30 October 2026

Strangers that are strangers no more

I stopped at Truck and Tap after a long day of working at Thrive next door to grab a drink before going out to dinner with friends and family. Now, usually, I sit outside with Sharmila and Jay Jay. Today, since I was by myself and the bar was nearly empty, I sat inside.

I was busy chatting up the couple – Steve and Deborah – next to me. Turns out we used to live very close to each other in Milton. Now we both live close to downtown Alpharetta.

Our conversation went from one topic to another. At some point, we were talking of kids. Imagine my surprise when I found out Blake – who works there and has been known to us for a long time – is their son.

I remembered to take a picture of all of us before I left.

26 October 2026

From the bartender’s corner: The Grapefruit Job

The journey into learning how to make mocktails continues. It is much harder than cocktails – what with the absence of a spirit base to add the weight and complexity to the drink.

This has non-alcoholic Italian spritz, grapefruit juice, non-alcoholic limoncello, and club soda. Garnished with rosemary.

It was bittersweet but a bit flat. Need to keep experimenting to find a combination that balances it better.

24 October 2026

We were qute over the moon!

Neighborly get-together with Nick, Diane, SK, and Heida at Standard, where an unseemly number of young revelers were carousing this evening. Unfortunately for us, SK and Heida are moving away to Portugal. We will all miss them. Especially Jay Jay, who will sorely miss Bogga. Missing from this picture are Rich and Andrea, who are busy exploring Europe right now.

The moon we saw on our walk to downtown Alpharetta was glorious. I think it is still one day away from the full moon.