THAT CRISP MOMENT

There are good reasons people stuck in snow drifts should NOT hit that bottle of cinnamon schnapps, passing it around till it's empty. Yes, it will make that freezing cold bearable -- it desensitizes you, and makes you sluggish because of lower body temperature and effects on your blood pressure (made more extreme by the cold) -- but you might not survive the experience. In your snow drift. Just outside Chicago. Twelve feet deep. Frozen river. Slowly fading.
Also, your last memories will taste like really bad dime-store candy.
Second reason, your ferocious hangover.
Should you survive.

[After three or four shots, alcohol functions as a vasodilator, but at higher levels, it becomes a vasoconstrictor, narrowing blood vessels and increasing blood pressure, making conditions such as migraine headaches and frostbite worse.]


There was a person sleeping in his parked car with the motor running out on Clay Street when I left the house for the last smoke of the day. He was still there after two when I returned. An hour and a half later, with two drinks in the system, and it did not feel cold outside to the same degree.
Which, of course, was deceptive.


When I wake up, my cocktail is Losartan, Atorvastatin, Clopidogrel, Metopropolol, and Aspirin. When he wakes up, he should have Aspirin, Coffee, a donut, lots of liquids, and probably a good rest in a warm environment.

Plus a medical check-up.

It rained last night.
And it was cold.



Two Scotch and waters is not by any means an over-indulgence. Not over a ninety minute span. Consequently the chances of me falling asleep while trying to unpark my car are slim. But rain does seem softer after a drink, and on a cold night the light of the street lamps will be more otherworldly.

[According to several authoritative sources I should not consume alcohol while taking Clopidogrel. Well, that's a bummer. Update as of 11:35 AM: Furthermore, alcohol and Atorvastatin also are a horrible combination. I guess it's ginger ale and water from now on. Or hot weak tea.]


A mixture of matured Virginias with dark steamed leaf will send a subtle perfume into the night air. There won't be any pot-smokers about. Or cars with overly loud sound systems. Fewer folks huffing Camels or Vapes. The neighborhood is quiet. There are bright lights, but almost no drunks or screaming young people.


Not quite heaven. But very close.





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