Geek Enough For a Drink?

 I have a

sleek little ultrabook laptop

and a smartphone

and an ipad,

which gets whipped out

and flashed around

(not so much!)

at staff meetings. 

 I help teachers out

with computer stuff…

I think this makes me

very right to celebrate

“Geek Pride Day”. 

But then,

before I get too excited,

I notice it is also… 

Wine Day

 Hold the phone! 

 Wine Day!

Forget Geek Whatever day

 I’m all in for Wine Day! 

Woohoo!  

Better get some cool facts

or something before I get

 into the sipping…

Ok, It’s an American Day

– but I’ve been to America,

 so I can celebrate, too! 

 I am extremely pleased

that I was not born

as an Early Roman Woman…

they were forbidden

from drinking wine. 

If their husband

found them drinking wine,

they were at liberty

to kill her! 

 The last recorded divorce,

on the grounds of a

wife drinking wine,

occurred in Rome in 194BC.

  (Bit rough!)

Again, luckily I escaped

life as an Ancient Roman…

in an attempt to preserve wine,

they added lead –

which also gave the

wine a sweet taste. 

Not surprisingly,

lead poisoning

killed the drinkers…

apparently, this is one

of the causes

of the decline of Rome!

Even knowing that women

 now drink wine

without running the risk

of divorce or death,

it is surprising to learn that

 wine grapes are the most common

 fruit crop grown in the world.

 Before you take your first sip

 of wine…

think about this:

 Wine was often transported

 in “wineskins”. 

So? 

Well, Pigs would be skinned…

the skin would be cleaned,

tanned and turned inside out

 and the wine

would be poured in!

  (The wine was in contact

 with the hairy side

 of the skin.) 

Even worse –

and it’s the Ancient Romans again!

  They decided to season

their wine with fish sauce,

 garlic and onion root!

(and don’t forget the lead!) 

Finally, I am very glad

that I do not suffer

from oenophobia

(an intense fear

or hatred of wine)!

It's Wine Day...

Cheers!

(For more reasons

to drink, check out

 an earlier post I wrote.)

Find out more on this page.

Photos from a local winery.

Silver Tongued

The sound of a knock at my door

was enough to send me into a mild panic.

Even when I knew someone

was due at my house, I'd worry. 

The hour leading up to their arrival

would see me start to pace and fret.

Answering the phone

to an unknown caller was also scary...

and calling someone...

... I needed a few deep breaths

before I'd even think about doing that!

I knew that's how it was...

I thought it would always be like that.

And then, I started Toastmasters.

Last weekend, I pulled open my phone and called Optus

without even thinking about it.

Now, I'm worried about people coming to my house

only because it's not very clean!

I didn't know it was happening

but I've gotten brave!

It didn't just happen -

but, it did happen easily.

I started Toastmasters.

Every fortnight, I would stand up

and say a few words at the start of meetings.

Before I knew it, I was giving speeches.

Now, I know I will be called on for an impromptu speech.

I know people expect me

to take on roles and give speeches.

Even more, I expect it of myself.

I've been in Toastmasters for two years.

It's difficult to remember how awkward I felt...

I really do feel confident and capable...

all because of Toastmasters.

This week marks the

25th anniversary

of my Toastmasters Club.

Paraskevidekatriaphobia

I learned a new word today.

Paraskevidekatriaphobia.

Paraskevidekatriaphobics are the people who have a morbid and irrational fear of Friday the 13th. Then there is this word - tridecaphobia.

The fear of the number thirteen is called tridecaphobia. Being that tomorrow is Friday the 13th, I thought I would look at some superstitions. I now know that there are some tasks I should carefully avoid on Friday: never

begin any new work,

write a letter,

knit,

launch a ship,

begin the harvest,

cut finger-nails,

start a journey,

get married,

or give birth. Most of these are easy for me - so I feel confident that my Friday the 13th will pass by relatively peacefully.

Here are some of the extremes which we have some to accept as normal - even though few of us would admit to being superstitious!!: More than 80 % of high-rises do not have a 13th floor Many airports skip the 13th gate Airplanes have no 13th aisle Hospitals and hotels often have no room number 13 Many cities do not have a 13th Street

Then there are the ladders, which must be carefully avoided, the black cats and the cracks in the concrete.

Be careful... watch your back and be grateful that you are not paraskevidekatriphobic!