Monday, June 13, 2011

Rats


When I was a teenager, I liked to talk with my uncle about his early days training as a clinical psychologist. We would talk about the different approaches and schools. The fact that the mind had so many ways of coming at it fascinated me, and I read around, ranging and rooting for ideas. One day, we started talking about behaviorism and B. F. Skinner.

My uncle said, "He was a failed writer. He wanted to be a novelist, you know. But he had nothing to say. So he went back to the lab with his rats. Much more comfortable with the rats."

My uncle was teasing me, because he knew my perfectionism, my striving, sitting on the stairs with my composition notebook and my fountain pen. But attempts at perfection in writing do not create diamonds; they create a blank.

So, here I am before a blank blog page, and I ask myself: do I need rats, or can I grow words out of wine?

I put a picture of Causse Marines' Gaillac above, because I have always found it amusing and inexplicable that they should boldly state that no badgers are allowed in, on, or around the wine. I think I should use this as an allegory and impetus to avoid creeping beasts and get on with it.

4 comments:

TWG said...

Rats! that's what I say when I check your blog for a new post and there is none, but not tonight.

Vino30 said...

I like this post and noticed that the writing on the wine pictured is in, French? Can you tell me more? I have not seen it before.

VinoGuy
Vino30

Darrell said...

Hi Sharon,

I am thinking about getting into the wine industry. What do you think of this class at San Diego State University? I think it would be helpful.

http://newscenter.sdsu.edu/sdsu_newscenter/news.aspx?s=73092

judith s said...

hey sharon, the explanation for that "no badgers" sign on the wine is quite simple: a "blaireau" in french also means "morron"... so, the wines by Causse Marines are forbidden for morrons, rather than badgers :)

it is also a direct reaction of the winemaker to the french governments' ridiculous law that obliges wine makers to put a barred pregnant woman on each bottle.
regards,