oenie post

Drinking the '05 Ningaloo Chardonnay, which got 90 pts over at Wine Enthusiast. Good chard, but too syrupy sweet for me- I like it a bit dryer (sp?)(too bad 'cause it was $8 for 1.5L). Also tried the '04 Covey Run Syrah, which could be a contender for our house red, once we actually have a house red. Mariam has had a few half glasses of wine during this pregnancy, but for the most part I'm stuck finishing the bottle once it's opened. Which limits my wine drinking. Somewhat. Dad recently accused the rest of us of obviously having a problem with drinking too much. We responded with something like "Schutp up, schtoopid," and then I don't remember the rest. Seriously, do we have a problem? I definitely drink a lot, especially when I'm home with Ma and Brielle, but it doesn't interfere with my life, really. I still do everything I want to do, I think, and don't get fired from jobs or fail school or get in car wrecks. I do occasionally wake up late the next day, or do something stupid like, hypothetically, sing along to my 'downers' playlist out the window at the top of my lungs when we lived in Central Square, and then throw up in the bed. I've been known to pee in water bottles without remembering, with the disasterous consequences you might imagine. I even have a little sparrow-shaped scar on my ankle from a BUI accident (biking under the influence) in college. I was riding wheelies down the street in flip-flops when the chainring came down hard and put a greasy gash under my medial malleolus, and by the time I made it to the ER the next day, they said it was too late to stitch it up. I have a few other stories that I pull out at cocktail parties, but nothing real bad, y'know? So how do you tell if you have a problem? Listen to your gut, I guess, and the Vogt half of my gut says "we're fine."
Went to Peru and Columbia for x-mas and new year's. Great trip, on Noah, so all five star hotels and top notch restaurants, with people carrying our bags and private guides the whole time. Definitely a new way to travel. Our time was regimented, so we didn't have the problem we had in Italy with constantly having to decide what do- for dinner, sights to see, etc. It was all planned out, which was wonderful usually, but did wear thin at times. For this particular setting, it was actually ideal. There are lots of touristy things to do in Peru- ruins, Macchu Pichu, llama farms, colonial mansions, more ruins- so we wouldn't have managed to see as much as we did any other way. By the time we got to Columbia, we were ready for some beach and pool lounging, and we got that, for the most part (one afternoon of touring, where 75% of us snoozed right in front of the poor 'scuse me' guide). We were in Cartagena, which is an amazing city, like a caribbean New Orleans- colorful, packed with delicious food and 24 hour party people. For the New Year's celebration, each square/plaza is filled with tables, and even down the streets leading to the squares. The entire city comes out and eats a late dinner at the tables, which then get pushed to the sides for live bands and dancing, all under the fireworks. You can dance, or eat ceviche, or buy local beers for $1 from the guys wheeling around ice-filled coolers and sit back to watch. I would like to go back at some point.