Everyone's a Cylon

Huge nerdy confession to make…we are currently watching Battlestar Galactica on DVD. Ahhh, we said it! While Josh came to terms with his love of this dramatic SyFy series long ago, I held out as long as I could. But while spending a week in rural Virginia over the holidays, we became desperate for any means of entertainment besides watching the cat sleep on his back. BSG was offered, and having few alternatives, I accepted. And like the spread of a nasty cold in a kindergarten class, we were soon both sucked into the world of humans vs. robots.

We have our favorite characters (Tom Zarek, Bill Adama, Lee Adama before he got fat), and our favorite villains (like that sexy Number 6). And it has that awful Lost-like story arc that ends every episode on a cliffhanger. Excruciating! It’s like prime time drama coated in crack, you almost hate yourself for wanting more. And yeah, I have to admit, I really hope they find Earth.

It has also made me suspicious that in the end, everyone on the show is actually a Cylon. Heck, maybe everyone we know is actually a carefully integrated robot. How would we discover the truth? They bleed, people, they bleed!

But if the humans did find Earth, I’d be waiting to pop open a bottle and celebrate the end of a fascinating show, and the return of my regularly scheduled life. We’ve been practicing our celebrations with regular champagne tastings during marathon BSG-watching nights. Like our recently discovered Monthys Pére et Fils Brut Reserve ($30). In between nail biting scenes of robot domination, we soothed ourselves with sips of this pale yellow, very dry champagne. It retained the classic yeasty, almost sourdough taste of most real champagnes from sip to sip. Its strong, smooth aftertaste was a comforting assurance that this was the real deal, and not some fake robot champagne waiting for the right moment to turn on its evil programming and nuke the whole town. It didn’t knock our socks off, but it was completely enjoyable, letting us get lost in the plight of a far-off version of mankind. Maybe those Cylons just need a drink. Hey, no one could nuke a bottle of champagne.

Score: She gives it a 4, he gives it a 3.5

Recommended: If you’re up for trying something new, and you’re running from demon robots, this is sure to ease your mind.

Getting the Band Back Together

While it has been lovely out this weekend in San Francisco, the winter months have brought more and more days where it just seems too (relatively) cold to do much of anything outdoors. We may venture out for work and groceries, but we’re always happy to throw off our hats and handwarmers and warm our toes in our snug little apartment.

But lest you think this hampers our ability to get down, we have one thing to say: Rock Band 3. Yes, that’s right, we’re getting the band back together, just in time for a wintry global tour! And all from the warmth of our own swanky blue couch. To be fair, only Josh was in the band before, but he was nice enough to buy me a keyboard so I wouldn’t miss out on the epic sets about to blast through our television.

I used to think only children played with toy instruments. Then I tried playing “Rehab” by Amy Winehouse on Easy mode, and stopped feeling quite so smug about my own musical abilities. A palsied grandmother might have an easier time hitting all the notes. There is much band practice in our future, which means I may have graduated to a “medium” skill level by the time that darned groundhog decides winter isn’t going to end.

We’ll post a picture of the band (Iron Rhino), soon, but for now having an imaginary band has reminded us that we can still party like real rock stars. With champagne!

Or champagne and pizza to be exact. This is easily becoming our favorite celebratory meal, both for its ease and fabulous tastiness. Featured in the photo is a classic around our apartment, the pesto pizza with fake grilled chicken and mozzarella. Paired with this was another champagne gifted to us, the Saint-Hilaire Blanqutte de Limoux Brut 2006 ($12). This very pale, very bubbly champagne was so carbonated it was audibly noisy in the glass, like the roar of the crowd from backstage. It did have a mild yeasty taste that melded into sour notes once consumed. It was tart and tangy, and seemed to waffle between dry and wet in our mouths. Its top-of-the-mouth floral flavor built in our mouths the more we drank, leaving us less satisfied each time. While this champagne's flavor was bold enough to fill our palates, it wasn’t tasty enough to pair with our robustly delicious pizza, or our recently developed rock band egos.

Score: She gave it a 2, he was in a kinder mood and gave it a 3.

Recommended: Leave this one for the roadies, folks.