The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Tuesday, while being bored and doing a little surfing on-the-line. I was reminded of the great benefits to drinking red wine. A nightly glass of red wine (4-6oz) has benefits in helping your metabolism , fighting cold and flu, helping you good choleserol levels, help fight cancer, and adding years to your life. SIGN ME UP!!! It’s suggested that California Pinot Noir is the best, but I figure I better just get in the habit of drinking red wine and learning to like it. Like coffee, and beer, red wine takes some time to get used to. Not only that but living in Oklahoma where beer is main drink of parties beside over sweetened liqour drinks, red wine is seen as the drink of choice for the high-falutin type.

You have to do your homework and it helps to not walk in and grab the bottle with the prettiest label. Be optimistic and ask that guy or gal who works behind the counter which red wine is popular. Of course, they are going to steer you toward the rascato which would be okay, but you need try something less sweet.

Homework on red wine:

After searching around, I found out that while room temperature is, meh, okay that in actuality isn’t the room temp that the red should be served at. Different kinds of wines all have different optimum temperatures. The best way that I figured out to find a good temp was to take the bottle I wanted to drink and stick it in the fridge for about twenty minutes, then take it out pour you a glass and let it sit for about 20 minutes or so. Be sure and cork your bottle and set it back in the fridge on its bottom and drink it within the next couple of weeks. Red wines react to the level of oxygen in the air, so that is why you set it up straight and not horizontal, to keep it fresher. It actually turns to vinegar if you don’t drink it over a short period of time. I tasted it after 10 minutes and then again after 20. You can taste a difference. I even gave it a sniff before my first drink which I do suggest you try. The alcohol smell also seems to mellow out as you let it sit too. Don’t be afraid to try red wine.

So of course, I am a cheap skate so I went in looking for the pretty bottle that was less than $10. I also got help from the guy at the counter.

Tisdale- Merlot California

This $5.49 bottle was okay. I was drawn to it because according to the back it has flavors of black cherry and mixed berries. It was smooth but my pallet (if that is the right spelling) suggests that it just tastes like a wine. I wasn’t really impressed. I did drink it all and it wasn’t too bad to drink but it’s not on my favorite wine list. I won’t be buying it again.

Broke Ass- Red Wine Argentina 2012

Love the label. This is a mix of 50% Malbec and 50% Syrah. Supposed to taste like plum and blackberry. This wine does live up to it’s jack ass label with going down with a kick leaving that slow burn like crown or jack. I really liked it and plan on buying it again. I did actually start to taste some of the blackberry/plum flavor that the wine says it has. This wine costs a whapping $7.99.

With my husband working nights, I find it a little harder to go to sleep on those evenings. With something that is beneficial and not a perscription drug, I have drank a glass before bed and gotten a really good nights sleep this past week. Since I don’t want to develop any type of need to drink a glass just to go to bed (I don’t want this to become my liquid ambien.), I have only drank it on the nights he isn’t home. This helps with the broke ass budget I have. Hehe!

In other news, we watched two really great movies this past week. The Way Way Back was available to rent and it was a really good wholesome movie. Steve Carrell plays a complete jackass of a mother’s boyfriend, while Sam Rockwell brings the witty comedy to the flick by playing the kid’s what I like to call “Fairy God Father”. I don’t know where they got this kid, Liam James, but he rocked it. He plays the awkward teen dealing with spending his summer at a beach house while his Mom is trying to join in with the Boyfriend’s neighbors “fun times” which is the equivalent of an adult’s “Spring Break”.

We also saw the The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. Another great movie that I would gladly go see again. Ben Stiller does a good job playing Walter, the day dreaming associate of the magazine LIFE who may soon lose his job when the company decides to no longer publish magazines. Some really cool views in this movie as he must travel to a few different countries hunting for a photo that will be the last cover of the magazine. Adam Scott does a good job of playing a jackass who has the power to keep or fire Walter and the other LIFE employees. Cheryl Melhoff also plays in this and well… she is such a sweetheart.