The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's recent article on classical music in the blögôsphère is surprisingly thorough, covering everything from the ultra-poised and proper ArtsJournal to non-weblog treasures like Mike Richter's Opera Notes & Miscellany. And in between, a mention of Trrill:

"www.Trrill.com. With slanted opinions and reckless enthusiasms —performances, CDs, diva worship, insults hurled at other bloggers —this is among the most literate and amusing of the many, many fanatical operaphile blogs."

Insults… maybe. Hurling? Darling, the only hurling here was at a party after Manon Lescaut, where I tried to keep up with the Russians, who brought, along with their wodka, their own special concoction from the motherland. Meet "balzam."

Of course, the above is just one of many balzams. This one is quite fancy-looking. And while it gives you an idea of the motor oil consistency, it offers none of the hazardous-to-the-eye-and-hand aesthetic that comes with slapdash bottling and labeling, as on the brand I tried. Sheesh. With that stuff and the Parliaments, I'm bound to go the way of Björling and Bastianini.