7 Days Till I'm Officially Uncle Rico

My sister is due in 7 days.  For those of you who are related to me or grew up with me, you'll know that means that in 7 days I will officially be Uncle Rico!  Not gonna lie, I'm looking forward to being that crazy Uncle from San Francisco who takes his nephew on super fantastic piggy-back rides and throws fun dance parties.  Angie, can I take him to Bay To Breakers once he learns how to walk? ;)

"...if Coach woulda put me in, we woulda been state champions..."

Uncle Rico

My Latest Affair with Elizabeth Spencer

I'll be the first to admit, moving to the Bay Area and working in consulting has turned me into a wine snob.  For you fellow Bay Area consultants who don't consider yourselves to be wine snobs or haven't turned, fine. Maybe there is a little bit of wine-snobbery inherent in me, flowing through my dark purple-ish veins. But I digress; I love wine.  For those of you who know me, yes I love liquor and beer as well, but this post is dedicated to vino. Specifically, wine tasting, Wine Country, and wine clubs.

Let me introduce you to my latest love affair, Elizabeth Spencer...wine.  Located in the heart of Napa Valley, this winery oozes Sonoma at its heart with its small, welcoming tasting room with a spacious back patio to kick back and taste while seated on comfy wicker couches underneath the sun.  Hannah and I weren't even planning on going there but we had some time to kill between reservations at two other wineries.

Upon walking in we were greeted with a complimentary tasting of their 2010 Rosé of Pinot Noir.  Full disclosure: I have no idea what varietal Rosés are normally made from, but this one was exceptionally yummy.  This was a limited production (4 barrels, or 1,200 bottles) vintage and wasn't your typical overly sweet pink wine.  Bottom line:  We bought a bottle. 




Hannah and I went through the rest of the actual tasting flight and eventually signed up for their wine club.  We couldn't resist! Our pourer's name was Miguel, from the Mission district of SF, and was friendly, fun, and attentive.  He actually spent more time talking to us than a few other visitors who didn't seem to be enjoying themselves as much, but that's their loss!  We also got to sign one of their mega bottles on display for becoming a member, and later came back with new friends that we made at another winery to give them free tastings, and of course, taste again ourselves!

Wow, so this post quickly turned into a Yelp-like review, which I wasn't intending.  The point I wanted to make was that while I am in love with a new winery, I'm not a wine snob at heart.  My taste buds might be snobby, but living near California's Wine Country has just allowed me to try a lot of wines and learn what makes each of them different, both in price, aroma, and flavor.

Also, the experience you get at each winery is unique and adds something special to the wine itself.  I don't mind paying $30 for a bottle from the winery when opening it months later brings me back to the gorgeous, sunny day that Hannah and I bought it from a nice guy named Miguel, who also loves the wine.  Similarly, a bad experience at a winery will pretty much guarantee that I'll never buy any of their bottles--no matter how good it might be. So, POOH on you, Rutherford Hill Winery!

For those of you counting, we're back up to 4 wine clubs:  Imagery, Chateau St. Jean, Tin Barn, and Elizabeth Spencer.  Cheers to Bay to Breakers weekend!


Update:  With the Blogger snafu last week I think this post got un-published.  This was originally posted on May 13, 2011.

New Hobbies

As a new homeowner in the suburbs, I've acquired some new hobbies--some by choice, others by necessity.  As I think of them I'll try to post.

New Hobby #1:  Watching my new sprinkler water the lawn.

Fun:  Thinking how I will succeed in making the grass turn green.

Not Fun:  Simultaneously thinking about how my water bill is going up...by the second.

I curse that this is one of my chores now, yet I want to succeed!

Feeling inspired...or compelled?

Last time I posted here was 3.5 year ago from London. A lot has changed. But most importantly, Google is still on top! :) Yes, I know it depends on who you ask, but try not to think about it too much and just embrace the Google-verse.

I'll be sharing about married life, living in the burbs in our new house, and whatever else comes to mind.

Best news as of late: I'm going to be an UNCLE in 12 days! Check out my nephew's site!

A Sunday in London

Regent's Park

Kite Flying and Scooter Riding

Gorilla Kingdom at the London Zoo

This camel looked hilarious

Ice Glasses and Good Times

Thuan: Are these made of ICE???

Popped collar. You know what that means...

Sloppily dancing with my new friend Janette from Amsterdam/South Africa

London Day and Night

Picadilly Circus just a few blocks from my hotel

Ice Bar: A map of the Underground in Ice