Luckily this will be a short work week for me...

Why? I'm heading to none other than Walla Walla, Washington.

Sounds like a funny place, right? Well, there will be much serious business to attend to. That's because I'm traveling to this oddly named wine country to attend the 2010 Wine Bloggers Conference.

I have to admit, I'm a bit nervous about getting on a plane, traveling across the U.S., and leaving my wife and wine at home. I don't know what to expect but I'm hoping that I get to try a lot of wine (both good and bad), meet some cool new winos, and have an overall awesome time.

I wonder what the weather is like in Walla Walla right now?

I'll make sure to share more details... but in the meantime, happy sippin'!

Cheers!

There are five words you should always remember. These five words will help you get through almost any challenge. Just reminding yourself of this simple phrase is calming, reassuring, and uplifting all at the same time...

"...these things come and go"

I recently learned about the importance of this simple phrase while studying some of the ways by which many pro golfers help get themselves through a bad streak of play otherwise known as the "shanks". Instead of getting down on themselves, throwing clubs, cursing, and otherwise acting like morons, this phrase gently reminds them about one important rule: people are inherently good. Just because the outcome of our actions doesn't turn out the way we hoped, doesn't mean that there weren't good intentions to produce the desired results. It just means that things didn't turn out the way we hoped. After all, that's life. Whether good or bad, intentional or indifferent, ..."These things come and go"

As I am writing this I realize I should throw in a word of caution. Don't read too far into what I am saying. I'm not sharing this with you because something has gone wrong with the news I announced in my last post. Instead, I figured I would share this concept with you since I have been spending a lot of time thinking about how this phrase applies to wine, hobbies, life.... etc.

When I first started drinking wine, like many other people living in the U.S., I fell in love with CA Cabs. Then I tried some pretty cool Zinfandel, Chardonnay, and even, dare I say it, Merlot! Yes, there are many bottles of Merlot that I really love. It's not all love when it comes to drinking wine. Sometimes I get bored with one of my old favorites. Sometimes I go back one of them and think to myself "what were you thinking, this tastes nowhere near how I remembered it". Sometimes I just shut up and drink merely to enjoy whatever my glass has to offer.

Feeling somewhat unmotivated by my wine cellar, I try something different. That's why today I opened a bottle of Zantho Gruner Veltliner. For someone new to the world of wine, "different" would be an understatement when it comes to this Austrian grape. It tastes like a lot of other things, yet completely different from them all. If you're bored and looking for something new, you owe it to yourself to try this grape. You may not like it... you may absolutely love it... but whatever you experience on your tongue or via any other senses during this journey we call life, don't forget to tell yourself...

"...these things come and go"

...so go out and enjoy them all before they are all gone!

Cheers!

It's funny how some things in life change...

Although it was only three years ago, it feels as distant as a past life. I stood over the stove anxiously preparing one of the few dishes I knew how to make. Let me just start by saying that my spaghetti and meat sauce is by far quite unimpressive. That didn't stop me. I was hoping that the love I put into it would make up for the fact that it was made from Ragu and nothing that could be considered as prepared from scratch.

Before crafting this half-assed meal, I talked a lot of trash. After all, this was my "signature dish", "known worldwide", and like nothing else anyone has ever tasted. The truth was much more modest. To make my signature dish, I would brown some ground meat, stir in some Ragu, and pour the mixture over boiled spaghetti. I've been told before that I don't know how to cook... I just know how to heat things up. Well, if there was ever a dish that fell into the "heat things up" category, this was it.

Sometimes you just know...

Ever have that feeling? You know, the one that tells you that everything is going to be okay... or the one that tells you that something just feels right? Well, the second Sheila tasted my "signature dish", looked up at me, and smiled, I knew that she was the one and only woman for me. It wasn't long before we were married. I'd like to thank my spaghetti and meat sauce for helping me realize what was in front of me. I'd like to thank this simple dish for helping me find one of the most difficult things in this world... true love.

Tonight, Sheila asked me to make this dish for her. I thought about it for a second, smiled, and gladly accepted the challenge. While a lot has changed since that first time we enjoyed the same dish, one thing remains the same: I love her as much as the day we first met.

To celebrate the moment, I opened a bottle of Bivio Tuscan Red. The wine went well with the mild yet meaty pasta. A great solution to the everyday drinker question of "what should I open tonight?" This has become a much more difficult question for me to answer. After all, Sheila may be eating for two, but I am drinking for two.

Cheers!

Anyone who knows me will agree... I am anything but a snobby "connoisseur". I've had people call me a "wine expert" but that just makes me uncomfortable and quite honestly, it's NOT true! I may know a thing or two from my experiences in the world of wine and the places I've visited, but I would NEVER profess to be an "expert" or a "connoisseur". I just know what I like. That's it. If that makes me an expert, then guess what, you can easily be one too. To that point, I would have to say that if anyone else out there professes to know everything about wine, you probably should put them to the test before you take their word. Chances are, they're full of crap!

When it comes to food, it's the same story. Heck, I probably know more about wine than food despite the fact that I've been stuffing my face before I even had the ability to do so using my own motor skills. I love food... probably as much as I love wine.... but that doesn't mean I am a connoisseur. It just means that I like to ENJOY the things in life that awaken my sense of smell, taste, and buzz.

That's why I am not scared to share a secret of the culinary world that most foodies would probably gasp at. If you live on the west coast, you probably have experienced it for yourself. Those of us on the east coast have to wait patiently for our chance to voyage westward to enjoy the fruit of this dining establishment otherwise known as "In n Out."

Yep, I said it. Anytime I hit the west coast, my first plan of attack is to find one of these greesejoints and stuff my face with a double-double animal style burger, accompanied by a basket of fries, and a rich chocolate shake. While I admit that this meal will ultimately take off valuable years from my life, I don't care. Like a lemming with a bad case of the munchies, I eagerly jump off the cliffs of snobby culinary cuisine and indulge myself in the bottomless pit of fat and cholesterol.

As with my wine... I eat what I like and like what I eat!

What else could be more important?

Cheers!

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