I DO like wine!

I’ve changed my mind J. I had a flavored martini the other night at Geisha House for dinner at a friends’ birthday shindig, and while it wasn't enough to get me drunk and probably not even tipsy (I've no idea what either feels like but I think I’d know if I were drunk or tipsy), it damn sure helped me sleep well that night. What a sleep aid! I slept like a brick, and at 10am I thought my ringing cell phone was my alarm clock going off. So I kept hitting the snooze button wondering why it wouldn't shut off. I can’t recall the name of the martini I had – something with pomegranate and milk in it – but it was quite tasty. No alchy here, but I’m starting to see what all the hub-bub is about. Certain flavors are pretty damn delicious and the buzz you feel afterwards is a nice bonus. I’m a fan now, but not enough to over indulge. In fact, for the remainder of our night I drank water, while the other girls boozed it up. Until now, I never saw the point of alcohol. It tastes bitter and too much of it makes you feel like crap in the morning. Plus, alcoholism was a problem for my father and his mother, so I’d always been told that I may not be able to handle liquor – I was predisposed. But unlike them, I think I’m more level headed and have much more willpower.

Last night I couldn’t sleep, so as an experiment I cracked open one of my many bottles of wine (I get one every year for Christmas from a doctor I know who owns a wine bar), mixed it with a little grape juice, and voila, a decent nights rest. I won’t make doing this a habit as I know the consequences, but I could see myself sipping something nice every once in a rainy evening. I waited until my mid-thirties to start drinking and I’ve no regrets about it. I don’t think many who are younger than thirty are as responsible as they should be with alcohol, nor do they fully realize the consequences of over-indulging. Being sober, I still managed to have a good time in my 20s. I don’t feel like I missed out on anything great. A cousin of mine, who is a kindergarten teacher, got drunk once when she first started teaching and took out half a block of cars while drunk driving one night. She flipped over and totaled her car and is lucky to be alive today. That’s not an experience I wish I’d had.

So, all that to say that I’m really looking forward to this weeks wine tasting soiree. Now if I can only figure out what I want to wear…