Nov 2, 2009

Defying Gravity and Such

Wonderful thing happened to day. I didn't die. Possibly came close though.

I was topping Pinot Noir in their respective barrels enjoying my day. I was at the top of the ladder, pictured below, when i stepped down once step and lost my footing. The ladder was a tiny bit slippery and it's also on wheels. So it took off and I had nothing below me. It happened pretty fast so details are vague. From what I can tell, I tried to grab onto anything to not hit the ground. My arms lost a little skin and half a nail is missing on my pinky (useless finger anyways). And it would appear I banged my head against a barrel on the way down because I split my forehead open above my right eye right where the hairline is. Luckily I have bangs so I still look cool as hell.

Photobucket

Photobucket

Due to either my exceptional cat-like reflexes, my extensive NASA space camp training, or by sheer luck, I amazingly landed on my feet. I'm not entirely sure how tall the ladder is but I know I was on the second or third to the top stair so my feet were a good ten feet or so up before I dropped. I guess I'm pretty lucky because I could have really hurt myself. I am prone to braking bones after all (see left arm). But today was not my day and my number was not up. Tomorrow's my last day at work and I plan on staying off ladders as much as possible. I think cheating death once an internship is enough for me. Now, who's got a beer?

Oct 24, 2009

Almost Over

Sorry I've been a bit quiet lately but work has simmered down quite a bit and I don't have too much new things to post. Harvest is over. I spend most of my days cleaning, barrel mixing, and topping off chardonnay. I have truly enjoyed using pressure washers to clean the floor. I don't know why, but it's just sort of an awesome piece of machinery. Other than that, my internship ends in a weeka nd a half. Then I'm off to home. This is a bit daunting because I have about enough money I'm hoping to go on a few trips and last till the end of January. By then I'm going to need to find a job. Which is easier said then done these days. I'll let you know how that one goes. Until we speak again, toodles.

Oct 13, 2009

Relájate!

This week has been going by pretty slow. Work has been steady but on the mellow side. Monday I was woken up by my boss banging on my window. I wasn't late, he just wanted to tell me to come in at 8. How many of you can say your boss woke you up in the morning? Here he is:

harvest wine grapes danger sonoma winery intern

Also, it's raining. And It's going to keep raining. For some reason I've decided to start wearing this mask more:

harvest wine grapes danger sonoma winery intern

Makes me feel like I'm ready for whatever is going to happen even though I'm not terribly sure if I'll ever get to actually use it. This is me in al my afternoon glory.

Until we speak again chaps, Relájate!

Oct 7, 2009

Whilst Alone

So my shift has changed for the next day or two. Which means everyone goes home except for me and Andres. And, well, I tend to start doing things when there's no one around. Solo ladder racing:

Things I do at work when no one is looking from Dane Gaffney on Vimeo.

Oct 5, 2009

I was bored at work today so I decided to record me doing something boring. I'm getting new barrels ready and checking them for leaks. Also making sure no living creatures from France have crawled inside to kill me. Watch only if you're bored:

Me at work In Fast Forward from Dane Gaffney on Vimeo.

Oct 3, 2009

Done Done Done

Done. 11 days straight. 12 hours for almost all the days. But we're done. All the grapes for the pinot noir have come in. I won't have to stare at a shaker table for six hours at a time anymore. My eyes are thanking me.

Now that everything is in, our priorities change. Our main focus now is to get the wine in the barrels. The pinot we ferment in tank but the chardonnay ferments in the barrels. This makes a wonderful mess that I imagine Cory and I will have to clean up daily. Hurray! But on the upside, NO MORE GRAPES! I'm looking forward to spending more time in the barrel room taking care of things. This is almost entirely based on the fact that there are two stereos, one of which I can plug my iphone into and jam away. Music really does make working much more appetizing.

So goodbye to my little corner of the sorting table:

harvest wine grapes danger sonoma winery intern

And hello to Dennis' secret project. You can see how exciting this is going to be. It's party time.

harvest wine grapes danger sonoma winery intern