2012 Grand Puy Ducasse and sushi in Miami Beach...

[JimHow]

I know all you haters think it's crazy, but I like red Bordeaux with my fish.
We are out on the back deck here at Fontainebleu Hotel in Miami Beach, sipping a lovely 2012 Grand Puy Ducasse with a delicious array of sushi delivered to our door.
The weather has been perfect, recharging my batteries following an exhausting month.

I'll never look at Grand Puy Ducasse the same way again. Or sushi, for that matter....

[AKR]

one of my former employers lost billions on that hotel.

they were were always wandering into those kinds of La Brea tar pits.

EuroTunnel, Fokker, CityCentre

god knows what else.

[jal]

Well, I guess it's an improvement to oysters and Ridge Geyserville but not much

Where did you order the sushi from?

[robert goulet]

That's not Orlando Jim...we're 3.5hrs N

[Claudius2]

Guys
I am drinking Australian Chardonnay with rib eye steak in black bean sauce.
Similarly I could be called a Philistine but who cares.
If you drink Pauillac with fish and like it, that’s fine.
The Chardonnay is Giant Steps Tarraford Vineyard 2014.

All that matters is whether you personally enjoy it.
C’est la vie.

[jal]

Mark, obviously. It's just a little banter. Jim can drink whatever he wants, he's totally entitled to his wrong choices and his bad tastes

[JimHow]

Ha ha indeed, although I truly don’t think it really matters. We ordered from a little place a few blocks north of here, Jacques, it’s easy to get delivery in this Uber culture. I’ve been impressed with the Covid measures here at the hotel, although we’re keeping away from the pool.

We’ve been isolating here in the room and on our spectacular deck, and out in the walkway on the beach, we’ve been putting in about 12-15 miles per day, my favorite part of Miami Beach. Needed to recharge my batteries.

[Jay Winton]

I remember sitting on the beach in front of the Fountainebleu when low and behold a group of models appeared topless frolicing in the surf. I was not permitted to frolic with them.

[Nicklasss]

Have a good time Jim. If covid stay calm, it is an option for me to go to Florida sometime this summer.

Regarding your taste of Pauillac with sushis, the only thing i can say it is like Jim have been hickjacked and abused so much by red Bordeaux since 1990, that he developed a "Stockholm syndrome" toward his abusor, creating his actual "mismatch and mauvais goût" alliance wine-meal. Very hard to reverse.

Nic

[dstgolf]

Jim,

If we could be in Florida I'd have no issue sharing a good Bordeaux with sushi but we don't see that happening for some time. Our dope of a leader has royally screwed up vaccine acquisition. Mine hopefully will come in the next couple of weeks but Danielle hopefully by year end. My friends and brother that have spent their winter in Florida have been vaccinated and I assume Stu and most other new crew Stateside have been injected. I just want people to get their shots before these variants predominate. Hopefully the Pfizer and Moderna will at least offer protection for severe disease. Fingers crossed as we can't wait for freedom again.

Enjoy your break Jim. The Fontainebleau used to have a top drawer sushi restaurant on site?? along with several other good ones

[JimHow]

Yeah, hopefully we'll see you again soon Danny.
I'm getting cautiously optimistic. I think we have almost 20% of the Maine population that has had at least one shot.
I was on a conference call with a judge this morning in one of my murder cases, they are hoping to start up jury trials again in June.
I'm going to get these three murder cases behind me this year, culminating in the Alaska case in Jan/Feb 2022, and then I'm going into semi-retirement, one or two days a week at the most.
We have spent almost all of our time here in the room and on the spectacular deck, which is fine with me, I've just needed some sensory deprivation and large quantities of sleep.
We've been walking at least 12 miles on the walkway each morning with hardly anyone out there, the weather has been virtually perfect, 80 degrees every day, with a mild breeze up here on the deck. I even have a Papa Hemingway beard going.
We've been having our food delivered from local restaurants. Yes there are some nice restaurants downstairs including a sushi place but we've been dining up here on the deck.
I don't want to go home!

[JCNorthway]

When you live in Maine, and you are staying somewhere with 80 degree temperatures, it's understandable that you don't want to go home.

We've been in Miami Beach on 2 or 3 occasions (one of them a BWE convention), and we always enjoyed the boardwalk experience.

[Nicklasss]

Come on, try cold Champagne with sushis in 80F Miami Beach, and you'll be rewarded.

[JimHow]

Yes I uncorked a simple Moët with the stone crab the other night.

[s*d*r]

Damn, Jim brought that icy Maine/Alaska weather with him. Now it’s down to 74 degrees and I need a sweater.

Restaurants in the Fontainebleau have traditionally been low on quality and high in price. Better to order out.

Sushi is especially tasty with that ‘08 Cristal you’ve been sitting on.

Florida has vaccinated 40% of the old folks but no one else except health care workers. The governor says he only wants to vaccinate people who vote for him: https://www.politico.com/states/florida ... ty-1363903

Stu

[AKR]

Walking 12 miles a day is very impressive, truly SF Ed like. With that vim & vigor, may you live long enough for the 86 Medocs to soften.

I take Blücher for 2-3 miles most days of the week, but its a slow pace, because he has to sniff/pee/tug at every thing along the same prescribed route we take every day.

[JimHow]

It's been a great health-conscious week, the weather has been splendid, although it did cool down a little bit today, but still very pleasant.
I'm a morning person, I usually get up at about 5:30am, my partner is not, but I've been able to drag her out for the long walks early in the morning, she runs and is in much better shape than me but it's weird, no matter how out of shape I get, I never have trouble walking 10-12 miles. My right knee, which I tore up last February in Paris, is swelling up a bit but it doesn't hurt while I'm walking, it only stiffens up when I've been at rest. I've been detoxing in recent weeks from my Tylenol addiction and continued that process here, and I think I've achieved my goal of losing five pounds, judging from my belt buckle. I was reading about Jeff Immelt today in the WSJ and the decimation of GE, and how he lets his diet go during times of stress. That's kind of my problem, when my caseload is less stressful I tend to be more balanced and holistic in my diet and exercise, but the stress of all these homicide cases has really taken a physical toll... not to mention psychological! It's time to retire.
Tomorrow it is back to reality....

[Blanquito]

I remember sitting on the beach in front of the Fountainebleu when low and behold a group of models appeared topless frolicing in the surf. I was not permitted to frolic with them.

Advice from your cardiologist, I presume?

[Blanquito]

You look great, Jim! I love the mountain man meets the city look. This summer in lockdown I was walking 10+ miles a day, and my wife was regularly more than that. But the cold weather has put the kibosh on that.

[stefan]

Lucie and I each bike five miles per day while watching CNN. I have trouble getting my pulse over 100, so every once in a while I switch over to Fox.

[Blanquito]

Lucie and I each bike five miles per day while watching CNN. I have trouble getting my pulse over 100, so every once in a while I switch over to Fox.

[Claudius2]

Jal
I was being a bit tongue in cheek particularly my reference to Philistines.
The locals here in Singapore think I just a bit eccentric partly as I work out what I feel like drinking and worry about the food later.
Everyone here is food obsessed and they will spend the whole day discussing what they will eat, one meal at a time.

[Claudius2]

Come on, try cold Champagne with sushis in 80F Miami Beach, and you'll be rewarded.

Yeah that’s why I drink so much Champagne these days though Singapore is 90F on a mild day.

[JimHow]

Ran into a nice couple from Ohio last night, the husband was an optometrist, their son does eye surgeries in Columbus, I told them I have a good friend named David Glasser, he finished my sentence, David is a well known name nationally in the world of optometry. It’s a small world.

[Jay Winton]

I remember sitting on the beach in front of the Fountainebleu when low and behold a group of models appeared topless frolicing in the surf. I was not permitted to frolic with them.

Advice from your cardiologist, I presume?

mrs vino

[DavidG]

Boy, that weather and the stone crabs sound great Jim. Glad you are unwinding a bit.

Wish we could travel to escape the cold weather but that’s not happening until we’re both vaccinated. I get my second dose of Moderna in a few days. Peggy is eligible but there isn’t enough vaccine yet in MD to go around.

There are about 18,000 ophthalmologists in the US (we're the MDs/surgeons, optometrists have no medical degree and don’t do surgery). I know a fair number but that is a still quite a coincidence. Though some know me only from my Academy position.