I miss pinball.

Me, too. I've never been any good at video games or air hockey or skee ball, but I had some high scores on a couple of pinball machines back in the day.

I am far from a martini prescriptivist. Shake it up and pour it in a triangular glass and I'm happy. Not that I've had one in ages, but in theory I am not picky at all.

Ummmm, triangular glasses.

t /homer

but I too adhere firmly to Jess's belief that a martini without vermouth is in fact a glass of gin.

I've never understood this coyness with drinking straight gin, and a vodka "martini" without vermouth is pointless. It's cold vodka, and a perfectly acceptable thing to order. I don't think anything magical comes from being shaken (or stirred) with ice and put in an awkward glass, except I suppose ordering a vodka martini saves you the trouble of saying "Cold vodka in a martini glass with a tiny bit of water and an olive." The vermouth aversion has gotten so bad that I now say "Vermouth. I want there to be vermouth in it. Tell the bartender to relax. A drop of vermouth will not cause me to drop to the floor and scream." That is except for the time the bartender, who had probably just put gin in a martini for his entire career, used sweet vermouth.

I like my martinis heavy on the sour apple mix, so I've never understood the horror of anything not bone dry mixing with the gin.

This is why I drink gimlets. Even if someone doesn't know whet it is, I can usually explain it well enough to get something I like. Although I think I remember a debate here about whether a gimlet should contain RoseZs lime juice. (YES)

the great gimlet debate was up there with muffaletta. (FTR, I am bigimletual, I like it both ways)

The drink I like doesn't have a name. It is sad. Although my cousins call it a Tamatini and have been able to add it to the menu at several bars in Seattle.

well, I am bigimletual in that I like Vodka or Gin, but must have roses!

And how do you mix a Tamatini?