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Home | Profile | ...Backpacking La Barge Canyon
The past weekend was spent backpacking in La Barge Canyon located in the Superstition Mountains wilderness. Andy and I have been in search of treasure, but I don't want to give too much away about that. We took tons of pictures, so take a look at some of my favorite thumbnails below, and also check out the full album here.
Get Out The Vote!
If you haven't yet registered to vote, there is only a few days left. In some cases, tomorrow is the deadline. You can use this sweet new Google module to register to vote and find your polling place (as soon as that info is available mid-month). Go ahead and grab this module and put it on your site as well. Oh yeah, and if you don't plan on making it to the polls November 4th, make sure to grab your early voting ballot. Many people you know may not be registered. I encourage you to send out an email making sure that every person you know votes in this election. This will be the most important presidential election you ever vote in. Make it count.
Live Video of Raging Storm in Tempe, AZ!
There was a raging storm around the Phoenix area, especially in Tempe and Scottsdale today. I had a live video feed of it up earlier when it was really going, but it has died down quite a bit now. I have uploaded some videos of before and during the storm which I took earlier along with the doppler radar showing the storm. It came out of nowhere and the hail, lightning, and wind was all really intense! A great storm in a really active monsoon season here in AZ!
Videos of the Storm
Here are some videos I took before and during the storm. The first is just before the storm, when there was nonstop lightning coming from clouds in the Eastern sky. It didn't quit for about 20 minutes! The second is when the storm really started to pick up and the wind got going. Shortly therafter, the rain started up, too, and I had to bolt inside.
Chateau Picard
Fans of Star Trek: The Next Generation can tell you that Chateau Picard was an estate red wine produced at the Picard vineyards in La Barre, France, birthplace of Captain Jean-Luc Picard. What you may not know is that, by coincidence or not, it is a real wine made in Saint Estèphe. You can even buy it online.
PhilaFoodie reviewed the wine (the real one) on her website, saying:
On the nose: The nose is not all that fragrant, though you can detect light notes of graphite, spices and green peppers.
On the palate: Typical of wines from Saint-Estèphe, the acid in this medium-bodied red is fairly high, and the tannins are not too far behind. The Merlot seems to restrain some of the tannins in the mid-palate, but eventually they boomerang back to claim the finish. The cherry fruit flavors are fiercely tart and subdued. Sadly, not as elegant or as refined as you would expect from the family of a decorated Starfleet Captain (perhaps the 2267 vintage will be a little more supple). But even without the help of a Tricorder, you may be able to detect a few faint notes of chocolate and nutmeg lurking in the background.
On the wallet: I tend to enjoy acid and tannins in my wine. And I do prefer Picard over Kirk. So this wine is fun for me, at least it will be for a bottle or two. But unless you're really into tannins, acid and/or bald Starfleet Captains, $23.99 may be a bit steep for this sharp, little gum-stretcher. On the table: This wine screams for food. Stick with rich meats or cream-based dishes. Avoid pairing with tomato sauces and Klingon cuisine.
Background in Trek
Jean-Luc Picard reserved a few bottles of this wine on the USS Enterprise-D and USS Enterprise-E for special occasions. Picard poured two glasses of this wine and offered a toast to Chancellor Durken after initiating first contact with the Malcorians. (TNG: "First Contact")
Picard also shared a quiet drink of Chateau Picard 2267 with Lieutenant Commander Data after Captain Riker's wedding. The senior officers of the Enterprise-E, with the exception of the deceased Lieutenant Commander Data, also shared an emotional drink together after Data sacrificed himself to save the Enterprise and his friends. (Star Trek Nemesis)
A bottle of Chateau Picard is seen in the DS9 Season 1 DVD's special feature "Secrets of Quark's Bar", although the prop was not used in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
Two Chateau Picard wine bottles were sold as Lot #27 in the 40 Years of Star Trek: The Collection auction. The winner paid US$6,600, even though the pre-sale estimate was 500 to 700 dollars. After the sale, the auctioneer remarked "That's probably a record for empty wine bottles."
What Scientists Write
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