Well, the youngest son's 21st birthday celebration has come and gone. Why did I ever think we were done homeschooling? How many times over the years have I said that learning just happens, despite society's arbitrary timetables? Apparently, I have to keep teaching myself this same lesson. Maybe I'll write it 100 times on my grocery list or something.

This time the main gist of our learning was about wine. Specifically, the red ones Matt, birthday-boy, wanted to try. First, it was a glass of Chianti (and every time I see that word now, I always think of Hannibal Lector mispronouncing it in Silence of the Lambs), since we were at an Italian restaurant, and Chianti is, mom decided, the traditional Italian wine to have with dinner. At least, I think it is. Anyway, birthday boy took a sip, made a face, looked at me and said, "Is this how it's supposed to taste?" So I, being the [cough] expert, having been raised above a bar, followed by a liquor store, took a sip. Ugh. It was heavy, mouth-puckeringly dry, and somewhat rancid. If that's even a term one can use when describing wine that's been sitting around too long.

The waiter was very nice, tho. He said "no problem, ma'am; perhaps it has gone over - that happens sometimes" (which actually didn't do much to boost my confidence about what we'd just ingested) and brought us our (well, my) next choice: Pinot Noir. This was a shade better, but still too heavy and not fruity enough. Then the waiter suggested Merlot. That was very nice of him I thought, but Ewwwwww. I'll certainly never do that again. Merlot's right up there with Cabernet Sauvigon, which I discovered many years ago to be more of an endurance test than a drink. I kept wishing for a Rosé or even a wine cooler. Alas, no such thing on the menu. O well. We tried. We gave up on the wine tasting and went back to plain old ice water. From the looks on their faces I don't think either son will be eager to try red wine again anytime soon.

And do you know what they're charging for a glass -- not a bottle, not a carafe, mind you -- just a glass of wine these days? $7.95 - $10.95! Boy, I'm certainly glad my oldest son Adam was helping me pay for this dinner. Sheesh.

Speaking of the restaurant, it is a funny name isn't it? Buca di Beppo, literally translated, means "Joe's Basement." It's one of those fairly new, yuppie, supposedly family-style joints, which I tend to avoid with all my being. A yuppie I am not. But, "Joe's Basement" made me feel like well, hey, maybe this one won't be so bad. Hmph. I should've stuck with my first impression.

It started out well. The background music was a combination of Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin tunes (if you're smiling about that, try renting Return to Me from Netflix, you'll love the soundtrack), along with some Mario Lanza opera-type wailing I could just as well live without. Just as we were looking over the menus, Donna Prima Donna by Dion started to play (click on Song of the Day in the sidebar to listen to it). That really made me smile. Oldies always put me in a good mood. Why don't they have fun, danceable music like that anymore?

I don't know for sure . . . but I have my theories. Anywho, this is why I hang out at:

iTunes
They even have an "iTunes U" now. It's learning by music. Hmm. Did they snitch the idea from me, do you think?

Napster
You can listen to a song 3 times before you buy it. I like that, because there's usually many, many versions.

Love Potion #9 - The Clovers
One of my oldies you can listen to.

Elinore - The Turtles
(or "Eleanor" - I've seen it both ways) Another of my oldies on this blog.

The Last Time I Felt Like This - Johnny Mathis
The most beautiful voice on the planet. Next to Patsy's, that is.

Sneaking in a Pop Mini-Quiz here. Do you ever listen to these songs when you come to visit? Or is it just me? (Yes, you probably think I'm digressing here. I'm not. Repeat after me: Life is learning, learning is life. Life is . . .

Now, for being a 'family-style' restaurant, there certainly weren't any families in attendance. The food ended up being so-so, and one or two of the entrees we tried actually were big enough to maybe feed a young family of 4. But, the prices! Holy cow. What average family could afford this? We were looking at a bill of over $100 for three people! The service, on the other hand, was fabulous.

But, what really decided me were the decorations. Those walls were busy. Pictures and sketches and sculptures and colorful doo-dads everywhere. Sophia Loren, Joe DiMaggio, Gina Lollabrigida, scantily-clad women in provocative poses, unidentifiable buildings (maybe these were in Rome? Sicily?) .... everything you could imagine and then some. I don't think there was one inch of empty wall or counter space in the entire place. In the middle of eating, I spied a photograph in the sea of busyness tucked up in the corner, just behind my oldest son's head. I kept looking at it, thinking, is that what I think it is? Nah, it can't be. Finally, I got up and walked over to view a close-up. Yup, I was right. It was a photo of two dogs fornicating.

I know my kids are grown adults, and I'm not that much of a prude, but what is such a picture doing in a family restaurant? In any case, I certainly don't want to look at something like that while I'm eating. I wanted to complain, but my sons were protesting, oh mom, don't start a fuss. So, I didn't. But it still bugs me. Has anyone else run across places that aren't really what they advertise?

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Tags: unschooling | homeschooling | oldies