Little Joys

Back in the swimming game. Coming home to my kiddos watching Episode 5.  Pouring myself a glass of red.  Day off tomorrow.  The sky is the goddamn limit people.  Happy early weekend!

I'm Back Bitches!

So for my first post in, I don't know, four years, I will talk neither of books or booze.  Even though both are still quite prevalent in my life.  There's plenty of time for that later.

As today is my daughter 13th birthday... seriously, I've been thinking a lot.  Not just about inevitable aging. Or single parenthood. But more about life as I know it and how so very different it is than what I thought at age 13.  Anyone that has known me for a good span of time will tell you than I never have been much of a romantic.  I believe my German heritage actually does not allow for it.  At least on the outside.  That being said, my 13 year old self still had the start of those dreams of adult life.  Find a nice guy: preferably ginger, with man bun and birkenstocks optional.  Actually, if I'm being totally honest, I wanted Westley. The Princess Bride Westley.  As you wish Westley.  And from the age of 13 to say 30, I thought for sure that was attainable.  Mind you during that span of time I married a narcissist, seriously dated a crazy person, and had more dead end flings than I care to mention.  I fear I may have missed the mark.

You may be asking me where are you going with this.   Here's the point.  I fear Westley can no longer exist in this world.  We live in an era of Tinder and Plenty of Fish and God knows whatever other sites that I haven't even heard of.  Because of that I have a complete lack of faith that any man would willingly enter into an actual relationship when there are SO many options out there that don't involve settling for that one true love.  I am aware of my jaded status but I am waiting for evidence to the contrary.  Waiting...

So my point is, if you have not bagged a mate by now, you're fucked.  Super extra fucked when you throw in two kids and a helluva shitty back story.  So what advice does one give their teenage daughter when these are the thoughts rolling in one's head?  You tell me.  I have no idea.

Wish me luck.

New Job Eve

What a good day.  Got the kids all chore charted up.  Made some homemade chocolate chip cookies, and some hello good chicken, steak and veggie quesadillas.  Tidied the whole house and got all the laundry put away.  I even got to go to Target alone, thanks to my mom and dad!   And to top it all off, Joe came home early.  This was a good day.

I went for a nice red this evening.  This one was somewhere in the 10 dollar range.  I thought I would try to see what Washington had to offer in the red department.  Enter Horse Heaven Hills 2008 Merlot.   But I gotta tell ya, this one hits more like a Shiraz.  Velvety is the perfect adjective (and of course on the back of the bottle).  You can taste a little spice and a little blackberry with an allover clean finish.  It's definitely interesting, almost like I still haven't decided whether or not I like it.  It's like someone said put some pepper on a blackberry and then stick it in the freezer, hmm that tastes kinda good, let's make some wine just like it.  2 1/2 corks up on this one, but I may change my mind.

Cheers

Bookworm Hiatus

I am sad to say that I must take a break from reading in the first half of 2012.  At least the good kind of reading.  I am officially entering the land of Series 7.  But rest assured that I will not be turning my back on the glorious world of wine.  Seriously, is that even an option? I'll probably try and get on and share that boring nonsense as well.  But alas, Passing the 7 has become a work necessity.  One that I have dreaded for years past.  It's time.

But I did want to share my musings on a recent white I found.  This would be at the same local liquor shop that is ordering my beloved Kung Fu Girl.  This particular Riesling is of the New Zealand persuasion and in my opinion every bit as good as some of the best Washington State has to offer.  It's fruity but not sweet.  Tart but not dry.  Everything I like in a white.  I would give this one 3 corks up for sure.   Skyleaf Riesling, Waipara Valley, New Zealand.  Good stuff.

New Year Adventures

So I've decided on some things that are going to happen in 2012.  Some small and some big.  2012 is the year that I will truly live and let live.  My life is the only life that I can control and thus it is in my hands to make it what I want it to be.  I'm not letting the little things get to me.  Frankly, I'm not letting the big things get to me either.  I will not be terrorized and I will be the leader of my own destiny.  Dammit.  You only live once and I'm here to live it!

Things are already going rather well for me in 2012.  I start the new jobbo in Tampa this week.  HUGE!  That gives me one whole hour of extra time in the evenings.  And I have every intention of using every minute of it.  Things are looking up for Joe too, but more on that later. So without further ado, here are the missions for the year:

Mission #1: Learn to knit.  I fell the need to be productive...  What?

Mission #2:  Start an urban garden.  This one requires a little finesse in the convincing Joe department.  Once that is done, I am golden.  And I have every intention on breaking some sort of child labor laws whilst putting my children to work.

These are good plans!  Positivity goes a helluva long way!

oh, and p.s. I got my local liquor store to order in some Charles Smith! Who doesn;t love something to look forward to?!

Say no to wine? Say it isn't so

So myself and the better half are in a bit of a money crunch at the moment.  How is that possible you ask?  Well, you try planning a wedding, sending two kids to private school, holidays and birthdays, visits to family.  You get the point.  So my beloved offers up a solution.  Cut out the vices.  He says we don't NEED wine,right.  It's just an added expense, right?!  To this I say NO!  (What I'm about to say will definitely make me sound like an alcoholic but) I may not need the wine but dammit I WANT it.  It brings me joy.  A small joy after a shitty day at a shitty job, that wine is my lifeline to a more sophisticated me.  It's the me that I wanna be.  So I say right here and right now, budget be damned.  Pass the chablis.

Cheers

Mercedes Thompson - What a Badass

So I spent the last several weeks re-reading one of my fave series in preparation of the newest addition.  Now, I must share that one of my guilty pleasures in the world of literature would be the fantasy genre.  I'm just gonna lay that right out there.  With pride.  I'm sorry but it entertains me.  And that's a lie.  I'm not sorry at all.  I like to read about Mercedes Thompson, the VW mechanic that shifts into a coyote.  I like to slip into her wide world of fantasy where werewolves and vampires and fae abound.  I enjoy the escape that it affords.  So if you are an avid reader of anything, I encourage you to take that leap into the fantasy series.  Obviously it's no surprise that I would enjoy it as some of my biggest joys are Harry Potter and Twilight (don't judge).  But I implore you, try the Mercy Thompson novels.  It's a light easy read that deepens with each book in the series.  I just finished book 6 River Marked.  Good stuff I tell you.  Mercy the heroine is stubborn, a pain in the ass, and chaos seems to follow her wherever she goes.  If that's not a premise for good reading I don't know what is.  This latest book was chock full of Native American lore that I am sure to Wikipedia.  And as always, Mercedes doesn't let me down.  Good read.