Food for the Spirit and the Soul

Border Ballads: Have You Herd? Border Collies Don’t Track

Robert Neralich — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 23:33:03 +0000

We all like to think ourselves safe from the depredations of common criminals, particularly if we reside in suburban America, but a few days ago, I had an experience that shattered my faith in both the pastoral character of my neighborhood and the general usefulness of my dog. Sometime just after noon, I was walking home [...]

The Call of Cthulhu

Robert Neralich — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 02:46:54 +0000

For Dougal Tukten Neralich “Ph-nglui mglw’nafh Cthulhu R’lyeh wgah’nagl fhtagn.” – “In his house at R’lyeh dead Cthulhu waits dreaming.” Almost everyone has had the experience of unexpectedly discovering a book that changed his or her life, even if the character and degree of that change was, at the time, largely imperceptible. In this posting I [...]

A Personal Favorite: Dry Creek Vineyard 2006 Sonoma County Old Vine Zinfandel

Robert Neralich — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 19:30:38 +0000

Since I am an unabashed Zinfandel partisan, it takes an uncommonly good example of my favorite wine to impress me, and so I was delighted to discover the remarkable Dry Creek Vineyard 2006 Sonoma County Old Vine Zinfandel ($28). Sipping this brilliantly-crafted red wine is like listening to a Bach fugue, with all the [...]

Border Ballads: To Be, Or Knot To Be: Bathing The Border Collie

Robert Neralich — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 18:31:16 +0000

For three years, I have had the pleasure and privilege of living with Jack, my wonderful Border Collie, and because he is such an extraordinary companion, I have decided to publish a record of our adventures together – under the heading “Border Ballads.” Most people are aware that Border Collies are intelligent, but fewer [...]

Asian Horizons

admin (not Robert) — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 23:48:45 +0000

During the summers of 2004, 2005, and 2006, under the auspices of my Asian Horizons program, I took some of the students who had taken my Asian Studies class on treks in Tibet, India, and Nepal. In 2005, these two of these three-week treks took place in Sikkim and Ladakh, two Himalayan provinces in [...]

Wine Recommendation: On The Verge of Greatness

Robert Neralich — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 22:23:41 +0000

Last year, Verge Wine Cellars made a decidedly dramatic entrance onto the stage of the wine world with the release of its Verge 2006 Dry Creek Valley Syrah ($40), and people who delighted in this wine’s robust complexities will likely find at least as much to enjoy in the newly-released Verge 2007 Dry Creek Valley [...]

Training Journal: Entry I: The Cart Before the Horse

Robert Neralich — Tue, 05 May 2009 20:10:49 +0000

For Jon Tenzing Neralich, Exercise Guru Extraordinaire Like many time-mellowed males, I have undertaken an exercise program that includes doing roadwork four mornings a week. Please note that I did not use the term “run,” because that would misrepresent the truth, nor did I employ “jog,” since I associate this prissy word with self-indulgent yuppies [...]

No Cause For Worry

Robert Neralich — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 21:35:13 +0000

For Corrigan Neralich I know that my family, friends, and former students have been concerned about my recent decision to enter government service. For those who have not yet heard the news, the Obama administration has asked me to be our country’s unofficial representative to Freedonia, with the hope that I can help to bring [...]

Something Handy

Robert Neralich — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 01:03:29 +0000

Students often help their teachers discover interesting things, and thanks to my pupils, a few years ago I learned a great deal about an area of American culture that has been largely neglected by scholars. I noticed that many of my students used hand lotion almost constantly, and when I teased them about [...]

Wine Recommendation

Robert Neralich — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 23:54:54 +0000

Pascual Toso 2007 Malbec Maipu Vineyards, Mendoza Argentina Price: about $12 This Malbec is certainly one of the “best buy” red wines that I have tasted recently. It has appealing cherry and dark berry aromas with hints of cocoa lingering in the background, dark raspberry, currant, and vanilla-oak flavors, a soft texture, and a polished, lingering finish. [...]