Things I did today

Had a full day today. Got up at 7:30, had my two cups of coffee, showered, went to the gym, came back for lunch, spoke with my aunt on the phone, went to a birthday party for my friend's mother, who turned 94 today, then caught up with another friend after that. I almost didn't get around to tasting the wine and cheese! Tomorrow will be more of the same - gym, coffee, catching up with friends. It'll be lovely! Ah, the chardonnay again! It smells light, and like pear. It tastes light, and like pear. So far, consistent. A bit dry, but it IS a chardonnay The description is "A clean, crisp Chardonnay from Mendoza, Argentina. Zesty aromas of tropical fruit combine with fresh flavors on the palate." Hmmm. I'm pretty tired, so I think I'll just say "sure." Aged cheddar! Nice pick for this wine I bet. The cheddar very dry, but mild and works well with chardonnay. Brings the fruit taste in the wine forward. Great pairing!

I slept very well and didn't wake up until 7:30. I was so excited about that! I tried to continue to read Jacob Lund Fisker's Early Retirement Extreme book, but his voice is so condescending I only manage half a chapter before I want to throw the book. I'm 37% of the way through it. THAT would be a real challenge. Getting through the book and attempting to look at his point of view in a positive light. I got the mail and then to the gym for my legs routine. I'm heading out soon to a friend's house to watch a movie with them and another friend. Apparently we'll be watching a Christmas movie, which seems rather appropriate. Today is Merlot! It smells jammy and of dark berries and cherry and tastes much more tart and with a load of tannins. Surprising! It tastes drier than it smells, as well. The description is "An elegant, rich and fruity Merlot from Chile's Valle Central. Intense fruit flavors of cherry and plum intertwine with sumptuous aromas o

Nice day today at work. Got there early to deploy code to Production and tweak a few reports. Pretty calm day, which is preferred after the rest of the week being so busy. After work, I went to the gym and instead of doing my normal routine, I participated in a bodyweight exercise class, then did 15 minutes or so of the stair machine. Strangely, this White Zinfandel smells tart and of berry. It tastes sweet, though, and of honey and strawberry. It's a very nice and drinkable wine. The description states "A classic White Zinfandel from California, USA. Lively and refreshing flavors of ripe strawberry and juicy watermelon combine with a delicate sweetness and crisp acidity." Sounds about right. The White Cheddar smells mildly tart, and isn't as soft as the Gouda, except for yesterday's Anomlay Gouda. It had a mild taste, and surprisingly, it brings the watermelon out in the White Zin. A pairing that works properly! Nice job, Aldi.

Today, I got a full day of work done, then hit the gym for a full arm/chest routine workout. It'll be interesting to see how my first workout compares to the one I'll do on the 31st. I figured out that Blogger includes Labels for the posts, so I can start tagging per challenge or topic. As the month goes on, I'm thinking a Dry January as well as No (Obvious) Sugar Added sounds like two challenges that would work well together. I put in (Obvious) as I'm not interested in scolding myself if I go out to eat and later find out a dressing happened to have a few grams of sugar. I'll avoid things that obviously have sugar, like avoiding Balsamic Vinaigrette and instead always dressing salads with red wine vinegar, which doesn't have sugar. I don't want to be the annoying person when I go out to eat, and I also don't want to stop going out to eat for the month. But while it's December, the wine and cheese continues on... Today's wine is another Red

Work was great - I finished a report and upgraded the report projects for SQL Server 2012 and went to a few meetings and had a fancy lunch with my coworkers for our end of year lunch. Went to the doctor for a physical, and then to the gym and happily, I'm now home. Time to relax and have some wine. I've never heard of Viognier. It smells dry and light, and of a fruit I can't quite place, and something else I can't place. It's a very strange wine - not strange as in bad, but strange as in unfamiliar. It tastes dry and unfamiliar. The description says "Bursting with aromas of fruit salad, apricot and almond, this lovely wine is dry and full bodied." Ah. Well, I'm not crazy about apricot, so it's not unusual I can't pick it out unless it's overpowering. I rarely eat apricot, and generally by mistake. It's a nice wine for a drier wine. How about the cheese? Ah, Edam! The nice, mild, a bit more complex than Havarti cheese. It he

More solving problems and going to meetings at work. I went to lunch with two friends to catch up with what's going on in their lives. After work, I went home, changed clothes and went to Stein Mart to pick up a package, and then to the gym. At the gym, I was just tired. Apparently two weeks of daily strength exercises eventually catches up, but I was successful going through my arm and chest routine, and I'll continue the challenge. After all, I'm now more than half way through it! Speaking of being more than half way through something, it's time for wine and cheese! It's a Carignan! I have no idea what that is. Let's find out! It smells jammy and of leather. Holy tannins, Batman! However, once you are used to it, it's not bad. It tastes of leather and is a bit smoky. I'm having a tough time figuring out what fruit it has - plum? Raspberry? Maybe it's blackberry. Ok, time to stop guessing and actually read the bottle. "Rich and fruity wi

Another successful day at the gym, and a weird lunch. I ate Loma Linda Italian Bolognese with Pasta , and it was ... food ... that I don't intend to eat ever again. I guess if nuclear winter happens and that was the last thing in the shelter pantry I would eat it. But onto better food, I hope: Ah, the Sauvignon Blanc again! It smells light and sweet, like honey and melon. The taste, however is much tarter. It tastes of pear and apple and honey. Since I've already had the Sauvignon Blanc before, I decided to aerate it to see how that changes the characteristics. It has a more mellow smell. Still sweet and of honey, but not as pronounced. The taste, though is much mellower and has a milder honey taste. The white cheddar smells a lot like the aged cheddar. It's firm and mild and nice, but nothing amazing nor complex. Even paired with the wine, it does nothing. It's an inoffensive pair. Nothing detracts, but they don't add another element to the cheese or wi