18 January 2008

No Baby, not the Wireless!
Elle not only is attracted to anything technological (laptops, mobiles, cameras, etc), but adores the wireless box in the bedroom. Nearly daily I'm working happily on the computer then suddenly I'm asked if I want to work offline because there's no Internet access. I turn to see the giggling and smiling baby with the wires very handily removed from the box and all the lights out. Talk about being forced to learn how to get wireless hooked back together and functioning.

16 January 2008

Chicago...and being happy where-ever I am
As I was driving to Halsted Street for a visit to the B.L.U.E.S., I thought, "Lincoln Park would be the place I'd want to live. Always hopping with life, and close to downtown, I think it would be fun to trade the 3K square feet of a condo for the 1K square feet of a flat...just a for a couple years or so."

Then I realised that I think this way every time I go to a place I know decently well and enjoy - Chicago, New York, and London are my top places I'd totally not mind trading the larger space of boredom for the smaller space of excitement! However, I thought of something somewhat profound for me: I'll probably never be completely happy regardless of my location simply because I have to be completely happy with myself before I know what I really need around me. Realising this has made me know what I feel is missing from Indianapolis - we have a little bit of everything, but not a lot of anything. I have to admit that isn't a terrible thing, and probably makes travelling even more fun.

Also, the lower living expenses helps our travelling budget quite a bit, and I couldn't stop travelling regardless of where I lived. Besides just wishing we were closer to cooler places, I think Indianapolis really isn't that bad - providing a cheap haven to come back to, and an hor d'ouerve tray of what's out there. It's just important to not get too caught up with a life just in Indianapolis.

04 January 2008

Champagne Reviews
New Year's Eve had a great start with a wine pairing with each course at Oceannaire. Simply fabulous would be the description, although there was some minor embarrassment that I had forgotten glace meant ice in French. You would think that seeing vin, and knowing that meant wine, would help me deduce "ice wine", but no, it didn't. Yeesh. Anyway, everything from the pate's to the duck salad to the amazing lobster with even more amazing butter/vanilla sauce to the Baked Alaska was scrumptious.

Moving onward to Champagne tastings. Each of us bought a Champagne to taste and evaluate, so I thought I'd share the overall results.

Indiana Champagne ($15) - I wondered how Easley Winery could possibly get away with calling it that since technically the term Champagne can be applied to sparkling wine coming out of Champagne, France. Then I realised that's the wine name, with the wine descriptor at the bottom being the typical "sparkling wine". Clever! Anway, it was very sweet and smooth, probably an excellent match for chocolate, although we didn't have any at the time.

Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs Brut 2003 ($30) - I DO know what blanc means, and I still don't understand the reasoning behind titling it "White of Whites". This is a sparkling wine from California. It was quite good, nice dryness with some complexity that was enjoyable.

Perrier Jouet Champagne Grand Brut ($35) - A product of France, this is allowed to be classified as a champagne, but they all have the same happy bubbles :) It was extremely subtle, tasting a bit like a blend. Easy to drink and smooth.

Perrier Jouet Champagne Brut 1996 ($99) - The vintage age of this champagne from the same vineyard put some complexity and kick into it. It was heavier bodied than Dom Perignon's late 90's vintages, but as a slightly cheaper competition, I could happily take the Perrier Jouet over the Dom.

My favourites was the Schramsberg and '96 Perrier Jouet, but all were really enjoyable. Having these tastings up the expense tree really helps determine how much you want to spend because honestly, people would probably get the same kind of bubbly enjoyment out the Schramsberg and save $70.

01 January 2008

Christmas Spirit
I remember how sad I was feeling that everybody was so lacking a Christmas mood this year during my "Humbug" post, but I'm glad to report that I started seeing it people closer to Christmas. I guess it was a delayed emotion this year, but during those first three weeks of December, I had an epiphany. For the first time ever, I really was completely satisfied with giving, and had no desire for my own gifts. It's easy to say, but it's much harder to make that emotion a true reality. The amazing result? I got everything I could possibly want...things I didn't even know that I wanted, but were perfect things that I'll enjoy so much. I think that's the secret - if you have no expectations or dreams of specific things, the gifts received are extra special.