Wine good vs bad

So I HATE when I try a new wine and HATE it.

This first one was delightful. Was brought to me as a gift, so no idea from where or how much.

I know next to nothing about Italian wines, so I don't usually go for them. This one was good. The other one, not so much.

Ruggero di Classo
Sicilia
Nero d'Avola 2007

From the bottle: "100% of grapes from South-western Sicily. Berry character with soft tannis and a lightly jammy finish"


Fruity, jammy, a little sweet. The description describes it well.

This one, not so good:

Chateau St Jean
California Merlot
2006

Also a gift. Too dry, too herby/earthy.

Wino

Wanted a cheap wine tonight but didn't want to drive all the way to the suburban sprawl-hole that is Short Pump. So I stopped at my local Kroger, which has a nice wine selection, and scored this Spanish wine on sale (about a dollar off) for $7.79. Because South American and Spanish wines are still almost a well-kept secret, I always feel like I'm in on something special when I buy those wines, especially as compared in price to the other more popular regions, like Italy, France, and California. Speaking of wines, there's an interesting dialogue happening in the comment thread of RVA Foodie's post about a Sideways-style wine duel at his house recently. He better invite me to the next one.

(yes, that's my tree still up in the bg, don't judge!)

I am a sucker for anything in Spanish, and this wine is very drinkable, a little--not sweet exactly, but notes of sweetness. A little dry, but still pleasant on its own. Good buy for sure. Speaking of my affinity for all things Spanish, one of my students, a supercute, immaculately dressed specimen from Guadalajara, Mexico came in today, and was interested in our GSA. I'm looking forward to lobby day.

I might have played hooky from my second job tonight to go to the grocery store, come home and relax, wash dishes, drink wine, and jam out to my iTunes. So far I've had some great Tom Petty, Wild Horses, The Fray, Michael Jackson, John Mellencamp, and now some Queen, one of my all-time favorite bands. Some photos of Freddie Mercury remind me of my dad when he was young.

Do you ever feel like you were born in the wrong era? I wish I could go back and experience the 4o's, the 60's, 70's disco, so many different times. My mom is at the young end of the Boomers, so she really didn't get to see the 60's, so no cool clothes and stories for me. Instead, I remember bad yellow/orange upholstery and bad design that characterized so much of the 1970's.

I plucked yet another grey hair from my part yesterday. Because my hair is so dark, the silverly strands just shout out for attention, such a contrast to the rest of my mane. I remember telling my mom she'd have to stop plucking eventually or she'd have no hair left. Sigh. We all turn into our mothers eventually? I look so much younger than I am, which often vexes me, because I don't like it assumed that I am young and therefore inexperienced and/or naive, though I guess I should appreciate it, because it allows me to bridge the gap of friendships between my much-younger early-20s friends and those in their late 20's and 30's who are closer in experience to me, at least those without kids.

I read a REALLY interesting article in the Chronicle about modern friendships and social media, and when I have some more time this week, I want to craft a thoughtful response.

Used to

Have some more Dear Old Loves.

Three Rings
You play video games and work a desk job. I’m joining the circus. Do you still wonder why we didn’t work out?

Lonely Tylenol
We were so good together. And not just because of our mutual affinity for palindromes.

Pick One
You will always be the man I love. But he’s the man who loves me.

Ugh, this one especially got at my heart:
Used To
I just referred to you as someone I used to know.

cats and cookies.

I can't say no to a funny cat video. If I were single, posting this would TOTALLY be getting me laid. (Video found from The Bloggess, which I found from The Checkout Girl)

I went to my local natural food grocer for the first time in like, 2 years last night because I was reminded they have an excellent, healthy hot bar (read: expensive). Every time I'm in that store, I crave refined sugar and high fructose corn syrup, and since I don't recognize any of the brands, I feel a bit like I did when I was studying abroad in Spain--no way to know if the product was any good or not.

So anyhoo, I do like healthy food, and was starved, and so I coughed up ELEVEN DOLLARS for like, 3 things. I must admit, I love this store because of the free samples. Grocery shopping makes a gal hungry, and I like to try before I buy. Well let me tell you about the heaven that was a gluten free cookie I found. I must have eaten 10 samples (self serve, baby) and finally went over and bought the pricey $2.47 or so cookie because it was the GREATEST THING I'VE TASTED. And get this, it's a Raspberry (just a tiny bit in the center) and Coconut cookie. Now not only does this sound like a cookie your grandma eats that's always the last one left on the plate, but I don't really like cookies, and I HATE coconut. The texture is odd, the flavor is not that good, but gosh darnit, this thing was amazing. Soft, sweet, probably about 5.5 inches in diameter.

(I just polished off this cookie as I write this and will plan to return to cough up some more cash for more later)

We're gonna party like it's 1989

I had a dream last night that I traveled to Ethiopia, except it didn't seem like Ethiopia, partly because I was surprised that people spoke Spanish there and was delighted how well I'd fit in. I think I was visiting an Anthony Bourdain-type traveller, and was staying in a run-down local motel and other people's houses, but the food was amazing and the company was fantastic.

Then we were on a boat, cruising through Europe and then eventually ended up back at my childhood house in MD, where my mom and I were trying to climb out my parents' bedroom window, and my dad was still alive, and it felt like 1989 all over again. There was a mysteroius and powerful man in a white limo waiting for me, clearly designed to take us to something or somewhere important, but my mom couldn't get out of the window fast enough, so I kept telling the man he had to slow down so my mom could catch up.

I woke up to a dead limb--I had slept on my arm so hard that when I realized it was asleep, when I moved it, my brain did not even register that it was attached to me. It was a VERY odd feeling, like moving this heavy thing, and I didn't even know it was mine. Between my black-out, cold-blocking curtains and the cloud cover, the morning came too fast and I couldn't even tell it was time to get up.

Found this cool site for illustration, photos, art: batzy

Jewelry idea

Inspiration reminder to self

We're not gonna protest

Did anyone else see the cardboard sign yesterday on I-195 N after the Thompson entrance with WEBB on it and the E was the hammer&sickle communist symbol?

Am I the only one who thought it was kinda clever and not an insult at all? What's happened recently to ignite this protest about Webb specifically, I wonder? For you non-Virginians, Jim Webb is a newish, Democratic Senator, who ousted a long-time Republican. Fun fact: Did you know he speaks Vietnamese? And his wife has a possibly Vietnamese-sounding name.

Communism is not a dirty word. See also: feminism, socialism, abortion, atheism. It's an economic practice, with some smart ideas that don't always work out so well in practice, a bad history, and unfortunate consequences.

Dear Old Love

I haven't read Dear Old Love on my bloglines in awhile, and looking at them is so bittersweet.

From the site: "Dear Old Love" is short notes to people we've loved (or at least liked). Requited or unrequited.

Here are a few that especially made a mark. The titles are what make some of them so hillarious.

Smoke Signaling
I’m running out of social media to apologize with.

Human Nature?
I just don’t understand why after a year of loving me, you can’t at least be kind.

Party in the Back
I didn’t mind your mullet.

IM in Trouble
I really thought I was over you, until my computer broke and I realized I was going to lose all our old IM conversations. I cried in the middle of the Apple store.

In Spite of Me
I’d beg you to take me back, but I know you can do better than me.

Extra Quiet
We haven’t spoken in six months, so you probably won’t notice, but I’ve finally stopped speaking to you.

Guess
You know that thing you never, ever let me do? The new guy lets me do it.

Scrunchie Fetish?
If you never loved me, then why did you buy hair elastics to keep at your place because you knew I always lost mine when I came over?

Ryder Wrong
I had to find out from a Facebook wall post that you moved.

Duct Type
You came up with clever make-shift solutions for every home-repair, but when it was our relationship that needed mending you were suddenly out of ideas.

New Alphabet

What type (font) are you you?
This is a short, interactive with video quiz to determine the typeface that suits your personality. The video allows for a very, in-the-psychologist's-chair feeling. The password is "character."

I am New Alphabet, above, which I find absolutely aesthetically unpleasing. It is a Dutch font, designed in 1967, based on early computer screens.

(found via DDD)

Quotes and Content

This weekend my friend asked me what my New Years resolutions were, and seemed shocked when I told him that I don't really make resolutions. While I see the value in them, I don't think there's anything especially important about what I'll want in January that I won't want to do year round. I tend to make resolutions throughout the year as I need to.

“Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; but remember that what you now have was once among the things only hoped for.” --Epicurus

This is another nugget of wisdom from The Happiness Project. I like quotes, but only when they really strike me. Otherwise, they are just cliche (isn't this true about most things in life?) On my last job, I had written down several inspiring quotes and had them posted around my desk area, and it was nice to have them as reminders and markers of what I believed in. I think I'll try to do more of that here, not just posting the quotes (though that does satisfy my love for lists) but also explaining why they are important to me, and to generate discussion.

This quote above speaks to the "grass is always greener" mentality. Oh and how tempting it is! Blogs and twitter and insta-communication make it so easy to complain about things, and there's value in venting, but I try to remember quotes like this to be thankful for what I have.

I want to do more with this blog. I want more readers, I want the sense of community that I feel by reading my blogs and seeing all the commenters there. I know that to increase readership, I have to provide something unique, desirable, and interactive. I like posting photos and linking to pretty things, but I also need to contribute more--give you something to think about. I don't have strange yet funny happenings like Cafe Darkness, been on 100 bad dates like The Checkout Girl, but I love the Internets, journaling, connecting through social media, and sharing.