Leveling Up
good things & big changes
May was exciting and full of new milestones. Here are the highlights.
I finished my draft of Maenad with the Stowe Story Labs Feature Campus Program. Coming in at 118 pages, this is my first feature film draft. Finishing Maenad, especially in the environment I wrote it in, was wonderful and fulfilling. Now I have editing notes and a direction I can take the next draft in. And it’s a good story! Overall, I’m just really proud of myself completing a goal that has been on my list for over 10 years. Not only that, but it has given me so much confidence that I now have a baseline to how long it takes me to plan, write, and finish a first draft of any major project.
Started taking the Televisionary class through Script Anatomy to create an outline for a television show pilot. Like Maenad, that pilot is also wine-based, but historical fiction instead of horror. If I’m going to be honest, it was hard to jump into this project right away so soon after finishing Maenad. However, I’m learning a lot and trying to be nice to myself since there is a lot going on and my focus has been pulled in so many directions. Also, anything out of my head and onto a page is a major win.
We bought a house! This was the BIG event of the month. We weren’t expecting it since the house was originally out of our price range, but decided to say “fuck it” one night and put in an offer that made sense to us. I think the lesson here is to not assume and you don’t know anything until you try. Since we bought a house, this also means we are officially leaving California. After nine years in San Francisco, this is such a huge change. As we begin to pack and get ready for the big move after baby is born, I’ve definitely been going through the emotions. I love San Francisco. I love being around the friends I’ve made here, amazing restaurants, and having a lot of things to do, and being so close to a major wine region. However, both my husband and I grew up close to nature. Where we are moving has incredible outdoor access, good schools, winter and summer sports, and we are much closer to both our families. Additionally, we have already lived in the area after college. As sad as it is to leave California, it will be a great, and necessary, change, and we will eventually find our way in our new state.
And finally, in more wine related news, something I learned last week that I’m excited to share with you.
I passed the Level 3 WSET exam!!
And I passed all sections with Merit, the second highest distinction for the exam.
Not only is the exam notoriously difficult, but I passed it while pregnant, which I think is also worth celebrating (baby brain is sooo real, you guys).
Additionally, this marks my third wine exam passed within a year.
With everything else going on, I think it’s time for me to take a very long study break.
a wine & a woof
This past March, I was out to dinner with my family where we picked out a bottle of Cabernet Franc by Sealionne Wine in Walla Walla, Washington.
I love Cab Francs from Walla Walla. I think they are incredible and such an underrated wine.
The 2022 Tencendur Cabernet Franc is one of those exceptional wines.
The Cab Franc explodes with ripe and baked fruit— blackberries, rhubarb, strawberry pie, before giving way to earthy and wet stone notes. It’s grounded and earthy, with silky tannins that last a looonnggg time on the palate. To say I’m obsessed is an understatement.
My biggest annoyance with the wine is that I couldn’t drink a full glass (because I’m pregnant and it’s been just tiny tasting sips for me for the past 7 months) and that I cannot find it outside the Sealionne website so that I can drink it once the baby is out in the world.
Also, after browsing the Sealionne website, I think the brand is actually kinda perfect to highlight on Wines & Woofs. If you go to their about page, the winemakers include their two dogs, Tia and Stella, as HR and Emotional Support and Head of Security. So cute!!
In terms of my wine and dog pairing, I would pair the Tencendur with a Finnish Spitz.
Learned from my five minutes of research, the Finnish Spitz is the national dog breed of Finland and is an ancient small game and bird hunting dog. It’s also very uncommon and hard to outside of Finland (hence why I chose it for this particular Cab Franc because you can only get the wine from one source).
What the breed is probably most known for is for it’s fox-like appearance. This small breed is strong-willed, intelligent, independent, athletic and shows a wide range of expressions.
I have living relatives in Norway and Denmark. When I think of my time in the Scandinavian countries, I think about picking wild berries or the berries behind my relatives homes— strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and gooseberries. For some reason, the berries just taste better there. I also love anything over there made out of strawberries and rhubarb. The Tencendur made me of think about walking through the Scandinavian woods barefoot, over soft pine and smooth stones. To me, the Finnish Spitz, with it’s fox-like looks, gives off the same essence.
i’ll drink to that
Shows: Welcome to Wrexham- Season 3
Books: Champagne by Don & Petie Kladstrup
Eats: Hook Fish Co - a popular local spot in San Francisco with incredible poke, tacos, and fish burritos. I’ve been trying to get to the beach more with Katara and boy, am I always sooooo hungry now. We’ve been stopping by Hook quite a bit in the past few weeks for some tacos.
Thanks for reading!
~Kir
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