#genuinely the nicest article of clothing I’ve ever owned

[chromoluminary]

walked 6ish miles today and words do not describe how much joy my new (to me) wool coat brought me every single step of the way

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #400

“it’s an age-old story: the first will be last, and the last will be kings  /  the small will be great, and the great will be weak”

Who was the last person you sincerely thanked? My mom; I thank her every time she cooks for me/us, and I really do mean it. What’s the longest you’ve ever stayed as a guest at someone’s house? Somewhere around a month. What was the last thing to really surprise you? My brother has a fiancee and is having another son! :') Have you ever found out that you have been sleep walking? No. Have you ever tried making something from one of those short cooking videos? How did it turn out? No. Have you ever written a review for a product you bought online? No. What was the last thing you had the urge to do? Idk about anything notable. Is there anyone you feel that takes you for granted? No. What is the last thing you had a craving for? A donut. Do you ever read the comments on social media posts? Sometimes. What was the last thing you felt like you wasted money on? It's so rare that I buy things with my own cash that I really don't know. What was the last thing you wanted to buy, but couldn’t afford? Venus' terrarium on my own. Mom has to help me with buying it. What is a recipe you’d like to try to make for yourself? I don’t cook, so. What goes through your mind when you look back at old photographs of yourself? More than anything, I get sad over how much weight I've gained. I was so healthy once upon a time. It also just makes me miss my childhood. What was the subject matter of the last email you sent? I believe it was about setting up an appointment with my therapist. How do you get your news? Facebook articles, really. What do you think about lizards? I love them! I was that kid that always tried to catch them when I saw 'em. Now I just observe because I don't want to terrify them by trying to pick them up. Have you ever done consumer testing (testing products before they come out on the market)? If not, would you ever want to? No, but sure, I'd do it. Have you ever received anesthesia or morphine? Both. The time I received morphine, it did jack-all for me. If you had to choose which video game to be in, which would it be? Hmmm... I would say Azeroth from World of Warcraft, but too much shit goes down, ha ha. Perhaps the top of the temple in Shadow of the Colossus? So long as I could have someone I love with me, I'd be in Heaven. Although... I doubt there's WiFi there, so I might drop that answer, lmfao. I really don't know. Between the two, would you rather live in a place where it’s only night or where it’s only day? Day. I need the natural light of day sometimes, and if I wanted to sleep, I could just find shade. If you had to be an actor/actress in a movie, what genre of the movie would you be best at? Fantasy. Out of fire, earth, water, wind, light, and dark, which element appeals the most to you? Dark. What’s one thing that you wish was real? Friendly dragons, haha. Is there anything (show, comedian, etc.) that you constantly quote or make references to? No. What’s your favorite Disney Channel movie? I have absolutely no idea. I don't even remember almost any of them. What’s your favorite holiday? Christmas. Do you ever have to do yard work? No. Do you have any live versions of songs in your music software? Yes. Did/do you listen to Britney Spears songs? Yeah, sometimes. I genuinely don't mind her. Do you still make Christmas lists? Yeah, because I'm asked to. Do you watch the show Dexter? Never seen it. Which musical instrument do you think sounds the prettiest? I'm torn between the violin, harp, and piano. Is your mom or dad the older parent? Mom, by a year. Do you and your parents like any of the same bands/singers? A lot, actually. Is there any food in your bedroom? What? I have these tictacs I keep in my purse in case of a dry mouth. Medication makes me have that severely, and my psychiatrist recommended me to always have a hard candy available to suck on since it forces salivation. Do you know anyone who has road rage? Who? My younger sister, badly. How far away do your grandparents live from you? They're all dead, but they lived in far away states. Do you know anyone who wants to be the president one day? No. What kinds of chips are in the cupboards? None. It's a bad idea to keep chips in this house, haha. Do you have your mom's or dad's hair? Well, I was born with dirty blonde hair like my dad, but my hair is thick and more similar in color now to my mom's before the cancer completely drained the color. If you were going out with your celebrity crush, what would you wear? OH MY GOD LA;KSDJFAKLWJE I DON'T KNOW I LOOK AWFUL IN EVERYTHING. Have you ever cried when a teacher retired? Teared up, yes, multiple times. Do you swear and yell while playing video games? I might swear under my breath, but that's the extent of it. If you were adopted, would you want to know? At this point in my life, I don't really know. I kinda find myself leaning towards no. Has a best friend ever ditched you for a girlfriend/boyfriend? Pretty much. Do your pets chase after bugs? Roman sure does. When’s the last time you were so excited you couldn’t sleep? Why? I want to say that was the night before I was getting my tattoo redone. Do you own any flip-flops? Yeah, considering they're like... all I wear, ever. Did you ever really believe that the stork brought babies? I don't believe so, no. Have you ever had a dream about sleeping with a celebrity? (You don’t have to give details.) It was the only lucid dream I've ever had and I'm not complaining about it lmao. Have you ever had a dream that upset you or made you cry? Oh I'm sure. Has anyone ever told you that they needed you? Do you think they meant it? Not to my recollection, no, and I don't believe you should ever adopt that mentality and say that to someone. Do you own a laser? No. Is there anything you like to put on a sandwich, that some might find odd? Nah. I do enjoy a layer of potato chips on some sandwiches, like ham and cheese, but I know that's like an actual thing some people just like. What colour are the shoes you wear most often? They're black flip-flops. When was the last time you were required to put on a mask? In the morning when I go to the TMS office. And what colour was the last mask you wore? It's one of those normal blue and white medical ones. The last time you were in a queue, what were you waiting for? To see the woman who would give me my APAP mask. Have you had your Covid vaccine yet? Which one, if you have? Yes, Moderna. If you've had your vaccine, did you experience any side effects? None for the first shot, but my second shot bruised badly and I felt seriously shitty the following day. I was perfectly fine afterwards, though. Can any of your friends sing well? Which one has the nicest singing voice? Sara has an AMAAAAAAAAAAAZING voice. When was the last time you wore make-up, if ever? What shades/colours? I don't even remember, but I'm sure it would've been black. What is something that seems popular, but doesn't interest you personally? Fashion, various TV shows, etc... Are you clumsy or graceful? I am STUPID clumsy. Like it's just ridiculous. Do you like gloves? I like fingerless gloves. Does your sibling(s) have braces? My older sister did as a kid. Do you ever say "OMG" in person? No; it's a random pet peeve of mine, "Internet talk" irl. What was the last thing your parents got mad at you for? Dad, no idea. Mom, uhhhh. Not "mad," but "annoyed" probably better fits how she felt about me leaving the heating pad I use for my cramps on the floor. Do your pets have favorites? I'm definitely Roman's favorite seeing as he is my literal shadow, and I'd assume Venus trusts me more than anyone else, but realistically, she's in contact with almost no one else, so. Who was your first boyfriend/girlfriend? Why did you break up? The first guy to have the title of "boyfriend" was Aaron, and I broke up with him 'cuz I just wasn't as romantically into him as I thought I might be. It was puppy-dog love, and I feel I knew that. My first *real* boyfriend was Jason, who broke up with me because my mental illnesses began to affect his wellbeing. Which I now accept is fine, but he seriously coulda gone about things differently... When was the last time you got a new bed? Is your bed comfy? Late into my teenage years; idk the exact age and don't feel like doing the math. Teddy kept peeing on the bed to where it was just unrecoverable and needed to be thrown away. My current bed is comfy enough. What kind of games did you play on the playground when you were younger? My absolute favorite was digging tunnels in the sandbox, pretending to be a meerkat. The only trend I ever created, haha, seeing as my classmates got into it with me, allowing us to make huge tunnel systems. It was really cool. I also liked playing 4 Square (which I now don't even remember the details of) on the basketball court. Do you remember the first time you ever drove a car? Who were you with? Yeah, my driver's ed instructor and the guy who was on the same route as me. What’s your favorite thing to do when drunk? Would you do this sober? N/A Are you a fan of dogs? Do you have any as pets? I'm picky with dogs. I like interacting with any dog, but I don't plan on ever owning another. I don't like how hyper they can be, and I prefer more independent pets, like cats. Basically, I'll be hyped to meet a random dog on the street and give it some loving, but I don't want to take it home to be my own. Are you an elitist (even a little bit) when it comes to anything? What? No. I cannot stand elitists. Is just being fond of something enough, or does it take more than that to be a ‘real fan’? And I hate gatekeeping in fandoms even more. There are varying intensities of "being a fan," but regardless, if you like something, congratulations, you're a valid, "real" fan. What type of fabric is most comfortable for clothing? I don't pay attention to this, honestly. If you wear one – bras with or without a wire? I'll wear either, but without is way more comfortable. If you wear one – are you able to find cute bras in your size? God no. What length do you like your shorts to be? I don’t wear shorts. What was the last disappointing movie you saw? Warcraft, but not because it was bad. I've talked before how in the theater, the orcs' voices were just so fucking baritone that I couldn't understand almost ANYTHING they said. Kinda ruined the experience for me. What was the last disappointing book you read? Don't recall. Do you ever watch compilation videos? Of what? Very rarely. If I do, they're mostly of animals being silly. Favorite Disney character who isn’t royalty? Probably Dory, but idk. There's WAY too many options to fish through.

[jenniewetter]

Legendary Racing Driver turned Award Winning Wine Maker has a Gig Harbor connection!

If you’ve met me, you probably know I am crazy passionate about Car Racing - specifically - Formula 1, but also Endurance Racing and IndyCar Racing - and have been so almost all of my life.  Most of us sports fan rarely get a chance to meet our legends in any sport, even for a quick autograph.  So, to be able to say that I am one of the lucky ones… privileged to have opportunities to be “on the inside” is an understatement!  I often say, “just pinch me” because this starry eyed fan has met and chatted with some of the greatest!

The first time I met legendary racer, Scott Pruett, he was sharing his wines with us at a small dinner pizza party in Pebble Beach, CA.  His passion for his relatively new craft of winemaking radiated from his every word.  It was so much fun and inspiring to hear him talk about the parallels between his two careers, which would seem to most of us to be radically different.  To Scott, there are obvious parallels.

Fast forward to a couple of years later… I spent time talking with Scott and his lovely wife, Judy, again pouring their wines for all of us at a dinner party in Pebble Beach - this time the intimate low key pizza party was still low key, but now had several hundred attendees :)  It was obvious they were exactly where they wanted to be… sharing their fantastic wines and their story.  I asked Scott about his plans now that he had retired.  “Are you going to go big?  Seems the next logical step?”  His answer initially surprised me, but after I pondered it for a moment, it made perfect sense.  “No, not at all, actually.  It might seem the logical step to expand, however, think about it from a racing driver standpoint.  Perfection is attained in almost micro adjustments - lap after lap you evaluate and make tiny changes the next time around - there is always room to improve no matter how perfect the last lap.  I’ve decided to apply that philosophy to my wine making.  I want to continue to refine what Judy and I are creating - making tiny adjustments to our small batch wines - always improving - as close to perfect as we can get.  

Of course I was moved (again, if you know me - makes perfect sense!)  And of course I wanted to buy a case of their great wine!  Come to find out (as I was giving Judy my address), an integral part of their operation lives and works for them right here in Gig Harbor!!  It’s such a small world :)

You don’t have to be a racing junkie like to me to be able to appreciate the  awesome story I’ve attached below… how one of the most decorated (yet kind & genuine) racing drivers in history has produced one of the best Syrah’s in the world in just a few short years in to the winemaking business!  Enjoy the article… and the wine!

How This Legendary Racing Driver Became One of the Best Winemakers in the World in Just a Few Short Years

Scott Pruett wrapped up a five-decade career as one of the most celebrated drivers in sports car history. And he also produces award-winning wines at his family-owned vineyard.

By Jeff Haden

Contributing editor, Inc.

@jeff_haden

Scott Pruett.

CREDIT: Courtesy IMSA

Scott Pruett is the racer’s racer – and one of the most versatile drivers in motorsport history.

He’s a 5-time IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Series overall champion. He won IROC races. He won IndyCar races. He raced in NASCAR.

And along the way he’s turned a wine business he (literally) started in his garage into Pruett Vineyard, a world-class winery that produces, among other award winning wines, what Wine Spectator declared the highest-rated Syrah in the country.

There’s an old joke that goes, “How do you make a small fortune? Start with a large fortune – and start a winery.” So why (and more importantly, how) did a race car driver launch a winery that within a few short years consistently score 90-plus wine ratings?

To find out, I talked with Scott and his wife Judy – two of the nicest people you could ever hope to meet – at the Rolex 24, his final race before retiring from driving.

Racing at the highest levels is all-consuming… so why get into winemaking?

I grew up on a ranch. I love working. I love being outside. I love working in the dirt.

As far as making wine… I wanted to give it a try, and I knew a few things. I didn’t want to just hire a winemaker and step back out of the way. I didn’t want to just put my name on a label. I didn’t want to buy my fruit.

I wanted to do the work.

You didn’t want to be like a corporate seagull: Fly in, eat all the food, and poop on everything as you fly away?

(Laughs.) Well, no.

During my IndyCar career we had purchased a property in the Sierra foothills with an incredible view of the American River. The Sierra foothills are a very old wine-growing region because of the gold rush: The miners would plant vines, harvest the fruit, ferment the grapes… it gave them something alcoholic to drink.

Being just over an hour from Napa, we knew a lot of very successful people in the business. Thomas Rivers Brown has multiple Wine Spectator and Parker hundred-point Napa Cabernets. Randy Lewis was a racer and is now a successful a winery owner. Bill Harland is there.

Through them we met Tom Prentice and Peter Michael. We needed experts to do climate and soil studies because the last thing I wanted to do was just put vines in my backyard and say, “Isn’t that pretty.” (Laughs.)

But you had no idea whether your property was actually good for growing grapes – much less high quality grapes.

No one had really done much in our area. There were a number of wineries around… but not necessarily making premium wines.

So we took a couple of years to do soil studies and climate studies: Looking at soils at different times of the year, looking at moisture levels, at holding capacities, etc.

Keep in mind we were doing all this in and around racing, but I could manage it fairly easily because we could just set up tests… it wasn’t complicated from a time management point of view.

And when we completed our analysis Tom said, “I will quit my job if you can’t produce something exciting here.”

So I said, “Let’s go.”

Of course deciding to start, and actually working through the process, are two different things.

The next challenge was choosing our root stock. That was a process in itself. Then, our soil type is 80 percent fractured rock and red clay soil. You couldn’t stick a shovel anywhere without hitting a rock. That also created challenges.

Fast forward and we were two years into analysis, more years into preparing the soil and putting plants in and cultivating them… it’s a long runway, and you’re spending money all the time.

But that’s where your inclination towards bootstrapping comes in.

There is a fairly sizable amount of capital involved, but if you’re willing to do the work yourself you can save a lot of money. Tearing down trees, doing all the dirt work, being creative…  It was a lot of hard work.

But it was also a lot of fun. I like working outside and digging up dirt. It was right up my alley. Although it did mean I got so filthy I had to take my clothes off outside before I came in the house. (Laughs.)

So we got the plants in the ground and I got some help from guys who really knew what they were doing. Again, that came through my contacts in Napa. And I hired a consultant and bought some grapes from my neighbor just so I could start the learning process of actually making wine.

Saying there’s a lot to making wine is a huge understatement, and I started with no real experience.

So how do you resist the temptation to just turn it over to someone knowledgeable?

Again, that’s not why I got into it.

On the growing side, I felt more comfortable. Getting the plants in the ground, managing them.. and soon you have a little bit of fruit. The goal was to play with the fruit – with no intention of ever selling it – and just gain some knowledge.

And I did get some help with that process. But the goal was for me to learn from the help I got, not just turn things over to someone.

What did you learn early on?

For starters, we set up all the cross arms based on growing principles from Napa.

But we don’t get those really cool, foggy Napa mornings. So it wasn’t uncommon to have a lot of heat in the fruit because they were in direct sunlight. So I had to go back in and change cross-arms to expand them out and let branches cascade over the shoots so it resulted in a dimpled instead of intense light on the fruit.

I didn’t know what I didn’t know, but I was willing to do the work to correct for things I didn’t know.

How did all that work fit into the time you needed to spend racing?

Fortunately, harvesting happens towards the end of the racing season. But it’s still tough.

And the fact that I’m a racer made it challenging from a mental aspect. Skipping forward a little bit, our first significant crop was in 2010. We harvested, got some help with the pressing, did all the fermentation… and then it’s still another two years before you can release the wine.

For me, as a race car driver used to things happening in fractions of a second, two more years was almost more than I could deal with. That was probably the hardest part – dealing with that really, really long runway.  

And with no guarantee of a return.

Exactly. You could be five years in and be left wondering how long you can use your vintage for cooking. (Laughs.)

In 2011 we were hit with a really long growing season. A lot of rain, we’re really having to move and adapt… it was good we had a small vineyard. Between myself and a couple of guys who helped, we came through it.

So our 2010 was still in barrels, 2011 was a challenging growing season… and my racing was going really well. So I’m out there winning races and I come home the next day and am out there in the wind and rain and dirt.

But that’s what you do.

So time passes and you finally release a vintage. What was the response?

We continually test and try different protocols, different floors, different toasts… the more information we have, the better we learn what brings out the best in our wines. But again, there’s no guarantee that you’re doing anything right.

So we submitted to Wine Spectator and right out of the box we got three 93-point wines.

What was that like?

We did a happy dance. (Laughs.) Plus it was really cool because we name our estate wines after our kids. So that made it fun, too.

And we kept learning. I realized that using less new oak really showed our fruit better. The expression of the wines kept getting better. The flavors and the textures and the mid-palate and the affinity… they’re striking and wonderful.

Did you ever imagine you’d be sitting here with all those terms rolling off your tongue so nicely?

(Laughs.) Oh, heck no. But that’s the great part about doing something new. You learn a lot… and you can also surprise yourself by what you learn to love.

What I also never imagined is that we’d have one of the two highest-rated Syrahs, with 96 points, in the world. Or that we’d have a 95-point wine.

And all of a sudden our sales boomed. We sell our wines ourselves, and the phones and website just lit up.

Which only works if you have something people want; otherwise you need a distributor to push sales.

Exactly. Otherwise you need some sort of distribution model to get your wine out there and get it sold. But when you have people coming to you, you get to stay in control of your marketing and sales… which is very cool.

It also helps that we did something unexpected: Here I was, a guy who shouldn’t be making great wine, doing it in an unknown wine-growing region.

That also helped put us on the map.

I’m fascinated by people who are serial achievers – who accomplish more than one thing at a very high level. Did working on your winery benefit your racing?

I wouldn’t say it made me better at racing, but it was a wonderful getaway. As a vineyard owner you’re walking through your vineyard at sunrise, at 5:30 in the morning, the sun is coming up, it’s peaceful and quiet… it’s pretty cool to know you built all that.

Plus being involved in making wine makes us part of that very centuries-long chain of people who have made wine. That’s a humbling and wonderful thing.

Honestly: All I wanted was to be able to sit across from my friends and have them try my wine and not bust my chops over the taste. (Laughs.) Everything else is gravy.

Judy: Lots of people chase one thing and try to be really, really good at it – much less two things. So I do sometimes think, “How did this happen?”

Scott says he’s totally shocked by the success of the wine. I’m not shocked. He commits all the time and energy necessary to succeed. If it needs to be done, he’ll do it, and he won’t complain. He’s the first guy there in the morning and one of the last to leave. He’ll give up sleeping and eating and anything he has to in order to make it perfect.

So it doesn’t surprise me at all that the wine is so good.

Is the ability to work hard and persevere something you had to develop?

That’s the way my dad was. That’s all I know. And I like working: This harvest was a lot of 14, 15 hour days.

My dad always said, and we say to our kids, “Do your best. Invest yourself in what you want to do. Do your best, then push it a little farther.” That’s how you accomplish hard things.

So you have 50 acres… are you running out of room to expand?

We had this courtyard in front of our house, a big grassy area… and I was constantly fixing irrigation lines and sprinklers. I finally said to Judy, “I’m sick of taking care of this grass and mowing it. Plus it’s using a lot of water. We’re going to rip it out.”

I might be able to pick up another acre, but that’s about it. That’s all there is.

Judy: And now there isn’t much room left to park cars. (Laughs.)

Will that be enough? And if it’s not, when you do you run out of personal capacity to be as involved as you are?

That’s a complicated question.

One, the winery is doing well. It’s paying for itself, putting some money in the bank, letting us buy new equipment… and it’s paying back past debt. And we’re making highly-rated wines. Those are all very, very good things.

That also put you in a small fraction of wineries.

Yes. We started out like Lucy and Ethel, bootstrapping, with minimal equipment… there was a lot of physical labor. But we’ve been able to buy equipment to help make the work easier. And we’re a lot more efficient.

So it’s paid off the installation of the initial vineyard, it’s paid back all this debt and put some money in the bank, there are two vintages sitting in the wine barrels right now and all those costs have already been absorbed… that’s a really good situation to be in.

And we don’t need to work with distributors. Nothing against distributors, it’s just nice to be able to set our own prices, to not absorb the cost of a middle-man, not have to raise our prices to support that… because when you do, the consumer ends up paying that cost.

So we won’t ever get rich from this, but it provides a good living and we get to produce great wines.

And we have a loyal following with our wine club members. One might can call and say, “My father-in-law’s birthday is next week, can you autograph a bottle?” We do, we add a special card… we like providing that kind of service.

It’s a business, but there is a personal aspect to it, too, and we never want to lose that.

So with all that said: We want to stay small because we like the personal relationship we have with our customers. We like our old-school approach.

Wine is ultimately a product… but it can be more than that.

There’s something special about sharing a bottle with your spouse, a business associate, your friends… when you pull out a special bottle and share it, that’s a really cool thing.

People put away bottles for special occasions: Graduations, birth of a grandchild, wedding anniversaries… there’s a community aspect that comes with wine.

And our vineyard is also our home. It’s like living in Tuscany.

Making wine started as just an idea, but it’s become a lot more than we ever imagined. That’s what happens when you pour yourself into something.

When you’re willing to work hard, you really do get out what you put in.