The Serenity of Bottling Wine...

In the quest to experience less chaos and find more Zen in my life, I have concluded that I really enjoy the making and bottling of wine.   There is something calming about the bottling process.  It has a rhythm to it, like music.  Think waltz:  rinse, sterilize, drain; fill, cork, cap; heat-shrink, label, box; one, two, three; one, two, three; one, two, three.

Perhaps it is because it requires less thought, and the action of it is more by rote.  Perhaps it is because the rhythm of it reminds me of music.  Perhaps it is just the extreme and complete 180 from my normal frantic pace.  Whatever it is, it gives me a sense of calm and tranquility.  It also gives me a tasty bonus when the time comes to uncork and enjoy!

Last Thursday I bottled a batch of Amarone.  It is a double-fermented, dry, Italian red with a wonderful fruity overtone.  It is a bit raw coming out of the carboy, but 12 months from now, I will be singing its praises as it slides over my palate and down my throat like expensive silk.

When I was finished with bottling, I proceeded to make three batches of Christmas wine.  It is so easy when you make it at a great micro-winery like Your Vine or Mine in Painesville.  I mix it right there.  They take care of the day-to-day work, like filtering.  Six weeks later, I come back and bottle the wine.  Fruit wines, like the ones I make for Christmas gifts, are ready to drink as soon as they are bottled, but I like mine aged a little, so I make it in early August, bottle in mid-September, take home the spoils, and my Christmas gift list is 90% crossed off!  Where else can you find a decent gift for friends, family, and co-workers, etc. for less than the cost of a movie ticket?

No one turns down a bottle of wine.  Even if they are a teetotaler, they can re-gift it or serve it to dinner guests.  I can’t tell you how many times a wine recipient has told me that after serving my wine, a guest wanted to know where to buy a case.  That kind of review speaks for itself!  Designing your own label is fun and creative.  It gives the gift a personal touch. 

Of course, if you want to make a straight wine, like a Reisling or a Merlot, then you need to do it now to give the wine sufficient time to age before the holidays.  Otherwise you have to tell the recipient to wait until a certain period of time has passed before they can pour it for dinner.

This is the fifth time I have made “holiday” wine, and I have to say it has gone a long way toward relieving the stress of finding the perfect holiday gift.  I highly recommend Your Vine or Mine, where you can find your own little bit of Zen, and take care of your holiday gift list at the same time!

The Urge to Purge...

Years ago, when I was much heavier than I am now, I used to joke that I was a “dysfunctional” bulimic.  It isn’t as if functional bulimia isn’t in itself a dysfunction.  I was “dysfunctional” because I had the binging half down pat, but I couldn’t manage the purging half to save my life.  Even today, no matter how miserable and sick I might feel, I just can’t manage to “purge” in such a fashion.

However, purging takes many forms.  I am convinced that my current need to purge my living and working spaces of extraneous paper, equipment, old and unused electronics, and power supplies for old cell phones is a desperate response to my feelings of chaos at work.

As my work life seemingly spirals more and more out of my control, I respond in greater kind by attempting to simplify my home environment.  I have an uncontrollable need for orderly, clean, and clutter free rooms.  I want to walk into a space and not be overwhelmed with “stuff” everywhere.

I feel the need for Zen-like peace and simplicity.  And so I am purging.  Now, if I could only achieve the Zen-like peace at work…

Anderson Cooper - Through the Looking Glass

“We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their CREATOR with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.” --The Declaration of Independence

Anderson Cooper, widely respected news journalist, took the official leap over the closet threshold and announced that he is gay. After years of rumor, nasty gossip, and wild speculation, he must be relieved to finally put the talk to rest.

What I fail to understand is why anyone should care about, much less need or want to know, the nature of his sexual orientation.

Anderson is an intelligent, educated and well-spoken journalist. He is handsome, articulate and thoughtful. He has charm and presence and can hold his own in any interview. Despite his Vanderbilt heritage, he seems to be a well adjusted, adequately rounded individual. He works for a living, and has put himself in harm’s way time after time reporting from the scenes of tragedies and war zones in far-off places.

Quite frankly, I like him. He is easy to watch, easy to listen to, never offensive like some other personalities. I like his perspective. He does not sink to yellow journalism. He isn’t afraid to show his feelings. He is true to himself in his work, rather than reporting like some emotionless deity from on high. His reporting standards are above the cut, so it is a pleasure to invite him into my home as both an information disseminator and an entertainer.

I have no interest in what he does in the privacy of his home, and I expect he doesn’t give a damn what I do in mine. That is as it should be.

I remember when I informed my elderly mother that some friends of mine were a gay couple. She reacted exactly as I anticipated for someone of her generation. Then, after she met them, she decided that she really liked them. From that point on, she would always ask about “the boys”. “How are the boys doing?” “I really like them.” “Have you seen the boys today?” A few weeks ago, in one of her more lucid moments, she said, “How are the boys doing? You know I never think of them as gay. They’re just the boys.” I replied, “That’s exactly how you should be thinking of them, Mom. People are people. We’re all just people.”

I wonder if I will live to see enough softening of the human heart to rid the world of such irrational and long-held prejudices. People are people. We think, we breathe, we bleed, we laugh, we cry, we live and die. Everything else is just icing on the cake. Our differences are the icing, the decoration, the stuff that makes us interesting. Whether it be personality, color, religion, sexuality, career, age, talent or any of a million things, our icing should be the glue that holds us together, not the thing that keeps us apart. We should be free to share our frosting with the world or hold it close, as we choose.

Anderson Cooper has been harangued into sharing some of his frosting. The shame is that in order to live his life in peace, he had to share what he obviously preferred to hold close. No one should have to do that. Hopefully making an official statement will result in Anderson Cooper finding some peace. I find it very sad that he, or anyone for that matter, has to resort to such an action at all.

Therefore I repeat:

“We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their CREATOR with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.” --The Declaration of Independence

Back at it...

Well, I lived through my first week back at work. Going from medical leave to full time is like going from roller skates to a Porsche…walk, limp, walk, limp, then suddenly run like your pants are on fire. Of course, that first 40-hour week was accompanied by choir practice, multiple visits to Mom’s place, a writing meeting, etc. By Friday at 5 p.m. I was totally wrung out. I crashed after work, slept until 9 a.m. Saturday morning, and it still took the better part of two hours to get my engine in gear.

When I left my writing meeting on Tuesday night, I drove East from Lakewood, with my stomach growling. I hadn’t had anything to eat since lunch, and all I could think about was Mama Roberto’s meatballs and sauce. My foot fell heavy on the gas in an effort to get to Mentor before they closed. I made it with five minutes to spare and ordered a side of meatballs and marinara to go. Then I got in my car and drove down Mentor Avenue, eating meatballs and sauce at every traffic light. It was a miracle my clothing remained stain free. This late night dining on the run incident typified my week.

I fear week two won’t be much better. Welcome back to the real world, Betsy!

And just how do you define "blunder"

I was watching ABC World News Tonight, and Diane Sawyer was talking about J.P. Morgan’s 2-billion dollar blunder. I got to thinking about that. 

I handle the finances in the house, and I am sure that if I made a misjudgment that caused a loss of 200 dollars in my account, I would be mortified, upset and worried. But I think I could rightfully admit that a 200-dollar loss would be considered a blunder, an error, a mistake. I would also be relieved that my “blunder” hurt no one but me.

Calling a 2-billion dollar loss a blunder is an egregious gaffe. A 2-billion dollar loss is a grievous and catastrophic misuse of other people’s money. It is not an error and it is not a mistake. It is another example of the greedy bankers mishandling money that they have been charged with protecting.

Until we start making those same said greedy ones pay back every dime from their own ill-gotten gains, it will continue.

Horseshoe Casino

No, I haven’t been there yet. My comment is limited to the news coverage. A woman from the casino was interviewed prior to the opening and made comments about watching the clientele for symptoms of gambling addiction. The next interview was with a woman who looked about 60, with no teeth, who came all the way from Buffalo to try the new casino.

All I can say is…you have money to gamble but not for the dentist? If that is not a symptom of gambling addiction, I don’t know what is.

Politics, the bedroom, and democracy...

I know everyone won’t agree with me, but I think politicians on both sides of the fence need to stay the hell out of the bedrooms of American citizens. Quite frankly, it’s none of their business what consenting adults do behind closed doors. This country is suffering a nasty economy, with too much war, not enough jobs, high prices, lack of medical care, needy children, needy seniors and general instability. Elected officials are supposed to work together for the betterment of this nation; that is their job. Telling me who I can or cannot sleep with or who I can or cannot marry is not included in that job description.

I am tired of the sniping, accusations, in-fighting, and mud-slinging. Stop, already. You officials were elected to work for us, not against us. Stop trying to legislate every aspect of our personal lives and get on with the important stuff. Our founding fathers put forth a constitution meant to protect the citizens of this great country and ensure our freedoms. I am positive the signers of the constitution are looking down on the body of the Congress, the Senate, and the members of both parties with anger and disgust as personal greed and the quest for power taint every single thing that happens in Washington.

Although I am a registered Democrat, I have never voted the party line in ignorance. I follow the candidates and vote for the person I feel is most qualified and has shown that he or she has our interests at heart, rather than his or her own. For example, I voted for George Herbert Walker Bush. I thought he was an excellent president. I did not vote for George W. Bush, who I personally thought was ill suited to represent our country on a global stage. I did not, however, send scathing, derogatory e-mails or make nasty hate-mongering posts about him. Do you know why? Because personal feelings aside, he was the President of the United States. Liking him or not liking him really didn’t matter. He was the President, and by virtue of the office, deserved the respect of the citizens of the United States, myself included.

President Obama deserves the same respect, whether you voted for him or not; whether you agree with him or not, whether you like him or not. For better or for worse, he is our President, and by virtue of the office deserves our respect. I can’t begin to describe the irritation I feel when I receive nasty e-mails or see posts referring to our President as “presidunce” or other derogatory terms. I don’t pass them on, and I don’t repost them. I didn’t do that with the nasty stuff I received about President Bush either.

What happened to common human decency? Is this the way your parents taught you to act toward authority figures? Spreading hate is not the way for this country to turn itself around. Treating everyone with respect doesn’t make you a sheep. If you disagree with the politics, you are free to cast your vote. That is the basis of democracy. We need get back to it and soon.