ultima dia

today was the final day for picking and the last grape made it's way from the vinyard to the winery. just in time too because it got cool and the rain came.

3 legged dog

running like he has 4 legs

don't give in to

slop
just one more cigarette
not saying what you mean
crappy tv
the expected
the ordinary
bad service
prejudgment
being embarrassed
weakness... you can make it up the stairs carrying 2 full buckets. so what if your fingers feel like they are going to shatter
fear
the idea that aging is bad. you are supposed to be stupid when you are younger.

dine alone and be proud. drink the good stuff tho.

fall has arrived here in naper, the wind is blowing and the leaves are changing

Emilie du Châtelet

Emilie du Châtelet, 1700's
"she lived a life at a full tilt like a spirited healthy child"
Look her up. She had babies, mastered language, math, science and society during a time when women weren't allowed to be smart. She was creative and played a role in how Einstein came up with the big theory.

Pump Overs
Red grapes/juice are in a tank and the grape skins rise to the top like the coffee grounds in a big giant press pot. The juice from the bottom is 'pumped over' the top cap to extract color. The word in French is remontage and we have to do it twice a day until, well I'll get back to on that as soon as I see what happens after that happens.

8$ burgers
Bistro Jeanty's other restaurant in Yountville, PJ's or Pere Jeanty, has a nice burger (no cheese necessary) at the bar with a wonderful Sancerre by the glass. Yum, and yeah they do pair well after a 12 hour day.

20-year reunion
Next year in Vega$. I got a call reminding me to set up botox and any other nip/tuck procedures. Hey I don't need to spend the money on that if everything that happens there stays there, right? If it stays there then I won't have to nip it or tuck it.

wine making & chemistry
I wish I would have paid more attention when I took chemistry.

making money & measuring success
What you make and what you drive mean nothing. C'mon people do we still care about that? Sometimes, yes, I do. I'm making an hourly wage and when I'm cleaning out the winery's septic filter my mind will wonder back to my old job and salary. My boss says it's good to see where the juice ends up in both directions.

who is who in napa
Constant conversation overheard in Napa is that so-and-so used to own/work/make wine with/married to/sell for/knew so-and-so and I knew them when they bla bla bla bla. You're boring me.

Nipsey Russell and truffle oil

Nipsey died last week.

Truffle oil helps you feel better when you are down. So does a new belt and pair of sunglasses. Piper says that truffle oil (along with a 'personal' electro-domestic aid) are the 2 things that she cannot live without.

Body Image

I watched a documentary about people who think and want to get rid of a limb (desired amputation), and live with a leg or arm amputated. They want it so bad that some of the people actually act on the desire, like one person freezing his leg and another shot himself in his leg and then another took a drill to his limb. I've always sort of thought it would be ok to survive a shark attack, is that the same thing? Whoa, then one of the people goes to a Mac user group meeting???

Paired down version of cutting or anorexia? Ideal body image.

Today I woke up from a fragmented sleep. Tested wine in the lab. Racked and moved juice and filtered. I overfilled a tank of fermenting juice and it foamed like a huge beer or glass of champagne. Huge foam.

It was cool to taste and test the fermenting Sauv Blanc. The evolution...