So it's 9 p.m. on a Sunday night and Liz and I are in the USD law library, studying our little behinds off, with frosty tall-boys of Sapporo. It's glorious, if not brazenly inappropriate.
But after studying for 8 hours straight, a little something to take the edge off can only help, right? In fact, I think it's getting my creative juices flowing. I just had an AIM exchange with a classmate in my Wills & Trusts class (don't be jealous at the riveting stuff I get to take) about the possibility of fighter jets writing someone's will in the clouds and whether this would be a valid holographic will. We thought maybe, but there'd be the problem of getting witnesses to attest to the will....but I digress.
All I know is that this is the second-to-last set of law school finals that I ever have to take and I couldn't be more pleased. Please no one let me try to drink-while-studying for the bar exam. That shit is no joke.
Have you heard of this shit*? It was originally created to treat equine asthma but apparently promotes drastic weight loss in humans. Think Nicole Richie.
In an ironic twist, the drug loses its effectiveness after a while, whereupon users experience drastic weight gain. There's no free lunch, people, get thee to a gym instead!
[*I realize I'm linking to the Daily Mail and I have no shame in doing so]
Okay, so I'm baking my first Thanksgiving turkey this year and the pressure is almost too much to handle. Now, IMHO, I am a pretty damn good cook so I am confident the thing will be succulent, moist, and delicious. My worry is not that the turkey will be bad or inedible. No, instead my turkey stress stems from the fact that no less than 5 people, all of whom have cooked probably 30 friggin' turkeys in their lives, have provided me with no less than 5 different ways that I MUST cook the turkey in order for it to come out just PERFECTLY. So now I'm confused. Right-side up? Upside down? Hanging from the rafters of the oven? Do these machinations really make a difference in the final product? And, if we're being honest, are turkeys ever really moist? Are they even ever that good? How many times a year do you eat baked turkey? I, for one, can say with certainty that the last time I ate baked turkey was a year ago Thursday. And when the once a year turkey-eating ritual rolls around, the only thing that makes it "tasty" is the 12-ounces and 45-grams of fat of gravy. This stress is downright unnecessary.
I've made my decision. I am going to pray for sunlight, take the turkey into the backyard, and spot-cook the damn thing with a magnifying glass. It's time that I start some of my own traditions, anyway.
One common piece of advice I've heard is that placing aromatics under the skin adds simply titillating flavor. I couldn't agree more:
In keeping with the wino theme, I thought I'd share some of my favorite cheap wines...and when I say "cheap," I mean cheap, like $4.99-a-bottle-with-your-Albertson's-card cheap. And if $4.99/bottle instills in you the fear of nasty hangovers and of somehow appearing low class, think again. Here are some very respectable cheap wines:
Smoking Loon Cab:
This stuff is not half bad. Liz and I split a bottle on Saturday night and i believe I bought it for $5.99. The flavors are subtle and pleasing and there's not that ubiquitous tannin-ey undertone so common in other "cheap" reds. I think there might be a luck-of-the-draw element to this wine (i.e. some bottles might be better than others), but that just adds more excitement and mystery to the whole experience.
Barefoot Chard:
There's really not much to say about this wine other than that it has that faint, bordering on bland, taste that chardonnay tends to have by virtue of its being chilled. I find Barefoot chard to be refreshing, light, and enjoyable. Ultimately, I'm not a huge fan of white wine, but this one is good, especially when served with grilled lemon pound cake topped with whipped cream--a dessert pairing Liz and I discovered over summer. Oh, and did I mention you can pick up a bottle of this for $4.99 on sale? Yeah, so put down the Pabst Blue Ribbon and dignify yourself a bit with some wine, huh?
Three Saints Pinot Noir:
Okay, so this wine isn't necessary "cheap" (at around $17-$20 a bottle) but it is freaking DELICIOUS. We discovered this wine at a little fish restaurant near our house and have been hooked ever since. Notwithstanding my heavy bias toward pinot noirs, this is one of the best wines I've had all year. It has the characteristic cherry, almond, and coffee flavors of a pinot noir, with the smoothness of warm chocolate ganache. It is amazing and you'll never stop thinking about it if you try it. I've only had the 2003, which appears to be sold out pretty much everywhere online. However, I do know someone with an obsession for buying cases of wine (::cough:: Pam) who has some bottles safely tucked away for special occasions so I'm safe for now.
So here it is, my first foray into blogging. I recognize that now might not be the best time to start a blog, what with the holidays and finals breathing down my neck, but hey, a guy needs an escape, right? (read: another internet distraction to, well, distract me from my studies.) Incidentally, I am not a wino but I do love wine and the word "wino" rolls off the tongue nicely.
I learned about this whole vox.com thing from this guy, who tends to be my IT hero. I am pretty much the billboard for technological-ineptitude, so if you're looking for a blog with fireworks and graphics and such, this ain't it. (However, this guy is full of fireworks).
Not quite sure what this blog is going to be about, but I do know I have two main goals: (1) to relate my [largely irrelevant] viewpoints and opinions on school/work/politics/pop culture/books/life/etc. and (2) to get Liz to contribute to this damn thing (a goal that has been, and is likely to continue to be, unachievable).
That's it for now. Randomly, here are some things I really love right now:
-Liz
-democratic majorities
-wine
-that black and white photo of Rosa Parks on the bus
-Grey's Anatomy
-civil litigation
-Southeast Asia trip-planning (please send any tips)
-featherbeds
-boxers (the dog!) w/ floppy ears (boo clipped ears!)
-tuna, white bean, spinach, and fresh rosemary salad on triscuits (no one can touch Liz's, not even Rachel Ray and it's her recipe--joke's on you, ray-ray)
