Flavorful Feline - 2006 Fat Cat Pinot Noir

When I was younger, one of my simple pleasures was waking up, diving head first into the fridge, and digging for the last strawberry banana yogurt. I was transported back to those days this weekend when I opened a bottle of 2006 Fat Cat Pinot Noir. The first aroma of ripe strawberries and bananas is easy to discern even for the novice wine drinker. As you give the wine time to open up and fully breath, you begin to delve deeper into the subtle scents of cherries and assorted floral combinations.

The first taste gently slides over your tongue with almost zero tannins, creating a smooth and crisp tactile experience. It is hard not to close your eyes and imagine a warm summer day coming to a close with this playful yet subtle vintage. It is a perfect compliment to sweeter snacks and indulgences such as candied nuts, sweet cheeses, and of course any number of decadent desserts.

One of the most beneficial aspects of this wine is its ability to placate both white and red drinkers alike. To me, Pinot truly is a white varietal masquerading as a red and Fat Cat is my closing argument. Sweet and light enough for a white but deep and challenging enough for a red. It is one of the most crowd pleasing and affordable wines I have sampled in the recent months. Make sure to have this on your rack–a good Pinot always comes in handy.

Limitations

A group of friends decided to have a party to carve pumpkins, I wasn't invited. Starbucks was giving away free coffee, I wasn't told. Threadless had a fashion show, I didn't see it. It seems in todays fast paced social atmosphere the concept of one on one interaction is disappearing. Replaced by a virtual soap box dubbed Web 2.0. Though this new revolution of social networking is shattering our previous limitations, we are paying a hefty price.

Gone are the days of greeting neighbors on the street or idle conversation with a stranger. We have become slaves to our own creations where we spend our time communicating with people all over the world while ignoring the immediate reality around us. All of our improved communication has created a bubble around our individuality and formed a vacuum for personal interaction.

How many times have you been eating a meal to have someone excuse themselves so they can answer what is most likely an arbitrary phone call? Our generation is more interested in Facebook relationship status updates than the people standing a few feet away from them. We can now answer any question and communicate with anyone in the world with just a few pushes of a button but we are losing our need for the physical.

I am not saying that these new tools shouldn't be used and developed. Social media has brought the potential for tremendous enlightenment to people from all different walks of life. Education, travel, and many other aspects of our lives have changed for the better but we must not ignore where our desire for contact comes from. Its not a chat room or a web page but rather with flesh and blood people in different physical situations.

Though I reside in the spectrum of social media I have yet to delve right into the deep end. I prefer to use these tools as a way to broaden my knowledge and communicate with colleagues on a wide range of concepts. It is not a replacement nor even a supplement for my desire to talk to people face to face. It is this feeling that stirs a slight feeling of isolation. I am not the norm because I don't share every aspect of my life with the Internet community. I prefer to share my thoughts with actual speaking and not posts that have suffered through editing and scrutiny.

I equate the social media community with standing in a dark cave with thousands of other individuals. If I yell loud enough, my voice can be heard echoing throughout. If other people like what they hear they will pass the message further down the cave. If they don't they will shout back, a faceless specter in the dark. Without being able to see my opponent, my frustration can quickly develop into hatred or even rage. We have all heard of such stories in the media of suicides, gang fights, and stalkings that have been born of this creation. Without the restraint of common decency we are nothing but savages.

Though I could speak volumes about the benefits and ailments of our current on-line culture I feel I have made my point. Social Media is an exciting and expansive resource. Being able to connect to billions of people and limitless information can actually make you feel omnipotent or at least brilliant. It is when we give in to this revelation that we start to lose our physical selves. Eye contact becomes a screen name. Conversation becomes a blog. Friendship becomes a profile setting.

Losing our psyche in this endless expanse of opinion and information is a dangerous thought and I for one prefer to keep my feet on the ground and my head in the clouds so I propose a simple idea: speak. Make sure you spend more time talking than typing. Stop virtualizing you life and return to the days where people talked to each other and not at each other. Its a two way street and we're turning it into an on-ramp.

A Wave of Passion - 2006 Gnarly Head OVZ

If you could add a deep passionate flavor to the overwhelming power of a wave crashing against the rocks you would be close to a taste of Gnarly Head Old Vine Zinfandel. When you first inhale the bouquet of this robust varietal you will find yourself lost in your own senses. The deep red currant can only be matched with a zestful flavor of blackberries and rich earthy undertones.

This is not a wine for the faint of taste. Its initial impact conceals the complexity of its diverse underlying flavors ranging from sweet cherry to deep rich chocolate. Each sip unlocks new sensations that can manifest as a satisfied sigh or a euphoric cloud enveloping your mind so be prepared.

Fans of dark chocolate, seasoned meats, and sweet desserts will find this wine a welcome compliment to this commune of taste. It can also be enjoyed on its own while watching the sun set on a cool summer evening. The warming effect of this Zin can calm even the most restless of hearts. Let go of your self and be enveloped by the fruitful experience that is presented to so perfectly in this elegant creation. As Plato once said "Pleasure is the bait of Zin."

XXV

Its been just over a month and a week since I turned 25 and I haven't been this confused about life since I was 13. Granted back then my confusion was on how to take off a girls bra (which I've mastered) and how to get a girl to let me take her bra off (work in progress). Now my confusion seems to be between my former party persona and my responsible real world identity. That and running for the House of Representatives.

For the past few years I have always made fun of the notion of being an "adult" and "responsible" but on my birthday that reality came crashing through my door like a drunk frat boy roommate during pledge week. At least responsibility didn't have a 300-pound busted sorority girl in tow. Since then my mind has been torn between mature planning and reckless abandon.

A friend recommended I organize my thoughts in relation to other 25 year olds around me. I'll start simply with what I will call the “responsible adult”. This 25 year old has been exposed to the real world for several years and a career for at least half of that time. They are the type of person who won't hesitate to do work on weekends, plan and cook their meals for an entire week, and go to the gym as if their life depended on it. Though a noble breed this class of adult lacks spontaneity and a vivaciousness for life. Perfectly content to avoid impulsive activities and spend their time planning out the day ahead. Though I do not fear this designation, I am hesitant to embrace it for fear of the mundane.

That fear leads me to the next type of 25 year old we'll call the “Wayward Quarter Lifer”. This individual goes out until 5AM on a Monday just for the hell of it. Be it bar, house party, trip to Mexico or a party boat this person weighs all of their options and goes for the one that will exhaust them the most. Known for their ability to run on two hours of sleep and a diet consisting mostly of red bulls, these crusaders keep the entire 25 year old stigma young and reckless. Traditional job related responsibilities do not apply to them since they work to play and nothing more. This is probably the loudest voice in my head but thankfully the others are working together to drown it out.

The final and most terrifying of these personas is the “Progerian Adult”. This is the person who graduated from college, got married 5 seconds later, and are already firing out babies like a t-shirt cannon at a Celtics game. These people have not only embraced responsibility they are treat it like a drunk prom date. They have no idea what they are doing but they keep going. I worked with an individual like this at a previous job and could not be more baffled by his addiction to being tied down. He had his own demons to battle though. I saw his “Wayward Quarter Lifer” come out on one or two occasions and let me just say that repressing those urges will only lead to making an ass out of yourself when you release them. Thankfully he picked up the tab.

These are just some of the voices that have sprung up in my mind since turning 25. A weight of thought and introspection has continued to grow inside my head threatening to destroy my impulsive ways for ever. Bills vs bars, travel vs savings, Shots vs....well I am going to keep drinking shots but you get the point. Its not that my youth has gone away but there is a new bully on the playground who threatens to take my lunch money from here on out and I will be damned if I don't have enough for chocolate milk!

A Quiet Storm - 2006 Smoking Loon Cabernet

Just the name itself brings me back to autumn nights spent staring across a placid lake. With the first enchanting aroma, I can feel a cool breeze coming across the open water barely disturbing the mirror image of the full moon. Though grown far from my home, this wine brings me right back to my roots.

Smoking Loon as an almost over whelming sense of rich juicy berries combined with the scent that precedes a storm. This refreshing but powerful combination boldly takes over your taste buds in a triumphant symphony of flavor. A more tactile description would me 1,000 delicate fingers grasping your tongue in a warm embrace. Its western heritage infused with sweet tastes brings us back to cool evenings spent in quiet contemplation of life around us.

An excellent accompaniment to any strongly flavored meats such as fillets, split chicken, or even duck. The power of this wine quickly subdues simpler plates but that isn't to say they are not enhanced by it. This is a bold, unforgiving wine with its own identity and must be treated as such.

However, its strength belies the clarity of its underlying compliments. Though powerful, this wine can be enjoyed by almost any red enthusiast. The juiciness of a zin, the earthiness of a cab, and sweetness of a pinot all rolled into one simple package. I enjoyed my final glass while staring up at a twinkling sky over shadowed by a moon barely into its waning phase. Though far from home, this wine has sent me back to those carefree nights and insightful thoughts that we all seek in this constant turmoil we call life. Sometimes we just need a minute to stop and breathe. Delicious.

Many voices One sound

Waking up before noon on a weekend is a confusing experience for me. Perhaps my mind is just unaware that the “AM” realm of time exists on weekends as well as weekdays. Who knows? As perplexing as it is for me, I know not to waste the precious morning hours I have remaining. The major benefit of sleeping so late is that by this point almost all my friends are awake and doing things so I don't have to be apart of the drawn out planning stages of an activity. I remember a group was heading down to protest Prop 8 and since I hadn't fought for civil rights in ages I decided to round up some stragglers and head down.

We met up with the March around 4^th & Fir streets and proceeded to blend into the crowd. Maybe blend isn't the right word since most everyone had a sign or shirt supporting equality and we looked like we had just rolled out of bed and trucked over from PB. This is in fact what we had done and I could tell some of my fellow freedom fighters took notice but didn't care since we were there supporting in our best capacity.

It was fascinating to see 20,000 or so people marching through the streets of downtown with car horns blaring and chants being shouted. The buildings seemed to resonate the passion being displayed as we blocked intersections and cheered for tolerance. Rarely do you have the opportunity to take you individuality and combine it with so many others to become one voice. It me feel as though I were a tiny drop in a sea of people but with all our force we could reshape the world.

I'm not sure how far we traveled as we passed from parks to buildings to ocean. With each step I felt more united with those around me. The vibrations of their voices echoing in my chest. The field of colors constantly shifting and moving for blocks ahead. The sheer energy that had caught us all in its wake...

It has been a very long time since I felt so connected to my fellow man. Despite our different backgrounds and beliefs we were all united under a blazing hot sun to fight for those who couldn't fight alone. No longer was it a tabled discussion between competing ideals. No longer was it an opinion or a disagreement. We brought the tide of equality and sent its wave crashing against the rocks of ignorance and injustice.

After we had reached the end of our trek and our impression had been made, several of us decided to retire to a local bar and reminisce. Even though we had all taken part, we all had different stories and impressions of the experience. We had fought as one and brought our individuality to the battle. Its this type of community that can move mountains. Its this type of strength that can create change.