1978 Cabernet Sauvignon
May 22, 2008 at 11:23 PM | categories: home, wine | View Comments
Except as noted, these were all 1978 Napa Valley cabs.
- Phelps Backus (13.6%): group score 50.
- Phelps Eisele (13.5%): group score 54. Showed some eucalyptol or menthol, typical for the vineyard.
- Beaulieu Rutherford (12.5%): group score 95.
- Beaulieu Private Reserve (13.5%): group score 76.
- Sterling Merlot (13%): group score 83. Grapey, mineral, and over the hill.
- Tulocay (13.3%): group score 75. Gone, and going off.
- Villa Mt Eden Reserve (13%): group score 45. Drying out, but still nice.
- Chateau Prieure Lichine, Margaux (12.5%): group score 56. Distinctive for its green bell-pepper nose, I'll claim credit for picking this one out as the French interloper in the group. It was also my favorite of the tasting.
Brandlin Ranch Zinfandel
May 19, 2008 at 11:22 PM | categories: home, wine | View Comments
This was an interesting group of wines, each Zinfandel fruit from Brandlin Ranch, on Mount Veeder in Napa Valley (that's in California, on the planet known as Earth, Terra, or Tellus).
- 1991 Rosenblum (14.1%): group score 22. This had fairly heavy sediment, and a rich earthiness alongside cedar, brambles, and a hint of barnyard.
- 1993 Rosenblum (13.8%): group score 19. Seemed to be drying out, but still fragrant, with cedar and vanillin prominent.
- 1994 Rosenblum (14.8%): group score 14. Highest alcohol = best score? There was some sediment, with prominent alcohol in the bouquet.
- 1994 Franus (14.4%): group score 20. This showed jammy fruit, followed by brambles and vanillin.
- 1995 Rosenblum (14.3%): group score 35. I thought this one was corked.
- 1996 Rosenblum (14.3%): group score 16. Typical California Zinfandel, with boiled sweets and raisins.
Mad dogs and roof cats
May 08, 2008 at 06:33 PM | categories: home | View Comments
When searching for a missing cat, try looking up. I wandered around for about 15 minutes, sure that I could hear Evangelina, but unable to decide which garage she was trapped inside of.
My theory is that she chased a squirrel up the birch tree on the left, but wasn't brave enough to take the same route down. She probably spent three days and two nights up there, and wouldn't come down for food or water. But when the ladder got too close, she jumped off the other side of the roof.
Moral of the story: this cat can survive a 17-ft fall into a bush. She might have scratched her leg, or maybe that was a pre-existing condition. She definitely acquired a sunburn, and she has a growing collection of freckles.
My theory is that she chased a squirrel up the birch tree on the left, but wasn't brave enough to take the same route down. She probably spent three days and two nights up there, and wouldn't come down for food or water. But when the ladder got too close, she jumped off the other side of the roof.
Moral of the story: this cat can survive a 17-ft fall into a bush. She might have scratched her leg, or maybe that was a pre-existing condition. She definitely acquired a sunburn, and she has a growing collection of freckles.
XMLRPC, eh?
January 30, 2008 at 12:00 AM | categories: home | View CommentsToday I noticed some link-spam and wp-stats iframes in my last three posts. After removing the symptoms, I went looking for the culprit. I suspect that there's a flaw in xmlrpc.php, and that's how my site was compromised.
219.204.252.200 - - [25/Jan/2008:07:11:30 -0800] "POST /wordpress/xmlrpc.php HTTP/1.0" 200 2736 "-" "Opera/9.01 (Windows NT 5.0; U; en)"
62.65.159.182 - - [25/Jan/2008:07:12:37 -0800] "POST /wordpress/xmlrpc.php HTTP/1.0" 200 163 "-" "Opera/9.01 (Windows NT 5.0; U; en)"
222.122.148.83 - - [28/Jan/2008:08:25:55 -0800] "POST /wordpress/xmlrpc.php HTTP/1.0" 200 3042 "-" "Opera/9.01 (Windows NT 5.0; U; en)"
121.144.82.209 - - [28/Jan/2008:08:26:44 -0800] "POST /wordpress/xmlrpc.php HTTP/1.0" 200 163 "-" "Opera/9.01 (Windows NT 5.0; U; en)"
201.0.51.181 - - [28/Jan/2008:08:27:43 -0800] "POST /wordpress/xmlrpc.php HTTP/1.0" 200 163 "-" "Opera/9.01 (Windows NT 5.0; U; en)"
222.122.148.83 - - [28/Jan/2008:08:25:55 -0800] "POST /wordpress/xmlrpc.php HTTP/1.0" 200 3042 "-" "Opera/9.01 (Windows NT 5.0; U; en)"
121.144.82.209 - - [28/Jan/2008:08:26:44 -0800] "POST /wordpress/xmlrpc.php HTTP/1.0" 200 163 "-" "Opera/9.01 (Windows NT 5.0; U; en)"
201.0.51.181 - - [28/Jan/2008:08:27:43 -0800] "POST /wordpress/xmlrpc.php HTTP/1.0" 200 163 "-" "Opera/9.01 (Windows NT 5.0; U; en)"
POSTs to xmlrpc.php seem like an odd thing, especially since these IPs are nothing special.
Name: softbank219204252200.bbtec.net
Address: 219.204.252.200
62.65.159.182 does not exist (Authoritative answer)
222.122.148.83 does not exist (Authoritative answer)
121.144.82.209 does not exist (Authoritative answer)
Name: 201-0-51-181.dsl.telesp.net.br
Address: 201.0.51.181
222.122.148.83 does not exist (Authoritative answer)
121.144.82.209 does not exist (Authoritative answer)
Name: 201-0-51-181.dsl.telesp.net.br
Address: 201.0.51.181
For the moment, I've disabled xmlrpc.php entirely. Let's hope that fixes the problem.
