oh. my. god.

I am so so sorry.

I have been away for so long.

After moving, contending with a flu that I am sure rivaled the e. coli-ridden spinach, and after starting a new job, I must say, with disdain, that boozin' had been put on the back burner for a short time. But the prodigal daughter has returned! With a thirst more unquenchable than ever before! So, please, don't be cross with me, I fell off the wagon, into sobriety. But I am back. And, god, I need a drink.

So let's talk about something. Namely booze and fruit...and me in college. I had started my drinking career as a teenager (remember, kids: I am NOT a role model), with the standard fare of cheap vodka and cheaper juice. Usually, we would find our fare in such thrilling combinations as: Dimitri and Sunny D, E&J and sprite, or Bacardi (from a parent's liquor cabinet) and Hawaiian Punch...gross. I mean, really. pitiful. But as I aged and my palate matured, I still enjoyed the basic idea of booze and sweet together forever. Even in my more refined age of such drinks as Vodka Tonics and the like, I still, will find no more solace than in a thrilling non-alcohol tasting cocktail. Take, for instance, the staple of my senior year of college: The Malibu Pineapple. Malibu Coconut Rum mixed deliciously with that ever-so-tasty canned pineapple juice. In my a-hem, "Clubbing" days, this was a staple. And you get your vitamin C! What better? Other more complicated drinks followed. The Starburst, (strawberry Schnapps, grenadine, 7-up and OJ) the Alabama Slammer (OJ, sloe gin, amaretto and other things to be determined), Cosmos (vodka, triple sec, Rose's lime and cranberry...if one is feeling particularly bougie) and others. All these drinks had done well for me during my past, but, admittedly, I had left most of them behind over the past few years, feeling a closer tie to crisp, clear, refined drinks.

But, about a week ago, I emerged from my sober cocoon feeling timid and reserved about what to drink. My darling, my friend and I went to The Crystal Corner, a place I used to, actually, totally hate, but have recently become more acquainted with. I've come to like the wraparound bar, the strange neon-based lighting, and the jukebox that plays everything from Notorious BIG to Kansas to Sublime in about a 30 minute span. As the bartender with cute and messy hair asked what we would have, I froze...me. dang. So I balked...I asked her to make me something. This is actually something I do quite often; ask bartenders to make me what they like to make, or what they think is good. I wonder if they like it or hate it mostly. Well, my bartender kind of hated it. "No, I don't want to" she said. "Every time I make someone a drink they hate it." I told her really, I didn't care. She said, "Well, what do you want, like, fruity?" and I thought back, to the juices I had left behind, and it dawned on me: that was exactly what I wanted. "that sounds great. yum. do it." She returned with Rum, cranberry and OJ. Like, really, yum.

It was a gentle reemergence back to where I belong. Back to Basics. Back to Booze. Oh my god, it is totally like this is my booze homecoming.