gasp

Speak, says my head. How? says my heart.

Wine tasting

My introduction to wine, at least the kind that didn't come in a box, came at 19 years of age when I was a nanny for an east coast family. The mother, a New England blue-blood, delighted in exposing my lack of breeding and my general ignorance of all things sophisticated. She taught me how to properly set a table (knife blades in towards the plate), grimaced when I let her daughter eat olives for a snack (how was I to know they soaked their olives in vodka for martinis), and laughed condescendingly when I put red wine in the fridge. She is the reason I fear exposure socially, and she always kept me on my toes. She jeered at me when I ate pizza with a knife and fork. I thought it was the right thing to do, but I was wrong, again.

The family drank wine with dinner every night. Every night she would offer me a glass, and I would refuse. I felt that as an underage teenager, employed to care for her children, it would be unwise of me to drink (which says nothing of my fierce NyQuil addiction). But Kate thought of wine in a mead hall sort of way; it was just something you drank with your meal. If it has been in her vocabulary, she probably would have called me namby-pamby. So, after a while, I started drinking wine when it was offered. Their table wine was a Rodney Strong Merlot, cause you know their cousin owned the vineyard, and that is what I cut my teeth on. For a while I was comfortable with Merlots. I knew how to pronounce the wine (still reeling from the Syrah/Shiraz incident of 2003), and I could order a bottle that wasn't completely offensive to my party. So, I drank Merlot. I would later learn to describe it as too dry for my taste and would embrace sweeter Rieslings and Gewürztraminers, which I still love. But I have slowly been rediscovering red wines, finally able to do without the fear of Kate looming in the back of my mind.

I love Italian Barberas and Barolos, but I am often too poor to afford these on my own and only drink them when someone else is footing the bill. Pinot Noirs, however, are my favorites to discover right now. I bought a fantastic bottle for Thanksgiving, after reading that they don't have much tannin and, therefore, compliment the meat very well. Since then, I am over the moon for Pinot Noirs. I drank a bottle and a half at my own party, and it was the only wine, of the four I bought, to disappear completely.

All of this was brought on because my boys at work got me a lovely wine carrying case that has a shoulder strap and room for two bottles, and a lovely bottle of Pinot that I can't wait to tear into. Between that and the bottle of Veuve Cliquot in my fridge waiting for New Year's, I look forward to the next week or so. Hail, fermented grapes!

and to all, a good night!

Tonight, as I was reading in the bath, I found a face in the pattern of my floor. Oddly, I was able to find his face not two, but three times. In fact, I just went back in and was able to find his face again. He is a smiley guy, which a big nose and a pair of wire rim glasses that sit on the tip. If he were real, I would describe him as jovial. I think he owes his memorability to real estate; being close to my bath rug helps me find him again.

He looks like the dad in License to Drive (or Encino Man), but happier and less aggravated with Corey Haim/Pauly Shore.

Sometimes, writing entries like these, I wonder at my sense of self-importance. But then, I realize this is the beauty of the internet. You are free to be self-important. Publish whatever you want. People will make the choice to read it, or not. We all get to judge for ourselves. That said, I really hope that two recent videos of myself do not end up on youtube. The karaoke isn't too bad, but the Cranium puppet/rodeo is horrendous enough to become an internet sensation.

I wrote a hit play

It is inadvisable to throw a party the night before heading to points West. You will not get all of the clean up done before you leave, so you come home to gamy Chardonnay bottles, caked-on cheese remnant, and some mush that once was strawberries. We still have not fully recovered from the party. There is still much that needs to be put away. I'm sure I will get to it eventually. I don't have anything to do after work until January 21st. That always gets me in the right mindframe for cleaning. Huzzah for the semester being over.

Final grades have posted. 3 As and a B. Just as I had hoped. To celebrate, I bought myself a new laptop (from which I am posting right now) since my old one gave up the ghost during finals week. This laptop is super cute and fits into my briefcase, should I ever need to use it, so I am happy about that. It is this special edition HP with like Koi fish on the lid or something. I am not sure exactly what it is, but it is pretty. I look forward to many long lightrail rides with Lappy 2: Electric Bugaloo.

Also new, I got a new workout bag from my secret (ahem) santa. It's bigger than the one I asked for. It is for like some serious athletes, but I don't think I will be arrested for using it or anything. I don't think it comes with any human growth hormone, but I haven't checked all the pockets yet. It does have one thing that is ideally suited for a germaphobe like me. In the bottom of the bag, there is a zippered pocket that contains a 3'X4' mat for you to stand on. That way if you are in your bare feet at the gym, but don't want to stand on the questionable floor, you can stand on your very own, built in floor mat. Exciting!

Vegas was Vegas. We ate some good food, gambled a bit, and bought new shoes. I also got a new bag. It's a lovely, giant thing. I'm quite smitten with it. Plus, I can carry lots of stuff in it.

Perhaps some pictures to follow. Tonight, dinner with John and Andrea and baby Ethan. I do enjoy the holidays. Hope you are enjoying yours as well.

A job adequately done

4 down and none to go.

I finished my last final for the semester about 2 hours ago. Now I have a glorious 5 weeks where I have nothing to do when I come home from work. Glorious.

I have already started compiling my off-season reading.

First, I have to finish Salt: A World History

Second: Cold Comfort Farm

Third: The God Delusion

After that, I don't know what else I want to read. I will probably play a lot of WoW and will try to be more dilligent about gym visits, seeing as I pay each month for the privilege of not going. In addition, I am just two work days away from my 12 days vacation, 4 days away from the party, and 5 days away from a lovely little trip to Vegas. Today, I even called Kathy's in Nevada to make sure they were going to be open on Sunday. And they are! Yay.

Yes Security? Merry Christmas

3 down
1 to go

So very close to being over. So very excited.

Secular Humanist

I was watching the New York Times screen tests for Joseph Gordon Levitt and Natalie Portman , and the interviewer asked them both a question that I really like. "What are your five favorite non-musical sounds?"

Really, the question is rather silly, since any sound can become musical, but I liked the idea of thinking outside of instruments and voices and songs for sounds we enjoy.

I don't have a full list, but one sound that is at the top of my list is air raid sirens. I can't explain why, but I love the sound of air raid sirens. I'm sure if I had grown up in another time, I probably wouldn't feel this way. But I didn't, so I don't.

from the queen of england to the hounds of hell

Ever been driving in your car, jamming out to a great song with a lot of bass, and pulled up in a turn lane behind a car whose turn signal is flashing at the exact same tempo as your song?

It's almost enough to make me believe in God.

Relent not, lest ye be trampled and left for dead

Two down
Two to go.

Final Exams

one down
three to go