A WORLD OF BUBBLY

We interrupt our regular posting schedule to bring you a timely sparkling wine primer courtesy of our Blue Jean Sommelier, Anders.  If you’re still in need of a last-minute recommendation for New Year’s Eve, or simply want to know more about the types of wine you might encounter tonight, look no further.  Also, keep in mind–there’s no rule that says you must limit your consumption of bubbles to NYE!  Every day can be a holiday with one of these affordable bottles at the table.

If you’re new around here, be sure to check out Anders’ previous posts, too.

Wishing you all a safe, festive New Year’s Eve–check back tomorrow for a post about beginnings, endings, tradition, & shrimp creole.

Salud, L’Chaim, Cin-Cin, Prost, Sláinte, À votre santé, et. al!

–

Another New Year’s eve is upon us and again we find ourselves thinking about our favorite moments of the passing year and looking forward to the promise of the next.  In my opinion there are many beverages that go with fond nostalgia and anticipatory excitement, but none are perhaps quite as fitting as a delicious sparkling wine.  And – nothing really says PARTY quite as well as a chilled bottle of bubbly!

These days there are many choices from all over the world when it comes to selecting a festive vino frizzante, at a huge range of price points. Here is a rundown of many the options that are available to you and a little bit about what goes into each style.

CAVA
Cava is Spanish sparkling wine and although it can technically be made anywhere in the country at least 95% of it comes from Catalonia – vineyards that are not far from the city of Barcelona. Cava is made using the traditional method and can be crafted from the indigenous grapes Xarello, Parellada and macabeo as well as chardonnay and pinot noir.  Cava is an excellent source of value, you can read more about it here.

CHAMPAGNE
Still undoubtedly the king of sparkling wines but often quite spendy. One of the most important things to know is how Champagne is defined by French law. Sparkling wines from the Champagne region (90 miles NE of Paris) have to follow very specific rules to carry the name “Champagne” on their bottle (like using only Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier or Chardonnay grapes, making the wines using the “traditional method” and aging the wine for at least 15 months). French lobbyists and lawmakers have long fought to make sure that the name Champagne is applied only to wines from the Champagne region.  The true quality of Champagne, however, is a result of intense care, precision and skill with which its grapes are grown.  It isn’t that this can’t be reproduced elsewhere, simply that the Champenoise have been at it for much, much longer than anyone else.

CREMANT DE…BOURGOGNE, LOIRE, ALSACE, ETC.
Cremants are sparkling wines from France that are governed by French wine law (meaning they also have aging, grape, vinification and other requirements), use traditional method and are often a GREAT source of value. I have always enjoyed Cremant de Alsace (Trimbach is a good producer) which typically used the Auxerrois grape as a base and can include Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer among a few others.

PROSECCO
A sparkling wine made from the Prosecco grape. These wines are produced in the Treviso province of Northeastern Italy (north of Venice and northeast of Lake Garda).  Producers typically employ the Charmat method in making Prosecco, carrying out the second fermentation in large stainless steel tanks instead of in bottle.  As a result, Prosecco is typically less nuanced than traditional method sparkling wine but has bright fruit flavors and is typically best consumed in the year it is produced.

SEKT
Sekt is the name for “sparkling wine” in Germany and those found in the US are typically off-dry and crafted in large stainless tanks (Charmat method). The grapes for most Sekt are also not sourced from Germany itself but from Spain, Italy and France. Deutscher Sekt is the term for Sekt made from German grapes and is typically of higher quality. The grapes can very even more than the provenance, I have found examples made from blends of any of the following; Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio. Sekt is often a source of great value but may take a lot of experimentation to find a bottle you like given the amount of variance. Translate German sweetness levels this way: Herb = Extra Brut-Brut (bone dry-dry), Sehr Trocken = extra dry (very slightly sweet), Trocken = dry (slightly sweet), Halbtrocken = medium dry (sweet).

AMERICAN SPARKLING WINES
Since there are few laws governing the creation of American sparkling wine there is no standard on which method to use in creating it or which grapes to make it from.  There are, however, many extremely quality focused producers who put forth great bottlings year after year, using the traditional method and classic grapes. Argyle, Schramsberg, Roederer Estate, J Wine Co, Iron Horse and Domaine Carneros are all excellent producers

Feeling quite festive this holiday season, I took upon myself the grueling task of tasting a collection of what I thought promised to be great quality for price sparklers that are widely available in stores. Here are my notes…
NV (Non-Vintage) Montaudon Champagne Brut (France) $24-$38
The Montaudon probably had the best bubbles of the group – it fizzed finely for 30 minutes. I found the aromatics initially disappointingly-dominated by sulphur dioxide (used in bottling) and overpowering yeast aromas. But after about 5 minutes the sulphur blew off and the yeast aromas integrated with really enjoyable notes of apple blossom (I think – not having sniffed an apple blossom for quite some time), ripe peach, apricot and rose. The palate on the other hand was a well balanced with awesome acidity and citrus flavors that leaned toward lime.

My Rating: Fizzle that Sizzled (Like Robert Downey Jr.- troubled at first but came back strong)

NV Henkell Trocken (Germany) $13-$17
This Sekt is a combo of Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot noir and Chenin blanc. The resulting blend is incredibly creamy and left the inside of my mouth feeling like I had just downed an English muffin with my usual disproportionate amount of butter. This wine is also relatively sweet (at least 3% residual sugar) and therefore sent my mother running for another glass of brut champagne. I have to say I rather enjoyed both the creaminess and the sugar, I think I may have discovered another personal guilty-pleasure wine. Expect little acidity (not a great pairing wine) and ripe fruit flavors of guava, apricot, cider and bitter almond on the finish.

My Rating: For Sugar and Butter Lovers

NV Zardetto Prosecco Brut (Italy) $10-$15
The first thing that I noticed about the Zardetto was its gargantuan bubbles! I mean the little orbs were almost the size of Dip & Dots and streamed towards the surface like skin divers gasping for breath. Since typically the finer the effervescence the better, I would not say this is exactly a good thing. On the other hand I found this Prosecco’s aromatics alluring and complex. I got bright honeydew, something floral I couldn’t pin down, lilac and honey. The palate was simple citrus that I thought leaned toward lime and left my mouth feeling chalky.

My Rating: I Wouldn’t Dump it Down the Drain (But You Could Do Better)

NV Gruet Rose Brut (USA – New Mexico) $13-$18
Oh my god it’s pink!! Once you get over any adverse preconceptions about rose wine (I used to have plenty) and give this wine a shot I think you will be pleasantly surprised by its rich, creamy fruit and generous effervescence. Flaunts its traditional method-birth with a lot of yeasty aromatics and flavors (croissant, croissant, croissant) blended together with effuse grapefruit and raspberry. I thought it was quite spectacular for money I laid down and it’s from New Mexico!

My Rating: Class for the Coin

NV J-Vineyards Cuvee 20 (USA – California – Russian River Valley) $22-$28
What struck me most about the J Cuvee 20 was its balance and the excitement of what I like to call “the ride” – that is it kept my focused attention from the just slightly sweet attack (when the wine hits the tip of your tongue) through the mid-palate where it spoke overtly of lemon and sweet bread, had a very subtle creaminess to its mouthfeel and showed a generous acidity that could cut through any rich appetizer. It then finished strong with a wonderful minerality that meshed symbiotically with its lemon-citrus notes.

My Rating: Top Notch

[Via http://bluejeangourmet.wordpress.com]

WhiteHaven Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2008

So, we’re back to the subject of cat pee.  On the nose, that is.

If we were talking about anything other than New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, that would be rather disgusting.  As it is, it remains difficult for many people to get past.

I mean, if you were to get into your car and be greeted with the aroma (or is it odor?) of cat pee, you would probably be quite upset and not want to be in the car until you got rid of the smell.   Likewise if it were in your house.

But if it’s in your glass, are you then supposed to treat it as a pleasant experience?  In a word, maybe.

You see, the aroma of cat pee is one of the strange characteristics that sets NZ Sauvignon Blanc apart from Sauv Blancs from other regions of the world.  You will experience it on the nose, along with the other elements of the bouquet.

On the palate, however, it will most certainly not taste like it was excreted from an animal.  New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs are some of the most crisply flavorful wines being produced anywhere. 

I recently tasted WhiteHaven’s version, a 2008 Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc.  It was produced in the classic style, with bracing acidity well framed in citrus and eucalyptus notes.

Yes, there was cat pee on the nose, and yes, it was a very good wine and made an excellent partner with seafood pasta. 

It was a bit pricey (low $20’s), but was above average in quality and style and held up very well after being open for a couple of days.  A good wine with seafood, but can also be served on its own as an aperitif, or simply a good tasting, crisp glass of quality white wine.

[Via http://goodellwineguy.wordpress.com]

Tasted: 2008 Salvador Poveda "Centacion" Monastrell

2008 Salvador Poveda “Centacion” Monastrell
Appellation:  Alicante
Tasting Notes: 100% Monastrell. 14.0% ABV. Dark violet in the glass.  Nose is candied red fruit, dust, and some cedar, smells like an old fruit rollup, but not unpleasant.  At first, I taste lots of red fruit, then overwhelming sweet tannins, a little cedar, then back to the fruit rollup on the finish, but dusty and dry. Disjointed. Interesting, but disappointing.   Seller said this would be one for lovers of cabs and big Bordeaux;  I would say that is true if one loves bad Bordeaux. Was $8.99, will not buy again, and probably will dump this bottle out unless my wife likes it.
Rating: 2/5;  8/20;  74/100
Price: $8.99 at Bin 604 (Baltimore, MD)

A note on ratings:  I use the 100 point rating for Cellartracker, even though my palate is still developing.  As a statistics geek, I know that the variability in scores works itself out as the number of scores increases.  However, my score may not be yours, or Robert Parker’s.  I much prefer to use a 5 point (or star, or whatever you want to call it) scale, as it more represents my reaction to wine, which is more simple than a 100 point scale represents.  I like the 20 point scale as the more detailed score.   On this site, I will provide all three, although the most meaningful are the 5 and 20 point ratings.

Crossposted at The Grand Crew

[Via http://paulstagg.com]

Wine for Tweets!

Please join me on Sunday, January 24th, 2010, from 6-8 PM at Pasadena’s newest hotspot, The Wine Detective, for a wine tasting “tweet-up”. Please come and mingle with other LA area bloggers as we raise our glasses and toast to raising money for Make A Wish Foundation.

The Wine Detective
146 S. Lake Ave. #109
Pasadena, CA 91101
(626) 792-9936

There will be a raffle with some great prizes!!

Tickets are $35 “presale” or $40 at the door. Please send an email to winefortweets@gmail.com for more information or to reserve tickets. Please include your full name and a phone number when reserving tickets.

Light appetizers will be served. Space is limited so RSVP SOON!!

[Via http://imlivingtoeat.wordpress.com]

The Blind Buzz on Accessibility with a high Braille content

12 really cool reasons to get OS X Snow Leopard | News | TechRadar UK, including support for about 40 Braille displays.

‘BrainPort’ research project seeks nationwide for participants | savannahnow.com – Pittsburgh medical research targets blinded veterans.

CALVERT TRUST KIELDER Kielder, Northumberland. – on the whole highly praised as a holiday/vacation destination for disabled people, but lack of induction loops and braille signage.

‘Caterpillar’ the first Arabic Braille children’s book – Daily Newws, Egypt

Clock Sheet tells you the time | Gadgets and Technology – and it’s tactile.

CodeProject: See your name in Braille. Free source code and programming help – some Javascript to convert text to braille.

Code Factory: Products – Screen readers – Overview – here you can find out which screen reader is compatible with your mobile device.

Computer mice for the blind: Feeling in the dark | The Economist tactile mouse helps blind people to feel graphs and graphics.

Culture: Braille, To See the Unseen The Foreign Exchange – challenges and advantages of using Chinese Braille in Taiwan.

Dolphin Computer Access major upgrade for all version 11 users of SuperNova Screen Reader Magnifier, Hal Screen Reader, Lunar Screen Magnifier and LunarPlus Enhanced Screen Magnifier

Downloadable Braille Materials – educational files.

DR on dealing with GOJ border fingerprinting: sandpaper down your fingers – debito.org Blog Archive – confuse the Japanese Government’s mass fingerprinting operation, and feel Braille more accurately too.

Elves send letters from Santa — in Braille — baltimoresun.com – don’t tell the kids the NFB dealt with them, though!

Experience what is on screen with Sense | Wyrd – multi-sensory device allows experience of smells, tastes, textures, and can handle Braille.

Faithful volunteers make Braille Bibles possible – DailyBulletin.com – Lutherans in Canada produce large print and Braille Bibles for free distribution world-wide.

Feel by Blend Apparel [hands-on review] :: Hide Your Arms – Braille t-shirt that says “feel”? Surely some discretion needed?

Flat World Knowledge announces partnership with Bookshare – The CITE: – this will make textbooks easier to obtain by students with visual impairments.

For Those with Special Needs | Information-Online – some USA venues and the provisions they make for disabled people.

Fox Creek Wines Pty Ltd | News / Events – launch of large print and Braille wine labels by this Australian wine company.

Future Aids – The Braille Superstore with toll-free US phone number.

Handy Tech North America – Handy Holiday Specials 2009 – deadline extended to December 31st. Offers include Code Factory and GW Micro products.

Honea Path woman aiming to go back to college after losing her eyesight» Anderson Independent – when Andi Mills lost her sight, all else seemed to be lost – but not for long.

How is braille produced? – Resources – Vision Australia Website – everything from manual to electronic methods explained.

How to Cope With Being Blind – wikiHow – a beginner’s guide. It’s a wiki, so you can edit it.

[Podcast] Importance Of Braille blind academic praises the versatility and accuracy that Braille gives her at work and in life generally.

Index Braille – Braille embossers, software and accessories. Based Sweden, distributed world-wide.

Innovation: Award-winning product design of 2009 – Image 2 – New Scientist – the design excellence awards included the Haptic Reader from Korea, a device that can scan text and convert it instantly to Braille or speech.

Lees Mee braille stamps by René Put – Dezeen » Blog Archive – Dutch award for designer.

Liblouis 1.8.0 – An open source Braille translation and back-translation library – download from Softpedia

libbraille – Library for Braille Display – free computer library that enables the development of Braille for displays in many languages. Free Braille translation tool. Braille alphabets for several languages.

Library goes digital for visually impaired – Global Times – visually impaired people in China can get hold of e-books, music and lectures through the China Digital Library.

Lights for the blind – Craft and Design Happenings – Australian designer has made a device that represents Braille as LED lights. Totally blind people can use it to read Braille in the regular way.

Livescribe Talking Braille Periodic Table « Livescribe Smartpen Applications – to be released early 2010?

Mac OS X v10.6: VoiceOver manuals available in Braille

Making Museums More Accessible – Museu Picasso Barcelona » Blog Archive – recent conference explored how to make art more accessible to people with a wide range of disabilities.

Mitra Jyothi – Changing the lives of visually impaired – this organisation in Bangalore, India, enables visually impaired people to find jobs and facilities they need for an independent life.

Multilingual Braille Output For Snow Leopard | ATMac – while VoiceOver can speak several languages, SnowLeopard Braille is in standard English. Archie Robertson has addedseveral languages at Grade 1. Anyone who can help him advance this work into other languages and higher grades of Braille can e-mail conseil at anarchie dot org dot uk.

No More License Plates: Mo. prison inmates transcribe books for the blind « ResourceShelf

OBR – Optical Braille Recognition -using an ordinary scanner, non-readers of Braille can get ordinary text from Braille documents.

Open Content Textbooks Available to All Without Proof of Disability – No Limits to Learning – thanks to US Government funding Bookshare.

Orca 2.28.2 (Stable) – SourceWell – Open Source Software Announcement & Retrieval – provides speech, magnification and braille.

Pact Aims to Reduce Cost of Braille Displays: US, China, Hope Affordable Technology Will Expand Braille Literacy

Perkins Brailler – American Foundation for the Blind

Rightfully theirs – Financial Express – India proposes fair deal law to enable books to be produced in alternative formats.

RoboBraille.org – converts text to Braille and mp3 audio online.

Squibble Portable Braille Interface – concept device could result in mobile phones accessible by Braille interface.

The Carl and Ruth Shapiro Family National Center for Accessible Media – "A non-profit R&D organization dedicated to achieving media access equality for people with disabilities."

Using a Braille Font – Louis Braille School

What To Do When You Meet a Sighted Person

Who Invented Braille And How Does It Work? – from The Eye, a site about vision loss – there are more advanced Braille topics here, too, such as contracted Braille symbols.

[Via http://nystagmite.wordpress.com]

Cooking the books: The Frugal Gourmet Cooks With Wine

I’m not entirely sure where I picked up my copy of The Frugal Gourmet Cooks With Wine, but it was probably in a bin of unwanted items that had been donated to the Concordia Co-op Bookstore, before I moved to Austin. (Check the local Half-Price Bookstores here in Austin, if you’re looking to score, as they might just have a copy.) At any rate, this pocket-sized cookbook contains 425 pages of recipes made with wine, as well as information on how to choose wines to drink or stock your cellar, and it was totally worth the 50 cents I paid for it (according to the pencil marking on the inside front cover).

I grew up watching Jeff Smith’s Frugal Gourmet program on PBS, so I knew it was going to be a good bet, but I never realized how awesome some of the dishes really are until I actually started cooking them at home. As a home cook, I’m a big fan of recipes that involve minimal specialty ingredients, as well as anything that will have multiple servings I can freeze and reheat in the future. This particular recipe for Chicken and Chickpea Stew from the “Spain” section fulfills both of my requirements, and as an added bonus it can be made on a weeknight if you make some of our quick ‘n’ easy substitutions. Check this out:

Shoestring Austin’s Simplified Chicken & Chickpea Stew
(based on a recipe from The Frugal Gourmet Cooks With Wine)

Ingredients:

• 2 cans chickpeas, drained
• 3 T. olive oil
• all the meat from a store-bought rotisserie chicken, torn up into bite-sized pieces
• 1 slice whole wheat bread
• 1 large yellow onion, peeled and sliced
• 2 large ripe tomatoes, diced
• 1 slice bacon
• 2 c. chicken stock (preferably from a can or carton, rather than made from the bouillion cubes)
• 1 bay leaf
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 eggs, hard-boiled and peeled
• 1/2 c. dry sherry

Directions:

1. Heat a large frying pan and add the oil. Brown the chicken pieces on all sides and remove from the pan.
2. Fry the slice of bread in the remaining oil. Remove it and set aside.
3. In the same pan, sauté the onion, tomatoes and bacon. Cook until the onions are clear.
4. Place these veggies into a big (6-quart) lidded Dutch oven, and add the chicken pieces and chickpeas.
5. Deglaze the frying pan with a bit of the broth (i.e. pour in some of the broth and scrape any browned bits off the bottom of the pan). Add the pan drippings and all the stock to the pot, along with bay leaf, salt and pepper.
6. Cover and bring to a simmer. Simmer until the chicken is tender. (The original recipe required about 45 minutes, since you only browned the otherwise uncooked chicken, but since you’ve just browned pre-cooked chicken, this shouldn’t take as long; probably 10-15 minutes).
7. In the meantime, crush the garlic into a small bowl. Break up the fried bread and add to the garlic, along with the yolks of the hard-boiled eggs. Mash the mixture with 1 T. of the sherry, creating a garlic/egg yolk paste.
8. Chop the white of the eggs.
9. When the chicken has been simmering for 10-15 minutes, add the garlic paste, chopped egg whites, and remaining sherry.
10. Stir the pot carefully and simmer for another 10 minutes and you’re done!

The Frugal Gourmet recommends enjoying this dish with a light red Rioja wine on the side, which sounds great. I’ve made this dish the “long” way, with a full chicken, and even that doesn’t really take too much prep time. You just have to keep an eye on the simmering pot and stir it every once in a while, since it’s on the stove for 45 minutes. If you’ve got the extra time, I’d definitely try it that way to see how you like it, but our weeknight version with the pre-cooked chicken will shave off quite a bit of cooking time, getting your meal on the table faster, and will still give you a lot of the original recipe’s great flavors. Enjoy!

[Via http://shoestringaustin.wordpress.com]

Champagne Name Game

Only 5 shopping days left until New Year’s Eve!  Sorry.  I know it’s probably the last thing you wanted to hear.

But that means that I have precious little time to weigh in on the heftiest of matters for the holiday – what to drink.

And the answer is Champagne, of course.  Or maybe it’s not.  There are people who insist that it is not a celebration unless Champagne corks are popping.  They would be wrong on two counts.

For me, the celebration comes from the bubbles.  And bubbles exist in sparkling wines found well out of the grasp of Epernay and Reims.  You see, to be Champagne a wine must come from that specific region of France.  Despite what people may tell you, there is no Champagne made in the United States.

This wine is one of many internationally protected regional products.  The U.S. didn’t exactly buy into this scheme.  But so many wineries are owned by international conglomerates that many American sparkling wines still observe this nomenclature.  Some, on the other hand, do not.

What we have here are méthode Champenoise sparkling wines, or in English, sparkling wines made as they are in Champagne.

In short this means that grapes are picked, turned into wine, and put in bottles.  Additional yeast is added to the bottles directly, and the wine goes through a secondary fermentation, which results in three peculiar things.
1)    Yeast poop (AKA bubbles)
2)    Unpleasantly dry wine, devoid of sugar
3)    Nasty dead yeast

Luckily there is one last process that takes care of everything except the yeast poop.  The dead yeast are coerced into the neck of the bottle.  When they are removed sugar water is added to the wine to make it palatable.  If it makes you feel better to call the sugar water a dosage, as they do in France, it’s fine by me.  The wine gets a cork, a cage, a foil capsule, and it’s done.

I do not put the process in these terms to denigrate it.  Rather, I think it’s best to strip it of its mystery and appreciate it for what it is.  And it is an ingenious way of making a festive sparkling wine.

There is a French company in California’s Anderson Valley that makes one of my favorite American sparkling wines.  It is Roederer, the house of the infamous Cristal.  The firm got into trouble years back when they were asked about all the hip-hop attention possibly hurting the brand.

That aside, their Roederer Estate Brut NV is dynamite.  And it’s a favorite go-to bottle for me on any festive occasion.  Generally the price hovers around $20 a bottle, although they regularly seem to have it at BJ’s in Albany for a few dollars less.

I break méthode Champenoise wine (both French and American) down into two major styles:
1) Tart and racy
2) Round and full

Each has its charms.  Veuve Clicquot is a perfect example of the former.  And my Roederer Estate is fully in the later.  Which style sounds more appealing to you at the end of December is as much about your personal taste as it is your geography.  Although what you are eating could certainly come into play too.

My relationship with Roederer Estate is a long one.  We bought several cases for our wedding many years ago.  And as I do with many things, I overbought.  It was a great problem to have, as we enjoyed the leftover wine regularly over the course of our first year of marriage.

This is a wine I know very well, and it’s always a pleasure.  It may not be Champagne, but it is certainly a bottle worthy of opening in celebration.

Oh, and the other thing wrong about needing to pop Champagne corks is the popping part.  If you do it right, the sound is more akin to a whisper or a sigh.

But should you find that to be a bit anticlimactic and lacking in joie de vivre, there is one other acceptable way of opening a champagne bottle.  Without a doubt it’s more festive.  But it does require one piece of specialized equipment.

[Via http://fussylittleblog.com]

Happy Holidays!

If you visit the store frequently, you know doubt know Da’ Gizz’s predilection for cigars and buffalo wings. (Judy, you are a strong soul…)

Anyway… When you can pry Bruce away from his beloved wings (he’s not on a low-sodium diet is he?), ask him about his impromptu wine sales. Aside from the “three-fers”, “four-fers”, “six-fers”, and case discounts, he’s got specials that he doesn’t even know about. (Trust us, we haven’t told him yet.)

Hey… No joke… Have a safe, sober, and wonderful holiday season. And for Heaven’s sake, come on in and visit!

Two cats blogging,

 

Wine Glossaries

* Nat Decants: A thorough glossary from Natalie MacLean, noted wine writer, speaker, and judge.
* eRobertParker.com: “The Independent Consumer’s Guide to Fine Wines”
* GLOSSARY of Wine-Tasting Terminology (Version 1.4 – Jan. 1995): A thorough collection of definitions from Anthony Hawkins.

Beer Glossaries

* ratebeer: Now that’s a straightforward name!
* beer-pages: Roger Protz and Tom Cannavan say that “it’s all about beer”.
* alphaDictionary.com: A fine collection of Beer dictionaries.

[Via http://hsst.wordpress.com]

What I've Learned So Far

1. Water. Drinking water, and lots of it, really makes a difference.  Especially on those weird days or events in which “sprinkling” (the Sensa) just isn’t kosher or comfortable.  I’m surprising myself by drinking about six to eight liters of water a day.  The sports water bottle (the screw top kind with the lid that you can drink through) is especially helpful if you have cats about who always think your water tastes better than theirs.
2. Weigh in. Weighing in every day, no matter how special that day is, and writing down that dreaded number somewhere or other really helps.  I seem to gain more weight when I haven’t kept myself accountable and in the weighing-in habit.
3. Measuring. I learned this from someone on the forums (before I was kicked off).  There are times when the number on the scale is so vexing.  Just remember that the scale doesn’t tell the whole story.  All that water makes your skin fresh and lovely!  Measuring your waist (or hips or whatever) is also a great idea, if you only do it every few days:  the results can be especially rewarding on those days when you’re sure the scale tells lies.  Ugly ones.
4. Graphing. I’ll admit it:  this sounds like the height of nerdiness.  Yet it has really paid off for me over time.  I’ve been graphing my weight based on three months of statistics (so it includes stuff even before I began using Sensa).  I use a 28 day scale on the x-axis, on tick for each day.  And for the y-axis, I began at my ideal weight, and just kept going up a little higher than my weight on the day I began with.  One tick per pound.  Over three months, this has given me great courage in the face of the scales.  Over 28 days, my weight always jumps up three times.  I also experience three troughs on the graphs, in which the weight is significantly lower.  The three graphs have a similar rhythm.  And they help me to see that if the scale isn’t saying what I wish it would, if I am mindful of my eating habits, and if I am drinking a whole lot of water, then that weight will come back down again of its own accord in a few days.  What peace of mind!  By the way, it is also clear on my first graph where I began “sprinkling”.  How much of that is self-motivation and how much of it is Sensa is a question up for grabs.  I think it’s probably a bit of both.  And the Sensa heightens the mindfulness without making you suffer.
5. Work out. It’s gotta be fun. And for me, that means that 1.) it has to be a game, and 2.) other people have to depend on my presence; otherwise, I might find something else more pressing or more interesting to do.  Right now that means tennis.  This doesn’t mean you have to join a country club, you know.  Okay, the racquet costs a bit, and you’ll definitely want a good pair of court shoes to avoid long term injury, and some socks and tennis balls.  After that, it’s not so expensive.  Most cities have tennis leagues, and groups of round ladies who wish to get together for lessons and a workout.  Anyway, using that abovementioned graph, I can tell that in two months I played more tennis than in the other one.  The best work out I ever had was swimming three to four days a week, 30 to 45 mins per session.  But that requires a swimming pool with available lanes.  Not a choice where I currently reside.
6. Goals. I’m seeing that my short-term goal of getting to eleven stones by Thanksgiving really helped.  This goal was a.) reasonably within my reach, b.) short term enough to hold my interest, and c.) very specific.  So, I’ve set up a new goal for Valentine’s day, about six weeks away.  Maybe I’ll reach it, or maybe not.  But it’s now a bit of a game to step back onto those scales:  will I reach my mini-goal by February 14th?  I don’t know.  But I bet I’ll be close.  Unless something happens.  Meanwhile, I guess I’ll have to keep reminding myself about the bigger picture, too.  The mini goals may also serve to do that:  they keep me working, on a daily basis, toward the desired bigger picture.  I’ll let you know about that!
7. Fun foods. I can have fun foods, including wine, cookies, a piece of pie, chocolate.  I just can’t have them every day.  Nor can I have them in the amounts I used to allow myself.  For example, I used to enjoy a glass or two of white wine every night before bed.  Now I’m down to one smaller glass of red wine, which I actually savor more and drink more slowly, one or two nights per week.  I usually save the wine for a special occasion that week, or for two weekend nights.  If I’m really craving sweets, I’ll have a banana or a handful of chocolate kisses.  If I have cookies, I’ll cut way, way back on something else later – not on the veggies, but on the breads.
8. Chatting. Chatting about all this with you really makes a difference.  Especially since I got kicked of the Sensa forums.  I really need and enjoy a “safe”, non-judgemental space in which to share the journey and the adventure.  It would be so lovely to hear from you!  Do comment, if you have a chance; otherwise, just enjoy the site!  Cheers to you!

[Via http://yoyoweight.wordpress.com]

Ubuntu woes...

First, let me preface by saying that I do enjoy using Linux for my desktop, I have been able to do everything I was able to do in Windows and then some, and all for free. The reasons I’m even posting this is for people to see what steps I took, and in case a developer sees this, can fix it. Also if you have fixed this issue, please let me know!

Since I am not in classes at the moment, it’s a safe time for me to perform the typical distribution upgrade. For those of you who use Windows, this isn’t like a service pack, this is a free upgrade to the latest version (for example: upgrading from Windows Vista to Windows 7, easily and without the need to purchase a CD or anything). Ubuntu 9.04 is now Ubuntu 9.10! The upgrade went almost flawlessly, the only hitch I came across was that the new kernel did not load into the grub bootloader menu. That’s easily resolved by editing it myself.

Things I noticed immediately: MUCH faster boot time! Since I don’t use a bootsplash (the nice graphic that shows you it is loading), I can see all the commands and feedback that the system is going through during boot, and aside from AppArmor causing a bit of a slowdown, it is MUCH faster than the previous version! KDE looks similar to what I had before, but there are a couple changes, the “cashew” to unlock widgets is much smaller, and the menus and all look a little more polished (yes, the developers DO listen to comments). Booted into gnome (which incidentally hasn’t worked for me in the last couple months [my fault, I broke a couple packages]). Desktop looks the same, menus are a little quicker, and more polished as well, nicely done Gnome Team! So at this point, everything looks wonderful!

Now is where the problems become apparent. I play a game using Wine (for the Windows people: Wine is an application that allows MOST [not all] Windows applications/games to be run in Windows by making the application think that it is running in Windows), when I started the game, the sounds were “off”… The easiest way to describe is a slight garble that eventually faded into complete silence. This is different… After some tinkering with the game, I find that I can still hear the integrated voice-chat feature, but I cannot hear any other sounds from the game. Now THIS is odd, I have experienced a lot of interesting and obscure errors between both Windows and Linux, but to have an app where one sound doesn’t work, but another does when they are both streaming through the card is a really odd one. Usually either it completely doesn’t work, or it all works, and this is on ALL operating system.

Okay, time for the “fun” of Linux, I know the issue is either with Wine or PulseAudio sound system. So let’s see what I can do… I searched around and found the previous version of Wine that I was using, installed it, and I still have the same problem. This removes the possibility of Wine being the issue, so now I know it’s all the PulseAudio sound system.

A little bit of history on Pulse: Linux has several sound architectures, and many apps rely on different ones, for example: Advanced Linux Sound Architecture (Alsa), Open Source Sound (OSS), OpenAL, eSound, etc. An analogy to this would be in the video area, you have DirectX and OpenGL libraries to run graphics. PulseAudio is supposed to be a “mixer” of these different systems, so Alsa and OSS will be piped into Pulse, the benefit of this is multiple applications can play a sound in different architectures, and all will be heard at the same time (think mp3’s, videos, and website/flash/java sounds all playing at the same time, rather than only one application having sound control at any given time).

Back to the issue, since I now know it’s in the sound system, I start looking around for ways to roll it back to the version I KNOW worked before. Current version in Ubuntu 9.10 is Pulse 0.9.19, and the version I had before upgrading was 0.9.14 (still in Ubuntu 9.04 repositories). Okay, easy enough to just download the package for Pulse 0.9.14 and install that, or so I thought. The easiest way to do this is when you download, you open with GDebi, which complained because a more recent version is already installed. No problem I can force the install, just need to grab the other packages for the supporting files/modules. This is where I notice a different, Ubuntu 9.04 relied on HAL (Hardware Abstraction Layer) for it’s device control, but now Ubuntu 9.10 uses udev (unknown what this stands for), the pulse files for 9.04 were made for HAL use, and not udev use, so I am hesitant to force this one. Well, let’s see what else I can do…

PulseAudio’s website (http://pulseaudio.org) has an updated version of 0.9.21, this could fixed the problem, but it is only available in source code. For me this isn’t too big of a deal, the “Infamous Three Commands” of .configure, make, sudo make install aren’t new to me, and generally most of the time I haven’t had issues on this. After installing, I try to check the version (pulseaudio –version) and I am not getting an error of cannot find a file (libpulsecore-0.9.21.so). No big deal, copy that from the source code folder and drop into /usr/lib folder. That didn’t fix the error.

Okay, “Google is my friend”, I start searching around and I find quite a few write-ups, blogs, etc where people have had similar issues. One in particular says to delete the settings folder for Pulse in the user directory. Not a bad idea, these things are auto-generated anyways, and maybe an old config from before the upgrade is causing the issue. I deleted the files (~/.pulse and ~/.pulse-cookie). I tried out my Wine game, and hey, it worked, I now have full sound in the game! Unfortunately I found out later that this was only temporary, I have to do it each time I want to play the game.

The next site I come across talked about the same issue and suggested installing an updated Alsa set and PulseAudio set from the ppa repositories (ppa’s are repositories/download areas that are not in the “mainstream”, so you generally get Beta or “Unofficial” packages, does not mean they do not work, just means they are not in the “approved” repos, yet). I get both of these installed and then get to test them. The sound in the game is still garbled or silent (save for the voice-chat feature), and only one application can use the sound card at any given time (Amarok can play fine, but when I start a video file in MPlayer, the sound will not play in MPlayer).

After more Google sifting, every site I have come across has had the same suggestions as these (building from source, the development ppa’s, or deleting the pulse settings). Now I am annoyed, let’s just remove Pulse and use eSound. As I try to remove Pulse, the package manager says that it needs to remove ubuntu-desktop as well since Pulse is part of that package. Well, I can’t have that happen. But here’s some light at the end of the tunnel, KDE does not need Pulse, only Gnome does. This laptop has fared pretty well since it has gone through 2-3 distribution upgrades without a fresh install, I think it’s about time to do a clean install (i.e. delete the packages only and start over, for the Windows folks: user settings, documents, music, photos are stored in a different section of the filesystem, and thus are unaffected by re-installs, unlike in Windows where even when you reinstall Windows and all the applications, you do not get to keep your settings).

This time I am going to install Kubuntu (KDE only variant of Ubuntu), and use the Phonon sound system (does the same thing as Pulse, but only works in KDE). It’s a shame that I will end up having to remember/re-obtain all the wireless network passwords again, but since the wireless networking was being handled by a Gnome application, I won’t have that around after the re-install. Looks like I will be doing the install this weekend after the holidays, until then I can use the deleting pulse settings to do what I need to do.

If anyone has had better success or knows something that I have missed, please feel free to post, I’ll be checking here and at System76’s support forum before upgrading.

[Via http://jmcomputer.wordpress.com]

An Occasion for Dionysus

They are the perfect couple. The couple which gets their weddings photographed in magazines, and all the people around the world look at them and wish for what they have. Their story is the continuation of every cheesy American teenage movie, the continuation you just do not see. They are the sweet country girl and the hard-working city boy. They are the ugly-but-with-potential artsy-fartsy girl and the school leading goal scorer. They are the sexy model couple; they come packaged and delivered to you in every commercial, every movie, every magazine, and now, in this story.

They’ve been together since they were 16, and six years have passed, neither of them looking at another person, finding the whole universe inside each other’s eyes. You’d think they’d have names like, Romeo and Juliet, Khalil and Dumma, Kays and Leila, Tristan and Iseult etc. They got engaged, they got married, their families rejoicing by their children’s perfect all-loving relationship, their light love, initiated like a well structured symphony, like old Arabic poetry, perfect meter and perfect rhyme. Their wedding was full of smiles and bright lights, full of water and cake and perfect order and timing: three hundred people were invited, three hundred people attended; all the food was eaten and no one felt the need for more; it started at 8 and was done at the stroke of midnight. The bride wore her ten-thousand dollar snow-white floor height, sleeveless, silk dress; the best hair and make-up designers ornamented her like Nefertiti. The groom wore his double-breasted shawl-collared tuxedo, a cotton shirt and a silk bow tie, all from Ralph Lauren, covering a muscle-tuned, all shaven body; his hair, made by a female hair designer, forming a pompadour Elvis Presley-rockabilly hairstyle.

The wedding ended, they entered the limousine while the three hundred attendees waved and threw rice and clapped and hugged each other. The perfect couple drank champagne on their way to their hotel suite and cuddled and kissed of soft kisses and drowned in each other’s love, black tinted glass veiled them from the outside world and the driver who was smoking and drinking red wine as he drove.

Their hotel suite smelled of red roses. Their bathroom smelled of Gardenia. They saw the heart-shaped bed with red covers and white sheets and they hugged each other and released themselves on the bed. They made love and fires of wild incantations sounded from their chests and pumped from their heart. The right amount of blood came out of the precious bride. They drank more champagne and made love once more, merging like hot wax in a lava lamp.

Their limousine driver died in a car crash after dropping them off at the hotel.

The ceremonial order of their lives went on after their honeymoon, after they moved in together into one home, after the husband defecated in the bathroom and the smell of his feces permeated throughout the whole house and even after the wife’s menstrual blood stained the sheets. They made love almost every night. They transformed themselves into twin fires dancing around each other. But heaven is never forever, and bliss is just a blue sky forming in the sleep of a spent storm.

One night, the husband came staggering drunk on wine. The wife did not know what to do. Her husband’s intoxicated breath revolted her. He was shouting and dancing and stripping. He held his wife and started getting excited. His wife felt his erection and tried to move away. His hands wrapped around her like the two serpents enveloping the staff of Hermes. They formed a Caduceus: his hands becoming serpents, his penis the staff, and she the winged bird, spreading her wings, trying to escape. She screamed and slapped him, and he kept smiling and moving his eye brows up and down. Completely naked, he started following her and laughing loudly, she was running away and weeping; he was Dionysus in pursuit of Amethystos. He called her name desperately after he tripped and fell on the ground. She came to him, like a loving wife, kissed him, and they made love, or did they?

The next morning they woke up, both on the bed, his wife’s feet facing his head; they slept in a 69 position, hardly aware of it when they slept, wildly aware of it when they woke up. They were both embarrassed, both felt estranged from their seemingly animalistic position. Did it happen? They looked at each other not daring to ask the question. The husband went to work and the wife went to her mother’s house, both did not speak to each other, both in a hurry to get away from each other.

That night, they had their first fight and for the first time they did not sleep with each other. The fires were not dancing with each other anymore, but fighting each other. They both felt like they were undergoing surgery without anesthesia. The pain of their apparent estrangement from one another created a gap between them, and they only saw this gap after the tightly formed circle of their relationship reverberated as a result of the husband’s intoxicated shouts. The husband saw no solution and neither did the wife. They sat together but apart in the living room, watching a cheesy American movie which gave them a retrospective look at what they once were. Both were disgusted by the dreamy suggestion of the movie that love can succeed the way it is shown. Both were angry.

They exchanged looks that blamed the other, and they both understood them. Magazines on the dinner table showed photos of their wedding, a photo of them smiling at each other, a light in between their faces showing their jovial features, blurring out all the other extravagant faces. But the husband could not look at it anymore, it was a faded dream, he thought, this is not real, none of what he felt was real, it was all how it was supposed to be, how the world wanted them to be. The wife looked in dismay at the memories of the wedding, at her mother’s clown-smile and her father’s proud look.

Their silence could go on no longer, and so they initiated a conversation. They asked each other questions about their day. She asked about his job, he asked about her girlfriend, she asked about the condition of the car, he asked about her daily chores. But beneath all these question, in the tone of their voice, was the important one: What do we do now?

The interrogation continued monotonously, like a game show, both answering correctly, both asking correctly, until, until the wife mentioned the wine. He told her that his boss invited him to a dinner with his buddies; that they went to a pub afterwards; that his boss ordered a hundred-dollar bottle of imported Bacchus wine. He could not refuse the gesture. She rolled her eyes and looked at the ground in disappointment. He looked at the ground in shame. They saw their shadows meet at the head and then they looked at each other, she was angry with disappointment, he was angry with shame. They came towards each other and they slapped each other. She smiled and he smiled. He laughed and she started running away laughing as well. But they knew that their act would be incomplete. They hurried down, went to the nearest liquor store and bought two bottles of red wine. They drank them and they fucked. They drank more and fucked a second time. She no longer thought of her mother and her father; he did not think of how they were supposed to be; they did not think of the wedding and all the distant memories. This is how they are. They were supposed to be making love, but they were fucking, she was drinking wine from the grail which is his mouth, he was pouring wine all over her body, making her white marble skin turn to purple crystals. He fingered her and she played him like a rusty trombone. From anal-strawberry-shakes to S&M fetishes, every night, they indulged in each other’s bodies more severely, the twin fire burning all coyness and all order, squeezing vines and blowing flutes, dancing madly upwards, enjoying their orgiastic existence in an exuberant manner, their inflamed bodies became moving, living statues of their own creation. With every fuck, every night, their love will be eternally reborn and return again from destruction in Dionysian ecstasy.

His name is Denis. Her name is Arianne.

[Via http://ziaddallal.wordpress.com]

Brad Pitt to become a winemaker

After trying his hands on architecture, Hollywood superstar Brad Pitt now wants to know more about his favourite tipple by enrolling for wine-making classes. It’s an appropriate hobby, seeing as he and Angelina Jolie live in a French estate with its own vineyard.

The 45-year-old heartthrob and his partner have taken up property in the sprawling Chateau Miraval estate in the south of France with their six children.

“He loves learning how it’s made,” a source said. Pitt had earlier spoken about his love for building projects since his childhood and was also granted a fellowship into the Design Futures Council for his affordable housing designs in Louisina.

If Brad decides to make his own wine, he won’t be the first celebrity to try it. Right now wine-drinkers can buy bottles from Sting, Olivia Newton-John, Elvis Presley, Sam Neil, Greg Norman to name a few.

[Via http://tallhorsewines.wordpress.com]

Why You Shouldn't Drink Wine While Getting a Manicure

(originally posted on Drinks Are On Me)

Friday night I had a few glasses of wine, and thinking they might result in a post here, I tweeted about it. When I had a sniff of the Lolonis Ladybug Red, I tweeted that it smelled a little like nail polish remover, but in a good way. It wasn’t a chemically smell, exactly, but more of a strong boy-this-will-wake-you-up slightly bitter smell. Naturally, Dale had something to say about that:

I was all...

And then someone else chimed in:

And then HE said...

When I tried to ‘splain, I was brutally rebuffed:

Dale gets the last word

So I did some research, wondering if maybe my own ignorance of wine language was creating confusion. But no, it was a very distinct smell and I definitely should have spoken up at the bar to let them know. From what I’m reading, that smell is an indicator of excess volatile acidity (this wine Q&A from The Seattle Times sums it up pretty well). Finishing the glass won’t kill me, but I should have sent it back.

So the next time you detect the slight scent of nail polish remover in your wine and you AREN’T at the nail salon, alert your bartender.

[Via http://jennalyns.wordpress.com]

Corked Up

Our dog, Suki, has total access to passion. She’s very entertaining, and lately, has found a new way to play with passion in full view. Being the holidays, the wine has flowed freely. Those extra corks? Well, those go to Suki.

She sees the bottle come out and waits anxiously for Michael to open and toss her the cork. She’ll hold it in the end of her snout like a stogie and trots to the living room rug. She flips it in the air and chases it. She spins around and tosses it across the floor, momentarily losing track of it. She purrs, growls humorously and her stubby tail never stops wiggling like a  bobble head going down a cobblestone street.

We let her play with this cork and watch, amused and marveled. Talk about being in the moment. Passion. Doggie style.

Sun doggess

[Via http://passionminer.wordpress.com]

Dinner at the Hilton with Amanda Jensen

My father came to visit me and my brothers in Malmo the other day. And instead of staying in the apartment which he bought for us he choose to stay at the Hilton instead. Well, I wont blame him – the apartment looks for shit now! Mostly because of two big dobbermanns. Any ways, we decided to have dinner at the hotel. After insisting for a while we finally got ourselves a table (even though we had not reserved one). The waiter led us to our table which happened to be just beside Amanda Jensen and her company of two. Now, Im really not the starstruck kind of person but my father always like to make up silly games and after a while the topic of discussion at our table was Swedish Idol and the Swedish music industry in general. And now something weird happened – what ever name of a Swedish musician/artist I tried to say the only thing which came out of my mouth was “Amanda”.

My father:  “You know that girl who came third this year…”
Me: “Amanda Tove”

And on it went until even I started feeling a little embaressed. I mean, she must have heard me!’

-Amanda!
-Amanda!!

-AMANDA!!!

Swiftly I ate my chicken, drank my wine and order some Cognac.
My father had another glass of wine and my brother poured up another Guinness.
We all got a bit drunk and it all turned into a laughing matter.

“Amanda” and her company left their table and hobbled away.

I laughed. We laughed.

Ps. The picture above is taken from the Hilton elevator which overlooks “Traingeln” and The Walkings Street.

[Via http://therickardnilsson.wordpress.com]

6 days... no, wait, 5 days until Christmas...

Whatever.  I can’t count!  Leave it to me to try and change the birthdate of Jesus.  Okay, math has never been my thing.  I’m focusing more on the artistic process here, not the time, or time-math.  Work with me people.  Only one person has been brave enough to point this out, and as soon as he gets out of the hospital, you can ask him about it.

Have you read The Five Love Languages?  I have, and although I may not know my love language, I know what it’s not.  It’s not gifts.  With that being said, please enjoy my 2009 Christmas gift giving guide.

The 2009 Christmas Gift Giving Guide by Jody Wissing (aka Jody’s List) Your most memorable childhood gift.

What was the coolest, most mind-blowing gift you received as a child?  No silly, besides the box it came in?  Mine was a Krazy Kar.  It’s that bright yellow thing with the swirly peppermint wheels.  I don’t recall how long I had it, but I know it was several years.  I’m guessing it was completely worn out, not suitable for anything but plastic recycling, as I loved it to death.  I had no idea what this was called until last week when I posted this photo on Facebook.

The Amloid Krazy Kar Ride-On is available on amazon.com for $75.99

Product description: The Krazy Kar is as equally wild as it is wacky! Drive it forwards, backwards, or in circles for indoor and outdoor fun all year long! Features giant 3′ action ride-on and big 18″ wheels. Made with safe, rugged, durable construction and holds up to 70 lbs. Colors may vary. Adult assembly required.

Although I like the new edition of the lightening bolts, I’m a little saddened that the swirly peppermint wheels are gone.  Oh well, nothing a little paint can’t take care of.  And 70 pounds?  How am I supposed to show my kids how to ride this if I can’t?  Their Green Machines hold up to 180 pounds, not that I ever take advantage of that.  But hypothetically speaking, let’s say you want something like this so you can ride it too.

The Deluxe Whirly Wheel is available at amazon.com for $99.99

Product description: Kids use their hands to power this innovative twist on the conventional ride-on. Lightweight construction helps riders cruise right along, safely take corners, and spin 360s on almost any surface. Features a steel frame, rubber tires and a padded seat for riders up to 110 lbs.

Okay, so I don’t weigh 110, wishful thinking, but I’l only a bit over it, so technically…  Also, if you buy one of these for your kids and they choose to keep spinning in circles, keep them outside for a little while before bringing them in the house.  Is your favorite toy still available?

Creative, memorable and just downright awesome.

What is the most meaningful or creative gift you have ever received?  The most creative for me was a bouquet of paintbrushes.  I’m not a flower kind of girl, and this gift giver, although knowing me for a short period time, gave me a meaningful gift.  I was married for eight years and the man still gave me flowers when he was in the dog house.  That made me angry, spending a crazy amount of money on something that’s dead upon arrival and will look like it in three days.  I cannot comprehend this.

The most memorable gift?  Flamingos and Skelemingos.  Again, this friend took the time to know what I would like, not jewelry, not flowers, not a sweater, but something quirky that nobody else would ever think to buy.  Not that your friend will want these, but just in case…

Skelemingo Pair available at thepinkflamingo.com for $15.95

Product description: NEW!!! One pair of s-c-a-r-y, b-o-n-y flamingoes! For All Occacsions: Halloween, Over-The-Hill Parties, Special Birthdays, Block Parties, Special Occasions, Retirement Parties etc. Can be used indoors or outdoors. “Perfect for the party…then in the yard for the rememberance!” When assembled they stand approximately 34″ high. Made in the U.S.A. of HDPE plastic.

How well do you know your friends?

Red fish, blue fish, old fish, new fish.

Dr. Seuss might be on to something here.  Why do we feel like gifts must be something new?  What’s wrong with old stuff?  Anyone can go into the cookie cutter stores, purchase mass produced material goods (available in many colors and styles), take the stuff home, wrap it in a bunch of fancy mass produced paper and call it a day.  Thought process?  ”I’ve made my expected purchases, checked it off the to-do list and I’m on to my other busyness.”  What has been accomplished here?  We’re supporting financial insanity and overseas sweatshops.

Now don’t get me wrong.  We need people to buy lots of new stuff, because without that, there would be nothing at the thrift stores.  I would not have found my $1,300 grill for $70 or my son’s $595 Sleep Number bed for $6.  Okay, I’m being sarcastic, but seriously, if you are supporting thrift stores with your old stuff, please continue!  These stores raise money to help needy people, so why not go treasure hunting?  It’s three times better!   You are saving money, you’re supporting people in need and you’re spending the time to look for something special for your loved ones.

Favorite resale shops:  CCA (Christian Community Action) in Lewisville and The Colony and Frisco Resale, obviously in Frisco.

You can Google these for locations and also look for other resale shops, as there are many great ones in our area.  Buy gifts with character.  What would that person on your list fall in love with and not regift?  Oh, and don’t get me started on the re-gifting thing…

Judge a book by it’s cover.

With all of the used bookstores around, and to use a car dealer term, why not buy some pre-owned books?  There are many great reasons to do this.  First, you can write a special note in it for the person you’re giving it to.  (Unless you’re buying a book for Jerod Chambers, then you need to write on all of the pages in the book, as he loves that!)  Second, with the the endless number of topics and abundant, ingenious styles, it’s easy to find a book for any person on your list.

But my favorite part of giving books as gifts?  Altering them.  That’s right, altering them.  Write notes, scribble, paint, tape things, glue cutouts, add bookmark strings… the list goes on.  There’s two ways to do this, make a book into a completely new books by gluing pages together and adding your own embellishments, like the vintage books pictured here.  The other idea is much simpler, just add your own stuff to the book on the blank pages, creating a personalized copy of whatever book you’re giving.  Either way, I doubt this gift will end up in a thrift store.  Oh, what a dilemma, which idea should you choose?

Personalized recycling.

At the risk of offending anyone who’s done this, I just have to say, this has brought a whole new level of ridiculousness to gift giving.  I have to add this to Jody’s list, but as a ‘don’t do it’.  What is it?  Personalized wine bottle etching, the gift that keeps on… recycling?  So let’s suppose you get one of these treasured heirlooms, and instead of keeping it in a rack, you actually want to drink it.  Hmm, now you’ll have an empty bottle that will look really nice, if you just happen to love empty wine bottles all over your house.  Great, just what I need, a guilt trip if I throw this bottle away after enjoying it, as it was intended.  Or maybe I should keep it, and I’ll set it on the counter when you come to visit.  No, this bottle will be a wonderful addition to my recycling bin.

Look, I’m all about the free stuff.  The engraving is free at Market Street if you buy a bottle of wine over $10.  I have to ask, what is the engraving guy thinking?  He didn’t look all that happy to be doing this, or he might just have been in his engraving ‘zone’.  Do your friends really need a name on their bottle of wine to know it belongs to them?  If you’re not sure, look inside their coat and see if their name is written on the tag with a Sharpie.

Your resources.

I was at a party last night, one where the white elephant gift exchange was the football half-time event.  Cool!  Because I’m all about finding an unusual gift.  The gift I walked away with last night was a good one.  It was someone giving me two hours of their time for whatever I might need it for.  This got me thinking.

This Christmas I’m trying to live differently, giving my time and money to people in need.  Let me just say that I am giving money, but I don’t have a lot to give.  I’m also giving my time, and even though there’s not a lot of that either, I have more time than money.  What are your resources and how can you use them to help people?  My kids and I chose to sponsor Casa Hogar Elim and The Sons of Lwala this year, financially and with an allotment of our time.  What would your friends think if you did this in their name as a gift?  My experience?  It inspires other to do the same thing.  Give to someone that can’t give back this Christmas.  Set an example of giving goodness for others to follow.

The ultimate gift.

God gave us the greatest gift of all, his son.  When gift giving this Christmas, or any Christmas, just remember why you’re doing it.  Don’t get sucked into the vortex of materialism and meaninglessness.  Celebrate the Ultimate Gift by giving gifts with the true meaning of Christmas in your heart.  (Yes, even if it’s an impractical engraved bottle of wine)

[Via http://embracechaos.wordpress.com]

Nightcap with Rigamorole & CSWS(via Tumblr)

Mmmmm~ I’m sitting in my room after a pleasant night at CafCA with friends.  It was a wonderfully lovely shift with Arianne today/night.  Then joined by fellow co-worker, Ruth the Ruthless, my bestie Kate, and others.  It was a great concluding evening with loved ones.

Now, I lay in bed talking to a friend on skype knocking back the last bit of Rigamarole Sauvignon Blanc in celebration of not having to work until I receive my degree in Digital Design at Seattle U.  WOOOPWWWOOOOOOOOOPPPPPPPPP!!!!  I’m stoked.  YES!!!!  And slightly inebriated.  I guess I feel bummed because all my friends ended up going to the Libre Room and I drove home too fast…  (8 minutes from Cafca, which indeed.. is fast)

This monkey can't get enough of... my Rigamarole...mmm~

Tomorrow, I am hoping to go to 5th Ave, catch the 2pm show of Fantastic Mr. Fox and enjoying a delicious macchiato at the Elysian Room.  Looking forward to it~  Okay, going to work on some songs, drawing, drinking a little bit more wine, and passing out.  Good night~

[Via http://velvetkitsune.wordpress.com]

Snow Misadventures Part 1

Me on the way to the party, party shoes in hand, only wearing tights...

In less that 24 hours time my little slice of the world has been dumped on by 2 feet of snow. It’s hard to believe these little flakes can really accumulate so much in such a short period of time and lead to disaster on the streets.  I was supposed to be headed home to Charleston today, but considering my car is completely covered and the interstates still look like balls, who knows when I’ll make it back. Tomorrow doesn’t look good. But on the plus side, a couple of Asian girls were taking pictures of and with my car. Hopefully this will not be the only 15 minutes of fame I get this lifetime.

Last night I finished all my tests and wanted to savor freedom and drink to my heart’s content. A friend had asked me to an ugly sweater party and I had this long ugly ass green get-up with shoulder pads. I wore it as a dress with tights. I looked pretty frumpy in an adorable sort of way. But my friend and I had a hell of a time getting to the place, and by the time we got there -walking like 40 minutes in the snow – the event had already been canceled. We walk another half an hour back in deep as balls snow and hang out with my roomie for a bit before the awkward levels were at such high levels that everyone wanted to get the hell out of there. I think it was mostly my fault. Oh well right? I don’t handle a lot of situations well. But, more on that another day.

Roomie and I had hunger pangs that only meat could quell, so we trekked down to see if the neighborhood subway was open. It wasn’t. Then I walked home alone and drowned my sorrows and loneliness from a night of misadventures with a bottle of the Chevron’s finest red wine and creepy season 5 episodes of Nip/Tuck where Christian fucks women frozen in ice back to life and Bradley Cooper (swoooon) thrusts his crotch around while clad in very tight briefs.

you're welcome.

You win some and you lose some.

Charlottesville looks like a post-apocalyptic world. Clusters of people are walking around on the completely snow covered streets looking for food and shelter. At least it’s been fun to walk around in, even though I don’t have gloves, proper shoes, or a hat (Re: FAIL!). I never realized how the snow glitters. It’s quite pretty! And I would enjoy this more if my car were properly garaged and it wasn’t right before Christmas.

‘Tune’ in tomorrow for a story from today of my first Christmas miracle!

[Via http://karenwithak.wordpress.com]

A holiday treat: Beaujolais Nouveau

Folks, this will probably be my last post for a week or two, as Econo Man and I prepare to head out to Denver to spend Christmas with our families.  I hope everyone out there on the Internets has a wonderful holiday season filled with lots of food and fun!  (Except for the spam commenters who keep trying to link my blog to naked pictures of D-list celebrities.)

But in the spirit of December, I have a wine suggestion for your holiday parties: Beaujolais Nouveau.

Image from www.pa-duboeuf.com

If you haven’t heard of Beaujolais Nouveau, let me give you the rundown.  It’s a very young French wine — more or less the just-crushed grapes from the new harvest.  Beaujolais Nouveau ferments for only a few weeks, and at its best, it’s a juicy, lively, drinkable red wine.  French vintners release their Nouveaus in November each year, and you’re meant to drink Nouveau before the New Year.  (Read: if you see a 2008 Beaujolais Nouveau for half off at the store, don’t be tempted!  You should only be buying the 2009s.)  This holiday season I’ve tasted several bottles of the most widely sold 2009 Beaujolais Nouveau, Georges Duboeuf, and I can recommend it enthusiastically.  It’s peppery, fruity, and just plain fun.

If you’re looking for an inexpensive party wine for the holidays, Beaujolais Nouveau is a great bet — the fact that it’s seasonal makes it a special treat, and you’ll rarely see a Nouveau selling for more than $12 a bottle.  And as a bonus, it’s not terribly high in alcohol (around 12%).

Happy holidays!

[Via http://petitechablis.wordpress.com]

Alpha Box & Dice

Justin Lane (the Alpha Box & Dice winemaker) has a reputation for being something different and that he does things his own way.  Their facility – including the cellar door is across the road from Maxwell Wines in  what I remember as the Manning Park cellar door and more recently Settlement Wines cellar door.  There has been an effort to clean up the site and make it reflect the Lane family philosophy.  The cellar door is not your new style with lots of polished wood and glass – here is all about character.  With Justin being a character and his wines showing a lot of character then it should follow that the cellar door has character.  There is also a view to setting up a courtyard area for BBQ’s etc.

The wines are very different in a positive way.  When I was offered a Dolcetto as the first wine to taste from his range, I was concerned as in my very limited experience with this variety it was sweet wine style.  How wrong I was!  The wines show an overall structure with selected fruit parcels (the emphasis is on sourcing the correct fruit to produce a style) with old oak maturation in specially sourced oak barrels plus some funky treatments to produce experience wines.

The cellar door is open weekends and I recommend this as a visit  

Dead Winemakers Society 2008 Dolcetto ($A20)

The Dolcetto grapes comes from a Scott Hicks Kupito vineyard and is aged in old 500L puncheons.  The wine is a pleasant surprise with distinct orange peel aromas.  The low tannic nature of the wine strikes you the moment it hits the palate with the orange peel nature continuing with some fennel overtones and a eucalypt finish (the vineyard is surrounded with gum trees).  Oak plays only a minimum part on the flavour profile and there is long acid finish that is complementary to the rest of the flavours.  The wine is very dry wine that would go well with complex slow cooked food or the citrus nature would appeal to the duck lovers out there.

Fog 2006 Nebbiolo Cabernet Tanant ($A30)

The wine is made up of 80% Nebbiolo from Blewitt Springs and aged in old 500L oak puncheons, 10% McLaren Vale Cabernet Sauvignon (aged in new french oak) and 10% Kupitto Tanant (also aged in new french oak).  The Nebbiolo had extended skins contact (4 weeks) and then a long time in barrel to ensure the different tannins to integrate.

The citrus characters continue on the nose - this time it is reminiscent of mandarin peel.  On the palate there is a fruit sweetness (though it is a dry wine) with lots of sour cherries.  There is a layering effect of tannins (grape tannins and oak tannins) probably assisted by the use of Tanant, fruit and citrus flavours, high volatile acid and high acids generally.  All of these components make this an enjoyable and complex wine.  Food matches would be the same as for the Dolcetta. 

Blood of Jupiter 2006 Sangiovese Cabernet ($A25)

The wine is made of 85% Sangiovese and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon – both from McLaren Vale.  The Sangiovese free run juice went straight into old oak pungeons and the Sangiovese pressings and the Cabernet Sauvignon went into new Burgundian Bariques and had extended time on the lees.

The nose showed the typical Sangivese earthy and peaty characters with distinct sour cherries.  These carry over onto the palate that has layers of fine tannins, oak char and fruit sweetness.  Again there is an almost viscous mouthfeel that is very pleasant.

Apostie 2008 Shiraz Durif ($A30)

The wine is made of 50% McLaren Vale Shiraz, 23% Barossa Shiraz and 27% Durif, that went into Burgundian Buriques of which 70% were new.  The first item of note for this wine is that it is 14.1% alcohol - the wine is neither a fruit or alcohol bomb.  The nose has elements of spice with red and black fruits – but is not typical of Shiraz I have drunk lately, it has a more refined and delicate.  The palate has lots of plums and layered tannins with a real lift due to the textural structure and wonderful acid.

Changing Lanes 2005 Tempranillo Cabernet ($A35)

An interesting mix of 50/50 blend of Margaret River Tempranillo with McLaren Vale Cabernet Sauvignon (from the Willunga foothills) – again the wine has seen Burgundian Bariques of which 70% were new.  Three years in oak and 1 year in bottle was required for Justin to be happy to release this wine.  Some Tempranillo funkyness came through on the nose.  On the palate was this fruit sweetness even though the wine would be considered dry.  Combining well with this fruitiness was layers of dry and dusty layers of tannins that was just starting to show some aged characteristics.  Another wine to buy and experieince a wine that is enjoyable but not main stream.

[Via http://lonelygrape.com.au]

Interesting and Unexpected Wine Region: Israel

In continuing with our previous theme of unexpected wine regions, and since Hanukkah is around the corner, I decided to look into producers of kosher wines in Israel.

To most of us, kosher means to just not mix milk and meat products. But kashrut [kosher] laws are concerned not with the content of the wine; after all, grapes, sugar, acidity, etc are kosher. They are concerned with who produces the wine and how it is produced. Did you know that a Sabbath observant rabbi must be involved in the entire process from planting and harvesting through bottling, in order for a wine to be considered kosher!

Merlot and Sirah are the specialties of biblical Israel, a fertile region with an increasing number of vineyards.

Israel Vineyards

To those of you that celebrate the festival of lights, Happy Hanukkah/Chanukah!

-Rocio

[Via http://rocioosborne.wordpress.com]

First Guest Post: My Authentic Self Speaks by Jeanne Litt

I love all of mankind. I wish you all a very happy Christmas.

What I love about us humans is that we keep going. We keep on living, (for the most part), we keep on having children and raising them the best we can.

We work hard and have our family’s needs at heart. We help others, give to the poor, volunteer, and write gazillions of blogs every day offering advice and the benefit of our wisdom. We share. We party together and eat together. Even the hermits among us are connected by the internet. We unite, we connect. We are social beings. We can say no to all the invitations to events we don’t want to attend. We can connect with just one other person and it can be electronically even, but we are still all one in our deepest core. We are the same dreams and cares and needs.

We love our heroes and we are all their virtues. We love to hate our villains and we are them too. We can love it all. Life goes on either way. We can love it all and be happy. Let’s each start being happy with who we are. After all, who else could be us?

Thank you Jeanne for your submission. We hope to have you back again.

Would you like to be a guest post writer? I invite you to submit a post. Write 1000 words or less on the topic – My Authentic Self Speaks. Posts will be selected by a panel of one, me. selected posts will be posted here. Be sure to include a link to your blog if you have one. Send submissions to ceriusdesignsATgmailDOTcom. (Change the AT and DOT to symbols.)

I’m looking forward to hearing from you.

[Via http://jbvadeboncoeur.info]

Oh Tanning Bed, Oh Tanning Bed!

Forgive me, readers, for I have sinned. It has been approximately four days since my last blog. I know that I have gone against your wishes and betrayed you by constantly promising to do better and blog more frequently, but again, I have failed you. For my Penance, I will drink a big glass of wine and tell you what’s been up with me in hopes that you will forgive me, yet again, by the end of this post.

OK… so now that that’s off my chest….

It’s been a long day – actually scratch that (yes I’m aware of this feature on WordPress, but it doesn’t fit my writing style, anyway…) – it’s been a long few weeks. This prospect has been absolutely draining me at work and this early Christmas shopping has absolutely drained my bank account. All that aside, I’ve been in a total funk. I was too anxious for the holidays too far in advance, and now my enthusiasm has plateaued. I’m so excited to go home and see my family and friends (that I haven’t seen since freakin’ July!) and open presents that I’m just ready for Christmas Eve to be here already. All I want to do is just stomp around and scream, “Are we there yet?!” until it’s 5:00 PM on the 23rd (ah… the pitiful Christmas break of the real world…). I’ve heard through the grapevine that this isn’t socially acceptable for “grown ups”, so instead I’m SOL sitting at my house throwing a pity party for myself. If it could just be the weekend already, because that’s when I’m actually headed to Tennessee, it still couldn’t come fast enough.

To make matters worse, my boyfriend has decided to make all of my presents surprises this year. I’ve been picking out my own Christmas presents for almost as long as I can remember because I REALLY HATE surprises… so this is like genuine torture for me. I begged and begged for a hint, and the only tidbit I ended up with was a “clue” for one of my stocking stuffers. And it’s not even a real clue. When my boyfriend was having shopper’s block looking for my present last week, I told him that he should get me some new perfume for my stocking since I was low on two of my staple fragrances – Armani Diamonds and SJP Lovely.

Instead of copping out on one of my go-tos, I told him to pick out a scent that he liked…. but the perfume part I still already knew. Anyway, after pleading endlessly with him, he finally agreed to disclose a “hint” for one of my presents. You know what he tells me? That the third letter of either the designer or the fragrance is the letter “R”. I knew he had been at Macy’s, so being the professional snoop that I am, I decided to look online to try and narrow it down. DO YOU HAVE ANY FUCKING IDEA HOW MANY FRAGRANCE DESIGNERS AT MACY’S HAVE THE THIRD LETTER “R”?!?!? I’m sure you don’t, so I’ll tell you.

1. Burberry
2. Carol’s Daughter
3. Carolina Herrera
4. Christian Audigier
5. Christian Dior
6. Harajuku Lovers
7. Marc Ecko
8. Marc Jacobs
9. Mariah Carey
10. Narciso Rodriguez
11. Paris Hilton
12. Perry Ellis
13. Sarah Jessica Parker
14. Vera Wang
15. Versace

FIFTEEN!! That doesn’t even count the fragrance names! How is that a clue?! Feels more like a riddle to me. Anyway, needless to say I’ve made no progress on my present discovery, and it’s stressing me out. He always does a wonderful job on my presents, so that has nothing to do with it (last year he bought me a Kate Spade Noel luggage set if that gives you any idea… can we say “best present ever”?!), it’s just the whole “surprise” aspect. I hate having to react to something unexpected on the spot… it’s too much pressure.

With all this stress and anxiety, I had to come up with something to mellow me out. Then I remembered – dun dun dun dun! – the tanning bed. Unfortunately for me, my genius idea of the portable tanning bed has not yet been brought to life, so for now, this means I still have to leave my house. Even though it took some effort on my part, i.e., making myself semi-presentable to the general public, I desperately needed that 12 minutes of bliss, and now I’m feeling much better (or maybe that’s the wine?). If only it didn’t cause a tiny raised mole of mildly dysplastic cells on my stomach that I had to get removed, I could go all day every day and truly be in heaven. I guess I’ll have to keep working on my good deeds until then. Sigh…

Oh well, wine is up! Time is up! I better be forgiven, or you should get coal in your stocking!

[Via http://ccbebe.wordpress.com]

Social Media Marketing Strategy for Wineries: People Will Listen if You Have Something Worth Saying

If You Build It, They Will Follow. Do not attempt Social Media Marketing without having a clear strategy in mind! There are many facets of good strategy: setting goals within Social Media; how to go about achieving goals, and what to offer in return for customer/potential customer interest and loyalty. This post is about offering something in return for interest, loyalty, and appreciation.

Blogging about, Tweeting about, and making Facebook posts about your latest wine deals etc. will not build your Social Media community. Yes, you should use these to your advantage within the space, but do it with some finesse and thought. Engagement is key. Get creative, listen to people, offer clever incentives to get people into your tasting room. Above all, have a very specific niche and stick with it.

Let me explain what I mean by ’specific niche’:

Without a consistent theme of your posts and Tweets, you will confuse people and lose their interest. The wrongful assumption is that you need to type up a blue streak about you you you. Telling people about the latest deals, a new vintage release, awards won etc. tends to interest people who are already a customer of your winery or shop more than potential clientele. The idea of Social Media Marketing is to extend your fan base, and get new people into your tasting room, while also engaging existing customers. I recommend creatively incorporating your wine deals and releases etc. into your well thought strategy.

Here are some examples of potential thematic niches that a wine shop or winery could adopt:

JoeShmoe Wine Cellars: Offering you excellent food and wine pairing ideas, for free!                                                               Seattle Wine Shop: Your source of information for the newest and most unique wines available in the area.                             Barbara Evans Winery: 101 wine tasting advice for the beginner enthusiast.

After coming up with this element of your strategy, i.e. what you can offer, stick with the plan. Gently and creatively incorporate your promos and events through this medium.

Please comment below and let me know what you think! I wish you luck and hope that this was helpful in your new or existing Social Media endeavors.

All Content Written By Seattle Wine Gal/ Barbara Evans

[Via http://barbaraevans.wordpress.com]

Mahalo, Hawaii

Corny I know but we’ve got so used to our daily Aloha and Mahalo whenever we do anything, it is sad to be leaving the politeness, wonderful service and cheeriness of America! I will however, not miss the Christmas carols, enough already.

Today we did some last minute things, watched the beach for a long long time, sat on our beautiful balcony and read while taking in Diamond Head and the sunset. I’ve started a new book, The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson. Anyone read it? It’s quite addictive. I’m still going with Cross Stitch but geez it is a slow love story…

Infinity pool at the Sheraton. Can you tell the difference between the pool and ocean?

Mid morning snack. A Dole banana. These are so good, so flavoursome.

At Adam’s request we went back to Cheesecake Factory for lunch. I think it is the fact that we have nothing like it back home (and it’s good value!) that we’ve been there 3 times on this holiday! Plus lunch was a good option for ample digestion before bed. I am so sick of going to bed full to the brim.

This time though I was a little more cautious (since googling the calorific value of my Fish Tacos …). This was the Weight Management Spicy Chicken Salad (yes that is the name of it), which they guarantee is under 590 calories (which I still reckon is pretty damn high for a salad but having been in America for 2 weeks and my jeans pretty much not fitting anymore, I’m now considering low-cal). So you know, still high for lunch in my books but better than the rest of the menu! I asked for the dressing on the side and didn’t use it. Hopefully I saved some cals there.

It was completely delicious! I wished it had avocado but really it didn’t need it. I didn’t eat the rice either (underneath the chicken) and left about 1/3rd of the chicken but ate all the greens, beans, salsa and veg. It was entirely humungous of course.

Adam ordered the Loads of Fun Burger. He wanted a burger from here all trip so last hoorah hey?

Gross hey? He didn’t eat a lot of the bread because it was totally drenched in butter. Eeewwww. Anyway, he said he enjoyed it so I guess that is good. Hopefully he doesn’t have a heart attack on the flight home. By the way, check out the size of my Club Soda. I put the pepper there so you had a guide.

 

And you get unlimited refills!

I got a new hat today, better late than never. I’ve been looking for a wide hat all trip. You’ve probably noticed I’ve been wearing my Nike running cap round the pool. Tres glam, I know but better than sunburn. I’ll use this in Sydney though, nice wide brim so no sunburn and wrinkles for me. Though I am looking a little pink…

Later in the afternoon, fruit craving. Hawaii pineapple for the last time. 

1/2 the pack eaten while sitting here.

 

Back at the room we had some Kendall Jackson SB that we got at ABC while we enjoyed our beautiful view.

Yum yum!

 

Great shot of Diamond Head.

Surfers by twilight.

 

No dinner tonight but I did snack on some Stacy’s pita chips (the last of our pack) and some Kashi crackers. Both these guys are addictive so maybe I’m happy we can’t get them at home!!!

We did have dessert though.

Back to my fave, Red Mango, for one last go. This time I had the new flavour Tangomonium (tropical) with blackberries. And we accidently stumbled upon The Honolulu Cookie Company who had free samples. This was bad. I don’t even like cookies but managed to eat about 2 cookies worth in choc covered samples!

Times 2. Now I feel sick. . Still, they were delicious! We are all packed and ready to go for our 9 hour flight tomorrow morning. Note that we had to buy an extra bag today (a lovely Hawaiian print number that was the cheapest we could find). We actually didn’t buy that much stuff but new sneaks take up lots of room as well as dirty washing. We need a washing machine asap!!! 2 weeks of gym clothes…

And so it is bye bye Hawaii and tomorrow hello beautiful Sydney, we lose a day (Wednesday). Hope you’ll come along for some more adventures? It seems it is only 1.5 weeks till Christmas!

5am wakeup call so better go. Night all.

[Via http://whatisforbreakfast.wordpress.com]

12 Days Before Christmas - Day 11

It is December 14, 2009 and 11 days before Christmas. If you recall we are counting down the days before Christmas with fingerfood recipes that pair well with Passaggio Unoaked Chardonnay. This recipe was in an earlier blog but I thought it appropriate to put out again. This is a fun one to make because my grandmother handed down the recipe with no measurements for the ingredients…you can do it.

Fried Baccala Patties. This was not the traditional Baccala dish, although Grandma made that one too for the Christmas Holidays. This was something made up ahead of time and ate whenever anyone came to visit.

Ingredients you will need:

Salted Cod Fish
eggs
dried breadcrumbs
parmesan cheese (dried)
salt
pepper
parsley (fresh and chopped)
olive oil

Soak the cod fish in water for a few days in the fridge – changing the water a couple times a day
Drain water and squeeze water from fish – grind fish with meat grinder
Add your eggs (usually one per pound), breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper, parsley
Make into patties about one to one and half inches thick
Fill frying pan with olive oil so that the patties are half-covered
Fry on both sides til golden brown – drain on paper towels

These make a wonderful seafood patty – hopefully you will enjoy them with your favorite white wine…I am thinking Passaggio Unoaked Chard for mine…

Oh, and by the way, Grandma always sat at the head of the table…

Cheers,

Passaggio Wines

[Via http://passaggiowines.wordpress.com]

The Making of a Great Retail Store or Restaurant: Store A and Store B (Case Study: Retail Store or Restaurant #2)

Retail stores can have many things in common but produces completely different results. This is very obvious when dealing with stores of a chain. People attribute the results to many different factors and praise or blame either store. This section of the case study compares two locations of a retail electronic stores in California. Both stores are in the same city and are of identical categories. Basically the two stores have the most in common but achieve different levels of sales in different categories. This study points out the Store B achieves sales in the top percentile, for that district, while Store A is at the very bottom for the same district. The sales mixture is not analyzed any further and the study focuses on the ‘back to the basics’ review of the two stores.

Back to basics is the philosophy that a good business is built on some fundamental and practical ideas and principles. These serve as guidelines for the operation of the business but the enterprise may find a new direction if economy or other factors provides as such. The problem with the changing of directions is once the economy or whatever guided this departure from ‘the basics’ turns the opposite direction, a business cannot always find its way around. The ‘back to basics’ philosophy recommends the business should return to the fundamental principles and ideas and stick to them to maintain the balance. If a new trend or change shows the way for another departure, the firm can depart on this path and reap the benefits, but otherwise one can find safety and stability within ‘the basics’ as long as the company was built on a sound foundation by knowledgeable people who understood and appreciated this industry.

Store A and Store B are both located on main streets. Store A is located in an uptown neighborhood at the corner of a residential street and a very high traffic street. Store B is located in a part-ethnic neighborhood on a street with extreme foot traffic. The location of Store A is great if the store was to be planned from a distant corporate office but as a practical location has a few shortcomings. The neighborhood is great, and the consumers are upper-middle class with good knowledge of electronics. They will also cater to stores within their own neighborhood. The hours of operations and days of operations are more than adequate to satisfy all potential consumers. The location on a very busy street has caused extreme problems. The cars pass by the store at high speeds and the visual location does not help for new business. Parking is out of question and except for the local customers who walk by many find parking in front a fire hydrant as the sole alternative on such busy and high traffic street. The location is good in a general sense but as a specific address has severe problems keeping guests from returning unless absolutely left without alternatives. Store A is inaccessible for all practical purposes. Store B is in a very good neighborhood where a large number of East Asian citizens reside. The entire street for about 7 to 8 blocks functions as an outdoor market. Both sides of the street are lined up with shops of supermarket size to the smallest. The local population is a mixture of any citizen class and the dominant neighborhood population. This population practice window shopping and occasional shopping by walking the street in various directions. The result is Store B may have 500 to 1000 walkby citizens passing its front door. Parking is available on the street and the side streets so Store B is as accessible as a small retail store would wish to be.

Store A has huge signs that can be illuminated at night and Store B uses a standard small sign sticking at a right angle against the building. Store B sign is visible during the day though small to be seen beyond one block. Store A sign is very visible but hardly useful during the day. One sign is on the side street which is seen by few people though very prominent and sharp looking. The other sign is on the main street and is large enough for the fast cars going by but also has a tree in the way blocking part of the view. Store A sign is mostly black with little white and red as part of the company logo and is hardly seen at night. Store B sign is very visible at night but does not get attention because the company name is white letters and the background is black. There are no significant bright color presences to grab attention and remind each viewer what store they are looking at. The signage and exterior do the least for both locations in terms of helping to find new business or attracting casual customers. Store B has large walls on both street sides which are painted white and need to be repainted to get attention. Many retail stores hire cheap local artists to draw scenery or drawings of what is sold on the exterior walls. The exterior drawings are extremely good reminders of the store because they are very big and individualized. They never turn boring. A cheap and interesting painting i.e. a neighborhood skyline and people walking or walking their dogs will make the store location immensely remembered compared to the plain white walls with huge black signs with huge white letterings. Store B has no walls and only has a windowed storefront to the street. Store B is not hidden but is not exactly screaming for attention either.

Store A and Store B can benefit from a little help on the outside to bring customers in. Since economy does not allow for alternation of signage and the related expenses, that option remains indefinitely postponed. The painting of Store A wall can do great deal of good. The objective of ‘detail improvement’ is not to turn the entire business around, though it can and may happen, but to make slight improvements. The idea builds on the Japanese practice of Kaisen (or Kaizen) which means ‘gradual improvement.’ This means making little improvements on regular basis to bring dramatic change in the long run. The painting of the wall is a good project for one month and will bring a few more customers once the wall is painted. It is not intended to turn all numbers around. Other improvements can be made in all areas inside and outside. One easy solution is the continued usage of standup signs, which every store owns, on the outside. These signs get some attention. A better approach will be to use a blackboard sign and write details of that day’s sales or offerings. A blackboard sign will bring a few browsers in daily and for Store A that writes less than 100 tickets daily, even 10 small purchases mean a 10% daily increase in ticket count. Retail principles teach us as the ticket count goes up, the probability of larger purchases increases. If 10 small purchases happen, one of them may be a decent purchase by numbers rules. Store B has a special advantage by being in a mixed ethnic neighborhood. The blackboard can have sales information in native language(s) speaking closely to the local niche. Again a few small purchases will make larger ones possible. Another major improvement that is common with independent and mom-and-pop stores but is not always followed by chain stores is a neon OPEN sign. Small and independent stores always have bright OPEN signs mostly because they really need to be seen and cannot afford to lose any customer because their location may appear as possibly closed because of lack of customers. Chain stores do not care because everyone knows if a large company paid to build a store somewhere then it is open. The signage of the corporation imply being open within normal business hours. The addition of a neon OPEN sign will help both stores greatly. Store A needs to be seen in a flash by fast moving cars and also get attention. The exterior of the building hide most of the interior except for two small windows and mistaking the place for CLOSED. Store B is not exactly hidden but has small front facade to be seen and a neon OPEN sign will help greatly.

The signage is a universal communication tool. The people who see the signs perceive them as having specific meanings to them. Neon OPEN sign implies the ownership insist they are inside and want to speak to you about your business needs. OPEN invites browsers and people who have questions. They work as subliminal tools instructing the passerbys it is okay to open the door (if closed) and walk in, look around, browse, ask questions and leave without buying anything. Browsers can be a great help for the retail stores. They are not only potential buyers or future buyers but also attract others to enter and visit the store. Store A and Store B can benefit from another window signage which may not work for a similar store in another location such as mall. In some locations, customers will browse no matter what the local business culture but Store A and B need to help people explore their stores. A neon Welcome sign is used by small independent service places. This sign implies walk-in business is welcome which is great for both Store A and B. Store A does have another resource for customers besides the traveling people in cars, and the local neighborhood. The street has a good number of tourists walking by. A neon welcome sign invites tourists to browse. Tourists are not necessarily buyers but are definitely browsers and take their time. They make small or luxury purchases and explore all displays. Good product displays will ensure possible return of the same tourists to buy in near future for Store A. Store B will benefit by an English and another language welcome sign (or symbol or whatever) so browsers are attracted. A welcome sign also implies a friendly culture. People who have not been to a store are given a strong word for the attitude of the ownership toward them, as strangers walking in for any reason, by welcoming them. The staff must be able to welcome and appreciate the walk-ins as guests or the welcome will clash with the store culture. In short, the signage must be agreeable with the store culture. A welcome sign for a store known for unfriendly staff will irritate people. An OPEN sign for a store that provides poor customer service will annoy people. The store culture must support the signage. Each of these signs of painting the exterior walls, blackboard exterior sign, OPEN sign and Welcome sign will help people remember the location and bring a few people in. If the store culture supports the openness, the welcoming of its facade and has products and services as exciting as its blackboard sign claims, it will make customers who will return. It will also not lose the customers.

The interior of Store A and Store B are decorated and arranged according to the corporate instructions. Signs, props and displays are provided and setup according to specific corporate instructions. Product displays are also done by corporate guidelines. Store B is about the size of an average Starbucks thus not large but not too small. Store A was originally a residential house which was converted to a fancy French restaurant before becoming a retail store. The shape is square and the interiors are quite large. This provides for ample wall space for product displays but also makes the store without a center. A small store, such as Store B, puts the customers within close proximity of everything in the store. The customer can browse the store easily and see everything from almost one spot and several customers can be watched or helped with one staff member by the spacing arrangement. Store A is large so the customer can get basically lost. The only way to browse is literally walking the interior perimeter wall and checking things. What is on display at another part of the store is too far and staff member(s) are within shouting distance. The low number of customers results in lack of problems but if the store is busy, one will need to search for help. A person cannot automatically browse everything by visiting the store and maybe find something. The space is too big and discouraging to browse. That is a big point for making good displays. Some retail electronics can be made to function and draw attention. Store B has a good grab on each customer and can get the business done efficiently upon the visit. Store A needs to provide help to find things and browsing is limited to one section or nothing. Store B needs to make most of its displays to get attention. Whatever can be made to work in displays must work. People are attracted to TV screens and smaller devices. Nobody reads any of the printed advertisements and props in a store unless that is what they are looking for. They browse and look at the products. The displays must be made as if made for a very important and snooty person to honor us by reviewing them. Customers can tell quickly if the store cares for them to visit or is doing the minimum. The customer likes to be treated as important and displays do this job in a flash. Displays must be full and priced. Price tags will help sell more products and bring more customers back than all the fancy props and printed signage. Customers really appreciate an honest dollar figure for what is on display versus asking for help to get a price. They don’t like to ask for price, for obvious reasons, unless absolutely want think to buy something.

Store B does not need a center. Since the size puts the customer and the staff within very close proximity of all the walls and displays, a person is the center of the store where they are standing. Store A needs a center because one is lost in the space. The present center is the counter. The staff gravitate to the counter because it is the best point to help those paying and leaving, answer the phone and greet the door. That can be an advantage. Each customer that comes in may do some browsing which presently is not done. The counter is the center of the store and can be a good selling and browsing spot. The glass display counters must be filled to the capacity. I counted Store B and they had more than 70 items on display (out of the boxes or packaging) and whatever could work was on and working. Store A has less than 20 items none of which work and most of which are in their original packaging and boxes. Store A needs to change glass displays to be filled with products and let them function. Customers will browse the glass displays no matter what. They are trained to know the better items or more interesting items are on display. They habitually look. They also look to look over an item in the display, read the tags, compare to the ones next to, ask a question, ask to see to hold and finally ask to see it at work. This maybe a lot of work but is a big part of the sales process. The customer volunteers to go through several steps of the sales process on one’s own and many browsers turn customers after a few minutes of this activity. These displays can add another 10 tickets daily and the tickets are not small. The displays maybe hard to setup, price and maintain but are a must for a healthy business.

Another area that can be used is the behind the counter walls. Since the center of the store is the counter, customers will have to spend time there and will browse things. The back wall can be a valuable space for what is interesting or often sold. It also has another use for both Store A and Store B. Many people walk in looking for a certain item that is popular or often needed or what the store wants to promote. These items may have their regular spots in the store but it pays to have a few on the backwall. The staff can help many customers without walking the distances of the store to the walls by putting the product in front of the customer and telling them right there. This makes the staff eager to promote and sell such items because they can be shown to whomever arrives at the center. Store A is a larger than usual store but the counter area is average is size and the backwall together with the glass displays can hold 150 to 200 items that count if even one is sold. These items at this location force all visitors to browse some of them and can be easily demonstrated and many will sell by themselves by being at the right place at the right time. Displays, proper positioning of top items and pricing all items will help make the most of many sales opportunities. Store B needs to fill displays and price them and the floor size and format will do much of the work for them. Store A has to concentrate on the center of the store to make browsing and demonstrating possible. Both stores must not only put everything on display (and make them look great) but price every item adequately.

The physical state of the exterior and the interior of a retail store can have a great deal to add to what the store offers. In a poor economy, each customer is valued greatly and not losing a customer is valued as much as (if not more) than making attempts to make large sales at the cost of losing other (small) customers. A practical and successful approach for not losing the business of any customer has been the ‘back to basics’ philosophy. This approach requires sticking to the fundamentals of the retail business and following them closely. Store A and Store B have inherent problems that can be costly to fix and fall short of being perfect. It is however possible to improve both stores slowly in several detail areas and ensure minimum loss of existing customers. The exterior of the stores can use a few modifications to make the stores easier to recognize and remember. An inviting exterior also brings browsers in who are by nature potential customers today or in the future. The proper interior will guide the browsers to explore the store and if nothing is bought today, the same person will remember the store later for what is of value to them in the future. A significant effort to improve the browsing, demonstrating and sales interaction (such as using the counter area as the center of the store) can involve the visitors in a large number of product interactions with potential sales today or in the future. The stores obviously can benefit from more improvements but Kaizen teaches us to make small improvements regularly and expect large improvements in results in the long run. The previous improvements should produce (collectively and over the long run) huge results compared to doing the same thing done today and making no improvements.

*This post belongs to this week’s edition of Wine by Cush Magazine blog and published early in World of Cush also.

[Via http://worldofcush.wordpress.com]