wine, sushi-makers and non A.R.E. test-takers

Here I go again blogging instead of studing for the A.R.E. I had lunch today with a friend who just passed her the first section of the test. I was proud of her but had no doubts that she would pass. She is my motivation, as she has put her study mode into full force. In no time she will surpass me and have completed this stupid exam before me. She reminds me of myself--at least, how I used to be--motivated. I should be studying about masonry tonight. Nah, I'll blog instead. Do I really want to read that control joints are to be installed every 25 feet and cavity walls with brick veneer should have continuous flashing and weep holes every 24" on center?

So, on to the fun stuff: Bryan and I are wine makers. Or, should I say, Bryan is. We owe the idea of making wine to Bryan's boss. We started it two weeks ago. Bryan saw Jim's set-up and was in love with the idea; I was solely along for the ride.

We picked up the fresh, chilled grape juice on a Satuday morning in Youngstown. It had just arrived from Cali (my friend Kristen would be proud). The warehouse from which we purchased the juice was more like happy hour at the local bar, complete with free wine samples and brushetta and cheese. It had seemed to attract an 'interesting' crowd. But hey, we thought, this is, after all, mafia town.

We set up our wine camp upstairs in our spare room. This future home theater room is now the wine making room. We have been watching our Petite Sirah ferment, checking it daily. We are told that it will take about six months to realize the finished product. Stay tuned on this one . . .

The same day, Bryan and I took a sushi class in the wonderful town of Hudson at Western Reserve School of Cooking. Wow, do those "Hudsonites" have money and look great; I think they just wake up beautiful and rich. Anyway, our sushi class was informative and we learned sushi is not as hard to make as it looks. We had this stay-puffed glutton at our table who thought it was funny to stick his whole grubby dirty paw in the rice and subsequently feed his face, thereafter licking this mit before reinserting it into the next ingredient - from which we all shared. His wife thought he was entertaining; but I wasn't laughing. In fact, I shot him one of my 'disgusted' looks--anyone who knows me is familiar with this look--if looks could kill, he'd be extinct. We made tons of sushi and were glad we stopped making it when we did--we were eating sushi for the next two days. The glutton had decided to stay and make burrito-sized sushi rolls until who knows when . . . hell, he might still be there.