A Blessed Christmas to All

I wish you all a blessed Christmas. Enjoy your time out from the world and the quality time you will spend with loved ones as we celebrate the birth of our Savior.

Snow, Christmas, Wine, and Poor Me

Let it Snow!
Friends and family out west are "sharing" their snow. Kristi and Andrew are stuck at home in Cheyenne, because a blizzard is upon them and the base is closed. The good thing is that they are stuck together which is not always the case when bad weather hits. Jennifer & Jon (just north of Denver) sent a Christmas Card Perfect picture this afternoon of their home covered & surrounded by snow. I'd sure like some snow, too, but certainly not at the expense of my Hannah not being able to get home on Christmas Eve. Chances of snow here are slim, though, but remember--the squirrels are fat this year.

Festive Christmas Music
If the Clayton Holiday Concert wasn't enough to spread Christmas Spirit, then I don't know what would. The Knoxville Symphony Orchestra was amazing as was the Knoxville Choral Society. In addition to the KSO & KCS performances of Christmas music, the Knoxville Children's Choir sang, the Appalachian Ballet Company acted out The 12 Days of Christmas, and Santa Claus was on hand. There was even snow! We also participated in a sing-along. We were treated to a reading of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas by military families (video played on big screen). The entire production, including taped tributes to our armed forces by Senator Bill Frist and Senator Lamar Alexander, was recorded for broadcast on the Armed Forces Radio Network. Since I've waited 3 days to write about this and now have a stupid cold, my enthusiasm has waned.

Okay...So Maybe I Can't Let Go of the Coffee Thing
At lunch with co-workers yesterday at the Chop House, Liston (co-worker, co-Associate Dean, guy who hired me as an instructor) pointed out to me that the menu says a change of beverage can be made at no charge. What does this mean?!? It means that after I finish drinking iced tea with my meal, then I can switch to coffee...at no extra charge. This is the solution! If the Chop House can do it, then all restaurants everywhere should do this.

Another Pinot Noir
This time I didn't read the label immediately before trying this. I did read it in the wine shop (a month ago) and it sounded good. Hadn't read it since, though. I drank the wine & tried to come up with my own description. I was close to what the label said. This one is from Turning Leaf Vineyards and is a 2005 Reserve Pinot Noir from California. I thought it had a velvety texture and I thought I tasted hints of cherry (remember the House of Nobilo Pinot Noir?). I drank it with a stuffed pork chop. The stuffing was an almond and apple stuffing. (No, I haven't been doing anything creative with food. This culinary creation came from Food City.) This was an okay pairing...I think eating the pork chop just made me feel better about having a glass of wine. The label reads: Pinot Noir is a wine produced by famously elegant grapes with hints of black cherries, berries, and spice. This airy blend creates a soft mouth feel that offers a seductive, velvety flavor within a complex palate. This fruit-driven wine bursts with sensation and flavors any moment with imagination and elegance. I also figured out that the way you let the wine fill up your mouth changes the experience...don't just drink it--let it fill up your mouth and wash over your tongue. It feels and tastes different when you do that. Special note: not good with macaroni & cheese.

I Have a Cold...Poor Me
I have finally come down with something. I was cold all day yesterday. By the time I went to bed, I had a sore throat. Today brought a snot-nose and assorted other symptoms. Ughhhh! So, on my way home to spend the afternoon in bed, I picked up some Airborne. My friend, Beth, swears by it and Kristi and Andrew say it works. So, I've been taking it all day--every 3 hours. Of course, I have also been drinking tea non-stop as I usually do when I don't feel well. I think I feel better than I did this morning. I had enough ambition & energy to put my electric candles in the living room window tonight...such as the monumental task it was. (Christmas tree still not up, though.) I haven't gotten worse. How well I feel in the morning will determine whether or not I'm not getting worse.

Do You Have Tea Mind?
From the Vanilla Almond Sweeten The Mind Tea (The Republic of Tea) can: The whole problem with western civilization is that ever since the Greeks we’ve been trying to squeeze the mind into the brain—and it won’t fit. The great Gift of the Leaf is that it relaxes the brain, freeing it to float to its true home in the boundless and the inexhaustible—the sublime state we call Tea Mind.

Coming Attractions
On the list of movies to see is The Good Shepherd, Night at the Museum, and We Are Marshall. (Yes, Mr. McConaughey is exceptionally hot, but this looks like a great story and he is not hot in this movie.)

Shout Out to Kenny
Kenny is my editor. Kenny is a co-worker who is kind enough to discreetly alert me to grammar and spelling errors in my blog. As such, he has earned the title of Christine's Dumb Blog Editor. Have fun with this one, Kenny. I found and fixed several problems myself...there's no telling what you'll find.

The Holiday: My Take On It

The Holiday
This movie made me smile (it also made me laugh and cry). Two women, looking for a way to escape their lives and get as far away from bad relationships as possible, exchange homes for the Christmas holidays. This is an L.A.-Surrey, England swap. Each learns life lessons, finds a new love, blah blah blah...I am a sucker for a happy ending. Stars Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jude Law and Jack Black. The same screenwriter responsible for Something's Gotta Give did this movie. I love that one, too.

There is so much that we can relate to in this movie: heartbreak, betrayal, little old man wisdom, a bit of escapism, human connection, tears, laughter, romance, and comedy. One review disses Jack Black saying he is unbelievable as a romantic lead. I think the choice of JB for this part is a perfect balance to Kate Winslet's Iris character--she's wiped out from being a doormat and needs a little levity in her life. JB did a great job and was a nice complement to what I think is a well-told story.

The movie is 2 hrs 16 minutes long...you'd never know it. This is rated PG-13 for strong language and sexual content. I don't recall any foul language (do you, Shalane?), so maybe the "strong" language was just the talk about sex. Usually if there is a lot of cussing, I remember it...because typically it's so unnecessary. The sexual content was minimal--no nudity or anything like that, but there was definitely some chemistry and steaminess between Diaz and Law. (Of course, I could watch it again and remember other stuff...)

Curtis and Hannah will both tell you that it's rare I will watch a movie again, much less spend money on a DVD. This is one I would go see again...and buy.

I am a Wine-Drinking Country Music Lover

Yes...I am a Country Music Lover
Country Music Television (CMT) has a new show called Giants which plans to honor the giants of country music. Reba McEntire is the first CMT Giant. Tonight it aired. I only watched the last hour of a 2 hr 20 minute show, but it sure was fun seeing/hearing other artists perform her songs in tribute. Yes...I am a country music lover. As such, I am also excited to see that Toby Keith is making his movie debut (on CMT, of course) with none other than Willie Nelson! Willie is one of my longtime loves. One of my favorite CDs (I originally had the cassette tape and wore it out over the years) is the 1981 Willie Nelson's Greatest Hits and Some That Will Be. Though I'm not 100% sure, I think this may have been his first greatest hits album. I don't find any that predate this one. (By the way, mom: Burt Reynolds is in that movie, too. A little somethin' for everyone!)

Tried that Pinot Noir Again
Several postings back, I may have mentioned something about an awesome Pinot Noir and tilapia pairing. Well, I've visited the restaurant again and had the same wine. It's from New Zealand's House of Nobilo ICON wines and is a 2005 Marlborough Pinot Noir. It was just as good as the first time I tried it. The label reads, "The wine shows complex spicy cherry fruit aromas on the nose with enhancing French oak overtones. The fruit on the palate is attractive, ripe and integrated finishing with elegant tannins." I'll have to agree with this. (I think??? Still learning, remember.) I was excited that I could smell AND taste the cherry in it. It even sort of had the texture of a cherry. After my glass was empty, I smelled inside of it what seemed to be a strong oak smell. Being able to pick up on these "nuances" seemed like a little breakthrough for me. I was excited! Still am. (Yes, I had the tilapia with it again.)

My Son Refuses to Read my Blog
Curtis called me last night to ask me what kind of wine I like. I told him if he'd read my blog, he might have an idea. Of course, this was after I asked him why he wanted to know what kind of wine I like. I know lots of you are thinking that he was probably drinking wine and wanted to compare notes. He's not of legal drinking age. He would certainly never be experimenting with alcohol. No, I'm not that naïve. Of course, I questioned him! Yes, I believe him when he said he wasn't drinking any. Still don't really know why he was asking. There's an outside chance that he's making his Christmas shopping list (for the first time in his life). Anyway, I don't know what his aversion is to my blog. I think he might be afraid of learning something about me he doesn't want to know...??? Or he could be reading and just doesn't want to admit that he reads it. Then again, if he were secretly reading it, he wouldn't have called me to ask about wine.

Back to Non-Complimentary Coffee
I surrender on this one. After stopping at Bistro by the Tracks for a pricey little dessert and coffee Saturday night, I realized I had no problem paying for that cup of coffee and thought to myself, "So what's the big deal? Let it go already!"

Non-Cloudy Pickle Juice (a follow-up)
I bought a new jar of pickles on Sunday. Without thinking, I stuck my fingers in it to fish out the pickles to go with my sandwich. It's been 5 days and the pickle juice is not cloudy! I washed my hands immediately before pickle fishing, so that must be the key. (You may recall that I wrote about cloudy pickle juice several weeks ago.)

Coming Attractions
Shalane and I plan to see The Holiday tomorrow night. This is the new chick-flick with Jack Black, Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet and Jude Law. Stay tuned for a review. On Sunday, mom and I are going to the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra's Holiday Concert. I'm very excited to get a well-rounded dose of Christmas music and performance. There will be music, ballet, and singing. I think Santa will be there, too. Ho! Ho! Ho!

It is Friday, isn't it?

TGIF!!! My gosh...what a week! Not that it was bad--just really busy. I actually was leaving work on time last night, but was foiled by a dead battery. My departure was delayed and, of course, my arrival home was delayed. I was still home in time to see Jeopardy, so all was not lost.

The guy at Advance Auto was really nice. I was the only customer in the store when I walked in, so service was fast. He explained to me about how a battery has cold cranking power...and that my battery (probably 4 years old by now since it's the original battery in the '03 car) was probably already going bad during the summer, but that I probably didn't notice. And the reason I didn't notice is because my battery didn't have what he "likes to call weather load." So, once the temperature dropped, my battery revealed to me that it had no cold cranking power left. Blah...blah blah blah...blah...blah...blah...Just give me a new battery and let me go home where it's warm. Again, though, he was really nice, provided excellent service, had good product knowledge and clearly enjoys his job.

It was 27 degrees. This morning, I see it's 15 degrees. YIKES!!! It seems these last few weeks we've had more really cold (really cold for Tennessee) days than we've had in the last few years. I knew when I started seeing fat squirrels with bushy tails that something was up! I knew it!! I haven't read the Farmer's Almanac nor have I listened to any forecasts for our winter, but I'm going with the squirrels.

Ramblings, Grumblings, Whatever

Goodbye Forever, Wal-Mart!
The only lingering reason for me to ever step foot in a Wal-Mart again has been eliminated! There are these 3M lint rollers for pet hair that I have only been able to find at Wal-Mart until yesterday...Super Target has them now! I have an extreme dislike for Wal-Mart. The monitors hanging from the ceiling with the volume set at 120 decibels are ridiculous...they make me want to scream "I'm already here and I'm already going to buy something...SHUT UP!!!" The customer service could improve. Also, Wal-Mart has the most sophisticated inventory system in the world, yet they can't keep their shelves stocked. (And don't get me started on how they treat their employees.)

Stinky Plastic Bags
Has anyone noticed that the plastic bags stores are using have a horrible odor to them? I went to two different Targets over the weekend and both stores had smelly bags. It's sort of a chemical odor & it's really quite strong. How safe can these bags be? The produce bags at Kroger have had this same smell.

"Contact Us"
Have you tried to contact a business lately using their Contact Us link on their website? Have you noticed how difficult it is to do it and how limited the options for contact type can be? I mean it should be easier to navigate through the headings and reasons to figure out what function to use. Sometimes even, the Contact Us link is hard to find! Target, for example, doesn't have any options for complaint or suggestions as if the only reason you would ever want to contact them is to sing their praises. Don't get me wrong...I've sent e-mails praising folks for their exemplary service. All I wanted to do was complain about Target's plastic bags, though. I guess that's what "Other" is for?

Complimentary Coffee...Your thoughts?
Does anybody else out there think that fine dining establishments should provide complimentary coffee? After spending lots of money on a fine meal and the alcohol to go with it, I am a bit insulted that I am then charged $2.20 for a cup of coffee! Am I being ridiculous? See Shalane's Blog for the back story on this. I don't think restaurants should 'give away' their food & drink, but I am a little resentful when I know the spot of coffee in my cup only cost cents. (Yes, I know we have to consider things like the cost of equipment upkeep and personnel to make and serve the coffee.) Seriously, your comments are welcome on this topic.

Rachel Ray is Everywhere!!!
I was content when Rachel Ray was "just" the host of 30-Minute Meals on the Food Network. You can't go anywhere now without seeing her picture plastered on everything. She's on tons of Nabisco products, she has a multitude of books in the bookstores (as I noticed when I was looking at books about wine), and her face is even on cookware packaging. (And, oh yeah, there's her talk show.) It's almost creepy. I am Rachel Ray'd out.

More on Wine
I've been to the bookstore. I found and bought a great book on wine called How to Taste: A Guide to Enjoying Wine. I also came across a wine journal. The pages are spiral bound and the squeak of turning the pages was like fingernails on a chalkboard. That was enough to turn me off, but it was a neat little format--a page reserved to document the experience of each new wine tried. Each page had a section for comments about the wine's bouquet, color, blah blah blah...and a spot on the bottom for one to paste the label from the wine bottle. I can make my own wine journal...and it won't squeak!

Lucky Charms...They're Magically Delicious
Who doesn't love Lucky Charms? It struck me with my last bowl that the the non-charm part of the cereal is just like Cheerios! (except a little more sugary)

Wine, Food, Friends, and Theater

I've heard of the Rogue Valley, but I didn't realize it was in Oregon until I tried Foris 2005 Pinot Noir Rogue Valley and then looked at the label. I brought the empty bottle home. I'm finding I need to record my wine experiences, so I'm either going to have to start saving all the bottles or saving the labels (Shalane's suggestion) and recording my thoughts about each wine I've tried. If I save the bottles, then it might look like I'm a big wine-O. We can't have that. Shalane has this enormous collection of wine corks. I mean it's like 50-gallon drum size. Maybe I shouldn't worry about a few wine bottles hanging around, because her collection doesn't make her look a wine-O. Anyway, who'd a thunk that there were wineries in Oregon? Have I been living inside of a brown paper bag? (I'm sure a lot of people think California is "the game" when it comes to American wines...I thought that for a long time. Ohio wines get good reviews, too. Did you know that? Mom will have a comment about this...just watch.)

A celebration was in order last night! Shalane survived (passed even) her dissertation proposal defense. We (Shalane, Sherry, and I) met at Bravo! Italian restaurant for dinner.

[Background: Sherry is my dear friend of about more than 10 years now. I met her when I went back to school to finish my bachelor's degree. She and I were in the same study group ("learning team" or whatever you want to call it these days) and graduated together with our B.S. We went on to get our master's together and that's when we met Shalane. Sherry has THE most contagious laugh of anybody I know. Shalane, you remember, is "4.0 GPA Shalane".]

Back to the dinner: I was coerced (heh!) into sharing a whole bottle of wine rather than just ordering one glass at a time (way more economical, by the way). It's a good thing Sherry doesn't mind driving us to the theater after we have dinner. Maybe I should say something responsible here like, "Maybe I should just stop at one glass." I could say it, but I wouldn't mean it. Anyway.......I LOVE (L-O-V-E...love, love, love) eggplant and Bravo! has the best eggplant in town, in my opinion. It comes with an herb pasta and I ordered a few meatballs to go with. The Pinot Noir and the eggplant were lovely together--so lovely that I never even took a drink of my water. (Mom makes the best meatballs on the planet, so I was unimpressed with Bravo!'s. They were barely the size of a "boulder" sized marble.) Shalane's filet mignon topped with gorgonzola might have been better than my eggplant. She was ridiculously excited by what was happening with every bite and every sip. It was fun to watch. I took a bite of her filet...her reaction was appropriate!

The three of us have begun a regular thing of gathering every few months lately to have a nice dinner and then go to a play. We've been doing the Actors Co-op productions at the Blackbox Theater. The first two plays of the season were interesting, fun, and a bit raunchy. Last night's play (Absurd Person Singular) was excellent (despite the fake British accents of each character). This was sort of a character study. I guess if I took away one thing from it, I would say that it's always fascinating to watch a person's evolution (for good or bad) and uplifting to know that you are connected to other human beings in special ways. The play was funny, very well-acted, and holiday-themed, so it was a good way to kick off the month of December.

The evening overall was so enjoyable. We caught up on one another's lives, we had good conversation, and we laughed hard. This sort of thing feeds my soul and makes me happy. The food, wine, and the "extra" entertainment of a play are enjoyable, because the company with whom I've shared it is so much fun! It's safe to say that last night a good time was had by all.

Okay...well, I'm off to the vet. And then maybe I'll do more toilet shopping.