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Midway: Chris Jordan’s TrashTalk (Part 1)

April 11, 2013

 

Did you know that 2.4 million pieces of plastic enter our oceans every hour? That 10% of the world plastic production enters the ocean? That 70% of the plastic in ocean flows from rivers?

ecoliteracy_graphicTuesday, April 9, 2013, artist Chris Jordan presented his work at Pacifica Graduate Institute where I am working on a PhD in Depth Psychology with an Emphasis in Community, Liberation, and Ecopsychology. On Wednesday, he joined some of us “EcoDreamers” for  a lunchtime conversation about the work, what it means, why it matters, and about how he is bringing it to the world.

Chris Jordan makes meaning from information by turning data, relevant materials, and statistics into art. This image above is made up of 2.4 million pieces of ocean plastic which represents the amount of plastic that enters the ocean every hour. Read more…

Bicycle Built for Wine: What I want for Mom’s Day & Burning Man!

April 10, 2013

Burning Man bike barA Bicycle Built for Burning Man! This could keep the dust out and with a little dry ice, keep the wine cool! Love the little fold out table and how it keeps your drinks from spilling!

Read more about this bicycle built for a picnic for two!

WordFest Writing Workshop: Haiku & Sushi with a Ojai Vineyards Chaser!

April 9, 2013

Happy National Poetry Month!

Gwendolyn Alley aka Art Predator's avatarwine predator.............. gwendolyn alley

It’s National Poetry Month! Celebrate with me this Friday, April 12, 2013, when I will be leading a haiku writing workshop at a sushi bar in Ojai–which means I’ll be stopping by Ojai Vineyards while I’m in town!

That’s right, you can get your haiku and eat it too!

Well, maybe not, but that sounds fun, doesn’t it?

Either way, it will be a fun time for 12 on 4/12 at 12 when we gather in Ojai during WordFest’s “Foodie Friday” for a sushi lunch with a side of haiku. Or maybe that’s haiku with a side of sushi?

So if you don’t mind the soy sauce on your writing notebook,

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Wine Predator’s WBC12 Ignite!Wine & Conscious Wine’s Portland Pairings

April 7, 2013

Want to be a better blogger? Want to know how I end up on “to read” lists of wine bloggers? Check out this video of my Ignite presentation at the 5th Annual Wine Bloggers Conference in Portland OR on the 10 Commandments of Wine Blogging! And learn about Jeff Weissler’s new venture in wine, Portland Pairings!

Gwendolyn Alley aka Art Predator's avatarwine predator.............. gwendolyn alley

So, after hearing about my being on Marcy Gordon’s 2013 list of important wine bloggers and Michael Wangbickler’s 2012 list and Jo Diaz’s list in 2011

you want to know how I achieved my success as a wine blogger?

Today’s your lucky day!IgniteWineAlleyWbc12

Jeff Weissler aka  http://consciouswine.com recorded my 5-minute IGNITE!wine session at the 2012 Wine Blogger’s Conference in Portland:

“The Ten Commandments of Wine Blogging”

What’s an Ignite? For this style of presentation, we each have five minutes to present a story using 20 slides; each slide changes automatically every 15 seconds. Like TEDX, people are organizing Ignite! presentations all over the world; this is the second year of Ignite at the WBC.

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Wine Predator Named One of 5 “Wine Chicks that Click”!

April 6, 2013

Wine Predator aka Art Predator is a “Wine Chick Who Clicks” –read why and how and check out the other members of the list!

Gwendolyn Alley aka Art Predator's avatarwine predator.............. gwendolyn alley

Did you know that there are about 1500 active wine blogs? And that about 1000 of them are written by “citizen bloggers” like me?WBC13

See a list of Wine Bloggers here.

Allan Wright and his colleagues who organize the North American Wine Blogger’s Conference keep track of this kind of info; recently, I completed a survey for them for wine bloggers and another one for food bloggers. (Did you know I spoke at a wine and food panel at the International Food Bloggers Conference November 2011? Yep! I also spoke at the 5th WBC in Portland!)

A week ago, Lettie Teague of the Wall Street Journal posted about the State of the Wine Bloggosphere using information from an interview with Allan Wright and after reading 10,000 pages of blogs.

Her results?

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RIP Robert Ebert, 1942-2013

April 4, 2013

Robert Ebert, who coined and popularized the idea of “two thumbs up” with critic Gene Siskel (who died in 1999) on his show At the Movies with Siskel & Ebert,  died today of cancer at 70 years old– the day after his 46 anniversary as film critic for the Chicago Sun Times.

by guest blogger Ron Wells

Roger Ebert, american film critic.

Roger Ebert, american film critic. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Sometimes you let art speak for

itself, and sometimes you look to others to guide you to a greater understanding of that art.

It wasn’t just his reviews of films–

which I may or may not have agreed with–but the movies Roger Ebert chose to bring to a wider audience that I will always remember, and his insightfu

l commentary into so many of those films.

I can’t count the number of non-mainstream movies that he and Gene Siskel reviewed on their television show that intrigued me enough to seek them out and explore new writers, directors, and actors, all of whom I might not have otherwise known about.

With that came a new and greater understanding of the the art of film, and all its various facets. It opened me up to so much– not just into films, but the way in which films delved into and reflected upon the meaning of life itself.

For that I’ll be forever grateful.

Rest in Peace, Roger Ebert.

Chasing Ice: Screening Now Near You

April 1, 2013

I wish Climate Change and the loss of polar ice was an April Fool’s joke. But it’s not. Climate change is seriously real and the new documentary Chasing Ice shows just how rapidly our planet, especially our polar regions, are changing due to anthropogenic causes.

Currently screening nationwide,  Chasing Ice is coming to the Ventura Film Society Tuesday, April 2, 2013 420 East Santa Clara, across the street from the Blue Orchid.

The film starts at 7:15.  Regular price for tickets is a $10 Donation. Student ticket price is $5 Donation.

After the movie, there will be three speakers:
Rick Ridgeway Patagonia’s VP of Environmental Initiatives
Patty Ridenour – Geology Professor / Ventura College
Rachel Morris, VCCool

According to the film,  “In the spring of 2005, National Geographic photographer James Balog headed to the Arctic on a tricky assignment: Read more…

March 30, 2013

Part 2 in this series of posts about Rafters Restaurant in Mammoth Lakes CA: reviews and mouthwatering photos of the foods and reviews of the two Steven Ken Wines LaRochelle Pinot Noirs we tasted there!

Gwendolyn Alley aka Art Predator's avatarwine predator.............. gwendolyn alley

LaRochelleKissIn part one in this series of posts, I review two white wines from Steven Kent Wines, the luscious LaRochelle Chardonnay (pictured) and the lively Lola, a Bordeaux blend, and I wax enthusiastic about Rafters Restaurant, which is one of three restaurants and four bars at the Sierra Nevada Resort in Mammoth Lakes CA.

We were up in Mammoth for a holiday weekend ski trip where I also had a twitter tasting with Steven Kent Wines and Jim Demetriades, owner of Rafters hosted me! And what a gracious host! I was able to use a beautiful side room for the tasting, sommelier Chip Irmish set me up with the correct glasses I’d need as well as a dump bucket, and an ice bucket. Staff brought water, and either Chef Kerry Mechler or various staff brought out the six dishes that chef had chosen to pair with the six wines.

Here…

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March 30, 2013

A series of wine, food, and travel posts just in time for spring break! Where are you headed? What are you looking forward to this spring?

Gwendolyn Alley aka Art Predator's avatarwine predator.............. gwendolyn alley

Last month, after a bluebird afternoon on the slopes at Mammoth Mountain, I participated in a fantastic Twitter Wine tasting featuring Steven Kent Wines hosted by The Rafters Restaurant at the Sierra Nevada Resort 202 Old Mammoth Road, Mammoth Lakes, CA. Established in 1967; Rafters was recently reborn as a world class restaurant with a 7000 bottle wine list!

Sommelier Chip Irmish had glasses ready and the wines chilled perfectly for me when I dashed back after a few quick turns on the slopes.

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March 25, 2013

It’s time for another Thirsty Girl Twitter tasting! Join us on Weds March 27 at 5pm!

Gwendolyn Alley aka Art Predator's avatarwine predator.............. gwendolyn alley

It’s Harvest Time in New Zealand and Spring Time in California! Celebrate both with the first Thirsty Girl #TGTaste Twitter Tasting of 2013 set for Wednesday March 27 at 5 pm PST  (8 pm EST). You’re invited!

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