Some thoughts on Christmas without presents.
A feature on Eli Broad, philanthropist. Listen to how he kept his college expenses down. Good advice, even today. I like the idea of his underfunding of projects to encourage participation.
Marketplace has a great story about balancing development with quality of life in Thailand.
They also have story on an really unusual retirement strategy. Heavy on Volkswagens. The cars, not the stock. It’s not what I recommend, but I like that he’s giving himself a livelyhood in retirement as well as an investment.
Marketplace’s round up of stories from the past year. I especially liked Hillary Wicai’s story on post-nuptial agreements. I thought it was pretty intriguing.
The History of Happiness. My favorite part is about Croesus himself. After all, a man with such riches ought to be happy, yes?
I heard this story about champagne and instantly I wanted a glass. I’m posting this second online story about holiday wines (no audio) because you don’t have to spend $40 a bottle for Veuve Clicquot to find a tasty champagne. I’m a big fan of Domaine Chandon NV Blanc de Noirs ($16) and other sparkling wines made with methode champenoise. One of my fondest memories is sitting with my mother in the tasting room of Chandon with a glass of champagne and some caviar, taking in the autumn sun over a vineyard of reds and orange. It’s an exquisite memory.
Another Chandon memory: Having a romantic weekend of camping at Half Moon Bay. We stuck the opened and half-drunk champagne bottle into a parka pocket, grabbed our sleeping bags to watch the waves and stars. As we walked, the jiggling motion on the bottle made the cork fly off in the dark and we laughed hysterically down to the water. Strangely we found the cork the next morning and it sent us again into giggles.
Sixteen bucks is cheap to drink in memories.
My absolute favorite quotation by Madame Lily Bollinger of the House of Bollinger. She was asked “When do you drink champagne?”, and replied:
I only drink champagne when I’m happy, and when I’m sad. Sometimes I drink it when I’m alone. When I have company, I consider it obligatory. I trifle with it if I am not hungry and drink it when I am. Otherwise I never touch it – unless I’m thirsty.
Oh and please do listen. The story of champagne has a remarkable feminist quality to it, after all Veuve means widow in French. Think Veuve Clicquot, Veuve Fourney and even Madame Bollinger was a widow as well. They inherited their husband’s wealth but nurtured it to prosper instead of having to sell it all off.
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I have fond memories of Chandon as well! I find it to be a delightful drink. Veuve Clicquot has a wonderful, yeasty taste (and a lovable CEO), but is a bit dry for my liking. Chandon is a crowd pleaser, and there’s never a bad time to enjoy it.
Hi Andrea!
Nice blog! Yours is gorgeous in the way that I had hoped mine to be… Yes, Clicquot is dry. I prefer brut style because I like very dry drinks. I don’t have much of a sweet tooth, and if I do, I drink Grand Marnier. (Insert lip smacking sound here.)
And you agree with Madame Bollinger. I personally cannot name a bad time for champagne, so you must be correct!
Thanks for highlighting the Marketplace stories. Since I haven’t been at work all week I haven’t been listening to it, which is normally a workplace pastime for me.
Thank you so much for the links, especially the one about champagne.