The Wine Commonsewer

Best Drill Ever

Good Morning Gentle Readers,

Last minute gift ideas for your dad are a dime a dozen but I'm throwing my two cents in. TWC has done a couple of projects in his day and, hands down, the best drill I've ever owned is this one:

Just finished installing new blinds in That Boy's room and I kept thinking: Man, this is one sweet drill. [hear that in a Tim Allen voice] Specs here.   

That keyless chuck thing is not that new fangled anymore but it makes you wonder why it took so long for somebody to figure it out. And these days driver bits for drill motors are as common as dry wall screws. But it wasn't always true.

In my forward-thinking yet vagrant yoot I bought Yankee Screwdriver bits to use in my drill. Not fooling neither, nobody else was doing that. Didn't connect the dots though and I missed out on making big bucks.

From Desert Center to the River was ninety plus scorching miles of two-lane blacktop bisecting a desolate desert valley. We'd sometimes stop at Rice for gas and a cold drink and I'd think: wouldn't it be the hot cigar if you could buy a six pack of cold water just like you could buy a sixer of Bud or Coke?

We all know where that ended up. Eco-fascists tag teaming with Old Guys to whine about these kids carting bottled water around in their backpacks because they're too good to drink out of a garden hose like when we was kids. Plus TWC didn't make no money on that neither.

Sidebar: My kids love hose water.

Former Union 76 Station & Store, Rice Ca

Treat your Old Man right, after all, when you were a kid you thought he owned stock in the electric company.

DeWalt is a proud sponsor of TWC.

As Always,

TWC

Flag Day

Red Red Wine: You Make Me Feel So Fine

Gentle Readers,

Headed back to Phoenix at the end of an exhausting business trip to Northern Arizona, Michelle spotted an elderly Navajo woman walking on the dusty shoulder of the road. As the drive was a long and lonely, she pulled off and asked the Navajo woman if she would like a ride.

With a silent nod of thanks, the woman got into the car.

Resuming the journey, Michelle tried in vain to make small talk with the Navajo woman. The old woman sat silently, staring intently out the window, studying every little detail of the passing landscape, until she noticed a brown bag on the seat.

What in bag?

Michelle glanced at the brown bag and replied that.....

It's a bottle of wine that I got for my husband.

The withered old Navajo woman was silent for another moment or two, then nodding her head solemnly while speaking with the quiet wisdom of an elder, she intoned.....

Good trade.....

I've got a couple ex-girlfriends that fit that bill. Wish I could have traded them for a bottle of decent red. One sordid tale here, buried in an obit (pun not intended).

Bonus:

Can't see the video? Look right here.

As Ever,

TWC

Story inspired by an email from Laurie G   

Soaring Over Mountains

Gentle Readers,

This is pretty cool except it gave me vertigo and made me airsick. Just wiggle your mouse and you'll get the picture pretty much immediately.

As Ever,

TWC

Tip of the glass to Laurie

I'm Jumpin' Anyhow (A Real Fine Place To Start)

Good Morning Gentle Readers,

Worked late, lit a small fire out front, asked the House Blond to see if she could smell the vanilla in the wine. Later we watched some YouTube videos. In the old days when MTV and VH-1 played music videos, we used to watch them on TV. That or drag racing.  Ain't nothing like a big fat American V-8 funny car.

Sitting on daddy's lap, watching Bubble Gum, Country, Ashley Tisdale. Well, Sweetie, if you're going to love Last Christmas, you've got to hear the original Wham hit. Gotta get to the roots.

Did you know, Gentle Reader, that TWENTY TWO MILLION nine year old girls have watched the Jonas Brothers SOS?

One last thing......May those of you who are lonely find the elusive. Don't be looking over your shoulder like there's someone standing behind you that I'm actually talking to, neither.  Serious though.

More Videos

Can't see the vid?

It's here. Or here.

As Ever,

TWC

2005 Finca La Celia Kawel Malbec Reserva: The Cheap Winecommonsewer Speaks

Good Morning Gentle Readers,

As inexpensive wines go this Argentine Malbec isn't bad. It's a little medicinal up front with plenty of fumes on the nose. Don't spark up a fat boy or a cigarette anywhere near this stuff or you'll have flambé in a glass. The tilt toward alcohol fumes tends to be one of the drawbacks with some less expensive Malbecs. Letting the wine breath overnight didn't make any discernible difference.

This wine is fairly bold with black and red fruit, currants, raspberry, blackberry and maybe cherries. Show of hands? How many of you have filled an apothecary jar with cherries and vodka and then let it sit for a few weeks. Remember how the cherries tasted?  Okay. That's the kind of cherries the Kawel boasts.

My main gripe is calling it Reserva, a term typically reserved (heh) for the best of a vintage. The implication of a reserve wine is that it is aged longer or in some other way is a special wine. It is regrettable to use Reserva as a marketing ploy aimed at selling wine to newbies. Besides, if this is La Celia's reserve, the regular Kawel Malbec gots to be kissing cousins with Two Buck Chuck.

Hot Tip:  Typically, the more reputable the winery is, the more likely the term reserve is an authentic descriptor. Ain't that just like the market? Competition for Reputation.

TWC is a Malbec fan and although this one isn't a rave, at six to eight dollars US, it's worth a try. Ideal for a midweek break from the treadmill. Serve it with hearty Italian red dishes, stews, or game.

As Always,

TWC

A Nod From One of the Best

Good Morning Gentle Readers,

Just wanted to take a moment to tip my glass and say thanks to Alder Yarrow at Vinography. This morning I was delighted to find a link to TWC under Wine Blogs I've Newly Discovered.

 [blushes and scuffs his Keds in the dirt]

Vinography is top shelf, an award winning wine blog that consistently ranks numero uno in the wine blog standings. I can't prove it, but when TWC opened for business I'm pretty sure that Vinography was the very first link posted in the sidebar under Wines by the Glass.

As Ever,

TWC

Me & Harrison Ford, Doin' Our Civic Duty

Good Morning Gentle Readers,

I'm not big on jury duty but since I'm even less fond of scullery duty at the county lockup I showed up for the cattle call this morning.

The ABA has been hot on jury appreciation for several years, even enlisting Harrison Ford in the campaign. Before you get all weepy eyed and salute the flag, keep in mind that these are the same guys who get five big ones just for walking through the courthouse door on Monday morning. Jurors? Fifteen bucks. Not even enough to cover the cost of gas to get there and home.

Then there is that little matter of the Thirteenth Amendment, prohibiting involuntary servitude. There is nothing voluntary about serving on a jury. Where's the ACLU on this? Wait. They're all lawyers too.

The system depends upon the citizen juror. And they play on your civic pride, your patriotism, hell, they even invoke Thomas Jefferson, TWC's Patron Saint. That's all well and good, but how about putting the lowly juror on a par with the presiding judge or the lead attorney? Ain't gonna happen. 

But, to be fair & balanced, Californicate has adopted a system that is infinitely more organized and much more juror-friendly than in years past.  I do commend them for that although I suspect that it was forced on them by mass civil disobedience. After all, when your done jailing potheads, how much more room is there for people ignoring a jury summons?

I might feel better about it if the judicial system was about getting at the truth of the matter. More often than not, it's about tricks and technicalities.

Course, I am contrary by nature so I tend to blow things like jury duty way out of proportion. This time around it cost me a day I'm not getting back but I also read most of a trashy paperback novel. Not so bad, really. Still, I couldn't get out of town fast enough.

Get home to a bottle of wine and this.....

As Ever,

The WC

Agapanthus and Hemerocallis

Good Morning Gentle Readers,

The TWC abode, Casa de las Rocas Grandes, sits on a four acre hillside of godforsaken granite, right smack in the middle of the rain shadow of Saddleback Peak. It has more vermin and varmints per square foot than God intended, which the cats and dogs have mitigated to some extent. I swear to you, Gentle Reader, even cactus won't grow here. The struggle to get life blood out rock has been ongoing, but sometimes the effort is rewarded.

Day Lilies with Lilies of the Nile

These Lilies of the Nile grow in the sun dappled shade of the Mesquite tree out front together with with sword & asparagus ferns, jasmines (pink and night), and low growing purple Lanatana. The indirect light seems to produce the abnormally brilliant blue color. In more intense sun, the color is pale and more washed out.

Snipped these right about sunset.

As Ever,

TWC

The Value of Branding: TWC, reg U.S. Pat Off

Gentle Readers,

Del Mar Dave writes.....

You have no idea how strong your brand is:  Just now, as we are preparing dinner, my wife (name changed to protect the innocent) heard a TV ad for Time Warner Cable, using the acronym, TWC. She said, TWC - they mean the The Wine Commonsewer!

The gratuitous self-promotion is included in the package at no additional charge.

As Always,

TWC