The Virtue of Idleness
“The mind that has no established aim loses itself; for as the saying goes, to be everywhere is to be nowhere.” At first blush it seems hard to argue with the Master's propositions, but on closer inspection, perhaps they're not necessarily true. And it’s also not true that we’ve had no established aim over the past several weeks; the question is more whether it’s been a laudable aim, or just a waste of our time, and by extension then, our minds.
What we have been doing, and a pretty good job of it, was indulging ourselves. First and foremost with good food. By now everyone on the planet knows how we sat outside on Christmas Eve day, smoking trout and steelhead, drinking whisky, and watching the Bills or the Giants on a portable TV. A couple days later, we partook of the smoked fish, along with foods cooked in oil, chiefly latkes and falafel, red wine, John’s whisky and rum sours (made from scratch naturally), and scotch (always scotch), to celebrate the festival of lights, Chanukah. New Year’s Eve we stayed in with Mike, made our own tapas, and then heralded the New Year with Dan, Randy and Highland Park 25.
Accompanying the food was a steady stream of red wine and assorted whiskies. Malts, as usual, but also some great bourbon, Mike’s beverage of choice. Our favorites among them being the Van Winkle’s. Mike prefers the 12, but I especially like the 15, at 107 proof. It’s just a bit strong, but what an explosive flavor. For the sours, we used blended Canadian whisky, mostly Crown Royal. And one night, John impressed everyone by repeatedly distinguishing between Seagram’s Crown Royal, and 1776, that special edition whisky in the tiffany decanter, which we found in the basement of Susan’s folks’ home.
Aside from food and beverage, the chief pursuit of the past few weeks has been SU basketball. Still the preseason, but better pre-conference games than in years past. We’ve enjoyed the re-emergence of Louie McCrosky, and the lane-clearing exploits of Arinze Onuaku. When that kid clears the boards, they are swept clean; there’s no one else left standing. Who knows what the big east will bring, but for now, we’re guardedly optimistic. Hopeful. Expectant. Isn’t that one of the great things about sports? Every year is a new beginning.
Upon reflection, we haven’t really been losing our minds, and I’m not even sure we’re wasting them. By indulging ourselves, and enjoying each other’s company, we are admittedly leaving little time for reflection or intellectual growth. No epiphanies; no life changing insights. But how bad was it, after all, just to enjoy life? Was it really a waste of time to eat well, and drink fine whisky, and listen to jazz music, and spend evenings with family and friends? I think not. Montaigne didn’t live in today’s hectic world; and I doubt his kids lived 400, let alone 4,000 miles away. I won’t lose any sleep worrying that I’ve wasted the past several weeks.
What we have been doing, and a pretty good job of it, was indulging ourselves. First and foremost with good food. By now everyone on the planet knows how we sat outside on Christmas Eve day, smoking trout and steelhead, drinking whisky, and watching the Bills or the Giants on a portable TV. A couple days later, we partook of the smoked fish, along with foods cooked in oil, chiefly latkes and falafel, red wine, John’s whisky and rum sours (made from scratch naturally), and scotch (always scotch), to celebrate the festival of lights, Chanukah. New Year’s Eve we stayed in with Mike, made our own tapas, and then heralded the New Year with Dan, Randy and Highland Park 25.
Accompanying the food was a steady stream of red wine and assorted whiskies. Malts, as usual, but also some great bourbon, Mike’s beverage of choice. Our favorites among them being the Van Winkle’s. Mike prefers the 12, but I especially like the 15, at 107 proof. It’s just a bit strong, but what an explosive flavor. For the sours, we used blended Canadian whisky, mostly Crown Royal. And one night, John impressed everyone by repeatedly distinguishing between Seagram’s Crown Royal, and 1776, that special edition whisky in the tiffany decanter, which we found in the basement of Susan’s folks’ home.
Aside from food and beverage, the chief pursuit of the past few weeks has been SU basketball. Still the preseason, but better pre-conference games than in years past. We’ve enjoyed the re-emergence of Louie McCrosky, and the lane-clearing exploits of Arinze Onuaku. When that kid clears the boards, they are swept clean; there’s no one else left standing. Who knows what the big east will bring, but for now, we’re guardedly optimistic. Hopeful. Expectant. Isn’t that one of the great things about sports? Every year is a new beginning.
Upon reflection, we haven’t really been losing our minds, and I’m not even sure we’re wasting them. By indulging ourselves, and enjoying each other’s company, we are admittedly leaving little time for reflection or intellectual growth. No epiphanies; no life changing insights. But how bad was it, after all, just to enjoy life? Was it really a waste of time to eat well, and drink fine whisky, and listen to jazz music, and spend evenings with family and friends? I think not. Montaigne didn’t live in today’s hectic world; and I doubt his kids lived 400, let alone 4,000 miles away. I won’t lose any sleep worrying that I’ve wasted the past several weeks.
posted by pops | 10:02 PM
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