happiness theorem

What a great weekend!

There was a dinner party. There was a lot wine consumed, and there was a lot of geeky wine chat. There was laughter, and housecleaning, and rain. Lots of rain! There was a trip to the zoo to see baby otters! So much cuteness and happiness.

Things are going really well, and I don't care if this is boring. I'm not even worried, waiting for the proverbial other shoe.

The less time spent near a computer and/or television, the happier I am. The more time I spend with family and friends, the happier I am.

Picnics, sunshine, clean floors, and hugs!

On top of all of this, I got two bouquets - white tulips from a friend, and yellow-red roses from D.!

*pinch me*

Ohhh, misery.

Mis-er-EEEE!

WTF is in the air? I have been sneezing and sniffling all day, and now, night. Full-body sneezes, the kind that make people around you ask, "Are you all right?"

:-/

In other news, I bought some new Riedel wine glasses today (pronounced "Ree'-del"). FYI. I know there's a new trend for stemless wine glasses, but you'll just have to trust me when I tell you they're stupid. Why? Because you're going to heat up your glass of wine with your hand, and heat is the enemy of wine. They offer a lot of different types of wine glasses - sizes, shapes, etc., that are supposed to enhance your experience with the various varietals. If you could only have one good, all-purpose glass you should get something around 10 ounces (to give you enough breathing room for the wine), concave in shape, with a thin lip. (Riedel offers some great afordable "White Wine" examples at Target. I love Target!) If you are even remotely interested in learning a little more you can check out the link to the Riedel site above for a lesson on the importance of a good wine glass under the "Information" link.

Yes, I know this is boring crap. I'm sorry. I'm not exactly feeling a sizzling blogging vibe.

Speaking of sizzling, has anyone watched Love Monkey? It's all right. It's not "Ed", but it's not horrible. Last night the guy friends were standing around chatting at the bar, and one of them related a story about the mating ritual of some animal, and he used the word "vulva". He said, "The female (whatever-the-animal-was) shakes her vulva in front of the male." (I giggled at that.) One of the other characters questioned what the vulva was. I thought to myself, "This has got to be the most I've heard this word volleyed back and forth on a Prime-Time, non-cable televsion show." I've had the word stuck in my head ever since, and I just wanted to spread the love. Heh.

Allergy drugs are great. Good-night.

last night in napa

I left my last day of class with my certificate in hand, and headed straight to Sunshine Market in St. Helena. I bought a bottle of Jeff's SolaRosa, some triple-cream cheese, fruit, and a petite baguette. I took 29 to one of the cutoff's that take you back to the Silverado Trail, and stopped to take the above picture.

It's the middle of winter, and it's as lovely as can be. I've adored it here, and I'm really proud of myself.

Last night I went out with a few of my classmates to The Martini House for dinner. It was a really interesting group of gentlemen. This group included the Mayor of Gardiner, New York, and the Writer and Producer of this movie, which I promised to order and watch. It was a really interesting dinner, and how could a girl not enjoy going out with four men? Seriously?!

Tonight I sat in my room, ate, and watched "Prime". I've got my alarm set for 5:45 a.m., and I'll head back to San Francisco bright and shiny. It's been a great, intense experience. I was so afraid I was going to come across like the country mouse in the big city, but I handled myself pretty well. I've got great contacts now, and when I get back home I'm going to start formulating what my next move will be. As I fall asleep tonight, I can now say that I'm officially considered a "professional" by the Culinary Institute of America.

I hope I can translate some of what I've learned to the public (whatever that means), and why I'm really passionate about it, in some sort of comfortable, approachable way. A culture that appreciates wine is a happy place to be.

Catch you back in Big D., y'all.

wow

I'm kind of overwhelmed. This is an amazing class.

The Culinary Institute of America's campus out here is kind of impressive. O.K., it's over the top impressive. The Rudd Center is impressive. I'm so impressed right now.

There are 14 people in the class, and only three are women. There's a student from Montreal, one from Colorado, two from Deleware, one from New York, and the remainders are from California. The student from New York is the mayor of his town. I was so afraid that I was going to come across like some dumb hick, or that I wouldn't know a thing, but I nailed the blind tasting. Four out of four!! We came back to the classroom, and there were eight glasses of wine set up. First rule of order was learning how to spit. Then we learned how to do retronasal breathing. We tasted the first wine, and described the aroma, flavor, and finish. The instructor looked at us and asked, "Can anyone here identify this wine?" I raised my hand and said, "That's a Sauvignon Blanc". He asked me why I thought that, and I told him, "Because it's a medium-bodied wine. It's bright, and clean, and has a grassy taste. It's green." I was right, and I'm kind of proud of myself for piping up and saying what I thought. I wanted someone to high-five me really badly. (I'm normally kind of shy.) I went on to identify the Chardonnay (that was easy), the Merlot (notoriously difficult to identify, but I don't like it, so I know what it tastes like), and the Zinfandel (currently my favorite - intensely fruity, spicy, and lush.)

F.Y.I. - the best taste of the day was the Quivira Zinfandel, 2003, Dry Creek Valley. It's retail price is $16, and well worth it. Amazing wine!

Also, your wine vocabulary word of the day is "organoleptic", which is the sensorial analysis of wine, or looking for flavor.

I want to be a professional wine studies student forever.

le tired

I've landed. I've managed to get on 101, drive over the Bay Bridge, and find the Napa turnoff (37 to 29). I've seen lots of dormant vines, suburban sprawl, and cows. It's lovely here. Everything is much greener than what I left. It's also much too warm for my long wool coat. (I went to Target to get a sweater, and ended up getting one of those short bolero things because all of the other sweaters weren't my size.)

I've also discovered Trader Joe's, and the joy of eating corn chips, dip, and drinking some good Zinfandel prior to bed. It's usually insanely difficult for me to sleep in hotel beds, and the pillows are little crappy lumps, but I've got the whole bed to myself, and I'm bone tired.

Tomorrow morning I head up to St. Helena to check in, and to attend to the first class. After I get out I'm going to try to explore, take some pictures, and get to know the area a little better.

I'm going to sleep now. The San Francisco area, and wine country, rocks.

Quickly -

I took the last post off - the quiz where I figured out I was Michael Bluth from "Arrested Development". (Yes, I did a quiz. Shut up.) Anyway - it messed up my page. So there.

I'm getting so excited about the upcoming trip. Watch out Napa, here comes Miss Hicktown. Yehaww! Where's the Boone's Farm Vineyard?! (Just kidding. Sort of.) :-)

Tonight, book club. (Please don't yawn. It's the HOTT Ladies Book Club. Awwyeah.) Absolutely EXCELLENT book - The History Of Love. There were many times I wanted to highlight certain passages. It was like reading really good poetry. You'll just have to trust me on this one. If you're looking for a good read, I'd recommend it. It's an equal gender opportunity book as well.

Last night I had the strangest thought. I miss thunder.

fume

Hey, blogosphere (a.k.a. internet void)! How goes it? Me? Well, I'm just here to distract myself (briefly) from le crap du jour.

Did I tell you I got Sirius Satellite Radio for Christmas? I did, and it's wonderful. Anyone that lives in the Metroplex knows that mainstream radio around here is pretty bad. (I think I read D/FW is considered one of the worst markets in the country, for various reasons.) I can tolerate a few stations, including the beloved Ticket, but I get tired of the commercials, and the same old songs over-and-over-and-over.

This was the perfect gift for me. I still love my c.d.'s, but I find myself glued to stations like the The Coffee House, Chill, and (of course), Standard Time. I kind of limit myself to these stations while en route, but when I'm in the kitchen I'll listen to Classic Vinyl, or Buzzsaw (which I really can't listen to while driving due to chronic lead foot.) (Sidenote: You can pop the tuner out of the car and into a boombox in the house! V. cool.) To tell you the truth I find myself listening the Coffee House and Standard Time while in the kitchen most of the time.

What was I saying? Distractions. Crap. Same-old-stuff. My Mother, and my banishment from her life for the remainder of her existence. (Sad, dumb stuff.) Missed flights. Yadda yadda.

Hey, did y'all hear about that football game last night? Yeehaw. (Personally, I'm not a fan of the Longhorn. My blood is maroon, not burnt orange, but I am a Texan, so I'll trash-talk with you. Who's the National Champions? Hmmm?)

Anyway, in honor of Thursday I'm going to make some pasta, and open up a bottle of good Zinfandel (currently one of my favorites). Have a great weekend.

superb timing

Yay! Only two more weeks until fancy wine school, and - ummm - GREAT news!

I'm thinking I should really get these. Really!

In other news, NYE2006 was fairly low-key. Other than a rousing game of Pictionary at a friends party, that is. Awwwyeah. There was also some supposedly wonderful shot concoction consisting of Kahlua and Tequila. Sounds a bit icky, but I was assured it's good.

The night before I got to see my bestest friends. We drank pomegranate martinis and everyone ended up crying and talking about what we really want to be when we grow up. (Shut up.) L(1) asked "What would you be if you could be anything? I mean - seriously - anything you want to be - do - whatever..."

I said I want to be a Master Sommelier. A funny, unpretentious, hot Master Sommelier. (Mistress Sommelier?) I want to consult with all the hottest restaurants and bars, and be paid a brazillion dollars to travel and tell people what wine to buy and drink. I want to be paid to travel and drink wine!

My friend L(1) said "I want to go to clown school. I want to be a clown!" (I already knew this, and it still scares me and L(3). Clowns are scary, but she'd make a perfect clown.) "I want to make people laugh, and be silly all the time."

L(2) said she wants to be a Prima Ballerina. L(1) said, "Ooooh, you should!! You should go for IT!"

Then I said I wanted to be a Princess, and that's when I knew I love these women, and I'm so glad to have friends like this.