Joffre is looking for Limmericks. I'm reading Nietzsche. Hmmmmm . . .

There once was a philosopher prude
Whose friends good esteem thought crude
So he wrote science gay
was a little too fey
Alas! Now no one thinks him a dude.

W~
  ¶

// posted by The Wino @ 11:15 PM

  Two Chateau, both alike in dignity . . .

For your amusement this evening: know this: Your Wino was stumped. Miss Kate Ramsey was given a bottle of Chateau Fontblanche wine. A 2000 Bordeaux which comes from the right coast of the Bordeaux region that makes slightly less bold wines than their left coast cousings. Right coasters aren't quite "fruit bombs", but more subtle. I like 'em, when I can afford them. Anyway, she got this wine. Great year - I mean GREAT year. Buy all the 2000 Bordeaux you can afford. Do you want to be like Bilbo? "Eleven ninety three, wery good year!" Then buy 2000 Bordeaux. Or Chateauneuf du Pape. But I can't find anything on it. There is some Google stuff out there - four links - but I can't find anyone who sells this wine or has rated it. Robert Parker doesn't even mention it. Weird.

The second story is this: early in the baseball season, Brant Hauser and I made a bet. Whosever baseball team made it further into the playoffs would receive from the losing bettor a bottle of wine. Well, my Minnesota Twinkies made it into the playoffs only to be offered on the sacrificial altar to George Steinbrenner. Alas. However, they made me a winner by merely making it to the playoffs. Mr. Hauser's Philly Phillies didn't even make the playoffs. And today was the day of reckoning. The bottle? 2000 Chateau Camensac. Sold at the Moscow Wine Co for about $30.00. (Estimated ageing potential of ten to fifteen years) Thank you Brant! He and I will enjoy the bottle and toast the defeat of the Yankees on Sunday afternoon. Who beat them in the Series? Who cares. All anyone cares about is that NY lost. Yes! I'll give you some tasting notes on it when we have it.

Been reading some Nieztche lately. I should take it too the mall and, standing in front of the unsanctified Christian bookstore, read some choice passages. Some of the more brilliant things, fear not, I shall not quote, are rooted in his critique of human advancement. He argues that human growth ceases when we avoid pain. This seems most relevant in some of the Evanjellycal Christian circles I've been in. Avoiding pain is the key. Sometimes this is through Veggie Tales, "God loves you very much" (too bad you're going to hell), Thomas Kincaide (wouldn't you love to see the Luftwaffe over one of those?), and whatever the new Christian philosophy book about childraising without the woodshed might be. On a personal level, I affirm what he is saying. No, don't worry, knowing is still drinking and therefore I'll keep drinking even though its fun. But if I stop doing something every time it gets painful, what do I accomplish? Nothing. Nothing. Keep me in my warm padded room with Dobson and we'll feel good together.

Now, specifically, I think that avoiding pain is what generates some of our morality requirements. Just something I'm thinking about, not anything I know for certain.

The Leitharts had A&I over for dinner this past weekend and we were kicking around something topically related to my thesis. First, all religions have purity laws. The question is determining what they are. Now, in the case of false gods, such as the American government, education, and the Anti-Tobaccy lobby, we should actively seek to defile their tabernacles. At the top of the dome in the US capital there is a picture called "The Deification of George Washington" in which he is placed at the peak of the pantheon of American Idols. (The TV show is not a new idea!) Or consider the temples dedicated to the gods of Lincoln and Jefferson. What are they modeled after? Do we not have a temple with Lincoln in the judgement seat?

This is just the beginning, I'm sure. How can we defile these things? Step into the rotunda and shout "No King but King Jesus!" I'm wanting your thoughts. What other holy areas are there, and how can we defile them?

W~

P.S. Am I missing Stambler? Hmmm . . .   ¶

// posted by The Wino @ 11:08 PM

  Greetings friends, Romans and country bumpkins! Certainly beats country pumpkins, though those are pretty nice too, especially for you single fellas, eh? Yes, yes, I'm back and I hope you are having a nice time. We're hitting that time of year when things are just perfect. The ground is soft and squishy, making football painless, at least for the guys sacking the quarterback. The ground soaks up water like a drain. Speaking of drains, this raises a question: does water fill you up? Or does it work like a drain does in a sink?

As for those of you who wondered where I was, and why I haven't blogged about it, I'm not at liberty to share, because I really don't like sharing. Especially Hagen Daaz, but I'm getting off topic.

Of course, I need to add joffreswait.blogspot.com to my list of sites to which you can jump to when you become weary of reading my blog. Him and lots of other really, really cool people. But until I feel like stretching the 'Ol HTML muscles, just go to his blog and link to those neat people from his site. But tell them I sent you. I think I get a comission.

Now, the reason you all visit, of course: My alcoholic recommendations:

USA
2001 Ridge Lytton Springs Zinfandel ($29).
2001/2 Frei Brothers Chardonnay ($18)

Australia
2000 Yalumba Barossa Shiraz ($15)
2001 Maxwell Four Roads Shiraz ($17.50)

New Zealand
2003 Omala Springs Sauvingon Blanc ($16.50)

Italy
1998 Calvano Montepulciano, Tuscan Sangiovese ($21)

Spain
2002 Scrapona Moscato d'Asti (Sparkling) ($14.50)
1996 Torre Oria ($18)

Germany
1998 Reichsgraph von Kesselstatt Mosel-Saar-Wurer Riesling Kabinet ($12.50)

France
2001 Albert Mann Altenbourg, Alsace Gewurztraminer ($20)
2000 Santa Duc Cotes Du Rhone ($15)
2001 Domaine Arlaud Borgone ($16)

Ah, so very nice. And yes, Mr. Ely, they should look familiar. Mr. Ely is putting together a wine tasting with most of these wines, so those of you in the Ma's Cow area wishing to attend a killer wine tasting (the selections of which your favorite Wino chose!) contact Mr. Ely. No I don't have his phone number or email handy. I'm not your secretary. All of these are very tasty and for those of you morons looking for my favorite Merlot, get off your Heinekin and go down to your local wine shop and ask for Franzia (it comes in a very colorful box). Each of these represents the area quite well. For you goofballs looking for a "great bordeaux", I recommend the 1982 Mouton Rothschild which you can find here:

http://www.winecommune.com/stores/item.cfm/storeID/33/lotID/298193.html

Haven't tried it but I heard its pretty good. Oh! If you get it, be sure to have me over for dinner. I'll bring a bottle of Foxhorn.

News flash: I made my bed today AND took out the garbage. Alaina was really happy.

I don't really care for or about poetry. Does that mean I can't graduate from NSA? Or does my wife count covenantally for me?

Ah, well, that's it for today. Hello to Joffre, Nate, Douggie, Hooser, and all the rest.

Lt.Col. Wino
  ¶

// posted by The Wino @ 12:18 PM