No one that has drunk old wine wants new; for he says, "The old is nice."

~Luke 5:39

I would like to spend some time speaking of a hobby I have developed. I spent some time in Italy a while ago (not that I had to mention that, the only people that read this blog were there with me) and developed a taste for the fruit of the vine. During my travels I tasted wine from many different regions in Italy, Umbria, Abbruzzo, Montepulciano, and the famous Chianti. In fact I took a fantastic trip with some friends via taxi through the heart of Chianti in search of vineyards and the perfect glass. Due to a few too many glasses the night prior, we struggled through the winding roads of Chianti, at least until we found a cafe for a panini and a capuccino. On that trip we discovered a quaint vineyard, Panzanello. It was here where I tasted what I still consider the best glass of wine I have ever tasted. The Panzanello Chianti Classico Reserva 2001. I bought a bottle and a bottle of the Chianti Classico 2002. I opened the '02 the night I asked Abbey to be my wife. Upon tasting this wine, my memories were confirmed. This wine was absolutely exquisite. I am saving the '01 for our one year anniversary. It will join the other bottles I have accrued over the past two years until that date. The stars being: two The Chocolate Block 2003, one Constant 2001 cabernet sauvignon, one Girard 2003 petite syrah, and of course Panzanello Chianti Classico Reserva 2001. I don't know when I will drink these bottles, perhaps I will wait for the perfect occasion for the corking of the Constant (which holds the highest dollar value at $80.00/bottle) or one day grab it on my way out the door to a fast food restaurant as Paul Giamatti discovered to be the perfect place for his vintage bottle, a 1961 Cheval Blanc, in Sideways.
Whenever these bottle find there way onto my palate, I am sure they will be splendid. Besides the financial repercussions of the hobby, I can't think of more enjoyable way to pass the time than sipping on delicious bottle of red.

MY RETURN TO MOTION

So for my first post in quite some time (excluding the response to a tagging I received) I have chosen to blog about my recent return to an active lifestyle.

I graduated in May of last year and along with my exit from Manhattan, KS came an exit from an life riddled with intramural sports and the occasional pick up basketball game. In place of this I found a sedentary lifestyle to be a comfortable alternative. This is however until I realized that this lifestyle was having negative effects on my figure. I have noticed a few changes, all additions, to the ol' body. I had decided that this is unacceptable about 6 months ago, joined a gym and began working out...for about 1 hour. I had the greatest intentions for myself.
The plan was to work out about 3 time a week and start eating healthier. I even said to myself that I would work out in the morning before work. This is where I should have know that this plan was bound to derail before it even developed. Despite the absurdity of my intentions I gave it a go. 6.30am the next morning, the alarm begins the ring. My hand swings through the air with astonishing accuracy and velocity to strike the snooze button without even so much as grazing the other buttons.

This repeats many times bringing me to today, 6 months and about 8 trips the gym later. I am now however, on my second consecutive day of activity. Last night I played 5 on 5 full court basketball. The work out was tuff, in fact I felt as if my lungs had collapsed about 4 minutes into the first game of three. By the end I felt inches from death.
Tonight I played volleyball in a local architecture league. We lost to HOK, a solid team with two stand out players that can spike the holy hell out the ball.



So as the second day of my glorious return to activity comes to an end...I am sore as hell!

My Top Five's

In response to a recent "tagging" from Studio109, here are my top five's:

IN THE KITCHEN:

1. Red Wine
2. Black Pepper
3. Espresso Maker
4. Milk
5. Pasta from the River Market


IN THE CLOSET:

1. Your favorite Marino Wool Black Sweater
2. Dry Cleaning
3. Flip Flops
4. Black Shoes
5. The one hat you where when you play golf.


IN MY BAG:

1. Thinking Architecture
2. Day Planner
3. Moleskine
4. Uni-ball vision (micro) Pens_black
5. I-pod


AT THE OFFICE:

1. Post-it Notes
2. Monthly calendar
3. That one great coffee cup
4. 10 x 10
5. Internet


AT HOME:

1. A Fantastic Woman
2. Vonnegut
3. A couch you can sleep on ( not a sleeper sofa)
4. Fresh Flowers
5. A turn table with a fantastic collection of albums