love her

JENNY!!!! It's Your Birthday, It's Your Birthday...

A little early, perhaps, but I've got a busy couple of days ahead of me, so I just wanted to post my tribute to Jennifer June DeJongh... another year older as of 9 October.

Happy Birthday, Jenny. If I could, I'd give you



The best of both worlds, really... cake AND shoes.

Or, if dreams really could come true, I'd wish you:



Particularly the raining shoes, but I'm sure you wouldn't mind the new car.

I can't say that the gift is in the mail yet; however, it's in the works and will likely hit the USPS at some time in the next week. Finishing touches, you know, and more auditory material to drive Raphael crazy for awhile.

If I were there, we would share



...at LEAST that many of them...

And we'd likely share many more



But until we meet again, know that I'm wishing you a big fat HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!

And I love you.

The Wine I Am Drinking. And Drinking. And Drinking.

I am currently drinking (and am very nearly drunk on as well because the chili is taking a godawful amount of time to be ready) the delightful 2006 Folie a Deux Menage a Trois, a blend of Zinfandel, Merlot, and Cabernet. We initially bought this wine for the funny name (while visiting my grandmother - of course) and return to it regularly. For the funny name. And also for the very decent price (regularly about twelve dollars and usually on sale at Safeway for about nine). But mainly for its absolutely yummy deliciousness. Pardon my ignorance of wine-speak.

"Carmelized peaches!" Raphael declared tonight. "Tastes like autumn! I'm a Menage a Trois kind of guy!" Not being much of a wine describer myself and also being a little tipsy, I can personally say that this seems fairly accurate - as I am sitting here enjoying my Menage a Trois, I am experiencing a taste sensation that includes a bright, fruity sort of flavor and something sort of burned and caramelly at the end. All of this could be based on a psychological reaction to Raphael's intital comments, of course, so take from this what you will. In any case, this is a gorgeously lush and yummy wine that is best served with a dinner of grocery-store-roasted chicken, salad, and homemade cookies with small-town Massachusetts-grocery-store-brand-ice cream in your grandmother's poorly-lit kitchen. And also everywhere else.

Anyway, I'm a fan.

Shelve this for a later post...

I'm busy with work and school and heading to NY to help Dad for a few days, so remind me later to write a full post about this later:

On the train and on the platforms lately I have seen a new and disturbing ad. It's Triple H, from the WWE. That in itself is not disturbing. He's not too bad to look at. If you squint. What is disturbing are the size of his nipples. Holy Mary-Mother-of-Pearl! Like large reddish nubby dinner plates.

Anyway, I'll extrapolate on that later when I have more time. Also, I'll try to get you all a picture.

Planting earworms.

with that being said...I give you WHITESNAKE:

And here I go again on my own
Goin down the only road Ive ever known,
Like a drifter I was born to walk alone
'cos I know what it means
To walk along the lonely street of dreams

And here I go again on my own
Goin down the only road I've ever known,
Like a drifter I was born to walk alone
An I've made up my mind
I ain't wasting no more time...

Matchmaker, Matchmaker

Hey guys? Good news! I'm officially getting the opportunity to be Indian! Or, technically, Persian.

My father received a very unexpected phone call yesterday. MyFriendFarah's mother, very bashful, asked my dad if I was home. He explained to her that no, I was still working in St. Louis, but that I would be home in November and December for the holidays.

"Oh..." she said, obviously embarrassed. "Well... I was calling because.... well..."

Long story short, she couldn't work on arranged marriages for her own daughters, so now she's working on one for me!

He's the son of some of their very dearest friends, he's working on his Masters (Dad, God love him, can't remember in what), and he's 6 foot 4. They just adore him, apparently, and I know how much they adore me. I suppose this was a natural next step in the process. Anyway, I'm supposed to call her in the next couple of days.

Why it never occurred to me to become Indian, I'll never know... but how rockin' would it be to have a white-people arranged marriage?! Now, THAT's one for the grandkids!

"I want to have its babies..."

said Wingal of the braised lamb shank and the Commander Riker wine.

PSSWR for Two

Not to rub it in (well, actually, maybe to rub it in a little), but Boobarella is taking a runaway train--possibly one that's never coming back--to visit Wingal for an extended weekend. And she's having Bully Hill ship libations to Wingal's new and improved door. There will be drinking on the futon, drinking on the new KSoFF, drinking on the balcony, and drinking out at the Missouri wineries. And when there isn't any drinking going on, there's a real possibility that there will be sleeping, eating (bacon!), and non-furniture shopping (i.e. shopping for the sake of flirting with the salesman). If there's a God there may also be socializing with Adonis if it can possibly be arranged (Wingal's working on that project tomorrow).

It's just going to be a kick-ass weekend. And oh how I wish the other Margarita Girls could be here too!

Boobarella's going to take and post pictures of the new Wingal abode on the blog. We will write a couple entertaining entries. And we've discussed the possibility of t-shirts. It's going to be a very unproductive weekend.

YAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!

The Funniest Thing Larry has Ever Said.

One of the headlines on CNN.com today was: "Queen: World watching McCain, Obama"

I said to Larry, "Please let that be Elizabeth II and not Brian May & Co."

and Larry replied, "Well, if Kiss can save Santa, maybe Queen can save the Election."

God-bless him. that is the funniest thing he has ever said.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2625785963793054974

I've Been Meaning to Share

I was shown this a couple months ago at a party and, well... it just sort of speaks for itself.

The Wine I am Drinking

Today was gross. It was 80 bizillion degrees and 9 million percent humidity. But it all passed over and tonight was absolutely gorgeous.

And what goes better with a nice cool moon lit evening than a great wine.

Chateau Haut Sarthes' Bergerac Rosé 2007 ($10) was the perfect wine (yes that is my travel mug; we had to get around the open container laws some how). It's a rosé, but it's not too light or too sweet. 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, and 30% Cabernet Franc, this wine has notes of strawberries with hints of citrus and grass. I wish I has some cheese and bread to eat with it! The Northwest breeze that picked up while we were outside added the smell of autumn and hinted that this would be good with a nice Butternut Squash or Brie soup.

The Wine I am Drinking

Last night we went to our local wine shop for their end of summer wine tasting. They had some excellent Crémant de Bordeaux (French sparkling wines not made in the Champagne region). But we couldn't afford any of those. So we bought this instead:

2005 Nolasdos from Veleta ($12). A mix of Cabernet Sauvignon (40%), Cabernet Franc (40%), and Tempranillo (20%), this Spanish wine was super dry with a great oaky aftertaste. It went really well with the chef's lightly seasoned lamb and broccoli salad.

But what it went really well with was that cupcake you see in the shot. One of the owners of the wine shop also owns/is the chef at a restaurant in Evanston that we love. She makes amazing cupcakes and sells them at the shop. Last night we had the chocolate/caramel cupcakes with Bailey's frosting. So tasty, and a great way to end the meal.

Craigslist is awesome.

Sam, just in case you decided to leave the world of archives: a possible new job!

Bring Your Own Meat

So this is how the conversation this morning went about my in-laws:

Jim: So I was at Karl and Stephanie's yesterday, they got a new wine fridge.

Me: Hum. Really poor, aren't they? Must have bought it for that wine they "forgot" to give you for your birthday.

Jim: Uh huh.

Me: Any news on that new dog they are talking about?

Jim: As soon as they are done dog sitting for Karl's mom. I think they have another Weimeraner lined up.

Me: Uh huh.

Jim: They invited us to a BBQ on the 30th to welcome their new roommate.

Me: New roommate?

Jim: Yeah, they are renting out the back room. But I don't really want to go.

Me: Why not? You usually want to go to their parties.

Jim: Because...it's bring your own meat.

Me: Excuse me? If they're hosting a BBQ, shouldn't they be providing the meat and we
bring the dish to pass?

Jim: I know.

Me: We'll I guess I know what they will be providing.

Jim: What's that?

Me: A bag of chip and some cheap beer.

Jim: Let's not go.

Me: I don't think I can anyway, that might be the Archivist's conference that weekend anyway.

Jim: Thank God for Archivists! Can I meet you for lunch?

If Looks Could Kill, You Would Be an Uzi...

Would someone please tell me WHY I have the song "Shoop" running on a continuous loop in my brain? It's better than "Keep on the Sunny Side of Life," which was this morning's shower anthem, but honestly, "Shoop"?

Wait... now that I think of it, I know EXACTLY why that song is in my head, but it's something best not discussed on the blog, just in case... prying eyes and all that. There's a Greek god involved... I'll explain later...

So, what songs have the rest of your brains been playing for you, despite your best attempts to turn the volume down (or off)? I'm just curious what people get stuck with... or if I'm just abnormal.

Oh, incidentally, IT'S FRIDAY!!!! HOLLA!!!!!

Another Reminder

Just another obnoxious reminder that my blog is up and running again. Two new posts, people. I'm going to try to write on it at least five days a week. There was an interesting development in my life today, so I suggest y'all remember that I'm back.

[Wingal, desperate for attention, love, acceptance, and comments, made a sad and pathetic plea for somebody--ANYBODY--to pay attention to her. It was a low point in her ongoing attempt at maturity, personal growth, and development, and it would take her years to recover the ground she had lost. She also REALLY needed to get some syllabi written, but she had an addiction that no schedule of literary assignments could assuage. And she was talking about herself in the third person again. A very bad sign.]

The Wine I am (and have been for the last month) Drinking.

I have been drinking quite a bit of wine lately. I don't know if it is because I have been noticing it more because I want to post it and tell you all about it, or if it's because I'm a lush. . .

Ch. d'Oupia Heretiques Vin de Pays 2006 ($9) also known as the Swain House Wine, is wonderful. We try to always have at least one (or two as the picture shows) in the house. It's a nice full bodied red that tastes of blackberries and anise.

I was in NY for a few days at the end of July and was able to get some of that tasty NY wine (Thanks Dad!!).

Dirty Parrot! In a tumbler no less! So good, and delicious with these beauties:


And wonderful Dad of mine bought me a bottle of Heron Hill's Eclipse ($16).

Did we taste this while we were at the winery? Whatever, it was great. So dark and lush, but not to dry and tart to ward off people who don't like red wines for those reasons.

One last thing before I sign off for the night. We have recently discovered that Mooch loves wine. He had a little of TheLarry's finger one night and now knows what a wine glass is and what is in one. He will actually crawl across someones lap to get to a raised glass. His favorite so far?

Bully Hill's Pinot Noir. Mooch says, "it's a delightful red, very light on it's feet with a slight peppery aftertaste. It goes very well with with floor fuzz and carrots."

Wingal's Blog, Back on Track

Just to let y'all know, I've restarted my blog. And screw that whole "this is an academic blog" crapola I was on about back when I thought the blog would be helpful with my dissertation. Nope, didn't work that way. So, when I say "insolent and drunk with wine" in the title of the blog, I'm going to mean it. After my first post, which just sort of restarts the puppy, I have very little intention of remaining serious with the ol' blog. I'm too fun for that. Wingal out.

What I love

Especially when the box looks like this:



And I love the prizes in the bottom!

Emerging from the Mists of Time...

Hi guys. I have returned. As Boobarella can attest, I actually forgot we had a blog... it's been a crazy month or two months or year or whatever. But I'm back, obsessed with Teen Vampire Romance novels (the saccharinely addictive "Twilight" series, thank you SO MUCH, Ressler) and preparing to move at the end of the month. I'm headed for a bigger, nicer apartment to complement my bigger, nicer income and my bigger, nicer title of... yes, that's right... Doctor. Plus, my apartment building is starting to go to shit, owing to some incredibly bad choices on the part of my landlord. When you can't open your front door because there is a STROLLER blocking it, it's time to move. I'll try to be fancy and post the pictures like Boobarella did, but don't hold your collective breath. But I'll be on the second floor of another nice brick building and I will share a balcony with two of my very good friends. I will have more space, more privacy, and more light (you have to admit, my current apartment has a Hobbit Hole-ishness about it... I feel like a mole). And off-street parking and laundry facilities. Yes, much better all around.

Incidentally, I watched Drunk History. No, that is NOT how my defense went. But it IS:

-how the review for the defense went
-how I describe my dissertation to people
-how I describe medieval narratives to people
-an idea for a future project (Who wants to play Judith in that one?)

So, in short, I have returned. Missed me?