This winter has been an exciting time in my neighbourhood in southeast Barrie as we watch a couple of construction projects take shape.

And this spring promises to be a joyful time as we say goodbye to daily doses of snow and say hello to two new retail outlets … a liquor store and a beer store.

Most guys, in case you were not aware, get all giddy at the prospect of booze outlets that open within walking distance of their home base.

The beer store is located on Yonge Street and until a sign was erected a couple of weeks ago, I'm sure a lot of women were hoping it was going to be a fashion outlet or perhaps a spa. But the guys won out and are justifiably pleased that they no longer have to drive across town to Mapleview or south to Stroud to pick up that weekend 2-4.

The liquor store is located around the corner at Dean and Big Bay Point Road and promises to make the weekend libation excursion an easy bit of two-stop shopping.

This will mean nothing to those of you who don't imbibe, but may explain the happy smiles on the faces of your neighbours who do occasionally enjoy the intoxicating effects of a wobbly pop.
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While I'm on the topic of beer, I would be remiss not to acknowledge that St. Patrick's Day is almost upon us. I have a bit of Irish blood in my veins but I have never understood why so many people get so excited about a day devoted to drinking green beer.

The makers of that famous Irish brew, Guinness, have been running a contest this year that offers a trip to Dublin. But there's a catch. In order to enter the contest, you have to send a 12-number pin code by text message. And that's not right. It means you have to pay a cellphone fee to send the message, if in fact you are technologically savvy enough to figure out how to send a text message.

I know plenty of aficionados of Irish stout and a lot of them are older than the Blarney Stone. Many of those mature thirsty souls who have a cellphone haven't a clue how to send a text message. I know this to be true because I am one of them.

I guess a trip to Dublin is out of the question.
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Over the course of my life I have had many addictions, being hooked at one time or another to such things as nicotine, baseball caps, pasta, loud Hawaiian shirts, the television show COPS, hot sauces, rock and roll, Canadian Tire, beer, Chevy Novas, hanky-panky, and Montreal smoked meat. As I may have stated before, I'm just an average guy.

But I'm happy to say the one vice to which I have never succumbed is caffeine. And I don’t know why. In my early days as a reporter, newsrooms still resembled a scene from The Front Page, full of cynical, hard-drinking, chain-smoking reporters, their desks buried under piles of yesterday's newspapers, overflowing ashtrays and coffee cups.

For me, one small cup of instant coffee first thing in the morning has always been enough of a jolt to kick-start my body. I never have a second cup during the day and I rarely drink cola, another popular source of liquid caffeine.

I suppose that's why I will never understand the growing popularity of caffeine "energy" drinks.

They come under dozens of labels and seem to be especially popular with young people. The other day, I spotted a package of "energy" gum at the store. Checking the label I found it contains caffeine as well.

I have seen people using these drinks as a mixer for alcohol, which means the buzz they get from a cocktail apparently isn't enough … they need to kick-start their heart rate into overdrive with caffeine.

I don’t know about you, but if there's anything worse than a sleepy, maudlin lush, it has to be a wide-awake whiskyfied boozehound.