Jul 05 2012

Fortune cookie wisdom part III

I should probably take it as a sign that I eat too much takeaway Asian food, but it’s time for yet another chapter of fortune cookie wisdom. Before reading these ones, make sure that you check out part I, and part II. I don’t know that these ones are my favourites, but I only add them to the Z-Issue if they are at least good ones. If you think that there are a lot of them (especially considering the other two posts), then you should see all of them that don’t make the cut. 😉

  • Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence.
  • If you wish to see the best in others, show the best of yourself.
  • Before you wonder “Am I doing things right,” ask “Am I doing the right things?”
  • Constant grinding can turn an iron rod into a needle.
  • A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.
  • You always have the right answers; they just sometimes ask the wrong questions.
  • If you chase two rabbits, both will escape.
  • When you feel defensive, examine what you fear.

I think that I put them in order with the ones that I like the most toward the bottom of the list. I especially like the last two. The last one reminds me of the Latin proverb “Damnant quod non intellegunt,” which roughly translates to “they condemn [damn] what they don’t understand,” but was made more famous by Andrew Smith saying “people fear what they don’t understand.”

Which ones do you like?

Cheers,
Zach

Jul 04 2012

Introduction to Wine, part III: Seasons of the vine

In the second instalment of “Introduction to Wine,” I explained some of the flavour components of wines, and the terminology that is generally used to describe those flavours (as well as some of the corresponding aromas). In this chapter, though, I’m going to cover a very important non-drinking-related aspect of wine–the seasons of the vine. Within viticulture, there are generally accepted periods throughout the year that mark special occasions with respect to the processes of growing and winemaking. I’ve briefly outlined the key periods in the table below:

Process Time Explanation
Dormancy December – April No prominent activity for the vines.
Weeping Late March – early April The canes are pruned. The sap is underground at this point, but moves up into the pruned places.
Bud burst Late April / early May This stage is where the buds form on the stem, and from them shoots appear. This happens when the temperature reaches ~10°C (~50°F).
Flowering May / June About 50-80 days after the bud burst (or when temperatures are 15-20°C [~60-68°F]), the flowers appear, and they tend to look like little bulbs or buttons.
Fruit set July The berries, which are hard and very tart early representations of the grapes, appear for the first time.
Veraison August About 50 days or so after fruit set, the berries start to ripen and change colour. The vines are not irrigated after this point as that process would generally dilute the flavour.
Harvest September – October Harvesting times vary based on varietal, temperatures, and many other viticultural decisions, but is generally around 90 days after flowering.

There is certainly a lot of detail that was left out of that chart, but hopefully it provides an introductory understanding of the seasons as they pertain to winemaking. It is important to remember that those seasonal estimates are based in the northern hemisphere; for vineyards in the southern hemisphere, the periods are flipped.

Next time, we will cover the topics of reading wine labels and storing your wines.

Cheers,
Zach

Jun 27 2012

Tek Gear performance sleeveless shirts

Tek Gear is a brand of athletic apparel that is sold exclusively at Kohl’s. I started buying the brand a while back because it is significantly cheaper than other, larger brands like Adidas, Nike, and even Reebok (which used to be one of my favourites for athletic clothing [especially generalist shoes]). A few weeks ago, I was in the market for some new shirts for running. I had been wearing the Adidas Climaspeed shirts, but the price was a bit steep. I also found that they weren’t really repelling the sweat like they claimed. After about 8-10 km into my run, the back of the shirt would be drenched and would stick to me, which is a feeling that I really can’t stand.

So while at Kohl’s one day, I decided that I should look to see if Tek Gear made any shirts that would work for me. I found the Tek Gear performance sleeveless shirts, and though that they looked well-made. I tried one on for fit, and it was pretty good. I wear a small or extra-small in just about everything athletic, but they don’t come in XS. As far as fit is concerned, the only thing that I don’t like is that they run a bit long for my liking. I’m not short (177cm), but the shirt extends a good 12-13cm below my waist. Anyway, I bought a few of them and started wearing them on my daily runs.

Tek Gear performance sleeveless shirts

They do seem to pull heat away from my body significantly better than did the Adidas shirts, and they dry incredibly quickly! I really like the feel of the shirts, and how lightweight they are. Not to mention, they come in a variety of colours instead of just the typical black, grey, and white. I’ve never really understood buying a white athletic shirt anyway, but that’s a different story altogether. Anyway, I’ve been wearing them for a few weeks now, and I can say that they hold up nicely after a few washings as well.

So if you’re looking for some good athletic shirts (or any workout clothes for that matter), I would suggest you try ordering some items from Tek Gear. You’ll probably be surprised at the quality of manufacturing, especially for the price!

Cheers,
Zach