tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post1392978111499324846..comments2024-03-22T00:35:12.415-07:00Comments on HoseMaster of Wine™: A Strange ExperienceRon Washam, HMWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11238869156614617705noreply@blogger.comBlogger48125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-20620038177820116972016-08-28T01:50:49.937-07:002016-08-28T01:50:49.937-07:00Hey Ron, got caught up in the same loop only I was...Hey Ron, got caught up in the same loop only I was researching Rufete. Lovely piece. MattThe Travel Blogshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06074485655533301503noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-56237970810378726572016-06-22T11:25:05.294-07:002016-06-22T11:25:05.294-07:00Ron - nearly 5 months since you posted this and I ...Ron - nearly 5 months since you posted this and I just stumbled on it today. I had been a fan of Rob's blog - always original, insightful and useful. I read his last post with profound sadness when it was posted in 2014, both for his horrific condition and, selfishly, because there would be no more Fringe Wine posts. I looked for any news of him today and found your post. He finally got some peace and the wine world truly suffered a loss. <br /><br />Thanks for your own very raw self examination too - it made me realize that I am derelict in this regard and need to spend a little time reflecting on my own wine motivation.<br /><br />DianeDiane - Southport Wineshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01500295409647649866noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-66200620028629213252016-01-21T11:31:06.337-08:002016-01-21T11:31:06.337-08:00Hi Elaine,
Thank you for reading about my strange...Hi Elaine,<br /><br />Thank you for reading about my strange experience. Strange only to me, of course. <br /><br />As you point out, the online "community" is, in many important ways, illusory. I find that people I've never met think they know me from HoseMaster, which may or may not be flattering. And I was very grateful for the spiritual and monetary support when Riedel threatened to sue me. Yet I also have come to realize that I only imagine others who blog are like me, that folks who love wine love it for the same reasons I do. And that the connections I make here, with common taters and readers, serve only a very small purpose in my emotional well-being.<br /><br />I never met Rob, or communicated with him, and have no idea what motivated me to followup on his blog absence. I have heard from several folks that they'd been penpals with him, but no one seemed to know he had died. <br /><br />Something strange about the whole deal. It's still lingering in my mind. Haunting, really. I'll never figure it out, I don't tnink. Ron Washam, HMWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238869156614617705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-17668059443973644692016-01-21T09:26:13.545-08:002016-01-21T09:26:13.545-08:00Hi Ron,
Thank you for writing this. Rob and I ha...Hi Ron, <br /><br />Thank you for writing this. Rob and I had emailed back and forth a bit in 2012. In his emails he was thoughtful, engaging, and kind, as well as passionate about wine and education both - something I could relate to. He studied education formally at the Masters level taking an interest in ideas of how the brain works as well as psychology, and had also studied philosophy at the undergraduate level. <br /><br />At the time he was working for a University in the Boston area on the administrative side and channeling his intellectual and creative interests through his blog. Being part of the university system gave him the advantage of research resources to help inform his fascination with odd ball varieties. <br /><br />It's a strange world this online community. With all my moving around access to others via the Internet has often been the boon I needed. At the same time, I've always been cautious about claiming friendship from people I just know online. Even so, I do still value the simple sharing that can occur across the distances. Sharing is a gift. It also promises eventual loss. <br /><br />In his emails at least Rob was utterly sincere. I am very sorry to hear of his passing, and sorry too it had been so long. Our last email exchange was late 2012.<br /><br />ElaineHawk_Wakawakahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15127733191330644369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-56692208410907386112016-01-09T18:22:50.762-08:002016-01-09T18:22:50.762-08:00Dear Eryn,
I understand your small desire to probe...Dear Eryn,<br />I understand your small desire to probe into what happened to Mr. Tebeau. I felt something of the same. But what stopped me was thinking that learning the "truth" of what happened wouldn't really be the story. It would simply be the end of the story, and that amounts to lots of nothing. And, as I wrote, I'm very uncomfortable with that kind of voyeurism. <br /><br />I might be an angry and taciturn person by nature, but I'm certainly nowhere near clinically depressed. The piece wasn't about that, though it was the jumping off point. Why do we find wine as a passion? What does that say about us? Mr. Tebeau's self-awareness triggered my attempt to be as insightful as he was. <br /><br />I feel great empathy for you, and others who struggle with depression. I don't think we talk about it enough in the wine biz, yet I'd venture to say it's relatively common. We rant nonstop about the big egos in the biz, and that's a valid complaint. But we spend almost no time or energy talking about the great number of very fragile, even desperate folks who find solace in wine. Mr. Tebeau made me see that.<br /><br />I'm glad if I shone a light that had some meaning for you, Eryn. An unintended consequence, but one I'm proud of. Thank you so much for taking the time to be a common tater. Please do so on a regular basis. It would be nice to hear your, and all the other newbies', thoughts on all my usual nonsense.Ron Washam, HMWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238869156614617705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-87679788192071826172016-01-09T14:01:06.438-08:002016-01-09T14:01:06.438-08:00Sir Ron of mastering hoses,
This is an amazing, hu...Sir Ron of mastering hoses,<br />This is an amazing, humbling, well-written, and thoughtful piece I stumbled upon (thanks to the daily email of Wine Industry Insight). I am haunted by this gentleman Rob's last post. I am torn with an obsession to know more about his struggle and not wanting to unearth too much regarding the post-post.<br />I am a constant battler of depression, as well as a person in the beverage industry. Sometimes, it's the little lights that shine in your head, making a connection with a wine, a person, or an understanding, that keep you from complete collapse. The small things that make you shimmer and refuse to let the fog in your head and heart overtake you. I thank you for shining a light through the fog of what can be such a detrimental, stigmatized pat of life working in the beverage industry...and in life in general.<br />Quips and Sips,<br />ErynErynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11026261178916745957noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-85113282823834537062016-01-09T07:21:53.814-08:002016-01-09T07:21:53.814-08:00Jesus,
Thank you, and thank you for reading and be...Jesus,<br />Thank you, and thank you for reading and being a common tater. I'm honored to have such an interesting community hanging around HoseMaster.<br /><br />Gillian,<br />Thanks, Love. What would the wine business be without gloss? We sell lifestyle most of the time. We sell romance and prestige. All of those have eager buyers. Without the gloss, we're just selling sexy Gatorade.<br /><br />John,<br />I spend most of my time attempting to make people laugh. Writing comedy to the sounds of silence is hard work, and strange work. In order to keep myself engaged in this stupid blog, I promised myself I would write to assuage my own demons, not try to "build an audience." Giving my mind permission to go anywhere is richly satisfying. Most of us feel trapped in society's little boxes. Wine blogs are horribly redundant and dull for that reason. I'll do comedy on Monday, and just see what happens when I feel like publishing Thursdays.<br /><br />But, truly, I'm here to be wine's annoying court jester.<br /><br />Thanks for being a common tater.<br /><br />Jamie,<br />Thank you. And likewise.Ron Washam, HMWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238869156614617705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-62896973272779878502016-01-09T07:12:31.729-08:002016-01-09T07:12:31.729-08:00Lovely piece. Look forward to meeting you in napa ...Lovely piece. Look forward to meeting you in napa next month, HMWJamie Goodehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03545799863330086495noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-5617415489284130312016-01-09T06:16:05.617-08:002016-01-09T06:16:05.617-08:00Thank you for taking the time to write this raw pi...Thank you for taking the time to write this raw piece, and thanks for risking the feelings and vulnerability necessary to get it from brain onto screen.<br /><br />Seems to me we often go to the movies or read a book (or a blog) to forget whatever is troubling our minds at the moment. Rarely do we start out with the objective to feel something. We self-medicate with entertainment, bandaging our psyches.<br /><br />This piece caught me off guard. I'm not sure I'd like to regularly spend my Fifteen Minutes with the Hosemaster on such deep and personal musings because, well, all things considered, I'd rather laugh. But this sure was a thought-provoking diversion.<br /><br />PS to all the wise posters, your comments enhanced the experience.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07751156476084228955noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-48144107888341929412016-01-08T17:37:40.541-08:002016-01-08T17:37:40.541-08:00Wow.
Thanks Ron for this honest and haunting pie...Wow. <br /><br />Thanks Ron for this honest and haunting piece of writing. There's too much gloss in the biz; we SO need more beautiful writing like this, pieces that are jarringly real, and hang their figurative asses (whether they're satirical, introspective or poetic) in the wind. <br /><br />When gloss is stripped away, we connect. When we connect, we're moved. When we're moved, it makes us feel alive...and just as importantly, we don't feel alone. <br /><br />XO, G. Gillywinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08197035291500837379noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-18684112624354788982016-01-08T16:32:56.582-08:002016-01-08T16:32:56.582-08:00I take my hat off to you, Mr Washam. Truly. This m...I take my hat off to you, Mr Washam. Truly. This moving and beautifully written piece gives even more depth to your often screamingly hilarious satirical writings.<br /><br />Very best wishes from the south of Spain.<br /><br />Jesús BarquínAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08501284480187032352noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-15321653755344499132016-01-08T12:23:57.934-08:002016-01-08T12:23:57.934-08:00Fabien,
Thank you. Those are lovely sentiments.
...Fabien,<br />Thank you. Those are lovely sentiments. <br /><br />Alexandra,<br />I miss you, Gorgeous! Thanks for stopping by. Let's have lunch soon. I'll bring the Marzemino. <br /><br />Smooch.Ron Washam, HMWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238869156614617705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-12707625441628347082016-01-08T11:50:21.421-08:002016-01-08T11:50:21.421-08:00This piece was so well written Ron and so touching...This piece was so well written Ron and so touching. I echo the voices above - thank you for sharing it.<br />xoxoAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14219692972118527152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-61440667663953510752016-01-08T10:43:18.314-08:002016-01-08T10:43:18.314-08:00My dying father in law shared shortly before leavi...My dying father in law shared shortly before leaving us that all there is is love. Your empathy and curiosity allowed you to share this strange encounter and how it resonated with your own fears. This is the love my father in law was talking about. Listening and sharing to hopefully help the rest of us. <br />I'll leave you with the words of the ever inspired Omar Khayyam:<br />“Today is the time of my youth<br />I drink wine because it is my solace;<br />Do not blame me, although it is bitter it is pleasant,<br />It is bitter because it is my life.”Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16628378400170646950noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-23836240517680738712016-01-08T07:44:24.166-08:002016-01-08T07:44:24.166-08:00Thanks Ned, David, and Cathrine,
If we'd orde...Thanks Ned, David, and Cathrine,<br /><br />If we'd ordered the Barbera, none of this would have happened. Ron Washam, HMWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238869156614617705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-61271380761504753732016-01-08T00:25:07.726-08:002016-01-08T00:25:07.726-08:00Wow Ron! Normally i giggle in coffee, when I read ...Wow Ron! Normally i giggle in coffee, when I read your post. Today I felt more like looking deep into the mug - trying to get all the aspects of this well-written piece to sink in.<br /><br />Just as Ned said, I've read it over and over. This is absolutely the most thoughtful piece I have read here. I've experienced depression in my closest family, and reading this brought a tear to my eye. But at the same time, I think I was relieved and rather soothed by your contemplation on wine and why we get into it. <br />I'm very happy that you chose to publish the piece. Thank You.<br /><br />DavidDavidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08159097736413919697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-67987951348112528222016-01-07T21:59:49.756-08:002016-01-07T21:59:49.756-08:00Thanks, mate. I have read this piece over and over...Thanks, mate. I have read this piece over and over...empathy is all we can ever ask for and you have shown it in spades.Ned Goodwinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09941361926555892448noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-90608825280948929082016-01-07T18:34:30.498-08:002016-01-07T18:34:30.498-08:00Thank you for this incredible post! Thank you for this incredible post! Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16614218136391910312noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-80930440522324229542016-01-07T18:27:26.036-08:002016-01-07T18:27:26.036-08:00Hey Gang,
Where to start?
Thank you to everyone f...Hey Gang,<br />Where to start?<br /><br />Thank you to everyone for the kind words and thoughtful reactions. I'm especially indebted to those who commented here for the first time--the anonymous psychiatrist, BFJ, and Angelica. That you took the time has meaning for me.<br /><br />As Samantha noted, I was debating whether I should publish this piece. I was uncomfortable with using the death of a man I didn't know as a jumping off point. But there was something about that strange moment of reading Mr. Tebeau's last post, followed by learning of his premature death, that kept nagging at me. It took writing this piece for me to understand my own feelings. Which is why I write.<br /><br />I'm also struck by the different things that all of you took away from the piece. That has been enlightening for me.<br /><br />Far too much of the wine world is obsessed with status and ego, with letters after a name, and who knows more about what makes a wine great, or natural, or authentic. The old saw in wine marketing, and wine blogging, is that stories sell wine. There's truth in that. And yet everywhere I turn in the wine writing biz, or on blogs, there's very little storytelling. The dimbulbs who say this is a Golden Age of wine writing are clearly undiscerning readers. So much of what I read is dull opinion, and the writing is more like ejaculate than anything else. And I'm speaking of the "top-rated" blogs, most of them anyway. The cream may rise to the top, but so do turds.<br /><br />I may be alone in this opinion, which I've just ejaculated, but I wish the standards for wine writing were as exalted as the standards so many "writers" demand for wines. I wish there were more authentic, natural, honest wine writers. Yet here was a man writing a humble little blog about fringe wines who seems to have had some talent. I'll long remember his eloquence about his depression and his ECT. And his words about how wine truly and honestly defined him are also powerful. Not the inane and ubiquitous shit like, "I hope you'll join me on my journey to discover wine."<br /><br />I don't have any idea what I'll write next. I write for the pleasure and for the self-discovery and to make folks laugh. I have no idea how long I'll keep at it. Until I start boring the crap out of myself, I suppose. Or I die.Ron Washam, HMWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11238869156614617705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-11979613421272745952016-01-07T14:51:09.319-08:002016-01-07T14:51:09.319-08:00wonderfully expressed, Ron.
thanks for this.
I a...wonderfully expressed, Ron.<br />thanks for this. <br />I agree there is a lot of anger out there, especially on the internet. and yes, thank god for humor or we would only have the anger.Danielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13947624477553194151noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-86922529180796929062016-01-07T14:22:23.072-08:002016-01-07T14:22:23.072-08:00YIkes. A little too close for comfort.
Yes, wine ...YIkes. A little too close for comfort. <br />Yes, wine helps me when I'm trying to present my best self.The Wine Mulehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13056199373110048787noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-811146040179298002016-01-07T14:00:11.075-08:002016-01-07T14:00:11.075-08:00I wish you had a "like" button on your b...I wish you had a "like" button on your blog! imkarenphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05420068735970697164noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-13116656389509266652016-01-07T13:03:32.900-08:002016-01-07T13:03:32.900-08:00Like Fabio, I had corresponded with Rob a number o...Like Fabio, I had corresponded with Rob a number of years ago. Until his death, I did not know how young he was. <br /><br />Ron, with this particular piece of writing you did Rob, wine, and the Internet well.<br /><br />It has often crossed my mind that the vacuous words I've posted across the internet will outlive me. Not a pleasant thought.Thomashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07322028233207741737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-61384168589054957972016-01-07T12:48:26.849-08:002016-01-07T12:48:26.849-08:00An unusual post, to say the least. But thank you f...An unusual post, to say the least. But thank you for sharing Mr. Tebeau's comments about depression. It's hard for those of us who don't suffer from the awful disease to fully comprehend it. And Mr. Tebeau's eloquence goes a long way to making it more understandable.Marcia Macomberhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07237764449953259939noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6745003136564123305.post-71484723539788438092016-01-07T12:23:07.714-08:002016-01-07T12:23:07.714-08:00Damn you Ron for your eco-unfriendly threat to del...Damn you Ron for your eco-unfriendly threat to delete your posts someday. Do you realize how many of us are now planning to print every last word you have written out of fear of losing it? Forests of pulp trees are quaking like aspens. Beautiful post by the way. Just as touching and amazing as the common taters have said above.Fentonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17689456937090128398noreply@blogger.com