Say Hey (I Love You)

"Say Hey (I Love You)" by Michael Franti and Spearhead

The above is a happy-go-lucky tune I discovered at the beginning of harvest that I often bump in my ipod when I'm outside checking tanks at the winery. It matches my mood...most of the time.

I wouldn't have blogged this evening but I am just so damn excited because the YANKEES ARE GOING TO TO WORLD SERIES!!! The game didn't end until 9 pm my time, which is late in New York, but I'm all wound up because of it. :-) And I spent the night making chili...high protein, high fiber, yum yum!

Anyway, it has been harvest pretty much since I got back from New York. In September, I spent two weekends in a row in Washington State doing the required "camps" for my certificate programs. They were lots of fun! I have been kind of dragging my feet waiting for the pictures to appear...but to no avail. I learned a lot about viticulture in the viticulture weekend. The enology weekend was....a nice review. I do enology-type work fairly, um, regularly, so, it was mostly a .....review. My classmates were excellent. I was surprised at how different the enology class was when compared to the viticulture class. There were more women in the viticulture class, which I was somewhat surprised by. I got a harsh reminder in the wine industry of often an old boys club when I left for my first weekend, so it was refreshing to see the abundance of XX chromosomes in the viticulture certificate program.

The harvest at Wente has been different then any harvest I have experienced. It was a slow start...with a trickle just enough to keep us marginally busy, but easily distracted. The sugars were slow to rise in the vineyard samples that I saw come across my bench. Then suddenly, the chardonnay was ready and BAM! It has been mania ever since. Six days a week crazy crazy. Don't get me wrong, that is exactly how I like it, but, it does a girl in!

In other news, I love 100 lbs! 108, now, actually. That's like...an entire person. It is a strange place that I'm in right now, I can honestly say, I feel like I'm the same size as I was when I went into surgery....maybe larger. My rational brain knows that that is not the case, but every time I look into the mirror I see...fat. What a strange reversal in the way that I think. I can't figure it out, but I don't have too much time to dwell on it either. My clothes certainly fit "better"....if better is defined by ridiculously large. My jeans are especially annoying because I spend the entire day hiking them up! Oh well. I think my hair is done falling out....it had been falling out since June and ceased last week. I'm still freezing cold though. Interesting new life I'm leading.

I'm DC bound fairly soon for a little weekend away (208 $ plane ticket...non-stop). I am excited to be the heck out of California for a few days. I went to Napa to spend the night with Deb and Ed last weekend, and a few dogs, and it was incredibly therapeutic! I enjoyed being away and with people I love so much. I got back to Livermore and was actually disappointed when I returned home.

Quick update. Sorry there are no pics, but I'm having a hard time finding some that looks like I've lost 100 lbs. That's probably because I'm having trouble seeing it myself. I will find something suitable hopefully. Be patient!

Til next time.

Cheers
Catrina