TechZati

H&M sweater ad. The paper poster had torn X’s for eyes.  Materialism, albeit $29.95 materialism – shopper angst toward the holiday shopping season?

Healthy bodies?  There are some strong feelings about what a healthy body should look like.  Sexist?  Objectified?

So we’ve all seen the Seinfeld Soup Nazi episode where Elaine can’t make a decision about the soup and get’s kicked out.  This is the place that inspired it.

Unfortunately, the place has closed down.  After the notoriety from the TV show as The Soup Nazi, the guy cashed out!

The rules are hysterical – true New York City attitude captured in a few words.  Make a decision when you number comes up, he who hesitates is, well – yelled at.

Soup bar that inspired Seinfeld

Follow the rules or get kicked out!

I was in my favorite bubble tea shop in Chinatown and one of the gals was wearing a very fashion forward silver hat.  Coca-Cola Chocolate? It struck me that this may be purely for fashion combining brand assets for strictly visual appeal. On the other hand, this could be a legitimate product.

Silver Coca-Cola chocolate hat

Sometimes you find little gems of artistic humor. I found a Father Christmas just hanging out in Soho on the sidewalk.

I was at Pindar and Duckwalk Vineyards last week visiting friends Pindar and Nicole. November is champagne time and I went on a fantastic tour with Dr. Damianos who shared some of the secrets about champagne.

Champagne is made several ways – and it’s all about the bubbles. Bubbles can be forced into wine and created on the cheap in a few days, pressure cooked so they are forced in within a couple weeks and finally, the classic Method Champenoise, which is proudly noted on bottles and is what gives fine champagne its character.

So what’s with the bubbles? Well, fine champagne has very tiny bubbles that explode with flavor on your tongue. You’ll notice when you pour fine champagne into a flute glass (hold by the stem to keep the champagne cold) the bubbles are small and linger for a long time. I’m told these bubbles will last for 6-8 hours, but I’ve never seen a full glass linger that long.

Cheap champagne on the other hand gives you big bubbles that go flat after a short time – great for popping the bubbly during big parties, but not something to drink when enjoying a good steak.

On the tour we tasted Pindar’s naturale champagne.  Basically, you taste the flavor of the grapes – most champagnes add cognac in the finishing process.

A few factoids about champagne:

1. Champagne doesn’t age like wine.  If you got it, drink it.  It should keep in the bottle a few years, but no longer.
2. The year on the bottle refers to the year the grapes were picked, not the the year it was disgorged (expelling the yeast that collects during the process and putting in the cork).
3. Tiny bubbles that linger = methode champenoise
4. Champagne is aged 7 years or so before it gets to you.
5. Best served cold, from the fridge, put in the freezer for 10 mins (don’t forget).

What possessed me to come all the way back to SLC – I don’t know why.  I guess I am excited to get back.  I suppose this part of my journey has almost come full circle.  I’m sitting in Crompton’s before I drive the last bit home.  It isn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be.  I think I find great and deep relief and satisfaction that I can LEAVE, and I will and do.  I think I have touched what I’ve been looking for – just barely.  I suppose I’ll know when I’m ready.  But, it’s definitely not now in my life.  Sitting here I do feel like I’m alive and have actually lived a part of life.  So this sounds cheesy.  The English language is pretty sterile for expressing one’s feelings in writing.

Back to the old haunts I guess.

Defining moment in my life was driving back from Alaska.  I felt like I took control of my life’s direction and set my own goals, not trying to live to someone else’s.  Must have been the earring and listening to country music driving across the AlCan (Alaska Canada highway)

Last night I read at a poetry reading.  The bar was caled the Green Mill.  It’s a bar Al Capone used to get back and forth from the bank.  I couldn’t believe I was reading poetry – my own – in front of an audience.

“Tonight we have a virgin virgin, which means he’s never read before anywhere.” he said.

“This virgin virgin is also probably our most unique we’ve ever had at the the Green Mill because he’s all the way from Alaska!” “And…he chose tonight to lose his virginity.” pointing at me.

To say the least I was pretty nervous.  I walked up to the mike, trying to keep my knees from quaking.  I said “This is for all those people that have been to all the the places they ever dreamed about going to and did.”

[Dear readers, I am a little embarrassed to publish my little poem, so you'll have to ask me about it over a beer.]

Fortunately, I didn’t get booed off stage.  It was one of those places where they stamp their feet if they don’t like it, snap their fingers if it was OK and clap if they enjoyed it. Quite an experience I must say. I got snapping fingers.  After I read the MC stood up and said “OK, let’s get serious – you read that to get laid!” “Here we are thinking you come from Alaska and you read a beautiful, sensitive poem.”

I almost forgot, I took the “L” into the city a couple of times. The first time I went all the way to Comisky park.  Bad area.  Everyone was like…”If you’d gone another 5 minutes you would have been in a really bad situation.” I hardly even noticed.  What I did notice was that within 1 stop people went from being mixed to almost all black.  Too bad people segregate themselves.  Everyone on the train was amazed that I went that far.  What was so odd to see was that once you got into a more poor area, people would capitalize on your misfortune.  Misfortunate preyed on others – fewer options I suppose.

Another thing that has blown me away is talking to Dad.  He supports me in what I’m doing by traveling.  He even brought up the idea to work really hard and then travel!  I told him that was what I was planning on doing and he thought it was a great idea.  I think he’s come to terms that I’m not a screw up and I’m going to be OK.  I know they understand, not necessarily like it, but hopefully they understand.  I mean, they should, I get it from both of them. I know they worry and miss me – to have parents care is the most security I can ask for.

So I’ve been walking around town and being a couch potato.  I don’t think I”ve watched so much TV or slept in so late this whole year.  I have been hanging with Dino a little.  We’ve been going out to eat and bars.  We went to “Little Italy” the other night.  Wine, the whole bit.  It was delicious.  I’ve come to the conclusion that to enjoy yourself in Chicago – you need $$!  But, I had an excellent time.  There definitely something about people raised in a big city that can grab your attention and hold it forever. We rode around town on his motorbike, in the rain.  So it’s dumping and we’re cruising around – laughing our butts off.

The other night we went out for sushi.  It was excellent! We basically got drunk on sake and had a great time.  We had a bit of a discussion about people worth respecting – all about being real.  Not to psychoanalyze, but it all goes back to people thinking for themselves – too many followers in the world?

I think, thinking for yourself is great, but you have to know how to enjoy yourself while you’re doing it. What I’m slowly realizing is that people are too repressed and I’m one of them.  That’s why I find totally open people so interesting. D’s philosophy is to try and make everyone he meets smile.  Thus the sake/sushi.

The waitress we had was hilarious.  Twoward the end of the meal we ordered a beer.  We’d been giving the waitress a hard time (nicely) and she busted our chops.  She got us a couple free sake’s.  When we ordered the beer, she said “Japanese way is to put an orange in the beer.”  So she brought us a couple of oranges and we threw them in.  It actually tasted pretty good.  When she walked by again we told her it was pretty good.  She then proceeded to tell us she was joking – ha!I laughed so hard I almost cried.

I could easily get lost in Chicago.  If I were more of a “poet” I could be a starving artist here.  But I’m not, so oh well.   It’s almost time to go.