The Comic’s Log Sample

Originally sent to subscribers on February 24, 2026.

I went to a dinner party this past weekend to celebrate Open That Bottle Night, a holiday that husband-and-wife wine columnists, Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher, created to encourage readers to open a bottle of wine they've been saving. 

But not just any bottle of wine. That bottle of wine. You know, the one earmarked for some unspecified special occasion that never really seems to arrive?

For me, it's usually a bottle of Champagne. There's always one lurking in the back of my fridge, waiting to be rescued from among the broccoli and Brussels sprouts to commemorate...something. That something is most often a commercial booking, which means some bottles wait three months or more. And while I've trained myself not to expect good news, I still want to be prepared for it. Which wasn't always the case.

Years ago, Wiff and I attended a Champagne tasting where we learned two important life lessons. The first is the best pairing for Champagne is potato chips. (The worst is chocolate.) The second is always have a bottle of Champagne in the fridge. You never know when you'll want to celebrate something, and it's better to have a chilled bottle ready to go should a celebratory occasion arise. "Be Prepared," as the Boy Scouts say.

But be prepared for what, exactly?

Because the longer you follow that advice, the more the bottle starts to mean something else. It stops being a nice thing to have on hand and turns into a kind of test: What counts? How big must a moment be before it’s worth opening the good stuff? What if you’re always waiting for an occasion worthy enough—some holiday big enough, some headline-worthy milestone—and it never arrives? Or worse: it arrives, and you’re not there for it.

Sometimes the moments are obvious. Years ago, Wiff and I were walking through our lobby when one of our doormen waved us over to the front desk. "I've got great news," he said, leaning in. "Rachel and I got engaged!" He was beaming. We got on the elevator and the doors closed. "We should give him a bottle of Dom." No brainer.

A few years later, we were driving across the country when we received news that someone wanted to option our screenplay. So we diverted to Vegas and Champagned. Again, no brainer.

But most of life doesn’t show up as a no brainer. Most of life shows up as “pretty good,” or “fine,” or “I guess this is what today is.” And if you’re not careful, you start treating celebration like it requires external validation. A ring. A contract. A booking. Proof that you’re allowed to feel happy about your own life.

We shouldn't expect good things. But I also don’t think we should delay celebration just because whatever comes doesn’t meet some private, ever-moving criteria.

In Die With Zero, Bill Perkins argues we give away our inheritance while we're still living. Whether it's destined for charity or kids, we should give it away when it'll matter most to the recipients. For charity, that's right now. They can't wait for a convenient time for you. For kids, it's when they'll enjoy it most, which is between 25 and 38—or in my case, 42.

One middle-aged beneficiary, after her mother's passing, recalls appreciating the windfall, "but it just would have been a lot more valuable a lot earlier," while she was still living at the edge of poverty. Perkins adds that "The money was now more like a nice bonus rather than the lifeline it would have been a decade or two earlier."

That’s what the bottle is, in 750 milliliters: value mis-timed. You hoard something good for a future you—and when the future finally shows up, you either don’t need it the same way or you’re not around to enjoy it at all. Don't wait for celebration to dwindle to a nice little bonus. Celebrate now, while it still feels like a lifeline.

The nice thing is celebration is a two-way street. Yes, if your friend gets engaged, invite her over and pop that bottle. If you get a promotion, commemorate it. But if the day isn't special, you can still make it so. Just open the bottle. Make an occasion the occasion. Tuesday night counts!

Open up that bottle on Open That Bottle Night, sure. But don't wait. Why not celebrate being alive…because you’re alive?

What are you waiting for?