I usually listen to the local all-news, classical, jazz, or classic rock station when I’m in the car. But on Sunday mornings, they often run strange programming, so all bets are off and I tune around the dial in hopes of finding something I’ll like.

This morning, as I was driving to the Y, I happened to tune into NPR’s Weekend Edition just as they were starting the puzzle segment. I liked it. In fact, I sat in the car until the segment ended, then I spent most of my exercise session thinking about the puzzle. After getting home, I kept trying different solutions until I found one that seemed to be a good candidate (10 total steps). I’m glad they put the puzzle on the website so I don’t have to listen to the show every week (is the puzzle always at the same time?).

Ruining my reputation for expertise

Al asks for my opinion on the right wines to accompany a dinner of Boeuf a la Bourguignonne. I guess my occasional “Wine of the Day” feature must sound as though I know something, rather than what it really is — a way of remembering some of the wines we drink in hopes of not buying bad ones a second time!

We hardly ever have beef at home, so I’m afraid I don’t even have any experiences to share as starting points for this one.

The Wine of the Day for Thanksgiving, by the way, will be a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc (Corbans Marlborough 1999), chosen through the scientific process of rushing over to the wine racks at Lunardi’s while Diane was in the checkout line and looking for the first Sauvignon Blanc which had the words “good with poultry” in the writeups on the shelves. I’ve heard good things about New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs; I hope they’re right!

Today’s Torah portion was Parashat Vayera (Genesis 18:1-22:24). It’s filled with action, including the Binding of Isaac and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, but that wasn’t what caught the eye of the person giving the drash today. Instead, she talked about the meaning of hospitality, pointing out that the sin which really sealed the doom of Sodom was the lack of hospitality, and talking about how Abram’s hospitality to the three strangers led to the birth of Isaac. And the Haftorah follows through on the same theme.

After my unfortunate experience Thursday at the Iron Cactus (followed, fortunately, by the great treatment I received at Taco Cabana), I wish that people in the hospitality industry would read the Torah!

United Airlines keeps trying to make good for their summer problems; today’s mail said that I could have my choice of 15,000 miles or two confirmable domestic upgrades as yet another apology for any inconvenience I might have suffered during the summer (this is on top of double mileage for my travel since May and a reduced mileage level to requalify for Premier). I’d really prefer it if they spread out the seats throughout the cabin, not just in the first few rows of Coach, and if they’d serve food on any flight over two hours, not just those which fit their definition of “mealtime”. But since they’re not likely to take those measures, which actually cost money, I guess I should be happy that they want my business enough to try to bribe me for it.