DRY JANUARY IN PORTLAND OREGON WITHOUT THE JITTERS

The first time I mentioned Dry January to a stranger, they corrected me.

“I believe you mean Sober October.”

No, what I meant was a month without alcohol, any month. Since I was asked to join by a friend, and not a court order, I jumped on the bandwagon.

I hear the question: “But Dave, you hardly drink at all, a month should be no problem.”

And really, it’s not. What’s the date today? Almost there.

When I started, my oldest kid said, “I give it a week and a half,” while my younger kid joined dry January with me. If the older decides to go a month starting anytime in January, I might go with him.

Dry January Football Games

Earlier in the month I tried to remember the last time I watched important football games without a beer in my hand and a plentiful supply nearby. This year was different. How different?

I was awake, for one; for another, the games seemed more important. Actually, the Oregon Ducks in the Rose Bowl felt more special than usual since I was at the Arizona State Game. That was the game that knocked them out of the college playoffs and opened the door for Oklahoma to get waxed.

To help celebrate the first day of dry January, the Ducks beat Wisconsin. Is there another place that screams beer louder than Brew City? (Apparently Milwaukee is called Brew City across the nation and I haven’t heard it.)

What I have heard called out is the Portland of the Midwest in Minneapolis, and Portland of the South in Asheville. Portland is a screaming beer city; besides, we have our own Milwaukie.

Football Without Beer?

Then it was no booze NFL Playoffs, first the Wildcard Weekend, then Divisional games, followed by Championship Sunday. The Super Bowl is February 2. Here’s the problem:

Take a look at the pic in the header. See that beard? Longest beard I’ve ever had, and I’m about to cut that road-kill looking thing off my face. Before I do, I have an idea: Why not get some pics taken with the beard since I’m on Dry January and lifting hard in the gym and walking the hill? I’ll probably never look better.

To make it more fun, I’m thinking of posing as Zeus around town. From the looks of the statues I’ve seen, Zeus doesn’t wear much, which is a plus and a minus.

The plus: I can take archival shots the kids can post on my memory table down the road. I’ve never seen a Zeus pic at any funeral. And they’ll remember what their old man looked like thirty years earlier.

The minus: It’s February, which might call for a toga?