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The 2014 Boys & Girls Club Civil War Dinner & Auction: A Rhetorical Redhead Report

A last-minute invitation from a dear friend awarded me the chance to attend this year’s annual Boys & Girls Club Civil War Dinner & Auction at the Salem Convention Center this Thursday evening.

Being Civil War-themed, attendees were encouraged to fly their colors to support their favorite Oregon university: University of Oregon with their green and yellow, or Oregon State University with black and orange. Naturally an Oregon Duck, I ran home after work to hurriedly don my loud, bright yellow Oregon volleyball jersey and throw on my running tights before dashing back downtown for the festivities. Surrounded by friends and a hot date on my arm, I waltzed into the Convention Center to see what the hubbub was all about.

Fall Writing Conferences 2014

Quick update! I swear I haven’t checked out! I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to attend a few writing conferences these past few weeks and I pounced at the chance to learn more about this ever-changing market. Sounds boring, sure, but I cannot recommend them enough for both novice and seasoned writers alike! You basically have an open forum to ask experienced authors/editors/agents/publishers any and all questions, and do some killer networking. You cannot put a price tag on that kind of exposure and education. So go forth and research writing conferences/workshops in your region! Well worth your time and money.…

Summer Vacation 2014

I think this pretty much sums up why I’ve been MIA for almost a week…saying goodbye to summer in only the best of ways. Thanks for your patience, everyone. ❤ Poems to come soon!

Writer’s Escape

Never be too busy taking care of others in such a way that you forget to take care of yourself…. Reconnecting with *me* tonight… ‘Well hullo there. It’s been a while. Pull up a bench. Let’s write.’ ….Mmkay. 🙂

Sisters Irish Bistro Review

Another St. Patrick’s Day came and went this past Monday, and in true, own-your-ginger-heritage style, I chose to don green, tame my redhead mane, and go out to partake of all the Irish fare possible. Irish food and spirits run aplenty in the rainy, emerald isles of our Willamette Valley. I was thrilled to hear that there would be a new Irish Restaurant opening in downtown Salem just in time for the festive holiday.

Sisters Irish Bistro is co-owned and operated by a mother-daughter team, Judith Moss and Tena Khonizy, respectively. The Bistro is located in the Reed Opera House and offers small plate appetizers, salad, soup, lunch and dinner entrees, and dessert. The bistro also boasts a full-service coffee bar.

Upon entering the restaurant in its quaint location on the bottom floor of the Reed, I can instantly see the potential. Lit by bright yet tasteful lamplight, I take in the old stone-and-mortar walls, vintage-style stained glass windows, rustic mahogany beams and tables, and fancy faux fireplace; they have carved out the perfect location for an authentic Irish Bistro in the heart of our capital.

Moss and Khonizy share their heritage with pride in providing genuine Irish cuisine from recipes that have been in their family for generations. The simple menu includes the traditional Irish meals: Corned Beef & Cabbage, Bangers & Mash, and Irish Beef Stew, all averaging around $10 per entrée. Appetizers include salad and soup of the day, while the dessert bar flaunts four different Irish-style cakes (Irish Oatmeal, Apple Rum, Carrot, and Irish Fantasy).

Red Rehab to Relapse

Denison Label
Courtesy of DenisonCellars.com

Musings from the West Side Wine Store

(from one of my previous jobs, yet also my favorite with so many good memories)

About a year ago I realized I was utterly “burned-out” on pinot noir. For some people, this happens and is an understandable palate change on our wine tasting journey. However, for someone working in the wine industry, living smack-dab in the epicenter of Willamette Valley pinot noir country, this was a travesty. I mean, for goodness sake, about a third of our reds at the wine shop are pinot noir because of all the local wineries who harvest the grape. I was backwards. My palate needed help.

I went into rehab (of the wine sort) to get me turned back on to reds. So I spent some time timidly trying out the heftier red wines of our northwest region, and even foreign vintages, delving deeper into the fuller and richer, darker and heavier reds that I couldn’t “handle” during my year-long pinot noir love-affair. I welcomed the change, and appreciated that my nose, tongue, and stomach didn’t reject the more complex reds as before. And I settled into a happy, red routine once more.

Until Tim Wilson came along.

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