Words On Wednesday

I traditionally do not care for wine. This Moscato from Costco, however, may be the exception that has broadened my horizons to include other styles of wine. Even if I typically prefer beer or distilled spirits, I am now at least willing to try wine on occasion. Wine 101 My first experience with wine was not a positive one. Soon after I turned 21, about the same time I bought that awful bottle of Southern Comfort , I decided to pick up some wine. I had no idea what I liked or disliked, as I had never tried wine before. I went to my local Food Lion (we didn’t have an Ingles nearby), and picked up two bottles at random. If I remember correctly, they were both Yellow Tail, since I didn’t care to spend a lot on something I might not enjoy. I don’t remember one of the styles, but I know the other was Merlot. If you’ve never had Merlot, it is a moderately dry wine. At the time, I knew nothing about wine, and even now, I don’t know much. I realize now that I hate dry wine. Like ...

I really wish Nintendo had a trophy system on the Switch. It’s a topic that has been discussed back and forth, with plenty of evidence for  or against  them, so I won’t try to assert my opinion as fact. Personally, I would just like it better if trophies were available. As a confession, I used to be a self-proclaimed “trophy whore.” On my PS3, I would specifically seek out games that I could get the platinum trophy for, essentially the mark that a game has been finished completely. If I walked away from a game without the platinum, I felt like I wasn’t getting my money’s worth. When I finally did get platinum for a game, I could confidently say I had milked it for all it was worth and continue onto the next game. Back when I had more time to play video games, this wasn’t an issue. Gaming took up the bulk of my free time, and there was plenty of that to go around. If anything, I was more concerned with making sure I had enough game to fill up my time, rather than enough tim...

After numerous discussions with my wife, I finally got around to reading Gary Chapman’s “The Five Love Languages.” While it is sheer coincidence, there probably couldn’t be a more appropriate book for this month, given Valentine’s Day is this Friday and this book deals pointedly with love. I picked it up originally after several discussions about how my wife more appreciates acts of service than any other love language. She gained exposure to the concept of love languages through various radio interviews, and knew of Dr. Chapman’s book, though she hasn’t yet read it. When she suggested it may help me understand, I took her suggestion and picked up the audiobook. My goal, as is probably the goal of many who pick up the book, was to become a more loving husband. I certainly care for my wife, and I wanted to be able to make her see that more thoroughly. If the proliferation of the book were any mark of its success, it couldn’t hurt to read. Dr. Chapman is no stranger to various bes...

I want to try my hand at freelance journalism. At one point, I looked into getting a side job with a local newspaper. That endeavor never panned out, but I’m still curious if I could write for a news outlet. As a start, I figured it may be a good idea to do my own reporting here. What appeals to me about the idea of freelance journalism is how self-contained it is. I attend an event of some sort, take pictures and observe, and then I write up a summary and description of the event. Throw in some of my own pictures, and you have a nice little overview of the event from my perspective. Concerts, festivals, any unique event could be a potential story. Spartanburg’s Spring Fling is one street festival I’ve attended for several years, and serves as the kind of event I might cover. There are vendors and shops, but there are also individual sub-events. The bike race usually occupies the first evening, and there are several concerts and dances throughout the course of the weekend. Even if I do...