Google Earth is a good tool to figure out what you did if you've got a lousy sense of direction

[xiphias]

So, I had a bartending gig last night at the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum. (For Fidelity Investments, Canada Division -- quick question for Canadians: in Canada, do you refer to normal whiskey, what we call Canadian whiskey, i.e., Canadian Club, Crown Royal, Seagram's 7, and so forth -- do you guys call that stuff "rye"? Because I was confused by that, in that someone asked for rye. Which, in the United States, is a particular kind of whiskey made with at least 51% rye mash, and the only two brands made are an obscure product line of Wild Turkey, and Old Overholt.)

Anyway, the JFK Library has a shuttle bus which leaves from the JFK/UMass subway station, but I decided that, as it was a nice day, and I am supposed to get exercise anyway, I'd walk it. It's about 9/10 of a mile, totally flat, so it should be easy, right?

Well, I started off walking the wrong way down the street. When I figured that out, I cut across a park to get to the right street, and ended up on a different street. And, when I got back to an appropriate place, I just followed the signs to the place, and went down a different street which took me all the way around Columbia Point (the little peninsula on which the UMass Boston campus and the JFK library sit.)

Walking back to the subway, after the event, I found the correct route, and it was much easier.

But I pulled up Google Earth to figure out what I'd actually walked, and it looked like, on the route there, I walked almost four miles. And on the way back, I walked less than one.

Ah, well -- I needed the exercise, and I always leave enough time to take into account the possibility that I'll walk in the wrong direction and need a chance to figure it out, so I arrived fifteen minutes early, anyway.

My little fruit knife vanished at some point during the prep -- we needed to cut up garnishes, and there were no knives, but I carry a fruit knife for exactly this purpose (also cutting boards, and so forth). So, once again, I saved everyone's butts by being prepared, but the knife itself walked. It cost me something like $2 for a pack of two knives, so that was a $1 loss. My bartending kit was put together on the assumption that things would vanish every once in a while, so I don't regret the knife. I just need to buy another one.

Comments

[gilmoure.livejournal.com]

Jim Beam Rye Whiskey is also very good and rather cheap. Old Overcoat is something else entirely. When I lived in Monterey, I bought some once, due to a misplaced sense of romantacism. Oof!

No clue on what Canadians call Canadian Whisky. Good question, though. Sounds like something Jerry Seinfeld would ask.

[xiphias.livejournal.com]

I LOVE Old Overholt. It's my favorite whiskey.

[alcinoe.livejournal.com]

I always leave enough time to take into account the possibility that I'll walk in the wrong direction and need a chance to figure it out, so I arrived fifteen minutes early, anyway.


I am the same way. I like to leave a lot of time for misdirection and traffic. My husband is the exact opposite and likes to leave with no wiggle room. Hilarity ensues.

[aquaeri.livejournal.com]

In case you still care, apparently yes, Canadians refer to regular Canadian whiskey as "rye". (It came up coincidentally elsewhere on my friendslist, I was much amused).

[okoshun.livejournal.com]

As aquaeri mentioned, I've always called Rye Whisky "Rye" because that's what my Dad called it. :)

I looked around to see if there were any references because I only drink "scotch" or "rye", but not whisky.

I found a couple of references for Rye whisky (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rye_whisky) and Whisky (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whisky) which were kind of informative (in that I learned something new).

[hobbitbabe.livejournal.com]

Yes, we say Rye.

Rye and Scotch. It's not common to drink either bourbon or Irish whiskey in Canada - actually I first tried Irish whiskey because of Spider Robinson and a colleague from Ireland. I don't like it much though.