Do you have the time to listen to me wine?

I've found I often like to buy things more than I like using them. When I was in high school, I got into playing drums, and became really interested in the drums that are out there. I became really knowledgeable and put together a pretty nice kit, despite not really having that whole "playing in time" thing down.

As an adult, I'm not a whole lot different. One of those similar hobbies has become wine. Whenever I'm in a state that has a Trader Joe's, I make a point to visit and buy a bunch of wine - two-buck chuck and some of the other decently-priced stuff. I'm also the proud owner of a 28-bottle VinoTemp electric wine cooler ($50 on clearance at Target, was $200).

The problem is that I don't drink a whole lot of wine. I don't mind the taste, but I haven't exactly grown to love it. I do like how it accompanies certain foods, especially pasta, and when I actually bother to cook something, like Pasta Fagioli, I'll often crack open a bottle, drink a glass or two... and then spend the rest of the night stumbling around trying to stay awake.

Because madanthony can't handle his booze in general, and wine in particular. I do the same thing with beer - if I make a steak or sauerkraut or something, I'll often open up a beer - and be tired for the rest of the night. It's even worse with wine, though, both because it seems to affect me worse and because if I open a bottle, I'm committed to drinking it - which usually takes me a couple days, which means a couple tired and slightly intoxicated evenings. I generally have a bunch of things I want to do at night, so opening a bottle pretty much guarantees a won't, and then I feel bad.

Plus, it always seems kind of creepy to be drinking alone. I stopped drinking regularly mostly because I was trying to lose weight, and booze was pretty much empty calories, not to mention that drinking beer usually made me want to open a bag of chips or something. So drinking alone - even if it's just a couple glasses of wine with food - always makes me feel like even more of a creepy drunk loser than I normally do.