Keeping my promises: A new wine love of mine.

Just before my birthday, I went to Colorado Wine Company for their usual Friday tasting, and I discovered this wonderful wine -- Ponte de Lima "Adamado" Vinho Verde, Portugal.

I don't really know wine terminology very well, so if you taste a bottle and want to quibble with my word choice, quibble away. It's crisp and a little citrusy. It has a lovely floral scent and a hint of effervescence. It's not overly sweet, just bright, refreshing and very easy to drink.

I bought a couple of bottles to share with friends for a small birthday gathering. We ended up drinking both of them with our early arrivals. (It pays to show up early!)

One of my boyfriend's best friends was really excited to get a taste of this. He said he'd been looking for good vinho verde since he'd last been to Portugal. (He leads a much more glamourous life than I do!) So, we poured generously, and told him to look no further than CoWineCo.

I did some google searching on this wine to see what the experts say. Apparently, Bon Appetit has rated this one of the Great Bargain Bottles. Clocking in a 10 percent, this is considered a more low alcohol wine, which just makes it even more drinkable. The experts recommend drinking it with seafood.

I recommend drinking it with friends and whatever munchies you have on hand. And soon!

Let's focus on the good stuff.

I was going to start this entry by pointing out that my shrink - yeah, I have one, too - thinks I'm mildly depressed. But that wouldn't be focusing on the good stuff, would it? It would be contrary to the whole positive focus thing I'm trying for here.

So...

On to the good things.

Good Thing Number One: The Melting Pot is Pasadena is offering unlimited chocolate fondue on Tuesday in honor of the Inauguration. They're also knocking about $20 off the cost of one of their schmancy dinner packages. While I will not be gorging myself on melted cheese and chocolate, just knowing this is out there makes my heart all warm, gooey and melty. Though, not in a way that would allow you to dip bread in it...

Good Thing Number Two: Colorado Wine Company. Or, CoWineCo. Go to their Web site: http://www.cowineco.com/ It's fun. They sent me their newsletter, and their little rant on grammer made me laugh. I love this place, and I hope everyone buys lots of wines from them so they stay in business through this crappy economy. But, to end on a more positive note, they serve really wonderful wines, will tell you about them without going all wine snob on you and their tastings are reasonably priced and fun. I hope to go today.

Good Thing Number Three: I obtained permission to leave a little early today because of my birthday.

Good Thing Number Four: I'm reading the Harry Potter books. I didn't read them when they were hyped. I'm not going to buy myself a Hermione costume, develop a crush on Snape, write slash fic or get myself a pet bird and name it Hedwig or anything like that. But the books are fun reads. I'm on the last one. And I know a bunch of the characters who die. Not personally. I mean, I know they are coming to their ficticious ends.

Good Thing Number Five: I'm getting a laptop. YAY LAPTOP!

Good Thing Number Six: The Huntington. This year, I am going to spend more time at the Huntington.

Good Thing Number Seven: Special K Cereal. OK, it's not awesome, but I think a list with five things or seven things is better than a list with six.

I didn't update for a couple of weeks. I meant to blog about the awesomeness of Cafe Beaujolais on a Tuesday night, when they serve Beouf Bourgonon or however it's spelled. And also for thier blend of syrah and grenache wine. And also, the awesomness of walking there with my boyfriend, and walking back hand-in-hand in the cold. In fact, I was enjoying the crisp air and our conversation so much that I didn't mind the cold and wanted to walk more when we got home.

I am so lucky.

Taking stock with my inner child.

I'm a January baby, just on the cusp of Capricorn and Aquarius. There are those who believe this means all sorts of different things. (I've looked it up because I think it's fun.)

But mostly what it means is that my birthday falls close to the start of the year.

At a time when all of us, generally, stop and take stock -- I doubly do it, if that is possible. Not only has the calendar turned a page on to a new year, but in addition, I'm about to receive my annual reminder that I am growing older.

There is no fountain of youth. There is no brick like the one my mom threatened to order when I was five to put on my head and keep me from growing up. (Though, that may be responsible for my unimpressive stature.)

I will be 32.

When I was 19, I carried on steamy Internet correspondence with a man who first claimed to be 26. I learned later - the big reveal! - that he was 32. That seemed really old. But old enough to continue e-mailing.

Now I'm as old as he is. I am not, however, e-mailing any 19-year-olds. I guess that puts me one-up on him.

But as I go over the checklist that was apparently pinned to my heart at birth, I am running behind. You know the checklist I mean.

- Fabulous career. - One down! New one on its way.
- Published novel. - A couple chapters down, and miles to go before I put this one to sleep.
- Large, beautiful house with manicured lawn. - Currently dwelling in cute apartment, currently in shambles.
- White picket fence - Not a single one on my block.
- Doting husband - Have doting boyfriend.
- Adorable, precocious, whip-smart children - Am on pill.

I think by the end of the year, if I perservere, I will have the novel written. A first draft, at least.

As for the house, fence, doting husband and children...

I could probably go down to Home Depot and purchase some fencing if it suited my fancy. Then rent a place to store it.

Don't get me wrong. I'm happy with my life. It's just that...

Well, there's a comic strip that explains it better than I can here: http://www.katebeaton.com/Site/Conversations_With_A_Younger_Self.html

It's called "Conversations With A Younger Self."

My younger self, the girl who ALWAYS wanted to play the princess in pretend, who marched Barbie down a toilet-tissue aisle countless times, who gave birth to at least four Cabbage Patch Babies before mastering multiplication tables would be appalled.

She would wander through my cute apartment, failing to see the appeal of the lovely hardwood floors. She wouldn't understand that a washer and dryer are real perks, even if they ARE in the kitchen. She would cast about in vain seeking the dishwasher. She might, at first, assume the kids were in school and their loving father was off at his exciting job - but eventually she would realize the only residents of my apartment (which is long on charm and short on space) are me, some persistent spiders and her. And she's just a figment of my imagination.

Most of the year, I am content that the ambitions of someone in her early thirties can be - NAY! SHOULD be - different from those of an elementary school girl.

But it's this one time of year, when it is still socially acceptable to expect cake and presents, that I am haunted by my inner second grader. I was encouraged once by someone wise --

OK. I'll 'fess up --

I was encouraged once by the lady I see once or twice a year to have my tarot cards read that I should not neglect my inner child. Apparently, neglect of one's inner child can lead to all kinds of karmic no-good, screw up your chakras, cause the Tower to show up in your card readings -- in short, you can wind up unhappy.

At the same time, I'm not supposed to let her call the shots for me.

So, being that I cannot responsibly fulfill all of her wishes, I will spoil her while I can.

Thus, between now and my birthday, my inner child and I will -

- Stay up too late on a school night to watch cartoons.
- Have an ice cream sundae.
- Get some presents.
- Have a little chat about what happiness is made of, and how it has more to do with gently spoiling ourselves with the love of those who will always protect us (ring or no ring), with new adventures (at home or away) and the occasional late night ice cream (Skinny Cow or not).

And less to do with real estate.

I'll drink to that.

Much like everyone else, I am making New Year's resolutions.

This year, I'm doing it different. In addition to the annual goal of looking roughly like a super model by the end of the year, I thought I would also set some very achievable goals, as well.

1.) Kiss my boyfriend in three different countries.
Layovers at airports will count - and if worse comes to worse, I will count the U.S.A. as one of the three countries. I don't think that's really cheating.

2.) Drink more wines.
Not necessarily a greater quantity of wine, but more new, different wines. If I can do this in a foreign country, it's worth more points.

3.) Cook more.
So, going back to that achieving a super-model like physique -- hell, achieving any physique that would allow me to shop in, say, Ann Taylor Loft -- this goal will help me. I should cook at home more. For myself.

I am also going back to Weight Watchers on Sunday.

No. I won't tell you how it went. :)