Oy vey, it has been awhile since I’ve updated.  (By the way, is it okay for me to use the exclamation ‘oy vey’ even if I’m not Jewish?  It’s just so…applicable to so many things in my life).  At any rate, I’ve been behind on my reading goals because these past few days have been filled with friends visiting from out of town.

Of course, I haven’t given up on reading as many books as humanly possible.  But for now, I’m rather stuck on book 7 and I’m tempted to cheat again and start another book while I work my way through that one.  I don’t know why, but I tend to slog through nonfiction a lot more.

Anyway, I always really enjoy it when friends visit me.  Although I’ve only lived in San Francisco for a little over two years, it’s all to easy to start taking the city for granted.  This past weekend I took my friends up to Napa and we went around the Stag’s Leap District.  For the ill-informed and unexperienced wine enthusiast such as myself, I highly recommend Chimney Rock for red wine, especially Cabernet Sauvignon.  Although the tasting menu is a lot pricier ($20-$30) the wine has a very deep flavor and smooth finish.  In other words, to an untrained mouth such as mine, it’s mighty tasty because it doesn’t have the tannins.

After Chimney Rock we went to the nearby Silverado, which had a really nice view of the valley but the wines themselves were only so-so in my book.  We wrapped up the trip by taking a quick stop at Reguschi, a quaint vineyard with a very rustic farmlike environment.  The nice bartender (bar keep?  wine guy? alcohol enabler?) gave some generous pours and also opened up the cellar, which smelled amazing and was built into the side of the mountain.

All in all, a pretty great day trip.  And what’s amazing to me is the fact that I can take a day trip … whenever I want.

Nothing like renewing your appreciation for a place when you view it from the eyes of visitors.  Anyway, I’ll stop gushing now - I believe an episode of How I Met Your Mother is beckoning me.