Cameron Hughes Cabernet Sauvignon, 2005
Flash of bright cherries, but not tart. Gives way to hints of cocoa, and oaky fruit. Strong vanilla finish. For $14, this is pretty darn good.
hjmann.com Blog
Business, Technology, Politics, Wine, Stocks, Life, Whatever Comes To Mind
Chain Emails
All the time I am getting copied on chain emails… and you know, I don’t mind… so long as the folks who do it don’t mind receiving an… ahem… “pithy” reply.
A while back, I got this one that I found particularly stupid because of it’s prostitution of faith, and of course its obligatory demand that you forward it to a large number of people immediately. I am sure some jerkoff was just giggling how he got the world to bend to his will and perform the digital equivalent of the stadium flush test. Right. Inspired.
Below is the email, and my reply: Saint Theresa’s Prayer I am picking 12 people (who have touched my life) and whom I think would want to participate. Please send this back to me (You’ll see why). In case anyone is not aware, Saint Theresa is known as the Saint of the Little Ways. Meaning she believed in doing the little things in life well and with great love. She is also the Patron Saint of flower growers and florists. She is represented by roses. May everyone who receives this message be blessed; Theresa’s Prayer cannot be deleted. May today there be peace within; may you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith; may you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you. May you be content knowing you are a child of God; let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love. It is there for each and every one of us. Now, send this to 11 people within the next 5 minutes. And remember to send this back. I count as 1. You’ll see why. (Suggestion: copy and paste rather than forward)
Wow, that’s inspiring…And, now, my reply…
I wanted to send this to the twelve people who have touched my life, but I didn’t have their email addresses.
Mom and Dad are the first two (Ok… I have their email address, but they don’t want to hear my BS) — without your deep desire to swerve, you would have never gotten to a 10th child… me. Keep on keepin’ on.
Vinton Cerf and Tim Berners-Lee— counting you as one… Forget Al Gore, you guys actually did invent the internet. And porn has never been the same.
Booker Noe—The namesake of the world’s best bourbon. 1 high ball glass. 7 ice cubes. A generous pour. Lather, rinse, repeat. Whomever in first-millennia India invented the hookah–I wouldn’t touch a cigarette or a cigar, but jam tobacco in a hookah, and I am holding the smoke in until I get lightheaded.
Elvis—I know you’re still alive. Tell Buddy Holly I said hello.
Kurt Cobain—I know you’re not alive. You were certifiably crazy (I mean hell, you married Courtney Love and then shot yourself… what more proof do you need?), but you put Grunge music in the mainstream and killed Loverboy’s career. Now that’s real change.
Ronald Reagan—Principled leadership and the ability to stay the course left the White House when you did. The guy we have now is trying, but I know our current situation would be different if you were still in charge.
Bill Gates—You invented Windows, making it possible for the average person to know exactly how profoundly exasperating technology can be. Now, get the hell out of the way and let someone else try to get my stock price back up. And take that clown Ballmer with you.
George Washington Carver—Invented peanut butter. I mean, who doesn’t love peanut butter?
Neil Peart—The world’s greatest drummer, ever. You were my inspiration to learn to play drums. If I was half as good as you, I wouldn’t be writing pithy emails. I would be on a tour bus… with much younger girl in my lap…drinking vodka straight from the bottle… wearing leather pants.
To all the girls I’ve loved before—I’m glad they came along… I dedicate this song… You’re married to someone else, so fucking stop calling me.
Raise or Lower the Voting Age?
See here (subscription may be required). The Wall Street Journal’s online poll today asks if the US voting age should change, and if so, lower or higher?
Here is my take on it: most 18 year olds today know little or nothing about what is happening in the world, and very few of them are contributing to the survival of the nation or to the GDP in any meaningful way. The fact is, we already have plenty of folks in America who make very little or no contribution to the collective good, and then use their vote to extort scarce resources out of an overburdened system. And of course, what the govenment gives it first must take away, so that means higher taxes on everyone, but especially on those who had the audacity to overachieve.
My compromise: Move the voting age to 21, with one notable exception: Those who are on active or reserve duty may vote starting at age 18. The way I see it, if you are willing to volunteer to get your ass shot off, you should have at least some say in the process.
And while we’re at it, those on active duty should be able to buy beer at age 18. What kind of country do we live in where we tell a young man you are old enough to go halfway around the world and risk your life, but when you come home, you are too young to enjoy one of the most basic pleasures of manhood?
