Wine thoughts

This?

Is the best wine EVER. I've loved this wine for a while and finally learned that Torrontes is a type of grape from Argentina. If you like dry whites it's worth a whirl. And at about $12 a bottle quite the steal. Not only does it smell yum but it's delish!

Home Brew

For Christmas someone bought my brother-in-law a home brew kit. So last week, with Dave's help (and against my sister-in-law's natural inclination to have the house NOT smell like mildew), he initiated the beer brewing process.

Both enjoy beer but know zip about how to actually make it. Without the kit's directions the guys would be lost and luckily they had them for the first few days. Until their location became unknown...

So needless to say I have my doubts about the quality of the final result. My hypothesis? This will be $80 brew that tastes somewhere between 'palatable' and 'burn-y'.

The Eternal Struggle

I heart these Nine West boots.Although, the circumference of my calves is greater than that of a toothpick. Which means I could only wear them with either leggings or skinny pants. Neither of which I own because a) in my world leggings do not qualify as pants and b) the calf issue.

It's such a vicious cycle.

Dream Jobs

Sometimes when I drive to work I daydream. (The words 'drive' and 'daydream' probably shouldn't be in the same sentence. But my eyes are open. And I'm not eating breakfast or putting on make-up when I do it, so there's that.)

Today on my way in I was thinking about my ideal job. And not the ambitious, CEO of Google type of job, but more so the paycheck/education/ability/qualifications don't matter type of job that your second grade teacher had in mind when she asked you what you wanted to be when you grew up.

When I was in college, I never thought I would work in a government office.* But I really do love my job and I love coming into downtown every morning and experiencing something new. It's unique work and most days I can find humor in it. (What I don't find humor in? People who think they can yell at me because they are a taxpaying citizen. Note: You can't).

On today's drive I came up with another dream job to add to my mental list. Just in case there ever does come a time when paycheck/education/ability/qualifications DON'T matter. Starting the list (and in order of preference):

STARBUCKS BARISTA - although, only for the afternoon/night shift... the morning people are just too needy and demanding.

MUSE - the inspiring artsy kind, not the band kind.

TRAVEL WRITER - I like traveling and I like writing. But have neither the cash/time/skill to do either extensively. Meh.

FOOD NETWORK COOK - have you seen their kitchens? Realistically, my domestic skills are limited (like I mentioned earlier, ability isn't an issue in this list). But how hard could it be to make something when you have a staff to chop and measure for you?

The funny part about all this is that I'm working on a masters degree that (I'm hoping) will help me find a job that's probably not on my list. But that's not what day dreaming is about. And considering I only have a 25 minute commute, a four job reserve isn't too shabby. I would probably have more if I could quit my morning karaoke car session.

UPDATE: If Macy ever gives up full time napping, I think she would excel doing quality control in a peanut butter factory.

*For all of those who say that government employees are lazy or stubborn or what-have-you I'd say that you're probably right about some. But about 75% of my coworkers really love what they do and feel some type of loyalty to making the system work better. How many offices can say that about their employees?

Good reads

I've just finished reading a series of David Sedaris books. The best part being that most are just a collection of essays so if you get bored with one story, it's over quickly and onto the next. Most of his essays are cringe-tastic fun, like seeing someone trip and fall and trying not to laugh (out loud).

As far as storytelling goes, he's superbly wry. My favorite book is Me Talk Pretty One Day which follows a lifetime of language issues, from childhood speech class (for correcting a lisp) to creating acid-induced performance art. Holidays on Ice opens with him working as a Christmas Elf at Macy's and includes a chapter (my fave) titled Dinah the Christmas Whore. Enough said.

Naked and Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim were the last two I read, and aptly titled to since it covers a lifetime worth of family related stories.

All are definitely worth a read if you are looking!

Time to Un-Plug

About two weeks ago Dave and I decided to take a vacation. I'm off from school and it seems that everyone at work is taking time off too, so why not? So we decided to go to London to visit friends over New Year's Eve.

And I know what you're thinking. I said that we were going to cut back on spending. But in my defense, London wasn't on the No List and it was all paid for with cash. AND heavily discounted (thanks to a friend). So we put a small ding in our savings and went. Don't judge.

If you've never traveled last minute just for the hell of it, you're missing out. We had a really fantastic time staying with our friends, eating curry, drinking pints and generally enjoying the blistering cold weather London offers in January.

The London Eye nearing midnight. Note the sea of people in front of us. I failed to photo an even larger crowd of people as we exited for fear of be trampled if I stopped.

Lady making delicious, cheesy toastie sandwiches.

Enjoying the cheesy goodness.

(My favorite part of traveling is the food. The cheese toasties were fabulous. So simple too, just cheese (can't figure out what kind) mixed with red and white onion bits. Toast it on a grill and you have melty happiness in your cold hands.)

In the true spirit of last-minute travel I took only carry-on luggage. It made plane and train transfers easier, but also limited my preparedness for the freezing cold weather. I was that girl, waiting at the underground in (what I thought were) sensible, black flats. But by the time we made it to our friend's apartment I couldn't feel any of my toes. NONE. Actually, I was surprised when I looked down and my feet were still there, not just frozen bloody stumps (because that's what it felt like). (Actually, a bigger fear was that lost toes meant a permanent end to my flip-flop wearing days. Vain? Yes.)

Now we are back in Florida and it's back to work! And when I say work, I mean trying to figure out how to recreate my cheesy toastie.