A free-range geek and a whopper of a winter drink
And did you hear why the Michael Jackson film is delayed?
The good old days
Bill Gates —you know, the Microsoft guy who made billions selling us Windows and Word— has a memoir coming out in February. Source Code: My Beginnings (Knopf, 2025) discusses his life as a young nerd who went gaga for computers and coding. The Wall Street Journal ran an excerpt of it recently wherein we read of how the scrawny, pubescent, Seattle-area boy would go on week-long hikes with his buddies and no parents.
Over the course of three years or so we hiked hundreds of miles together. We covered the Olympic National Forest west of Seattle and Glacier Peak Wilderness to the northeast and did hikes along the Pacific Coast. We’d often go for seven days or more at a stretch, guided only by topographic maps through old-growth forests and rocky beaches where we tried to time the tides as we hustled around points…. It wasn’t dangerous beyond the fact that we were teenagers deep in the mountains, many hours from help and well before cellphones were a thing…. [I]t was the 1970s, and attitudes toward parenting were looser than they are today. Children generally had more freedom.
Oh, yes they did. My own mother left me and my younger brother alone in the house for a week when were were in our early teens. She was off in Georgia taking a vacation with her sister, which was deserved. She left us $50 for cash, and I believe we blew it all on a huge order of Rocco’s Pizza. We thought it would be great to eat pizza —a rare treat for us— every day. By day three or four we were pretty sick of pepperoni pizza that had grown stale.
Aaaah, the good old days!
Behold: The hot chocolate Manhattan
Peter Suderman’s recipe for it can be found here.
Woman torches bar and other odds and ends
Puck reports the mega-flick about Michael Jackson was nearing completion when it went off the rails. The filmmakers discovered the $25 million legal agreement between Jackson and the family of the boy he was accused of molesting had a secrecy clause. And that scandal was a part of the film’s narrative. (Read more)
How did Pappy Van Winkle, the man who created the bourbons that go for hundreds and even thousands of dollars, enjoy his whiskey? Air Mail reports he drank it with ice, water, and a lemon twist. Take that booze snobs! (Read more)
This Washington Post headline tells a tale: “Tourist burned down Puerto Rico bar after being kicked out, authorities say.” Danielle Bertothy, age 36, was visiting the island and went berserk after being refused additional drink. She soaked the bar with gasoline and set it ablaze, and left the island. She was arrested in Missouri. (Read more)
Bold Rock Hard Cider has a new flavor, Imperial Orange. It is a “blend of Blue Ridge Mountains apples and juicy orange, with a subtle hint of zesty lemon and lime,” and is a whopping 8.2% alcohol by volume. (Read more)
Bargain white wine drinkers take note: The Wall Street Journal’s Lettie Teague gives thumbs-up to Marchesi di Barolo Gavi ($14) and the 2023 Tenuta Il Bergo Gavi di Gavi ($15). Put them on your shopping list. (Read more)
The brew-geeks at Dogfish Head released a 30 Minute Light IPA, that is only 4% alcohol by volume. (Read more)