Random Post on a Sunday Night

[lady_karelia]

First of all, belated birthday wishes to duniazade, and I'm sure there was someone else on my flist who celebrated being a year older this past week, but LJ is not accommodating with missed dates at all. Anyway, I hope you had a wonderful day, and I'm very sorry I missed posting on the day. Happy belated birthday to ferporcel as well, even though you're not on my flist. I love your story and hope you'll update soon.
If you have a prompt, I'll write you a drabble. I will start writing due drabbles as soon as I finish my exchange fic. That is kinda taking over my waking hours right now.

Writing and beta'ing and if it's not either it's driving to and from the dojo. Don't even try to imagine the state of the house right now. I was going to remedy that today, but I woke up with a headache, spent half the day asleep in bed and am not up to doing such mundane tasks as cleaning. Snerk.

Dorkboy left early Monday morning for California, and I'd forgotten how stressful life tends to be without him around. I was spoiled for three months while he was working from home. Sleeping alone in bed is no fun to start with, not sleeping well is even less fun, and having to deal with everything mundane that constitutes life entirely on my own is almost painful. I don't mind making shopping lists, I don't mind browsing shops with DB, but I don't enjoy the actual shopping act unless it's choosing a seriously good bottle of red wine, and believe me, that's nearly impossible in the South, no matter how sophisticated a liquor store might look from the outside. So, yeah, this week has been kinda stressy, and of course, the first day I have without stress, a headache decides to invade me.

But at least I managed to get all the necessary shopping done, all that's left is a trip to Penzeys, which I'll do when I visit Borders next sometime this week as they're just around the corner from there. Their dried herbs are of high quality and their vanilla sugar, with real Bourbon vanilla, simply rocks. The holiday cookies project is slowly progressing. I need to bake the stollens this week.

Found a t-shirt yesterday. It's navy blue and says "I'll try being nicer if you try being smarter". I think it was made for me. *looks innocent*

Comments

[geminiscorp.livejournal.com]

*hugs* Hope the headache clears up and the hubby returns soon.
You'll have to stock up on the wine while you're visiting Chicago, I honestly believe in this city you can find anything you could possibly want. You are coming to Terminus aren't you?

[lady-karelia.livejournal.com]

Thank you! :-) The hubby will return the day before Thxgiving for the long w/end. I can't wait...

Hm.... I really must consider Chicago then! I'm going to Portus, but if I can swing it, I'll be at Terminus as well. It's a matter of juggling finances delicately... Not sure how well I'll do with that! LOL

[geminiscorp.livejournal.com]

Well I hope you will be able to make it up here! I'd love to make it to Portus but unless I win the lotto it's highly unlikely, so unfortunately I know what you mean.

[lady-karelia.livejournal.com]

That sounds good to me!

I pledge, herewith, that, should I win the lottery or come otherwise into unexpected monies, my first deed will be to secure a ticket for Terminus and the second deed to secure a Portus ticket for you. How's that? :-)

[geminiscorp.livejournal.com]

That sounds lovely! I pledge to do the same. = )
(and next on my list would be a ticket for lux_astraea and a few others)

[kimberly-elf.livejournal.com]

::hugs::

I hate when my hubby is out of town. I can't sleep at all in bed by myself! It's impossible in and of itself, even without bouts of insomnia.

Are you looking for exotic wines? Because even in Biloxi, we can get Yellowtail reds and Da Vinci chianti.

[lady-karelia.livejournal.com]

Thank you muchly :-) It sucks when he's not here. I know I was totally spoiled with the unexpected three months at home when he was able to convince his boss that it would benefit the company financially, what with no expenses incurred. But the new company is not as accommodating... :-(

I wouldn't call my taste exotic exactly, but then again, I grew up in wine country, lol. St Emillion, Medoc, basically Bordeaux wines that aren't Claret is what I'm looking for. And Chateauneuf-du-Pape, which is available here, but at extortionate prices. I mean, I know I have to pay 15 euros in France for it, but it doesn't mean I'm willing to pay $50 here, yanno? 25 or 30 yes, considering the import costs, but 50??? Erm, no, I don't like it that much. The price variations here are amazing from one shop to another. Some Bordeaux are in the region of $12, in a different shop the same one is offered at 25. I don't get it... I guess I should find a new hobby, really.

[kimberly-elf.livejournal.com]

Ah...a connoisseur, then! I don't know the vineyard or name, but Sam's (of all places, right?!) did have a reasonably-priced Haut-Médoc. I think it was less than $40. Do you have a Sam's near you? Or a World Market? We like the variety at World Market, even if the selection is a bit slim.

(Of course, I don't know much about wine! We like Merlot, Syrah and Shiraz, and the occasional chianti.

[lady-karelia.livejournal.com]

Sam's as in the Evil Empire owned Sam's??? And Worldmarket??? We shop there constantly, but all they sell is beer! :-((( And I don't like beer! Or do you go into Louisiana to shop???

Merlot is good in general, safe bet kind of thing, as is Syrah, especially if they're from France or Italy. Not sure about Shiraz. I've tried some but wasn't impressed, but don't remember what country they originated from. And that can be important. Like Chablis. French Chablis absolutely rocks. It tastes lovely, and what's best, you can drink and drink and drink and won't get a hangover, lol. Californian Chablis tastes, erm, like soap... I should stop drinking wine, really. I could be as slim as you if I did, lol.

[dickgloucester.livejournal.com]

Sorry - butting in here. Couldn't resist the opportunity to abuse Californian wine. The worst wine I've ever tasted was a Californian white - tasted like a heap of resinous wood, and no other even slightly redeeming flavours. But then , one of the best was from Calif., too - a dessert wine from an independent, hippy-typre producer.

It's true that the markups on French wine abroad are enormous. I've been shocked in the UK to see prices of £10 for a bottle of tanker wine I'd be reluctant to pay 4 Euros for here. I do wonder whose fault it is. The French, for trying to sell mediocre wine as a stylish product? (Hey, the world's too sophisticated to fall for that one any more.) The New World producers working in cahoots with the supermarkets to fix prices? I don't know. I love French wine; I love its individuality and the wide range of variations between and even within regions; I love that you can enjoy quaffing loads of cheap rose one day, because that's what you feel like, and a fine Burgundy or something the next. And there's so many great vins de table that nobody outside France has ever heard of. Serious marketing and publicity problem? Dunno. But they need to think seriously, as the industry's in crisis (they say). However, I do not think that going down the homogenised, consistent flavour type of wine that we get from e.g. Australia is the way to go for France.

BTW, I just bought a 2005 St Emilion Grand Cru Chateau Le Grave Figeac which is going to be super in four years or so. Keep and eye out for the 2005 vintages - they're nowhere near ready yet, but once they are, everyone says it's going to prove a very good year indeed.

[lady-karelia.livejournal.com]

Personally, I cannot stand California red. Chardonnay is not bad, but it doesn't quite agree with me, so I tend to stay away from it. Strangely, it's only the California Chardonnay that does weird things to me. Makes me wonder how many chemicals they put in *snerk*.

Yup yup, I'm with you on the mark-up of French wines, especially in England! And we all know the tax of wine never goes up, since MPs prefer wine over beer...

I'm with you on the individuality of French wines, too. I grew up next to Alsace, spent many holidays in the Lubéron, Provence in general, Dordogne... No year is the same as the previous one, which makes it exciting. And most of them are good. Very unlike any other countries' wines, including Germland.

I wants me some 2005 St Emilion Grand Cru Chateau Le Grave Figeac!!!! I remember about 16 years ago we went for a two week holiday in Bordeaux and stocked up half a boot-full. We really enjoyed those wines as they matured! I doubt I'll have a chance finding any of them here, though...

They started the Beaujolais Nouveau today here. Not too bad, but I think I need to try some more before I can make up my mind.

[kimberly-elf.livejournal.com]

Yes, Sam's! HEY, we don't have much in the way of culture or sophistication in our retail options on the Mississippi Gulf Coast! LOL, it's Sam's and Winn Dixie and Big Lots! The World Market we frequent is in Alabama, actually, in the Eastern Shore Center (Spanish Fort? Malbis? I can't recall.) They have six small rows of wine, divided by region. Not just beer! ;P

Shiraz is from Australia, I believe. You've inspired me to branch out of my red wine ghetto and try something a bit less average! I'm going to have to write some of this down as I am obviously wine-illiterate!

Don't stop drinking wine! It's too good for the soul. And I'm nowhere near "slim"; I'm just tall!!

[lady-karelia.livejournal.com]

*sigh* The laws are whacky here! In MS/TN, anyone can sell beer and those chemical-laden spirit mixes. But wine? Hell, no! You gotta go to a liquor shop for that.

If you like red wine, try your way through the French ones. I grew up about five miles from the French border in Germland, and to this day, I find French is the best. Okay, closely followed by Rioja (Spain) and some Italian grapes, but the Italians very much depend on the region.

I just tried the new Beajolais Nouveaux, which, strangely enough, you find in any wine-selling shack here! I'll have to try it a couple more times before a final verdict, but my first impression was, "Not bad at all." :-)

[duniazade.livejournal.com]

Thank you very much for the good wishes. And I'm not an year older, I'm an year wiser...which is not saying much.

Drabble for me? Yay! How about "Snape and Hermione gather mushrooms"?

Have I already told you how much I love your "Snape Overture"?

[lady-karelia.livejournal.com]

My language there was rather poor, wasn't it? LOL Of course one year wiser. I tend to say these days, every time I get a year older, I'm one step closer to cronedom. :-)

I shall think up and post a drabble as soon as I'm done with the exchange. I rather like your prompt!

Oh, you do? *squeeeeee* Thank you! I need another week or so for just composing, with no deadlines to write for... *deep sigh* Got a time-turner?