Kenwood's 2004 Sauvignon Blanc

Have you noticed that it is getting more difficult to find a good bottle of wine for around ten dollars? With that in mind, a display advertising the 2004 Kenwood Sauvignon Blanc for $10.99 caught my eye. It stated that 2004 was Kenwood's best year to date for Sauvignon Blanc, and that when they are sold out that’s it they will not be able to get any more. I quickly snatched up two bottles. Kenwood is located in California’s Sonoma Valley. The bottle described the wine as Kenwood’s most popular. It is a refreshing wine partially aged in oak barrels. We found the wine to be crisp and fruity with hints of lemon and pear. This wine is very acidic, so if you prefer a creamier Sauvignon Blanc this may not be the wine for you.

Saponification

Food for thought, as you begin the spring ritual of intensive cleaning:

Legend has it that saponification, which is the technical term for soap making, originated in ancient Rome on top of Mount Sapo,where rainwater combined with fish fat and ash (from animal sacrifices), trickled down into the clay soil along the Tiber River. Women, while doing their laundry in the river, found that this clay mixture made their wash cleaner with much less effort.

Eight Below

Just left the theater, we saw Eight Below. Netflix describes the movie, which is inspired by a true story, as an action-adventure about loyalty and the bonds of friendship set in the extreme wilderness of Antarctica. The film tells the story of three members of a scientific expedition: Jerry Shepard, his best friend, Cooper, and a rugged American geologist, who are forced to leave behind their team of beloved sled dogs due to a sudden accident and perilous weather conditions in Antarctica. During the harsh, Antarctic winter, the dogs must struggle for survival alone in the intense frozen wilderness for over 6 months. Glad we saw it on the big screen. The film was emotional, leaving me with a lump in my throat. If you are a dog owner, I guarantee you will go home and hug your dogs. My two guys are pictured above. We now appreciate them more than ever.

Do you type?

This morning, the President of my company popped his head into my office and asked, “Do you type?” When I responded affirmatively, he handed me a confidential form that needed typing. Taking the form, I walked to the empty cubicle that housed our old typewriter, sat down, aligned the form, and began to type. As I was typing, I became overcome with a sensation of deja vu.

When I was in high school I took several secretarial classes; Typing I, Typing II and Shorthand I. I'm not sure why I took these classes, I don't recall anyone telling me that I had to take them, asking me if I wanted to take them or even if I liked them. They were the elective classes girls in my high school enrolled in. I abhorred typing. I don’t recall my typing speed ever reaching much higher than 50 wpm. It was not unusual for me to turn in my assignment with a hole or two in the paper from attempting to correct my mistakes with a typing eraser. I found the entire typing class experience to be unenjoyable and stressful. Shorthand was worse. I dropped that class after one semester. It is hard to believe I was on a career track to do this every day for the rest of my life.

Then came career day; our guidance counselor stood in front of the classroom jotting on the chalkboard the future plans of myself and my classmates. We came up with four items. Here they are listed in order:
1. Get married
2. Get a job
3. Get a vocational degree (secretary or beautician for the girls, welder for the boys)
4. Get a college degree (engineer for the boys, teacher for the girls)

Luckily for me; shortly afterwards, I had a conversation with a kind neighbor concerning my lack of enthusiasm for a future career in typing. She talked me into attending a four year college and getting a B.S. degree. This same neighbor would eventually become the guidance counselor at my old high school.

After I graduated from college, with my new B.S. degree in hand, I went off to the employment agencies to find a job. At each agency, the first question the interviewer would ask me was, “Do you type?” which was followed by a typing test. Amazingly, I passed one of those tests, just squeaking by with 42 wpm. That led to a series of temp jobs, most of which involved typing letters and forms. Eventually, I would type an invoice or two, allowing me to add a new skill, Accounts Receivable, to my resume. Thus my accounting career had begun and the rest is history.

The following quote by James Burke of Fortune Magazine is appropriate: The typewriter also freed women from the drudgery of the kitchen to become involved in the drudgery of office work. And more important, it conferred on women the social power denied them by men and provided the dynamic to push for political emancipation.

The History of Women's History Month: Celebrating Those Holding Up Half the Sky

March is Women's History month. To learn more about the history of Women's History month please read Susan Butler's March newsletter. It can be accessed here: http://www.sbbidwl.org/newsletter_march2006.php

Pottery Barn vs. Porthault

In the novel “What would Jackie Do? An Inspired Guide to Distinctive Living" the authors, Shelly Branch and Sue Callaway, suggest that to be a person of distinctive living, one should know the difference between Pottery Barn and Porthault.

I imagine that most middle-class shoppers are familiar with Pottery Barn and receive their catalogs on a regular basis. If not, Pottery Barn is an American-based chain of home furnishing stores known for its high quality, massed-produced furniture such as sofas and chairs. The company was founded in 1949, beginning as a single store in Lower Manhattan. In 1986 it was acquired by Williams Sonoma, Inc. and became a wholly-owned subsidiary. The store reached heightened popularity, when it was featured on an episode of the American television sitcom Friends. It is the one where Jennifer Aniston's character Rachel Green purchases an apothecary table from the Pottery Barn. I happened to catch this episode and am also one of the middle class shoppers that receive their catalogs at a rate of about one per week.

I am, however, not familiar with Porthault. To learn about Porthault I turned to Steve Boorstein, the Clothing Doctor’s website at http://clothingdoctor.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=53&Itemid=60, where he describes the D. Porthault history as follows:

D. Porthault was founded in France in 1920 by Madeleine and Daniel Porthault (hence the D. in D. Porthault). The Porthault's took an innovative step by creating the first printed and colored linens since everyone at that time slept only on white linens. The excellent quality of the linens coupled with the beautiful prints quickly established the Porthaults as a premier linen manufacturer, catering to American and European aristocracy and royalty. There are currently over 2500 different Porthault prints including the signature "Four Leaf Clover" pattern and the Single and Double Heart" patterns. Each year, approximately 40 new designs are created and put into production. The company's creations consistently combine a rare standard of good taste, excellent quality and an original sense of design and are recognized as the "haute couture" of linens. All of Porthaults linens and towels are still manufactured on premises in the same factory in France since 1933. The weaving, dyeing, printing and tailoring are done under the watchful eyes of Marc and Remi Porthault, respectively the son and grandson of the founders. Flagship stores exist in Paris, New York, Dallas and Dubai.

A set of Porthault printed king-size bed sheets, two pillowcases and two shams starts at around $2,468. Whereas, at the Pottery Barn you could purchase a king-sized set of Egyptian cotton, 400 thread count sheets, two pillows and two shams for under $400.

What I have learned in 15 years.

A friend referred me to Tom McMahon's blog recommending one of his recent posts “What I have learned in 15 years”. Fifteen years ago Tom's son Ryan, then 8-years-old, suffered a severe brain injury that left him unable to walk or talk or feed himself. In this post he shares some of the lessons he learned in those 15 years. It is the most moving list of "lessons learned" I have ever read. Initially, in this post, I was going to include stories of people I know that have gone through similar experiences, but on second thought, I don’t think that is necessary. Tom’s story stands alone. Please take the time to check it out, I promise it will give you food for thought: http://www.tommcmahon.net/2006/02/what_i_have_lea.html

After further review of McMahon’s blog history, I must say that I like what I see and plan to visit his site often. Also, I was surprised to learn that he lives in my back yard; Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin and is employed by Waukesha based GE Medical Systems.