I Consider This Less a Problem Than a Precipitate

*and if you got the title, you are a complete nerd

Ankle Weights

So Today I:

1. Said goodbye to one of my best friends ever and my son's second mommy (the second close friend in less than a month)

2. Completed day 5 as a stay-at-home mom

3. Did preliminary moving preparation

4. Realized that I will have to say goodbye to more than the formerly mentioned people very soon.

5. Wore ankle weights while moving heavy furniture . . . by myself.

Note: I cried through it all.

I'm sure I'll be funny again someday soon. I'm sure I'll be able to look at all the blessings in my life and see how freaking fortunate I am. I'm sure that things won't see so completely random and out of control.

But for now, they aren't and are (make sense of that yourselves).

I'm Not Bragging . . .I'm Just Saying

On Saturday, I will be drinking all of these wines. All. Of. Them.

1994 Hollick Cabernet Sauvignon Ravenswood (Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra)

1997 Domaine Georges Mugneret/Mugneret-Gibourg Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Chaignots (France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru)

1997 Domaine Ponsot Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Charmes (France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru)

1997 Henschke Abbott's Prayer (Australia, South Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges, Lenswood)

1998 Alain Graillot Crozes-Hermitage La Guiraude (France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage)

1998 Alain Graillot Crozes-Hermitage La Guiraude (France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage)

1998 Royer Girardin Pommard 1er Cru Rugiens-Bas (France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Pommard 1er Cru)

1998 Simon Bize Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Aux Vergelesses (France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru)

1999 Domaine de l'Oratoire St Martin Côtes du Rhône Villages Cairanne Cuvée Prestige (France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône Villages Cairanne)

2000 Nicolas Potel Volnay 1er Cru Caillerets (France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru)

2001 Henschke Shiraz Mt. Edelstone (Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Eden Valley)

2001 Van Volxem Wiltinger Gottesfuss Riesling Alte Reben (Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer)

2002 Baxter Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Fedele Vineyard (USA, California, Napa Valley, Rutherford)

2002 Joseph Daniel Cabernet Sauvignon (USA, California, Napa Valley)

2003 Martin Ranch Winery Merlot J.D. Hurley (USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Clara Valley)

2003 Nicolas Potel Volnay Vieilles Vignes (France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay)

2004 Léal Vineyards Carnavál (USA, California, Central Coast, San Benito County)

2004 Niner Wine Estates Syrah Boot Jack Ranch (USA, California, Central Coast,
Paso Robles)

2004 Robert Mondavi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley (USA, California, Napa Valley)

2004 Rubissow Cabernet Sauvignon (USA, California, Napa Valley, Mt. Veeder)

2005 Domaine Georges Mugneret/Mugneret-Gibourg Bourgogne (France, Burgundy, Bourgogne)

2005 Eagle Castle Zinfandel (USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles)

2005 Four Vines Zinfandel Biker (USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles)

2005 Hans Lang Riesling Trocken Johann Maximillian (Germany, Rheingau)

2005 Léal Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Estate "Godsend" (USA, California, Central
Coast, San Benito County)

2005 Mesa Cabernet Sauvignon Knights Valley Vineyard (USA, California, Napa Valley)

2005 Niner Wine Estates Barbera Boot Jack Ranch (USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles)

2005 Niner Wine Estates Merlot (USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles)

2006 Tangent Pinot Blanc Laetitia Vineyard (USA, California, Central Coast, Arroyo Grande Valley)

2007 Barth Rheingau Riesling trocken (Germany, Rheingau)

2007 Château Signac Côtes du Rhône Villages Chusclan Cuvée Terra Amata (France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône Villages Chusclan)

2007 Domaine La Florane Côtes du Rhone Villages Visan Terre Pourpre (France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhone Villages Visan)

2007 J Dusi Zinfandel Dante Dusi Vineyard (USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles)

2007 Quinta do Vale Dona Maria Porto Vintage (Portugal, Douro, Porto)

2008 Colosi Nero d'Avola Sicilia IGT (Italy, Sicily, Sicilia IGT)

N.V. Domaine Chandon Brut Classic (USA, California, Napa Valley, Yountville)

N.V. Il Conte D'Alba Stella Rosa (Italy, Piedmont)

2003 Nicolas Potel Volnay Vieilles Vignes (France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay)

2007 Francis Coppola / Niebaum-Coppola Zinfandel Diamond Series Red Label (USA, California)

2006 Kendall-Jackson Chardonnay Grand Reserve (USA, California)

2007 R Wines Shiraz Luchador (Australia, South Australia)

N.V. Yalumba Antique Tawny Museum Reserve (Australia, South Eastern) - 375ml

Pillar box red

Luchador Shiraz

2004 Mas Gabinelle

2006 Chateau Saint Martin de La Garrigue

5 Embarrassing Movies I Loved When They First Came Out

.....and saw not just once.

The advent of Tron2 has pulled me down memory lane to other movies I loved as a (not-so) small child. Though Tron really isn't that embarrassing to love, I am putting it first since it spurred the emergence of these other movies I didn't necessarily want to admit I love(d). And, of course, I am now putting this all on the Internet which just goes to show you, I don't know how to stop.

1. Tron
2. Krull
3. Ruthless People
4. Short Circuit
5. The Last Unicorn

I encourage you to do two things: 1) look up some of these on youtube and watch actual clips. They are like train wrecks in a blizzard sliding perilously towards a children's hospital. 2) Add your five embarrassing favorites. They can't be things like Dark Crystal or Labyrinth or Innerspace (okay so maybe that one) because those types of movies we all loved without shame. They have to be legit embarrassments.

[Incidentally, I find it telling that Jeff Bridges is in more than one of these films . . .]

Supplement to Yesterday's Post

I'm totally submitting my kid's work.
http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=irule

Offspring

Hanging out with a baby is a lot like watching an infomercial: you start out convinced this thing is not for you, but you keep on watching. You don’t need that, you think. Hell, you already can do all the things it does. Then something happens. Somewhere, somehow, the pitch hooks into you. Suddenly you’re thinking, how have I lived my life without that? The next thing you know you’re in a Snuggie cleaning off a counter with your ShamWow and wondering how much a Chinese baby would run you.

--http://jesuskirkandvinny.com/

So here's a picture my son drew yesterday for me. Oddly enough, he's taking to signing his name as "Laim" as in lame. Perhaps this will be his artistic persona.

*

Now I am way not into showing people stuff my kid does because, frankly, it just isn't that interesting. Who wants to see a bunch of scribbles poorly executed on scrap paper? Unless it's my kid's scribbles, I sure don't (so if you ever show me something your kid has done, know that while I'm nodding politely and feigning interest, I am really thinking about the awesome stuff MY kid does--that or wine).

*

But when it's your kid, there's something magical about watching his step-by-step transformation from a shapeless lump of boringness to an actual person who spells love phonetically and represents me (consistently in all his pictures, mind you) as a squat, thick girl with crazy hair and a high hairline.

*

Watching your child grow really is as if a miracle happens every day. Like when my son told his first joke. I don't remember the actual joke, but I do remember thinking 1) wow this is the stupidest joke ever and 2) holy crap, my kid has a sense of humor!

*

So, yes, I hung my son's picture up in my lab for all the world to admire. Because right now, I need reminders that miracles are happening on a daily basis. And that somewhere in San Diego, there is a gorgeous boy who luvs me.

A Typical Moment at Work

B: Hey, I'm having trouble with this GFP assay.

S: What's the problem?

B: Well, I fused a protease cleavage site into the small loop of GFP but now I don't get any expression even in the absence of protease.

S: Are you sure the fusion is correct.

B: Yeah, it sequenced fine.

S: Could the cleavage site be disrupting GFP from folding?

B: I checked the literature. They usually insert it into the larger loop but this was an easier ligation.

[J walks in with lunch . . . ]

S: What is that?

J: Ribs.

S: I thought is was calimari.

J: No. I don't like that. Smells too fishy.

S: Funny, that's what P said about your mom last night.

P [looking up from where he was quietly working]: What did I say?

J: That my mom smelled like fried calimari.

P: She smelled like fried food?

B: No, if that were the case, she'd be crunchy. [Turning back to S]. There really isn't any reason for GFP to not express with this site in there.

S: Well, how long is the site? Maybe that is the problem. Let's check the amino acid sequence.

[and cut]

Yes, I work with lots of boys.

And yes, I actually made this way more PG.