The Lounge is welcoming Betina to its membership.

We have invited her here to share her personal experience in and knowledge of the world of absinthe. As any member of the absinthe community can attest to, the chances to learn have become severely limited. This is because we have divided ourselves into a few camps and refuse to hear any other opinions. People have been nasty to her in the past and, of course, she does not care for that. We often tease each other here, but in the interest of open discourse, please behave respectfully toward her.

We are all adults. This is a chance to clear the air and open the lines of communication with someone who has, after all, been a part of this community longer than most of us.

Flaming of any kind will not be tolerated. Moderation will be swift if any of these lines are crossed. I have no problem banning any and all of you who can't behave.

Does this mean I have to dust off my "sunday-go-to-meetin" clothes?

Durn.
I'll probably have to shave too.

A tie wouldn't kill you.
And not one of those clip-ons, either.
A real one.



Welcome, Betina

Hey, Welcome!

He should know how to tie one on.

Welcome Betina!

Anyone that can add something to this universe is more than welcome.
Why you lot let me stay I'll never know....

Welcome Betina!

Thanks for the welcome. I will be around throughout the weekend. Absinthe is alive and well!

Betina,

For those newbies who don't know you, feel free to let us know a little about yourself.

Glad to see you on board!

Welcome to another apparent penguin lover¹!



--
¹My traditional avatar has been one for quite some time...I guess I've just been demoted to a frog.

Welcome to the insane asylum, Betina.
Good to have you here.

Welcome and tell us a little about yourself.

Who is this, how do you say Betina? Welcome.

Greetings, Betina!

I'm glad we can have someone with quite a bit of absinthe expertise on board. Welcome!

Welcome to the Lounge!

I love your picture of penguins! Tell us about that.

I love to write and sometimes I write travel articles for a travel newsletter. I went to Antarctica...it was the most profound place I had ever been visually and cold-wise! The icebergs were astounding in shape and form. A whale followed our ship for 20 minutes and one officer took video and sold it to BBC! I thought this photo looked like penguins inebriated from absinthe.
I brought a little vintage onto the ship and one night we drank it with 2000 year old glacial ice.
Well, I began absinthe sales of antiques etc. in America 9 years ago. The late Mike Iavarone, if you all ever knew him, had a site with spoons and glasses. I found absinthe in Barcelona and did a web search and he and I began. Two years ago I wrote a book on absinthe.
Again I thank you for the sincere welcome.

welcome aboard betina, i had a copy of your book but it's currently loaned out to a friend who's showing interest in absinthe.

Wow, it must be quite a spectacle to be able to visit a continent with no real (human) civilization. I must admit I have a soft spot for penguins as well.

I must admit, it's long been a dream of mine to make it to a pole.

Yes, Antarctica is doing quite well without humans. Another great place is Iceland. yes, isn't it amazing that I was born in Arizona but I love cold climates like Alaska, Vancouver, anywhere but here. I wish the sun would go away from here a long time. Until recently it had not rained here for over 140 days!
good night,
betina

Howdy, Betina.

The board can be tricky until you get using it. If you have any technical trouble, feel free to PM me. I'll be glad to help.

I am envious of your trip to Antarctica. I really love penguins. They are such amazing creatures. I would love to see more photos.

Betina, how did you first become interested in absinthe and absinthe antiques?

Welcome Betina,
I was almost on the verge of asking you to swap location with me as I prefer the climate in Tucson to the one I live in. Suddenly I realized that absinthe is kind of prohibited in your part of the world which immediately made me content with our shitty climate. Also summer is on the way and it makes one quickly forget about cold snowy winters. cheers

Greetings Betina! This forum can only benefit from your absinthe expertise.

I have been to Stockholm and prefer cold any day...I love Vancouver, too. Although Stockholm still has few absinthe bars, yes?
Hey...all of you foreign members....soon in the next year we will have a second edition. So if you can update me with info on bars in your foreign countries and cities I will see about crediting you in the book! I mean, name, address, phone and what they serve and atmosphere.
betina

A second edition?
More pretty picutres, too?

I have to be honest, I have yet to read the copy I bought recently. I have looked at the pictures though; it is a beautiful piece of work.

Hey Cros,
That "absinthe whore" picture you love so much is in her book.
If I remember correctly, that's one of Betina's favorites, too.

Hey, Betina, you don't happen to have an original, do you?

I have a modern reprint, but I've never come across an original for sale.

I have the original Oxygenee whore post card. It took me three years to talk the owner out of it....and had to give him a kiss.
Probably not new pictures...but new absinthe reviews and updated info on bars. It will not be for a year or so until all of second printing is sold but working on it now.

Be sure to keep us posted!

I wish it were coming out sooner...I plan on being in the overseas in a few months.
If you get any leads, be sure to PM me.

Belated greetings Betina.

Sorry I missed you this weekend, I spent it out of town without access to a computer.

Hello.

I have been extraordinarily preoccupied in my personal meanderings 'twixt trial and tribulation... tween victory and defeat.

Though my soul became unraveled during these restless days and tortuous nights, I seem to have gained some degree of insight into the darkness that envelops all.

The darkness that feeds, breathes and propagates itself upon fields of lavender and shrouds itself within a veil of opaline has been cast aside like some lonesome sailor who cries in the night... 'Brandy'...

Ah, to have some time once again to peruse the markings of poets, artists and artisans alike... my spirit is lifted upon emerald crystals.

Hello.

You are, my dear, the same old, lovable scamp.
I'm so glad to see you have been real busy,
and even gladderer to stumble upon this,
your own poetic marking (if you will).

Digits!



(not as eloquent as Peeps, but I've had a few)

Hi Betina!!

I don't know if you remember me,
but i was about seventeen when
we first came across eachother.
I was livin' in Tucson and talked to
a friend of a friend who told me
about your fascination with absinthe,
and he encouraged me to get into it.

I gotta say you've been a huge
inspiration, and I can't help but
go nuts over you being able to
finally share yourself on the boards!

Good job Betina!

Ah yes my dear Green Eyes and Abby of Normalcy it is a pleasure once again to converse, albeit through these cumbersome digital codes.

Let it be known that the emerald elixir that has recently breached levees of sobriety may ne'er again be reconstructed with the same degree of craftsmanship that once gave safe harbor to my sense of recluse.

Thoughts now take flight of golden days upon which only a steady diet of Grappa and Peas led the path away from Jacques, le maître du Bate!

Green Eyes, I trust that the one without hair is well and to Abby of Normalcy, it was wonderful to see a representation of wine made from the most glorious Lilacs posted in this forum.

And finally to Betina... it is truly a pleasure to witness these momentous days.

Belated greetings Betina!


Digits! It's so good to see you again. Grouchy and I were just talking about you this weekend.

It's now ten years since the last time I was in Tucson. Pretty nice parties everywhere during the Gem Show, I remember...
Regarding absinthe bars in Stockholm I have never located one. Suspect that if they exist, they serve the CzXit and not real absinthe. Might soon be one where I live though. The couple running the local Inn are very open to new ideas.

cheers

thanks for the welcomes! Some of you seem to know me or have communicated with me in the past but I do not recognize your names. And a friend told me that some of you could be puppets, whatever that is. So if I do really know you and we liked each other then contact me.
Had a sprinkler pipe break and flood my office this bunny weekend so consumed by that disaster....
if you tell me your name, Grim, I might remember you...or if you bought from me I will have it in my archives.
betina

Betina,

What a horrendous way to spend a weekend that was to be filled with celebrations of our Goddess, Oestre! I too spent this time dealing with liquid though I'm sure you can imagine it was one of a more contained variety.

As for these puppets, I can tell you a bit of their mastery. Long ago it was a measure used to protect identities of some members of this lounge. I suppose it was their fear that they would be revealed to agents of a sinister nature.

Fair Hissy Kitten... what a joy it was to read the warmth of your post. It is very nice to see your avatar once again! The Goddess Freja would be pleased to see your representation of a creature so divine.

And of your mention of this 'grouchy one'. I do believe I know who you speak of and I do wish to bid this member a fond Hello. This mention reminds me of a conversation I had over the weekend with Oscar Wilde.

As the fog rolled through the cobblestone street, simply illuminated by a single gas lamp, we found our way to Le Chat Noir. We sat down to a small round table towards the back as Satie played the haunting chords of Gymnopédie in the background.

Oscar and I shared a sole pyrogénée as we set alight our respective pipe and cigar. Le Maître d' arrived with a bottle and told us of this wonderful new Absinthe he had clandestinely procured from a master artisan within the Val de Travers region.

I cannot reveal the name to you for fear of becoming the target of local and federal law enforcement.

Regardless, this Wonderful Elixir was that of magic and for the rest of the evening La Fee Verte danced aloft velvet blankets of fresh laid opalescent snow.

Before we left Le Chat Noir that night, he left me with this...

"Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth."

The Lounge has a long history of puppets, going back to the original founder, who we kicked out. I can assure you that there is none of that going on in this thread. As amusing as these alternative personalities can be, this isn’t the place for it.

I was born in a small, cold-weather town, and I love hot, tropical locales. Makes sense to me.

'The grass is always greener'.

Welcome to the board, Betina.

Ah yes...
hot, tropical Tucson.

How 'bout we start a 'questions for the author' thread.
I know lots of us have Betina's book, so let's just pin that in here, too.

I'm just going to move the question from NIAS to the new thread.

Wow!

I sure have missed a lot. I was completely caught off guard this morning as I was looking through the normal morning 'inner-net' crap to see that Betina has joined the lounge!

That's great! I bought her book and watched the Thirsty Traveler so it'll be good to be able to bounce some questions off of her!

Welcome aboard Betina!

Ah, you two do share a thing or two.
A certain subtlety that is all too uncommon,
but that I find, in these times, as refreshing and unexpected
as a lone Dahlia in a dank and bare cellar.

I, for my part,
lacking such gifts,
find it absolutely crucial to remain frank.

Taking the safe route eh?
I know you, and everytime I contact you it will be my fist to your face,
I would crotch punch your ass but I can't stoop that low.

Some thing's missing,
you dodged the knife on this one Betty
in my drunken rampage last night I spelled out a list of your deeds
and pinned it to the top page
I can't find it now and it's lucky for you I don't have the heart this morning to repeat it.
Most people know most of it anyway.
I have a suggestion,
how about you come back here and defend yourself?
If you can't do that then it should be clear to anyone that reads this that dealing with you will hurt.