One of the central themes you'll hear emphasized by many who advocate a more lenient attitude towards illegal aliens is the arguement that they're merely seeking a pbetter life, an American life, and that they deserve the same rights that the rest of us do.
Without arguing the specific merits of that argument, recent events at Columbia University leave me wondering how committed to those rights some of those individuals (especially the more radically leftist end of the pro-illegal spectrum) truly are -- especially with regards to the exercise of those rights by those with whom they disagree.
Friday, October 06, 2006
Seeing Red (and Tasting It)
My home state has what are considered the strictest wine labelling laws of any state in the US. Oregon winemkers are not allowed to use foreign place names -- you'll never see an Oregon wine called Burgundy, Bordeaux, or Champagne. Furthermore, if it says it's an Oregon wine, all the grapes used to make that wine will have been grown in oregon, and all of them will be from the region of the state specified on the bottle, and (with the exception of Cabernet Sauvignon), at least 90% of the grapes will be of the state varietal.
And while this has been for the most part a good thing, there have been, in my mind, a few negative side effects. The main one has been that due to the focus on varietals and the prohibition against names like Burgundy and Bordeaux, there has been, especially in the past, an almost cult-like bias for straight varietal wines -- Pinots, Chard, etc. This means that less time and effort was spent on blended wines, and so they gained an unfortunately deserved reputation for being of lesser quality than the straight varietals.
But that lesser quality had to do with the effort being expended on them, not on the inherent superiority of pure varietal wines. And I'm happy to report that Oregon winemakers are starting to experiment more with higher quality blended reds -- with pleasing results. Some of the better results come from Cab-Merlot blends and Syrah-based blends, as well as more complex and esoteric blends.
Two of my favorites are Girardet Winery's Grande Rouge and Bergstrom's Red (how straightforward is that? Nice, huh?). The Bergstrom is a marvelous, full-bodied wine, both drier and bolder than the usual demure pinot noirs for which Oregon is known. It also has more oak flavor to it, and pairs well with steak and beef. The Girardet Grande Rouge is also dry, but not as in-your-face as the Bergstrom, and finds a middle ground between fuller-bodied wines and the softness of Pinot Noir. It went well with salmon last night, but I'd also not hesitate to pair it with Italian food or beef. And the best part? It'll st you back about $7 a bottle.
All in all, I'm encouraged by the new blended reds. I'm also interested, bemused, and at times amused by the names the winemakers come up for for these blended wines. One winery names them all after members of the Lewis and Clark expedition. Appropriate, given the adventurous spirit this new trend reflects.
Are you ready to join the Corps of Discovery?
And while this has been for the most part a good thing, there have been, in my mind, a few negative side effects. The main one has been that due to the focus on varietals and the prohibition against names like Burgundy and Bordeaux, there has been, especially in the past, an almost cult-like bias for straight varietal wines -- Pinots, Chard, etc. This means that less time and effort was spent on blended wines, and so they gained an unfortunately deserved reputation for being of lesser quality than the straight varietals.
But that lesser quality had to do with the effort being expended on them, not on the inherent superiority of pure varietal wines. And I'm happy to report that Oregon winemakers are starting to experiment more with higher quality blended reds -- with pleasing results. Some of the better results come from Cab-Merlot blends and Syrah-based blends, as well as more complex and esoteric blends.
Two of my favorites are Girardet Winery's Grande Rouge and Bergstrom's Red (how straightforward is that? Nice, huh?). The Bergstrom is a marvelous, full-bodied wine, both drier and bolder than the usual demure pinot noirs for which Oregon is known. It also has more oak flavor to it, and pairs well with steak and beef. The Girardet Grande Rouge is also dry, but not as in-your-face as the Bergstrom, and finds a middle ground between fuller-bodied wines and the softness of Pinot Noir. It went well with salmon last night, but I'd also not hesitate to pair it with Italian food or beef. And the best part? It'll st you back about $7 a bottle.
All in all, I'm encouraged by the new blended reds. I'm also interested, bemused, and at times amused by the names the winemakers come up for for these blended wines. One winery names them all after members of the Lewis and Clark expedition. Appropriate, given the adventurous spirit this new trend reflects.
Are you ready to join the Corps of Discovery?
Thursday, October 05, 2006
The Badge and the Spatula
I'm really looking forward to the new show coming out on the Food Network, The Hungry Detective. The star is a real LAPD Detective and a food critic. Why does this show's concept jazz me so much?
Back when I was in my early twenties, I worked as a parking valet. My workday started in the evening and went until well after midnight. I had friends who were night owls as well, and usually didn't go to bed until around 4 AM or so. One thing I learned: If it's 2 AM and you're hungry for good food, look for cop cars. If you see 2 or more police cruisers parked at the same establishment and their lights are NOT flashing, eat there. Trust me on this one. Cops know food.
Back when I was in my early twenties, I worked as a parking valet. My workday started in the evening and went until well after midnight. I had friends who were night owls as well, and usually didn't go to bed until around 4 AM or so. One thing I learned: If it's 2 AM and you're hungry for good food, look for cop cars. If you see 2 or more police cruisers parked at the same establishment and their lights are NOT flashing, eat there. Trust me on this one. Cops know food.
It Can Happen That Fast
Today I had the... opportunity(?) to help avoid a missing child incident. No, not The Lad, someone else's kid.
On Thursdays, TFR doesn't go to work until 3:30, and I have no classes, so we decided to spend the early part of day together OUTSIDE of the house. It's been a glorious day, sunny and warm with only the slightest hint of chill in the breeze. We went first to Lone Pine, a farm stand/petting farm where The Lad got to feed goats, and we had pop and a caramel apple. Then we drove into Eugene and went to Emerald Park, where there is an excellent playground and sandbox. While we were there, we met several other parents with toddlers. One woman was there with a boy of about 4 or 5, and a little girl of 2. At one point a preschool class came marching out of the rec center to play on the playground, and this woman went over to talk to the teacher and ask her if there were any openings, then returned to the sandbox. A few minutes later, she told the boy to get ready to go, then went over to the playground area to get the girl. Within a minute she was back, frantically calling the girl's name and asking if we had seen her. She wasn't anywhere to be seen -- not in the sandbox, the playground, or the parking lot.
As a parent, my heart went out to her, so while TFR stayed with The Lad I went looking too. For some reason, I was drawn to the north end of the park, past the playground, where there was a picnic pavillion, grassy ares and volleyball pits. As I headed that way, a woman coming in the opposite direction asked if I was looking for a little girl. She pointed me in the right direction, and within a minute I had found her. She had seen a squirrel and taken off chasing it. The scary thing was, when I caught up with her, 100 yards north of the sandbox, she was within 20 feet of the edge of the park. I herded her (she was skittish and I didn't think it appropriate to pick her up or try to take her hand) back towards the sandbox, when the woman she had been with came running. She thanked me, expressed surprise that a 2-year-old could move that fast (Oh, yeah, believe it, lady!), then confided in me that the girl wasn't her daughter -- she was watching her for a friend.
That put a chill down my spine. It's bad enough that she was inattentive and let the girl get out of her sight, but to be so cavalier with another parent's child? If someone pulled a stunt like that with The Lad, I promise you, I'd have to display my Pimp Hand. You don't take your eyes off of your kid, let alone a child left in your care. That little girl was within moments of possible disappearing forever. When I found her, she was down in a swale where she couldn't be seen until I was within a few yards of her.
On Thursdays, TFR doesn't go to work until 3:30, and I have no classes, so we decided to spend the early part of day together OUTSIDE of the house. It's been a glorious day, sunny and warm with only the slightest hint of chill in the breeze. We went first to Lone Pine, a farm stand/petting farm where The Lad got to feed goats, and we had pop and a caramel apple. Then we drove into Eugene and went to Emerald Park, where there is an excellent playground and sandbox. While we were there, we met several other parents with toddlers. One woman was there with a boy of about 4 or 5, and a little girl of 2. At one point a preschool class came marching out of the rec center to play on the playground, and this woman went over to talk to the teacher and ask her if there were any openings, then returned to the sandbox. A few minutes later, she told the boy to get ready to go, then went over to the playground area to get the girl. Within a minute she was back, frantically calling the girl's name and asking if we had seen her. She wasn't anywhere to be seen -- not in the sandbox, the playground, or the parking lot.
As a parent, my heart went out to her, so while TFR stayed with The Lad I went looking too. For some reason, I was drawn to the north end of the park, past the playground, where there was a picnic pavillion, grassy ares and volleyball pits. As I headed that way, a woman coming in the opposite direction asked if I was looking for a little girl. She pointed me in the right direction, and within a minute I had found her. She had seen a squirrel and taken off chasing it. The scary thing was, when I caught up with her, 100 yards north of the sandbox, she was within 20 feet of the edge of the park. I herded her (she was skittish and I didn't think it appropriate to pick her up or try to take her hand) back towards the sandbox, when the woman she had been with came running. She thanked me, expressed surprise that a 2-year-old could move that fast (Oh, yeah, believe it, lady!), then confided in me that the girl wasn't her daughter -- she was watching her for a friend.
That put a chill down my spine. It's bad enough that she was inattentive and let the girl get out of her sight, but to be so cavalier with another parent's child? If someone pulled a stunt like that with The Lad, I promise you, I'd have to display my Pimp Hand. You don't take your eyes off of your kid, let alone a child left in your care. That little girl was within moments of possible disappearing forever. When I found her, she was down in a swale where she couldn't be seen until I was within a few yards of her.
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
With All Due Respect...
...To Smallholder,
The Demon Rum has been blamed/to blame for congressional shennanigans for much longer than he assumes. But that's all water under the bridge.
The Demon Rum has been blamed/to blame for congressional shennanigans for much longer than he assumes. But that's all water under the bridge.
Silly, Yet Strangely Intuitive.
Boy, Howdy! to Cabin Mistress at Uncle Sam's Cabin.
The Easiest Personality Quiz you'll ever take:
The Easiest Personality Quiz you'll ever take:
| You Are a Root Beer Jelly Bean |
 |
Musical Geography Question(s) of the Day
(EVERYONE BUT VIC!):
1. Where are the boys thirsty?
2. Where is there beer?
1. Where are the boys thirsty?
2. Where is there beer?
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Musical Geography Question of the Day
If that stretch down south won't ever stand the strain if it snows, what are you?
A couple of neat things happened today related to school. First of all, I aced my Oregon State Food Handler's exam. This isn't really a major accomplishment -- it requires missing no more than 8 questions on a 32-question exam, all of which are multiple choice. I missed 1, and feel dumb about that one. It's scary to think how much worse than me some people have done and yet are legally serving me food when I eat out. I'm proud of Oregon in many ways, but not about our status as one of the states with the laxest health departments in the nation. But by the end of the term, if I've passed my class, I'll have passed the exam to become Servsafe certified, which is a more stringent standard than any stae health department in the nation.
Second, I received a package in the mail from Amazon.com -- my used (but in good condition) copy of Webster's New World Dictionary of Culinary Arts. It was expensive ($65 new for the full-sized copy), but it's the same culinary dictionary that Chef Chris (my professor) has used since his days as a culinary student. Heck, this sucker even has the definition of Mr. Brown in it.
I'm really starting to get into the groove of culinary school. I even enjoy wearing brigade -- I can feel the way it identifies me as a member of the culinary arts. It's not easy, it's tiring and demanding and at times intimidating, but the Good Lord as my witness, it feels right -- like I'm finally doing something with my life.
Second, I received a package in the mail from Amazon.com -- my used (but in good condition) copy of Webster's New World Dictionary of Culinary Arts. It was expensive ($65 new for the full-sized copy), but it's the same culinary dictionary that Chef Chris (my professor) has used since his days as a culinary student. Heck, this sucker even has the definition of Mr. Brown in it.
I'm really starting to get into the groove of culinary school. I even enjoy wearing brigade -- I can feel the way it identifies me as a member of the culinary arts. It's not easy, it's tiring and demanding and at times intimidating, but the Good Lord as my witness, it feels right -- like I'm finally doing something with my life.
That Which We Call a Rose
I'm seriously changing the name of this blog, and wondered what my loyal readers (all 5 of you) would think.
I actually came up with the name "Memento Moron" before I had committed to blogging, and the fact that I was able to come up with a name that was, in my own mind, suitably clever, was one of the reasons I decided to take the leap.
But the name was chosen at a time when my bolgging was primarily of a political and current affairs nature. While I still weigh in on subjects that fire my passions occasionally, the blog has become far more of a catch-all for my meanderings, personal events, daddyblogging, school blogging, etc., and I'm not sure the theme that the name sets matches the tone of the majority of my entries.
I don't want to give away the new name I have in mind, but it would reflect a couple of my passions -- including cooking and certain musical tastes. If I decide to make the change, I'll probably start by changing the name in the heading, but keeping the old Memento Moron URL, until enough time has passed for people to get used to the new name.
So what does everyone think?
I actually came up with the name "Memento Moron" before I had committed to blogging, and the fact that I was able to come up with a name that was, in my own mind, suitably clever, was one of the reasons I decided to take the leap.
But the name was chosen at a time when my bolgging was primarily of a political and current affairs nature. While I still weigh in on subjects that fire my passions occasionally, the blog has become far more of a catch-all for my meanderings, personal events, daddyblogging, school blogging, etc., and I'm not sure the theme that the name sets matches the tone of the majority of my entries.
I don't want to give away the new name I have in mind, but it would reflect a couple of my passions -- including cooking and certain musical tastes. If I decide to make the change, I'll probably start by changing the name in the heading, but keeping the old Memento Moron URL, until enough time has passed for people to get used to the new name.
So what does everyone think?
Saturday, September 30, 2006
That's Kinda Weird....
Late last night (early this morning, actually) I had to call 911 to report a brawl down the block from our place (yay Springtucky!). It was dark, and I couldn't find the house phone, so I just used my cell.
Today, when I went to use my cell, it was on "Restricted use, emergency calls only". I had to press the * and the # keys to take it out of that mode. I can't help thinking the two events are related, but I've never heard of such a thing, have you?
Today, when I went to use my cell, it was on "Restricted use, emergency calls only". I had to press the * and the # keys to take it out of that mode. I can't help thinking the two events are related, but I've never heard of such a thing, have you?
Good (Sports) News Just Keeps Rolling In
Padres clinched a playoff berth. Also, thanks to their head-to-head record this season vs. the Dodgers (suck), a win by the Padres or a loss by the Dodgers (suck) and the Padres have the penant NL West.
Did I mention that the Dodgers suck?
Did I mention that the Dodgers suck?
This Time, Not So Close
Oregon 45 48, Arizona State 13.
Suddenly, the Pac-10 isn't a 1-school conference any more. If Oregon can beat Cal next weekend, USC had better be paying attention.
Suddenly, the Pac-10 isn't a 1-school conference any more. If Oregon can beat Cal next weekend, USC had better be paying attention.
Friday, September 29, 2006
Musical Geography Question of the Day
If, in early memory, Mission music was ringing round your nursery door, from where were you?
Thursday, September 28, 2006
Musical Geography Trick Question of the Day
If you wanna hold her tight all through the night, but all she wants to do is dance, where is she from?
Now That I'm Awake...
Yesterday I was pretty useless to the world, resting up from two days of school. Here's my schedule now:
Monday:
TFR's Day Off
8:00 AM-1:50 PM: Intro to Cooking Theories I (we get a couple of breaks including half an hour for lunch)
2:30-3:50 PM: Restaurant Operations (no mid-class break)
After class, TFR picks me up and we have the rest of the afternoon together.
Tuesday:
8:00 AM-1:50 PM: Intro to Cooking Theories I (we get a couple of breaks including half an hour for lunch)
2:30-3:50 PM: Restaurant Operations (no mid-class break)
Meet The Lad and TFR on her lunch break around 4:00-4:30, care for The Lad until TFR gets off work at 8:00
Wednesday:
TFR Goes to work at 12:00, care for The Lad the rest of the day (TFR gets off work at 8:00).
Thursday:
10:00 AM-12:50 PM: Human Relations at Work
TFR Goes to work at 3:30, care for The Lad the rest of the day(TFR gets off work at 8:00).
Friday:
TFR Goes to work at 3:30, care for The Lad the rest of the day(TFR gets off work at 8:00).
Saturday:
TFR Goes to work at 9:00, care for The Lad until she gets off work at 7:00.
Sunday:
TFR's Day Off.
Family day
(Homework gets fit in there somewhere)
So as you can see, my days, especially Mon-Thur, are pretty busy. But I'm truly happy. I feel like I belong there, like I'm among peers, and like I'm actually accomplishing something worthwhile. It's a good -- no, a giddy feeling.
Monday:
TFR's Day Off
8:00 AM-1:50 PM: Intro to Cooking Theories I (we get a couple of breaks including half an hour for lunch)
2:30-3:50 PM: Restaurant Operations (no mid-class break)
After class, TFR picks me up and we have the rest of the afternoon together.
Tuesday:
8:00 AM-1:50 PM: Intro to Cooking Theories I (we get a couple of breaks including half an hour for lunch)
2:30-3:50 PM: Restaurant Operations (no mid-class break)
Meet The Lad and TFR on her lunch break around 4:00-4:30, care for The Lad until TFR gets off work at 8:00
Wednesday:
TFR Goes to work at 12:00, care for The Lad the rest of the day (TFR gets off work at 8:00).
Thursday:
10:00 AM-12:50 PM: Human Relations at Work
TFR Goes to work at 3:30, care for The Lad the rest of the day(TFR gets off work at 8:00).
Friday:
TFR Goes to work at 3:30, care for The Lad the rest of the day(TFR gets off work at 8:00).
Saturday:
TFR Goes to work at 9:00, care for The Lad until she gets off work at 7:00.
Sunday:
TFR's Day Off.
Family day
(Homework gets fit in there somewhere)
So as you can see, my days, especially Mon-Thur, are pretty busy. But I'm truly happy. I feel like I belong there, like I'm among peers, and like I'm actually accomplishing something worthwhile. It's a good -- no, a giddy feeling.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)