| What's the deal with wine? Three years ago I went to watch "Sideways" in theaters. The film piqued my interest in wine. I subscribed to Food & Wine for a year, and even picked up a few issues of Wine Connoisseur from Barnes & Noble. I just didn't get it. Sipping it, I felt like gagging every time. Gulping it, I couldn't taste anything. I tried swirling and sniffing. You're supposed to, with a keen nose, be able to distinguish the different ingredients. All I could smell was grape. Well, duh. Miles from Sideways said, "If anyone orders Merlot, I'm leaving." Well, Miles. I happen to think Merlot is one of the few bearable wines. Or maybe I've just got elephant senses. When my parents began remodeling their house, I took every bottle of wine we had to the new apartment. They're still sitting on the kitchen counter, but I'm workin' on it. They say wine, like beer, is an acquired taste. I've been at it for some time now, but I just can't quite put my finger on it. Sure, they taste different... I just can't differentiate. A more recent film, A Good Year, tells about a man who inherits a boutique winery in provincial France. It sort of rekindled my interest. I uncorked a 2004 Pinot Noir from The Santa Barbara Winery two nights ago. Bottoms up to you, Miles. It went down pretty smooth. But shit, I wouldn't know it from a chardonnay if it weren't for the color. Honestly, its a bit frustrating. Its like listening to a jazz piece and trying to guess the artist but never getting it right. Back in the seventh grade, we played Sid Meier's Civilization for history class. Great game! I was hooked instantly. When Civilization II came out, I got a copy of it from a friend and played that all day. I stopped playing computer games during the latter years of high school. I can't remember why. Maybe it was to study, but I doubt it. Anyhow, I completely missed out on Civilization III. A few days ago, over the weekend, I dug out the old Civilization II CD and popped it into the desktop. I was at it throughout the weekend. Sunday night, my sister walks in and asks me how old the game was. That's when I realized I needed an upgrade. After work today, I stopped by Best Buy and picked up Civilization IV. AWWW YEAH!!! TWO disks. A manual the size of novel. And a giant civilization advancements reference poster. I haven't installed it yet. My only gripe is that it looks pretty darned complicated. The reaosn I didn't play Warcraft, Starcraft or World of Warcraft is because they looked too complicated. I guess I'll just have to put in the due diligence and study the manual. The holidays are coming up anyway. This ought to keep me busy. HAIL CAESAR! |
