46 On the Occasion of my 46th
In honor of the 46th anniversary of my birth, I present 46 things I want:
1. A time machine
2. A full vertical collection of all Stony Hill Chardonnays
3. A wine cellar with a couch in it
4. A doubling in Fermentation's readership
5. A national policy on wine direct shipment laws
6. A fig tree
7. A 1963 Warres port
8. A marching band playing happy birthday using wine glasses and spoons.
9. A new collection of heavy bottomed tumbler glasses
10. One week in Burgundy
11. One week in Mexico
12. Massive coverage of the winners of the American Wine Blog Awards
13. To Try a 100 year old Cognac
14. A seat with my name on it at the Campbell Apartment
15. Bliss
16. To see a regular wine column in the New Yorker
17. 10 acres and a long winding road.
18. A champagne dinner for two, in July, at night, in the middle of a vineyard
19. A new hound puppy.
20. A new hound puppy that can be trained to mix drinks.
21. To host a dinner party with Alice Feiring, Robert Parker, Randall Grahm, Steive Heimoff and Dan Berger
22. Making a living by just blogging (a good living)
23. A two hour televised debate on the utility of the 3-tier system
24. A gift of the URL: fermentation.com
25. The same linens they use at the Waldorf
26. A box of Butera Lonsdales
27. A couple cases of Roederer Estate
28. A huge turnout for the next Wine Bloggers Conference
29. Dinner with Gore Vidal—before it's too late.
30. An office with 4 TV screens built into the wall
31. My own wine brand to market and sell—"Fermentati"
32. The elimination of all ants within 1 mile of my home
33. A meal cooked for me by Michele Anna Jordan, Nancy Oakes and Elizabeth Falkner
34. A small, compact, antique bar that opens to reveal countless bourbons for my home
35. A regular byline in a print publication
36. A way to peruse 200 more blogs than I already do each day, but in the same amount of time
37. X-Ray Vision (to inspect older wines—get your minds out of the gutter‚
38. To attend the Wine Writers Symposium in 2010
39. To find my tickets to the April McCoy Tyner concert.
40. A massage
41. Enough Dry Rose to fill a tub
42. A cocktail named after me
43. Self Distribution in every state in the country
44. To sit in a barber chair and have my face shaved by a pro
45. My own tuxedo (42-short)
46. 46 more years.
Happy birthday, Tom! Let’s hope your around for at least 46 more.
Great list! 🙂 Happy B-Day!
Happy Birthday, Tom! Hope you get all your wishes. (Let me know how that X-ray vision thing works out.)
Tom,
I love 6, 16, 25, and 19.
6: I have three fig trees growing and six waiting seedlings waiting to sprout–and I’m in the Finger Lakes. What are you waiting for?
16. I once wrote the editor a letter about that, after they had Gopnik write a snarly column about wine and getting drunk.
25. It’s the starch.
29. Yeah, me too.
Regardless to whether or not you get a massage for your birthday, I wish you a happy ending to your day!
Jeff
Tom,
I like 6, 16, 25, and 29
6. What are you waiting for? I’ve got three fig trees and a bunch of seedling, and I live in the Finger Lakes!
16. I once wrote the editor a letter about that, after a Gopnik article appeared regarding wine and drunkenness.
25. It’s the starch.
29. Me, too.
Geez, having a bear of a time posting on this site today, and as you see, my post is there twice, with an error in the first one.
That all sounds reasonable. Let’s close our eyes and click our heels three times.
Seriously, I think you gotta be well on your way to a regular byline in a publication. Surprized that hasn’t already been offered.
And go buy yourself a professional shave- one small affordable luxury
Dave Ball
Calicaro Wine
Happy Birthday Thomas!!!
Doesn’t “bliss” encompass everything on the list? I hope you get some of it. Lordy, you’re still a youngster! Happy B’day.
38 – definitely next year.
Jeff:
Someone outta slap you!!! But it won’t be me.
Thanks.
We had the ’63 Warres and a ’63 Fonseca…. We enjoyed them on my husbands birthdays… he is a ’63 boy too.
May all your wishes come true. Happy Birthday!
As another child of ’63, I hope you were able to enjoy the vintage ports when they were more affordable. I wonder what you would have thought of this list when you turned 18.
Have a Happy Birthday Tom.
Champagne in your honor at the Lab today!
Many happy returns on the day.
best, J David
Natal Tidings.
21. To host a dinner party with Alice Feiring, Robert Parker, Randall Grahm, Steve Heimoff and Dan Berger.
No knives at the place settings, methinks…
If you were a ship, I’d say you’re listing, but instead I’ll say:
Happy Birthday!
Happy birthday from Russian professional wine lover, Tom!
#20 “A new hound puppy that can be trained to mix drinks.”
Now that would be the life!
Happy Birthday!
One week in Mexico.
You`re best one 🙂
cheers
Tom
In Poland, we say “Sto lat” on birthdays – which means, literally, “a hundred years” (the “wishing you” is implied).
So my friend, Sto Lat!
I’m confused by #23. Seems to me you’d have them KO’d in the first 10 minutes!
I would be happy to share my fig tree with you – you may come and visit it anytime!
Have a happy! – j
The great pleasure of being 53 is that I got 7 more wishes!
Cheers, Tom.
Don’t sell yourself short with wish number 46. 92 is a great age but it lacks that supercentenarian quality which you seem to possess.
Should have known you were a fellow Piscean. I recognize the dreaminess, hedonism and ambition, all wrapped up in one beautiful package.
Happy Bday Tom.
Cheers
Amy
Tom – this is my first time visiting your blog. Happy Birthday (just a little late). Will definitely have to put you in my favorites so I can keep up with your postings.
From one wine lover to another – Jean
Happy Birthday Tom.
I would say in the next twelve months at least 1/3 of your wishes will be fulfilled!
computer said post again:
“Being in a hurry to get to my next birthday, a typically American sense of life’s pace, I found the bloglist had one suggestion which after some thought seemed feasible in our times of ‘changed’ directions in politics: viz., item 23, televising a 3-tier system pros cons debate. If congress decides to hold a hearing on that idea, Tom could publish what is getting known in the cybermedia world as a liveblog of the event. Some of the keys are to post the videostream address as you begin the liveblog session so visitors to your site can passthru to view the proceedings simultaneously; also, posting a youtube of the event for later reference can help with re-play of key testimony, which also helps reveal how committeemembers help the experts with testimony, or how they employ parliamentary tricks to keep the testimony from treading on their benefactors’ bailiwicks. As a quicker way to reveal what congress might muddle in a hearing, we might suggest the administration screen a few wine judges as candidates for the US Supreme Court. There are several sorts of judges. I thought of suggesting dogshow judges be part of the vetted list of nominee prospects, but that would be perhaps inappropriate. There have to be some excellent dressage judges available, as well. Ideas for change.”
Making a living out of blogging…now there’s a goal! Let us know when you get there 🙂
Cheers
What a great list. Like you take the whole business of drinking and blogging about wines very seriously. Hope you are granted another 46 years to try out all the wines you want to.