15 Jun 2003 gstein   » (Master)

Foo... over a year. I realized at some point a while back that I wasn't big into posting. As blogs came into their own, it very much clarified my thoughts: "who the hell might be interested in me?" It seems rather egocentric to believe that you're an interesting person, and that people want to know what you're doing, what you think about things, etc. I spoke for a while about it with Scott Johnson while at OSCOM. I'm still not sure that I entirely "get it", but he did have a valid point that a blog can be a discussion/communication tool. It doesn't just have to be "all about me". Technical pointers, assistance, etc are all possible, and are even better if readers can interact in some way. The blog can really be about what you want to make of it. Want to draw attention to some new technology? Want to help the community with some particular piece of information? All doable... I think what it really means is to look at a blog from an altruistic point, rather than a "me" point. That might result in a successful blog, and (for me) I wouldn't be as uncomfortable producing a me-me-me thing. Eeek.

That said, I was drinking last night (as usual :-). After finishing a number of margaritas, I wanted something else that wouldn't take so much preparation. Wine it is! So I got down to the wine closet to pick something. Well, we've got it organized into groups of "not yet ready", "close to ready", "ready to drink", and "dang. too late." The latter category contains stuff that we wouldn't serve to guests, but might still be okay. So that's where I looked. I pulled out a 1995 Kendall Jackson Chardonnay, Vintner's Reserve. Anni got this thing years ago for probably about $8. Inexpensive wine, and way past its time. White wines don't normally last eight years -- you want to drink them pretty much as you buy them. Even worse, the tag for this sucker had the little marker for "it was on the rack in the garage [at our old Washington house]." We are leery about any of the wines marked that way because the garage sometimes got up over 70 degrees (Fahrenheit). Not good for wine at all.

So... I crack this sucker open, expecting it to be near vinegar. Obviously, you know the answer -- it was great! It had lost most of the finish on the end, but the wine was smooth, honeyed, and flavorful. Dang! For an eight year old white, for under ten bucks, it is simply amazing how well the thing held together. Gotta drink it at room temp, though, to ensure to get the remaining flavors, but I just wanna say... I'm impressed with the longevity of KJ chardonnays. If you happen to see a 1995 KJ Chard -- go for it. (of course, you'll never see one nowadays tho...)

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