SATC, Biltmore, and my failed attempts at saving the world.

So Dixie, her roommate, Rhett, and I all went to see SATC Friday night. I don't want to comment on the movie's plot, because I don't want to ruin the surprise for anyone planning to see it. I will, however, say that I was VERY DISAPPOINTED at the ending. Boo. Anyways, what also added to the crappy movie experience was the fact that the theater was filled with moms, WITH THEIR 12-13-14 YEAR OLD DAUGHTERS. The movie is rated R. There is full-frontal male nudity. Why on earth would you want your young daughter to see that? Dixie pointed out that some girls have only seen the TBS (read: edited) version of the show, not the episodes as originally aired on HBO, so maybe they didn't know how dirty it actually is. Who knows. I'll just say that I felt uncomfortable thinking about all the impressionable young minds around me.

Tomorrow (June 1) is our 1 year anniversary. To celebrate, Brett took me today to Asheville, NC to Biltmore House. It was freakin' awesome. We overhead a little girl who was excitedly telling everyone in earshot that Biltmore is where Cinderella lives. If you've never been, you can check it out here. Anyways, it took us well over two hours to complete the self-guided tour, mainly because I'm a classical music/art nerd and I wanted to see/hear everything. I was blown away by the house and all the amazing pieces inside: 16th century tapestries, a chess set that used to belong to Napoleon Bonaparte, etc. We checked out the gardens next, then spent the rest of the afternoon tasting at the Winery. We did the chocolate-and-red-wine tasting first, then sparkling wines, then several more types on our own. My favorites:

1. Chateau Reserve Chenin Blanc - I normally don't do whites, but this pleasantly surprised me. We brought this one home to break in my new wine chiller.

2. Biltmore Estates Syrah - My favorite varietal of all; however, I didn't buy any, because Biltmore's was more expensive than some better Shiraz/Syrah I have at my house already. 

3. Century (mix of Syrah, Cab, Pinot) - I don't LOVE the cab, but the blend was smooth. 

4. Reserve Select Sec- The only sparkling wine that wasn't crazy dry. The fruity-ness was nice. 

We ate dinner in downtown Asheville and picked up cupcakes

 for dessert as to-go; we were way too full to eat them at the time. Overall an amazing day!

A rather humorous update to my water-saving endeavors:

After finally buying a bucket to save my cold shower water in, and after remembering to use it, I placed the bucket in the shower while it warmed up Friday morning. I set it on the raised shower-seat (we have a separate bathtub), removed the handset from the holder, put it in the bucket, turned on the water, and went to put out the dogs. On my way back to the bathroom, I heard a strange sound, followed by a huge gush on water. You guessed it: the bucket, as it filled, tipped off the ledge and onto the shower floor. Because the handset was caught inside, it literally ripped the handset from the holder. Water was shooting everywhere from the shower head. Luckily the shower head had only come unscrewed and could be fixed. Ultimately, though, a huge waste of water. Silently avowed to do better next time.....