Crane Lake - Pinot Grigio

Crane Lake
Pinot Grigio
2008
$2.99 - Henry's

I need to start shopping for wine at the Trader Joes and not at the Henrys. I can't get a wine for 2 bucks at Henry's despite the fact that we're in California. The wine came from California, so why the extra $1? Its a travesty.

Anyway, the wine was alright. Fruity, and most definitely sweet. It was served chilled, and thus had very little flavor. I can't stress that enough. Almost no flavor at all. Nothing to really indicate it was wine at all. It was refreshing though, and that's why we bought it. It was warm yesterday, and a nice cool wine after dinner sounded great. It of course went very well with the discussion of trips to the Sierra Nevada, and our commentary on Huell Howser's trip up Half Dome in Yosemite.

So, altogether I'd recommend it. Bit of a headache today though. Can't say its deffinately from the wine. Ok. 3 Thumbs up, and 2 ibuprofin. 3:2... its on the right side of the ratio.

- S

Review - Wings of Madness by Paul Hoffman

Who was M. Santos-Dumont? Any guesses? I didn't know either until I read this wonderfully charming history of one of the most flamboyant early pioneers of aviation. Santos-Dumont was balloonist who invented the rudimentary controls necessary to create powered, and navigable, airships. Today, a blimp hovering over the Sunday football game isn't a rareity, but it was Santos-Dumont who made such steadycam shots possible.

In Wings of Madness Paul Hoffman portrays just what a character Santos-Dumont was. This very approachable popular history is a biography not just of the man, but of the early aviation scene in general. One really gets a sense of the excitement, and the wonder, that must have taken hold of Paris as this first "aeronaut" took to the skies and rounded the Eiffel Tower winning 100,000 francs in the process. But one also gets a sense of just how troubled Santos-Dumont was. Never comfortable in crowds, but craving attention and noteriety, he was a conflicted genius. Hoffman's words truly make the subject come alive.

As a history, Hoffman has done the English reading world a great service. Santos-Dumont, hero of Brazil, remains largely unknown outside his home country. This fact is a shame, as his work inspired a generation of European inventors to help perfect the science of aviation. Anyone interested in the early 20th century, science, or aviation owes it to themselves to take a look at this work.

- S

Moving

Is a pain in the ass.

- S

School's out for the summer!

Yay. Its always a good time when the term ends. Today marked the very end of my last term at UCSD. So, everything is turned in. I'm done! Months ahead to focus on what I want to focus on. The book, creating new work, working on my new grade book, making sure that the zucchini comes in... its going to be glorious.

- S

** edit ** - You can tell school's out because I sit here at my big empty desk. Clearing it off was the last step before I could sell it. Well, actually its the penultimate step, as I have to take the door off the hinges to get it out of the room. That's not something I'm looking forward to. Anyway, big empty desk.

Sigura Viudas - Brut Reserva

Sigura Viudas - Brut Reserva
Champagne (or sparkling wine)
Hyatt Hotel - Anaheim
Price - Complementary ($9.95)

We were treated during our honeymoon at the Hyatt in Anaheim (Disneyland!) to a complimentary bottle of this Sigura Viudas and a plate of chocolate covered strawberries. The Hyatt is a classy joint, but the TVs could use some upgrading. Well, we didn't drink the bottle on the trip since we'd gone to the nearby Target to get some wine, but we saved it and brought it home. It was probably the best bottle of champange I'd ever had, but that's not saying much.

The cork came right out, which is the one thing I really require of sparkling wine. After the Barefoot experience where I tore the skin off my hand trying to get the thing to pop this was a joy. Right off. In fact, I nearly broke the glasses. So, with that done, and the bubbly poured (poored... haha... puns) we dove in. Small bubbles. Which I hear is good. And the flavor was not overwhelming as I find it to be sometimes on sparkling wines. So, that was nice. Nice enough to go ahead and kill the bottle.

Okay, but here's the real kicker about it. The champange hangover. It was surreal. I'd not been that sick in quite some time. I'm thinking Brut Reserva translates into Bruttle something... It was tough. So, bringing back my scale. It gets 3 thumbs up, but a 5 pill hangover. The dreaded 3:5 ratio makes this one a no reccommend. Unless you're not going to be dealing with whomever you served it to the next day.

- S