Happy Birthday Howard Phillips Lovecraft!!!

by now you should know to click on it for an awesomely larger image

Well, happy early birthday. I'm posting this a day early because tomorrow I will be out celebrating a real, living friend's birthday (Way to go Colleen! Turning 30!).

Anyway, tomorrow is Howard's 120th birthday, and what better way to spend it than with a Lovecraftian themed cocktail and lots of cheese. Below is my version of the Corpse Reviver #2, which I have re-titled for this special occasion:

The Herbert West

Components:

1 shot gin (I have Philly pride, so I prefer Blue Coat)

1 shot Lillet Blanc

1 shot Domaine de Canton

The juice of half a small lemon (you can go easy on this)

Dash of Pernod (or Absinthe if you're fancier)

Pour all ingredients over ice, shake well, and pour into a slightly chilled cocktail glass. I used Manhattan glasses from the 1960's, but champagne cups, not flutes, work just as well.

Now, the best part of any drink is the garnish (which, clearly, I forgot to add) and you have some choices with this: you can either use a slice of starfruit or long lime peels that you curl slightly and hang over the edge (like tentacles). I prefer the star fruit because it stays a bit better but limes are easier to find. You can also use Whiskey Stones in a tumbler with this drink. They won't water down your drink and they give the impression of Cyclopean ruins at the bottom of the sea (tell your friends the drink is called Dagon if you're going with this method).

This cocktail is best enjoyed whilst sitting on a moss covered mausoleum in a disturbing New England backwoods; preferably you'd also be fainting from seeing some terror or, you know, an Italian guy.

However, if a trip to Rhode Island isn't in your future tomorrow, you can also just drink this in your living room (yes, that's really my living room) while listening to the HP Lovecraft Literary Podcast (very funny and well produced) and watching out for night gaunts, re-animated fiends, prime numbers, monolithic architecture, rats, Jell-O, and your weird neighbor who always complains about his AC unit.

Add some dry ice around the place to give it a murky miasmic ambiance and you’re good to go!

Enjoy!!!

Jersey Thor

Thor is the nicest guy of the Marvel universe. I've sure there's some time when he's totally a dick, but he calls all chicks "fair this, and maiden that" and gives the best adjectives to describe people. But what if he was a total dick from Jersey (spoiler: I'm from Jersey)? I wish I could say that I came up with the dialog myself, but that was written by the coolest guy around (another spoiler: I'm marrying him).

click on the picture for a larger size

Alternate Batman idea by me!

I kind of like to think that for a moment, between being superior to everyone, Ra's al Ghul was a nice grandpa. See a bigger version here.