Wine Recommendation: 2008 Gascón Malbec (Great Value)

Read Time (Total): 1 minute

2008 Don Miguel Gascón Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina ($11 at Trader Joe’s)

I’m going through a Mendozan Malbec phase so I picked up this bottle last Sunday and I’m definitely very pleased. The nose is quite fruity: dominated by black cherries, some blackberry, and unmistakable vanilla undertones. The palate is pretty mild: black cherry develops first and it’s moderately acidic with a pronounced but subtle tannic structure.

I’ve gotta say…it doesn’t stand up to pizza (see Altos below) but goes great with a good whole-wheat levain (or some other full bodied bread) with olive oil and balsamic. This would go well with more mild fish like Ahi or anything white, salads, and white sauce-based pastas. Also, give it a swirl following a bit of spicy chile chocolate and tell me it wasn’t amazing.

Eat Well – Seven Fast, Healthy, Tasty Meals (With Recipes)

Read Time (Total): 10 minutes
Read Time (Bold): 3 minutes

About two weeks ago I sat down for a few hours with the goal of of creating a menu for myself of food that I love, that I can eat large amounts of–I average 3600 calories per day as a result of my exercise routine–and that takes very little time to make.

Now, I’ve looked around quite a bit for some good diets and as anyone who knows what they’re talking about will tell you, fad diets generally do not work and are not as healthy as they claim. I’ll spare you from long rants about the shortcomings of fad diets–though I will say that low-carb diets are worst of all if you’re an active person–and move on to what works.

Whether you’re trying to lose thirty pounds of fat, gain twenty pounds of muscle, or if you just want to get cut and toned, I have good news for you: all you have to do is design yourself a diet, tweak it a couple times, and you’ll be amazed at the results. I know, I know, it’s nothing that hasn’t been said a million times before but most people don’t realize how easy it is.

BrainChocolate: A New Endeavor

This is BrainChocolate, a page devoted to getting the most out of life. This isn’t my personal blog, it’s not a creative outlet or a political or philosophical slate, it’s just a place where I share what I love and hope you’ll enjoy too.

Posts will include everything from foods and wine to productivity tips and interesting information. The content will always be fresh and only the best will be published.

Enjoy,
Nathan Schmitt

Studying Our Thoughts About Morality

In the comments, please define the following three ideas, in order, in one sentence each and starting with the phrase, “A _____ person is a person who…”

1. A good person

2. A person who is not good but not bad

3. A bad person

(If what you believe has already been said, that’s alright. I’m just looking for responses, not original ideas.

Answers don’t need to be groundbreaking, I want to know what you really think of when you hear these terms, not how you would intellectually define them.

If you want to remain anonymous, fill the form out using the name “Anon” and the email address “Anon@anon.com”

Please try to avoid reading others’ answers until after you’ve left your own.

The results will be analyzed and published in a post–this blog is, of course, not the only or even the primary means of info gathering. Thanks for your participation!