Oddly enough, the K&LWines Spirit Journal had just within three days prior, talked about *their* visit to St. George. Synchronicity. The shop has locations in SF, Redwood City, and Hollywood, as well as online at klwines.com. I love these folks and the tasting they can now offer, most Wednesdays. Everybody seems happy to be there, and to give you whatever level of assistance you need/seek. Their buyers have the most wonderful details to impart.

Very nice into to singlemalt whisky. I don't care about the aged-three-years! If it's not ten yet, it's too young, unless it's the Welsh whisky Penderyn. At five years only, it is as smooth as many Scots malts aged 20 or older. We were very surprised by it. I am lucky enough to have about a dozen "teens" and a handful of 25+yr singlemalts. For some reason, they all seem to be from Islay--can't imagine how that happened! The Highland and Speyside malts seem to garner the greatest popularity--and there certainly are a score of them--but I started with Glenfiddich one misty February evening in 1973, after I'd found the piper I'd been hearing in the semi-wild area known as The Wash, at Pomona College. It was a physics prof who piped, and then offered me a dram and a chat. Later that year, I was handed a tot of Laphroaig, and I never looked at another Speyside again. Laphroaig is a love it/hate it malt, as are many Islay malts. At a well-organized tasting, such as the ones that the Malt Advocate Magazine folks hold, there will be about 200 malts to sample--three to ten "expressions" each distiller or negociat (e.g., Signatory). My advice is to taste the oldest, or the hard to find expressions. It's wretched to invest over $100 on a bottle you find you don't care for. A few years ago, I went to one of the Malt Advocate tasting sprees. They advise you to take public transport, provide a designated driver (but what is the entrance fee for them? I wouldn't pay $130 to not drink, that's for sure!), or stay nearby. We chose to stay three blocks away. I promise you, I asked for short pours, took tiny sips, ate the snacks provided, and was picky about what I tasted. I still managed to consume enough that I probably made a fool of myself in front of John Campbell, Laphroaig's Distillery Manager, as I was saying thank you for bringing such wonderful malts, saying I was a Friend of Laphroaig, and whatever else I babbled. It was also rather wobbly walking back to the hotel. So, Cara/Andrea (the rest of you can respond, also), which is your favorite malt? Mine is Laphroaig 30, the oldest I've had yet, but am partial to other Islay malts: Ardbeg, Bruichladdich, Bunnahabhain, and Lagavulin. Didn't care for Caol Ila--just didn't stand out enough. Kilchoman is too new (2004) to have anything to taste as yet. Don't think I've ever tried Ports Charlotte or Ellen. Bowmore was the first malt my husband ever tried, after teasing me for years about my "alcoholic bog water", and his second thought, following hard on the heels of "Hey, this is good", was "She's never going to let me live this down". I think I've had blended *once*. It's good enough for shutting my cough down--allergic to codeine/vicodin--but it takes a full cup. At least I'm in bed when I'm drinking it! No hangover yet, thanks.

I had that very pamphlet. In the mid-60s. My mother made me wear skirts that long, too. When I hit menarche, I tried using tampons, but hadn't the knack of the cardboard tube insertion. After I became sexually active, OB tampons were new to the market, and they were easier to insert. Left pads behind until I delivered my son. Well, my parents had talked in factual but vague fashion about sex, and to be honest, the sex ed classes weren't much better. I learned I should stay away from women in tailored suits, but not why (they were LeSbIaNs!). I still don't know any lesbians that dress that way! I think The Story of O taught me *much* more about sexual activity. Other than the first intromission, I had no idea that there was motion involved, much less what foreplay actually was. Was I in for a surprise! Now, we talked to our son as he was growing up and the subject appeared. He understood his responsibilities towards any woman he dated, or was intimate with, and why. I did realize he probably had no idea what AIDS was, so I talked to him about it a year or more ago. He's probably heard us having sex--he's certainly heard some of the foreplay, judging by a knock on the door one night (it was locked). I come to find out he's refused to take the sexual health segment because "his parents already told him everything". I tried not to laugh. I suggested that the next time it came around (on the chorus, of course), he might take it to see what we might have forgotten to say. I marvel at the idea of us having told him EVERYTHING there was to know about sex! We certainly haven't told him about kink or fetish sex, and that's *his* responsibility to learn. He's pretty relaxed about his body. We are casually nude out back with the pool and hottub, and he's seen enough skin not to associate mere nudity with sexual situations. I wonder when someone is going to write erotica/romantica/chicklit with the title, Orgasm, She Wrote. Love that phrase!