CAYA; Stardust, super novas and alchemical genius

Dear Lost Souls,

Our special celebrity guest this week, visiting from the Windy City, will be Sascha Welz Ph.D., an experienced space traveler and long-time veteran of CAYA 1.0. Dr. Welz has conducted extensive research for the Haberdashery on alchemical nanotechnology, utilizing calibrated electron microscopy for improved accuracy and effectiveness in the application of nanomixology. He will be drawing on his in-finite wisdom to give a short, albeit slurred, lecture towards the end of the evening; when his brilliance starts to reach a critical mass . . . sometimes even known to collapse into a singularity. Show up early to ensure that you to get a seat on the event horizon.

Yes, my Celestial Hitchhikers! . . . Cocktail Hour is on for this Friday evening. So brush off that stardust and come relax in the shade of this week’s perfect eclipse. As always, please feel free to stop by for a quickie en route to your primary super nova, or to push your quantum limits in the Haberdashery’s gravitational sphere.

Yours,
Los Cabañeros

P.S. This week’s CAYA 1.0 Flashback is to January 3^rd, 2002: The International Year of the Palindrome!

P.S.S. Remember that the Haberdashery Mardi Gras Party will likely be on February 25th, so mark your calendar. Details and confirmation to follow.

Come As You Arrrrrrrrrrrrrgh!

Dear Lost Souls,

It’s Pirate Night at the Haberdashery! In solidarity with the on-line protests against web censorship spearheaded by the likes of Wikipedia and Google, Our Society of Haberdites will be donning our ruffle shirts, leather vests and eye patches to support the cause of web freedom; swashbuckling our way through another evening of music and revelry. Come join in the harmony of the high C’s. Fret not the contents of your vessel on the rocks! Ho ho ho and a bottle of rum . . . and we’ll have you back on your digital odyssey, surfing for contraband treasure in the company of virtual mermaids.

Yes, my Scurvy Dogs! Cocktail Hour is on for this Friday evening. The galley will open at 7.30pm. As always, our cabin boys will be on hand to hoist the Jolly Roger of liberation and libation, guiding you safely to a sheltered port. So come park your schooner in a friendly slip and let us fluff your jib! Please feel free to sail by for a quickie en route to your primary Friday port o’ call . . . or to linger indefinitely.

Yours,

Los Cabañeros

P.S. The Haberdashery Mardi Gras Party will likely be on February 25^th, so mark your calendar. Details to follow.

The Haberdashery

2124 5th Street

Berkeley, CA  94710

www.CAYA20.blogspot.com

Come As You Are; Fair Warning - Mardi Gras is Coming!

Dear Lost Souls,

Fat Tuesday (or ‘Mardi Gras’) is February 21^st. Consider yourself warned. This means that the tentative date for this year's Haberdashery Mardi Gras Party is Saturday, February 18^th, with a possible alternative date of February 25^th. Livers are delicate organs that sometimes require coaxing and coddling; particularly if you're a Yankee . . . but we are not here to judge. Be sure to mark your calendar and start your training early. You don’t want to wander into this event ill prepared; lest ye leave ill at ease. As always, the Saturday main event will start to ramp up during Cocktail Hour on Friday evening, with the ‘Festival of the Roux’. Choppers, slicers and dicers are always welcome. Everyone else is free to offer immoral support.

Yes, my Cajun Cohorts, Cocktail Hour is on for this Friday evening. And, as we find ourselves solidly in the midst of the Mardi Gras Season in this “Year of the Cocktail”, we are continuing our aggressive expansion of our alchemical repertoire! Last week’s forays into the world of Ginger Beer were a big success. This week, our Cabana Boys will once again be on hand to fulfill your every fluid whim. Whims may also be provided upon request. Cocktails will be served starting around 7.30pm. Please feel free to stop by for a quickie en route to your primary Friday evening venue . . . or to linger indefinitely.

Yours,

Los Cabañeros

P.S. Gmail users!! – Gmail has been blocking the CAYA invitation without any notice or explanation. If you did not receive an invitation last week, we apologize. We have started using this new “Haberdashery 2.0” Gmail account to try to fix this problem. The Borg has won! You can always check for the current week’s invitation at: www.CAYA20.blogspot.com. You may also want to check your spam folder . . . God forbid! A few random confirmations that you have received this new email would also be much appreciated.

The Haberdashery

2124 5th Street

Berkeley, CA  94710

www.CAYA20.blogspot.com

Come As You Are; My My Mayan Sharona

Dear Lost Souls,

Welcome to the beginning of the end . . .

According to our Mayan brethren, December 21^st, 2012, will be the end of times . . . the Apocalypse Now . . . Judgment Day . . . the Quickening . . . the Rapture . . . the big CF. Either that, or some flamboyant Shaman in an electric dream coat and a feathered hat ran out of room on a stone tablet. Be that as it may, December 21^st, 2012, just happens to be . . .

. . . wait for it . . . a Friday! Coincidence? I don’t think so.

Well, with only 50 short weeks left to find out, the Haberdashery executive board believes it is better to be safe than sober. Preparation, preparation, preparation . . . there is no substitute . . . and we will not be caught with our celestial skivvies around our Pre-Columbian ankles. If nothing else, we should all capitalize on this opportunity to augment the breadth and quality or our alchemical palette. For our part, the Haberdashery will be expanding its repertoire, officially declaring 2012 the “Year of the Cocktail”, and with the potential ‘end of times’ at hand, infusing new meaning into our dedication to remaining your Last Resort. Even if the end is nigh, you’ll always find shelter beneath our canopy of low expectations, in the cherished company of familiar strangers.

Yes, my my Mayan Sharonas, Cocktail Hour is on for this Friday evening. Now that we are on the sunny side of the Solstice, each Friday holds the promise of brighter days, barbecue season, and Mardi Gras . . . oh, yes . . . it’s just around the corner! Cocktails will be served starting around 7.30pm. Please feel free to stop by for a quickie en route to your primary Friday evening venue . . . or to linger indefinitely.

Yours,

Los Cabañeros

The Haberdashery

2124 5th Street

Berkeley, CA  94710

www.CAYA20.blogspot.com

No Cocktail Hour This Week; Off the Grid

Dear Lost Souls,

We send you out into the Merry Holiday Wilderness as we head off the grid to high Sierras for a holiday retreat. We will be celebrating the holidays with the beasts of the hinterland but will pause for a moment to hoist a toast in your honor when Friday evening rolls around. We ask you to do the same!

Yours,

Los Cabañeros

Come As You Are; Two Score for the Son of Levi

Dear Lost Souls,

As we weather the final throws of the ever darkening skies before the solstice gives way to brighter days, and the promise of spring’s radiant redemption . . . BEHOLD! . . . the approach of the natal anniversary of one of the Haberdashery’s own!  Andrew Grumpius, Son of Levi, doth on the coming feast of Saturn complete his fortieth circuit about Apollo’s golden orb. To commemorate and culminate Dr. Levine’s two score years of sharing our infinite journey towards eternity aboard this indigo sphere, the Haberdashery will sound glad trumpets and hoist goblets of cheer in his honor (goblets to be provided). Patrons and kin from the Empire State will be effecting the sacred pilgrimage from the Far East to offer cheerful tidings and share in a weekend of boisterous celebration. Join them, along with the Sacred Brotherhood of Cabañeros, as we wish Andrew many more decades of good health, prosperity and contentment.

Yes, my Holiday Haberdites, Cocktail Hour is on for this Friday evening, and you are invited to hit the pause button on the temporal celestial eight-track, slide out of the slipstream, and enjoy a moment of repose in the golden light of our communal gathering hall . . . where red velvet mingles with the blues, and dryness is a key ingredient in the alchemy of refreshment. Cocktails will be served starting around 7.00pm (getting an early start this week). Please feel free to stop by en route to your primary Friday evening venue, and hoist a quickie in Andy’s honor . . . or to linger indefinitely.

Yours,

The Cabana Boys

The Haberdashery

2124 5th Street

Berkeley, CA  94710

www.CAYA20.blogspot.com

Come As You Are; Bourbon Season

Dear Lost Souls,

As we tread ever closer to the solstice, the zenith of the sun’s daily arc continues to diminish. And as the chill in the air deepens, the season of the Martini (vodka or gin) gives way to the darker souls of the alchemical pantheon. Bourbon is the flavor of Christmas in New Orleans, Scotch is the aquavitae that will guide you home through the darkness of an Edinburgh winter, and Irish whiskey . . . well, that’s what God invented to keep the Irish from conquering the world!

The season of the sour mash is filled with the rich aromas of malted barley and malted rye, beckoning us to wander through the permutational avenues of the Manhattan, the Old Fashioned, the Sour, and the Rob Roy. Whether you like it sweet or sour, peaty or salty, up, down, on the rocks or neat . . . Irish, Scotch, or from south of the Mason Dixon, whiskey is the drink of the season. Come help us tip our goblets to celebrate the close of the fiscal fourth quarter (non-denominationally speaking) . . . or Christmas . . . or Hanukkah . . . or Honokaa . . . or Kwanzaa . . . or, or, or . . . simply the culmination of another week in the greatest place on earth.

Yes my thirsty Haberdites, Cocktail Hour is on for this Friday evening. You are invited to join us beneath the collective shade of low expectations to make wishes on electric starlight and share the warm cheer of the season. Cocktails will be served at 7.30pm. Please feel free to stop by for a quickie en route to your primary venue . . . or to linger indefinitely.

Yours,

The Cabana Boys

The Haberdashery

2124 5th Street

Berkeley, CA  94710

www.CAYA20.blogspot.com