Zeno's Bar & Grill

I really, really needed a black porkpie hat, or at least something in a knit with horizontal stripes, when we went to see the English Beat last night. In the end, I had to settle for a bunch of Madonna-esque silver bangles and a black tank top with jeans. I never thought I'd see the day when I regretted getting rid of all my eighties paraphernalia, but apparently that day came, and it was December 30, 2006. Make a note.

The show was at a small bar nearby and it was a total blast. Some of the songs were a little like hearing a 45 rpm record played at 33 rpm, but even those had a pretty good groove once you got over the idea that they weren't going to sound exactly the way you remembered from the albums. Basically the whole place was like one giant mosh pit, and we were right up front with a group of friends. I think I probably lost a little hearing on that one, not to mention some water weight.

And since we were rehydrating all night with well drinks, I also got to try out my new hangover remedy when I got home. I ordered it online from New Zealand after reading an article about it in the NY Times a few weeks back. It's called Berocca and it's supposed to be the wonder hangover drug--a fizzy, vitamin-filled tablet that tastes surprisingly good dissolved in a glass of cold water after one too many martinis. It must have worked, because I'm here at eight in the morning in all my glory, aren't I? Bayer, who manufactures the stuff, apparently doesn't think there's a market for Berocca in the U.S., because we're too puritanical to admit we get hangovers, but as one article put it, "Isn't that why Al Gore invented the internet?" Get thee to a Canadian pharmacy site and you can try it yourself.

--Melanie