I started to have a conversation yesterday about egos–about labels and egos specifically. But I wasn’t as articulate as I would liked to have been. And I probably should have thought about it before I said it because I think the person I was talking to got a wee bit defensive about his industry (the wine industry) and because his name is on a label.

Today, I guess I just wanted to point out that I am not excluded from my comment on egos (which was something like: there is a lot of ego out there). And, I definitely shouldn’t limit my comment to the wine industry.

I have this website: YukonJen.com. How egotistical is that? (Not to mention another one of projects : HealdsburgMagazine.com…)

IN MY DEFENSE….this website was a gift from a friend who very quickly figured out I was struggling to find a way to express myself.

I am pretty grateful to that friend (Waitman of Waitman.net) because I discovered blogging and expressing myself with words, and pictures, and other media. And just finding my voice and a place where I wouldn’t stutter.

And a few long lost friends have found me through my website (my long-time girlfriend in Yellowknife, Ron Eichler of Vancouver fame). And I have found a few friends through my website (Urban Yukon, I do read your blogs. And they help a whole lot when I am missing the Yukon). I stay in touch with my family in Canada, and other friends from around the world. And when I read my archives, I remember what fun I had writing some of those entries. And I know that it was really worth the time and effort I took to create them.

And I discover new skills, new tools, and new technologies. And I discover how the internet works. And I feel compelled to share that understanding with others (except, unless you are in the internet industry, it’s not as easy as you might think). And, I feel a sense of pride in what I have accomplished.

And I can only guess that my friend in the wine industry probably feels the same way about his wine and his industry.

I’ve just started texting with my mobile. I’ve never done it much before, but now, I have a few people I exchange messages with. It’s a bit like twitter, but I know the person I’m talking to somewhat cares what I’m saying.

Today, I am on my way to the library (for the air conditioning and to get some work done), but I’m not there yet. I’ve been answering emails and updating websites while trying to eat some breakfast at Costeaux.

Regardless, my friend texted me about being on Yukon time. Frankly, because I’m in Healdsburg, I was a bit surprised he’d even know about Yukon time. Maybe he does. Maybe he was just making a joke, but I texted back:

How do you know about Yukon time??? Which is semantically defined as somewhere between late and never…

I must be on Yukon time if I take the time to text the word “semantically”.

Am missing the Yukon big time right now. I should have made the time and money to come home this summer.

After I interviewed Mateo Granados last June, I always stop by his tamale stand at the Farmer’s Market to say hello. He’s always happy and chatty and talking to someone or another. One day, I was just hanging out and Dan Magnuson of Soda Rock Farm comes over to drop off a few boxes of his tomatoes. Mateo immediately says to me: “Here’s one guy you have to talk to. His tomatoes, mmmmuah… ” He kisses his fingers and releases them into the air, in a typical chef-sort-of-way. And he introduces us.

I talk to Dan a bit, and talk to him a few times before we actually make a time to meet. But we meet one morning at the Costeaux Bakery Cafe. He sits down and says: “So. What do you want to talk about?”

I’m prepared: “Tomatoes”, I say.

He smiles: “Well. That’s a pretty big subject.”

I narrow it down: “Your tomatoes? Tell me about your tomatoes.”

That doesn’t do much good. I guess it’s just too big of topic. I ask him some more rhetorical questions.

“When did you start growing tomaotes?” and “Why tomaotes?”

He says he started growing tomatoes about 10 years ago out on his property in Alexander Valley. He’d taken a class at the Santa Rosa Junior college in agriculture. He just liked tomatoes. And I also find out he’s a tennis pro. During the winter months, he teaches tennis athletes at the Charlie Schultz indoor tennis courts.

Tennis and tomatoes. That’s our man. He’s an expert at both.

He started out with an acre out on Alexander Valley and about 3000 plants. He now farms both his property and four to five acres in Dry Creek Valley. Today’s stats are approximately 20,000 tomato plants, 15,000 basil plants, and 1000 lemon cucumber plants.

I ask him how many tomatoes does 20,000 tomato plants produce (I was looking for tonnage or something–I don’t know how you measure tomatoes). He blinked and looked back at me: “A lot.”

He grows between 35 and 40 different varietals, but his mainstay is red beefsteak.

“Do you have any secrets to growing tomatoes.? His eyes are smiling as he tells me — “Trial and error.” He’s been doing it for 10 years, he just figured out what worked and what didn’t. He knows that’s not what I asked and follows up by saying: “Would you give your secrets away?” But he does explain a bit further.

“I grow in Dry Creek Valley. What’s good for the grapes is good for my tomatoes.” Which turns out to be sandy loam soil and sunlight. He also tells me it’s important to plant at the right time, and pick at the right time (which I guess isn’t really anything new.) He plants in April and May (depending on the weather) and the harvest is ready by mid-July through October.

He tells me about staking the plants so they grow up-not out. He tells me about watering them until they’re ripe, then stopping the water before the skins split. He tells me about figuring out how to do things right and making those things repeatable year after year.

He also says that he only grows the tomato varietals he likes. He tried others once, but the fruit could tell he didn’t really like that variety. His customers could tell he didn’t really like that variety–so he just decided he’d never do that again.

I ask him if there is such a thing as a tomato competition. He laughs and said certainly. One year he won awards in five categories from the Kendall Jackson Tomato Festival: aroma, all other colors, orange & yellow, red, and cherry.

He started by selling his tomatoes to high-end restaurants. Bistro Ralph here in Healdsburg was his first. Over the years, Underwood Bar and Bistro and Willow Wood Market Cafe in Gratton sell his tomaotes, Syrah and Willi’s Wine Bar in Santa Rosa. His latest account is Cyrus Restaurant here in Healdsburg. He also does most Farmer’s Markets in the area. I’ll have to check specifically. His tomatoes are also in some produce markets. I noticed them in Big John’s the other day and out at the JimTown Store. And, he tells me later–the Pacific Market in Santa Rosa.

If you’d like to try his tomatoes in more of a social setting, Bovolo Restaurant featuring his tomatoes in one of their BIG NIGHT dinners on Sunday, 14 September 2008. Here’s the menu:

hand thrown MARGHERITA PIZZAS
black pig bacon BLT PANZANELLA
rosemary rubbed PRIME RIB / tomatoes / white corn / fingerling potatoes / salsa verde,
TOMATO + WATERMELON SORBETTO / candied mint + basil / cornmeal shortbread

Let me know if you go. And let me know what you think about it. Minimally, let Dan know what you think of his tomatoes–leave a comment.

Dear Writer,

Sorry for the somewhat impersonal nature of this note, but given the number of submissions and time constraints, it’s the best we can do.

Thanks for submitting your work to Fresh! Our literary committee has made their decisions — we will not be able to use your essay.
This does not necessarily mean we didn’t enjoy your writing, just that it didn’t work for this show.

Please don’t hesitate to submit in the future.

Thanks,

Fresh! Light Literary Committee

A few nights ago, I went out for After Hours at the Ravenous Restaurant here in Healdsburg. That is, I went just to hang out and get a bit of conversation and meet some interesting people before I turned in myself. Ravenous is a local restaurant in an old house on Center Street. The entire backyard is the backyard patio and bar. It’s a pretty cool atmosphere. I like showing up later–you meet more locals (everybody who’s getting off of their shifts from somewhere else).

And if you know me and my Princess Donkey ways, I just start talking.

That night, I ended up talking to two out-of-town gentlemen who’d met one another at law school in London, England. One was living in Hong Kong now, the other–still in London. They were both here on holiday getting a bit of the California sun. They’d made it to Healdsburg after a few days in San Francisco. They were a bit tired, but they did ask where I could recommend they should go visit the next day.

I gave them an itinerary…based on nothing else other than the places I liked (but I did cross-check with a few other locals at the bar). I’ll eventually write that itinerary up and post it on HealdsburgMagazine.com (my other online home). But today, I was thinking about our conversation.

We somehow ended up talking about my favourite BBC series (the original OFFICE series, and something that’s showing on BBC America right now: Coupling). I tell them I think Coupling is the British version of Friends. AND IT IS SO MUCH MORE FUNNY. I laugh my head off at the dialogue. But, I guess that’s British and maybe more Canadian humour, not American.

I did say that I was a huge fan of the HBO series: Sex and the City. For a number of reasons: I like the writing in the series. It was daring, dashing, bold, and beautiful ALL AT THE SAME TIME. I could identify with almost everything that happened to every character in every episode. I also have a fetish for sexy shoes.

The guy from Hong Kong asked me which character I identified with the most. I thought about it for a second before I replied: “What you guys don’t get is that every woman is every character. We are all sassy, classy, smart, and sexy (Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda, Sam). Those four characters are the four cornerstones to each and every one of our personalities.”

That’s it. That’s what you have to know about us. You also have to understand when it is appropriate to start a conversation with any one of those four personalities.

I’m not really writing anything that Sex and the City fans don’t know. But if you’re a guy, and you’re reading my blog, and you’re not really a fan of the HBO series, I just wanted to let you know that fact.

Another thing I told them–about modern women today. We have jobs. We have careers. We work hard. We have our own salaries and financial portfolios. Some of us even own our own homes or residences.

I think who we’re looking for when we’re actually looking for a relationship is NOT someone who can take care of us. We can take care of ourselves. It would be good if YOU could take care of yourself and contribute to taking care of a household–yes, I mean cooking and cleaning and laundry and shopping and all the household tasks that your mother used to do.

The only part of us that we need you to take care of our hearts.

PS: It would also be good if you liked to dance in the living room.

I can’t seem to have one without the other. I like food. In order to be able to eat all the food that I like, I need to exercise. In order to exercise, I need good music.

But whatever, I have to start a new exercise regime. I can’t have all this food making a permanent home on my butt.

Last night, I started organizing my music files on this computer–to get a really good workout rhythm going. Here is my music list so far:

• Desafinado (OK. I know I may be the only one in the world who runs to Stan Getz, but this one gets me going).
• Mary Mary – Chumbawumba (good to say a bit of a prayer before I really get going).
• Amnesia – Chumbawumba (because I eventually want to forget–turn my brain off and just go).
• Stronger than You Think I am – Rachel Ferguson’s new track. I LOVE this one. I can hear it on a movie soundtrack sometime. I’d put it at the beginning of the movie–then the movie would be the story of how she gets to where she’s singing about. Then–probably in my dreams, the closing shot is her driving a scooter across the Manhattan Bridge.
• All Day Long – another Rachel Ferguson. “Too cool for these games…” She’s so young. Where’d she get all this gender saavy?
• Sexbomb – Tom Jones (I can dream can’t I?)
• Kryptonite – Three Doors Down (part of my snowboarding mix)
• Born Slippy- From the Trainspotting soundtrack (another song on my snowboarding mix).
• Need You Tonight – INXS classic
• Wasting Time – Collective Soul (another one of my favourites that just helps get me going).
• New Orleans is Sinking – Tragically Hip. How can this song not be on my top-ten energy songs?

Oh…wait a minute. That’s 11 songs. Well, I’m just starting. I’ll start with these now. I know I have more…I just have to find the digital versions of them.

I’m open to suggestions though. What songs get you moving? I’ve gained 10 pounds this summer. And if my friend and I are going to do the Yukon River Paddle Quest next June, I’ve got some training to do.

My current perspective….

I’ve been talking to my friend in Yellowknife. In fact, I’m going to call her now. Except, I have to write a blog entry before I can. It’s been too long since I made my last one–and I’m due.

We had a great chat the last time we talked. I think we talked for three hours. Now. How’s that for friendship?

In fact, that was the topic of the conversation (or that’s how we started off). We talked about friends and our friendships and what they mean to us. She laughed and said that saying was true…that one that says something about you know who your true friends are when they show up to help you move. She was relieved at how many of her friends showed up to help her move her stuff into her new place and she’s grateful for that. She was just grateful.

When I moved from Bush-Field last year, my friend Quebec-Martin showed up with his pickup and helped me move back to Healdsburg. AND I have to say that was quite a relief. He also helped me quite a bit once I was here. In fact, I believe I have a whole entire photo essay on building the composter. I didn’t have any furniture or kitchen supplies, but I knew the first thing I needed was a composter–and he and Humberto helped me make it.

Another thing we talked about last time was texture. One of her friends had given her a compliment (the day of her move) and said something about texture. That she was a person who had texture. My friend couldn’t have felt better. What a compliment!! I think so too. I like that.

I told what I’d told another friend of mine once when he asked me what I thought of Cobie Chaillet.

“I was thinking more about Colbie Chaillet on the way to Petaluma this morning as I was listening to Dianah Washington. I realized what I had described was mainstream was more like–lack of texture. That’s how I would describe it. Lack of texture.

I like music with depth, complexity, range, and texture…in fact. In fact, it turns out, that’s how I like my wine. And..now as I’m typing this, I realize I like people like that too. I like people who have depth, complexity, range, and texture.”

And that’s how I think my friend is–and I can only aspire to have those qualities too. I guess life is just a work-in-progress.

ON THAT NOTE….it’s time to publicly announce that we (my friend and I) have a goal. We are challenging ourselves to compete in the Yukon River Quest next summer. Isn’t that exciting? AND we have a whole year to prepare. When she told her dad, he said he thought he’d go too and he’d ask our former Outdoor Ed teacher Cliff Dunaski to go along with him.

I wonder what it’ll be like twenty years later? OMG!!!!!!!!Twenty years later!!!! We were part of the graduating class of ‘89.