Wine not?

Fincastle Winery

I wrote a story for The Roanoke Times about an upcoming wine festival.

“It is well to remember that there are five reasons for drinking: the arrival of a friend; one’s present or future thirst; the excellence of the wine; or any other reason.”

If that old Latin saying holds true for you, well, here’s yet another reason: The 17th annual Roanoke Wine Festival on June 13 at Elmwood Park in downtown Roanoke. Who doesn’t want to spend a Saturday relaxing at the park, listening to live music and tasting fabulous wine?

If you think you’ve been there, done that … well, think again. Have you tried Chateau Morrisette’s inaugural fruit wine? Or Virginia Mountain Vineyard’s new Trinity red? Or what about any of the wines from Brooks Mill? Probably not, considering this young winery just opened in December.

Of the 10 wineries that will be pouring at this year’s festival, all of them are bringing something new.

Here’s the rest of it, if you’re interested.

 

Movie review: ‘Confessions of a Shopaholic’

Here is the most recent review for roanoke.com.

I spent the better half of the past two days dissing “Confessions of a Shopaholic” before I actually saw the movie. In my mind, I ripped the plot to shreds, jumped up and down on the remains and then threw them under the bus.

 

I got nothin’

It’s been a long day staring at the computer screen. Why does it feel like I work harder now than I’ve ever worked? (Sorry to past employers.) I guess I feel like I have to hustle to produce quality work for hourly pay. It’s a new thing for me.

Here’s a post I just wrote on the blog I author for a local seafood restaurant, Awful Arthur’s. It’s a quick-hit interview with the brewmaster.

I could go for a beer right about now. Hmm, that’s not a bad idea.

 

‘He’s Just Not That Into You’ review

I wrote a review of this movie for The Roanoke Times. You can read it here if you care.

A movie like “He’s Just Not That Into You” is destined to turn out one of two ways – as a total flop or a pretty decent flick. And this one turned out to be a pretty decent flick, owing much to its all-star cast.

 

Time is money

Since I started freelancing full time, the biggest lesson I’ve learned so far is that time is indeed money. Every hour I let slide by is another bundle of money I’ve missed out on. I’m constantly trying to plan my days so that I pack enough work hours in to cover my a#$! It’s the hardest part of this so far. Anyone out there a full-time freelancer with good time management skills? I’d love to hear your tips.

 

Finally off the grid

I recently started working from home. It’s not the first time I’ve done this. The only difference is that the first time I had a full-time job with a paying salary. This time I’m on my own, scrambling to find jobs that pay by the hour or at least by the project. I left a full-time job about a month ago to do this. I might sound like an idiot for leaving a well-paying job during this economic funk, but I’ve always put quality of life ahead of anything else.

With this blog I plan to just talk about life off the grid, so to speak. So far, so good. The money is coming in, but that could change at any minute.