I started this article since I was feeling guilty over the last few days.  About 2500 words into it, I still have not explained the source of my guilt.  Well, I’m almost there.  As I mentioned in Part 1, my weekend started on Friday night with a great party and a bit of wine.  It continued on Saturday with Part 2 and my older son’s birthday sleepover party.  I left off as I was rounding up the group of boys to leave the theater and head back to our house and continue the festivities.

Normally, I would have been oh so ever excited about this and would be visualizing all the incredible fun it was going to be: a gaggle of pre-pubescent kids, running around a punching each other in the crotch.  Oh, and I was hoping to watch my favorite basketball team play for a chance to go to the Final Four (while a gaggle of pre-pubescent boys were running around and punching each other in the crotch).  That game was going to start in about three minutes.  I should have been dreaming about all of this fondly, but I had no time.  Evildevilchild had taken off (again).  So I frantically started running around the theater lobby dragging my three year-old by the wrist, with him screaming and crying to stop.  If I had time to notice, I’m sure I would have seen the usher calling Child Protective Services (CPS).

After what seemed like five minutes, but was really only about 37 seconds, I found little Tom Riddle crouched behind a half wall.  He then jumped to his feet, laughing.  Good one.  Hilarious.  I quickly got the heck out of there, since I figured the kind folks from CPS would be there in no time.  I loaded up the Prius and floored it (‘flooring’ it in a Prius involves actually engaging the gas engine for about 20 yards and then coasting to allow the electric motor to kick in–I felt horrible destroying the environment like that, but my boys visiting me in jail would have left a much larger carbon footprint).  On the way home, I could not help but overhear the conversation in the back seat.  When I heard “Jackass” I had to say something.  “Excuse me?” was the best I came up with.  No doubt that put the fear of God into them.  Evidently, I said it loud enough so that the whole crew was silent for about three whole blocks.  It’s the little things in life….

We made it home and I plopped in front of the TV to watch my game.  I popped open an older Chianti and pretty much checked out for the next two hours as I watched the game (my team won!).  This is not why I was feeling guilty (I know you are all wondering…).  The kids all stayed up until about 5:00 in the morning.  Super.

The next day, 3/25/2012 was the one-year anniversary of a rather unfortunate event, and I am still trying to get a grip on it.  The rest of the family was rather oblivious to my plight, and that was just fine–I’d rather not relive that day.  I was able to get out for a ride and that was a very good thing.  I decided on the ride that rather than fear the anniversary, I needed to embrace it.  I thought that I would break out some special wines and make a special dinner.  Being the ‘wine guy’ that I am, this involved visualizing my ‘cellar’, trying to think of all of the wine in stock and what I wanted to drink (this caused me to miss a turn on the ride and add an unnecessary giant hill, but I digress…).  Champagne, of course, was a requirement.  Pinot, as well.  In the end, instead of cooking, we decided to head to our local BYOB.  I grabbed the following:

1996 Bollinger Champagne La Grande Année Tasted 3/25/12.  Retail ~$95 (if you can find it).  I paid $97.  Up front, I have to admit that Bollinger is one of my favorite champagnes.  Their wines are pinot noir dominated and that is right up my alley.  Add to that a bit of age, and I knew I was going to love this.  And I did.  This was fantastic.  Big and bold, but also refined and distinguished.  Incredible finish.  We started this at home, toasting my good fortune, and took the rest to the restaurant.  Outstanding. 95 points.

2005 Ken Brown Pinot Noir Clos Pepe Vineyard Tasted 3/25/12.  Retail ~$55.  I paid $60 (including shipping).  I have more wine from the Clos Pepe vineyard than from any other, by far.  This wine did not disappoint.  It had that wonderful eucalyptus nose that I find in almost every bottle from the Sta. Rita Hills.  Still tons of fruit left here and plenty of backbone.  An absolute delight.  Outstanding. 93 points.

All of this and I never really mentioned why I felt so guilty.  On Monday, my older son had a piano lesson at 7:15 p.m.  Well, after such a tiring weekend and a full day at work, I was exhausted.  My wonderful wife said she would take him and I could stay home with the little one.  That’s when I did something that caused the guilt: without my wife knowing, I convinced the three year old that he should ask his mother to go along, knowing that she (like I) can not say ‘no’ to the kid.  I was right, she acquiesced, they all left, and I got about an hour of peace and quiet.