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Tuesday May 23, 2000
"Our minds are finite, and yet even in these circumstances of finitude we are surrounded by possibilities that are infinite, and the purpose of human life is to grasp as much as we can out of that infinitude." Alfred North Whitehead, Dialogues of Alfred North Whitehead
the wall again
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why does everything seem possible today? Yesterday I felt more than a little depressed. I left it at work and enjoyed my evening, but I felt a little desperate and incapable. Nothing has changed today. But I felt energetic. I felt I was making good decisions about what to do with my time. I felt success, even in this vaguest of arenas, was not only possible but maybe probable. The mind is a strange lump of meat. I worked on reading and writing papers and studying my notes and verifying facts. I had a meeting with people in Houston (via teleconference) which should have been frustrating but which energized me. This meeting was from 11 to 1. I decided I needed a walk for my (late) lunch. So I went to HEB. Intention was to get some film developed and to pick up some food to have for lunch in the company kitchen. Their APS developer was down. So I went to Randall's. They promised it by end of day. And I bought my food there. (Some prepared salad greens, tortilla chips, potato chips, cookies, feta cheese crumbles.) It was nice walking around but it is starting to get hot. So when I saw my friend Nancy in her purple truck at the light at Braker, I startled her by knocking on the window and she gave me a short ride back to the garage. I made a salad with the greens, some salad dressing (Feta) I had, some smoken turkey I had, an apple provided by the company's free fruit program, the feta crumbles and a chopped green onion from my stash. A bunch of people came in and out of the kitchen during my late lunch and I had various business discussions with them. Then I walked down the hall with my box of thumbprint chocolate drop cookies and gave away all but two, which I ate with my company-provided Diet Dr. Pepper. Jordan Wine Dinner. We started in the foyer near the small ballroom which they'd split up to have a prep area in one half. Four Seasons, where else? Hors d'oeuvres were similar to Saturday night and a 1994 J Sparkling wine was being passed. Some people stood outside. But it was HOT. The meal started light and delicious with a Maine Lobster and White Asparagus Terrine with Chervil in a Lobster Verjus and a 1997 Somona County Chardonnay. The tension built with a Duck Confit Tart with Whipped Brie Cheese and Sour Apple Dressing. Paired with a 1996 Jordan Cab, Sonoma County. I finished every bite. Unfortunately, at that point, I was pretty full. And with three courses and wines to go. Slow Roasted King Salmon Medallions with Seared Foie Gras and Blackberry Reduction was, in chef Elmar's book (he said later) a miss. But I liked it. But I couldn't begin to finish it. A 1994 Jordan Alexander Valley Cab was served with it. The Seared Texas Beef Medallion with Braised Veal Cheek, Fava Bean Ragout and Cabernet Sauce arrived with the stunning Bordeaux-like 1990 Alexander. (FFP liked the 1994 best, though.) I couldn't begin to finish the (excellent) beef and I didn't really care for the Veal Cheek (though, of course, I ate some). The Veal Cheek reminded me of a barbeque some Latino friends made years ago of a whole cow head. Couldn't shake that image. Actually, it reminded me of tender roast beef...but that's not my favorite either. The beef and little tastes of the remains of my three cabs. A light dessert called Tropical Summer Breeze came with a 1983 (that's no typo) Jordan Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc-Semillon "Rivere Russe" Alexander Vally. Botyrtis scented, reddish golden in color. A god of a dessert wine. The oldest domestic I've ever had. A very limited production (six or eight barrels) someone from Jordan had gotten this beauty for us. Wow! Enough wine for a school night!
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