loss. i found out that the husband of a good friend of mine during college died of leukemia this week. i didn't know jared that well, but anne and i were pretty good friends during school. both were such good, unselfish people it seems so unfair.

he did keep a journal and i'm posting the link in the event someone else may find it helpful in dealing with a similar situation.

whisky tasting. since new years eve wasnt enough to kill my liver, i decided to host another whisky tasting with some good friends. my best man even came up from philly to join us, which was an awesome surprise and welcome addition to the group. in total there were 9 of us. and since i got proper whisky glasses for christmas, we did it in style.

there was no real theme here, just what was on my shelf as i try to keep a wide range just these sorts of gatherings.

in the order tasted:
arran, unchill filtered, NAS (no age statement)
auchentoshan triple wood
glenfiddich 12 year reserve
longmorn 15 year
glenmorangie 12 year port wood finish
johnnie walker green label, 15 year
highland park 18 year (mine is the new design)
ardbeg 10 year
bowmore darkest

In searching for links to the whiskies tasted, i stumbled across this article comparing some of the same whiskies we tasted. As for my guests, i think the overall winner was the highland park 18 (certainly my fave for the night), although we had votes for the bowmore, ardbeg, glenfiddich and auchentoshan.

Christmas photos. We're now back in brooklyn and tomorrow back to work. I got around to posting the pictures from the holidays in san diego. It was fun to see the excitement of the boys on Christmas day. I just wish I had that much energy.