Yes, that was much better.
Reading: Water Witches by Chris Bohjalian
Tragic Sandwich
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Movie Night
We were thinking about going out–but alas, too tired. So instead we stayed home and watched things we had TiVo’d.
Alexander. What a gigantic turd. We have higher hopes for Million Dollar Baby.
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Photographer
Need one? Live in the Bay Area? Or maybe you just want to see some good pictures. Regardless, check out Barak Yedidia‘s web site.
He’s a photographer, so sometimes he photographs nudes. They’re tasteful, but your work might not like you looking at them on the job. Just a thought.
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Sometimes We Go Snowshoeing
And sometimes we fall down.
That’s okay, though, because we’re on the snow, and it’s pretty soft.
Snowshoeing is a tremendously awesome sport. It’s fun, it’s cheap (if you buy stuff off of eBay), and anyone can do it.
Last winter we made numerous trips to Mt. Pinos. Most recently, we spent a week at Lake Tahoe. I’d never been before, and it more than lived up to the hype. The whole area is spectacularly beautiful. Actually, I think snowshoeing (and, by extension, cross-country skiiing, although we have yet to try that) is probably one of the best ways to see that area. Why? Because unlike hiking, snowshoeing does not require you to stay on the trail. In fact, there is no trail. Just snow. The result is that you get to see areas that you would never see during warmer times of the year, and you don’t have to feel bad about spoiling the backcountry.
Additionally, it is not necessary to limit yourself to resorts like Kirkwood (which, like some other downhill resorts in the area, does offer groomed trails for snowshoeing and XC skiing). For example, a SnoPark permit lets you park in a number of maintained parking lots, which even have toilets.
It’s cold. You’re going to want the toilet.
At any rate, the SnoPark permit is $5 per day, or $25 for the season, which lasts from November to April or so. And then there are the free places to park, like the turn-out at Grass Lake.
So go snowshoeing. Just remember to take lots of water, and wear layers. Oh, and don’t forget your compass. It’s no good if you die out there.
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SoCal Cyclist
If you like cycling, you should bookmark this:
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Happy Holidays
Take that, Bill O’Reilly.
Reading: Will in the World by Stephen Greenblatt
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Something to Go With the Coffee
find your inner PIE @ stvlive.comThank goodness I like the kind of pie I am.
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Chateau Fleur
The winery where grapes die. And go to Hell.
In a dumpster-diving expedition (which began with the sighting of a set of industrial shelves), my husband came across many, many unopened bottles of various wines and liquors. We suspect that the dumpster contents were the result of cleaning out someone’s garage, as the receptacle was owned by a company for hire.
At any rate, we cracked open a bottle of “Chateau Fleur” New York pink champagne (and when was the last time anyone heard of that? It sounds so Auntie Mame, and by that I mean something that would have been served at Upson Downs). This may be the nastiest stuff I’ve ever tasted, even accounting for the fact that it had lost its fizz. Here are some other labels from this choice collection:
Martinique Sparkling Sangria
Bertran Pinot Chardonnay (José López Bertrán y Cía, Tarragona, Product of Spain)
Bertran Pink Chablis (ditto)There’s also a Haut Sauternes, a couple of vermouths that have gone gritty due to the dissolution of part of the bottle cap, and a few bottles of claret. The claret makes me think I might have stumbled into an English novel about the early 1800s, and I have a sneaking suspicion that tasting it will make me hate English novels about the early 1800s.
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Happy Thanksgiving
Have a wonderful day, and don’t drink and drive. I’m going to be driving, too, and no one needs that nonsense.
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Halloween Costumes
Why don’t I ever have good ideas? We got a last-minute invitation to a costume party, and I haven’t got a clue about what to wear.
Also we’re both exhausted, and busy. So in addition to having no idea what to wear, I have no energy to come up with an idea, and no time to carry it out. Sigh.