Whiskey Matinee

"I told those fucks down at the league office a thousand times that I don't roll on Shabbos!" -Walter Sobchak

Ah, Sundays, or maybe Saturdays if you are Jewish, the holy day of rest and revival. No matter if you are religous or not Sundays are for nasty hangovers, sleeping in, greasy brunches, bloody mary's and just plain lounging.

Today I slept in until 9 a.m., shaking off a bottle of wine and food coma. Late these days as the harvest alarm regularly rings at 4 or 5 am. Taking advantage of my one day off and the overcast mild weather I transformed back into busy beaver mode and finally finished planting the rest of my garden. Roquette Arugula, Bibb and Freckle Lettuce, Spinach, Daikon, Purple Bulbed Radish, Valentine Mesculun Mix, Beets and Dill all went into the ground as fall crops. Knowing full well that I will have no time to sew anything for the next two months I sewed rows close and thick dreaming of nourishing green salads and garnet, bulbous beets.

Then the rains came. Good for my garden (and maybe my emotional well being-the sun was begining to fry my brain), yet bad news for the grapes. Apparently a few vineyards were being sprayed this morning for precautionary measures. With luck the storm systems will pass until late october. Every great vintage needs a few variables right?

In the afternoon we took a workbreak to see Julie and Julia, a hearwarming take on the coming of age of Julia Child in 1940s France and Julie Powell in the infancy of Blogage.

Julie's story told of an aspiring gen-x writer suffering in a beuaracratic cubicle dealing with post-9/11 affairs. In an attempt to turn her life around she dedicates a blog to literally Mastering the Art of French Cooking through Child's seminal publication.

The other story that is intertwined in the movie is the coming of age of Julia Child as an authority on French Cuisine and cooking for the American public. Merly Streep nails the role as Child with a whimsical, funloving attitude that can't help but bring a shiteating grin to your face.

Overall a tearjerking, heartwarming tale that made us want to run to the used book store to pick up a copy of Child's masterpiece. Sadly in the city of Saint Rose everything seems to run on European time. Go figure.

And for our nightcap....

Affigem Dubbel: Rich, creamy raisony goodness with a bready caramel finish. I'm in love.