All my creative pursuits.
It’s National Limerick Day! And I couldn’t resist…
Choose a drink of admirable quality
Sip and savor, let it give you clarity
The muse to a writer
Fires the passion inside her
And releases her artisitic verity
Amber, smoky, smooth and mellow
Buoys the spirit or drowns the sorrow
But that loyal friend
Till the evening’s end
Becomes a nasty foe upon the morrow
Week ten in The Year of Drinking Adventurously. Absinthe!
So I know you all will find this hard to believe, (that’s me being sarcastic) but this is not my first time dancing with The Green Fairy. 
Because you know how cautious I am about trying new things. Try not to laugh out loud… It’s only a recent indulgence, however. That’s because absinthe had been banned in many countries around the world since the early 20th century. In fact, it wasn’t until 2007 that a French distiller was allowed to import absinthe into the USA — the first time since 1912.
So what’s the deal with absinthe? Its main ingredients are wormwood (which gives it its bad reputation), sweet fennel and anise. The rumor that absinthe is highly addictive and psychoactive is false. Nevertheless, that myth led to the aforementioned ban in the USA and much of Europe around 1915. The unintended consequence of this action was to give absinthe a dark, sexy, mysterious allure. Tell someone they can’t have something and it becomes even more desirable than before. Finally, the myths have been debunked and absinthe is once again available for your drinking pleasure!
I know I’ve complained about the difficult time I’ve had finding some of the more exotic beverages since I started this virtual booze cruise, but absinthe was not a problem. There happens to be a distillery right here in Philly that produces a lovely product. Voila:
Vieux Carré from Philadelphia Distilling Company, the first East Coast distiller to produce absinthe. At 120 proof, this Green Fairy packs a wallop. Traditionally, the spirit is prepared for consumption by placing a sugar cube on top of a specially designed slotted spoon, which is then placed on a glass filled with a dose of absinthe. Iced water is poured or dripped over the sugar cube to slowly and evenly distribute the water into the absinthe.
I did not do this, for two reasons…. First, I kept forgetting to buy sugar cubes when I went to the store, and more importantly, I like the taste of undiluted absinthe. The anise flavor is quite pleasant, actually. And no you won’t have hallucinations. Well, maybe if you drank a really, really lot of it… But that could happen with any strong spirit. Take my word for it.
Anyway…
Absinthe has long been associated with Bohemian culture and thus was a popular drink among artists and writers like Ernest Hemingway, James Joyce, Charles Baudelaire, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Amedeo Modigliani, Pablo Picasso, Vincent van Gogh, Oscar Wilde, and Marcel Proust. Its connection to such legendary artistes has only added to the fascination. Absinthe possesses a mystery, mythology, and seductive appeal. I recommend it without reservation.
So drape yourself in black, draw the curtains closed and pray for rain. And while you’re dripping your absinthe over sugar cubes, reading poetry by candlelight, listen to some music that will complete your experience: The Cure – Prayers For Rain. And don’t forget to see how Lula danced with the Green Fairy!
Have you wondered what the deal is with the tagline for my blog: “She tried to look picturesque but only succeeded in being untidy?” It’s a quote from Oscar Wilde’s “A Picture of Dorian Grey” and refers to Victoria, Lord Henry Wotton’s wife. In the scene from which the quote was taken, Dorian is lounging around at Lord Henry’s house waiting for him when Victoria comes in. This is how the narrator describes her:
“She was a curious woman whose dresses always looked as if they had been designed in a rage and put on in a tempest. She was usually in love with somebody, and, as her passion was never returned, she had kept all her illusions. She tried to look picturesque, but only succeeded in being untidy.” There’s more of it, but that’s the bit I like.
I imagine you all read the blog title and the tagline and think to yourself, “that Meg must be a mess.” Well, not true, mostly. For one thing, I rarely wear dresses. Skirts, yes, because I can match them with a black t-shirt. My friends and family do roll their eyes at me though, because I tend to wear the same or similar things all the time. But that doesn’t mean I don’t want to look nice, I do. Those fitted black t-shirts from H&M are very flattering. And no, I’m not too old to be shopping at H&M. Not for t-shirts, anyway. Besides, I am also cheap.
I guess I don’t easily tire of wearing the same things. I’ve always said I’d do well in an environment where someone told me what to wear. Like the army. Or prison, maybe. Frankly, it sure makes getting dressed in the morning easier and faster. I will not be the reason you are late getting out the door. Nevertheless, I assure you I am not untidy. I just really find those lines from ‘Dorian Grey’ amusing.
When you think of a writer, what image pops into your head? The disheveled man or woman, still in their bathrobe, sitting at the computer with coffee stains all over their 
notebooks and crumpled bits of paper strewn across the desk and overflowing the wastebasket?
If you write full time, work from home and don’t actually have to see people face to face, would it be easy to slip into that habit? I think it could be. My office is in my home but seeing patients prevents me from sliding down that slippery slope of not bothering.
Imagine what that would do to one’s self esteem after a while. Not getting dressed, not fixing your hair or putting on makeup. Who cares? No one’s going to see you… That’s just one step away from: “I’m not worth it.”
I wrote a post in December about treating your writing like a job. Making time for it, being disciplined so that it doesn’t get shoved onto the pile of unfulfilled dreams. Let this advice be another aspect of that discipline: Take care of yourself. Get up and stretch, get some exercise. Come home and shower and put on the kind of clothes you’d wear for ‘casual Friday’. It doesn’t have to be uncomfortable, just presentable. Ditch the sweatpants and at least put on jeans! I don’t know about you, but if I don’t get out of my pajamas, it feels like I’m home on a sick day. Then I end up binge watching Netflix and no writing gets done anyway.
Don’t let your writing space turn into a dump, either. Granted, when you’re in the middle of a project, a certain amount of clutter is inevitable but don’t let it get out of hand! Wipe up the coffee stains, empty the wastebasket and whisk the crumbs off the keyboard. Wait till you see how much better that feels.
Will these habits help you find inspiration? Cure writer’s block? Help you edit more clearly? I say yes. Don’t believe me? Give it a try!
(Header image courtesy abc news)
Meg Sorick, Author/Artist 