Yard work is in full swing for the past week or so. The Pink Dogwood is simply bursting at its seams with flowers. Last year, when I bought the tree (it was well past it flowering time) and planted it with loads of faith that it was the one I truly wanted. These trees can be quite tricky, when they don't carry their full botanical name. So, really it is quite uncertain whether you are getting exactly what you want. I just wish the nursuries around get into better habits of carrying the botanical names, rather than only local. But that is another story. For now, this dogwood delivers.

long time no write, and tonight is not really a night for me to write anything meaningful (hic!)

It has been roughy 15+ hours at the computer for fun purposes (hic!)  I have finally got a working vision of my blog-next generation in silverlight (groan! it blooming hurts right now to write this). I don't know if my fancy starting point blog is going to work well with this syndicated version of the blog. But it does not matter too much right now. :)

I am millions of miles away from where i want to be with my blog implementation, but I have it running on this webserver! and that is blooming incredible. :) I am happy! Over the next couple of weeks I anticpate several of these really long hours of understanding silverlight and wcf and asp.net 3.5 and a good bottle of wine! Current favorite! (hic!) Altos De La Hoya *a Jumila (Bodegas Olivares) Red Wine from Spain. Along with this incredible red wine is the soundtrack from Hitman and also from King Arthur.  

Whilst I do the changes (and enjoy great wine and music), please bear with the fact that I won't be writing much here...... and will be moving all mee blogs enteries to the new generation. (Good lord! The number of times I have hit backspace to correct typing mistakess, is actually quite funny! ha-ha-har-hee-hee)

Anyways! Great day! Man! Such a fantastic blooming day!

(HIC!) Blimey! got to go!

Last year, I picked up a new skill, namely crocheting! After completing my first project in the first week of Feb, my fingers were simply twitching to do something more ambitous, and more colorful. In terms of ambition, I did go a tad further, but colors! hmm! I have to work on that one. But, I love white and love the contrast it brings to other colors. I am surprised I strayed away from just pastels into the bright lavender and deep sage. I like how the project turned out. I believe there are one or two boo-boo's in there, but I love it!

	Besides, as I was excitedly taking pictures, drapping the 60 inches long wrap on different chairs and tables to get the right effect, I turn around to this! Now, do I need any other approval? How content can a cat get! Duke loves it and so do I! Princess is playing around with little bits of yarn in the living room.

What happens when your favorite wine store does a 75 year celebration and you are invited to this party? What do you do? What can you do?

I for one, gave in to select some outstanding wines, and add to the collection! Man! I have not regretted even one selection from Bermans Store. If you have not checked it out yet, I recommend the store and the people. The store has really very carefully selected wines. Almost like a master artist selecting his palette to work from. It shows passion, love for the art of wine, dedication to show case the best of what he has selected. I commend Joel Berman, on such a fantastic achievement. I wish I can bottle that success. :) You step into the store, and instantly you are transported into the different regions of wine producers. Be it Spain or Canada or California or Italy or any other place. The staff is so gracious. They stop to chat and ensure you are getting the fullest experience of the store and the wine. They have never disappointed me. It has made the wine-world more than just a tasting and loving to learning and wanting to know more. For that, and that alone, I thank the store and staff.

So, why am I blogging about wines this evening? Simply, because, I can. :) That is usually a good enough reason for me to type away. Besides as I am typing, I am drinking the Cairanne-Domaine de l'Ameillaud. I have never been to anywhere in Cote du Rhone, France. But, this wine feels home! With it jamminess, and minerality, and the herbs!

I watched King Arthur last night after work. I picked this movie up for Clive Owen and Clive Owen alone, but along with that gorgeous hunk, you get a quite a few gorgeous knights as well and one epic soundtrack for Hans Zimmer! Holy smokes, the soundtrack is haunting!

But back to the knights! You have Ioan Gruffudd (as Lancelot) and Mads Mikkelsen (as Tristan). Now where in the world have I seen these two cool guys before? Ioan is in Horation Hornblower (duh!) and, of course, Mads the coolest thing from Denmark in Casino Royale as Le Chiffre! Both adorable and so, so damn cute, that it hurts!

The soundtrack is blooming haunting! Needless to say it is on my buy list in Amazon!

The movie itself got a weird odd rating. But, now, I am kicking myself for having missed it on the full screen and theatre sound system! Ah! Well!  I liked the movie, for the historical accurateness that it tries to achieve. More of the dark ages time, rather than the whole legend of Camelot thing. Merlin being more of native pagan fighting for his land against Rome, than the wizard. Wars are little more realistic than people dancing around. Knights being human, that is not the pious, self-righteous characters, but realistic, oppressed, barbaric, mercenaries. Costumes carefully chosen and location shots are amazing! For me, the process of change in Artorius to being King Arthur is really heart rendering. It is process of realization that for the longest time the beliefs he has held about Rome, grandeur and justice and freedom for all, are no longer existent and that he has to strive to build it with what he has.

Wonderful movie!

Yesterday, I spent time in really going through 25 Best Time Managment tools and tips and some part of the Getting Things Done. With new found knowledge, I decided to put some learning into play.

I started the weekend (plus two days vacation time), with a goal to simplify the whole house! Instead, I have a vision for my life (at least as it stands currently) and values/standards or principles that I live (and want to) by.

Focusing on fulfiling those values, I have set goals for the year! Some of these are large and some are tiny, but they are there, with a deadline by which I want to get done. For example, Decluttering and finishing some decorative aspects for home has a deadline by June this year and yet another for spring/summer plantation. These are great project titles, but a project is only as good as its action items and and mini-milestone deadline dates. So, I put into play excel, outlook and notepad to jot down the "What needs doing", and "When it needs doing by" and "What I do need to (note: did not say "like to") do to get to end result". This system is out on trial! It is only as good as the efforts put in for its up keep. So, I am going to try it out for the month and do a review towards the end of the month on what worked or what didn't.

Pst: I will blog as I go to write what is working and what is not. Oh! and I am happy to report that my closets look spic-span with four categories: Keeping stuff, Donating stuff (already in my car and ready for Goodwill), Craiglist/Yard sale stuff, and finally Altering stuff (professional or me). It is fantastic to know that I had four black skirts! a zillion other shirts that were way-way to big for me (yeah, I still had them). Also, completely categorized my yarn stash, with yarn-don't-remember-what-I-am-going-to-do-with-you, and ongoing-not-yet-completed-knitting/crocheting-projects.

All in all! I would say a perfectly productive and getting loads of things done and all of them feed into fulfiling my vision! Simplification is Sweet!

Few days back (Friday to be exact), after successfully simplifying the desk at work, I turned my attention to the 50 hours planned marathon for simplifying the environment at home. Here is a little update on the same.

On Saturday, I received two books that made me take a step back and rethink the vision and goals. The first book "The 25 best time management tools and techniques" and "Getting things Done". Both incredible books! I had a choice to make, either continue down the path of marathon cleansing or take the time and figure out what these books are saying. Learning something new took precedence.

So, this Monday, I find myself abstracted away from the home into the wonderful starbucks cafe in my town. Fortified with a Grande Gautemalan slow roast coffee with skim milk, I studied the 25 best time management tools and techniques.  As I read and did all the exercises, what struck me immensely is that, this in not the book for "do this- and -you will better manage x time". It would be indeed comical, if the book said that! As I read, I found myself really asking myself what is my vision for life and work? what do I want to achieve? what are the essential focus items for me? This is not a to-do list, but a living breathing statement, that will evolve and mature (as I hope to too!).

Great! So, I have a vision and mission statement! The 25 tools and tips talks about distilling a focus (inline with my values and vision) and then setting goals, planning, organizing, taking action, reviewing the goals and then redo the cycle. All this is really good read! Now what! here is when I think Getting Things Done is an awesome book. I just started to read the book and it talks about the five stages to go about getting it really done! Not just talking about do this and don't do that! More about this when I get down to it.

Altos de la Hoya Jumilla, 2006 (Jumila, Spain)
Pic soon!		Notes from Menotomy: This super-affordable Jumilla is a blend of  92% Monastrell (Mourvedre) and 8% Garnacha (Grenache) and received 90 points from Robert Parker in his February online issue. Jumilla was one of the few places in Europe spared during the Phylloxera epidemic of the late 1800's. Virtually everywhere on the continent, vineyards were devastated and, to this day, can only be planted on grafted hybrid-American rootstock. For Jumilla, the key to its vineyards' survival was their sandy soil - which is anathema to the Phylloxera insect. And as a consequence, today Jumilla not only has some of the oldest vines in Spain, but certainly the largest number of ungrafted vines. Bodegas Olivares's vineyards are in the northernmost zone of La Hoya de Santa Ana. This is the coolest subzone of Jumilla, with sandy, lime-rich soils that produce intensely aromatic wines Grape composition: 92% Monastrell (Mourvedre) and 8% Garnacha (Grenache). My notes: Ok! I admit I went to taste the Cotes de Castillon (which was shown along with this wine) and this one simply blew me away! Cotes de Castillon was awesome, but this was beyond awesome. Perfectly deep red (almost black), with beautiful deep garnet edge. Plums, cheery sweet, with a very yummy grenache notes. Pair this with what? Too 'complete' to share with anything else on the table. Buy Factor: Oh! Yeah! At $13.99, a definite buy. Cost: $13.99 a bottle.

Antinori Santa Cristina Campogrande Orvieto Classico, 2006 (Umbria, Orvieto, Italy)
		Notes from Menotomy: The Orvieto Classico is an ancient wine, known in antiquity as a favorite among popes and princes, and is obtained from a combination of 40% Procanico, 40% Grechetto, 15% Verdello and 5% each Drupeggio & Malvasia. The straw yellow coloring of this wine gives way to a delicate bouquet that reveals an intense body, with a slightly bitter aftertaste. Antinori has produced Orvieto since 1922, and Orvieto Classico since 1932 Grape composition: 40% Procanico, 40% Grechetto, 15% Verdello and 5% each Drupeggio & Malvasia. My notes: This wine simply shines! Yes, that is correct, very pale yellow, brilliant and almost tranluscent. Perfect summer wine! Limes and pears, with a little nutty flavor, clean finish. Incredible, cannot wait to pair this on a hot summer day with cold tomato-basil-mozzerella salad with olive oil. Buy Factor: Was (and am) quite impressed with this one. Cost: $14.99 a bottle.