I am sitting here watching the Olympics and thinking a couple of different things:
1. How cool it would be to win an Olympic gold medal.
2. How cool it would be to tell your kids/friends you were an Olympian
3. How can I become the next Simon Ammann (Gold medalist in ski jumping)?
4. Am I going to be able to finish this blog before my laundry is done?
My thoughts then started to go in different directions. I asked myself if I would be more of a summer Olympian, winter Olympian or both. I came to the conclusion that I like both of them so for this blog I am going to compete in both summer and winter Olympics. I thought about this for awhile and I think I am going to be a winter Olympian in ski jumping and a summer Olympian in sand volleyball.
The reasons:
I picked ski jumping because it just looks like a sweet sport and something I could do. If you know me at all you know I don’t like spinning so snowboarding and ice skating are out of the picture. I figure the lighter you are in ski jumping the farther you fly and the idea of flying is awesome. So I will drive to Tahoe next weekend to start my training.
I picked sand volleyball because the girls are so in shape and sand volleyball players just always look so cool. I don’t mind sand either so I think that will be a good fit for me, and again very little spinning and you get to be in the sun. It’s starting to be sunny again where I live so training for that won’t be a problem. I just have to see if Lauren will let me put some sand in her back yard. Other than that I am golden….well hopefully if you get what I mean.
The problem is this:
I blame my parents for not pushing me at the age of 3 to pursue my dreams of being a ski jumper and sand volleyball star. That being said I will have to start my Olympic dreams a little later than usual. I was watching the Olympics and they did a spot on the Swiss ski team and how at a very young age you go to a special ski school and it’s basically a training spot for the Olympics. My parents blew that one….so I guess I am going to have to do it on my own.
I will let you know how things turn out in these next couple of weeks. First I need to find a coach to train me.
Next stop….the Olympics!!
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Friday, February 12, 2010
How things have changed...
I got an assignment at work to go to the capital and pick up something from someone (names are not important for the story). The capital is maybe a 2 min drive from my office but that being said at the time I was not sure how big the package was going to be so I drove. I got there and parking was crazy, apparently every High School in California was visiting’s it that day. As I walked though security to get in (Arnold is a big deal come on) I noticed a group of girls and thought to myself.
“So many skinny jeans, are those in? What happened to the bell bottoms?”
“Did I really giggle that much?”
“People still block all the major hallways so it’s really uncomfortable for people to walk”
I was waiting for the elevator to go up to the top floor and I overheard some girls saying:
Girl - He told me he wanted to take things to the next level.
Girl 2- So what did you say?
Girl – That I would think about it.
Me – I said to myself (In High School to me the next level was making out in my parents hot tub. I wonder what she is talking about. I wanted to tell her to “be good and if you can’t be good be safe” but I didn’t. I moved on…I just hope I don’t see her on Teen Mom anytime soon.)
I thought about when I was in High School and something would happen and I thought it was the end of the world. I look back and laugh. Ha ha ha. My roommate and I talked about if we could go back in time what we would do a) change things b) keep it the same c) wouldn’t want to go back. I have come to realize I am a mix of all three. I think I would change some, keep some and I would not want to go back.
What about you?
“So many skinny jeans, are those in? What happened to the bell bottoms?”
“Did I really giggle that much?”
“People still block all the major hallways so it’s really uncomfortable for people to walk”
I was waiting for the elevator to go up to the top floor and I overheard some girls saying:
Girl - He told me he wanted to take things to the next level.
Girl 2- So what did you say?
Girl – That I would think about it.
Me – I said to myself (In High School to me the next level was making out in my parents hot tub. I wonder what she is talking about. I wanted to tell her to “be good and if you can’t be good be safe” but I didn’t. I moved on…I just hope I don’t see her on Teen Mom anytime soon.)
I thought about when I was in High School and something would happen and I thought it was the end of the world. I look back and laugh. Ha ha ha. My roommate and I talked about if we could go back in time what we would do a) change things b) keep it the same c) wouldn’t want to go back. I have come to realize I am a mix of all three. I think I would change some, keep some and I would not want to go back.
What about you?
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Montelena Chardonnay 1973
Wine Part 4 brought to you by Quamut:
The other day I watched the movie Bottle Shock, which came out in 2008. It takes place in 1976 when a Sommelier from Paris comes to the United States to host a blind taste test in Napa Valley against French wines. If you have not seen it I would recommend it, very informational of how United States got on the map in the wine world.
Definition: Bottle-shock is a temporary condition of wine characterized by muted or disjointed fruit flavors. It often occurs immediately after bottling or when wines (usually fragile wines) are given an additional dose of sulfur (in the form of sulfur dioxide or sulfite solution), and are subject to other forms of handling and transport. After a few weeks, the condition usually disappears. - Wikipedia
It can be very hard to understand wine, there are so many different varieties that sometimes you don’t understand what you are drinking or ordering. I have been on many wine tours since moving to California being so close to Sonoma and Napa. I went out to dinner with a friend and when the waitress asked us what kind of wine we wanted, my friend order a red wine and the conversation went as followed:
Waitress – That is a very popular choice and many people love to eat it with red meats or pasta. It is a great French wine, good choice.
Me – What kind of grape is this wine made from? (She just sounded like she knew a lot about the wine)
Waitress - Well I think it’s a red grape
Me – Oh, ok, Thanks… (I no longer thought she knew what she was talking about)
New World:
I remember coming home that day thinking ill do some research, I never did…till now. Quamut says that wines that are grown in the United States, South America, and Australia are “varietals” meaning that they are “named after the variety of grape they contain.” They name the wine after the greatest factor of the wine the grape itself. That being said if you buy a Pinot Noir it’s a good bet it’s a Pinot Noir grape.
If only one grape is in a wine it’s named after the “sole grape”. There are also wines that have different “blends” of various grapes. The wine is then named after the “principal grape” or the grape with the most in the particular wine. The rule is whatever grape dominates the wine; the wine is named after that grape. Different states have different requirements regarding percentages it must contain.
Europe:
In Europe things are a little different. The wine is not named after the grape that it is from; instead the wine name comes from the place they were made. The vineyards in Europe have it down to a tee. They know the best place to grow each type of grape, so if you want to make a certain wine there are regulations to where you can grow your grapes. The “place name” in Europe means high standard location and type of grape. A Burgundy then “must be made from Pinot Noir grapes.”
Ok, I will expand more on this soon.
"Wine is sunlight, held together by water." - Steven Spurrier
Information from Quamut
The other day I watched the movie Bottle Shock, which came out in 2008. It takes place in 1976 when a Sommelier from Paris comes to the United States to host a blind taste test in Napa Valley against French wines. If you have not seen it I would recommend it, very informational of how United States got on the map in the wine world.
Definition: Bottle-shock is a temporary condition of wine characterized by muted or disjointed fruit flavors. It often occurs immediately after bottling or when wines (usually fragile wines) are given an additional dose of sulfur (in the form of sulfur dioxide or sulfite solution), and are subject to other forms of handling and transport. After a few weeks, the condition usually disappears. - Wikipedia
It can be very hard to understand wine, there are so many different varieties that sometimes you don’t understand what you are drinking or ordering. I have been on many wine tours since moving to California being so close to Sonoma and Napa. I went out to dinner with a friend and when the waitress asked us what kind of wine we wanted, my friend order a red wine and the conversation went as followed:
Waitress – That is a very popular choice and many people love to eat it with red meats or pasta. It is a great French wine, good choice.
Me – What kind of grape is this wine made from? (She just sounded like she knew a lot about the wine)
Waitress - Well I think it’s a red grape
Me – Oh, ok, Thanks… (I no longer thought she knew what she was talking about)
New World:
I remember coming home that day thinking ill do some research, I never did…till now. Quamut says that wines that are grown in the United States, South America, and Australia are “varietals” meaning that they are “named after the variety of grape they contain.” They name the wine after the greatest factor of the wine the grape itself. That being said if you buy a Pinot Noir it’s a good bet it’s a Pinot Noir grape.
If only one grape is in a wine it’s named after the “sole grape”. There are also wines that have different “blends” of various grapes. The wine is then named after the “principal grape” or the grape with the most in the particular wine. The rule is whatever grape dominates the wine; the wine is named after that grape. Different states have different requirements regarding percentages it must contain.
Europe:
In Europe things are a little different. The wine is not named after the grape that it is from; instead the wine name comes from the place they were made. The vineyards in Europe have it down to a tee. They know the best place to grow each type of grape, so if you want to make a certain wine there are regulations to where you can grow your grapes. The “place name” in Europe means high standard location and type of grape. A Burgundy then “must be made from Pinot Noir grapes.”
Ok, I will expand more on this soon.
"Wine is sunlight, held together by water." - Steven Spurrier
Information from Quamut
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