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Some recent wines

  • Someone mentioned that viogniers go well with turkey, so I brought this to Thanksgiving. It was delicious!
I brought this to a Lebanese dinner on 11/23. A really good wine for about $17.
Enjoyed this at Marcelle’s house on 11/23. A thinner, lighter French wine.
Some cheap finds from NH Liquor store. Both around $5, and very drinkable. The Veo is Chilean, the other French.

Banville and Swift

I’ve recently finished a couple of novels from the UK, both constructed as reminiscences. While I’ve appreciated the reflective urbanity, I found both ultimately longer than I thought they needed to be. Graham Swift’s The Light of Day was especially painful — circuitous, repetitious, hard to follow, mimicking a little too closely the labyrinth of an obsessive and wandering mind.

For the most part I really liked John Banville’s Ancient Light (great title!), the caveat being that I found the story of the aging actor, the present day version of the protagonist, less than compelling, indeed random, and tacked on. The recollection of the schoolboy romance with his best friend’s mother was the heart of the story: gripping, humorous at times, and told with verve and immediacy. Reviewers have noted that Banville seems to reach for the arcane word when, in some cases, a simpler one would do, but I enjoyed his language, and found the writing far from flowery.

Drinking

Have decided  to take another break from alcohol. I don’t know how long this will last, but I felt the need after over-indulging a bit during the past week … a few too many DIPAs left my mind feeling cloudy, and my cheeks looking a little more ruddy than I would like.

Last night at Pat Phillips’ party, it was easier than I might have imagined to drink Poland Spring seltzer rather than beer. I had a nice time, and didn’t have to worry about what to say if I had by chance been pulled over on way home.

Vermont brews

Discovered some absolutely delicious beers on my trip to Burlington. All of those illustrated were excellent. The overexposed can at the far right is “Destroyed by Hippie Powers – Lemongrass” from Burlington Beer Co., which is unusual and very tasty. I loved Heady Topper, and the Cone Head is a really nice lower alcohol brew.

The Laundromat

Old man stumbles, bringing in his wash
Woman’s work, dumped on the counter
From exhaustion or disgust, who can tell
Nearby the hanger-on, chatting up the laundry lady (cute and curvy)
Kicks the toe of one Timberland against the molding
Feigns deference to his elder
“Have a good day, sir,” lowering his voice at the last syllable
The subtext is clear:
“You’re old and will die soon, but I have years to waste.
And waste them I will, in more sad laundromats than you will ever know.”

Other patrons hunch over blue screens
All part of some common phone mind
Or devotion to a cult, the Godless God Verizon
Who can say whether these silos of separation
Invite in or defend against connection.

Burlington

My trip to Burlington, VT this past week, for work, threw me off completely. I’m not a good traveler anymore, and the driving, new setting, the strange reality of meeting in person the folks that I’d only met virtually theretofore (via WebEx), the noisy hotel, adjustment to new eating and drinking patterns, lack of exercise, all sent me for a loop.

I stayed at the DoubleTree Hilton. It was big, impersonal, expensive, and I had noisy neighbors both nights (they quieted down without protest, however, when I pounded on their door, both nights). The free breakfast was some small compensation for these annoyances.

The first night, on my own, needing to get away from the hotel, I went off in search of some VT microbrews, and found an impressive beer store, Beverage Warehouse, up the road in Winooski. I consulted with a clerk and another customer, and bought a half dozen IPAs (they sell singles, happily), including a couple of the storied Heady Topper.

Then, taking a tip from a different clerk, I went for Thai food at Tiny Thai. I got red curry to go, and enjoyed it mightily, accompanied by a Hazy Camper, one of the purchased IPAs.

On the second evening, following a day of meetings, Rick took us out to the Great Northern, a restaurant near downtown. Food was excellent … dirty fries that we all shared, and cod with steamers and octopus. I had a couple of the local brews … I had a Bing Bing from Zero Gravity (which is right next door to Great Northern), and then the Hill Farmstead Edward. Neither blew me away. Very fun time.

Day three I felt tired, fat, and ready to go home. I was liberated by 4:30, and made it back to Dover by 8.

A Great Inexpensive Wine (24)

This one was recommended to me by Patrick. When the first sips hit my tongue I realized that wine appreciation doesn’t have to be an arcane art. I can actually tell a good wine from a bad one. This Brazilian red is, I think, amazingly good for a $10 bottle. The word I think of when I drink it is “soft.” It’s gentle but certainly not insipid. Whereas some I’ve drunk recently have been a struggle (the Australian), this is so gentle, even subtle, so beguiling, that I think I would certainly be capable of downing the entire bottle at a sitting, though I’ve shown more restraint than that, consuming it as I have in the middle of a work week.

Krystal Ballroom

I just discovered Krystal Ballroom in North Hampton, thanks to Laura, and last night met Laura, Marcelle, and Joleen there for a night of open dancing. I didn’t have high hopes, based on their website, which is far from elegant, but in person the place has polish and style uncharacteristic for New Hampshire, and is certainly a step up from Portsmouth Ballroom, which over the years has sunk into such a doldrums of sad, dumpy sameness that I can’t really bear to go there very often. Some nice points about Krystal BR:

  • Clean, updated bathrooms
  • Snacks and wine, gratis
  • A nice floor
  • A coatroom
  • Very friendly, engaging staff
  • A nice mix of dancers … young, old, experienced, newer
  • An undefinable sense of mission, direction

Next Tuesday I’ll go back for an  introductory $10 private and group lesson (a nice idea on their part), and we’ll see where I go with it from there.