#lake louise 2022

[haireyes]

Favourite new watches of the year!

[brokehorrorfan]

Speak No Evil will be released on Blu-ray and DVD on November 19 via Universal. Produced by Blumhouse, the 2024 psychological horror-thriller will first be available on Digital tomorrow, October 1.

James Watkins (Eden Lake, The Woman in Black) writes and directs, based on the 2022 Danish film of the same name. James McAvoy, Mackenzie Davis, Aisling Franciosi, Alix West Lefler, Dan Hough, and Scoot McNairy star.

Special features are listed below.

Special features:

Audio commentary by writer-director James Wakins

Nuclear Families featurette

A Horrifying Crescendo featurette

The Farmhouse of Horrors featurette

After befriending a British couple with a mute son, Americans Ben and Louise accept an unusual invitation to bring their daughter for a weekend at an idyllic country estate. Yet when they discover their hosts are hiding sinister motives, Ben and Louise fear their family may be pawns in a disturbing plot.

Pre-order Speak No Evil.

[natures-moments]

Devil's Thumb trail view, Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada (Summer 2022)

[claygoestothemovies]

⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

After the most aggressive marketing campaign since the Crusades, SPEAK NO EVIL is finally here. More importantly, we never have to see the trailer ever again. As its own thing, it’s actually pretty fun! As a remake of SPEAK NO EVIL (2022), it fails epically.

The story follows Ben (Scoot McNairy), Louise (Mackenzie Davis), and their daughter Agnes (Alix West Lefler) as they go to visit some new friends they recently met while vacationing in Italy. After moving to London and having some marital difficulties, going to the county for a long weekend seems like just what they need, even if they barely know the people they’ll be visiting. Upon arriving, things become increasingly uncomfortable as their hosts display behavior that is, shall we say, a bit out of the norm.

As the villainous hosts, James McAvoy and Aisling Franciosi are nearly pitch perfect. McAvoy in particular seems to be having a blast with the material, and is far more sinister than the campy performance the marketing suggested, thankfully. Davis and McNairy do as well as they can in their straight man roles, and I wish I could have seen them dig to the depths that were asked of the performers in the original, but that’s not the movie we got. I was, however, impressed by the child actors! Dan Hough’s Art and Lefler’s Agnes were surprisingly nuanced for people their age.

The original SPEAK NO EVIL was one of my favorite horror films of 2022, and one of the bleakest movie watching experiences I’ve ever had (complimentary), so with America’s track record of diluting foreign horror when we do the inevitable remake, I was nervous to say the least. The experience of watching this remake was fascinating and maddening all at the same time. On one hand, I was really enjoying myself, even though I was fully prepared to aggressively hate it. On the other hand, when the film did the generic thing that I had been expecting ever since the project was announced, I was furious. James Watkins, director of EDEN LAKE, doing a neutered and defanged version of SPEAK NO EVIL was not exactly on my bingo card for the year.

If you aren’t familiar with the Danish original, you’ll more than likely really enjoy this. It doesn’t reinvent the horror movie wheel, and is about fifteen minutes too long, but it’s largely inoffensive. If you are familiar with the original version, you’ll probably want to walk out of the theater about two-thirds of the way through. Will I ever understand why we felt the need to do an American remake of a film only two years old that’s largely in English already? Absolutely not. Did it do exactly what I was afraid of it doing? One hundred percent. I don’t think it succeeds as a remake, and fundamentally misunderstands the material, but ultimately, the films are doing very different things, and I have to give it props for trying to distinguish itself, if nothing else. It’s worth a rental at least for McAvoy’s performance alone, but unlike the vacationers, maybe choose to sit this one out.

3.5/5

[burlveneer-music]

My WVUD playlist, 1/11/2024

(Filling in on Java Time)

Vic Mars - The Obelisk Belbury Poly - The Path Peter Gabriel - Road to Joy (Bright-Side Mix) David Bowie - Lady Grinning Soul David Bowie - Cat People (Putting Out Fire) David Bowie - Loving the Alien (Single Remix) -M- & Gail Ann Dorsey - Space Oddity Metropolitan Jazz Octet - Changes (feat. Paul Marinaro) Filharmonie Brno, Dennis Russell Davies, Angélique Kidjo & Christian Schmitt - Philip Glass, Symphony No. 12 "Lodger": IV. Boys Keep Swinging Imany - Take Me to Church Dolly Parton - Wrecking Ball (feat. Miley Cyrus) Trevor Horn - Personal Jesus (feat. Iggy Pop & Lambrini Girls) Juliana Hatfield - Can't Get It Out of My Head Michele Thomas - Can't Find My Way Home Sleaford Mods - West End Girls The Fusion Syndicate - The Bottle (feat. Bootsy Collins, Brian Jackson, Carmine Appice & Fernando Perdomo) The Feelies - Sweet Jane The Gold Needles - Village Green Preservation Society Simple Minds - Colours Fly and Catherine Wheel (Live From Paisley Abbey) ABC - Poison Arrow (Live) Joni Mitchell - Help Me (feat. Celisse) (Live at the Newport Folk Festival, 7/24/2022) Brendan Perry - Sarabande (Live at The ICA) Scott Walker - Big Louise April Wine - Electric Jewels April Wine - Tonite Is a Wonderful Time to Fall In Love (Live) April Wine - Roller (Live 1982) Crack the Sky - Lady in the Lake Ana Frango Elétrico - Boy of Stranger Things

[fearsmagazine]

SPEAK NO EVIL | Trailer #2 & Poster

When an American family is invited to spend the weekend at the idyllic country estate of a charming British family they befriended on vacation, what begins as a dream holiday soon warps into a snarled psychological nightmare.

From Blumhouse, the producer of The Black Phone, Get Out and The Invisible Man, comes an intense suspense thriller for our modern age, starring BAFTA award-winner James McAvoy (Split, Glass) in a riveting performance as the charismatic, alpha-male estate owner whose untrammeled hospitality masks an unspeakable darkness.

Speak No Evil stars Mackenzie Davis (Terminator: Dark Fate, Halt and Catch Fire) and SAG award-winner Scoot McNairy (Argo, A Quiet Place Part II) as American couple Louise and Ben Dalton, who, along with their 11-year-old daughter Agnes (Alix West Lefler; The Good Nurse, Riverdale), accept the weekend-holiday invitation of Paddy (McAvoy), his wife Ciara (Aisling Franciosi; Game of Thrones, The Fall) and their furtive, mute son Ant (newcomer Dan Hough).

Written for the screen and directed by James Watkins, the writer-director of Eden Lake and the award-winning gothic ghost story The Woman in Black, Speak No Evil is based on the screenplay of the 2022 Danish horror sensation Gæsterne, written by Christian Tafdrup and Mads Tafdrup. That film earned 11 Danish Film Awards nominations, the Danish equivalent of the Oscars.

Speak No Evil is produced by Jason Blum (Five Nights at Freddy’s, M3GAN) for Blumhouse and by Paul Ritchie (McMafia, The Ipcress File) and is executive produced by Beatriz Sequeira for Blumhouse, Jacob Jarek and Christian Tafdrup.

SPEAK NO EVIL – in theaters September 13th, 2024.

[vandroid-helsing]

Best of 2022

as always, this is stuff I loved in 2022, not necessarily stuff that came out in 2022 (in fact, it's mostly not!). and there'll be a more detailed post on Patreon.

BOOKS & COMICS

Squire, Sara Alfageeh & Nadia Shammas

The Argonautika, Apollonius of Rhodes trans. Peter Green

Scout Is Not A Band Kid, Jade Armstrong

Bestiary Dark, Marianne Boruch

Antigonick, Anne Carson/Sophocles

Flint and Mirror, John Crowley

Devil House, John Darnielle

Universal Harvester, John Darnielle

Vita Nostra, Marina Dyachenko

The Hatch, Joe Fletcher

Averno, Louise Glück

Job: A New Verse Translation, Edward L. Greenstein

The Thin Man, Dashiell Hammett

Heretics of Dune, Frank Herbert 

Iliad, Homer trans. Caroline Alexander 

Skin Folk, Nalo Hopkinson

Uzumaki, Junji Ito

Moon Witch, Spider King, Marlon James 

Footnotes in the Order of Disappearance, Fady Joudah

Ulysses, James Joyce

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, John le Carré

A Desolation Called Peace, Arkady Martine

Salt Fat Acid Heat, Samin Nosrat

The Bull from the Sea, Mary Renault

The Persian Boy, Mary Renault 

Normal People, Sally Rooney

Grief Sequence, Prageeta Sharma

A Frog in the Fall, Linnea Sterte 

Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me, Mariko Tamaki and Rosemary Valero-O’Connell

A Secret Vice, JRR Tolkien ed. Dimitra Fimi

MOVIES

Loser, Urzila Carlson

Everything Everywhere All At Once, Daniels 

Saint Maud, Rose Glass

Promare, Hiroyuki Imaishi

My Neighbor Totoro, Hayao Miyazaki

Withnail & I, Bruce Robinson

Jenny Slate: Stage Fright, Gillian Robinson

Demon Slayer, Haruo Sotozaki

Stalker, Andrei Tarkovsky

Sk8 the Infinity, Hiroko Utumi

Barbarella, Roger Vadim

MUSIC

The Dream, alt-J

Renaissance, Beyoncé 

Hounds of Love, Kate Bush

“Lakes of Canada,” The Innocence Mission

The Loneliest Time, Carly Rae Jepsen

Dance Fever, Florence + the Machine

Mashrou' Leila, just like, in general

“Children of Light II”, Meg Myers

Leak 04-13, Jai Paul

Scheherazade, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov

Rostam & Sohrab, Loris Tjeknavorian

MISCELLANEOUS

Getting an agent

Homemade baba ghanoush 

Seeing Drawfee live

Attending Tristan und Isolde

The work of Salman Toor

Guesting on The Spouter-inn

[whatisalife]

📍Banff National Park, Lake Louise (Sep 2022) 🇨🇦

By Phong Dinh

Instagram: @phongsphotos 

[lilolilyrae]

Songs & poetry I currently know by heart

Thought it might be fun to start a list of these :) just cause... And because if I don't go through these from time to time, I'll unlearn them again, and I tend to forget half of these even exist, so... List :D

Vaguely in the order I learned them:

Songs:

Amy McDonald - Pretty Face

Halsey - New Americana

Don McLean - American Pie (though I keep messing up the 3. & 4th stanza adsfg)

Coldplay - Viva la Vida (and I can more or less do it on the piano but like. the vocal melody? xD)

Taylor Swift - The Lakes

King Princess - 1950 (... probably need to re-learn hL of that)

Hole in the bottom of the sea (my parents taught me on vacation two years ago or so? Hilarious)

Måneskin - Zitti e Buoni

Jax - Victoria's Secret (2022)

Four Seasons - December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night) (Dec'22)

Poetry:

Madelline - Dopamine (french version) (Jun'23)

Jericho (Jul'23)

Theodor Fontane - John Maynard (leider nur noch halbwegs :( also ich kriegs hin aber nur mit viel überlegen lol xD dang it, I used to know this one!)

John McCrae - In Flanders Fields (I'm 99% certain I learned that one bc it was mentioned in some fanfic but I can't for the life of me remember which fic or even which fandom adsfg)

Update 03/23: Caitlyn Seida - Hope Is Not A Bird, Emily, It's A Sewer Rat Update

04/23: Mary Elizabeth Frye - Do not stand at my grave and qeep

04/23: Emily Dickinson - Hope is the Thing with Feathers

Piano:

PotC melody (right hand properly, left hand not rly at all)

LotR (pretty much all of them one finger style, but part of the elves theme I can do with both hands properly)

Good Omens theme (right hand)

Also every song I know the melody of I can pretty much do one finger style by ear... Reminds me I used to know a couple songs by Eisblume and LaFee by heart that are no longer on the above list, o.o (I can still do the melody, but not the words)

... to be taken with a grain of salt though, I've not had access to a piano for a few months now, and while I'm sure I can still do PotC, I'm not certain I've learned the other two by heart enough for them to stick that long without practice

Learning:

Ursula K. Le Guin - Hymn to Time (I can do the first two stanzas now) - update 04/23: three stanzas!

Sappho - On What is Best (haven't really started yet but I have the tab open)

Irish Eyes (Jun'23)

Aaaand the probably largest category of them all:

Shit I've unlearned :((

LaFee - Ring Frei

Eisblume - Louise

Eisblume - Eisblumen

Taylor Swift - Love Story

Amy Macdonald - Spark

Amy Macdonald - This is the Life

ABBA - Mamma Mia

ABBA - Honey Honey

Lena - Satellite

Das verdammte Gedicht mit midestens zehn Strophen das wir in der Schule hatten auswendig lernen müssen, mit einem angeklagten der noch was erledigen muss und sein Kumpel bleibt als Pfand zurück oä?? Weiß nicht mal mehr den Namen (edit: die Bürgschaft)

Idk whether it counts as poetry or what but I used to be able to do large parts of Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet and Midsummer Night's dream, plus other plays (though usually just the parts I played in drama club)

[perspicacious-dragon-of-welkin]

Summit of Lake Louise, AB, Canada

2022-12-30

[news-buzz]

Alpine Canada eyes Panorama or Whistler, B.C., for future males’s World Cup downhills – Brandon Solar Information Buzz

Whistler and Panorama, B.C., are candidates to host males’s World Cup downhill ski races sooner or later. Alpine Canada president and chief govt officer Therese Brisson intends to discover a alternative in Western Canada for the lads’s velocity occasion held yearly till 2022 in Lake Louise, Alta. “What we actually need to do is construct, I’ll name it a nationwide alpine velocity coaching centre.…

[brookston]

Holidays 7.11

Holidays

Advice to the Lovelorn Day

All American Pet Photo Day

Bandoneon Day (Argentina)

Bean Day (French Republic)

Beh Deinkhlan (Meghalaya, India)

Bowdler's Day

Celebration of the Golden Spurs (Flanders)

Convenience Store Day

Day of the Bandoneón (Argentina)

Day of the Forest Fire Fighter (Mexico)

Day of the Five Billion (1987)

Drummer Appreciation Day

Duel Day

Eleventh Night (Bonfire Night; Northern Ireland)

Flemish Community Day (Belgium)

Hecate Asteroid Day

International EcoBrick Day

International Essential Oils Day

International Rhyming Day

International Richard Cheese Day

Ker Puja (Tripura, India)

Maritime Day (China)

Naadam (Mongolia)

National All American Pet Photo Day

National Cheer Up the Lonely Day

National Culture and Senior Citizens Day (Kiribati)

National Day of Remembrance of Victims of Genocide by Ukrainian Nationalists on Citizens of the Second Republic of Poland (Poland)

National Essential Oils Day

National Journalist Day (Chile)

National Maritime Day (China)

National Polyphenol Day

National Recovery Day

National 7-Eleven Day

National Swimming Pool Day

National Tree Day (Mexico)

Orangeman’s Day (Canada)

Reading Guilt Day

Relisha Rudd Remembrance Day (DC)

Robert the Bruce Day (Scotland)

711 Day

Srebrenica Memorial Day (UK)

Straw Free Day (Colorado)

Swimming Pool Day

To Kill A Mockingbird Day

The 12th Planet, by Zecharia Sitchin (Conspiracy Book; 1976)

World Benzodiazepine Awareness Day

World Fringe Day

World Independent Living Day

World Massage Day

World Population Day (UN)

Food & Drink Celebrations

Blueberry Muffin Day

Free Slurpee Day (7-11 Stores)

Hot Dog Night (Luverne, Minnesota)

International Raw Food Day

Make Your Own Sundae Day

National Mojito Day

National Rainier Cherry Day

National State Fair Food Day

Ramen Day (Japan)

Vegetarian Food Day

World Chocolate Day (Russia)

Independence & Related Days

Mongolia (from China, 1921)

Polarveinn (Declared; 2022) [unrecognized]

2nd Thursday in July

Dinosaur Roundup Rodeo begins (Vernal, Utah) [2nd Thursday thru Saturday]

National Tree Day [2nd Thursday]

Oregon Trail Days begin (Geris, Nebraska) [2nd Thursday thru Sunday]

Oxegen Festival begins (Ireland) [2nd Thursday there Sunday]

Throwback Thursday [Every Thursday]

Turkey Rama begins (McMinnville, Oregon) [2nd Thursday]

Weekly Holidays beginning July 11 (2nd Week of July)

Jim Thorpe Native American Games (thru 7.19)

National Parenting Gifted Children Week (thru 7.13) [3rd Weekend]

Festivals Beginning July 11, 2024

Big Stone County Fair (Clinton, Minnesota) [thru 7.14]

Capital Fringe (Washington, DC) [thru 7.21]

Corn Fest (Midland, Michigan) [thru 7.14]

CRAVE! Food & Drink Celebration (Spokane Valley, Washington) [thru 7.13]

Delta Chicken Festival (Delta, Ohio) [thru 7.13]

Dine Downtown San Jose Restaurant Week (San Jose, California) [thru 7.21]

Elsie Dairy Festival (Elsie, Michigan) [thru 7.13]

Gunnison Cattlemen's Days (Gunnison, Colorado) [thru 7.13]

Hot Dog Nite (Luverne, Minnesota)

Japan Expo (Paris, France) [thru 7.14]

King County Fair (Enumclaw, Washington) [thru 7.14]

Montana Governor's Cup Walleye Tournament (Fort Peck Lake, Montana) [thru 7.13]

NOS Alive (Lisbon, Portugal) [thru 7.13]

Ortigueira International Festival of the Celtic World (Ortigueira, Spain) [thru 7.14]

Pohoda Festival (Trenčín, Slovakia) [thru 7.13]

Pula Film Festival (Pula, Croatia) [thru 7.18]

Salute! A Festival of Wine & Food (Lawrence, Kansas) [thru 7.13]

Schubertiade Vorarlberg (Hohenems, Austria) [thru 7.14]

Slugburger Festival (Corinth, Mississippi) [thru 7.13]

South Carolina Festival of Discovery (Greenwood, South Carolina) [thru 7.13]

South Carolina Peach Festival Gaffney, South Carolina) [thru 7.20]

Toledo Cheese Days (Toledo, Washington) [thru 7.14]

Winnipeg Folk Festival (Winnipeg, Canada) [thru 7.14]

Yaga Gathering (Valkininkai, Lithuania) [thru 7.15]

Feast Days

Benedict of Nursia (Christian; Saint)

Bobbie Louise Hawkins (Writerism)

Boris Grigoriev (Artology)

Drostan of Dalcongaile (Christian; Saint)

E. B. White (Writerism)

Feast of Min (Ancient Egyptian harvest & fertility festival)

Feast of Theano (patron of vegetarianism)

Guru Rinpoche Day (Bhutan)

Hidulphus (a.k.a. Hidulf; Christian; Saint)

H. M. Brock (Artology)

Imamat Day (Nizari Ismaili Shiʿi Muslims)

James, Bishop of Nisibis (Christian; Saint)

James McNeill Whistler (Artology)

John of Bergamo (Christian; Saint)

Kronia (Festival honoring Kronos (Father Time) and Rhea (Mother Earth); Ancient Greece; Everyday Wicca)

Marie Lu (Writerism)

Martin Wong (Artology)

Millennial Fairy Olympics, Day 6 (Shamanism)

Molly Darton (Muppetism)

Naadam begins (Three Games of Men Festival; Mongolia) [thru 7.15]

Next Generation Captain (Muppetism)

Olga of Kiev (Christian; Saint & Widow)

Pancho Villa Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Pius I, Pope (Christian; Martyr)

Roy Krenkel (Artology)

Solstitium VII (Pagan)

St. Stephen of Hungary (Positivist; Saint)

Tinne (Celtic Book of Days)

World Population Day (Pastafarian)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Taian (大安 Japan) [Lucky all day.]

Premieres

Alice’s Medicine Show (Ub Iwerks Disney Cartoon; 1927)

Alphas (TV Series; 2011)

Bats in the Belfry (Woody Woodpecker Cartoon; 1960)

Beechwood 4-5789, by The Marvelettes (Song; 1962)

Boyhood (Film; 2014)

Bringing Home the Bacon (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1941)

Child Psykolojiky (Fleischer Popeye Cartoon; 1941)

Contact (Film; 1997)

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (Film; 2014)

Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (Animated Film; 2001)

Fleetwood Mac, by Fleetwood Mac (Album; 1975)

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (US Film; 2007) [#5]

Hellboy II: The Golden Army (Film; 2008)

Honky Tonk Women, by The Rolling Stones (Song; 1969)

Jesus Christ Superstar (Musical Play; 1971) [1st Stage Performance]

The Joke, by Milan Kundera (Novel; 1967)

The Kraken Wakes, by John Wyndham (Novel; 1953)

Little Cheeser (Happy Harmonies Cartoon; 1936)

Musashi, by Eiji Yoshikawa (Novel; 1939)

My Bodyguard (Film; 1980)

The Newlywed Game (Game Show; 1967)

Orange Is the New Black (TV Series; 2013)

Ordinary People, by Judith Guest (Novel; 1976)

Porky’s Pet (WB LT Cartoon; 1936)

School for Scoundrels (Film; 1960)

Shall We Dance? (Film; 1997)

Sharknado (Film; 2013)

Snowpiercer (Film; 2014)

Sorry Not Sorry, by Demi Lovato (Song; 2014)

Space Oddity, by David Bowie (Song; 1969)

To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee (Novel; 1960)

Trainspotting, by Irvine Welsh (Novel; 1993)

Wild Over You (WB LT Cartoon; 1953)

Today’s Name Days

Benedikt, Olga, Oliver (Austria)

Oleg, Olga (Bulgariaa)

Benedikt, Dobroslav, Olga (Croatia)

Olga (Czech Republic)

Josva (Denmark)

Asko, Askur (Estonia)

Eleonoora, Elli, Nelli, Noora (Finland)

Benoît, Olga, Yolande (France)

Benedikt (Germany)

Evfemia, Evfimia, Olga (Greece)

Lili, Nóra (Hungary)

Benedetto, Emanuele, Fabrizio, Olga (Italy)

Leonora, Lore, Svens, Varaidotis (Latvia)

Kipras, Kiprijonas, Pijus, Šarūnė, Vilmantas (Lithuania)

Kjell, Kjetil (Norway)

Benedykt, Cyprian, Kalina, Kallina, Kir, Olga, Pelagia, Pelagiusz, Pius, Placyd, Sawin, Wyszesława (Poland)

Eufimia (Romania)

Milota (Slovakia)

Benito, Olga (Spain)

Eleonora, Ellinor (Sweden)

Lusia, Olha, Olusia, Olia (Ukraine)

Alvia, Helga, Livia, Olga, Olive, Ollie, Oliver, Olivia, Quentin, Quincy, Quinn, Quintina, Quinton (USA)

Benoît, Alenka, Olga, Olya (Universal)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 193 of 2024; 173 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 4 of Week 28 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Tinne (Holly) [Day 5 of 28]

Chinese: Month 6 (Xin-Wei), Day 6 (Bing-Zi)

Chinese Year of the: Dragon 4722 (until January 29, 2025) [Wu-Chen]

Hebrew: 5 Tammuz 5784

Islamic: 4 Muharram 1446

J Cal: 13 Red; Fryday [13 of 30]

Julian: 28 June 2024

Moon: 29%: Waxing Crescent

Positivist: 24 Charlemagne (7th Month) [St. Stephen of Hungary]

Runic Half Month: Ur (Primal Strength) [Day 3 of 15]

Season: Summer (Day 22 of 94)

Week: 2nd Week of July

Zodiac: Cancer (Day 21 of 31)

[brookstonalmanac]

Holidays 7.11

Holidays

Advice to the Lovelorn Day

All American Pet Photo Day

Bandoneon Day (Argentina)

Bean Day (French Republic)

Beh Deinkhlan (Meghalaya, India)

Bowdler's Day

Celebration of the Golden Spurs (Flanders)

Convenience Store Day

Day of the Bandoneón (Argentina)

Day of the Forest Fire Fighter (Mexico)

Day of the Five Billion (1987)

Drummer Appreciation Day

Duel Day

Eleventh Night (Bonfire Night; Northern Ireland)

Flemish Community Day (Belgium)

Hecate Asteroid Day

International EcoBrick Day

International Essential Oils Day

International Rhyming Day

International Richard Cheese Day

Ker Puja (Tripura, India)

Maritime Day (China)

Naadam (Mongolia)

National All American Pet Photo Day

National Cheer Up the Lonely Day

National Culture and Senior Citizens Day (Kiribati)

National Day of Remembrance of Victims of Genocide by Ukrainian Nationalists on Citizens of the Second Republic of Poland (Poland)

National Essential Oils Day

National Journalist Day (Chile)

National Maritime Day (China)

National Polyphenol Day

National Recovery Day

National 7-Eleven Day

National Swimming Pool Day

National Tree Day (Mexico)

Orangeman’s Day (Canada)

Reading Guilt Day

Relisha Rudd Remembrance Day (DC)

Robert the Bruce Day (Scotland)

711 Day

Srebrenica Memorial Day (UK)

Straw Free Day (Colorado)

Swimming Pool Day

To Kill A Mockingbird Day

The 12th Planet, by Zecharia Sitchin (Conspiracy Book; 1976)

World Benzodiazepine Awareness Day

World Fringe Day

World Independent Living Day

World Massage Day

World Population Day (UN)

Food & Drink Celebrations

Blueberry Muffin Day

Free Slurpee Day (7-11 Stores)

Hot Dog Night (Luverne, Minnesota)

International Raw Food Day

Make Your Own Sundae Day

National Mojito Day

National Rainier Cherry Day

National State Fair Food Day

Ramen Day (Japan)

Vegetarian Food Day

World Chocolate Day (Russia)

Independence & Related Days

Mongolia (from China, 1921)

Polarveinn (Declared; 2022) [unrecognized]

2nd Thursday in July

Dinosaur Roundup Rodeo begins (Vernal, Utah) [2nd Thursday thru Saturday]

National Tree Day [2nd Thursday]

Oregon Trail Days begin (Geris, Nebraska) [2nd Thursday thru Sunday]

Oxegen Festival begins (Ireland) [2nd Thursday there Sunday]

Throwback Thursday [Every Thursday]

Turkey Rama begins (McMinnville, Oregon) [2nd Thursday]

Weekly Holidays beginning July 11 (2nd Week of July)

Jim Thorpe Native American Games (thru 7.19)

National Parenting Gifted Children Week (thru 7.13) [3rd Weekend]

Festivals Beginning July 11, 2024

Big Stone County Fair (Clinton, Minnesota) [thru 7.14]

Capital Fringe (Washington, DC) [thru 7.21]

Corn Fest (Midland, Michigan) [thru 7.14]

CRAVE! Food & Drink Celebration (Spokane Valley, Washington) [thru 7.13]

Delta Chicken Festival (Delta, Ohio) [thru 7.13]

Dine Downtown San Jose Restaurant Week (San Jose, California) [thru 7.21]

Elsie Dairy Festival (Elsie, Michigan) [thru 7.13]

Gunnison Cattlemen's Days (Gunnison, Colorado) [thru 7.13]

Hot Dog Nite (Luverne, Minnesota)

Japan Expo (Paris, France) [thru 7.14]

King County Fair (Enumclaw, Washington) [thru 7.14]

Montana Governor's Cup Walleye Tournament (Fort Peck Lake, Montana) [thru 7.13]

NOS Alive (Lisbon, Portugal) [thru 7.13]

Ortigueira International Festival of the Celtic World (Ortigueira, Spain) [thru 7.14]

Pohoda Festival (Trenčín, Slovakia) [thru 7.13]

Pula Film Festival (Pula, Croatia) [thru 7.18]

Salute! A Festival of Wine & Food (Lawrence, Kansas) [thru 7.13]

Schubertiade Vorarlberg (Hohenems, Austria) [thru 7.14]

Slugburger Festival (Corinth, Mississippi) [thru 7.13]

South Carolina Festival of Discovery (Greenwood, South Carolina) [thru 7.13]

South Carolina Peach Festival Gaffney, South Carolina) [thru 7.20]

Toledo Cheese Days (Toledo, Washington) [thru 7.14]

Winnipeg Folk Festival (Winnipeg, Canada) [thru 7.14]

Yaga Gathering (Valkininkai, Lithuania) [thru 7.15]

Feast Days

Benedict of Nursia (Christian; Saint)

Bobbie Louise Hawkins (Writerism)

Boris Grigoriev (Artology)

Drostan of Dalcongaile (Christian; Saint)

E. B. White (Writerism)

Feast of Min (Ancient Egyptian harvest & fertility festival)

Feast of Theano (patron of vegetarianism)

Guru Rinpoche Day (Bhutan)

Hidulphus (a.k.a. Hidulf; Christian; Saint)

H. M. Brock (Artology)

Imamat Day (Nizari Ismaili Shiʿi Muslims)

James, Bishop of Nisibis (Christian; Saint)

James McNeill Whistler (Artology)

John of Bergamo (Christian; Saint)

Kronia (Festival honoring Kronos (Father Time) and Rhea (Mother Earth); Ancient Greece; Everyday Wicca)

Marie Lu (Writerism)

Martin Wong (Artology)

Millennial Fairy Olympics, Day 6 (Shamanism)

Molly Darton (Muppetism)

Naadam begins (Three Games of Men Festival; Mongolia) [thru 7.15]

Next Generation Captain (Muppetism)

Olga of Kiev (Christian; Saint & Widow)

Pancho Villa Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Pius I, Pope (Christian; Martyr)

Roy Krenkel (Artology)

Solstitium VII (Pagan)

St. Stephen of Hungary (Positivist; Saint)

Tinne (Celtic Book of Days)

World Population Day (Pastafarian)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Taian (大安 Japan) [Lucky all day.]

Premieres

Alice’s Medicine Show (Ub Iwerks Disney Cartoon; 1927)

Alphas (TV Series; 2011)

Bats in the Belfry (Woody Woodpecker Cartoon; 1960)

Beechwood 4-5789, by The Marvelettes (Song; 1962)

Boyhood (Film; 2014)

Bringing Home the Bacon (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1941)

Child Psykolojiky (Fleischer Popeye Cartoon; 1941)

Contact (Film; 1997)

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (Film; 2014)

Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (Animated Film; 2001)

Fleetwood Mac, by Fleetwood Mac (Album; 1975)

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (US Film; 2007) [#5]

Hellboy II: The Golden Army (Film; 2008)

Honky Tonk Women, by The Rolling Stones (Song; 1969)

Jesus Christ Superstar (Musical Play; 1971) [1st Stage Performance]

The Joke, by Milan Kundera (Novel; 1967)

The Kraken Wakes, by John Wyndham (Novel; 1953)

Little Cheeser (Happy Harmonies Cartoon; 1936)

Musashi, by Eiji Yoshikawa (Novel; 1939)

My Bodyguard (Film; 1980)

The Newlywed Game (Game Show; 1967)

Orange Is the New Black (TV Series; 2013)

Ordinary People, by Judith Guest (Novel; 1976)

Porky’s Pet (WB LT Cartoon; 1936)

School for Scoundrels (Film; 1960)

Shall We Dance? (Film; 1997)

Sharknado (Film; 2013)

Snowpiercer (Film; 2014)

Sorry Not Sorry, by Demi Lovato (Song; 2014)

Space Oddity, by David Bowie (Song; 1969)

To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee (Novel; 1960)

Trainspotting, by Irvine Welsh (Novel; 1993)

Wild Over You (WB LT Cartoon; 1953)

Today’s Name Days

Benedikt, Olga, Oliver (Austria)

Oleg, Olga (Bulgariaa)

Benedikt, Dobroslav, Olga (Croatia)

Olga (Czech Republic)

Josva (Denmark)

Asko, Askur (Estonia)

Eleonoora, Elli, Nelli, Noora (Finland)

Benoît, Olga, Yolande (France)

Benedikt (Germany)

Evfemia, Evfimia, Olga (Greece)

Lili, Nóra (Hungary)

Benedetto, Emanuele, Fabrizio, Olga (Italy)

Leonora, Lore, Svens, Varaidotis (Latvia)

Kipras, Kiprijonas, Pijus, Šarūnė, Vilmantas (Lithuania)

Kjell, Kjetil (Norway)

Benedykt, Cyprian, Kalina, Kallina, Kir, Olga, Pelagia, Pelagiusz, Pius, Placyd, Sawin, Wyszesława (Poland)

Eufimia (Romania)

Milota (Slovakia)

Benito, Olga (Spain)

Eleonora, Ellinor (Sweden)

Lusia, Olha, Olusia, Olia (Ukraine)

Alvia, Helga, Livia, Olga, Olive, Ollie, Oliver, Olivia, Quentin, Quincy, Quinn, Quintina, Quinton (USA)

Benoît, Alenka, Olga, Olya (Universal)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 193 of 2024; 173 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 4 of Week 28 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Tinne (Holly) [Day 5 of 28]

Chinese: Month 6 (Xin-Wei), Day 6 (Bing-Zi)

Chinese Year of the: Dragon 4722 (until January 29, 2025) [Wu-Chen]

Hebrew: 5 Tammuz 5784

Islamic: 4 Muharram 1446

J Cal: 13 Red; Fryday [13 of 30]

Julian: 28 June 2024

Moon: 29%: Waxing Crescent

Positivist: 24 Charlemagne (7th Month) [St. Stephen of Hungary]

Runic Half Month: Ur (Primal Strength) [Day 3 of 15]

Season: Summer (Day 22 of 94)

Week: 2nd Week of July

Zodiac: Cancer (Day 21 of 31)

[ifnowhynot]

Wines of the year, 2023

Given the nature of my work and the fine wine folk I am so lucky to rub elbows with on the regular, I taste thousands of wines each year. These are the ones I remember most fondly: the way they opened the world, the way they centred experience, and all the kind souls that shared them with me. 

I will remember 2023 as the year I really shed my ignorance and fell in love with Bordeaux and a year in which my partner and I continued our love affair with Jura Chards and Loire Chenins and entered into a new obsession with the great dessert wines of the world.

This list probably looks unhinged to the non-obsessed haha. Without having a social media outlet these last few years, it feels like some small gesture to the hardworking producers who crafted these works of art to be able to shout them out and thank them for their work. So here were the gems:

MY TOP 12 WHITES

Dom BELARGUS 2018 ‘Rouères’ Chenin Blanc, Anjou AOC, Loire

Dom STÉPHANE TISSOT 2018 ‘Les Bruyères’ Chardonnay, Arbois AOC, Jura

O'ROURKE FAMILY ESTATE 2020 'Twisted Pine' Chardonnay, Lake Country, BC

LA FRENZ 2011 ‘Knorr Vineyard’ Semillon, Naramata Bench, BC

PATRICK SULLIVAN 2020 Baw Baw Shire Chardonnay, Victoria, Australia

BIEN NACIDO 2020 Estate Chardonnay, Santa Maria Valley, California

CLOS DU MOULIN AUX MOINES 2020 Pernand-Vergelesses AOC 'Les Combottes', Burgundy

Dom BITOUZET-PRIEUR 2017 Meursault AOC 1er Cru Perrières, Chardonnay, Burgundy

M. CHAPOUTIER 2018 Hermitage AOC ‘Chante-Alouette’, Marsanne, Rhône

LITTORAI 2013 ‘Mays Canyon’ Chardonnay, Sonoma Coast, California

BINDI 2015 ‘Kostas Rind’ Chardonnay, Mornington Peninsula, Australia

RAMEY 2019 Hyde Vineyard Chardonnay, Napa Valley, California

MY TOP 10 REDS

Ch LÉOVILLE-LAS-CASES 1975 Grand Vin, Saint-Julien AOC, Grand Cru Classé Deuxième, Bordeaux

Ch LA TOUR DE MONS 1982 Margaux AOC, Bordeaux

Dom MUGNERET-GIBOURG 2020 Échezeaux Grand Cru AOC, Burgundy

HIYU 2017 ‘Aura’, Pinot Gris & Pinot Noir, Columbia Gorge, Oregon

TWO VINTNERS 2019 ‘The Waiting List’ Syrah, Yakima Valley, Washington

AGRI SEGRETUM 2018 Todi DOC ‘Marmocchio’, Sangiovese/Sagrantino, Umbria

TROON VINEYARD 2022 ‘Siskiyou’ Syrah, Applegate Valley, Oregon

CLENDENEN 2018 ‘Bricco Buon Natale’ Nebbiolo, Bien Nacido Vineyard, California

REINE PÉDAUQUE 1978 Savigny-lès-Beaune AOC 1er Cru Clos des Guettes, Burgundy

CA' LA BIONDA 2010 'CasalVegri' Valpolicella Classico Superiore DOC, Veneto

MY TOP 10 APERITIF & DESSERT WINES

PATRICIUS 2008 Tokaj Aszú 6 Puttonyos, Hungary

Dom BELARGUS 2018 ‘Quarts’, Quarts-de-Chaume Grand Cru AOC, Chenin, Loire

DONNAFUGATA 2015 ‘Ben Ryé’ Passito di Pantelleria DOC, Zibibbo, Sicily

ROLET 2010 Arbois Vin Jaune AOC, Savagnin, Jura

CASTELLO DI MELETO 2011 Vin Santo di Chianti Classico, Toscana

BARBEITO 20yo Malvasia 'Ribeiro Real', Madeira

COCKBURNS 1997 Vintage Port

Dom BERTHET-BONDET 2009 Château-Chalon AOC Vin Jaune, Jura

MARCEL CABELIER 2008 Château-Chalon AOC Vin Jaune, Jura

THUNEVIN-CALVET 1982 Maury, Vin Doux Naturel, Grenache, Roussillon

HONOURABLE MENTIONS:

BUBBLES

LELARGE-PUGEOT 2008 Quintessence Millésime Brut, Vrigny 1er Cru, Champagne

EGLY-OURIET NV Brut Rosé Grand Cru, Ambonnay, Champagne

RIVETTO 2016 ‘Kaskal’ Blanc de Nebbiolo Brut Nature, Barolo, Piemonte

PETER LAUER 1992 Réserve Sekt Riesling, Mosel

MOVIA 2015 Puro, Brda, Slovenia

LELARGE-PUGEOT 2008 Millésime Extra Brut, Vrigny 1er Cru, Champagne

R.C. LEMAIRE 2012 ‘Les Hautes Prieures’ Blanc de Blancs, Hautvillers 1er Cru, Champagne

MONMARTHE NV 'Les Grimpants' Blanc de Noirs, Ludes 1er Cru, Pinot Noir, Champagne

ANDRE CLOUET NV ‘Un jour de 1911…’ Brut, Pinot Noir, Bouzy Grand Cru, Champagne

Dom STÉPHANE TISSOT NV ‘BBF’ Blanc de Blancs Crémant du Jura AOC

Dom MANN 2014 Crémant d’Alsace AOC ‘Infiniment Fou’, Chardonnay

ALBERT BICHOT NV Crémant de Bourgogne AOC Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut

POMMERY 2004 Cuvée Louise, Champagne

LAURENT-PERRIER 2008 Millésimé Brut, Champagne

WHITES

France - Loire

Dom BELARGUS 2018 ‘Coteau des Treilles' Monopole, Chenin Blanc, Anjou AOC, Loire

Dom BELARGUS 2020 ‘Rouères’ Chenin Blanc, Sec, Anjou AOC, Loire

Dom BELARGUS 2019 ‘Gaudrets’ Chenin Blanc, Savennieres AOC, Loire

DAMIEN LAUREAU 2015 'Le Bel Ouvrage' Savennières AOC, Chenin Blanc, Loire

LUNEAU PAPIN 2010 ‘L d’Or’ Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie, Loire

LUNEAU PAPIN 2007 ‘L d’Or’ Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie, Loire

LUNEAU PAPIN 2006 ‘Excelsior’ Muscadet Sèvre et Maine AOC Goulaine, Loire

France - Burgundy & Jura

Dom HEITZ-LOCHARDET 2014 Chassagne-Montrachet AOC 1er Cru La Maltroie, Chardonnay

Dom BITOUZET-PRIEUR 2017 Meursault AOC 1er Cru Charmes, Chardonnay

Dom BITOUZET-PRIEUR 2017 Meursault AOC ‘Clos du Cromin’, Chardonnay

Dom BITOUZET-PRIEUR 2017 Puligny-Montrachet AOC ‘Les Levrons’, Chardonnay

Dom LATOUR-GIRARD 2017 Meursault AOC Cuvée Charles Maxime, Chardonnay

Dom DUREUIL-JANTHIAL 2020 Puligny Montrachet AOC ‘Corvée des Vignes’

Dom DEUX ROCHES 2021 Pouilly Fuissé AOC ‘Vieilles Vignes’

France - Alsace

Dom TRIMBACH 2007 ‘Clos Ste Hune’, Grand Cru Rosacker, Riesling

Dom WEINBACH 2012 ‘Cuvée Ste Catherine’, Pinot Gris

Dom ALBERT BOXLER 2014 Alsace Grand Cru AOC Brand, Pinot Gris

Dom TRIMBACH 2016 Alsace Grand Cru AOC Mandelberg, Riesling

France - Rhône

RAYMOND USSEGLIO 2017 ‘Pure Roussanne’ Châteauneuf-du-Pape AOC Blanc

GRAND VENEUR 2004 ‘La Fontaine’ Châteauneuf-du-Pape AOC Blanc, Roussanne

DOMAINE DE LA SOLITUDE 2021 Châteauneuf-du-Pape AOC Blanc

Dom CHANTE CIGALE 2011 Châteauneuf-du-Pape AOC Blanc

France - Other

LELARGE-PUGEOT 2016 Vrigny Blanc, Coteaux Champenois AOC, Chardonnay

Dom STÉPHANE TISSOT 2018 ‘Les Graviers’ Chardonnay, Arbois AOC, Jura

Dom STÉPHANE TISSOT 2019 ‘Patchwork’ Chardonnay, Arbois AOC, Jura

Dom DES MARNES BLANCHES 2020 Savagnin ‘Les Molates’, Côtes du Jura AOC

Germany

SELBACH OSTER 2007 Graacher Domprost Riesling Spätlese, Mosel

DR. BÜRKLIN-WOLF 1997 Ruppertsberger Gaisböhl ‘R’ Riesling Aisles, Pfalz

HEXAMER 2010 Schlossböckelheimer In den Felsen Riesling ‘No.1’, Nahe

DÖNNHOFF 2015 Wessburgunder Trocken, Nahe

USA

HOPE WELL 2015 ‘Improbable’ Riesling, Eola-Amity Hills, Oregon

ALEX GAMBAL / PETER WORK 2017 Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay, California

ST. ROMEDIUS 2019 Napa Valley Chardonnay, California

TROON VINEYARD 2022 Vermentino, Applegate Valley, Oregon

TABLAS CREEK 2014 'Esprit Blanc' Roussanne/Gren.Blanc/Picpoul, Paso Robles, California

EVENING LAND 2022 ’Seven Springs’ Chardonnay, Eola-Amity Hills, Oregon

CHATEAU MONTELENA 2019 Napa Valley Chardonnay, California

ST. INNOCENT 2017 'Freedom Hill Vineyard' Chardonnay, Willamette Valley

DELILLE CELLARS 2021 'Chaleur' Blanc, Sauv Blanc/Semillon, Columbia Valley, Washington

LIÉGEOIS DUPONT 2021 ‘Le Blanc’, Marsanne/Viognier, Red Mountain, Washington

CHAPPELLET 2015 Napa Valley Chardonnay, California

PATZ & HALL 2016 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay, California

Canada

O'ROURKE FAMILY ESTATE 2020 Estate Chardonnay, Lake Country, Okanagan

CAVE SPRING 2004 ‘Réserve’ Riesling, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario

TANTALUS 2020 ‘Old Vines’ Riesling, Okanagan Valley

PINARD & FILS 2021 ‘Nuance de Gris’ Frontenac Gris, Quebec

NORMAN HARDIE 2014 ‘Unfiltered’ Chardonnay, Prince Edward County, Ontario

Australia

LEEUWEN ESTATE 2002 ‘Art Series’ Chardonnay, Margaret River

TYRELL’S WINES 2013 ‘Single Vineyard HVD Hunter Semillon’

UMAMU 2010 Sauvignon Blanc Semillon, Margaret River

South Africa

KEN FORRESTER 2016 ‘The FMC��� Chenin Blanc, Stellenbosch

HAMILTON RUSSELL 2014 Chardonnay, Hemel-en-Aarde

BOEKENHOUTSKLOOF 2007 Semillon, Franschhoek

Italy

DARIO PRINČIČ NV ‘Vino Bianco’, Friuli Venezia Giulia

SUAVIA 2017 ‘Monte Carbonare’ Soave Classico AOC, Garganega, Veneto

MARRAMIERO 2016 'Punta di Colle' Chardonnay, Colline Pescarese, Abruzzo

Other

LÓPEZ DE HEREDIA 2006 Viña Tondonia Reserva Blanco, Rioja DOCa, Spain

RAUL PÉREZ 2019 ‘Sketch’ Albariño, Rias Baixas DO, Spain

SOUS LE VÉGETAL NV ‘Octave’ Muscat, Samos, Greece

ALTAR ECO 2018 'Edad Media' Blanco, Chard/Chenin/Sauv Blanc, Uco Valley, Argentina

REDS

France - Bordeaux

Ch LE PUY 2010 Barthélemy, Francs Côtes de Bordeaux

Ch D’ISSAN 2009 Margaux AOC, Grand Cru Classé Troisième

Ch LANGOA-BARTON 2015 Saint-Julien AOC, Grand Cru Classé Troisième

Ch GRESSIER GRAND POUJEAUX 1983 Moulis-en-Médoc AOC

Ch FOURCAS HOSTEN 1983 Listrac-Médoc AOC

Ch CANTEMERLE 2019 Haut-Médoc AOC, Grand Cru Classé, Cinquième

France - Burgundy

Dom VINCENT LATOUR 2013 Meursault AOC 1er Cru Les Cras

CLOS DU MOULIN AUX MOINES 2020 Auxey-Duresses AOC ‘Clos du Moulin aux Moines’ Monopole

Dom BITOUZET-PRIEUR 2017 Volnay AOC 1er Cru Taillepieds

Dom BITOUZET-PRIEUR 2017 Volnay AOC 1er Cru Caillerets, Pinot Noir

Dom BITOUZET-PRIEUR 2017 Volnay AOC 1er Cru Clos des Chênes

Dom BITOUZET-PRIEUR 2017 Volnay AOC 1er Cru Pitures

ALBERT BICHOT 2018 Fixin AOC 1er Cru Clos de la Perrière Monopole

JEAN-CLAUDE RAMONET 2020 Monthelie AOC

France - Rhône

MICHEL COURTIAL 1986 Hermitage AOC, Syrah

ALAIN GRAILLOT 1991 Crozes-Hermitage AOC, Syrah

DOMAINE DE LA SOLITUDE 2020 ‘Vin de la Solitude’ Châteauneuf-du-Pape AOC Rouge

MARTIN TEXIER 2021 'Cérouan Vieilles Vigne du Clau' Serrine

FRANCK BALTHAZAR 2020 Cornas AOC, Syrah

YVES CUILLERON 2011 Saint-Joseph AOC ‘L’Amarybelle’, Syrah

YVES CUILLERON 2016 Cornas ‘Les Côtes’, Syrah

Ch DE BEAUCASTEL 2001 Châteauneuf-du-Pape AOC Rouge

XAVIER VIGNON 2010 ‘Cuvée Anonyme’ Châteauneuf-du-Pape AOC Rouge

DOMAINE DU PEGAU 2017 Châteauneuf-du-Pâpe AOC Rouge, Rhône

France - Other

Dom DES MASQUES 2020 ‘Syrahdictive’, Syrah/Viognier, Provence

J.L. DENOIS 2019 Pinot Noir ‘Grand Vin’, Limoux

Dom BOBINET 2014 'Amatéüs Bobi' Saumur-Champigny, Cabernet Franc, Loire

Dom BONNET COTTON 2022 Beaujolais AOC Cru Brouilly, Gamay, Beaujolais

Dom STÉPHANE TISSOT 2018 ‘DD’ Rouge, Arbois AOC, Pinot Noir/Trousseau/Poulsard, Jura

Italy

ROAGNA 2011 ‘Pajè’ Barbaresco DOCG, Piemonte

CASA RAIA 2018 Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, Sangiovese Grosso, Toscana

È JAMU 2021 ‘Vertigine’ Canaiolo, Chianti, Toscana

CASA RAIA 2011 Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, Toscana

CASTELLO ROMITORIO 2007 Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, Toscana

MASI 1988 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico DOCG, Veneto

RIVETTO 2021 ‘Vigna Lirano’ Amphora Nebbiolo d’Alba DOC, Serralunga d’Alba, Barolo

ROCCHE DEI MANZONI 2015 Bricco Manzoni, Red Blend, Langhe, Piemonte

NINO NEGRI 2006 ‘5 Stelle Sfursat’, Nebbiolo, Sforzato di Valtellina DOCG, Lombardia

VILLA PAPIANO 2017 ‘I Probi’ Romagna Sangiovese Modigliana Riserva DOC, Emilia-Romagna

PLANETA 2013 ‘Santa Cecilia’ Noto DOC, Nero d’Avola, Sicily

FORADORI 2016 Sgarzon Teroldego, Alto Adige

SASSICAIA 2015 Bolgheri Sassicaia DOC, Toscana

Spain

ALVAR DE DIOS 2020 ‘Camino de los Arrieros’ Red Field Blend, Arribes

SIERRA DE TOLOÑO 2021 ‘La Dula Garnachas de Altura’ Grenache, Rioja Alavesa DOCa

SCALA DEI 2017 ‘Cartoixa de Scala Dei’ Priorat DOQ, Garnacha/Cariñena

LOPEZ DE HEREDIA 2007 Viña Bosconia Reserva Tinto, Rioja DOCa

COMANDO G 2018 ‘Bruja de Rosaz’ Garnacha, Sierra de Gredos

USA

HIYU 2019 ‘Moon Dog’, thirty different clones of heirloom Pinot Noir, Columbia Gorge, Oregon

MARGINS 2022 Counoise, Santa Clara Valley, California

GROUNDED WINE CO. 2021 ‘Steady State’ Cabernet Sauvignon, Oak Knoll District, Napa, California

BETZ FAMILY WINERY 2018 ‘Père de Famille’ Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley, Washington

SKY 2015 Mt. Veeder Napa Valley Zinfandel, California

SKY 2015 Mt. Veeder Napa Valley Syrah, California

HOPE WELL 2019 ‘Sunday’s Child’ Pinot Noir, Eola-Amity Hills, Oregon

PURPLE HANDS 2021 Haakon Lenai Vineyard Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills, Oregon

LITTORIA 2021 ‘The Pivot Vineyard’ Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast, California

DUMOL 2021 ‘Wester Reach’ Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley, California

Australia

BONDAR 2020 ‘Rayner Vineyard’ Shiraz, McLaren Vale

ELDERTON 2018 Command Vineyard Shiraz, Barossa Valley

OCHOTA BARRELS 2017 ‘Fugazi Vineyard’ Grenache, McLaren Vale

Other

GARRAFEIRA 2011 ‘Sidónia de Sousa’ Baga, Bairrada DOC, Portugal

LE RICHE 2011 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Stellenbosch, South Africa

GREYSTONE VINEYARD 2020 ‘Ferment’ Pinot Noir, North Canterbury, New Zealand

BURN COTTAGE 2019 ‘Sauvage Vineyard’ Pinot Noir, Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand

GUT OGGAU 2017 ‘Atanasius’ Rot, Burgenland, Austria

SANTA RITA 1996 Casa Réal Cabernet Sauvignon, Maípo Valley DO, Chile

NICOLUZO 2013 Merlot, Corfu, Greece

HENRY OF PELHAM 2012 Baco Noir ‘Reserve’, Ontario, Canada

APERITIF & DESSERT WINES

Dom DES MARNES BLANCHES NV Blanc Macvin du Jura AOC, France

RABL 2017 Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese, Langenlois DAC, Austria

Dom BELARGUS 2018 ‘Layon’ Moelleux, Chenin, Coteaux du Layon 1er Cru Chaume, France

BARBEITO 10yo Sercial Reserva Velha, Madeira, Portugal

BODEGA DIOS BACO ‘Baco Imperial’ 20 Year Old Amontillado Sherry VOS, Spain

[musicisforthesoul]

The "YEG" Experience (Summer 2023)

This is Part 1 of my 2023 Year-End Blog Series. Hope you enjoy the read! :)

Having visited Edmonton in the Winter of 2022, I was very eager to go back simply for the fact that there were just so many fond memories made the first time I was there. From all food adventures and starting a shared food IG account (which really needs to be updated since it be lacking food posts lately…), to the super fun (but often painful) attempts at learning how to downhill ski, cross-country ski, and skate, and everything else in-between, it was the definitive highlight of 2022 for me. While it was an eventual goal of mine to one-day come back, career goals and aspirations took precedence over planning a trip to Alberta. Since starting a Master of Financial Economics at the University of Western Ontario in the Fall of 2022, it has been a constant grind of studying, completing assignments, writing exams, preparing job application documents, applying for (co-op) jobs, networking, preparing for interviews… all for the hard work and preparation to end with a ‘thank you for your interest in this role, but we have moved on with other candidates… don’t forget to fill out this survey about your application experience!”.  As futile as it felt to painstakingly rinse and repeat the job application process, only to have 9 out of 10 of your applications get rejected, there will always be an opportunity out there. Even if it may be 1 interview out of 99 rejection letters, that 1 chance can be the golden ticket for you to achieve great things… so take the opportunities you get and prepare for them as if its your last.

Aside: Although this blog post was not meant to be some sort of inspirational TED Talk, may this small little tangent be a light of inspiration for those who are dealing with similar circumstances. Please remember to never give up and keep giving it your all! Your hard work and dedication will be rewarded 😊

The ‘one’ opportunity I had led me to a summer internship at a company based in Edmonton. Killing two birds with one stone, not only was this an opportunity to build my career, but it also gave me the opportunity to visit Alberta… this time, in the Summer. And so, this began my 4-week Alberta Adventure: Summer 2023 Edition.

Week 1: Calgary Stampede

The first week in Alberta started with a visit to Calgary to experience the Calgary Stampede. It definitely felt like a bigger, better, more extravagant version of the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE). The shows were quite nice to watch (such as the motorcross, dogs how, and miniature horse show) but I suppose the most interesting thing was seeing an EDM concert in the evening. I guess I can check-off seeing a bunch of attendees wearing cowboy/cowgirl attire vibing to techno music from my bucket list.

Week 2: Banff

One thing to note whenever you plan to visit Banff National Park is to plan ahead, especially during peak times when kids are out of school or when families are booking their vacations. Case in point? Not having the foresight to book the reservations needed to visit Lake Louise and Moraine Lake… since personal vehicles are no longer allowed to visit Moraine Lake and parking is now super limited at Lake Louise (to preserve and protect the surrounding wildlife). Major major major shoutout to Jenny and Stephen (who will be mentioned a lot in this blog because they are the most amazing people ever) for dealing with my shenanigans and be willing to wake up at 3am to drive all the way from Calgary to Lake Louise so that I can at least see Lake Louise. You guys are truly the best <3

Day 1 was spent in Banff Town (or the Town of Banff), since we could not go to Lake Louise or Moraine Lake (since a reservation was needed and everything was already fully booked the day-of when checking for availability while trying to get into the national park). Nonetheless, it was still a fun experience to hike around Bow Falls, bask in the surroundings of Tunnel and Sulphur Mountain, and feeling like a tourist by buying good deals at the now-liquidated Hudson’s Bay in the town. The highlight of the day had to be relaxing in the Banff Upper Hot Springs after a day of hiking… Nothing feels better than relaxing in a natural hot spring after a tiring day. Definitely wished I could have experienced the hot spring in the Winter, but I guess all the more reason to come back again in the Winter!

Day 2 was action-packed, starting at 3am with the hopes of getting one of the limited parking spots at Lake Louise. Despite arriving as early as 6am, we probably nabbed the 3rd or 4th available spot… so, if you ever decide to drive to Lake Louise, go early! (otherwise, you might be waiting a while for people to leave) Our efforts to beat the crowd was rewarded with a stunning view of Lake Louise during sunrise.

In an attempt to find better views (and to enjoy the area while we were there), we decided to embark on a hike that was supposed to be somewhat quick, not too difficult, and would end with nice scenery to take pictures of. Instead, my small brain decided to take the trail that said “Louise” not knowing that it went the OPPOSITE DIRECTION of where Lake Louise was.

A 3-hour, 6km hike in the wet marshes without hiking boots later… we were back to where we parked the car filled with as much regret as the amount of water that seeped through our shoes. Despite this blunder, we still ended up hiking the short but nice Fairview Lookout trail, where it gave a beautiful view of Lake Louise and the historic Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise.

Overall, ‘twas fun and rewarding visit to Banff National Park. Though the absence of snow may take away from the magical atmosphere of the Canadian Rockies, experiencing Banff in the Summer has its own unique charms filled with gorgeous sunsets and a plethora of fun and rewarding hikes.

Week 3: Chasing Summer

When Jenny had asked me a few months before my Alberta trip, whether I was interested in going to Chasing Summer, I didn’t even hesitate in my response. I simply said “Sure, I’m down” without even realizing what I was actually signing up for. Only after I got confirmation that tickets were bought and plans were being made, did I realize that I agreed to going to a 2-day EDM festival. Had I ever gone to rave before? Nope. Was I nervous about the experience? Not going to lie, yeah, I was a bit anxious. Do I have any regrets? Absolutely not. Would I do it all over again? Definitely.

Before the weekend of Chasing Summer, the rave crew got together to make kandi. Honestly, it was a fun night of making really unique and well-designed bracelets while also having the chance to get to know the people I would be raving with in a few days time. I really should’ve made more generic bracelets to actually give out since I swear, I put too much thought and effort that I felt obliged to keep most of the ones I made… the ‘SOJU’ one especially.

At this point, I was still a little nervous leading up to the weekend of the rave, but at least I knew who I would be going with… and knowing that they’re super chill and quite fun to be around, I felt quite at ease.

No blog is complete without some food pics. Here are some pictures of sushi taken from Ari Sushi the evening before the festival:

Day 1 of the festival arrives, and we all made our preparations. The theme of the day? Neon and black. After an hour or two of pre-drinking baijiu and vodka, we were ready to attend the festival.

The lineup for Day 1 included the likes of ARMNHMR, Gryffin, James Hype and Tiësto (the headliner). From when the sun was up to when it set, the atmosphere was electric. It really felt like how I imagined an EDM festival would be: people screaming, dancing, vibing to each and ever single beat and bass drop. The pre-drinking really did help as I don’t know if I would’ve felt the same vibes if I didn’t feel some sort of buzz. It definitely helped that we somehow ended up near the stage which made it all the more intense to be vibing while being blasted by the music in full force. I feel like the amount of cardio I achieved from one day of raving was equivalent to the amount I would normally get in a week… just pure jumping and dancing in sea of ravers who were looking for a good time. With the completion of Chasing Summer Day 1, I felt thrilled to do it all-over again the second day.

The theme for day 2 was Pastel and White. Compared to Day 1, I turned up my drinking game (since I opted out of doing weed or molly). In a 7-hour span, I left no opportunity to sober up as every chance I got, I chugged soju, Smirnoff Ice, or vodka, as if I was drinking water. It was probably smart not to chug the Baijiu since that thing burns you like any hard liquor would.

The second day was definitely a bigger blur for me given how particularly drunk and tipsy I was the entire time. Nonetheless, I know for sure that the vibes were at an all-time high with nobody slowing down even after an intense day 1. I probably can’t describe in words how amazing the experience was, but luckily the photos that were taken will hopefully suffice. As the saying goes, “a picture is worth a thousand words.”

To cap off a weekend of raving, we visited an alpaca farm before heading home!

What made this experience so incredibly memorable were the people I had the privilege of going with. To Jeremy, Amy, Josh, Jasmine, Johhny, Jenny, and Chuulie, thank you all for making my first-ever rave experience one that I’ll never forget. Feeding off all your energy and vibes, I had the time of my life dancing, screaming, and shouting to the electric lineup of ARMNHMR, Gryffin, Tiësto, and Zedd. Thank you for also being so kind and super fun. I know that I was simply a guy from Ontario who was ‘just visiting’ but you all made me feel included and for that, I’m eternally grateful. I hope that one day we can reunite, and you would allow me to join you guys again to dance and scream the night away at another rave/EDM festival. Miss you all <3

Week 4: Drumheller

The final week of my Alberta Adventures took me to Drumheller, the Dinosaur Capital of the World! Visiting the Royal Tyrrell Museum and the Hoodoos, it was stunning to see how pretty the landscape was despite being considered an area where things scarcely grow.

As 2023 comes to a close and I reflect on the many great memories made this year (particularly during my trip to Alberta), I want to thank all the great friends that I was able to spend time with. To LJ, thank you for many sports talks and the one time we were able to play tennis… in the rain. To Jeremy and Amy, it was super nice to see you two again and thank you oh so much for the many fun memories! From being able to help out for the Delish Cup, to making kandi, to Chasing Summer and of course, the weeks of playing ultimate frisbee, a huge part of why my Alberta trip was amazing was because of you two! To Josh and Jasmine, thank you for being such kind-hearted souls and super fun people to be around! Playing ultimate frisbee and going to Chasing Summer will always be something I’ll cherish! To Johhny, thank you for your loveable energy and vibes and for making my first-ever rave experience one I’ll never forget (also thank you for keeping me alive when I was drunk out of my mind). Last but not least, to Jenny and Stephen, thank you so much for your amazing hospitality and the many great adventures we went on while I was in Alberta. Through all the good and sometimes not-so-good times, thank you for being such amazing amazing people. I hope to visit your new house one day!

With that, looking forward to what adventures await in 2024!

[nataliewallacerp]

Character File

Basic Information:

Full Legal Name:  Natalie Louise Wallace  Preferred Name:  Natalie Louise Wallace  Nickname: “Nat”, “Walls”, “Wallace” Age: Thirty-Three Birthdate: November 25, 1990 Birthplace: San Diego, CA Sex: Female Gender: Female Nationality: American Race: White Religion:  Atheist Relationship Status: Single

Physical Attributes:

FC: Brie Larson Height: 5′6′’ Weight: 120 lbs. Build: Slim Measurements: Chest: 34; Waist: 24; Hips: 35 Hair Color: Blonde Eye Color: Brown Voice Claim: Brie Larson Tattoos: N/A Marks: N/A Scars: [1] One, two inch vertical scar on left calf. Piercings: Right lobes and daith, Left lobes and helix. Clothing Style: Bohemian Blood Type: A+

Background Info:

Hometown: San Diego, CA Past Towns: Stanford, CA, Languages: English, French, Financial Status: Upper Middle-Class Educational History:  MD, MS Occupational History: Pediatric Surgeon, Lake Sapphire Hospital, 2022

Relationships:

Mother: Alice Margaret Wallace-Carpenter née Waller Father: Timothy Allen Wallace Children: N/A Romantic Relationships:      -Landon Wyatt; FWB: December 2018- January 2020       -Alec Watson; Dated: March 2014- November 2018      -Danielle Macdonald ; Engaged: August 2008- November 2012      -Emery Warner; Dated: November 2006- April2008

Personality:

Positive Traits: Charming, Thoughtful, Generous, Passionate, Altruistic Negative Traits: Indecisive, Impatient, Flighty, Secretive, Hesitant Likes: Moscow Mules, Playing the Harmonica, Rainy Sundays, Astrology, Poetry. Dislikes: Hallmark Movies, Claymation, Cigarette Smoke, Morality: Chaotic Neutral MBTI: ESFJ Ennegram: Type Three, Wing Four Temperament: Sanguine