Steel Kaleidoscopes

Try This at Home

Go to your TV set. Flick through every channel.

You will come across "Law & Order."

Guaranteed.

2006

January
Terry Francona, Dom DeLuise and Styrofoam Packing Peanuts

February
Made in Japan, Frost Valley and Ben Roethlisberger's Blog

March
Barry Bonds, American Idol and Spring Break

April
The Butterfly Place, Marcus Buckingham and Raquel Welch

May
Barbaro, Chris Daughtry and Shaving the Moustache

June
Top 10 Rock Drummers, Hooverville and Tom Bosley

July
Top 10 Meeting Pet Peeves and the Continuing Saga of Dave

August
Progressive Lenses, the Finger Lakes and Joe Morgan

September
Steve Levitt and the Worst 10 Concerts of All Time

October
Ricky Teague, Bill Buckner and Christy Mihos

November
The Burning Sessions, Buddy Rich and Clay Aiken

Vanderbilt Beach

White sand, deep blue water, stretching for miles under the guarded watch of the pelican patrol.

The bronzed and beautiful mingle with the sunburning whites, natives and northerners sharing space under the blazing sun.

The waves roll in, swirling with madness, veracity, velocity and subtle vigor.

It's a beach day, another day in the sun for some and a holiday soiree for others.

Perspectives in paradise.

A Snack

Succulent crab claws are a wonderful afternoon diversion.

Top 10 Wines of 2006

These are the Top 10 wines I sampled in 2006. While the specific vintages may be hard to find, the producers are generally consistent from year to year.

1. Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon, 1998
Well-structured hearty red, massive flavorful tree bark

2. David Bruce Central Pinot Noir, 2002
Mouthful of cherries, excellent balance and depth

3. Rosenblum San Francisco Bay Zinfandel, 2004
Much like the 1993 Rockpile Road but a better value

4. Rosenblum Pickett Road Petite Syrah, 2000
A mouthful of seductive dark, inky, spicy blackberries

5. Planeta Burdese Cabernet Sauvignon, 1999
From Sicily, soft, subtle and well-integrated tannins

6. Peconic Steel Barrel Chardonnay, 2003
Crisp, ginger-like flavors with medium finish

7. Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc, 2005
From New Zealand, a mouthful of clean, fresh, zingy melon

8. Spring Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon, 1998
One of Napa's finest bottlings lives up to its reputation

9. Fox Run Dry Riesling, 2005
Bone dry with apricot and lemon swirling in glass

10. Byron Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir, 2003
Cherries step to forefront in this well-made vintage

Christmastime Sunset in Boston

The Common eases into a festive night.

NFL Officiating

It just burns me up sometimes at the inconsistency of officiating in the NFL.

Four years ago, Tom Brady and the Patriots were handed the game against the Raiders when the ref called Brady's fumble an incomplete pass. This knocked the Raiders out of the playoffs and put the Patriots in position to win their first Super Bowl.

Yesterday in Jacksonville, Jaguars quarterback David Garrad's forward pass was called a fumble, giving the Patriots another gift and essentially knocking the Jaguars out of the playoffs.

Same play. Same forward motion. Two different calls.

I guess if you're Tom Brady, you get away with these things.

Get it right, zebras. Get it right.

Popsicle

Kind of reminds me of Francis Ford Coppola's "Rumble Fish." Photo courtesy of ristoons.com.

Ten Things I Love: "C"

Fellow blogger Poppy Cede had a cool idea to post the 10 things she loves beginning with the letter "C."

Inspired by this, I thought I'd share my own list, in no particular order:

1. Christine, Chloe and Carol. These are members of my family -- my wife, my daughter and my sister.

2. Chocolate. Chocolate mousse, chocolate cake, chocolate brownies, chocolate ice cream, a Nestles bar, anything from Godiva or Lindt.

3. Caffeine. Need my jump-start. One of my few vices. Percolate me, please. Starbucks bold is top choice.

4. Cotton. I'm wrapped in it. Briefs, pants, shirts. There's nothing like a crisp, ironed shirt to start the day.

5. Cubs. My first game was Wrigley Field and I've lived and died with them since the '60s. Damn Steve Garvey and Steve Bartman.

6. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Their harmonizing is mesmerizing and their music is always groovy.

7. California. Napa, Mill Valley, San Francisco, Monterey, Santa Monica, LA, Hollywood, San Diego. If I had grown up here, I would never have moved.

8. Comforter. A bed is not a bed without one.

9. Cabernet Sauvignon. The king of reds. I love a good Petite Sirah or Pinot Noir, but when a Cab is done well, there's nothing like it.

10. Cape Cod. The traffic can be brutal, but the beaches are amazing. There's nothing like biking to Nauset Light Beach and whipping a Frisbee around.

Wine Charms

So I get my Secret Santa gift in the office and it's wine charms.

I just don't get the functional value of wine charms.

They're supposed to remind you which glass of wine is yours at a busy party. If you ask me, if you can't remember which wine is yours or which coffee table you placed it on, it's time to leave the party.

If I can't remember whether or not I was drinking the Cabernet or the Chardonnay, how am I going to remember that I have the little light blue clinky thing on my glass as opposed to the little red clinky thing?

I'll just hold onto my glass, thank you.

In the meantime, I have the perfect re-gift.