Chronic Negress

Negress who has battled health challenges to a draw with intermittent game show success and weight gain and loss. Grew up middle class and lived in Africa during childhood. Since then tries to leave the continent enough to maintain perspective. Political liberal, something of a pinko Christian who was raised ecumenically enough to enjoy learning about all faith traditions. Unlikely to Rollerblade anytime soon. Recently abandoned  Our Nation’s Capital for life near the City of Big Shoulders.

How does the wine part of this blog work? Well, the Negress does not solicit or accept samples. There are a couple of posts on wines I got as samples for my former day job, but this blog didn’t solicit them. I also didn’t write about every wine that I received in that manner. Some wine writers are invited on junkets sponsored by the marketing folks for various regions. I don’t do that either. I have written more than my share about Spanish wines, but this is because I took more classes than I can count at the Cervantes Institute in Manhattan with the esteemed and witty Helio San Miguel. I also sampled some fine French wines at the French Institute Alliance Francaise there.  Those classes I paid for. I passed my Wine and Spirits Education and Trust Advanced Certificate with merit in August 2008.

As for the other topics I babble about, I’ve been a New Jersey Devils fan for close to 15 years and hate the Rangers with every fiber of my being. I’ve been knitting since 7th grade but took a 15 year hiatus in the mid 70s and part of the 80s to go to college, drink too much, graduate and run around writing about musicians. All of those activities have shaped along with other peculiar passions such as NASCAR, cycling (Alberto Contador rocks albeit with taint), curling (once did it at the southernmost rink in the world in Naseby, NZ) and many facets of pop culture. Thanks coming here and hanging out with me for a bit.

A young Negress at play