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Third time is the charm

My friend Q has an apple-tasting party every November. During this evening, guests sample about 15 to 20 different apple varieties (BYOK--bring your own knife) and then comment on and rate them. Once done tasting, everyone has the opportunity to try to guess the "mystery apple." This evening is a lot like a wine-tasting, except you actually consume the apples rather than spit them out, as you would wine. And, happily for me, there is plenty of snack food, including cheese and bread, to help cleanse the palate, as well as an array of beverages (yes, wine).

At the end of the tasting, the group goes around the room and shares some of their comments on select apples. This year, there was a decidedly anti-Obama crowd, so some of the comments centered on Hope and Change as well as a few other gems. When it came time to reveal the mystery apple, I held my breath, wondering if I would once again guess correctly, yet also lose the inevitable tie-breaker.

I and four others correctly guessed 'Grimes Golden' was the mystery apple, but when it came down to the tie-breaker, which involved apple-rating, I finally came out on top. Thank you 'Mutsu,' 'Scifresh' (Jazz), and some other variety whose name escapes me. In my zeal, I ran up to the table, snatched the trophy and its stand, and ran back to the living room, thanking the crowd and professing my platform of Faith, Hope, and Change. Q had some presentation that I pretty much thwarted since I already had trophy in hand, but I was only half-listening anyway; I was just glad to finally have won.

All in all, it was a good evening. Not only did I finally break my jinx, but I was also able to commiserate with other conservatives, having found myself going back to the anger stage (I am actually much better off than some of these people, believe me). A high point of the night for me (other than my win) was talking to one of Q's friends, a former congressperson who knew/worked with Ron Paul. Fortunately, she did nothing to shatter the picture I had of Dr. Paul, and said that he was smart, although an ideog (or something like that).

For now, just call me the queen of the apples, and if you happen to stop by where I work, you can check out the trophy (I need to take a picture and post it). Now I just have to think of something to add to it for next year (the duty of the winner).
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