Going off the grid

I will be back around October 9, 2007.

Happy Blogging!

~Steve

Pig Drivers Never Take a Holiday

Dear Mister Road Show:

I call them pig-drivers. These are the drivers who tail gate me when I am driving the speed limit in the right hand lane even on a four-lane road and they have plenty of room to pass. Pig-drivers can also be seen exiting freeways by cutting across multiple lanes to shoot off an exit at the last minute. In parking lots, pig-drivers often will grab two parking spaces by parking with the white line going down the middle of their vehicle, no matter how crowded the lot is.

Yesterday, I was hoping the pig drivers would take the day off, since it was drive the speed limit day. As I drove to work, heading north up the Almaden Expressway at the speed limit, the pig-drivers were there doing their normal pig-driver stuff. They were tailgaiting and others were zipping past me on the left just to cut in front of me then slam on their brakes right in front of me to make a right turn. On the way home it was the same thing. You only live once and the pig-drivers were as focused as ever on getting it over with as fast as possible.

In short, the pig-drivers did not take a holiday. They were still out there, driving like idiots, their cell phones still as firmly glued to the sides of their heads as ever. They are out there still.

Steve Sloan

Wine Review: Paraiso Springs Pinot Noir, 2005

Paraiso Springs Pinot Noir, 2005, Santa Lucia Highlands
Very nice. A plesant wine to drink. Gentle on the palatte, notes of red fruit like cherries plum flavors with hints of spice, smoke, and toasty oak, cedar well structured tannins and balanced acidity. This is a pleasant pinot at a good price point.

My Rating; 89

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It is hard being young

Lets not be too hard on Paris and Britney
Let's face it, it is hard being young. I mean that sincerely. For those of us "over the hill" imagine the stupid things you did when you were young, then imagine you had throngs of people telling you you were beautiful, telling you you could do no wrong, people who almost worshiped you and, oh yea, imagine you had enough money to do anything you wanted. Think of the stupid things you might have done then! Imagine being under a constant spot light. I shudder to think what I might have done. Young people need to face the consequences for their mistakes. I am all for that. But, they also need to be given an opportunity after to be brought back in without shame. Nobody should delight in their lessons hard learned. I think that is wrong. I think it is a bit cruel.

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Wine Review: 2003 Helix Pomatia, Columbia Valley

2003 Helix Pomatia, Columbia Valley Red Blend By Reininger:
This was a very mellow and pleasant wine wine with soft and rich mouth feel. It is silky and finishes very well. It is elegant, definite notes of Black Cherry and other berry fruits. Very good! Drank on June 17, 2007. My Rating 92.

Technical Information From Winery:

Vineyards
Ash Hollow, Clifton Hill, Patina, Pepper Bridge, Phinney Hill, Pleasant, Sundance, Seven Hills Vineyard

Blend
50% Cabernet Sauvignon
27% Merlot
16% Syrah
7% Cabernet Franc

Cooperage
53% American Oak, 47% French Oak
Bottled August 2005
pH 3.54
Total acidity 0.61 g/100ml
Cases Produced 2,207

Winery Tasting Notes
Subtle richness and intensity of fruit suggesting a loftier pedigree, accompanied by an incredible soft mouth feel, define this as a non-pretentious, kick-back wine of casual elegance. Black cherry, raspberry, a splash of pomegranate, unpicked mint, a hint of cedar, a whiff of roasted coffee stirred with a pinch of cocoa; ingredients for a comfortable evening.

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Wine Review: Burrell School CV Zinfandel/Mataro Blend, 2003

Burrell School CV Zinfandel/Mataro Blend, 2003
This bold and exotic blend has a Wonderful Nose. It greets the nose with odors of oak and dark earthy fruit. This wine is big and extracted without being overbearing. It has a long and lingering finish and a rich velvety mouth feel. It has hints of raisens and fig. This is a 50-50 blend of Old Vine Zinfandel and Motaro and I really liked it. CV is the Roman Numeral for 105, the vines the Zin fruit came from are 105 years old.

My "new scale" rating [Link] 91.

Received Wine Club Aug 05.

Winmaker Notes
Vineyard Information: Leona's Vineyard, Santa Clara Valley. These vines date back to an original planting circa 1898. Three acres are still under cultivation, yielding small amounts of concentrated flavors.
Tasting Characteristics: Bright cherry flavors, a nose of blackberry fragrance and notes of cocoa and chocolate are the signature of this small production, exclusive blend. Soft tannins and bright fruit are indicators of a wine ready to be enjoyed now.

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Pig with a Lexus

Camera Phone Post: Pig with a Lexus
I went to Kaiser this morning. It is always hard to park there. The lot was jammed packed and this pig took two spaces! It took me a long time to get a space. What an arrogant jerk! It was two compact spaces too. This is another example of an ugly American.

Wine Review: Londer 2004 Anderson Valley Pinot Noir

Londer Vineyards, 2004 Anderson Valley Pinot Noir
I have tasted great Anderson Valley Pinots before from Williams Selyem and Arista, but this is the first I bought. This wine was rated 91 by Wine Spectator and at $30 it is a good value. I found it big, but not jammy. I am definitely checking out Londer Vineyards more. It started with layers of Vanilla spice, strawberry and light cedar. It lingered on the palate finishing with hints of cola, cranberries and blue berries. We have been drinking a lot of Russian River and Santa Barbara County Pinots. This is a very different expression of the grape with the different cool climate clones and terroir of this appellation. We enjoyed it a lot. My "new scale" rating [Link] 90.

Wine makers Notes:

2004 Anderson Valley Pinot Noir: Moderately dark in color with typical Anderson Valley spice and red fruit in the nose. Cherry and strawberry follow with vanilla in the mouth. After opened for a few minutes, black cherry, plum, and blackberry start to predominate. A very long balanced berry finish follows. 1949 cases bottled Alcohol—14.2% pH—3.59 RS—0.08%

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Sierra-to-the-Sea Epilogue

Overall
I am done with my ride and I am recovering today. I slept until about mid-day and my body is still in recovery.

The Good
It was a lovely ride through some of the best the state has to offer. I saw some incredible scenery I have never seen before and met some really nice people. The staff was fantastic and worked hard to make the ride pleasant. We had fun and people were generally very happy.

The Bad
The ride has tried historically to offer something for all levels of riders. Cyclists on the Sierra-to-the-Sea range from bike riding Grandparents (like myself) to hard core, very driven and competitive cyclists. The folks who plan the event have historically tried to make everybody happy, which is simply not possible. The hard core "racer" type riders have historically not been happy and some have complained in the past that the ride is too easy. This year the ride management seemed to want to make the ride more of a challenge, they seemed to me to be more aggressive in route selection.

In my opinion, on the first day they ran into a perfect storm of too much heat, too many climbs and very bad roads that, in (again) my opinion, threatened rider safety and the ability of both riders and support staff to cope with riding conditions on the first day. We were lucky to have gotten through that day without serious injury (again in my opinion.)

The Ugly
Arguing between and amongst event staff and clients was too public to be ignored. There were more incidents of conflict this year than I ever remember.

My rating of this ride
My "new scale" rating [Link] 85.

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Wine Review: Andrew Rich 2004 Pinot Noir Cuvee B

Andrew Rich 2004 Pinot Noir Cuvee B Willamette Valley
Wow, an excellent value. Not as big as the 03, more nuanced. I like it better. Pleasant nose, light fruit elegant on the palatte. Gentle with a long lingering finish. This is a wine that evolves over an evening but does not empty your checkbook. It is comfortable. A pleasure for when you have the time to sit, sip and enjoy with a good friend or a good book. My "new scale" rating [Link] 91.

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Relationships: Feelings

Some people seem to be able to control and turn their feelings on and off like a light switch. In my opinion, what they are doing might be repression. I know, whom am I to know how they are able to manage to just shut off their feelings? I just know I can't. In my experience feelings are feelings. Speaking for myself: you can try to control them, or you can let go and let God, but there is no point in denying them because you really do feel them. It is our choice in how we respond to feelings. Of course, we are responsible, and accountable for our actions.

Feelings, speaking for myself I can not will them. But, they do not control me. Like all of us I may not always be free to act on my feelings, like anger for example. I take responsibility for my actions, but I am, we all are, entitled to have whatever feelings I/we have about whomever/whatever we have them about. In my opinion we are entitled to love, hate, like, dislike, be attracted to, be not attracted to or feel angry or sad over the loss of whomever/whatever we feel those feelings for. Some folks think it is a sign of weakness to cry over the loss of a pet for example. But, we are accountable for how we react, or fail to react sometimes, to feelings, or even the lack of feelings.

If you feel sorrow over the loss of a friend, pet, relationship, (or a potential relationship) you might of had, that is your right. You have a right to grieve. But, it is to great credit if you see when the outcome of acting on your feelings toward the object of your feelings is not what you want. So, despite our feelings we sometimes need to let go. In my opinion that is an act of strength, not weakness.

In my opinion we are entitled to our feelings and responsible for our actions.

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Restaurant Review: Taco Del Mar

Taco Del Mar
5353 Almaden Expwy, H-50, San Jose, CA 95118
Great burritos, good value, wonderful attitude. Posan Yang is the manager and this guy always makes you feel happy you are doing business here. You get your ticket punched for every burrito you buy there. Ten punches is a free burrito! Double punches on Monday. Great stuff! This place is becoming a favorite of Susie and mine.  My "new scale" rating [Link] 89.

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Restaurant Review: Tony Soprano's again

Tony Soprano's (Revisited)
87 E. San Fernando St., San Jose, CA 95113
I previously reviewed this restaurant [Link]. Since then I have gone there and been twice disappointed. I met one of the co-owner's, Terry Thompson, and he is a really nice guy. Today, though, Thompson was nowhere to be found and the service stank. The food was not nearly as good as the first times.

Revised Rating
Tony Soprano's is one new place that showed a lot of promise. But, it is not living up to that promise. My "new scale" rating [Link] 64.

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Restaurant Review: Palo Alto Creamery, Palo Alto, CA

Palo Alto Creamery
Stanford Shopping Center, Palo Alto, CA
Yesterday my wife, her mother Fran and our dear friend Diane went to this place and ordered tea, cake and ice cream. This was an order that demanded no cooking yet they waited, and waited and complained and waited more. Finally they had to go as the time for our friends babysitter had run out. They cancelled the order, paid for the tea and, according to my wife, as they were leaving the order came. According to my wife the waiter got indignant  Poor Customer service abounds! My wife said the food looked good. If you decide to try this place be sure to bring a book, a long book.  My "new scale" rating [Link] 10.

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Wine Review: Taz Vineyards, Pinot Noir, Santa Rita Hills, Fiddlestix Vineyard 2003

Taz Vineyards 2003 Fiddlestix Vineyard Pinot Noir
This is a real fruit bomb, a very big Pinot! But, it does not blow up on the palatte, it holds together well. This is yummy. My "new scale" rating [Link] 92..

Winemakers Comments
In blending this 2003 Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir, we pulled together fruit from Santa Maria Valley and the Santa Rita Hills-two very different sites with contrasting signatures. The Fiddlestix Vineyard in Santa Rita gives dark fruits and brooding flavors, a concentrated and rich expression of Pinot Noir. The North CanyonVineyard in Santa Maria Valley delivers more delicate accents, with soft, pretty cinnamon and strawberry notes. When blended, you get a blackberry burst in the wine with cola spice and juicy jammy berry notes supported by a balancing act of tannins and structure. The resulting wine has breadth and an evenness we strive for with this tricky variety. -Natasha Boffman, Winemaker

Harvested September 2-18, 2003 Harvest Brix: 24.4-25.8 pH: 3.52 TA: 0.64g/100ml Alcohol 14.5% 100% Pinot Noir Clonal Selection: 115, 113, 667, 777, Pommard 4, Pommard 5.

Other Comments
A rich, intense burst of black cherry and juicy blackberry in the nose and mouth, this fleshy, intensely flavorful Pinot Noir is at once both lively and smooth as silk on the palate. This is a powerfully complex Pinot Noir that shows great structure and texture in its youth, and reflects why the Santa Rita Hills are so special for Pinot Noir.

And...
Ripe red cherries, hints of raspberry jam and a wee bit of herbs are washed over by a considerable wave of very sweet, vanilla-tinged oak in the nose. Not surprisingly, oak figures prominently in this wine's expressive flavors as well, but there are loads of sweet cherries at work once again, and the two themes of fruit and spice meld nicely together. There is just enough tannin to notice, but no more than the wine needs for a couple of years of comfortable keeping.(Connoisseurs Guide to California Wines)

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