UMTravels

Cold is still lingering, and not really looking forward to lingering in a cold shop all day. The area by the desk we keep a little warmer with a space heater, but generally the shop is about 60 degrees which is good for the wine, but not so good for a cold.

Slow day at the shop, but with Sundays, it’s expected. We still had samples open from yesterday’s bottles (vacuum sealed) and I managed to sell a few more bottles. We were pouring:

• 2010 Northwest Wine Academy Riesling $12
• 2009 Northwest Wine Academy Zinfandel $12
• 2009 Northwest Wine Academy Cabernet Sauvignon $12
• 2009 Robert Ramsay, McKinley Springs Syrah $25
• 2010 Airfield Estates Late Harvest Riesling 375ml. $13

The Northwest Wine Academy is the wine making program at South Seattle Community College with grapes donated by growers in Eastern Washington at pressed and fermented under the direction of a professional winemaker. The Ramsey is a Woodinville Winery and the Airfield Estates is a Prosser winery that got 92 points for the Late Harvest Riesling, which makes it a steal at $13… assuming you like dessert wines.

After shop duty it was off to the Camlin to check in before heading off to dinner. This is one of my favorite postcard shots of the Camlin:

Dinner at Swanda’s tonight is DancingBear, Misha, Wonderful, and myself. Though not on either Swanda and I’s low carb diet, the main course is a homemade deep dish chicken pot pie (Swanda picks out the potatoes and leaves the crust, I just leave the crust) preceded by a wedge salad with bacon crumbles. Damn fine meal. Damn fine company.

By 9:30 or so I’m back at the condo ensconced in my little studio unit (murphy bed pulls down from wall), but for $40 it keeps me from driving after drinking at dinner, and puts me close to the light rail line for the morning trip to the airport.

[205.0]

Early to bed late to rise, with only a 6am groggy (for me) call from Hong Kong (love you Michael). I hate being under the weather, and I hate it more knowing I have to fly soon. I do not want to pull my trump card and cancel (no penalty as an MVP Gold other than knowing I’ll never get Boston for $171 roundtrip again).

Got to work at 1:30 for the tasting of Northwest Wine Discoveries:

The Washington wineries are sprouting up so fast that it is hard sometimes to keep up, but you got to try. Stop by this Saturday when we’ll be pouring some of our favorite new discoveries from the local viniculture. We’ll be featuring wines from our local South Seattle Community College’s wine making program as well as a new rich and thick Syrah from Woodinville and an excellent desert wine from Airfield Estates in Prosser. Come give them a try. We think you’ll like what we have found.

2010 Northwest Wine Academy Riesling $12

The NW Wine academy wines are made by the Wine Technology Program is on the campus of South Seattle Community College but you’d never know it. It is a good dry concentrated Riesling that would put many local Rieslings to shame. The grapes come from Den Hoed Vineyard in Yakama Valley.

2009 Northwest Wine Academy Zinfandel $12

This is a little leaner style of Zin compared to California cousins, but the NWA has nice spice notes as well as good clean fruit flavors. The fruit comes from Alderwood vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills.

2009 Northwest Wine Academy Cabernet Sauvignon $12

A blend of three vineyards — Den Hoed, Pontin, and Red Haven Vineyard (on Red Mountain) the NWA Cab Sauv comes in at a hard working price.

2009 Robert Ramsay, McKinley Springs Syrah $25

92% Syrah, 5% Viognier, 3% Mourvedre

From his winery in Woodinville, Bob Ramsay produces this rich and deep Northern Rhone inspired Syrah. All from McKinley Springs fruit the wine has notes of anise, cherry and smoky notes wrapped in a soft blanket of French Oak.

2010 Airfield Estates Late Harvest Riesling 375ml. $13

It’s a hit. The 2010 Runway Late Harvest Riesling was made with 50-60% botrytis infected fruit and finished with 15% residual sugar. Peaches, tropical fruits, honey, and botrytis aromas lead to a viscous, vibrant wine with superb natural acidity that frames the fruit brilliantly. This wine is all about pleasure — 92 pts Wine Advocate.

Hit and miss until 4pm when there seems to be a rush. Some decent sales, I’ll see the numbers tomorrow when it’s my day in the shop.

Home for a cocktail after work.

Dinner.

Another early to bed day to try and slay the demon head cold.

[205.4]

Slept in until noon, with a brief computer log-in at 9 to cancel my space on a Port of Tacoma Tour. They do them monthly, so hopefully I can do this another month (when I’m not battling a cold). Of course, a close reading says they are on “temporary hiatus” after today’s tour. I signed up for alerts for when they start again. I’m guessing budget issues. Damn cold.

Boredom forced me to lay around and read The New Yorker on my KenDoll, I’m up to the December 5^th issue. Always behind. Maybe on the Boston trip Monday I’ll finish that one and the next.

Speaking of Boston trip, no upgrade, and not likely, at least on the way east. Boston is looking like low 40’s for my visit. Much better than snow. It did make me look at the list of where UncleMarkie is going in the next few months:

Oakland is actually KOA (Kona, Hawaii), it’s just that OAK is an overnight on the way to the Big Island.

And while monkeying around with airline sites, clicked on a link for United who is featuring 20% off Frequent Flier tickets to Europe and Central America if you fly before the end of March. In checking my miles I noticed something odd.

What is ODD about this is that’s like 90,000 more lifetime flight miles than my account had in late December when I checked on my Premier status. I think it has something to do with the United/Continental merger and how Continental folks got flight mileage credit for some charge card purchases (like maybe plane tickets?). Don’t know, but that actually makes me want to fly United again (even with their crappy Premier level changes) as I’m within striking distance of being a million-miler (like my father). I just need to fly another 107,912 — hell there were a couple of years at Microsoft that I did that in one year. Why is million-miler status important? Permanent Premier Gold status and free Premier status for a friend (paging CaddyDaddy).

But can I find a flight at 20% off miles, or should I just start looking for cheap paid flights. Dilemma. 45,000 miles for a coach seat to Europe. Dates are available, but even though I’ve lost weight, not sure I want that many “butts in seats” miles.

Steak, salad, wine. My new diet. If you look at the number below, it must be working. Or the cold is taking away my appetite.

[206.4]

What can I say. I’m battling a head cold that I want gone by Monday morning when I fly to Boston.

My schedule today:

• Get up
• Have breakfast
• Read the Wall Street Journal
• Take power nap
• Work at Swandas for a couple of hours
• Take power nap
• Cocktails
• Dinner
• Cocktail
• Genealogy Research
• Bed

From the 1900 census. My great grandfather listed as Farmer, owned his own land.

Odd way to spend an evening.

[209.2]

No work for me today. Wanting to take it easy. I’ve been trying to shake this low-grade crud.

I really don’t want to end up taking this crude with me to Boston next week.

Once again, SurfBetty has cancelled for dinner tonight. Second week in a row, or is it third. He has been having a high-grade crud.

And not leaving the house today means no salad for dinner tonight. Just a big steak and an overfull glass of wine.

Now that one “full” pour.

Glass courtesy of the Boston Wine Expo a couple of years ago, sponsored by Jet Blue.

Booked Europe for the summer, but will I be able to go? 90,000 frequent flier miles and $80 in taxes and fees. Direct Seattle-Amsterdam flight for a EuroFaerie Gathering in Berlin. No problems turning it back in, though I’d eat $25, but that not a deal breaker.

[211.2]

I started out the morning thinking of Tokyo and thinking of an early February visit. Two ex-pat friends are in Tokyo, and another new friend is heading there. I didn’t get further than the $1200 in coach and either 110K miles on American (for business, direct), 100K on Cathay Pacific (via LA and/or Hong Kong) or 105K on Korea Air (via Seoul). For 10K more miles I can go to Australia and get better value from my banked miles.

So much for Tokyo now.

After banging around the East Side for frames (got 3 out of 4), hit the Safeway bargain rack and scored tons of 50% pate, cheeses, and some 30% off meat. Can’t wait to dig into the truffle pate that was $5 after discount. Thank god it freezes well.

Then off to the apartment to use the frames, unload the dishwasher, fold the laundry, make dinner, eat dinner and leave.

Marinated chicken breasts, green beans, salad. Not bad except for the chicken which the leftovers got washed of the marinated and are now soaking in four cheese alfredo sauce for a later meal.

More work tomorrow.

[209.9]

After waking up to a dead coffeemaker in the hotel room (they got me a new one in 15 minutes), it was onto the shuttle where the driver took me directly to Uwajimaya, even though it is usually only a “game day” stop on their shuttle route. And yes, I tipped him.

Got to the store 45 minutes early, Jim arrived 30 minutes early, so we started plowing through the inventory. Good thing to since I’d forgotten I’d scheduled an oil change and a slow leak fix for 12:30 and inventory was supposed to start at noon.

We actually wrapped up the count in 45 minutes including all the “gift accessories”, and I just realized that we forgot to inventory the salts, peppers, and sauce. Tomorrow, me thinks.

After the wild night last night, after inventory I dropped off the car at the shop and went home and took a nap. The joys of being underemployed.

For today’s random pictures, the topic is cars, as my previous sets of wheels:

BMW 2002tii next to Tom’s Civic in front of the Silver Streak at Point No Point on the tip of the Kitsap peninsula outside Hansville. So many memories.

My second Miata, parked next to Pugsly, a 1964 Bedford Romany Dormobile (complete with hand crank for starting if you were that daring) parked behind the first house that I ever owned, in the NE section of Portland. Bought it for $39,500 (the house) and sold it for $80,000 five years later to the real estate agent that I had originally purchased it through.

1975 Checker Marathon, the second time I owned that car. Sold it to Marybeth, who put at least one new engine in it, and now it’s the car of her rock-n-roll guitarist 20-year-old son. Perfect car for a musician. Now it is Forest Green. Parked in front of the Boylston Street house on Capital Hill, assuming when it was still a duplex that I shared with Greg from the lack of gate and the size of the bushes.

Well, that’s our stroll down memory lane for today.

[? ? ?]

It was a relaxed day until I got to the hotel and realized the Kindle (or Ken Doll)was not charged, and I was hopefully having a mid-afternoon date. Back to the house, but, of course, the bridge was up. Got back a little after three, with the charger for Ken and just for good measure, the phone and camera. All this for a no-show — rescheduled for after dinner tonight.

Off a little after five for Swandas place — having soaked the beans in the bar sink in the room — in the bag for the ice bucket.

The menu:

• PuPu Platter and cocktails to start
• Bread sticks
• Cole slaw
• Great Northern beans simmered in smoked ham hocks
• Honey orange glazed pork roast wrapped in bacon

Looks pretty good, and it was.

Thanks to Mick I was back at the hotel to try at that date again, who when finally made contact it was after midnight and I just didn’t have it in me. Stayed up until 2am watching Gold Rush on the Discovery channel instead. Interesting way to start the year.

[209.5]

A couple of quiet hours with Jim at the shop following a quick but traumatic stop at the apartment.

A quiet New Year’s Eve at home, with a couple of chicken thighs on a bed of lettuce while planning for tomorrow’s New Year Day meal with Swandy, Fluffernuter, TinTin and DancingBear. How does a pork roast in a honey orange glaze wrapped in bacon sound?

And I actually made it until midnight…

Just, I’m drinking a mini-Prosecco from the shop ($4.50 for 187ml).

[211.3]

After a day of running errands for Swanda, it was an evening of steak and scanning.

Me in the 70’s.

Me in the 80’s. With my father’s tie from the 60’s. And the shirt had been to the cleaners — I can see the crease. Still have it, but it’s not looking too good (the tie that is). I have the chair as well, it looks much better having been recovered (again, and again, and again).

[212.3]

Just think how clean the garage would be if I just spent an hour a week (OK, today it was 1.5 hours):

I can actually open my car door the whole way.

Dinner with DancingBear and Swanda tonight. Got a ride home with DB, and Fluffernutter will bring me back in the morning. Too many novice drunks driving around between the holidays. Don’t want to get caught in a sweep.

[210.4]

Some days you feel like a nut, some days you feel like an Elf. Hence:

Just a few packages to post (after wrapping them, adding cards, stuffing them, addressing them). At least it gives me the chance to get the postal crate back to the post office after having it languish in my garage. I think it’s actually from the Lopez Post Office.

Just waiting for the final addresses which should show up tomorrow.

Now if I could have remembered to grab the bag from his fridge of discount meat I scored downstairs — guess there is always tomorrow.

And now for a ridiculously huge steak dinner:

Only got through about half of it. Sort of dwarfs the salad.

[212.6]

Out of the condo at 8:30am so I can get back to the house, shit/shower/shave, and get into the shop at noon. Though I’m not sure why I was rushing since the first customer wasn’t until 3:30 in the afternoon. At least they bought a mixed half case. While if wasn’t the worst day we’ve had, it was a definite runner-up and more reason that this will be the last Tuesday open until around Thanksgiving next year unless we decide to do the 3:30-7pm open times on Mondays/Tuesdays.

Luckily I brought both the morning’s Wall Street Journal and the Kindle with me to the office. Too bad the chair is so uncomfortable — guess it’s time to make a pad for it.

Had to stock at grocery outlet for salad stuff for dinner, snagged a couple of pork roasts, but totally forgot the eggs. Good thing Swanda invited me to come make brunch for him in the morning.

Quiet night around the house with a pork chop and salad, such a change from last night.

[212.5]

So, what is Boxing Day:

Boxing Day is traditionally a day following Christmas when wealthy people and homeowners in the United Kingdom would give a box containing a gift to their servants.^[1] Today, Boxing Day is better known as a bank or public holiday that occurs on December 26, or the first or second weekday after Christmas Day, depending on national or regional laws. It is observed in Great Britain, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and some other Commonwealth nations.

In South Africa, Boxing Day was renamed Day of Goodwill in 1994. In Ireland it is recognized as St. Stephen’s Day (Irish: L¡ Fhile Stiof¡in) or the Day of the Wren (Irish: L¡ an Dreoil­n). In the Netherlands, Lithuania, Austria, Germany, Scandinavia and Poland, December 26 is celebrated as the Second Christmas Day.^[2]

Although the same legislation the Bank Holidays Act of 1871 originally established the bank holidays throughout the UK, the day after Christmas was defined as Boxing Day in England, Scotland and Wales, and the feast day of St. Stephen in Ireland.^[3] A “substitute bank holiday in place of 26 December” is only possible in Northern Ireland, reflecting the legal difference in that St. Stephen’s Day does not automatically shift to the Monday in the same way as Boxing Day.

In Canada, Boxing Day takes place on December 26th and is a federal statutory holiday where all full-time workers receive time off with pay.^[4]

In the United States, business owners give gifts to people who make deliveries, especially the mail carrier and UPS driver. The gift typically consists of a fifth of Scotch^{[citation needed]}. Even though this tradition is almost universally observed^{[citation needed]} in the United States, most Americans have never heard of Boxing Day. Instead, they just call it “the day after Christmas.”

Thanks to the boys on the MMF List, though I think it was cribbed off Wikipedia.

We (Rich, Julian and I) got out of the house a little before 1pm, with the goal off arriving at the WorldMark Birch Bay by 4pm with a couple of stops in Mt. Vernon (gas, groceries, thrift stores).

By 5:30 the rest of the gang had showed up and we started on dinner.

That would be five steaks. For Erik, it was a portobello mushroom stuffed with tomatios, roasted garlic and almonds.

[214.3]

Well, Christmas is here and it’s a lazy day. Early afternoon found me over at Swanda’s making an eggnog and bacon quiche..

Next up was a quick “drive by” cocktail at Gryph & Tag’s place where they were holding a gift grab which, with company coming in for dinner I didn’t stay for.

Rich arrived about 4:30pm and our change of plans (was pork chops and a big Caesar salad) changed to leftovers at Swandas — a repeat of Friday night’s dinner, and just as good the second time around. I even found a little “au jus” that we’d missed the first time round.

And yes, we hacked into that monster pie. Well, Rich did, Swanda had a small slice of the peanut butter pie.

We actually got to bed at a reasonable hour tonight, not like the 3am when I was chatting with someone who regrets dumping me thirty years ago — too bad that ship has sailed.

[212.5]

Well, the first item of the day is to “dress” the pie at Swanda’s place. Wow, I’m not sure that can be considered a “pie”:

Then off to the shop for my standard Saturday shift (1:30-4:30), then to Greg and Patsy’s for a glass of scotch, then off to the Faerie Gift Grab (traded woowoo cologne [actually smelled nice] for a tapestry of cows humping and some jam), the a wide goose chase for a hamburger [not for me] on Christmas Eve, and then home to open presents.

The booty:

My motto is “If I can’t read it, eat it, or drink it…”

For tomorrow I go off to make a quiche for the big guy, the maid, and the “other woman”.

[211.3]

Today is really about tonight’s meal:

Man that’s a nice piece of meat. And the table (and the wine):

And my plate:

We were TOO stuffed to even attempt eating the dessert, especially since it has an hour backing time:

Wow ¯ when I left Swanda’s place, the oven was cooling down at the end of the “pie” cooking cycle. Caramel gets applied tomorrow.

[211.2]

I spend my day on the Eastside — servicing cars, washing cars, FedExing Christmas presents, buying clothes, getting gas, buying booze, mailing letters, getting stuck in traffic, fetching packages, making dinner. Here are the amusing photos.

The cheese course:

The “meatloaf” — Bison and Beef (egg and shredded cheese as a binder), a layer of asparagus, covered with braided bacon:

After it’s out of the oven:

And the table:

With the “Stoplight Salad” — red and yellow mini tomatoes with cucumber and a little cucumber and Caesar dressing.

Life is hard.

[211.0]

While Swanda’s place has the calm before Christmas returned to it under my hand, I’m afraid the shoemaker’s house (the old saw about how the shoemaker’s son always has the worst shoes because his father is always too busy with his customers shoes) is looking a bit like a tornado hit the place.

Part of the “issue” is that for some reason (probably seeing Robbie in Santa Fe) I started going through all my old pictures and started scanning the old negatives in. Here is a random (but different than last nights FaceBook post) photo from the 80’s.

Spent a couple of hours finishing up Swanda place in time for two upcoming dinner parties (tomorrow and Friday night), and then it was home for a quiet dinner party of one.

I’ve added the slide/negative scanner to the living room computer so I can randomly sort and file pictures while watching my favorite junk TV shoes.

No rest for the wicked.

[209.1]

A record breaking day at the shop — even besting Jim’s Saturday total — and ON A TUESDAY. Must be the holiday gift giving season.

Look at the wine rack for the cabernets and pinots:

The is mostly the cause of these two guys who came in looking for six cases of wine ASAP and by the time we were done (they were shopping for the “B” client list) they had added another three cases for their “C” list clients instead of the coffee they were planning because they found we had a bunch of wines in the $10 range. Whew!

They a family came in, another mixed case, then just after five a guy came in for two cases of not cheap wine. $35 a bottle wine was flying off the shelves.

Went to Swandas for a few minutes of work before heading to Jill’s for the tequila and latke party:

I started with the required tequila, but quickly moved to a nice Ridge:

Here is the damage for the evening, though I missed most of the action:

Needless to say, I slept on her couch.

[213.1]