pinotphile

Well, this is my last day with Les Mars Hotel. I have been here a month and that is long enough. They treat their employees terribly, to the extent of being outright illegal. Seroiusly, who withholds pay from their emlpoyees without even acknowledging it? Selfish, thieving people - that's who. It has been nearly two weeks and I "might" get my check added into the next one due. AAARRRGGGGGGHHH!!!
Ok, stopping now with it. I'm sure I'll get all my aggressions out when I treat them to some legal diciplining.

So now I am wondering what to do with myself. As soon as I breathed a word about leaving my job two days ago, I have gotten so many calls and emails of people/businesses wanting to hire me. That's nice since I haven't even applied for anything yet. It is good to be wanted! Now I get to be a bit picky when choosing where to go next. I can get two days a week with Belvedere Vineyards, so that will tide me over and takes away the pressure feeling of having to get some big paying job right away.

I think tomorrow I will take it easy, at least not go see too many people. Most of the places interested in me I am automatically disqualifying because they are conventionally farmed (these are vineyards we're talking about). I have decided that I need the company to at least be farming organically. Beyone Organic would be better, with Biodynamic being the best. Also looking into a few options with organizing a few Sonoma Co. wineries (farming responsibly and making great wines) for private tours/tasting. We'll see.

I am open to suggestions.

It's always sad to pass a volkswagen and not have them acknowledge. Where's the sense of community in that?
Most of the offenders are the new vw owners. I think the "kids" - new gen vw's - should always wave. show some respect for your elders - hehe

It totally made my month when I was driving out to Davis Bynum to pick up William and was saluted by dude driving a EuroVan.

Who ever you are Minnesota EuroVan driver - you rock!

O I am so happy to be back in California!!!

So warm and dry compared to Oregon, even with the last week of CA certified crappy weather.

We found the perfect little house in Healdsburg, well closer to Jimtown, but Healdsburg address just the same. Thoits the dog absolutely loves his new hom. THe weather is nice and his owners are spending much more time playing outside. Sausal Creek is the back property line, which Thoits loves to play in as much as he can. **Big News: Thoits caught big steelhead from the creek, about 9 lbs. He just came trotting up to the house with it. We were actually quite proud of our domestic, yet hunting-capable animal. Hopefully though the fish had already laid its eggs or fertilized them; I don't want my dog contributing to the vanishing of the fish!**

I just started a part time job at Belvedere Winery. I am enjoying it so far, however I would rather be employed with a more high-end company. Their vineyards are either organic or in transition, which was initially a draw. Now that I am there, I am having second thoughts... William being in Biodynamics, I'm not sure I should settle for working with an organic company. Organic is just not enough - really it's more of a veil of the real problems with agriculture, or I should say agribusiness. Belvedere has not, however made a commitment to me as an employee yet (everyone they hire goes through a 30 day trial period) so I don't feel bad about the three interviews I have scheduled for this week. The nearest, as well as most attractive, opportunity is with Les Mars Hotel in Healdsburg. A small Relias & Chateaux right on the square in town! O to be back in high-end hospitality. So many perks: free dinners, wine, limo drives, candies, locally proudced everything! And anything I do have to pay for going out is all technically job-related so I get to write it off on my taxes. I hope I get that job! We'll find out more at my interview on Friday morning.

William is still looking for a job. The downside to being in such a specialized field is that there just aren't many places to work in Biodynamics, let alone that are hiring right now. It's nearly bud break though, and everyone will be looking to fill the positions they could get by without in the downtime of winter.

Well, I'm off to run some errands before going home to make dinner - woohoo for the glorious CA sunshine.

Wish me luck/ pray real hard that I fit nicely into the Les Mars plans!

Tonight I take my Chem 110 exam. Finally the class will be over!.
Cross your fingers that I pass the class... since our internet was not up when thequarter started, and GFU Library was closed, I didn't take one of the 4 other tests. What a hole that left in my numbers. The last test kicked my ass - I got a 70%.
I figure I need a 88% to pass the class. It's a little scary but I feel ready.
In an hour I have to go down to work for a meeting... but leave early (8pm) so I have enough time to finish my exam. Better not drink too much at the party!

Argghh
Home from another day at work. Lately things have been really slow in the tasting room. Painfully, mind-numbingly slow.
Add to it that I really can't stand to sell these wines. I don't like any of them, save a few of the prestige level wines - which we don't taste AND their prices are way way way to high for what they are.
I am bored of Oregon wine in general. I have had a few good ones, but they were only big fish in their own little pond, take them into the sea and they would fall by the wayside.
With the possibility of going back to California next season, I am hoping for the best. Oh to be home! good weather, good food, good wine, good roads, all the good stuff is there. Family, friends, the works.
I can't wait till the end of the week - we'll know more then.

I forgot to put up Thnkasgiving pictures!

Well, we survived the first part of the holiday season... now just Christmas and New Year's to go. Woo hooo!

Yesterday we woke up to about two inches of snow - but it all melted during the day.

This morning there is about twice as much snow and it should stay the whole day. It is pretty but it is also VERY cold.

William and I are both coming sown with something, i think, so I hope I can come home early from work today. I should be able to, we have been mind-numbingly slow lately.

William and I are getting more and more anxious for the new year. With A to Z taking over there will be so many changes. I can't wait till the 7th of December, when Sam gets back from Spain... Then William can find out more details about the change.

I am so distracted right now all I can think about is Chemistry. I got such a bad grade on my last test... I'm freakin out about the final. I think I'll be looking for a last minute tutor. I better at least finish my homework for tomorrow.

Hiding out at the moment. I love having only the office and master bedroom upstairs. My parents (divorced!) and my brother and sister have been here all week. They arrivd Monday. Kelly left last night back down to Corona, CA. The other three are leaving shortly - driving back down to Napa. The holiday went wonderfully. Dinner was awesome all the way around. William deep fried the turkey - it was delicious. Kelly amd e the pumpkin pie, dad made crusts, and mom made the lemon merringue. i did, rolls, cream braised yams, cranberry sauce w cherries and clove, roasted veg w herbs, and I can't remember what else. It was good.

The week before we had John and Amanda Dawson up for a long weekend. It is a bit easier to have friends visit than family. We've enjoyed both. This was our first time hosting a holiday - so that was exciting.

I hear my name downsiars. Better go.... have to feed the cows this morning too. muddy.

Arghh... I finally got at it today with packing up and moving some things over to FTV. I actually was really happy with myself for how much I accomplished. On my last trip over to FTV before going to pick up Bill at Maresh Vineyards when he got off work, I stopped at Nap's (the worst grocery store in town, but the closest to our house) to pick up some chicken and a lime. I got out of the store and what happened when I tried to start Henry (my 1969 VW Campmobile that I am totally in love with)? Nothing! Like dead battery nothing. No lights. No engine turn. Nothing. It just so happened that the lady in the parking spot next to me was getting ready to leave. I asked her to give me a jump - well, she tried. I hooked up the cables and tried to start Henry. Still nothing. I hope I hooked up the cables wrong. I'd rather be kinda stupid than have to replace Henry's Generator. If I have to replace it I'm going to go ahead and put in an alternator instead. They are just easier to find. So Bill's friend Kieth is going to pick him up from work and I've gotta go now to meet them at the store since I have the keys. They are going to try to get Henry up and running, or just tow him home.

Cross your fingers!
Henry safe from the Snow:

Bill's brothers' first VW ride:

Well, Bill was able to take the 4th off from work, but we still had to spend the day doing 'business'. We have been exploring the areas around us for some suitable wine country. We've been looking for a 100-150 acre piece with about 40 plantable acres (grapevines) and the rest partially forested and the other part good for some livestock and other vegetable and fruit plantings. O, there is so much to consider for a contained farm project. We are meeting up with John Bacon, a real estate agent in the area who deals with larger land parcels, tomorrow to go see a few properties Bill has been eying up in NW yamhill county.

On a slightly different note, we are going to be making a bit of wine this year - a couple hundred cases is all. It's pretty exciting though. There are still a few things to work out ... like who exactly is going to be making it and where. Ideally, we'd like to have Carlos, down at my in-laws' winery be the winemaker; he'd be great. The problem is shipping 2 tons of fruit 700 miles in a cost-effective, yet non-damaging way. Another option we are exploring is to make the wine ourselves at Gary Andrus' winery up here, Gypsy Dancer. That has a whole other set of considerations though - anyone who knows or knows of Gary hears that. Still I think I'd personally prefer to make the wine here... but that's not coming from any actual knowledge or experience, just the desire to be able to be involved in the winemaking and learn. Bill, on the other hand, would rather find an acceptable way to ship the fruit to Carlos. He's the expert, so we'll exhaust those options before we take the fruit up to Gary's.

I'm totally procrastinating right now... I have a lot of packing and moving to do to get most of our stuff over to FTV (Frances-Tannahil Vineyard). O! I just don't feel like lugging heavy boxes. Bill is just so swamped with work that he has virtually no time to commit to the move. Today I have to pack up most of the bathroom stuff, all the things in storage,the shelves of DVD's, music, and books in the family room, the art that is currently hung in the family room and dining room, and hopefully the bookshelves and file boxes from the office. Wait, don't forget the art supplies from the studio in the backyard. Argggh. I shouldn't complain, really, I don't have to work today - what else would I fill my time with? Fun? HA!

I will sneak away for an hour or so early in the afternoon to got to 2 or 3 wineries for some tastings. I want to go to Adlesheim and Carlton Winemaker's Studio... and possibly Stoller Vineyards or Aramenta.

Thoits is getting anxious - time for his walk.
Bye for now.