Thoughts for Thursday - This is Tucker and other news

Everyone has been asking to see a picture of Tucker and here he is! As you can see, he probably needs to go to the groomer's. I'm not sure he's ever been, so we might do that tomorrow or sometime next week. Right now we're working on potty training, sleeping through the night without whining and what he's allowed to chew.

Potty training is actually going very well. Sunday evening and Monday he had a few issues with peeing and pooping on the carpet or bathroom floor. Fortunately, Weyrd got some good suggestions and Tucker had no indoor incidents on Tuesday or Wednesday!

Tucker is also learning to sleep through the night without whining. Sunday night he whined all night and Weyrd got very little sleep. Having a new puppy and not sleeping much the first night, in combination with Weyrd's new multivitamins led to a few days of feeling queasy and wondering if a puppy was a good idea (this leads to loss of appetite and weight loss on Weyrd's part which isn't so bad). However, the multivitamins have been discontinued (yesterday) and Tucker hardly made a peep last night, so Weyrd is feeling much better about puppy ownership today.

By the way, things that work are using the dog crate (it's cozy and ultimately calming) and wearing an old t-shirt and then putting it in the crate with him. We're now working on leaving him in the crate for a few hours during the day to build up to 9 hours or so by day. I'll probably get a kennel at some point in the next week. A neighbor has two dogs that are a bit bigger than Tucker and they are very good with being in their kennels while she's at work. She says dogs sleep alot more than people think (until they own one) and with a kennel there's room to get up and move around and play with small toys. With a portable kennel, I can put him in the living room where he can look outside and also watch Animal Planet (another friend does that with her dogs).

Chewing is another issue. The vet's dog trainer said to keep him on his leash during times outside of the crate so I can control where he goes and what he does. Unfortunately he likes to chew the leash, so I may get a lightweight chain for that purpose. He's also more comfortable with me, so he thinks I might be a giant chew toy...um...No Tucker! Right now he has a nubby ball, a rope with two knots, a chicken liver flavored rubber bone and for the crate he has a buddy to lay on that has a tail for chewing. He also has two towels (one in the living room and one in the crate) and my old t-shirt. So that's the news about Tucker for now.

In other news, I finally got a reasonable explanation regarding the job situation. The gal in charge of the whole department is dealing with several new people and attempting to NOT tell them how to do their jobs. First she has a new HR director (and last year the district got a new Finance Officer) so they didn't know what to do regarding paying me hourly and had to meet and draw up proposals. Now all of this would be moot, if the gal she hired to be our department coordinator would just hire me on a regular salary contract. That's the gal who is working on "forming a team" and she feels uncomfortable pulling the trigger until she has a pool of applicants to match up together by areas of expertise. Unfortunately for her, no one is applying for the other position, so the gal I've been talking with said at some point she thinks they'll convert me from hourly to salary but she wants her new coordinator to come to that conclusion on her own (so as to empower her).

And actually as I have mentioned before, I prefer the hourly independent contractor pay (a 1099 contract), if the pay is the same as what I got last year. Because, the annual amount for full time is slightly more pay than I would get with the value of salary and benefits combined. The only issue with being on an hourly contract is that it's less certain long term and I'm not sure what they would do regarding raises if they kept me on a 1099. If they decide to keep me on a 1099 contract, I will set up an additional retirement plan for the self-employed to sock away more money than I can with just my Roth IRA. That's the news for now. When I have a signed contract of some sort, I'll provide an update!

Wednesday's Wine - Rosemont Shiraz, 2005 Diamond Label

So while I was in Texas, I visited with my mom and tried 3 different white wines (and a sparkling white wine that was served at a "Champagne" Brunch on the last day of my visit there). While at my brother's house, I picked up a bottle of Rosemont Shiraz, 2005 from Rosemont Estate's Diamond Label. In Texas, groceries stores have wine departments and the local H.E.B. (or Heeeeb as I call it) has quite a collection of low cost tasty wines. This one was on sale for $9.50. It took me 4 dinners to drink this wine (I was nephew sitting, ya know). So I had it with pizza, mac-n-cheese, burrito's, and turkey hamburgers.

Based in South Eastern Australia, I used to consider Rosemont the standard bearer for Shiraz. In fact, the first bottle I had a few years ago seemed awesome and I finally understood what the phrase "big fruit" meant. Several Shiraz's later and years later, this Shiraz was good, but not the experience I remembered. The bottle is different too, so it's possible that this Shiraz is not from the same vines as the first one. Nevertheless, I enjoyed it. I found it smooth at first with a nice fruit flavor that was slightly berry like. On the finish there was a slight burn of alcohol. I found it to be bold, but without the "big fruit" sensation of berries popping in my mouth that I recalled from my first bottle of Rosemont Shiraz.

Here's what Rosemont Estates said about their Diamond Label Shiraz:

Richly textured with well defined, ripe blackberry fruit flavours, soft generous tannins on the mid-palate and a long rich finish. Try with lamb, pasta, antipasto, osso bucco.

Enjoy!

Tuesday's Time Waster - Housebreaking a Puppy

Make My Monday was to be about my puppy adoption. However, I spent the day monitoring my puppy for potty break signs. We were not completely successful in avoiding the "pee and poop on the carpet" situation, but I managed to get him to poop on the pee pad the last poop of the day. And this morning he peed and pooped outside...yay! I adopted my Bichon/Maltese mix puppy on Sunday afternoon and am still deciding on a name (I'll show the list at the end). He's very cute and quite affectionate. He does whine when I put him in the bathroom to hopefully use the pee pad. He also spent most of Sunday night whining from the crate, so Monday I was very very tired and not up to squeezing in a blog post between potty breaks. He still whined last night, but not as much, so I got a bit more sleep. No wonder it's best to have two parents when raising babies. Of course, I don't care what the genders are of the parents, but two has got to be better than one...lol.

Anyway, he mostly plays for a little while and then sleeps for awhile. Then we go for a walk to hopefully pee and poop outside. He ate pretty good yesterday morning, but seemed uninterested this morning. I hope he's not catching on to my own lack of appetite, that would not be good. He does stay pretty hydrated and now goes to the water dish on his own. I'm hoping to get him potty trained before I have to work regular hours again later in August. I have a rather large bathroom given the size of my condo, so that will be his play area when I'm away from home. I'm going to start leaving for an hour or two at a time so he can get used to being alone for part of the day. I put a radio in the bathroom for company. I also plan to go for dog training lessons with him when the next class starts, so hopefully I will be able to litter box train him. Once he's completely potty trained I'll experiment with letting him have access to the rest of the condo (well probably not my bedroom or the utility room).

So here are the names I'm considering:

Tucker (it goes well with my last name and he kinda looks like a Tucker)
Buck (short for Buckeye, since I'm an Ohio State grad and a couple friends like it)
Toro (he was born in May and is a Taurus)

These were the other names I considered but not really fitting him:

Spike (cause one of the guys at the office thought it would be funny to name a fluff ball that)
Ziggy (short for Sigmund, as in Freud, since I'm a psychologist and Freud was also Taurus)
Rashi (saw this name mentioned in some stuff on alternate astrology stuff)
Heath (as in Ledger who was Taurus as is The Joker...go figure)
Malty (he's half Maltese)
Morty (saw the name Mort mentioned in relation to bulls...the Taurus sign)
Jack (cause it sounded short and sweet...but actually pretty common for dogs)

At this point, I'm probably going to go with Tucker. Since I have to schedule a well puppy check for this week, I think I'll have to pick a name pretty quick...like today. In the meantime, he's been napping for over an hour so I think it's time for a walk and potty break. Of course, he's going in the bathroom while I change out of my jammies (6am walk with a jacket on did not require changing). I'll have a picture up as soon as I deal with everything else.

UPDATE: Turned out the vet had a cancellation, so I took Tucker in for his first exam. He possibly may have a minor bacteria, so he sent us home with an antibiotic. He also sent us home with a heartworm medication which is taken once a month during mosquito season (May through October). I also chatted with the dog trainer they have on site and he gave me some potty training suggestions. One being that I should get him trained on just one way to use the potty...box or outside. Given that I live in a condo and don't have a patio that would be safe for a dog this size, I ended up buying a doggie litter box. The other suggestion was to keep him in the crate for 20 mintues and then on a leash for 20 minutes. That seems like a pretty frequent change and he's able to handle the crate longer after the intial whining, so I may go an hour on leash and an 30 minutes in the crate. We'll see how that goes and I'll call the trainer back to see when he's doing classes also.

Saturday Surf - Melanie Susuras Band CD Release Party Tonight

Here's where I'll be tonight:























If you're in the Denver area you can get discounted tickets HERE. Click on the Melanie Susuras Band link on the right of this page, in the "Links I Like" section, to hear some of her great music. Hope to see you at the show!

Thoughts for Thursday - Time in Texas and Other Things

Tomorrow I head home to Denver after 8.5 days in Texas. I had a good time with my mother and a very good time with my nephews (except when they were sneaking around). I did end up with a case of swimmer's ear I think, so I may have to invest in swimming earplugs when I get home. My brother and his wife look rested and happy too! They had a good time in Cabo. Mission accomplished.

An update on the job front: I spoke with the school district again and they have to put in a request regarding hourly pay since there is no policy at this time. I did ask why they couldn't just offer me the salaried position for which I applied and once again I was given the vague answer of "Well, we're forming a team, but no one else has applied for the positions." Of course this time I pressed them and asked how this would prevent them from hiring me anyway. They really don't have a reason other than they want to make sure that whoever they choose would work well together. I think they're beginning to realize how ridiculous that sounds. In any case, we agreed to discuss it further on Monday as they do have work they want me to do and hopefully will have some sort of answer regarding pay. And they did ask me for pay suggestions. Of course I suggested that they pay me what I had been getting per hour or if they are planning to hire me on salary they can use that to determine the hourly rate for the meantime, if I'm going to be W-2'd. The gal doing the hiring did thank me for being so gracious. That's gotta count for something right!?! More next week...

Wednesday's Wine - Two Chardonnays and a Riesling

As y'all know, I've been down in Texas for the past week enjoying the company of my family. Okay actually, I'm mostly enjoying the company of my nephews (I'll have more on that tomorrow). Anyway, while visiting with my mother, since she knows I'm doing a wine post every week, she had me try some different inexpensive wines that she happened to have in the frig.

The first one she had me try was Beaulieu Vineyard Coastal Estates Chardonnay, 2006. I found it to be crisper than a typical Chardonnay and not so buttery. It was also a bit on the floral side in both taste and aroma. According to my mother it was about $8.00. My mother had this one with her chicken salad and fruit. Here's what Beaulieu Vineyards said about their wine:

Yellow-gold color. Strong, fresh apple-citrus aromas with a hint of vanilla. Medium full- bodied, with creamy texture and round, succulent, juicy flavors, this vintage reveals ripe apple fruit combined with hints of green almond and pear in the finish. Moderate acidity heightens the wine's approachable softness. Ideal with fresh Dungeness crab, soft cheeses like Camembert and roast halibut steaks.

In comparison, my mother had me try Chateau Ste. Michelle Columbia Valley Chardonnay, 2006. I found it to have more of a noticeable oak taste than the previous Chardonnay. It was also more tart, yet buttery. But other than that, it was on the boring side for me. I will say it did complement the chicken salad and the sweeter fruits we had on the side. It was not bad, just not very exciting. On the other hand, the less exciting wines tend to be better with food. My mother said it could be had for under $10.00. Here's what Chateau Ste. Michelle said about their wine:

“My goal vintage after vintage is to make the Columbia Valley Chardonnay a pleasurable, food-friendly Chardonnay. This 2006 bottling is a fresh, soft Chardonnay with appealing sweet citrus fruit character with subtle oak nuances. I work with vineyard lots from all over the Columbia Valley to make this a complex, interesting wine. This is a versatile food wine that can work with many foods including chicken, pork and white sauce pastas.”
-Bob Bertheau, Head Winemaker

Just so you know, I take my notes first and later look the wine up on the internet to find a suitable picture of the label and to find some commentary on the wine. It's a good way to learn about wine and frankly, it's kind of fun to find out if what I said about the wine is accurate or at least was intended reaction by the winemakers.

The last wine I tasted was 50th Latitude Reisling, 2007 from the Mosel region of Germany (I believe) and also under $10.00. I generally avoid Reisling wines as I'm not a big fan of the sweet ones. But since my mother had one in the frig, I was obligated to try that one too. For research purposes of course. Fortunately, I found this wine to be sweet, but not cloyingly sweet on the front end and it had a tart finish. I couldn't find anything about the vineyard. Although, being a German wine, anything I might have been able to find out would have likely been in the German language anyway. On corkd.com I did find a very short description from boneygirl (please don't ask me, I really don't know):

This is a balanced, lightly sweet Riesling with a lemony taste. Great contrast between acidity and sweetness.

Okay, that's it for white wine for awhile I think. I've had more than my fill lately. Enjoy!

Tuesday's Time Waster - Shopping for a Bichon Frise

I'm not a big fan of pets, but only because I have allergies. However, I have discovered that some breeds of dog cause less of a reaction than others. I also took allergy shots for a variety of things like weeds and trees, as well as for dogs (but not for cats as I was broke at the time 20 some years ago and I really don't like cats enough to pay for an extra shot). So I figured that I'd look into what it would take to adopt a dog.

I did some research awhile back and found that my best bet for a dog was a Bichon Frise. They are small, intelligent, lovable and generally quiet. They do require brushing out a few times a week and, while they're a good dog for condo's and apartments, you still have to take them on walks. Considering I need to start taking me on a daily walk, this could work out well. They occasionally have health issues, but not generally and the cost to adopt varies from around $500 to $1000, depending on where you go.

And that's what took all morning! I looked on the internet to find where in Colorado I could go and at first, I kept finding the same two breeders. Eventually, through creative googling, I was able to find several breeders. I called a few to see if they had any expected litters. One location is expecting a litter to be ready for adoption right around my birthday (late August to early September)! So I'm thinking that maybe that's the day to do it...or rather the day after. Many of the websites suggested spending some time with the dogs first to make sure the allergy stuff doesn't flare up. So depending on the school district stuff (check back on Thursday for an update) I might be adopting a doggie!

Make My Monday - Mamma Mia Review

So I'm down here in Texas, hanging out with the nephews! I did visit with my mother for a few days and on Saturday afternoon we went to see Mamma Mia. It stars Meryl Streep as most of you know, as well as several other big names like Christine Baranski, Julie Walters, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgard and Amanda Seyfried. "Amanda who?", you might be asking. Trust me when you see her, you'll think..."hmmm, I think I've seen that girl in something else". I was sure I saw her in some soap operas (yes, I watch those sometimes). Anyway, my mother and I caught the early afternoon matinee which is only $5.00 in her little town of Kerrville. Woohoo, stadium seating for five bucks!!! Popcorn and soda for $6.00. I'd move there, but then I'd have to drive 60 some odd miles to San Antonio just to get some culture. I think, for the time being, I'll stay in Denver.

Mamma Mia is the screen adaptation of the Broadway musical based on all the hits of ABBA (the Swedish Supergroup of the mid 70's and early 80's, for those of you hiding under a rock during that time period). I never realized how many hits they had. Wow...like 20 it seems ( that could be an exaggeration or an underestimation...I lost count during the movie). Anyway, my mother said it was good, but she would probably prefer the stage version. I think it was pretty good as well. I'm not a huge fan of musicals, but I do love live theatre more than the movies.

My movie ratings scale is the following:

Pay full price to see it on the big screen (Pay Full Price) which means it's totally worth the night time movie experience, especially with dinner and a date!

Pay matinee (Matinee) which means it's good and should be seen on the big screen.

Wait for the DVD rental (Rent DVD) which means it's good but not good enough for the big screen.

Wait for the discount rate movie theatre or premium cable viewing (Cable) which means it's okay.

If it's on regular TV or Basic Cable and you've got nothing better to do (Don't Bother) you might clean the garage instead.

I give Mamma Mia a rating of "Matinee". Glad we got the deal we got!!!

Thought for Thursday - Traveling is Fun!

Well folks, I'm taking off for parts...Texas! Yes, I'm flying down to visit my family (and nephew sit). But when I first get there, I'm renting a car to drive to visit my mother for the weekend. We may go see Mamma Mia. If we do, I might have a review next week. Anyway, I'm looking forward to a week away and relatively free from work. I say relatively, since I will have my cellphone. However, unlike when I'm home, it will be turned off periodically. I find it terribly rude to take phone calls unless urgent. However, given the standoff with the broker dude, I will have to handle most of my client calls myself. I'm also expecting a call from the school district regarding the hourly pay. If they haven't called by Monday, I may call them. Perhaps this time next week, I'll know what I'm doing for a living. Have a great weekend!

Wednesday's Wine - Vino de Eyzaguirre Cabernet Sauvignon, 2004

I received this Cabernet Sauvignon from Chili as a gift last Christmas. I was going to save it for a dinner party. But then I got down to two bottles of wine and out of desperation I pulled the cork on it. And yum, I'm glad I did. Since I didn't buy it myself, I did a bit of research on the internet and found that it can be had for around $9.00. The wine bottle itself is in fact wrapped in a twine bag as you can see. My wine guy, Joe, said that it is common for wines in countries fond of soccer to come in a bag. However, he actually meant a bag like the ones in which kids' juices come, based on his description. They probably wouldn't allow this wine to be carried into a soccer match since the bag could be easily torn off, rendering the bottle dangerous if thrown and broken. Nevertheless, it should be safe in your home. I found the wine tasty and a bit earthy in texture. It has a typical cabernet fruit taste with some alcohol on the swallow. I had it with left over BBQ pork ribs and it was perfect to offset the sweet spicy sauce. Actually, I had so many left over ribs from the 4th that I didn't tried this wine with anything else. Good thing it goes well with ribs!

Here's what the winery said about their wine:

Dark, violet red. Aromatic profile features fresh and dried cherry plus dried plum, with intriguing notes of dark chocolate and mint. On the palate, the wine is rich, well balanced and approachable with a long, smooth finish. Recommended food parings: grilled or roasted meats, and full-flavored dishes with complex sauces.

Enjoy!

Tuesday's Time Waster - Reloading Application Software

Yep, I'm still loading software applications. The pace has slowed down some, as I have other things to accomplish before I leave to visit my family. In fact, there are some applications that will have to wait until I return. That said, sometimes you have no idea how much software is on a computer until you set up a new hard drive. At this point I've loaded the Sony package which includes XP Pro and all the updates for both of those. I have installed AVG Free Anti-virus, Acrobat Reader 9, Mozilla's Firefox Browser, Ad Aware, both MSN and Yahoo Messengers, MS Office 2007, HP 6122 Printer, Quicken 2006, and Webroot Spysweeper. Almost all of them required some sort of updating. Before I leave on my trip I will load my Palm Desktop, Logitech Quickcam for Notebooks, my regular camera software (if I can find it) and maybe Roxio Easy CD & DVD Burning. When I come home, I'll load and update my various business and psychology software programs. Obviously, I need a vacation now!

Make My Monday - Computer hard drive successfully replaced

Yep, I got it done. I only had to take back the first hard drive and get a smaller one. And then I only had to reformat 3 times to get it right. It's the arrogance of Microsoft combined with the arrogance of Sony that led to this horrible need to replace my other corrupted hard drive. I made the old one an external hard drive and put it in a hard drive enclosure so that I could access my old files without having to move them to another hard drive or back onto the new one. I have NO idea why I didn't think of this option sooner. My hunch is, I was too broke last summer to think beyond cheap solutions.

Anyway, I now have a 120 gig hard drive and it's loaded with most of my applications. I have a few more to go. My problem with the first few times formatting and restoring my original settings was going to Sony's website to get updates. Unlike Microsoft that has the ability to check your hard drive to determine needed updates, Sony just has a a huge list of updates that apply to all configurations of the laptop model. It's up to the owner of said laptop to figure out which ones are appropriate. They give some clues in small print...of course you have to know to where to look and then to read them. So, finally I did and after a whole weekend I got the 5 hour job done. Now I'm having fun with application updates!

Thoughts for Thursday - In no particular order

1. I sort of got a job offer finally. But at the moment it's not the salaried full time position because they're trying to "build a team". I have no idea what that means. A friend who is a department head said it could be that they have to follow some sort of protocol regarding the advertised positions such as finding enough people to fill them before they are allowed to offer full contracts. All I can say is WTF!?! And I'm not the cussing type. Anyway, for now, it's more or less the same type of set up as I had before, but they don't know how much they can pay me per hour, until the HR person gets back from vacation. Check back later for more updates.

2. I found a solution to my messed up hard drive issue. Rather than try to off load all the files and then lose all my applications (from previous jobs and/or downloads) by reformatting and restoring the factory settings, I bought a new bigger and faster hard drive! I also bought an external enclosure case for the old hard drive so I can access all my stuff. As a result, I may not be online most of the weekend as I will be installing my new hard drive and all the application software that I do have. Check back though...I may find this simple answer to my corrupted hard drive to be an equally fast fix!

3. I asked the broker dude I report to for my finance business for a partial transfer. Once again he shot me down and demonstrated his amazing spin doctor skills. I'm the bad bad person for asking and deserve to be punished whether I stay or go. I won't bore you, my faithful readers, with the details, but it appears I may have to play hardball. I really hate this. My friends and former team mates in the business and current business associates feel for me though. I'm no saint, everybody is very well aware that I find this guy's poor leadership and business sense beyond inexcusable and I haven't been able to prevent myself from spewing venom everywhere. Of course, I didn't have a blog before this. Heck, I didn't have a computer when I first started working with this moron. I will say his is a good family guy as far as I know and he has a lovely wife and kids.

4. It's good to end a spewing on a positive note.

Wednesday's Wine - Barefoot Zinfandel California no year...

Seriously no year was given. But label design copyright is 2003. A friend recommended that I try it, so I did. For my first tasting of this Red Zinfandel I noticed that the fruit pops a bit in the mouth but is not too sweet, nor is it too dry. My second tasting, the same day (because I was in the mood for a second glass), finds that it's got a bit of a spicy edge to the berry taste. While there is some residual alcohol, it's relatively smooth for an $8.00 wine and lingers nicely after swallowing. Very nice with pizza, not to mention typical red wine meals like steak...like a Philly Cheese Steak sandwich...just for example.

Here are the winemaker notes and some reviews I found online:

Medium to full body, balanced tannins.
Dark berries, plum jam and notes of prunes. White pepper & varietal spices complement the chocolate Mocha flavors and lingering jammy finish.

"The NV Zinfandel, California, opens light, soft with black raspberry jam dominated before mouthfilling flavors of black raspberry, black cherry, and oak plus light, dry tannin. Everything carries through the somewhat narrow, truncated finish. Well put together. Tasty."
Colorado Wine News
Harold Baer
April 01 2007

85 Points
"BEST BUY Brillian ruby red hue. Raspberry, sage and earth aromas. Medium-bodied with a light burst of fruit, this is a well-made wine that captures the flavors of Zin as well as its spice and tannins."
Tastings.com/BTI
Tasting Panel
December 01 2003

8.5 out of 10
"We found the Barefoot Zinfandel offered an interesting aroma of spice tinged with vanilla and tobacco. The flavor is juicy, with powerful raspberry adn cherry notes. In no way is this an overly sweet zin - its acidity balances the fruit and leads to a flavor that isn't particularly complex but is pleasing enough. In short, there may be better twenty dollar Zins, but for a wine selling for closer to five dollars than ten, Barefoot Zinfandel is a great buy."
Boxwines.org

Enjoy! And if you've had this one (or other wines from Barefoot) before, let me know what you think.

Tuesday's Time Waster - Which Superhero are you?

Found this during my surfing around on Monday...how cool are my results!?!

Your results: You are Spider-Man

You are intelligent, witty,
a bit geeky and have great
power and responsibility.

Spider-Man 75% Superman 70% Green Lantern 60% Wonder Woman 58% Supergirl 58% Hulk 50% Robin 47% The Flash 45% Batman 45% Iron Man 45% Catwoman 30%

Click here to take the "Which Superhero are you?" quiz...

Let me know which Superhero YOU are...

Update: I can not figure out how to close the gap between the picture and the stats chart despite eliminating several strings of useless code...lol

PS. My nephew would be so thrilled to know his Aunt is his favorite superhero!

Make My Monday - Fireworks

I spent the morning of the 4th in the pool. Sun and water make me tired. So I passed on the First Friday party (and seriously at my age three of those parties in one month is way more than I can handle). I ended up staying home and making some of my tasty country pork ribs in the crock pot (don't ask me for the recipe though...it's a secret!) which I had along with corn on the cob. That night I discovered that I can see a lot of different fireworks shows from the lawn near my condo! Very cool. I watch fireworks go off for over an hour and chatted with a couple of my neighbors too. See I do get out!

I also stayed home on Saturday. I did, however, enter all my business and personal receipts except a small pile of cash receipts from the 1st quarter. I also dusted everything in the whole condo, cleaned the bathroom, and moved my piles of papers to more appropriate places other than the dining room table (this was in anticipation of a possible swim date...didn't happen though).

Sunday ended up being my busy day. I went and hit golf balls alone (but with my new golf bag!) after a friend called to reschedule due to plumbing issues. Apparently she was under her bathroom sink all morning (I could have offered to help, but I wasn't feeling butch enough...hee). Then I went to the Cherry Creek Arts Festival with another friend (kind of a casual date). The weather was overcast and a tad cooler than Friday and Saturday, so it was perfect temperature wise. I was sure it was going to storm though as the clouds were low and dark. My "date" noticed that the wind direction changed and suggested that we pop into a fun bar and grill for lunch before the skies let loose. Then all it did was sprinkle for a couple minutes. But lunch was good and she paid. Does that mean it's not a casual date anymore? I may have to consult a book I forgot I had in my library, "Is it a Date or Just Coffee". I did buy us some very expensive Gelato's (she had raspberry and I had chocolate chocolate chip...nice mix too). For the price they should have been larger, but they came in some cute reusable cups (which I kept, thank you).

So, how was your 4th of July weekend? Any fireworks!?!

Thoughts for Thursday - Randomly Selected

1. I will not dwell on the failures of others, even when it directly affects me (no, the school district still hasn't called to let me know what their decision is).

2. Clients don't always know what's best for them, but sometimes they pick the plan that's right for them (and then they become someone else's servicing issue).

3. My brother is finally taking his awesome wife on a vacation for two (my vacation is nephew sitting).

4. I really should consider going to the True Colors Tour Concert on Saturday (maybe I can snag some cheap General Admission tickets).

5. I might go to the BAD First Friday party (rumor has it that some special guests from the True Colors Tour might be there...or not) but in any case, Happy 4th of July!

Wednesday's Wine - Ironstone Vineyards Obsession California Symphony, 2006

Just in time for the 4th of July, I tried out Ironstone Vineyards Obsession California Symphony, 2006. Right off the bat, I thought this white wine is too sweet and then I wondered why it had a slight fizz to it. The wine did seem slightly off in it's taste like it was still fermenting and in a not really good way. That was my thinking behind the bubbles anyway. So while searching for a label picture (which I didn't find), I found some reviews. And that's when I found out this wine is supposed to be bubbly. Then, I had a second glass the next day and I noticed two things. First, it tastes much better colder than other white wines should be served and second, as a result, it tasted less fermented. It's still on the sweet side so if you like white wine spritzers or wine coolers, this is the celebratory wine for you. And not too bad for $8.00. However, I think I would prefer a regular sparkling white wine or Champagne for celebrations, as I prefer a drier wine than this one. Here's what W. Blake Gray, Chronicle Staff Writer said about the 2005 Ironstone Vineyards Obsession California Symphony which is similar to 2006:

Its aroma is strongly floral, with some star anise. It's very slightly sparkling ("frizzante" is the technical term), and its flavors are reminiscent of a good Gewurztraminer: strongly floral, with notes of Meyer lemon and prickles of pepper on the finish.

Happy 4th of July!

Tuesday's Time Waster - Waiting for the Phone to Ring

Yep, still haven't heard anything. I skipped a meeting at my part time finance work in hopes that the phone would ring (we're not allowed to take calls during a meeting so if the phone ringer is not turned off and it rings you owe donuts at the next meeting). It did not ring. I still think it's in very poor form not to acknowledge inquiries. I just don't know what to think, since several of my colleagues have the same issue of waiting. I could get all paranoid, but I won't. In fact tomorrow I'm going to look into licensing requirements out of state, since another friend may have work for me out of state once a month for a week at a time. Generally, it's high dollar work when he does it. Like about $4000 to $5000 per week. I think I would make a tad less, because he would get a supervisor/finder fee. But that negotiation is down the road a bit. Yeah, that's what I do when I'm waiting for the phone to ring. I make contingency plans. Well that and surf the net mindlessly...