Max Koch Uncorked

Wine-soaked adventures through a twisted life…

The Brrr Months

Well, here we are.  November’s arrived and things are starting to wind down.  I’m pretty grateful for that right now because it has been one HECKUVA year.  In many ways, good: Lots of fun jobs (wish I could rap about the voice-matching gigs I get, but I can’t cuz that’s not fair to the producers), huge spurts of personal growth, a few new friendship bonds…even saw one of my Top 3 Favorite bands (Depeche Mode) live at the Hollywood Bowl (Box seats! Yes, I have to boast about that.  Bucket List item, you see.  It was glorious).  Oh, and I also managed to complete the Inktober initiative, 31 drawings in 31 days over the course of October.  I posted the first 5 here but you can see the other 26 on my Instagram.  

Yet in other ways, the year has been quite TERRIBLE  – The Death of Mickey the Pug firstly comes to mind – along with other disheartening news concerning certain relatives getting older and sicker.  And other deeply-felt losses and changes amongst loved ones.  The good news is, family-wise, we rescued/adopted a NEW little guy whom we’ve named Barney Fife!  He’s a “chug” (half chihuahua/half pug) and I have to say, he has already brought us so much joy.  He’s quite hilarious.  And jittery.  Just like Don Knotts.  He also loves to play fetch and run on the beach.  Look how cute he is here in the pumpkin patch at Jack Creek Farms in Paso Robles, where we just visited…

Pumpkin Fife

I always like to call October through December “the Brrr months” as it usually starts to get chillier, what with late-fall/early winter setting in.  Unfortunately, it’s still pretty mild here in L.A., so, I may have to switch it to the ‘ber months as we are now living in the months that end in “ber.”  No matter the case, the old ber…er…bear in me is starting to nestle in for some much-needed hibernation.  There are projects to complete, receipts to be filed, and catch-up work to be done.

Usually at the end of a year, I like to post a little wrap up of my 365 days here on the blog.  Not sure if I’m gonna do that for 2017 because I think as I get older, I get a little less enthusiastic and a little more weary of the years changing over.  It just seems to all be moving SO fast that I can’t keep up anymore.  Life is hurling by.  One minute your soulmate of a pug drops dead from cancer, the next you’re bringing a new pup into your life, scared as hell and whizzing on wee-wee pads.  It’s exhausting.  I mean, never before have I more admired my friends who are parents to human children.  How?  How do they DO it???

Things also seem to be getting more unpredictable each and every day.  You can’t wake up anymore without receiving “breaking news” alerts on your phone regarding some horrible, senseless tragedy, or some spurt of outrageous controversy blasting out of Washington, like some mythical giant farting.  And don’t get me started on the rapid-fire news of who groped/molested/sexually assaulted who, where and when…it all gets so grim that I just want to grow a weird beard and live in the woods, feeding squirrels for the rest of my days.  But then I remember that – as someone who sincerely enjoys entertaining people – I still have a “job” to do.  I think?

Unpredictability came full-bore yesterday morning when the wife and dogs and I were on the freeway, heading back home from the Central Coast after a little 3-day Halloween/Wedding Anniversary getaway. The trip, while brief, was much-needed, and so while we were sitting in traffic on the 101 freeway at a relative standstill, not exactly elated to be driving back to L.A., I glanced up towards my rear-view mirror and saw a black car hurling towards us from behind.  The driver rammed us pretty hard and I felt a jolt of shock and pain shoot up my back.  Everyone was okay – my car was merely scratched and dented – and the guy who hit us appeared convincingly apologetic.  But it was all just another example of how fleeting it all is and how life can throw you a serious curveball at any damn second.  Car accidents are ESPECIALLY unnerving and inconvenient.  I should know.  I’ve been in about 8 of them.  Including two cars TOTALED. (Okay, one little one back in the 90’s mighta been MY fault.)

So now I deal with insurance companies and chiropractors.  Par for the course, I suppose.  Accidents are always good wake-up calls, anyway.  But I’d always rather be in a studio, working.  Or creating stuff on my own.  Using my pain and angst for comedy, not X-rays!

It’s funny.  I once told a friend, “I think my purpose, my higher calling, is to be the best companion I can be to those I love and care about.”  Yeah, that may be true.  But I’m starting to think that’s not enough. I’m starting to feel like there might be a little more to ol’ Max Koch and what he’s about.  Maybe I can ponder that, too, while I hibernate and open some books and stretch my IT band and finish up Netflix’s Mindhunter and enact a plan for 2018.  Until then…I hope to be going “brrr” through the ‘ber months because I LOVE when, baby, it’s cooollld ooouuutsssiiide. 

WINE PAIRING: The first winery we hit on this last trip up north was Penman Springs Vineyard in Paso Robles.  CANNOT recommend their 2014 Merlot enough.  And Sabine in the tasting room took great care of us.  Not only did we purchase 3 bottles of their stuff, but also brought home a jar of their delicious, homemade WINE JAM.  Yum!

All told, not a bad way to celebrate 18 years of marriage.  Even as we ice our backs from the accident and laugh at how stupid-crazy life is…

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