Your daily dose of weird

I came across this little oddity, and thought it was good for a chuckle. How it would be to drink remains a subject of speculation. Green tea liquor? Not two things I would think to put together. Of course, the Fifth Precept of Buddhism is to refrain from consuming intoxicants. There's some debate as to whether this means no alcohol, etc at all or if it means no getting plastered. A lot of vows involve refraining entirely from alcohol, though. There's also a Zen Bar in Farmington, CT. Again, kind of a mixed metaphor there, and probably a few mixed drinks. Should I as a Buddhist be offended? I find it hard to get too upset about this- actually I think it's kind of funny. Neither of these examples seem to be malicious or intended to be offensive, and come across to me as just downright silly. I'm a Kadampa Buddhist currently, but originally studied under a Zen master. Other comments I've found on this expressed concern that this would give people wrong ideas about Zen and Buddhism. That's a legitimate concern, but on the other hand, the best way to find out is to ask. But weird liquor and bars have very little to do with actual practice. Come to think of it, pretty much nothing at all to do with actual practice. So don't drink and drive, and if anyone out there has tried green tea liquor, let me know how it is.

You'd Never Know it was Haunted

Here no

blare of televisions, no

Noise from downstairs, a

peaceful evening-

Below me countless

stairs, the

dream of huge vaulting

ceilings, walls

of dim-remembered

boards, wallpaper faded

in memory;

You'd never know it's haunted

How long since I

walked those

stairs, those halls, echoing

like a house doesn't

But I am

here alone, a breath of

Mint steams from the teapot

close at hand

The chill air an old friend-

My hand against the window-glass