Strobe Rant

Short little post here, not as deep philosophically as my past posts, just a little rant.

I don't like strobes. I don't have epilepsy, per se, but strobes do cause me to have facial twitches and cause my right arm to clinch and lock--my strongest of friends can't pull my arm down. I do have a type of seizure that is not epilepsy, at least when last EEG'd a few years ago. I don't lose consciousness, or lose full control of my body--I've learned to protect myself and others from harm when I have my episodes--and I know when one is going to happen, usually, and what causes them--stress of almost any sort. And I can communicate during. All this adds up to me being ok-ish to drive.

But, my big question, is why do emergency vehicles have strobes that can cause people to have seizures? They cause, what many would deem, a medical emergency. For me, there's not much that EMTs can do that random person on the street couldn't do, but for many people that is not the case.
I wish I knew who to talk to to get strobes on emergency vehicles removed. Someday, I'll find out.
That's my thoughts for the moment.

The glory of Wine

Saucelito Canyon Winery, one of the oldest vineyards in the state of California. It was planted in 1880. It thrived for many years, until a family feud with another family let it close it's gates. It was reopened in the late 1970's under a new owner, and has been growing ever since.
I recently was given the chance to go out and photograph their vineyards, the first to do so from a professional stand point. Unfortunately, I drank quite a bit of their amazing wine, and my equipment is not the best, so my photos were not the greatest, but they were still good.



I am a fan of wine, especially the Zinfindels that Saucelito makes. Wine is one of the best drinks in the world, and one that is drank all over the world...well, in many places. People have been drinking wine for thousands of years. It is actually a very healthful drink, in moderation, and helps with liver and kidney functions. Many cultures which do not have clean water to drink will drink wine as an alternative. I think I could handle living in a place like that (especially because those places are Italy, France, and Spain, to name a few).

I often go wine tasting with my parents, and it is always a fun adventure. Not because of the alcohol, but because of the people we meet. Just recently we actually met the guy who wrote the book Sideways (yes, the movie that made everyone hate Merlot). He was actually a fairly arrogant man, not someone I would chose to have a long conversation with, but when wine is the center, anything goes. Many of the wine makers and tasting room hosts in the area know my parents well, and often greet them with hugs. It always makes for a fun time. And because of the close comradery we often get either larger pours, or tastes of wines that are not available to the general public. On that same trip which we met the author of Sideways, we were given a first tasting of a wine that had just been bottled and labeled (it needed more time to age, we secretly agreed).

We sat on the patio of the winery tasting room, and talked about life in the shade from the warm sun. The weather was perfect, and the wine was good. There I sat, 28 years old, with my parents who have surpassed the 50 year mark and two family friends that are also of that extended age, discussing not just wine, but politics, weather, and philosophy. Wine can do that.

Wine on a beautiful day, it just brings people together. When you have a glass, all the cares of the world can slip away. What would be a heated debate about politics or religion, can become a civil discussion. Strangers can become best of friends. And, as with most good alcohol with good food and beautiful weather, laughter will exude from everyone.
That is why wine is glorious.
I would drink wine, that what I would do.