Making Wine: More than Meets the Eye
January 31st, 2011
Peter Kitchak and I spent the weekend at his namesake winery in Napa racking wine. Racking wine is the process of removing sediment from the handcrafted oak barrels during the lengthy aging process. First each barrel has the wine drained, then the barrel is cleaned and lastly the wine is delicately pumped back into the barrel. The characteristic wine-colored stripe on the barrel indicates the barrel has been racked. This was the first year we had multiple vintages to rack, about 50 barrels, each representing 25 cases of bottled wine when the aging is completed.
It is a great hobby to hold me over this winter until gardening resumes in Minnesota.
Dr. Bashioum: Thank you, Melissa!
October 25th, 2010
I cannot thank Melissa enough for sharing in her journey through cosmetic surgery by writing about her breast enlargement experience on our blog. By in large, most Americans decide to keep cosmetic surgery to themselves and even go to great lengths to hide having had it. Melissa’s frequent postings has allowed our readers a unique opportunity to share her personal insights and thoughts about surgery. This personal and candid account is hard to find. Melissa, thank you for sharing your personal story.
Melissa’s comment about her husband being a “Peeping Tom” is much more complex than the simple physical change which Melissa chose. The real change that spouses or significant others appreciate, is often more about the renewed confidence which many women express after breast enlargement surgery. Many women report that they feel better both in and out of their wardrobe. This often manifests as better posture, more smiles and greater self-awareness. These subtle changes are significant and seem to be very attractive to spouses or boyfriends.
Other people in Melissa’s social and family circles may not notice that surgery has been done, as she herself suggested. I believe that the perfect result after cosmetic surgery is one where others do not notice as such. Friends and family may ask Melissa if she has been working out, has lost weight, or changed clothing styles, not being able to pinpoint the actual change. Regardless of the patient’s chosen size, it is my goal to achieve a natural look. I believe that a natural result hinges on attaining the proper body proportion. Achieving this delicate balance is extremely rewarding for me as a plastic surgeon and I am delighted that Melissa is pleased with her surgical result.