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?

Happy day, Oh, happy day!

Today, I received the happiest email ever:

"Dear Illinois Residents

Bully Hill is happy to be able to ship our wines back into the great state of Illinois. From the time you receive this email until August fifth we will be offering a fifteen percent discount on any orders which equals 12 bottles or more. This offer is extended to IL shipments only. The 15% discount will be taken in our shipping dept. and may nor reflect in the online total.

Your friends at Bully Hill Vineyards"

OH HAPPY DAY!

The Wine I am Drinking

Okay, so this isn't a wine:

. . . but I have always wanted to try it.

yeah. It's not so great. I'm totally bummed. If you want a nice Summer beer, just get a Corona. I am so sorry Jimmy; this is poopy.

Puppy confusion, the Art of Reimbursement, or How the Week is Going So Far

I'm not sure exactly where to start this. It might be best to start with Tuesday when I attended the SLA (Special Libraries Assoiciation) membership drive party. It was bad. Yes, they had dessert, yes there was a tray of Greek food and a bottle of water, but they never actually said what their organization was all about and why I should join. Not to mention, no one spoke to me who wasn't planning on running for president next year. (Hint to Erika: Don't bother with it unless you have to). That dismal failure of an event followed by a glass of wine at a swanky hotel bar and shopping for my parents belated birthdays which I forgot all about and plagued by the impending doomishness of my mother's phone call earlier in the day telling me my father is going to have a stint put in his heart today because he's really not well has kind of flavored the week.

Yesterday, I made the Costco run for the museum's huge party tonight that I'm not really getting any credit for thinking up, because someone else actually went to the people who mattered and informed them it would be a good idea. I probably wouldn't have wanted the responsibility of taking control anyway. This mad dash to Costco and Smart and Final was followed by a politically charged book club over a the graphic novel "Persepolis." Of the novel, very little was discussed, of the situation discussed in the book, much was. However, the salsa was good and so were the strawberries.

Then this moring I confused Clifford by getting up early. It was so out of the usual that when Jim tried to take him outside to do his business he wouldn't go. In fact, he came back in. Jim had to pick him up and carry him outside to try it again. And it's cold in my neighborhood, but not downtown, so I'm dressed for downtown, but not my neighborhood which meant that with the copious amount of lemon juice I had to carry with me this morning I couldn't manage extra clothes to change into so I'm wearing my party wear. Despite Muni being on time I just had a hellish ride in on, Muni is apparently having switching problems and tunnel traffic is slow this morning. Doesn't really matter anyway because the 10 bottles of lemon juice I was carrying was not going to get up and magically transport me anywhere I wanted to be anyway. So I'm here, I'm dressed to party and I'm headed for coffeeville up the street. Any questions? I didn't think so. I'm just not sure I can face a third night of eatting hors d'ouevres for dinner again.

The Wine I am Drinking

It was my anniversary on Monday. So a special night called for a special wine.


Another Argentine wine, Luigi Bosca Reserva ($18) is excellent. Malbec, apparently one of the more celebrated grapes to grow in Argentina, is a varietal originally found in France that has flourished in the Southern Hemisphere. Not as dry as I normally prefer, but nowhere near sweet, the Luigi Bosca has a nice spicy aftertaste. It was delicious with the traditional anniversary dinner of brie & paté.

drunk history

New Feature: The Wine I am Drinking.

I think we need a new feature on here. So I'm starting one:

"The Wine I'm Drinking"

This weekend we bought a bottle of something that I called "Psychedelic Cow."

It's called, as I'm sure you can see, Terra Buena ($11). It's an Argentinian red wine and it is delicious. We had it with steaks with an onion, garlic, and blue cheese sauce, mashed potatoes and a brie & tomato salad. It really brought out the garlic flavor in the sauce the chef (read: the Larry) made. As most of reds I like are, it was dry and had a bit of spice to it.

So I say a nice A-.

The Move

Yay! We moved! Woo! We're still unpacking and I only can "borrow" internet in one corner of my new place (until tomorrow when the internet guy comes to my house and hooks us up with our very own). I have many other posts brewing over the last week and I'm trying to limit myself to only one a day now that I seem to be back up and running at home.

Who am I kidding? I don't run!

Anyway, here's some pictures of the home-front so far!

Catch up. . .

I feel awful. I keep meaning to post all of this, but haven't had the chance. So I apologize but I have a lengthy one. . .

That's what she said. . .


Okay, so first off, we're moving this weekend (not far far away, just down the street) and we're packing everything in sight. Not even the pugs & cat are safe, which would also explain their new fear of boxes. So here we are, we've spent all day packing and moving wee things to the new place and we decide to sit down, have some wine, and relax as the day comes to an end. But there is one problem... someone, in her effort to be efficient and in her packing fury, has packed the wine glasses. Yeah.


Second. I have a new love. I have fallen in love with Purity by Philosophy.

It is a great facial cleanser and I really do feel like it has done an excellent job of, um, well, cleaning me. But I found another great use. I needed to shave my legs and forgot to grab the shaving lotion/gel/schtuff before I got in the shower. The bottle of Purity was right there so I figured "what the hell." Best. Shave. Ever. Hands down this was the bestest, most clean, smooth legs, shavetastic awesomeness. I can't afford it. But no, you know what? I'm going to buy myself more when I run out, damnit. It's just that good. It smells like heaven, like pure wet dew in the morning in the woods. I want to live in the bottle. If Wingal was here she would talk to my legs and face (as opposed to all the time she spends talking to my tits) they smell so good. If indeed I washed my boobies with it I wouldn't have anymore eye contact, but damn would my boobs smell great. Not that they smell bad. No, they smell great. But, I digress...

Lastly, and I have to apologize again, this one isn't funny (not that the first two were, but I've been drinking wine out of a tea cup what the hell do I know??) just sweet.

I was looking at pictures of my beautiful niece that the brother and sister-in-law posted on flicker and saw a resemblance that I had to share:

option: PSSWR HAWAII

Aloha, ladies! YES, I am still in Hawaii. I'm coming back on Monday after three weeks on the Big Island. I have fabulous tales of mongeese and awa ceremonies, volcanoes and poi, frozen chalices of beer and sunrise chanting down by the ocean. And also I think we should have a PSSWR Hawaii someday. Maybe not soon. But someday.

I'm sitting at a folding table in the dark upstairs loft at Halawa House, which is where the students, T.A.s, and project directors are living. Currently, I am mildly intoxicated, as we had our end-of-the-project barbeque tonight. Someone made me have whiskey. And what I think was suntan lotion. The students (and co-project director) are down in the macadamia nut orchard below the house doing whatever it is that they're doing down there. In the rain. And, since I am no less than four years older than the oldest person down there and at least eight years older than most everyone else, I have opted to wuss out for the remainder of the night.

Here I am.