Wine: French Wines via Kermit Lynch

This little distributor out of California gave us a great tour of French wines tonight. Liz Farley gave a great presentation, and I liked a lot of these affordable wines. Learned a new wine term: "winejail" which means wines opened in a room with none in the glasses. Ha!

Domaine du Salvard 2008 Cheverny $14
"If it grows together, it goes together!" Great for vegetarians, pungeant smell, reminds me of goat cheeses. Good with lemony foods. ***

Domaine Maestracci 2008 'E Prove' Blanc $16
Wines made at a higher elevation, has a seafood type smell/aroma to it, would go well with shellfish. Not my thing. *

Domaine Meyer-Fonne 2004 Riesling 'Pfoeller' $30
This would be a great Thanksgiving wine! Sweet and has a great nose. Soft. Easy to drink. Good with turkey, obviously. ****

Chateau St. Martin de la Gattigue 2007 Tradition Rouge $12
Had a sour smell, a slight bite to it, with some mild tannins. Has a sour smell and would go well with wild game and grilled fish (not BOTH!). Has a background taste of earthiness, thyme and rosemary. *** 1/2

Clos la Coutale 2008 Cahors $13
This wine is great for BBQ's! He told us this wine is rare for France, and is a great joy to get if you can. It's a Malbec wine, from the SW of France. Made from DARK skinned grapes with great tannins. *** 1/2

Domaine du Vieux Telegraphe 2007 'Telegramme' Chateauneuf-du-Pape Rouge $35
Wine made from the Pope's former resident in France in year 1300. Had a strong body, soft tannins, herbal finess with a nice smell. Has 15% alcohol! Good with grilled lamb or other atypical farmstock. ***

WINE KEY

Running

Running
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Six miles is better than none I suppose

Day of Shopping

Had a really great time today/yesterday doing a little outlet shopping as I visited my grandma, Deb and mother. Hit up Banana Republic, JCrew, Gap, Nautica & Tommy Hilfiger. My goal was to get some new shorts for the Spring/Summer, and I went prepared. And I did pretty decent, but I have more to do. I might hit up another couple stores today. Ended up with a bunch of really nice clothes, and I can't wait wear them out and about...

Myriad of cooking

0327001228_0001.jpg
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Fresh rolls for tonight's dinner party. I think I'm addicted to this bread machine... been going since about 6pm last night until 10am this morning...

Cooking for tonight

Tonight's dinner will be accompanied by my strawberry cheesecake and freshly baked rolls. MmmMm...

Survivor Marathon Part Deux

Pizza & Wings from Pizza Stop & Menezes....

Decided to make homemade pretzels at the last minute..!

Working on them....

Got them folded...!

Cooked!

Josh made home made oreo cookie ice cream...

And Survivor night (4 eps) was a complete success. Jake, Rach, Marni, Jude, Seth, Kelly, Josh, Scott and Rik! And me!

Health Care is here...

A great day for America.

Dinner for one

Dinner for one
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The UR job talk was amazing. The casual pre reception delicious. And now the dinner is fantastic.

Wine Tasting

Wine Tasting
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I may be doing too many tastings. Hehe!

Uncle Bill's 80th Birthday Party

Uncle Bill's 80th Birthday

Uncle Bill's 80th Birthday
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Totally intoxicated already at this really posh party. Open bar and delicious appetizers. Not that I'm eating but It's a good thought.

Chasing down some dreams of mine

I went for a run at lunch time outside. Was wonderful. Really refreshing to have the sun on my skin as I ran four miles. I'm enjoying this 63 degree weather.. even if it'll be in the 40s next week.

Had a great game night last night. A ton of people over. Scott brought peanuts in the shell.. which meant a huge mess to clean up after the night was over. Played a lot of fun games, and won one too. Had a good time.

Weekend is going to be very busy. I'm helping family on Saturday, playing Descent Saturday afternoon, traveling Saturday night, then an all day party on Sunday, and back to the grind next week at work.

Some VERY interesting developments in my life at the moment. You should talk to me in person to inquire about the specific details. Makes me pleased for my future.. and what may be coming in the months ahead. Cannot go into specifics here.

Been sleeping a little better. Trying to get at least 7 hours of sleep a night. Failed last night, as I went to bed around 3am. Had to run to the store to get food too for work, even though half of everyone is on vacation. Oh well.

I've had a lot in my life as of late to smile about. Things are headed in a great direction, even if some aspects are increasingly frustrating. But I am taking charge, and doing what I think is in my best interests, and I'm happy in that regard. Happier than I've ever been.

Life has been exciting these last few months for me. I look forward to 2010 more and more.

Fourteen Hundred Percent

Welcome, Spring. So entirely happy the warmth is coming.

Strawberry Pecan Salad

Strawberry Pecan Salad
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Made an amazing salad tonight. I even candied the pecans. Made a chicken roast with mixed vegetables and brussel sprouts. So very good. Have a lot left over, too!

Pecan Pumpkin Pie

Pecan Pumpkin Pie (cooked)
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Finished up the pie this morning for dinner tonight. Gonna be delish. . .

Gorgeous Day

So I've been on an organizational kick. One of those things I've been meaning to do for years... probably a decade or more, but just never got around to it. Everyone has a junk drawer.. but I have a junk kitchen. Or at least, I did. My closets, drawers, cupboards and everything.. are super organized now, even the flour/sugar stuff in my baking cupboard are now organized in clear containers with labels. My closets all have bins with designated spots for everything, and it feels like if I need something, I can grab it quick without thinking "Where did I put that?" It might seem really simplistic.. but hey, this is a big step. It feels like I'm actually using my space wisely.. even though I have so very much of it. And I can be happy if someone opens up something looking for an item and they can just intuitively find it.

The weather has been insanely gorgeous as of late. When I visited D.C., it was a preview of how nice the days could be. Little did I know a week later, we're having 60 degree days in Rochester! I'm not wearing a coat to/from work, my trips to the gym during lunch have been bliss, I've been keeping my window open during the day... it's just bliss. I cannot wait until the Spring officially arrives.

Jake and I finally finished our game.. and he ended up picking up a new one we've tried.. Resident Evil 5. Co-op game.. shooting.. zombies... typical fun that he and I have. We've played a couple times in the past week.. and it's a pleasure spending time with him one on one. We've both been extremely busy the last few months and I need to make an effort to keep in touch with him... especially if I pursue new options in my life in the coming year. He did once tell me that it would all be on me to keep the friendship going if I moved away. And he said the other day that if I do move.. that I have to visit. Aww. ;)

My grandmother has been pretty sick the last 2 weeks. I had planned to bring her food last weekend for dinner.. just because.. but was asked not to stop down because of her condition. Hoping she's feeling better.. and that I get to see her soon. I enjoy spending time with her.. even if it's only once a month or so.

I've decided to start pushing myself in regard to running. I read 3 running magazines and wrote down a bunch of tips. One of the easiest things they recommend is to do sprints in the middle of your typical run. I run right around 4 miles every day.. with longer runs on Sunday. So I've been running on the indoor track at the gym, and every 4th lap has been a highspeed sprint. The first 3 were rough... but once I hit the 4th and on (up to the 8th one), it just got so much easier.. and the body adjusts to the challenge and ups your entire base speed over time. Hey, I could use some speed. I comfortably run about 7.5 miles an hour... and I'd like to increase it to 8.5. Not easy.. I can run it.. but I am exhausted by the end of my 30 minutes. We shall see. I will keep at it. I may run a race on Saturday morning.. if it's not pouring. It's a 5miler... easy.

After my plans with grandma fell through, I rescheduled and met up with my sister Molly for dinner. Also.. I need to stop referring to her to people as my "other sister" as it is drawing parallels to the movie "The Other Sister." But Molly and I met up at Unos Pizzaria and had a very lovely 90 minute dinner chat... catching up on our lives. I don't get to see Molly too often.. and I'm going to change that. I love my sisters so much... and need to make time for them. But our waiter was obnoxious... parking was a nightmare.. and the food was blah. But hey! It's not about that. I had fun. And Molly and I plan to meet up more often. We also hit up Target after for an hour long shopping excursion. I had to get a bunch of supplies.. buy a present for Laura... and a couple other things. Plus, we had fun daydreaming about some of the great furniture and sheets and blah blah blah. Had a bunch of fun. But we split ways and I headed home. Bags in hand.

So I've been having a bit of trouble with my eating habits as of late. All my travel recently has messed up my routine. Not necessarily breaking my low carb lifestyle (which it is.. I'm not stopping it.. ever), but just REALLY going to the extreme. Not to get too detailed.. but I used to treat myself to peanut butter and nuts as a one-off snack a couple times a week. Well, several days in a row, they became meals in and of themselves... and it came to a head after my trip to DC when I bought almond butter.. and finished it in 2 days. And then finished a jar of PB in 2 days. Yeah. Not good. I had some pretty harsh GI issues over the next 30 hours.. and vowed to avoid all PB and nuts over the next week. Well, I tried, and didn't succeed... but I did a lot better.. and I will get a LOT better in the coming days. I'm only sharing it here.. because if I state it publicly, I will actually do it. Thanks. I'm adding back in tons of vegetables.. daily salads... meat has re-entered my diet.. and I'm drinking WATER... and less soda. Yay. I want to lose a couple more pounds.. and then switch to maintenance.

I have been having extreme insomnia the past 2 weeks. I've been going to bed at 2am every day (if not later) and getting up for work at 7am. It's... sucked. I mean, I know why I'm doing it.. and that I could probably pretty easily stop it and return to my routine.. but I've liked having the extra time in the day... but the DRAG in the morning has sucked. I've gotten myself some HIGH caffeine Irish tea, and have been really indulging in that in the morning. But as much as I say I need more sleep.. I think this is now day 9 in a row where I have had 5 or so hours of sleep. I'm going to crash soon. I need a swift kick in the bed... or at least tied down and forced to sleep. But my body likes getting up... and moving.. I'm a very active person now... I just like staying up late too. Not good. So not good, that when I got home last night around midnight, I stayed up another THREE hours to make that cheesecake and casserole. How? HOW?!

OK, enough for now. I just had a few thoughts to get out. Bye!

A day for the Irish

St. Patrick's Day came a couple days early... I made my annual casserole and cheesecake. (At 3am.. but that's besides the point.) Coworkers.... LOVE it. So much so that Donna ate the cheesecake before I got to take a picture! Now that's love... lol

before - after

BEFORE





AFTER

it's been a long road.. but i'm happy with the results.. under 195 baby.. and never going back

Local Improv

Local Improv
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Watching and laughing at the Broken Couch local improv group. Funny stuff.

The sun is out!

The sun is out!
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Driving around with the roof open and enjoying a lovely Saturday.

You're the one I've decided

This may be my official song of Spring...

Living it to the fullest...

I headed to D.C. this weekend to spend time with Laura and Luke. I was really nervous about the weather, but I packed anyway, did my laundry and got ready with supplies just in case. Was pretty sure it wasn't going to happen, but I got up early, watched the weather channel, decided it was worth it, and went for it. Got out the door by 7am, and on the road with few problems. It wasn't ideal driving weather, but I missed the huge onslaught that his Rochester, and ended up safe and sound.

It was plenty sunny and warm (ish) down there in Alexandria, and Laura and I went for a walk in the early afternoon along the river, enjoying some time with Sean, and just catching up on our lives. It's the mark of a good friendship when you can go without talking for months and pick things up as if nothing has changed. Luke O. makes his own wine, and we had a delicious homemade chili, wine and yummy nutty salad for dinner. I got a bit tipsy, enjoyed watching tv in my pjs, and got in bed after a very long day of travel and mixed emotions.

Laura decided she might want to start running a couple days a week, so her and I hit the road in her housing development first thing in the morning before starting our day. After we got back, Luke O. had made us blueberry pancakes, bacon and fresh coffee. Was a wonderful way to start the day, and soon after, we got ready and on the road to Potomac Mills for a day of mixed Outlet/Mall shopping. We found several wonderful deals at Calvin Klein, I got a couple really nice Banana Republic tops, and ended the day with 7 bags in hand. Even had a quick snack at McDonalds in the food court! It's been forever and a day since I had McD.

We got back in time for Laura's parent to come on over and visit with Sean (and me) before we headed out to dinner with them to a cool Bosnian restaurant. The food was very good, and they recommended a specific dish for me. I enjoyed it very much, even though I was chilled to the bone for some reason. I got to catch up with Laura's dad, who gave me some advice about seeking a new career. We chatted about my alma mater (which is also his), and the evening ended on a really high note.

On Monday, after a morning run (a little warmer than the previous day), I headed to Laura's work to spend the midday in her classroom. I'm not a whole heck of a lot of help, but I very much enjoy interacting with her kids and doing what I can to play with them and sing with them. I had a lot of fun, before Laura and I headed out to lunch at a neat little Indian Food restaurant, and a little shopping at Trader Joes. Had a ton of fun all day long, headed back to the house to say my goodbyes, and got on the road by 5pm. It was a VERY long drive home, partly because I took 2 wrong turns, and almost fell asleep at the wheel, but I got home safe... and I think I'm done for awhile driving so long. But I'm headed back to DC in June, so it won't be too long to see little man (Sean) again!

Thanks so much Laura for a wonderful weekend. :)

Making chocolate chip cookies in preschool

Making chocolate chip cookies in preschool
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I definitely think I came on the right day to Ms. Laura's classroom! They smell great!