"Storrmmee" > wrote in message
...
> we have a fryr tucks we go to when we are looking for something
> particular... the staff there is generally in the know, one woman in
> particular really knows their inventory... she not only knows what i am
> talking about when i go in there, i can say i want something to...
> describe and she will point me to a couple of options... she is also good
> at remembering things like i love ice wine... if i hit the front door and
> there is a sale or new product or something like what she knows i like she
> makes a point of telling me about it... hhhmmm maybe i can just get her to
> use my dictaphone and tell me what i like and have bought from there...
> poof instant journal. lol, Lee

There is actually a fairly new liquor store by Angela's dance studio. I
have to walk by it to get to the grocery store. So I wouldn't have to go
out of my way to go in there. It's just that liquor stores make me feel
uncomfortable and I don't really know why. I've only ever been in them a
few times.

When I was younger, they had some sort of military thing at Sand Point. My
friend's husband was in the Army so if I needed liquor she would just get it
for me there. I never went in with her so don't know how or where it was
sold there. In those days the liquor sold there was much cheaper than at
our state run liquor stores. I don't drink at all any more and didn't drink
much in those days but I did throw a lot of parties and I always supplied at
least some of the liquor. I do know some people are picky about what they
drink so those folks would most likely have to bring their own. But I
digress...

When we were first married, the department type store on the base where we
lived sold hard liquor. I only ever bought a few of those single serve
bottles and I think they were about a dollar apiece. The grocery store on
the base sold beer and wine. I did buy quite a lot of wine for cooking and
I sometimes bought beer for my husband and his friends. The prices there
were much cheaper than what I would have paid at the state run store or
grocery store (only beer and wine) here in WA.

But then the military began to crack down. First it was liquor and then it
was cigarettes. They raised the prices higher and higher in an effort to
make them less appealing to the service people. I don't know if it worked
or not but I'm thinking it did.

When we lived on Cape Cod the big thing was to throw parties every weekend
with free flowing liquor. There were contests to see who could get the most
drunk or stay drunk for the longest length of time. I kid you not and the
people who did this actually seemed to be proud of it. It was really pretty
pathetic. It also could have had something to do with the ages of the
people living there. I was 35 when I moved there and there were few people
my age. Most were between 19 and 25. I know I drank more when I was
younger, but never to that extent.

When we moved to CA, we had friends who had parties every weekend. There
was beer. Not sure if there was any wine or not. Some people drank the
beer, many did not. I don't remember anyone ever getting drunk to the point
of getting sick and only one person getting drunk to the point of acting
crazy. Alas he was my next door neighbor, until he did that. He lost his
housing after what he had pulled. It wasn't just for this incident.
Apparently he had quite a history of doing what he shouldn't.

Then we moved to NY. They had a block party on our first day there.
Because I hadn't finished unpacking, I brought a cheese platter and raw
veggies. I wasn't able to cook anything just yet. They closed off the
street to traffic and set out huge BBQs where they cooked all sorts of
meats. Everything else was potluck.

My husband brought a 6-pack of beer. Just a single 6-pack. You should have
seen the looks he was given! It was clearly not approved of. He took it
back home.

We went to many parties while we lived there and I don't recall liquor at
any of them except for an event that was at a club in Manhattan. They were
only allowed to serve the liquor for a period of about 2 hours and I was
told that as the time went on, the liquor was more and more watered down. I
tried to get a club soda. They didn't have it. Nor did they have Diet
Coke. I finally settled on a mineral which I don't like very much because
it is too salty. I can't remember now if it was Perrier or Evian.

They did provide coffee later but only filled the cups halfway. We were
unable to get a refill despite many of us trying. And there was no sugar or
cream. Thankfully I drink mine black.

The food was really bad at that party too. Those of us who went through the
line first (that would be me) found the food to be very bland as if it had
no seasoning at all. The ones who went through the line later all
complained that the food was too salty! It was as though they dumped some
salt in at some point and never mixed it in. They also had the woodiest
shards of raw beets in the salad. One of them made my tongue bleed so I had
to quit eating it. Thankfully I haven't had to go to any such parties since
then.