Another Work Day....

I am sitting here in my jammies futzing about on the internet, the heavy smell of brushfires thick in the air and a layer of ash on every surface in my apartment….such a sad smell, people in the wine business tend to have highly sensitive sniffers, we can’t stop smelling even if we wanted to….so the smell of people’s houses on fire, their lives up in smoke is really heartbreaking and pulled me out of a serious “pout” this morning.


I have put a lot of hours in at work as of late, was in the store for 11 days straight, now I was “off” on Monday but I was writing for the newsletter then had to meet the staff at the store after closing to taste and pick our Wine of the Year candidates, so I was physically in the store from last Wednesday until yesterday…I still adore the place so it is not that bad but there really is something to be said about a day completely off. You see, with this business our day can last long after the store is closed….either writing, tasting samples, dining with visiting winery folks, (what I was doing Wednesday night after a 9 hour shift at work) and getting caught up on our industry reading, it is not just about drinking and having a good time.


So after my long week I was so looking forward to today, (Sunday off) that was until I remembered that I had to attend the Brunch at Café Arte….no shower-less day spent in the jammies for me, gotta work! Now going to a wine brunch may not sound like work to most people but I will not just be eating, drinking and chatting…I will be evaluating the wines, gauging the pairings, watching the restaurant staff, making sure they are serving the right wines, pouring enough and collecting order forms, so in fact I will still be very much “On”. Now what happens once Amy and I leave the brunch….that is a whole nutha story!


So while I was sitting here pouting about my day off being interrupted I was hit in the face with the real life smell of people having a really bad day….I felt both sad and ashamed of myself. My family is happy and healthy, my home is intact, I am surrounded by friends that I adore and I have an amazing job the allows me to learn something new every day, taste truly fantastic flavors and inspires me to write all the time…..and I’m sitting here whining why? “Oh poor me, my life is too full” sheesh….WHAAAA.


Okay so I will still be working today, I will be “On”, (sometimes that is the hardest part, the being charming stuff…example, standing there with a smile on my face while this stoner guy tells me that we should be open an hour later because sometimes he wants a beer after 7PM…can’t say, “Yeah Spicoli sorry you just can’t get here on time.” Nope I have to smile and explain that we cannot change our hours of operation but we will have extended hours during the holidays….sigh) I will taste with glee, a new attitude and I may even post about how things went, and you know what, after realizing what a freaking baby I was being….I may just do it better than ever before.



My heart and thoughts go out to the families that have been effected by the fires and I hope anyone reading takes a second to really look at their life and remember how truly lucky we all are.