So his name actually was "Guy Straley", or what?

Cash, insent.

I agree with the first part and take exception to the second. I consider my husband a serious mixologist (He's been doing it nearly 2 decades now) and Sapphire is one of his favorites.

Fair point. Some mixologists, perhaps reacting to Bombay's longstanding reputation as the pinnacle of gins, have backlashed against it and all it stands for. Which is what? I don't know exactly. I remember Alberta railing that it was "gin flavored vodka" but really, that's what gin is: vodka plus juniper plus a mix of botanicals. But it had something to do with its distilling methods which was considered to be some kind of shortcut with Flavor Enhancement or I really don't know.

I do know that serious mixologists love working with gin, and take it seriously and I never hear them excited about Bombay Sapphire. They'd rather go back to a classic old style like Plymouth (the favored gin of Bruno at The Zam Zam, incidentally) or some weird ass variation like Old Raj, or the latest thing.

There is a three part video tour on Alberta's website about going through a gin distillery from start to finish (I think it might be 209). It's fascinating.

My workplace is having a hilarious day. It's midterms, and all the public computers are down, and I went to teach a session and these adorable stressy Thermodynamics students were taking an exam in the space, and I think I am just going to spend the afternoon on the internet and avoid the campus press, which wants a comment about all the public machines on campus being down. (It's a virus. We're not allowed to SAY it's a virus, though.)

Baltimore/DC people how has the snow been this time?

It is coming down crazy here, but only now are the sidewalks in Manhattan starting to get slushy.

So his name actually was "Guy Straley"...

Yes.

Yesterday someone found a comment from a Gus Raley. There is a Gus Raley on LinkedIn in the Eau Claire, Wisconsin Area.

This is what it looks like outside my office window right now: [link]

Except, you know, less monochrome.

I would love to get to the bottom of the whole thing.

I have to say, I'm not sure what anyone means by this. Is there some other question (other than why?) that needs answering? Because I don't think he's ever going to answer that question. Gus/Guy Straley was a lying lair who lies, and he continues to be one (apparently).

So his name actually was "Guy Straley", or what?

I read that as "Guy Smiley" a couple of times before my brain caught up with my eyes. Which, given all the puppet stuff, is probably appropriate.