fabulous fungi

What I got him for Christmas: Spending yesterday on the Sonoma Coast, on a private mushroom foray led by the president of the Mycological...

wine and basketball

Remember when basketball players were heroes and there were no scandalous court cases and egos were kept in check and you wore your...

merry

I figured out the truth about Santa Claus when my dad told me that Santa isn't the fat, bearded man in all the pictures. "No," my...

finally, I can spill it

It is absolutely lovely when two of your best friends get engaged, when they are giddy and kissing and holding hands at the table....

food coma

The past few days have been a feeding frenzy. First, Terzo on Monday. Then Tuesday was Project Open Hand's Hand to Hand luncheon,...

graduation

Best way to celebrate a secular holiday and the satisfaction of obtaining your Level 1 graduation g-string: A glass of Albariño...

they're upon us

Full-blown: It's holiday time. Three parties this past weekend, including the work luncheon (mags of 2000 Stags Leap District Cab...

today I envy

... everyone who works from home or is on vacation or lives in a place where the clouds haven't burst. I envy those who have dry...

it only looks uncomfortable

The truth is, he loves it. Kind of like me and stress. Today: My boss sends an e-mail at exactly 11:35 a.m., but I don't get it...

of love and stuff

Jenn is planning her honeymoon. She keeps sending me links with photos of beautiful resorts in the Caribbean, and now I am distracted...

all aboard

I'm embarrassed to say this, but up until last Friday, I had never experienced the Napa Valley Wine Train. Yes, the Wine Train is...

comfort food

Sometimes, when I come home, there is a fire in the fireplace. One night, there is pizza from our favorite pizza place; another...

the biggest eater I know

... turns 25 today. This is the turkey he and his girlfriend made for Thanksgiving. They were the only people at their dinner, which...

thanks

Took a few days off to have tofurky and stuffing in the Sierras and ride a bike around the Yosemite Valley floor. This was my first...

tomorrow

When I called, he was at the grocery store, buying toilet paper and detergent and all of the things to replace what he used over...

budgeting

Yes, you can go out for dinner and drinks on a Saturday night in San Francisco and spend less than $40. And that even includes parking. Case...

soiree for rosé

Just got home from pouring at RAP's "Winter Pink!" event at Ruby Skye. Those folks are brave to organize a Rosé tasting at this...

all of my dreams are coming true

Bok Choy Garden now delivers. This is amazing. On par with a two-hour full body massage. Or getting out of work early. Or discovering...

yield

Two rooms, a bar, one server and nearly every table full. A wine list focused on biodynamic, organic, sustainable. Two girls: one...

on orchids

He was here this weekend, visiting, and it felt like he had never left. We went for a long walk today -- breakfast at the counter...

the most wonderful time of the year

Alert: A coworker just informed me the Starbucks holiday coffees are here. I avoid Starbucks like the plague any other time of the...

a toast

Here's to Mz. Nancy for providing hope. To the resignation of Donald Rumsfeld. To Brian and Jessa for sharing some pizza and...

apparently, this is me.

...

bubbly

Just got back from pouring at Sparkle SF. It was a night of bubbles and diamonds and beautiful men in vintage YSL. Chocolates on...

I am sick.

And today was made for it: Sky is one solid shade of grey. Sidewalks are covered in rain. So cold that I'm buried under five blankets...

my note for next time

So by now, we are all sick of hearing about the pumpkin ice cream I made for Halloween. (Yes, it was my first homemade ice cream....

this is halloween

And we used the pumpkin ice cream for an ice cream pie with an Oreo cookie crust. And we drank Schramsberg Crémant. And we watched...

got any ones?

So my job has it perks: good wine, good food, good people who also love good wine and good food. But it definitely has its shortcomings:...

not a utensil in sight

Woke up this morning craving Ethiopian food, all because last night's dinner was just so damn good. A group of us (sans costume,...

breaking the fast

For two days, neither of us ate. Because food was too much of a reminder, and even watching the Food Network hurt. Thankfully,...

please come home

Do you remember the day we allowed ourselves to be that couple, and we walked on the beach, holding hands? Do you remember the tiny...

dining alone

isn't as awful as you may think. I do it often. At lunch, nearly every day during the week. At brunch, today. I sat at the counter,...

don't laugh

I am cleaning my closet and folding my clothes and making piles. I am rearranging the furniture, setting up my iPod (yes, finally),...

reminders

Don't let it get to you: The fatigue from smiling so much and trying to entertain strangers, as you attempt to bring a 12-hour work...

the experiment

Dear cats: I thought you were supposed to bury your poo. I thought this was a Cat Thing: cat + litterbox + poo = bury. But no....

about paso robles

1. Instead of asking you for a $5 tasting fee (or any tasting fee at all), you will be asked if you've gotten a chance to sample...

potluck trivia

The origin of the potluck is not the Native American custom of potlatch, where the host throws a huge ceremonial dinner and sometimes...

diable incarné

Eric Asimov's recent article proves Michel Rolland is just as charming as he was portrayed on the big screen. My absolute favorite...

napa

One ritual: counting the hot air balloons on my drive to work. This morning, there were 11. But I could only capture two. The...

two days of sun

...

hello, I am an oinker.

Last night the fabulous Geisha came over for Sake House, Sauvignon Blanc and "Sex and the City" reruns. (The wine didn't exactly...

it rained

And this morning the streets were wet and the sky was heavy and it really, truly felt like fall. I am imagining mugs of hot cocoa....

could I be a workaholic?

Perhaps. Tonight I went to a fancy wine party at the de Young. I ate goat cheese and currant cones (amazing -- I could spend the...

now

I am a city girl. I am the one our production team laughs at because I think manual punchdowns and shoveling pomace are "fun" and...

joy

The winemaker is coming home for the weekend....

cooking makes me miss him

I admit it: I am pathetic. I have not turned on the stove since he left. I have not gone to the grocery store, except once and that...

to those drunken biznatches

at Slide last night: You are lucky I am not a violent person. Because after you hit my elbow, causing me to spill my Chardonnay...

pay to play

This morning I was greeted by an e-mail inviting our founding winemaker to participate in a radio interview. Said interview would...

if you look closely

... you can see the sun rise....

indebted

I owe you: You made me actually leave the house. And eat a homecooked meal. (Did you know I haven't cooked at all this past week?...

when there is nothing left to burn

I have been watching the hills of Napa burn since I got here this morning. They say there is vineyard land in danger. And 50 homes....