Has anyone been to the Ren Faire?

That's probably because it is. :smile:

My experience: The absolute best and worst wines I ever had in 40+ years of drinking were ALL home-made. Funny thing. Most home-made wines are either exceptionally good - or horribly bad. Hardly any are in between...

J.

 

There's a lot more in wine than just grapes

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/05/dining/the-big-question-whats-in-wine.html?_r=0

 

Oh yeah. I saw story on TV about that. I think people just think, "oh, it's just wine". Wine has a high alcohol content though, add to that the mixture of junk they put in it, and it is a recipe for disaster. One of my brother's wine snob buddies got gout (Rich man's disease) from drinking too much wine over a long period of time.

 

Doesn't feed me anymore, Steve. Now quit 'em for the same primary reason I quit alcohol - money.

J.

PS - I can now afford a German car or a NA doctorate. Not gettin' either. Holding out for something better.... dunno what, exactly.

 

What kind of German car? I have a German car, and I have been very happy with it. No problems so far. I baby it and I am obsessive about maintenance. As far as the doctorate? Wow! That is impressive. I once contemplated a doc degree, but I simply can't afford it. Also, I don't think I have the persistence to complete one. I had to be honest with myself.

 

Drinking was never a problem for me, so I guess that doesn't really matter. My wife quit smoking (harder to quit than heroin, or so I've read), and I've never smoked, so quitting drinking was a show of solidarity, I guess.

 

I suppose I've saved enough money - maybe half of it from the drinking-money I put away after I quit - for any VW, a lower-line Audi, - 1.8 maybe - or a Mercedes B series or possibly (s-t-r-e-t-c-h) a barebones BMW 1.8. No Porsches, though. Not by a long shot.

You may think this is a strange explanation - but I'm a pretty strange guy, I guess. I think most German cars are very well-made, but I'm probably one of the very few that still can't get over the fact that many German car manufacturers used Jewish forced labour back in WWII, when both sides were building tanks, etc. Obviously, GM has gotten over it, because it owns Opel. The Cadillac Catera was a re-badged Opel. IIRC, a couple of car companies apologized for the wartime treatment of Jewish forced-workers (somewhat) back in the 80s or 90s, but for me, it wasn't enough. And this may strike you as really weird -- I'm not even Jewish!

As for the NA doctorate - nothing wrong with NA, but not for me. I hold no doctorate of any kind -- and I'm not sure I have the persistence now, either. My college/university experiences were between the ages of 40-odd and 62 and I guess I must have had at least some persistence then. If I find ambition for a doctorate, I'd better get started soon, because I'm 73 now. I just specified NA because there are quite a few of those I could pay for right now - in full. Don't think I could pay in full for most RA or Canadian ones. South African -- sure!

I shouldn't be talking about doctorates at all. I haven't done anything serious educationally for about 10-11 years. In minor stuff, I just finished a no-college-credit photography course, that went really well --- but I had 30+ years of amateur experience going in, so it wasn't much of a challenge. I also bought a Dummies Book/CD today, hoping to improve my Spanish -- but hey, that's a long way from serious academic study.

J.

 

Yes - they did. And they make fine cars today. I had a good Hyundai that had basically a Mitsubishi engine. Yes, Japan was the enemy back then, but Mitsubishi didn't force another ethnic/religious minority into plane production, as far as I know.

I know... I know. It was all 70+ years ago.

J.

 

I don't think your views are weird at all. My grandfather was very patriotic, and he would have a fit if someone suggested that he buy a German or Japanese car. Only "made in the USA" for him. I have MBZ C300, and the engine is built like a tank. When I first got it, I would go to some back woods type of obscure road and take it up to around 130-140 mph just to see what it felt like. I found that it drove very smoothly, and kind of lifted off the ground a little bit. It felt awesome actually! I don't do that anymore though. I have had no problems with it.

 

Unfortunately, he passed away fairly young back in 1979. As an American, I am a combination of cultures, namely Spanish (European) and Mexican. My grandfather came to this country from Spain as a 15yr old. He had no money, and no job. Despite that, he was able to achieve the American Dream. As such, he was extremely grateful, and loved this country. He was very set in his ways. He made a conscious effort to buy only things made in America, and that included cars. Later, he was extremely proud of the fact that all of his five boys (my dad included) served in the military, two during war time. As a result of their upbringing, to this day my dad and his brothers (two are gone now) have never owned a foreign car.

 

Why did i open my big mouth?

and promise to go to this thing. I just don't think I will enjoy it. I'm a stuck now since I promised to go. Oh well, I guess I won't kill me to go.