Vodka. Done.

Thor actually set the date for this one.  "Tonight we are doing the vodka shots."  Well, hell, who am I to argue with a guy with a nickname like Thor?  I love it when he takes charge...makes me feel like the girl in a John Wayne western.

We walked to the local dive bar, which is a little over a half mile from his house, because we didn't want "Kat's first shot" to double as "Kat's first DUI."  During the course of that walk, I had to stop and tie my shoe twice.  During the second tie-up, my effort was met with an exasperated "What are you, FIVE?" from the man I love.  Evidently he was in some sort of hurry.  I was not. 

Once seated, we were greeted by the cutest little waitress.  Thor explained our assignment to her, and she was totally on board.  My original goal was to have a shot of Voli - but trust me, this place doesn't serve Pitbull's vodka.  Since I couldn't name another brand of vodka if you held a revolver to my head, I put myself in Cute Waitress's capable hands.

Cute Waitress came up with the idea of a cherry-flavored vodka, chilled and muddled with some lime.  Hmm, I thought.  Cherry and lime.  Just like the cherry limeade at Sonic.  I like that.  It's sparkly and sweet and limey all the same time.  This will be great!  Just great!

She brought me the largest shot glass I've ever seen in my life.  I was hoping for the teeny tiny one you get off the souvenir rack at the airport.  Oh, but not here.  This one was roughly the size of Salem, Oregon.  And it smelled like Dimetapp.

I eyeballed my glass and Thor alternately.  He decided to join me on this little adventure, and guess what - it was his first vodka shot, too.  The main difference being, the thought of downing that poison didn't seem to make him want to cry.

"There's no way I can stiff-arm that.  It's too much.  I can take, like, 2 sips, right?"

Thor gave me the endearing little brow raise that I've grown so accustomed to seeing.   "You should drink it all at once."

"I can't.  It will taste bad and I can't stand things that taste bad.  I can do it in 3 sips, right?"

His answer was to down his shot.  I was hoping he'd slam his empty glass upside-down on the table like they do in the movies, but he just set it down all normal-like.  Maybe next time.

I threw a glance around the bar to see if I was being watched.  There was a man, alone at the bar, who seemed to be watching me.   I soothed my fried nerves by telling myself that he was checking me out, but he probably was just wondering why Psycho Girl was making all sorts of frantic gestures at the poor guy she was sitting with, rather than drinking the shot that the hot waitress had just given her.

I raised the glass to my lips.  This was going to happen.  It took 3 swallows, and it was over.  It tasted like cherry cough syrup served on a lime spoon.  But my brain didn't explode, and I didn't throw up.

FEAR CONQUERED!

I noticed that Thor was watching me intently.  About 10 minutes later, I figured out why.

"I am dizzy.  And hungry.  Can we get food?"

After ordering sandwiches, Thor told me the funniest story ever.  Something about his neighbor having a stroke.  I laughed and laughed and laughed. 

"You are wasted.  One shot, and you are gone."

"I consider that to be a compliment as to my character."  And then I laughed some more, because at this point in the evening, I am so very, very clever, I can hardly stand myself.

We sat for a while longer, eating our rather crappy sandwiches and giving me a chance to regain use of my legs.  Cute Waitress signed our receipt as a memento of our visit.  As we walked back to his place, I noticed that my stride was a little more confident, my chin a little higher.  I am Kat the Fearless, bad ass who drinks straight vodka.

And I will never, ever do it again.