sundowner

from Tatler May 2012

Tosser. What an arrogant assumption that one who enjoys a cocktail at the appropriate hour is less productive, less intelligent. The man pictured, his name is of no consequence, is an academic and he aspires to found a college of greater stuff than Oxford, than Cambridge (Oxbridge). Funny, I didn't really know if Oxford and Cambridge were two different universities or two colleges that are a part of one greater university ... that's not really important. And I don't know whether building another high-end denizen of intellect is what the world really needs, particularly now. Who could afford it?

Of course, we must consider the source of this information ... Tatler magazine. Yes, the oldest magazine published, but not likely the most toney or more accurately, academic. And I believe that if you polled the staff at Tatler, quite a few of them would, I think, imbibe in one or two libations at the end of the work day. And let's face, something is working for them as they are the longest running in the history of periodicals.

What I take away from this, besides the fact that the stuffy, pompous, arrogant British man is still alive and being just that (God bless him), is the term 'sundowner.' Cocktail is getting over-used. A 'drink' is too pedestrian. Libation? eh, many don't know what that is meant to mean. Ah, but a sundowner. The picture of that is soothing, cathartic, which makes it possible for me to get up some mornings and march on building ... almost greatness, which is good enough.