I'd complain about what they do to fresh water around these parts on Saint Patrick's Day, but pouring a bunch of green dye in the river ain't the half of this particular waterway's story. I mean, it's been a dumping canal for the stockyards, and they managed to make it flow backwards, among other things.
I won't even start carping about that Asian fish. Given the holiday, I suppose I could start *harping,* but as I wouldn't be using a lyre, and likelihood of being lyrical is low, I'll skirt that harangue.
If I'm lucky, tomorrow I'll skirt around the hungover as well. So many "honorary Irish," so many green gills.
***
Yesterday, I took some batting practice for the wearin' o' the green. I put on Gap Grass lotion, then generously spritzed (two times! one arm!!) some Martin Mariegla Untitled. Guess what? Very nice.
That Martin Mariegla is an interesting creature; it manages to infuse galbanum--good old dry cool wind, hint of cigarette ash tray galbanum--with a vaguely resin-y sweetness that immediately said "add me to your green galbanum line-up, oh she who loves it so." And the pairing of it with Gap Grass made a sort of complimentary harmony, seeing as Gap Grass manages to sweeten up green grass without needing to cut it down and turn it into hay.
Yup, it was a very "nice" green. In the same way the "Irish Holiday" has been mangled into something that hyperfocuses on one story from an often turbulent a complex island, one story which has evolved into a vague tale of a sort of benevolent skinny Santa Claus who lifted his rood and walked all the snakes to the shore where they magically forever went away.
But--and here I raise my hand against the force of fierce edgy perfumistas--I do find that pleasantries are often, well, pleasant. Sometimes we need to sidle up to a challenge like galbanum, serve our dark brew with a dab of honey, put caramelized onions on the cooked bitter greens, whatever, to help adjust to the taste. I'm okay with that. I'd say that Untitled makes a good gateway galbanum drug.
And a fitting way to wear the green, happy cleaned up American style. You know, kind of like Saint Patrick used a shamrock to get across the idea of the holy trinity.
image of the Chicago River from Chicagoland Real Estate Forum
