travel: never-ending (with bonus booze link)

For the first time in a long time, I had the pleasure of enjoying Chicago's largest airport twice in one week. The second time, last night, was accompanied by a series of delays, a flight memorable for its encounter with thunderstorms, and a 1am cab ride through the dark streets of Basking Ridge.

Everything happens at once, it seems. Deadlines, family adventures, end-of-quarter, management shifts, angst. Its inevitable.

But since every pile of poo is accompanied by a hidden pony, I can share the following:

When I was 15 or so we lived in France, and went to the Normandy region for a quick family vacation. My four brothers and I were offered a local "cider", which sounded innocent enough. But Normandy cider is actually a potent fermented beverage, which had a predictable impact on us. The parents wondered why we were all so silly by the time dinner ended.

The news is that genuine Normandy cider can be found on this side of the Atlantic. Gary's in Bernardsville had a few bottles of an "unpasturized, unfiltered" Normandy cider, which when tested proved to be as potent and delicious as the drink we enjoyed almost 20 years ago.

You can read about it at the manufacturer's website. I think I'm going to waste a lot of time looking for a local supplier of this and their other varietal Calvados.

Slainte, all. If I can survive the week ahead, I'll have accomplished something truly wonderful.