Erin Go Bragh

My apologies about the blur, but I thought it seemed more hagiographical than the ones that were clear:

 cardi - GAP (remixed)

green glass earrings - Anthro

skirt - Ann Taylor (eBayed)

scarf - street vendor in Santiago (remixed)

sandals - Bear Tracks (remixed)

clover/hairpin - Anthro (gifted)

Guinness - sacred

So, what do we think?  How did my emulation of St. Patrick turn out? Of course,  I know that my hairpin has four leaves and I'm only supposed to have three in order to represent the Trinity. But I figured it was worth a shot. 

Despite my dark hair and olive skin, I'm actually 1/4 Irish and SME is 3/4.  We both grew up celebrating St. Patty's Day in various ways. And then we met at a university where at least 50% of the population could claim some degree of Irish descent and this day was always a crazy day full of the carnivalesque.  I do remember being offered a Guinness on my way to class at 10 a.m. one year. And then there was the year that I had two beers in my bag and they were gone sometime between Mass and a late afternoon class.  I'm sure the sort of behavior Irish Americans engage in on this most hallowed of days could be explained by a cultural theorist in terms of diasporic identity and traumatic memory.  But I don't see the need for that. I'm always happy to put on green and drink beer with friends.  In fact, I've already started:  Erin Go Bragh!

Do you wear green on St. Pat's?  What about you Italian Americans on St. Joseph's Day (March 19)--do you wear red?

Valentine's Day Wines

Author: Jessica Fialkovich

Lucky for all of us, Valentine's Day only comes but once a year and for this weekend alone we are expected to come up with the most romantic gift for our significant others. What better way to say you care that a great bottle of wine (which you can also enjoy yourself!) We've compiled a list of the most romantic wines in celebration of the day of love. These wines are sure to please as well as provide a great, romantic story.
Soave: The Wine of Romeo & Juliet
Pra Soave Classico 2008
You can't get much more romantic the drinking the grapes of Verona, Italy. The name of Soave is rumored to have stemmed from two sources: the first gives credit to the great Italian poet of the 13th century, Dante Alighieri, author of the Divine Comedy and friend of the lord of Verona, Cangrande della Scala. The second credits Romeo (as in Romeo & Juliet), tasting the wine after a tryst with Juliet Romeo says to a servant, "Soave" after receiving a goblet of wine. Whatever the source of the name, Soave now holds the place as Italy's most romantic wine and the official wine of "Verona in Love," Italy's celebration of love and romance every Valentine's Day weekend.
Tasting notes: Fresh, flowery and lightly yeasty nose witha touch of wood smoke. The palate is attractively textured and juicy, showing zesty ‘leesy' intensity and a hint of almonds. Crisp, incisive and mineral on the finish.

Rose: The Color of Love
Van Duzer Pinot Noir Rose 2008
What's not to love about a pink wine on Valentine's Day? This rose is NOT white zinfandel style. Made from 100% pinot noir, this rose is fermented with the skins for one hour to give the wine the pink hue. Held in stainless steel tanks, it exudes a crisp, dry and clean style.
Tasting notes: Dry strawberries and spice reminsicent of a traditional pinot noir. Crisp acidity on the finish leaves a clean mouth feel.
Bordeaux Blends: Deep, dark, and luscious
Jarvis Lake William Blend 2002
Lake William is the Cabernet Sauvignon blend which started out as a cellar mistake but is now a most sought after blend. It is named after the lake which borders and cools the Jarvis estate vineyards that makes up the blend. Each vintage's varietal composition varies dependent on the blending of Winemaker Consultant, Dimitri Tchelistcheff.
Tasting notes: This 2002 Lake William combines 31% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Cabernet Franc, 21% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot and 5% Malbec. Twenty months of barrel aging in 100% new French Nevers oak adds a note of toasty vanilla to the rich violet aromas and elegant blackberry flavors of this wine.
Champagne: Add a little sparkle to your night
Graham Beck Rose Brut NV
Champagne has been linked to love and romance for centuries. In the18th century a French cardinal, of all used the imagery of a champagne bottle popping open to make very thinly-veiled erotic suggestions in a poem to his would-be mistress the Marquise de Pompadour. By the late 1700s in France the connection between seduction and champagne was established. Legend has it that the saucer-shaped champagne glasses called coupes were modelled on the the breasts of famous French royal Marie-Antoinette, wife of king Louis XVI.
Tasting Notes: Pale silver-pink. Aromas of raspberries, cherries and a few secondary whiffs of minerality. A lively mousse but fine in the mouth, with subtle red berry flavours enlivened by bright acids. Brisk on the palate, showing hints of oyster shell and fresh lavender. Flirtatious and fun, yet elegant and structured, it's perfect for all seasons and settings.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/wines-and-spirits-articles/valentines-day-wines-4138276.html

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A Thankful Palette

Shakespeare's Masculine Ending, our friend Bee, and I hosted a Thanksgiving potluck at our place on Thursday. Last Tuesday there were 9 people who had replied positively to the Evite. By Wednesday evening, we knew we were expecting 16 people including ourselves. Among our guests was one young Welshman who looked at the table and exclaimed, "Oh my God! There's just so much food!" To which I replied, "Yeah...that's sorta the point." Unfortunately, the photo I took of the table didn't come out, but here's one of SME's first-ever turkey before it was roasted:

Thanksgiving also debuted my first pair of Hue tights, which I accidentally bought a size smaller than I normally would have (a 1 instead of a 2), but managed to squeeze into anyway:

1. Sweater - Moth/Anthro (remixed)
Skirt - H & M (remixed)
Tights - Hue
Shoes - Clarks
Plate - Whole Foods

Those plates were relatively expensive, but when I realized that there were going to be 16 of us and that we wouldn't be eating off of real plates, I sorta felt like I had to.

2. Earrings - Boutique in Lawrence, KS - gifted
Scarf - Eastern Market, DC - gifted

I think it might have been this apron that inspired me to stick with a gold/orange and blue palette:

3. Apron - Ikea

This is the first Thanksgiving that I neither traveled to see family nor hosted family. It meant that SME and I got three full days at home without work or school (we did a little bit, but really we took the time off). We do take vacation, obviously, but I can't remember a time when we just were able to be at home without any obligations. It's totally thrown off our sleep schedule, but I was really grateful for it.

Speaking of grateful, towards the end of the evening on Thanksgiving, when most of us were in the kitchen throwing things out, gathering the wine and beer bottles for recycling, and putting all of the food in tupperware my friend T. said, in all earnestness, "we didn't really say what we were thankful for." We all looked at him and he looked back and asked, "What are you thankful for?" And then we went around the kitchen and said what we were thankful for. It wasn't cheesy. And it made me incredibly thankful for something else: that I have friends who have an ability to express thanksgiving without irony.