Pittsburgh Tweeps- Kayak Adventure- July 11th

*** UPDATE ***

The date for the Kayak Tweetup is set for Saturday, July 11th. We need to get there early in the day, so as to have enough boats for everyone. Please be there by 10:30 AM if you are kayaking with us.

If you have questions about kayaking in general, please refer to the Kayak Pittsburgh  website. We will launch from their downtown location, which is on the North Shore, under the 6th Street bridge.

You don’t need any previous experience, just a desire to see our fabulous city from a different vantage point.

However, you will need sunscreen and a water bottle. More info can be found over on the ning page. Please RSVP by Wednesday, July 8th, so that I can let them know how many of us to expect. All Tweetup-ers will get the Venture Outdoors member’s rate of $10/hr.

I’m still here…

Hello all. Is anyone still here? Anyway, this new blog is coming to you from my brand-spanking new laptop. I thought I was going to have to complain to the IT department for a while before getting a new machine, but one tech call and one email did the trick! I think it also helped that I was able to hop over to Canada and pick it up in person.

I am finally back home for 7 WHOLE DAYS!!! Then I have a little mini vacation. I’m spending my birthday in Orlando with the hubby this year. We’ll be swimming with dolphins. I also have some friends that live down there, so we’ll see them as well. One of the best parts is that due to my Diamond status with Hilton Honors, I don’t have to pay for a hotel!

Speaking of my birthday, Dad- are you reading this??? Anyway, these days I pretty much buy what I want, when I want it, but there’s always things that I never get around to picking up for myself. So, Dad, if you’re out there, I would really like a Surefire flashlight. Not too big, just a travel size one. For anyone else that feels inclided to shower me with presents, I also have a pair of earrings on my wish list at Henne jewelers and a registry at Coach. I also love Sephora, Nine West, BCBG and Macy’s.

These days I pretty much buy practical things – a new roof, a new kitchen, landscaping supplies, but every now and then it’s nice just to have something because you want it. For the longest time I couldn’t have things that I wanted, because there wasn’t enough money for such luxuries. Thanks to my fabulous job, I can finally contribute to the household improvements and get some goodies for myself on the side.

Since I have a new computer, the hubby actually suggested that I get a new bag for it. Mostly because my new computer won’t fit in my old computer bag. So anyway, here’s the fabulous new bag that I bought

Isn’t it spiffy?

I have a pretty busy weekend coming up, but as always, little bits of wisdom in the form of 140 characters or less can be found on my twitter stream.

Red, White or Pink is not an acceptable answer…

 

 

I like wine. This should not be a surprise to anyone if you’ve been reading this blog for any amount of time.  I like to try new wines and I like learning about all the different kind of wines that are out there. Of course, I don’t know as much about wine as say, Gary Vaynerchuk, but I’m always willing to learn.

Quite a few of my friends also like wine in the same way that I do, so we share different thoughts and ideas with each other. My wine tastes have evolved over time, and now I am primarily a red drinker- mostly red zins and pinot noirs, but in the summertime I enjoy an occasional glass of chilled chardonnay and I’m always up for some bubbly- as long as it’s not too sweet.

I also like to entertain, and it seems that a proper gift to bring to someone’s house is wine. I will certainly encourage gifts of wine, HOWEVER, if you are going to a person’s house and 1. you intend to bring wine 2. you know the homeowner likes wine, and 3. that homeowner is me- take note of the two most important  rules:

DO NOT, under any circumstance,  bring anything that is pink. If it’s pink, it can’t possibly be wine. It might as well be kool-aid.

Also, do not bring wine in a box. Wine does not come in a box. It comes in a bottle- a glass bottle- with a cork.

If you are the unfortunate soul who shows up at my house with wine in a box, you will be banished forever.

Moving on, if you are giving a gift of wine and the recipient is a fan of wine, please ask what kind of wine they like, or even more specifically, if they would prefer something specific. If you do not do these things, don’t be insulted if the wine you brought doesn’t get opened during dinner.

Someone actually brought something called “Rose table wine” to my house once. I was appalled. I refused to open it, but the hubby wanted to be all polite and shit, so he opened the bottle and poured me a glass. There was sediment in my glass and it tasted like it came from the river. I immediately poured it out and replaced it with something much more acceptable. Perhaps that sounds a little rude to do in front of guests, but I had known them for a long time, so it was OK. Not something I would have done in front of casual acquaintances, but I still wouldn’t have drunk the wine.

This brings me to the description of various wines. A few weeks ago, one of my friends posted that he was drinking “yummy wine”. Naturally, I asked what kind of wine, since I’m always looking to try something new. His answer- Spanish.

It’s a shame he couldn’t see me, because I did the whole **blink twice, are you serious** kind of thing. Clearly a person who knows absolutely nothing about wine and how to describe it to others.

Then, just yesterday, @ianirwin tweeted that he was buying wine. Once again, I asked what kind.

His answer- white.

Oh. My. God. Are you fucking kidding me??? Is it because the two people in questions are men, or do people in general think these are acceptable answers?

Let me tell you something. They are not the least bit acceptable. Observe the chart:

 Answer type-                                            What kind of wine are you drinking?

Really fucking stupid	white	red	Spanish/French/etc	Good/bad/etc
Mediocre	Pinot Grigio	Red Zinfandel	Spanish red, French white, etc	Not great, a little sweet
Acceptable	Cavit Pinot Grigio	7 Deadly Zins	A French Merlot	Dry, but light and fruity.
Preferred	2006 Cavit Pinot Grigio	2006 Lodi 7 Deadly Zins	Chateau Coufran Merlot from Medoc, bottled in 2005.	On the dry side, full bodied, with a blackberry finish.
Wine expert	The 2006 Cavit Pinot Grigio has crisp, light character, bright straw gold color, and appealing fruit flavors and refreshing scents.	The 2006 7 Deadly Zins has a  vibrant, sweet bouquet of raspberry jam, molasses and cinnamon toast evoke the senses of carefree youthful nights.  Excellent oak integration provides silken tannins and spice to pair with Lodi’s unrestricted wild berry fruit.	Has crushed blackberry, licorice and light toasty oak on the nose. Full-bodied, with polished tannins and focused blackberry and currant on the palate, with a hint of vanilla and spices. Made mostly from Merlot. Best after 2011	Beautiful stuff: bottle whiffs of fresh unbaked crescent rolls, transmutes to nose of dark plum & black and blueberry, to full fruit mouth feel of black cherry. Deep color black purple semi-translucent with stout structure while still soft to the palette

 

Please keep this in mind if you are ever asked to describe wine in the future. Wine has a color, it comes from a grape  (the varietal),  or a combination of grapes and it also has a region. The region of the wine is determined by where the grapes were grown. As far as taste is concerned- good, bad, yucky are not acceptable answers. Most wines are classified as dry or sweet and there is also a range from light to very full-bodied. Some have fruit flavors, some have vegetable flavors- there is an endless possibility and everyone’s palete is different.

So, the next time that I ask you what kind of wine you are drinking/buying, please respond with a somewhat intelligent answer.

The New Guy…

So, I’ve been seeing Jason (the trainer) for a few weeks now. I usually see him twice a week, one day for legs and one day for upper body work. In the beginning, I thought he was the spawn of satan, and I told him so. Things haven’t been too bad lately though.

I usually have female trainers. There was that stint with Tony, but that was all online, so that really doesn’t count. It’s a lot different having a male trainer than a female one. He’s definitely tougher and he can always tell if something is too easy for me.

I have also discovered that I’m usually more pleasant in the morning, so I try to schedule as many morning workouts as possible. Basically, I’m still half asleep, so I’ll do whatever he tells me to do without complaining. When I work out in the afternoon, my mood is generally not as good.

Everytime I go back, I seem to learn a little more about him. The past two weeks have been most entertaining. I think I have to have a weekly blog titled “Jason’s Theories”. This dude has THE MOST crack-pot ideas on everything! It’s really quite entertaining.

Let me elaborate on how this all started…

One morning, I was lifting something incredibly heavy looking for a distraction. Pink’s video for “Sober” (love that song!) came on, and I commented that I liked the song.  If you are not familiar with the video, here you go. Anyway, at the end she makes out with herself. I’m not going to go into an artisitc examination of that, but here’s the gist of the conversation that followed:

Jason: She doesn’t know if she likes girls or not.

Me: What?

J: something, something…gay…something…

Me: I don’t think she’s gay. It’s just a video. Anyway, why does it even matter?

He went on to state that he doesn’t “get” gay people and why would anyone want to be that way.

I did one of those **blink, blink** Are you serious????? People are born gay, they don’t “get” that way.

He says he doesn’t believe that. I go on to state that there is scientific evidence that points to it.

Then he goes- “Oh, I forgot. You’re one of them.”

One of what? A scientist???? Are you telling me you don’t believe in science???? It should be noted that at this point in time I have completely stopped working out and I am utterly amazed that people still think this way.

Then he says that he’s a man of faith. That’s all fine and dandy, but how can you say that something isn’t true when it’s backed by scientific fact? I also questioned his belief on evolution. He says he believes in evolution to a point, but that God created evolution.

He then went on to state that people most likely turn gay because one (usually the father)or both parents weren’t around when they were growing up. I had to stop talking to him at this point, because I saw no point in arguing with him further.

So, everytime I see him I look forward to a new outrageous statement. He seems to have a lot of advice about parenting and kids (he has 2), some of which sounds good and other stuff that I think is a bunch of hooey. Just yesterday he told me that Obama was the anti-christ. That needs to be a whole other blog post in itself. I told him I was going to start blogging about him. There never seems to be a shortage of material.

As far as the workouts are concerned, I’m definitely getting my money’s worth. Not to mention, some very good blogging material!

Back in the day…

I sometimes think that I would have many more entertaining stories if I had a blog in college. My life was waaay more exciting then. Not that it’s not exciting now- well, it’s not really, with all the working and responsibility and crap, but anyway, I digress.

Anyhoo, in college I had a pretty good time, and now I am thankful that I didn’t have a blog, and that facebook  and myspace weren’t around. Those memories are just that- memories. There is no photographic evidence of all the shenanigans. If there is evidence out there somewhere, all of my friends are grown up now, so I’m sure they won’t be posting things anywhere.

I suppose I could tell you about some of the more low-key ones that still make me chuckle from time to time.

There was the time that I got pulled over by River Rescue, along with some of my rowing teammates one 4th of July.

There was that time that Brownie thought it would be funny to get me really drunk, and then he was forced to carry me through South Oakland to my friend’s house. FYI- getting drunk on Iron City gives the worst hangover ever.

There was the time that my roommate and I thought it would be fun to go to Cleveland on a whim and we couldn’t find a hotel and almost ended up sleeping in our car. I think the car might actually have been a better option than the shady place we ended up in anyway…

There was that time that I was spending the night at my boyfriend’s place and some random ho girl came into his room in the middle of the night and asked him what he was doing. OK, maybe that one wasn’t so funny. He and I had to have a little talk after that…

Then there was the time that I got my belly button pierced because the guy I liked was getting a tattoo at the same place and I wanted to hang out with him longer. Boy, did that hurt like hell!

One time, at band camp….

OK, I didn’t go to band camp. I can’t even play an instrument. Anyway, one time this guy took me on a first date to Hooters. I don’t think we ever went out again after that…

I once went to quarter draft night wearing a super-cute short, short skirt and sneakers. Yeah, I know, can you imagine??? I’m not sure how the sneakers came to be, but I wouldn’t be caught dead doing that now. To think there was a time that I didn’t suffer for fashion. LOL. Anyway, I think the short skirt got more attention than the sneakers. People kept dropping things around me…

There were numerous occassions that I would stay out late, or not sleep at all in order to get up at 5AM for crew practice. Let me tell you how much fun drunk/hungover rowing is- it’s not!

Oh my gosh- I can’t believe I almost forgot about the bar fight! That should definitely be on this list. I was really pissed the bartender took my drink away when all the fighting broke out. Something about not wanting glass to be thrown/broken. All the girls were huddled in a corner while the guys were duking it out. My bf at the time was involved…

 

Anyhow, in an effort to blog a little more regularly with something that you might actually want to read, I hope you enjoyed the trip down memory lane.

Friday 5

When you travel, what kinds of souvenirs do you like to bring home for yourself?

Usually magnets or postcards. The last thing I need is more crap around here!

Is there a certain kind of souvenir you always bring back for a particular someone?

 I always bring a shot glass back for my Dad.

Of the souvenirs you’ve collected from your travels, what are some that have special meaning for you?

Probably any type of jewelry. I’m really not that sentimental about most things, although I treasure my souvenirs from Ireland more than any other place.

What’s the silliest souvenir you’ve brought back for yourself, or what’s the silliest souvenir someone has brought back for you?

My Dad brought me back a pair of boxer shorts once. I don’t even remember where they were form, but I probably still ahve them. I used to have sand from Iraq, but I’m not quite sure where that got to.

If you were going to send someone a souvenir from places you visited today, what might it be?

Well, I was on the Pitt campus today, so maybe a Primanti’s sandwich.

 

The Friday 5 is HERE

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Hmmmm

It would appear that I forgot to send in my car registration.

Whoops.

Although, as per the custody agreement, the Hubby was actually in possession of the car when the registration lapsed, and the car is in both our names, so I really don’t think that I can be held totally accountable.

It’s a good thing that this type of thing can be handled online nowadays. The Hubby should be legal again by tomorrow morning.

Friday 5

          1. This past week, were you more predator or prey? Probably predator. I am in sales, after all.

       2.   Which Beatles song title could best be the title of your week? Click here for complete list of Beatles songs! “Devil in her Heart”

       3.  “Roses are red / Violets are blue / ___________ / __________.” How would you complete this poem so that it described this past week? The weather was nice, and then the wind blew.

         4. How many pieces of unopened mail are sitting wherever you put your unopened mail? That would involve me going to check, and if I start counting, I’ll feel compelled to open it and go through the mail, so let’s just guestimate more than 10.

         5. What was the best meal of the past seven days? I’m a pretty good cook, so I think most of them were pretty tasty. I made a really good meatloaf on Sunday, but then just yesterday I had the BEST WINGS EVER. Not that wings should be considered a meal, but they were good enough to warrant a shout-out.

Friday 5 can be found here. Well, actually over there (<—–) you know, where the highlighted part is.

13

I’m sure you’re all aware that tomorrow is Friday the 13th. I’m meeting Jason tomorrow at some ungodly hour. He’s my new trainer. Not to be confused with the asshole, who is also named Jason. Anyway, I’m sure I’ll survive the morning, but my muscles may be screaming in agony for a while afterwards. Especially since I ate a few wings and drank some whiskey tonight. I don’t usually do that on a school night.

I had a blast at the Twestival though, and the Hubby didn’t even mind spending his birthday with a bunch of random strangers.

I won some sort of prize, but it wasn’t physically there, so I’m not sure exactly what I’m going to end up with.

Downey House was the location for the Twestival. I had never been there before, but it’s right across the street from the yoga studio that I go to, so I will defintely go back. They have THE BEST wings that I have ever had.

That’s all I got for now. I gotta get up before the sun (I know, I know- most people do that regularly. However, I am not usually one of those people, so I will complain about my lack of sleep.)