was his take on it all.
“You studied electrical engineering, didn’t you?” she said.
“Yeah, but it’s not like I learned anything practical like being an electrician.” The whole EE thing had seemed mostly about ways to do all kinds of crazy-ass, fucked-up math, most of which I’d already forgotten, nearly seven years after graduation. Twinkle, twinkle, little star, Voltage, V, is I times R.
FULL POSTING:
http://BobNBoguslavski.com/News/view/...
“You studied electrical engineering, didn’t you?” she said.
“Yeah, but it’s not like I learned anything practical like being an electrician.” The whole EE thing had seemed mostly about ways to do all kinds of crazy-ass, fucked-up math, most of which I’d already forgotten, nearly seven years after graduation. Twinkle, twinkle, little star, Voltage, V, is I times R.
FULL POSTING:
http://BobNBoguslavski.com/News/view/...
October 29, 2014
Epilogue - Education + intelligence blah-blah
Toward the end of the book, after all the wedding dust has settled, Bob, Dr. LoveSexy and Jock Finn are engaged in some bi-coastal, morning BBM action on the subjects of marriage, relationships and women, when a brief, spontaneous topical detour to education and intelligence occurs.
If you are feeling intellectually inadequate, either way, it's possible do something about it right now and fix your life!
FULL POSTING:
http://BobNBoguslavski.com/News/view/...
If you are feeling intellectually inadequate, either way, it's possible do something about it right now and fix your life!
FULL POSTING:
http://BobNBoguslavski.com/News/view/...
October 22, 2014
Amman #52 - Spelling that guy's name
So while Bob was bopping around Amman in 2000 for a wedding, one of the things in the back of his mind was the murkiness surrounding the multitude of English name spellings for that famed Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi.
The complexity of getting his name right in English centers around his name as pronounced in Arabic and not being able to properly transcribe it across into English letters, something referred to as transliteration. So we end up with at least 112 ways to write it in English.
FULL POSTING:
http://BobNBoguslavski.com/News/view/...
The complexity of getting his name right in English centers around his name as pronounced in Arabic and not being able to properly transcribe it across into English letters, something referred to as transliteration. So we end up with at least 112 ways to write it in English.
FULL POSTING:
http://BobNBoguslavski.com/News/view/...
