Tag: Total Wine Professional

MusikHaus

The beat goes on ….

I recall telling Michelle back in 2016 that if she was serious about moving to Florida we needed to visit in August, not in January or March or November. We did so in 2017, rented a house on the river in Cape Coral, spent some time running around and ended up buying property in Port Charlotte. We left Florida about three weeks before Hurricane Irma showed up. That hurricane is still on the minds of many of our neighbors, but (for the fourth year now) we seem to be progressing safely through the current season – always aware that September/October are the more deadly months.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Loki and his older siblings (minus Taco, the spooky calico cat) enjoying the morning coffee.

We are amazed that we are so busy.

Michelle has progressed in her leadership roles at her facility so much that she was asked to change teams to help solidify another area of clinical care. She has flirted with the idea of getting an MBA but with her current schedule, that doesn’t seem feasible.

I have found a new place in the wine industry. I was employee of the month this past month and have now passed 4 of the 7 examinations towards the TWP certification. The last was the hardest yet – all of France except Bordeaux (which I had already passed) and Champagne/Cremant (which is the 7th exam). Burgundy itself was insanely complex, but then one had to include Beaujolais, Chablis, Loire, Alsace, Minervois, Languedoc-Roussillon. The conversation among Total Wine employees in this program is that the first exam (California/Oregon/Washington)  is the hardest. It is difficult, but I believe that this view is held mainly because many never get past the first exam. Sorry, but Bordeaux, Italy, and other France are more difficult. I am happy to be past them. Now it is all about Australia/New Zealand, South America, and South Africa. 

Decisions about lifestyle: One of my dreams about being here was for me and Michelle to spend hours and days running down the river to the gulf to Fort Myers Beach and St. James City or downtown Ft. Myers – all of which we’ve done. For the first two years I was here I made it a tradition to take the boat down to the nearest eatery for lunch on my birthday. 

But, with my involvement in Total Wine, Michelle’s obligations at her job, my “other” job as haushusband – doing the lawn, laundry, housework; we simply are not using the boat. Loki doesn’t like the boat and Michelle doesn’t have time by the time she gets home. When I have the opportunity to take the boat out, I invariably find something else that is a higher priority. And every time I look at that beautiful boat sitting out there, I feel guilty. So, I have decided to get it in the best mechanical and cosmetical shape and sell it to someone who might use and appreciate it.

There are many boat clubs that allow one to rent a boat. My pilot’s license will not go away. This just seems like a logical choice.

I’ll be sad to see it go, but happy for the one who gets to enjoy it and happy that it is being used.

Time marches on. I had cataract surgery on both eyes in July. Not thrilled. I paid a bunch of money to correct my astigmatism and near-sightedness only to have to wear glasses for anything closer than two feet. When I complained to my eye doctor (who I think is amazing), she said, “Better than going blind”. OK, fine.

We’re doing well here in SWFL. Hope all of you are happy and healthy. Drop me a line whenever. Always happy to hear from you.

Choralis Constantinus, MusikHaus, Total Wine

Whew!!!

The combined scourge of Covid and Florida high season is over. This means that (finally) some people are leaving southwest Florida as the warmer/rainier months appear. Much has been happening at the Feiszli household.

I continue to progress towards the Total Wine Professional certification. I took the Bordeaux examination on Monday and passed – making me the only person in the Fort Myers store to have passed two of the exams other than our wine manager. I have store managers who have expressed dismay over the volume of knowledge required to get a passing score. Truth be told, I was upset that I missed 4 questions, giving me an 89%. I wanted to achieve at least a 90%. My mentor, the wine manager told me to shut up and take the win. Okay, fine ….

On to Italy.  Seven more exams to pass and I will have earned the diploma.

This audio recording continues to receive attention. If you are interested in obtaining a copy, ensemble cantissimo sells them as well as Carus-Verlag, who sponsored the CD and has audio excerpts on their website. I urge you to contact ensemble cantissimo directly here since buying the CD from them will support their efforts. If your last name is Phelps, Kandel, MacDonald, or Reynolds; please do not buy one. I am sending you one because without you, none of this would have happened.

Markus and I will make these motets available to the public free of charge in PDF format. I will post the PDF files on this website and Markus will post them on the ensemble cantissimo website.

In somewhat more somber news, Michelle and I have been devoting our time and resources in support of Michelle’s younger sister, who has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Michelle has already been back to South Dakota three times to visit and support. I went with her for five days over Easter weekend. She is undergoing chemotherapy and doing well. We are so impressed and encouraged by her resilience and determination to continuing to live her life. In addition, my oldest brother’s wife has been diagnosed with breast cancer, and they are dealing with that. Coincidentally, both of these persons have spent their lives in the medical field.

Michelle and I have spent many minutes discussing our own health and future. We are grateful for what we have but have decided to begin living for the now rather than the future.

With the CD release, I did a rather crazy adolescent, second-childhood thing. I decided (since both my kids and my wife had already gotten multiple tattoos) to get a tattoo to commemorate the last 40 years of my musical research. The artist was impressed that I was willing to go so crazy with my first tattoo. My response was: There are probably 100 people on the planet that would recognize this. Go big or go home.  So, here we are.