Poker in the rear, liquor in the front

... almost hopped onto the poker-craze bandwagon. The January trip to Vega$ to play poker has been cancelled. I'm glad b/c over my t-giving holiday there, I realized I'm not the gambling gal I used to be. My paychecks are a lot smaller these days and the work is harder, I'm also more satisfied. Thank you very much.

When will Las Vegas consider changing Downtown (Glitter Gulch) back to its previous glory. Cruising Fremont St. was a blast.

My wine anecdote for this posting is that any time a wine bottle was to be opened it was handed to me with the "Here, you probably know how to do this better than me." It was a blast looking at the stars and hanging in my old haunts with better wine and my dear family and old friends.

Self-imposed exile for a "trailblazing hedonist"

If you want to be single and enjoy life, you might be better off in New York versus Napa. Don't get me wrong, Napa has a lot to offer (in addition to Sonoma) but it takes more effort to get to it and it can all be discovered and enjoyed in a week's time.

Well it's the end of harvest and where am I at? I feel like a ripe grape that has been pressed. Lost some weight, but gained it back in my brain. Deciding if I should stay on at the winery through March to see the Sauv Blanc I helped make make it into the bottle. I'm planning to travel to France and Italy for April to see more wine countries. Vegas for Thanksgiving. Due to my work schedule I cannot join friends for turkey day in Costa Rica.

A friend asked for a recommendation on an everyday wine to drink in the evening and he implied he wanted a cab. Well I have 2 for you to try and one of them is not a cab but great for the go-to wine. It's from Peju (Peju.com) and is a blend of Cab, Merlot, Syrah and a little French Colombard. Take it out of the refrig after about 20 minutes and eat it with just about anything. Give a rose (http://www.terroir-france.com/wine/rosewine.htm) a try for the everyday thing. The second wine is a mellow Cab from the Napa Valley floor, Groth, which is in Oakville. A bit more expensive than the Peju, but work a try. California Cab can be mellow.

Cool web items:

http://www.localwineevents.com/
go here to find out about tasting events in your town (new york has a lot) and cool articles like one about sulfites. Here's an excerpt"
" ... Remember, sulfites do not cause headaches-rather they restrict or constrict nasal passages, which can affect asthmatics or borderline asthmatics."

http://www.copia.org/pages/home.asp
this is the wine and culture center in Napa

http://www.wineaccess.com/store/unionsquarewines
Union Square Wines in New York
the trailblazing hedonist thing came from the info about their upcoming Spanish tasting.

I miss my friends and my nails are stained purple as I'm trying to create wild times among the vines...