My name is Gigi. I’m mostly a writer and strategist, but I also do websites, drink fine wines and buy polka dotted things with some frequency. Obviously, I also blog. Read More.
"People need stories more than bread itself. They tell us how to live, and why." -Arabian Nights
The Tech Department
Case in Point#1
An error message on a slide projector: “The lamp is waste a duration life. Please change the lamp.”
Case in Point #2
A sentence straight out of the user manual for a content management system: “Media and data works much like Microsoft Window in that you right like to initial most tasks.”
More wine updates compliments of my year of new wines:
1. While in Texas, I tried a French Sauvignon Blanc called Henri Bourgeois. It was citrusy and tart, as you’d expect, but also (unexpectedly) thick.
2. Then there’s Lorinon Rioja, a Tamarillo from Rioja, Spain. It’s deep, rich and full of cherry flavor. Yum.
3. Infinite Monkey Theorum Syrah is probably the best Syrah I’ve had (I’m usually not a fan): flavorful, deep, cherry, almost sweet and then bitter.
4. There was also a fantastic white wine with a red pepper kick. I lost the name of it and am trying to track it down. Once I do, I’ll pass it on.
After three months of trying a new wine (or two, or seventeen) each month, I’d like to share my findings with you. Since you are all also, by extension, huge wine snobs.
January: The North & The South
January began with the goal of trying German or Austrian wine(s).
First there was a Gewurztraminer from Germany called Starling Castle. If you like Riesling, this one may be for you. I, unfortunately, do not like Riesling and therefore could not finish the bottle (what a waste).
At the same time and the same wine store, I picked up a Gruner Veltliner from Austria. I’d heard rave reviews, but it was too grapey for my taste. Too much like drinking straight grape juice with just a tiny kick. And I only finished it because I had some kick-ass sharp cheese, which made it a bit better.
Next (and on accident) I tried a Sauvinon Blanc from Spain, called Basa. This, next to Kim Crawford from New Zealand, has become one of my two favorite wines. It’s fresh and tart with a delightful, summery apple finish.
Partway through January, being as excited about my goal as I was and still continuing to try six hundred instead of one per month, I switched my focus from Europe up north to South America. In particular, Argentina. The first Argentinian wine I tried was Dona Paula Estate: it was watery and thin.
Next I tried Santa Julia, which is a thick and fruity Pinot Grigio from Mendoza, Argentina. It’s mildly sweet and I loved it.
February: Venice
One of the best things about wine is that it’s exotic. For February, when my ridiculous hundred-wine fervor had worn off, I turned to a region I love and tried a Pinot Grigio from Venizie, Italy. It was called Kris and it wasn’t anything overly special.
March: Frozen Grapes
Ice wines are wines that are made from grapes that were allowed to freeze on the vine. This makes for a sweeter wine–and, thus, Ice Wine is considered a dessert wine.
For March, I chose an Ice Wine from Niagra, Canada. It was called Jackson – Triggs and it was lovely, just what you’d expect from a dessert wine. I also bought another bottle of Ice Wine. A particularly expensive one at that. But I haven’t tried that one yet. I was waiting for a special occasion. So you’ll have to hear about it later.
A few months ago I was introduced to a friend of a friend who is a musician. She was nice and we had a fine conversation. And one day later, she had requested me as a Facebook friend.
I responded with a yes. And each week since then I have received a request to fan said musical artist on Facebook.
The first couple times I didn’t mind. I thought, when I first denied the request (due to the fact I’ve never in my life heard her play, so why in the world would I consider myself a fan), she must have thought I hadn’t received it or it had been accidental. Or something to that effect.
But, no, I continue to receive these requests week by week by week. Does she think she’ll wear me down and I’ll fan her and then some agent will notice that she has 101 fans instead of 100 and will offer her a big break?
Does she think that her persistence doesn’t lead people to believe that she will bombard them endlessly with news and show information and all sorts of random crap if they do join up as fans–or should we feel that we’ll have some relief?
The problem here is simple–and it’s something I felt very acutely at the AWP conference that I’ve been at the past few days (which is my excuse for not having written, by the way). The problem is that she doesn’t understand platform.
Having fans, building a name for yourself is important. But it’s more important to have relevant fans. Fans who actually do follow your work. Who do want to buy your music. Or your book. Or your handmade crafts. Or whatever.
You can have a billion Facebook connections or Twitter followers, but if you’ve bullied everyone into it, your sales will still be dismal. And people hate being bullied. Personally, I can say that I will now go out of my way to NOT attend any of her performances. I will be careful of any email lists or websites associated with her. Because I want some peace.
If she had, after requesting my Facebook friendship and being rejected in a fan request, just invited me once or twice personally to shows, I might have gone. And if I loved her music, I might have sought her fan page out on Facebook. But I’ve never seen her and I think she’s pushy.
Please, all of you out there who are marketing yourselves for one thing or another: be it music, art, writing. Be respectful when someone says no–be it electronically or in person. You’re much more likely to gain a fan with a personal touch and mutual respect than with bombardment.
The person who did this is no longer on my friend list. Because I never want another request from her again.
1. Interestingly enough, a number of Celtic scholars believe that Merlin (originally Myrddin) was the god worshiped at Stonehenge. Rather than being merely Arthur’s seer and mentor, the Merlin of the initial mythology appears to be the sun god, or something akin to the Greek Zeus. If they did believe this, it would make sense that Stonehenge was a place of worship for this being.
2. Ever seen the movie Tristan and Isolde? I always thought that it was a retelling (or pre-telling, as it seemed older than Arthur) of the Arthur and Lancelot and Guinevere scandal. A few interesting notes from old, old Celtic myth, though: A) King Mark, who is portrayed in the movie as quite the outstanding gentleman and someone whom you feel sorry for, is in early tales cowardly and treacherous; B) the most popular telling of the myth, as it matured, has it that Tristan and Iseult (spellings of both names vary) ingest a love potion, which is why they continue their dangerous and un-Arthurian trysts.
3. Nimue, whom we tend to see as one of the bad guys since she entraps Merlin in the end, was actually just a harassed woman who found a way out of the harassment, apparently. Merlin “would let her have no rest, but always he would be with her” it says. Aka. Merlin was a stalker and Nimue put in place an ancient restraining order.
