Tour de Tina

A confession.

I live with my mother. I do. Not by intention - or maybe - it was a short term plan. And it's been fine. For the most part. It's a transition period - for both of us. And while my son thinks he has two mommy's, and while plenty of people including the neighbhors think we are a lesbian couple, we have been quietly digesting this new found living situation, and seemingly new identity of mother-daughter - or grandmother-daughter-grandson.

I am not complaining - just stating a fact that I need to state. I do think that I am perhaps the lucky one, as time and time again I hear friends and acquaintances say "I could NEVER live with my mother." It's sort of sad. Sad that the relationship is strained or challenged or unhealthy for a myriad of reasons. My mother - not withstanding the loud chip eating issue which I am sure she can't hear because she has a hearing "situation" in her left ear - is very cool. Very smart. Very sharp. She is the in-house doctor, therapist, master fly killer and puzzle wizard. So if it's sort of tight quarters these days, at least it's with loving and positive energy. And we all need a full dose of that.

What's a girl to do?

When her dog eats her shoes? And not a piece is to be found... You know it's just going to come out the other end. Ick. Yuck. Here is what's left. And here is the guilty one. Cute smile right?

I am over it now. Just another reason to find the ole corkscrew eh? No. This didn't drive me to drink. It of course upset me momentarily. But this is minor stuff in the scheme of it all. Of course I now do put away my shoes, and bags, and any other leathery sort of thing that might look edible. But I do love you Betty girl.  

 

Allora! Allora!

So let's talk about wine. And wine and cheese. And this ridiculous amazing Labor Day Weekend event I attended at Allora Vineyards in St. Helena. It was their release party - for just a few of us lucky souls - no more than 75 - were able to attend. At their home/winery/slice of heaven, each of Allora's 5 wines was paired with 2 cheeses. You taste the wine. Taste the cheese. Then drink the wine. Then eat the cheese. Right - you do the math. That's like 5 glasses of wine and a barrel of cheese. (Actually the pours were small, so maybe 2 glasses of wine and a wedge of cheese). See photo of my friend Brenda with the amazing Cheese man, and Wine man, and do notice the lovely lawn. I would actually consider this a wonderful camping site - my kind of camping if you know what I mean. Manicured lawn. Flat. Surrounded by the "wines".  

Fortunately, with all of these wining and cheese-tasting, I still get a few days on the bike - and ride next to my favorite cows - actually this group wasn't so friendly - too busy eating but guess that's what they do. Graze. I have decided that some of these cows have the most beautiful eyes and lashes. Beautiful. So sad that most of them end up on the dinner table (not the eyes of course but the rest of the carcass). 

Cheeseworthy note: do not wrap cheese in saran wrap - put in parchment paper and then in baggie. From Robert the Cheesman - who ran a cheese department in Whole Foods for 10 years!

Vitamins, Road Kill, & Helmet Mirrors

My title makes no sense I know - but to me the subjects are "top of mind"...

Starting with Vitamins - I am perplexed. I have been taking some rather interesting kinds of chinese herbs along with my multis and a few other usual suspects that us gals should take at a certain "age" - yet for the past month I have gone cold turkey - taking nothing at all. This wasn't an intentional change - more of a "I have too many visitors and my routine is just whacked out and I just can't seem to get it together with all of the pill popping in the am." So today I said to myself - and later out loud to my mother "I really don't know if these vitamins do anything. Just why am I spending so much money on them if they prove useless?" HER REPLY - "Well you have been rather cranky these days.". Really, me cranky? Without going into the specifics of exactly why my environment - including work - might make me a tad on the cranky side - I simply replied "well let's see if my new round of herb and vitamin infusion - starting tomorrow - will vaporize my cranky side - or simply rid the "Lucy" in me...". Loose the Lucy - that is the goal. According to my online survey I should be immediately taking B12 and fish oil. My mother said do a 3 month test - yet somehow I think that cranky me might just reappear - vitamins or not. And please, match.com, jdate and eharmony are not the answer either - though of a second I did think this might be an antidote - but ever look in my region of the world... not happening.

So onto road kill - it's just a sorry state here in Napa - muchas muchas animals all over the road - skunks, squirrels, snakes and I even think I saw a chihaua (sp? on that word). These little guys have not time when a drunkard comes steaming on down the road. I suppose that is why the majority of cyclists here where these tiny little helmet mirrors. Me, well, I can't personally bring myself to do that. I would be putting myself in a whole new category of cyclist - and I ain't going there. I prefer to surround myself with white light. Thank you Jan for that one.

nightie night.

I ran over a snake!

There is nothing worse to me than a snake. I can barely even write the word as I begin to think about what it means - and the image it conjures up. From back in the day - Harrison Ford in a pit of s_a_es - that was the moment that my phobia erupted. I hate fake rubber ones, cartoons of them, pictures of them and I am so not looking forward to my son getting into a worm and snake phase. Help me out now - I definitely will need some kind of doggie downer if this does happen.

So last week on a wonderful ride near Lake Hennessey with my new gal pal cycling friend K-Lo, I found myself SCREAMING SCREAMING SCREAMING. I know that those people on their boats heard me. K-Lo thought I had almost gone down and was recovering from nearly having slammed into the pavement. But no - I ran over a brown and orange s_a_e. It was so so so so so gross. I am still mentally recovering from this completely horrific moment.

When I told my mother about the S incident, she asked - "Well did you see what happened to it? Was it still alive?". Are you freaking kidding me? TURN AROUND AND SEE IF MY BIKE SPLIT THAT THING IN TWO? Hell no. My heart rate shot up to 185 and there was no way I was going to even glance back.

Now when I ride I shudder each time I see some sort of long, skinny something in the road. I just get jumpy - which really isn't good when you are riding. This kind of thing just didn't happen on my bike path rides in LA.

Perhaps hypnosis would work to rid this problem. For now, however, I say a prayer that the s_a_es stay in their holes or wherever they live during my precious bike rides.

Shock and Awe

I still can't believe I actually live here in this unbelievable beautiful setting of Napa Valley. I actually get to drive - and bike - among vineyard after vineyard after vineyard. I feel so darn lucky. Twelve years of LA living has made me crave the country - and not that I am turning into some sort of farmer gal - but I do have to say I like this country living! I love the roaming cows, the goats, and the endless supply of fresh strawberries and cherries. See my baby goat photo - not really my goat but he (or she) was so adorable. And this lovely little creature lives among the Lavender farms - Harms Lavender Farm of Napa. I attended a Lavender workshop this past weekend - and of course walked away with oils, and mists, and sachets -- guess you really can't take the JAP out of the city. I still do like to shop.

I like to shop - but I haven't been - thanks to the Great American Apparel Diet that I have been on for not quite a year - (It worked Sally - I only cheated twice - and once was on my birthday!). The diet is about not shopping for clothes for an entire year - one can buy accessories, shoes and underwear but that's it. I broke down last winter and bought a sale-sale-sale pair of black denim pants for $20 bucks and then bought a cute little stretchy number last week on my 29th birthday. :)

What I do buy in this town is WINE. It's NUTZ - N U T Z - NUTZ!  I think it might be turning into some sort of addictive habit. I sort of hope this is not the case but all signs are pointing that way.

For those reading - please go to Tres Sabore - all excellent - Swanson - the Merlot - AMAZING - and my recent taste or two or three of Cakebread's Syrah. I just can't seem to get enough - :)

The dog ate the BOUNTY!

Nothing like having your dog walk into your house with some unknown entity hanging out of her butthole - and it wasn't something small, or short, but instead something very very long. A thing that almost looked like a snake! Not only was I soooooooo grossed out but I was also scared! Did she eat a snake? How did the snake get stuck there? As the thoughts ran through my mind, she (Betty) scampered around the kitchen. I then saw it was the paper towel roll that she ate earlier this week. Yesterday she threw up my mother's night mask and today she was pushing out paper towel. Now this makes a girl want to drink. I took Betty outside and had to pull out the rest of the PT - but as you well know this stuff easily tears and it of course broke - I am waiting for the next batch to launch tomorrow morning.

And so, post this trauma, I washed my hands - about 70-hundred times - as my son so calls large numbers of any kind. Gross out. G-night.

Two nights. Water only.

I suppose just because one lives in the wine country, that really doesn't mean one has to drink wine like its water. And for this gal, I have to take a day or two off to sort of clear my head. It's not that I am a drunkard or future cocktail hag - no not at all - it's just that I like my "mommy juice" after a long day. But I think a day or two or three off from the bottle might be good for me. For my complexion. For my sleep. For my sanity.

Actually the other night it was a late afternoon coffee that kept me up from 1 to 4am - it was like I was a pig on a skewer rolling around my bed - and to no avail. Sleep would not come. I turned on my light and started my new book - "Crazy for the Storm" by Norman Ollestad - I read non-stop for 2 1/2 hours - the book is unbelievable - a true story which just grabbed me in from the first page.

Back to the wine hiatus. Let me just say it's not going to last that long as my 29th birthday (again) is this Thursday. In 48 hours I will be wine tasting and then dining. Moderation they say. Moderation.

Back in the city...

Lame oh lame of me for not writing - but is anyone reading? I actually kind of hope so. I have to at least share all of my wine adventures over the past week - post my crazy weekend due to the Napa Gran Fondo -

I survived that - and along the way have tried about 10 new wines -- have 390 to go ... they say there are 400 wineries in the Valley.

Not a lush. Nope. Just a wine lover.

The good news is that I can just sip.

I remind myself that I want to and need to feel good on my bike.

Another plus about the country living - no cars on the roads - at least the non-tourist section of Napa. This morning a beautiful black and white cow mooed at me --- so cute -- how can people eat those guys?

But right now - back in LA - or smell LA  - or smog LA -- it was SMOGGY when I flew in today - ick and ugh.

More later folks - if anyone is out there.

Where have all the BMW's gone?

Sing - "where have all the flowers gone - long time passing" - now replace the words - "where have all the BMW's gone - it's so refreshing" - "where have all the BMW's gone - it's a Ford kind of town"...

Okay - bare with me on this - what I am trying to say that here in NAPA there are no BMW's - the complete opposite of Los Angeles - where they are as commonplace as -- well - what do you think? - Botox around the eyes? Yes. Fake breasts? Yes. Bad Drivers? Yes.

Yes. Yes and Yes. BMW's are all over Los Angeles - I mean all over every single part of town - they crossed all borders of class, race, gender, age, - just about everyone had one - or so it seemed. Perhaps what bothered me so much was not the number of BMW's but rather the percentage of horrible awful nasty drivers who owned BMWs. They were the ones who would cut me off, scream through a yellow turning red light, and nearly run us pedestrians and cyclists off the road. I know I shouldn't generalize - I am sure there are plenty of lovely BMW owners out there - somewhere out there.

Here in the Wine Country I have witnessed about 3 BMW's - but it's safe to say the majority of car owners aren't driving something engineered by the Germans or Swedes. It's more like a mix of Asian meets the Detroit hood.

So - on that note, it's off to sleep. This was for Grant - heading up to Napa soon - not to drive but to ride!