ellen_datlow (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
ellen_datlow) wrote2007-09-30 07:39 pm
ellen_datlow) wrote2007-09-30 07:39 pm
Entry tags:
The weekend
I had a fine time yesterday afternoon at the wine tasting organized by the amaziing puppeteer, Mary Robinette Kowal's apartment. Her husband is a wine geek and was a boutique winemaker in Portland, Oregon.
So about 12 of use nibbled, chatted, and sampled three "flights" of wine: rose, Chardonnay, and Cabernet. It was fun and illuminating. One thing learned: you can't eat asparagus with wine--the chemical reaction makes the wine taste awful. So cleanse your palate with bread if you're drinking wine with your dinner and asparagus is being served. We tasted a cooked cork wine (I think that's what it's called)--when the cork starts coming out because the wine has been overheated in transit (or in your apt)...awful. Throw it out should this happen.
I've never been a fan of rose but we had one pretty good one. We had three whites (one the cooked cork one) and one was excellent. Again, I started out disliking whites a lot, probably because the ones I had tried years ago were either cheap California whites or Liebfraumilch from Germany--too sweet for a dry but not sweet enough for a dessert wine. I've come to like them since Dirk Flinthart of Tasmania took me on a winery tour a few years ago. That's where I drank lichee nut wine that was brilliant (and unfortunately, not exported from Tasmania). I still prefer deep reds. Margaux, medoc, that sort of stuff.
Last night my living room blacked out for over an hour--this happened several months ago and I had no electricity in my living room and in the overhead light in my bedroom over a holiday weekend. It wasn't the fuse. The electrician came the Tuesday after that holiday (I had to take my laptop to a cafe around the corner to use their wifi) and said it was something in the connection in the overhead light in my living room. He supposedly fixed it so it should not have happened again--and there's no reason it should have gone back on after a period of time. I left a message with my super last night and will confer with him tomorrow.
Finally, a wonderful brunch today with friends (upper west side two days in a row-shock!).
So about 12 of use nibbled, chatted, and sampled three "flights" of wine: rose, Chardonnay, and Cabernet. It was fun and illuminating. One thing learned: you can't eat asparagus with wine--the chemical reaction makes the wine taste awful. So cleanse your palate with bread if you're drinking wine with your dinner and asparagus is being served. We tasted a cooked cork wine (I think that's what it's called)--when the cork starts coming out because the wine has been overheated in transit (or in your apt)...awful. Throw it out should this happen.
I've never been a fan of rose but we had one pretty good one. We had three whites (one the cooked cork one) and one was excellent. Again, I started out disliking whites a lot, probably because the ones I had tried years ago were either cheap California whites or Liebfraumilch from Germany--too sweet for a dry but not sweet enough for a dessert wine. I've come to like them since Dirk Flinthart of Tasmania took me on a winery tour a few years ago. That's where I drank lichee nut wine that was brilliant (and unfortunately, not exported from Tasmania). I still prefer deep reds. Margaux, medoc, that sort of stuff.
Last night my living room blacked out for over an hour--this happened several months ago and I had no electricity in my living room and in the overhead light in my bedroom over a holiday weekend. It wasn't the fuse. The electrician came the Tuesday after that holiday (I had to take my laptop to a cafe around the corner to use their wifi) and said it was something in the connection in the overhead light in my living room. He supposedly fixed it so it should not have happened again--and there's no reason it should have gone back on after a period of time. I left a message with my super last night and will confer with him tomorrow.
Finally, a wonderful brunch today with friends (upper west side two days in a row-shock!).
no subject
Hope your lights are fixed for good. I suppose I could talk with your super and tell my joke about having his legs broken but really I wouldn't joke about that :)
But it is so annoying sometimes to be at the mercy of those who seemingly or perhaps actually do not care.
no subject
Anyway, my super checked the circuits that are responsible for the living room lo, those many months ago and didn't know what was wrong. So an electrician came in and noodled around, checked the connection in the overhead light, did something (I don't know what) and voila the electricity came on...until last night. So it's worrisome. I don't want to become a statistic of wiring in walls catching fire.
no subject
Guess that would make me want to move my more valuable items into storage.
Seem to recall that you were without heat earlier in the year. Perhaps its the landlord who is uncaring?
no subject
>>>>Perhaps its the landlord who is uncaring?