“Hey Spider! On your way over here, bring me a Cutty and water, huh…”

The poker game during "The Spider Situation" in Goodfellas.

Fans of the 1990 Martin Scorsese mafia movie Goodfellas will recognize this line as the start of the scene known as “The Spider Situation,”(YouTube video link :::: CAUTION: VERY strong language and violence, NSFW) in which Tommy DeVito (the violently impulsive gangster played by Joe Pesci) orders a “Cutty and water” during a poker game from the mafia’s young kid bartender, Spider.  An elaborate miscommunication ensues, typical of the classic arguments depicted in mafia movies.  The argument ends with the young bartender first getting shot in the foot, and then getting filled with bullets from Tommy’s automatic handgun.

I’m sure drinking Cutty and water isn’t the reason for Tommy’s excessively violent behavior, but the “Cutty Sark” brand of blended scotch whisky has been depicted as the liquor of choice of more than a few “bad guys”:

• In a previous Jennifer’s Review post about the AMC series Mad Men, I pointed out a green bottle in the background of the hotel room of Bobbie Barrett, Don Draper’s evil seductress.  I mistakenly thought this bottle was J&B, but I later learned that the distinctive big-sailed schooner depicted on the bottle gives it away as Cutty Sark.
• Cutty Sark is mentioned in several Stephen King books (The Tommyknockers, Skeleton Crew, et al)
• Karen, the selfish, hilariously sassy “friend” on the TV series Will & Grace, lists “Cutty Sark” as one of her friends in Season 2, Episode 10: “Tea & a Total Lack of Sympathy” (link to script from this episode).

The whisky of choice for gangsters everywhere.

So, how does a “Cutty and water” taste?  Well, if you like whisky, and aren’t quite ready for the often bold flavors of a single malt scotch, this might be a good fit for you.  It is by no means overpowering, that is to say, it is quite easy to drink.  So, if you’d like to appreciate some of the subtler flavors, I recommend sipping Cutty on the rocks, as opposed to watering it down.  It works great in other mixers: I’ve used it to make Old Fashioneds or simply mixed it with white soda for a party drink.

So, if you’re feeling like a gangster – or are just looking for a smooth blended scotch – Cutty Sark could be your whisky.

Dear reader, I share with you, whoever you are, willing recipients or reluctant victims, my latest realization.

Most of us (dare I say all of us) have mother issues. One of mine had to do with anger and blame relating to the fact that my mom worked a lot and as a result, I spent a lot of time with babysitters, at daycare homes and daycare centers. I lived in a nice home, had nice clothes, toys and things, and occasionally traveled–all of which I am truly thankful for. I know my mom did her best. And she really is a wonderful person (and grandma).

Anyhoo, as I have gotten older and become a responsible adult and parent, I have chosen to stay at home with my children so they would not have to grow up in daycare.  And I have always held tight to my belief in the importance of being home with my kids. I have even acted like a martyr. (And who knows, my kids will probably grow up and blame me for not being a full-time working mother.)

The other day I was in another argument with my mom about the fact that she worked all the time and I was in daycare and I hated it and blah blah blah…and we both held our ground, stubborn in our choices and views. A couple days later it was my dear friend Heather’s birthday. And by the power of grace, I realized, I would never have even met her, the most significant friend of my life, had it not been for the choices my mom made.

My mom wanted to live in a bigger house. So we moved away from all my friends to our new big house with the pool in Quaker Acres. One the second day of junior high, there was a clique of girls standing at the bus stop and one of them was Heather. I don’t even know how I asked for her phone number, but I remember calling her one day to see if she wanted to “come over after school” and the rest is history.

In the instant I realized that the choices my mom made indirectly resulted in me finding my best friend, I was swept over with a wave of awe and gratitude. I realized that though we struggle with our beliefs about how we are victims of circumstance, there is a divine order to things. It is complex and strange, but I think it might all make sense at some point. (I think).

I sincerely desired to find resolution with my mom. Well, actually my original intention was selfish–I wasn’t hoping to stop blaming her, just to reach a ground of understanding—well, actually for her to see it my way, to apologize for working all the time and for leaving me alone and for not being there, and to ultimately seek my forgiveness… But I got more than I asked for.

“The essence of bravery is being without self-deception…It’s as if we are lugging around unnecessary baggage. Our training encourages us to open the bags and look closely at what we are carrying. In doing this we begin to understand that much of it isn’t needed anymore.” – Pema Chodron  from The Places that Scare You

I dissolved a long-held knot of blame. I got a bigger view of life and realized the way we hold onto stories and beliefs creates a flimsy identity. Maybe if we are brave enough to surrender and let the old junk be stripped away, we will expand into supernova beings. Or at least lighter people.

Have you shed a long cherished belief only to realize a much greater truth? Please share.

Now that I know my team isn’t in the Superbowl (sad face), I’ll be able to concentrate on many people’s favorite part of the Big Game: EATing.  And, of course, the Superbowl commercials.

A clip of Google's Chrome 2011 Superbowl Ad. (Image courtesy of the interwebs.)

One commercial from last year’s Big Game that managed to distract me during the breaks in the action was Google’s “Dear Sophie” ad.  It’s a heart-warming story about a dad documenting a whole bunch of memories of his daughter’s special moments growing up.  He uses, of course, Google’s Gmail in its “Chrome” internet browser.

The clean aesthetic of the simple font, the close-ups of the words being typed, the video clips of the little kid giggling… they all seem too personal to ignore.  How does an entity with more money than God connect with so many millions of us whose lips were quivering at the end of the ad when we saw the letters “L-o-v-e, D-a-d” typed real slow-like and nostalgia-y?  How does a giant corporation that possesses an already obscene amount of just about everyone’s personal information convince us that there should be no limit to the juicy little tidbits of our history we share with them?

With a great story, that’s how.

Did I fall for this ad?  Head over heels; absolutely.  I use Google Chrome, and I love it.  Partly because of the ad, and partly because all my techie-geek friends use Chrome.  The days of Microsoft’s Internet Explorer – and even Mozilla’s Firefox – are seemingly gone.  Loading pages on Chrome compared to either of these top 2 competitors is amazingly quicker.  When you search, it almost always knows exactly what you’re looking for before you type two words.  This is convenient.

It is also very scary.   When I think about all of the information Google must know about me, I shudder.  But then I just keep using its products because they’re just so, well, great.  And they wouldn’t be able to convince people with cute ads that their stuff is great if it actually isn’t.

So, I look forward to seeing more of the ads that will make me stop dead in my Superbowl snacking tracks and take notice.   Will any be worth our time and attention?  I guess we’ll have to tune in and find out.

When I saw this wine I immediately began thinking of the Joan Jett Song “Crimson and Clover“. Except she didn’t originally write/sing that song (Tommy James and the Shondells did) — but her version is the one I remember …. ba na na na na naaaaa ….

Enter
Concannon Vineyards
2010 Crimson & Clover
Livermore Valley
Red Table Wine

This was my first tasting from Cocannon Vineyards, so I was very excited to receive this bottle form the winery to try and review. There is always something to be said with how a product is packaged. This wine comes to you in a unique bottle. From the photo to the left, you’ll see a little bit of how this winery has their bottles branded and molded to showcase the winery’s front gates. It’s not printed on the label, but actually molded into the glass.

It’s that special attention to detail for a moderately priced wine that I appreciate. While this wine was NOT named from the song Joan Jett sang, it does reflect the pride in Concannon Vineyards Irish heritage; the clover is the Irish symbol for prosperity and the crimson pays homage to the strong deep red color of the blend.

The wine blend of this wine is 50% Petite Sirah, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Syrah and 10% Zinfandel. The price on this wine comes in around $15/bottle which for a handcrafted wine, it’s not a bad price. The taste on Crimson & Clover is very smooth with fruit flavors of blackberry, cherry and plum. There is some hints of mocha and nutmeg added into the fun of this wine! It’s a nice soft wine that (per the winery) pairs well with Gorgonzola stuffed chicken wrapped in applewood smoked bacon or a nice black pepper-crusted filet mignon. Are you hungry now?

Have you picked up this wine? Like it? What are your thoughts on the pairing with this? Would love to hear about it in the comments below!

Concannon Winery Front Gates:

“A black-and-white, irregular checkerboard pattern signals the disbanding of the grid system, its break-up.” - Hundertwasser

Sometimes I feel like our surroundings are a little too sterile. It could be because I live in a well-groomed part of town, the houses beautiful, and the condos modern and clean. It’s lovely…and very controlled; the refined aesthetic borders on the boring and impersonal.

As human beings living in the world, we are surrounded by three layers: 1.) the skin, 2.) clothing and 3.) walls / buildings / vehicles. The late Austrian artist, Friedensreich Hundertwasser proposed that people ought to be able to personalize their “third skin.”

He said, “a person…must be able to lean out of his window and scrape off the masonry within arm’s reach. And he must be allowed to take a long brush and paint everything outside within arm’s reach, so that it will be visible from afar to everyone in the street that someone lives there who is different from…the standardized man who lives next door.”

This idea of decorating the “third skin” made me realize that I have no idea who lived in my little duplex before me. When I moved in, it was spic and span, with no trace of the previous occupants. Wouldn’t it be cool if every house or apartment had at least one wall or area in which residents could leave record of their existence in that space—a history told through words, pictures or art? I know I would appreciate knowing something about those who shared these same walls at these specific coordinates in space.

Decorated Pakistani trucks

We will commit mild markings like press our hand or footprint into curing cement, or put a few bumper stickers on our car, but the bold, outrageous or loud expression is left up to the few, the artists, the weirdos. Look at the fascinating Pakistani truck art, highly customized and covered with paintings, ornamental décor, calligraphy, mirror work, wooden carvings and poetry; the trucks make an undeniable statement of existence, self-expression, and creativity.

Sadly, I don’t think I have the balls to glue pink monkeys to my car and stencil it with quotes, or paint birds all around the windows of my duplex. There’s too much concern for resale value…However, maybe I can start with a small etching on the fence and a sketchbook-guestbook to leave behind.

In what ways do you decorate your “third skin?” What fantastic expression have you witnessed in your community?

Other links of interest:
On Wings of Diesel: Trucks, Identity and Culture in Pakistan, by Jamal Elias
Photos by Faraz Memon

Image credits:
Pakistani truck photo by Faraz Menon http://www.flickr.com/photos/extro/4780478712/
Hundertwasser architecture http://morguefile.com/archive/display/118999

I used to hate advertisements.  But I think advertisers are finally starting to get it… people hate feeling like they’re being sold snake oil.

So now there are some pretty freaking great commercials out there.  Yes, they are often lost in a sea of bad ads, but the good ones actually make me want to buy whatever it is they’re selling.  All of the product placement in Mad Men is just one example, but there are plenty of other not-so-serious spots that really do make me want to open up my wallet and say “Please, take what you want, you’re fricken hilarious, you’ve earned it.”

A recent example that caught my attention is the Old Milwaukee / Will Ferrell campaign.  I’m not sure that I had ever even seen an Old Milwaukee ad since high school (remember the Swedish Bikini team ads? You do if you were a high-school-aged male in the 90’s…) and I’m not even sure that Old Milwaukee sponsored the Will Ferrell ads (they’re not on oldmilwaukee.com… yet).  But if you think Will Ferrell is funny (many, many people do) and if you drink beer (many, many people do), you’ll LOVE these ads.

Here’s one of Will at a Davenport, IA bar, wearing a camouflage button-up shirt under camo bib overalls.  He starts talking about how so many people say that our nation is “in the dumper”, and that India and China are “kicking out butt,” but manages to refute this defeatism by simply stating that “the Cedar (bar), over here in Daverport, they got Old Milwaukee in cans.”  Will did a few more of these commercials, all in the same vein, targeting two midwest “small towns”:

Terre Haute, IN : Crossroads of America, Parking Garage, RR Tracks,

Davenport, IA: “Hand-fishing”, Sitting on His Favorite Log

Will Ferrell and the (other) beer that made Milwaukee famous. Image courtesy of the interwebs.

Many high-class or well-respected advertising people might think these commercials are simply a stupid idea.  And really, if anyone other than Will Ferrell was doing it, it would be a stupid idea.

But it’s genius. Whether or not Will is being sarcastic (it’s really tough to tell with him) is completely irrelevant. It’s a funny commercial that gets people talking.

My grandfather drank Old Milwaukee.  And my grandfather would think these commercials are embarrassing to his favorite brand.  But my grandfather passed away… just like so many other Old Mil drinkers.  (Not because they drank Old Mil, of course.)  But Old Mil seemed to have dropped the ball when it comes to picking up a new generation of cheap beer drinkers.  Unfortunately, a nauseating majority of people who don’t drink “good” beer (i.e. craft/micro-brew) drink Bud Light or Miller Lite.  (B.L./M.L. drinkers would argue their beer is “good,” a statement to which I would smile and politely change the subject.)  And this is horrible and sad in so many ways.  I’m not saying it’s bad to drink non-micro-brew beer on occasion, but let’s put forth at least a little effort towards not making the giant, super-rich breweries even more giant and super-rich.

Now, finally, Old Mil seems to be making a little headway.  I’m not sure if these commercials were just aired locally in the cities mentioned in the ads, but if means anything, I’ll say this:

Keep up the good work, Old Milwaukee.  Never mind that your beer is the butt of many jokes, the fact that people laugh makes them want to drink your beer.  I will drink your beer, simply because you have a sense of humor… and it doesn’t really taste any different than beers that cost twice as much.

FYI, my favorite line from these ads is from the Terre Haute RR Tracks ad: “We are a nation of backyards… and there are a LOT of rickety trampolines out there.”

In 1918, nearly 100 years ago, German artist Kurt Schwitters said “… Everything had broken down and new things had to be made out of the fragments; and this is Merz. It was like a revolution within me, not as it was, but as it should have been.”

Along with Pablo Picasso, Schwitters was one of the progenitors of collage–assembling together diverse elements already in existence and making a dialectical montage. The act of repurposing is more relevant than ever. It is not to discount invention and progress,  but when things fall apart, there is great opportunity to cull through what we already know, fashion together something new, and bring it forth through our creative fire.

I am not a doomsayer or a gloom lover, (although I have been called “pensive”) I am just waking up to the reality that nobody knows when things will ease up, turn around, or get better. It probably won’t be for a long time.  And it will never be how it used to be. It seems like everyday I hear about someone else losing their job, another leader doing something corrupt, some big market crashing, and so on…and nobody is coming.

Hooray. Let’s Merz. Nobody is going to fix the world. We can only fix it from right where we are. Kurt Schwitters said, “I’m a painter and I nail my pictures together.”

Merz is not just for artists, it is a way of being and becoming and building.

What will you nail together? Look around at what speaks to you. There’s lots to work with.

And in case you do want to see some of the newest and best in collage art, check out the book, “Cutting Edges“

The end of something is usually (always?) the beginning of something else.

A bottle of Canadian Club, abandoned in the Draper's former home. (Image credit: AMC)

I watched Season 4, Episode 13 – “Tomorrowland” of AMC’s acclaimed Mad Men series last night.  I know I’ve written about CC on a few different occasions, but one image from this episode struck me as visually and contextually significant: the bottle of Canadian Club that Don & Betty leave on their kitchen counter as they both walk out of their Ossining house for, presumably, the last time.

Does this signify an end to Don Draper’s hard liquor days?  It’s tough to tell.  We won’t find out more until Season 5 debuts in March 2012… yes, just two short months away.

Budweiser for a new Donald Draper? (Image credit: AMC)

Before Season 4, I think I noticed Don drinking a beer in only one other episode (Season 1 or 2)… and in that episode they showed him drinking about 10 beers, followed by several glasses of his ad-man fuel, Canadian Club.  But in season 4, on at least 2 occasions, they show him seemingly content with just one beer.  A Budweiser (accompanied by a bowl of Dinty Moore Beef Stew) during Episode 8 – “The Summer Man” and a bottle of a different brand in the aforementioned season finale, High Life.  These two beers were very easy to pick out, mostly because the overall “look” of the brand really hasn’t changed much over the decades.  Your can of Budweiser still looks like your grandfather’s can of Budweiser.  Likewise for the bottle of High Life.  Both these beers, for the record, are nothing special… but they’re also not bad.  They are your standard “well, this is what I’ve always drank” beers, and sometimes that’s all you’re looking for.

Don enjoys the High Life with a good book. (Image credit: AMC)

(For those of you wondering… the book Don is reading while he’s drinking the High Life is The Spy Who Came In from the Cold by John le Carre’.  This very subtle prop hints at the ongoing identity drama of the Maddest Man of the Mad Men, Don Draper… er, Dick Whitman.)

As I’ve come to the end of all of the Mad Men episodes currently available, I feel this is also a convenient opportunity for myself to transition.  It’s easy to get fixated on things… especially when you deliberately fixate on things, as I’ve done with Mad Men and the liquor they drink.  I may continue to write about the show once the new season starts, but in the meantime, I’d like to share weekly thoughts that don’t necessarily revolve around 80 proof spirits and the televised romps of an unrealistically glamorized womanizer.

So, for a while anyway, my posts will be about other random product placement, unusually or eye-catching commercials, or maybe just good beers that I sample.  So, say so long to your weekly injections of high-fashion hedonism, and say hello to a slew of grounded, down-to-earth explorations of realism.

Scanning over some of the items related to wine in the news, I thought I would share a bit with you. Just in case you missed a few articles or would just rather read this post then each full article. … because you like it here …. I know! *blushes*

First on the list is Virginia. Yes, the state. Which admittedly I’ve never even tried a wine from Virginia, so I was surprised to see that Wine Enthusiast has ranked Virginia as 1 of the 10 best wine travel destinations. I would not have even put Virginia on my personal “Winery Bucket List” trips. Curious as to what Wine Enthusiast had to say, I hopped over to their site. Here is what I zoned in on:

Budget tip:
October is Virginia’s “Wine Month,” with free or low-cost wine festivals, barrel tastings and harvest parties.

They said free, I couldn’t help it. You can read the full article and winery suggestions here: Virginia Top 10 Wine Travel Destinations

Red wine and women’s health. It’s another report that states the stats on premenopausal women and red wine as it relates to breast cancer. To quote the LA Times:

Instead of promoting the conversion of androgens to estrogen in a woman’s body, red wine appears to block that process. In that sense, it acts more like a class of drug called aromatase inhibitors, which are prescribed to most women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer to prevent recurrences.

The full LA Times article is here: Red Wine Prevents Breast Cancer

and finally …

Flip Flop Wines … the fun wine that does some great charity events and work with a great charity called Soles4Souls (1 pair of shoes is donated with every bottle purchased up to 100,000 shoes the 1st year!). Flip Flop Wines is now expanding their wine line to include 6 new varietals! Those new wines will be: Malbec, Sauvignon Blanc, Sweet Red, Bubbly Chardonnay, Bubbly Moscato and Bubbly Pinot Grigio and they will be available in stores starting in January 2012! Check for those locally! If you need to find a store near you or order direct, stop by their site: Flip Flop Wine Shop

Many peoples’ minds are zig-zagged, over-multitasked, anxious and fried. The mind requires silence and meditation for optimum health, and this fact is epidemically neglected in our hyper-linked lifestyle.

Why do we resist silence, resist sitting in the company of our own selves? For one thing, we are afraid. We are also addicted to over-stimulation. And in our minds, we “don’t have time” and thus, we don’t have time. Yet somehow we find an hour or two everyday to clutter up our minds on Facebook.

I’ll admit meditation can be like combing out the knots of fine hair attached to a tender scalp. It can feel annoying and sometimes even hurt. But you’ve got to find those gnarled up places and focus and comb through, because the longer you leave the knots, the more built up and buried they become.

If you will just sit, commit to spending a few minutes in silence everyday, you will find that time starts to lengthen and the moments between restlessness stretch out. And for those who can’t stand to get off the grid, there are apps for meditation like this one from the Mayo Clinic called simply, Mayo Clinic Meditation.

While you sit, it is not necessary to examine every thought and story that arises and find the “answers,” just like you don’t need to examine each knot when combing your hair, asking “How did that get there?” “Where did this knot come from?”

If we can leave room for silence, for taking care of our minds and ultimately spirits, we will be clear, more aware, and able to make informed decisions based on our deepest knowing of ourselves.

Here is an easy meditation you can practice anytime:

Rolled Tongue Breath (Sitali Pranayama)– for calming, cooling, re-energizing

• Sit with feet flat on floor or cross legged on the floor
• Sit up straight, pull shoulders back and down, lengthen spine
• Close the eyes
• Stick the tongue out slightly
• Roll the tongue into a “U” shape
• Inhale through the rolled tongue
• Exhale through the nose
• Repeat 5 to 10 times

crystal image credit: http://morguefile.com/archive/display/12344