October 30, 2008

Thought for Thursday - Apparently I'm Pure Nerd...LostInColor Made Me Find Out

See what Lost In Color! made me do:

Your result for The Nerd? Geek? or Dork? Test...

Pure Nerd


For The Record:

A Nerd is someone who is passionate about learning/being smart/academia.

October 29, 2008

Wednesday's Wine - Tin Roof Cellars Rose Wine, 2006

In honor of Indian Summer I thought I'd try another Rose. Yeah, I know it's pinkish. But like the last Rose, this is no White Zinfandel. Nor is it a sticky sweet wine cooler tasting Strawberry Ripple style beverage.

This Californian wine is another that's made from the same grapes as full bodied reds. In fact these are the grapes: Zinfandel, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Syrah, Chardonnay & Petite Sirah. Yes, they snuck in a white wine grape and no, the Zinfandel grape is not the white one. For those of you who don't know, Zinfandel grapes are red, unless they're the White Zinfandel which are of course...WHITEish...or at least not RED.

I found this rose to be mellow and definitely not sticky sweet. If you've tried some of my other recommendations, then you know what Pinot Noir, Merlot, Syrah and Petite Sirah taste like. This definitely has those flavors, just not quite as deep and bold. Also, the Chardonnay (the white one) definitely takes the edge off the other grapes by lending a buttery feel to the wine, especially as it comes up to room temperature. Being a low priced wine (just under $10.00) it does have some noticeable alcohol, but less so when cold.

This is what Tin Roof Cellars said about their wine:

“With its beautiful deep rose color and luscious fruit flavors, our 2006 Rosé is a delightful example of the many pleasures rosé has to offer. Dry in style, but with a succulent, berry jam-like fruitiness, it’s balanced and made eminently refreshing by a crisp, mouthwatering finish that invites a second sip. Enjoy this crowd-pleasing quaffer chilled, either on its own or with a wide range of foods, including fish, chicken, ham and pork, grilled and barbecued fare, and spicy Asian, Hispanic and Caribbean cuisines.”

Just by chance, I enjoyed Tin Roof's Rose with a blackened grilled steak and a romaine salad with a red wine vinegrette. I have to say that it was a nice counter point to the spices. Enjoy!

October 22, 2008

Wednesday's Whine - Not Many Comments on My Wine Posts

I had several people I chat with say they'd love to read my comments about wine on my blog. So I started review wine here. Just as a reminder (and for new readers), my wine choices follow the criteria that they need to be UNDER $10.00 and be recommended. Recommendations can come from any decent source like: my favorite wine guys at 3S Liquors; have wine magazine ratings in the upper 80's or higher; or one of my friends buys it for me...heh. Anyway, if you're enjoying my wine posts, please let me know. Two comments (especially when one is me responding to another comment) doesn't give me much hope that I have an audience. Yeah, I'm aware that I have some stealth readers...but still... Also, feel free to use the comments area to suggest a wine you'd like to see reviewed. I might even bend the rules and review ones over $10.00 if it's recommended by a reader...and I'm not gonna go broke buying it...heh.

October 20, 2008

Make My Monday - Puppy Survives Losing His Marbles

Tucker had an appointment with Dr. Tucker the vet. Yep, time to lose the little puppy making items that some call balls. Tucker is only 8 lbs., so balls might be a tad exaggerated. I think marbles might be a better metaphor. Just sayin'. I also had him chipped...in case he gets away...slippery little guy.

PS. Tucker and I support 8against8 who are raising $8000 for the No on Prop. 8 in California over 8 days. Go donate a buck or two or 8 (or more) to the cause if you can. Or at least pass on the info. Tucker wants a second mommy...of course that would require a girlfriend first. But you know how it is with 5 month olds...so idealistic...heh.

October 15, 2008

Wednesday's Wine - Fox Brook Merlot, 2006

I'm on my second bottle of this Merlot. Nope, not for the night...heh. What, a second bottle of the same Merlot!?! Yep, I found that this $4.00 Merlot has a bit more body than the usual ones out there for under $10.00 and more importantly, it really tastes good! It has some nice fruit flavors on the front of the palate (that's what you taste initially) and not too much alcohol on the finish. Once again, finding a picture of the label proved illusive. Oh well, just drink more of this one and look at the picture of the Fox Brook Chardonnay label from last week...heh. Here's what Fox Brook put on the back of their label:

"Our Merlot is balanced by concentrated berry flavors with hints of vanilla and oak. This wine makes a wonderful accompaniment to grilled vegetables, roasted lamb and Camembert cheese."

I don't think I'd drink $4.00 wine with roasted lamb, but it did go nicely with pork ribs last night and an Arby's roast beef sandwich today. Enjoy!

October 8, 2008

Wednesday's Wine - Fox Brook Chardonnay, 2006

Well summer is over and fall is definitely in the air. We here in Colorado had our first frost the other night. I still have my window open at night though. It's definitely turning into red wine season, but here I am drinking another white wine in service to my loyal readers...heh. Anyway, back when I bought the Fox Brook Sauvignon Cabernet, Joe the wine guy at 3S Liquors suggested that I try the Chardonnay. He knows I prefer crisp white wines and Chardonnays tend to be more on the buttery stick to your tongue kind of wine. But Joe being Joe and knowing what I like was enough to convince me to buy this wine. Of course it was only $4.00, so that might have been a factor.

I decided to uncork this wine last night as a counter point to the last of some milder green chili I made over the weekend. Yes it was buttery, but not so sticky on the tongue. It was sweeter than I generally like, but not cloying. So far so good. It definitely cut the heat of the green chili. I had it again tonight with a blackened steak sliced over a bed of romaine with a chipotle vinegrette. It was yummy...both the salad and the wine. I hate it when I like a white wine. But then at $4.00 I can afford it!

Here's what the back of the bottle said:
"Abundant with fruit and citrus flavors that carry through to a toasty buttery finish with a hint of oak." I'd say that's a pretty accurate description. Enjoy!

October 7, 2008

Make My Monday - Postponed to Tuesday's Time Waster Slot Due To Continued Exhaustion

Tucker got all gussied up for graduation on Sunday. Isn't he looking handsome! Yeah...he's cute...and dang it, he knows it. So anyway, he had to sit, lay down, stay, wait, come from a wait, and "leave it" (which is exactly what it sounds like). He's a bit iffy on the leave it usually, but apparently he wasn't in the mood for the treat I used for the leave it item...heh. He's picky, just like me.

So here he is in his little graduation cap. He has a diploma too, but it didn't fit in the picture. Okay, I couldn't hold it and Tucker AND the cap...heh.

Tucker is pretty good at following commands...most of the time. Unless he knows he's doing something he shouldn't be doing, then he runs. Friday he got out of the bathroom by squeezing under the baby gate. Once he had a taste of freedom, he didn't let the baby gate being lowered an inch keep him penned in. Oh no...he CHEWED through it on Saturday. But we lesbian types have duct tape, so I fix it and sprayed the whole thing with that bitter stuff that's supposed to keep him from chewing on the wrong things. But he was determined, so today he chewed through the other side and greeted me at the door again. Of course, in the process of putting stuff down and rounding him up, I managed to leave my keys on the counter when I took him out for a walk. GREAT!!!

Fortunately I left my bedroom window open and all I needed was a friend with a big ladder. Well after a couple hours of waiting a round, my old office partner showed up and helped me break into my condo (he has this cool collapsing ladder). We had the neighbors worried until they saw it was me. Then they laughed. Thanks Tucker! We'll be signing up for more classes in December.

October 3, 2008

Thought for Thursday - Delayed Due to Exhaustion

I know you all were wondering what happened to me. No thoughts for Thursday, how could this be? Well, I was tired. Too tired to listen to inane and nails on chalkboard sounding squeaks from Palin. Too tired to keep my eyes open for the stuff I have recorded on my DVR. Too tired to remember how Ugly Betty ended after the big debate finally finished. Almost too tired to take Tucker out for his last potty break of the evening...however, puppy whining in the middle of the night is not something I wanted to hear. I almost went to bed in my jeans, but decided that discomfort would wake me up eventually...and too early. So here we are on Friday...TGIF would be the thing to say, but alas, I have a full weekend of business related stuff. Oh well. Early to bed tonight I guess.

This delayed Thought for Thursday was brought to you by: The NEW JOB. Thank you for your attention.

October 1, 2008

Wednesday's Wine - Pinot Evil - Pinot Noir Vin de Pays de L'ile de Beaute

For the record, there is no vintage year noted on the label of this Pinot Noir. I bought it a long while back...or maybe it was a gift. In any case, it was under $10 or it was free (online I saw it in the $6.00 range)! Clearly the best thing about this wine is the label:
I had this wine on a picnic up on my land. I was going to post a picture I took while up there of the leaves changing, but the sun was in just the right spot to wash out the picture making everything look very light green instead of having the contrast of the dark greens of the pines and the yellows of the bushes and aspens. Now I hear it's going to snow up there this weekend. Sorry to all of you that were hoping for some new pictures...sigh.

I digress. Anyway, my picnic guest and I found this Pinot a bit on the gritty side when first opened. It reminded me of those bottles of Chianti that have a basket around the bottle. After a second picnic glass, it seemed a tad less gritty, but that's probably because I was distracted by my company. This wine was definitely thinner than a typical Pinot Noir. It had more alcohol on the finish, which might have been why it seemed gritty at first, and was quite astringent. The nose (how it smelled) was light, but kind of like some choke cherry jelly I once had (choke cherries are very tart). The flavor was okay, but nothing really stood out. Nevertheless, it wasn't undrinkable and the label was good for conversation. The backside of the label has a lovely story about the monkeys, but then they also say it has a velvet finish. I don't think so. They suggest having with duck. I suggest, if you buy it, have it like I did...on a picnic with fruit, cheese, crackers and summer sausage.

Enjoy...maybe...heh.