We love when people write us letters. We love it so much that sometimes we even post them (for better or worse). That said, here’s a letter from a new Roshambuddy named Josh. We hope this encourages all of you 3219 people who visited the blog in the past 30 days to send us letters, comments, photos, stories, anything, I mean anything that is Roshambo-related. Did you find us in an obscure wine shop in WhoKnowsWhere, USA? Did three of you dress up as Rock, Paper, Scissors for Halloween? Let us know. We want to hear from you! Let’s make this more interactive!

On Nov 10, 2007, at 9:27 AM, Josh Theodore wrote:

Naomi,

My wife and I embarked on our 13th anniversary trip from Texas to the Sonoma wine region this October and had an absolute blast at your temporary location in Cornerstone. How we ended up there was quite poetic…Roshambo had been recommended to us, but we had never before heard of your wines. After checking out your website, I knew it had to be part of our trip.

On our way up after flying in to Oakland, I wanted to detour and stop, but it was raining heavily and late in the afternoon. The 101 was a mess and we had never been in the region, so we decided to pass and go straight to Bodega Bay where we stayed. Our visit to Roshambo 2.0 would have to wait.

The next morning, we were going to head north, beginning in Healdsburg, and work our way down and back to Bodega, where friends from Los Gatos were coming to meet us. Being a man and not following a map, I missed a turn, and we ended up in Petaluma. I turned to my wife and said, “Guess we can hit Roshambo first today?” My wife, Tina, is the ultimate planner, and I could see she might be miffed that the plan for the day was not going to be followed as originally intended, but to my surprise she replied, “It’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey!” What a great way to start our day. Our Love Affair with Roshambo had begun! and, while we had many wonderful wines during our trip, the one’s we recall the most were the first.

Roshambo will always hold a special place for us. We can’t wait to visit again in your new digs. All the best and keep fighting for fun!!

Kudos to Roshambo’s graphic designer, Richard Miller of Calyx Designs, for his spread in the June issue of SF’s 7×7 Magazine. The story is about SPARKLETACK, his popular podcast on San Francisco history. Now since a) there’s no link to it online, b) the copy is too small to read here, and c) you probably don’t have a subscription to 7×7 (though you should subscribe now), I will painstakingly retype this brilliant piece by Leilani Labong - a USF grad school classmate of mine and rising star magazine editor.
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Ask Richard Miller why his popular podcast on SF history is called Sparkletack - the subject matter has nothing to do with sparkles or tacks, after all - and the Oroville, CA, native will tell you he simply liked the sound of the words. “I wanted something that sounded cool but wouldn’t tie me down to any particular subject,” says Miller, who began broadcasting his weekly history lessons on the Internet in May of 2005 with a short, off-the-cuff chat about the abandoned household castoffs found on streets all over the city.

“When I did that story, I just picked up a microphone and started speculating about all the leftover desks and couches,” says the 40-year-old graphic designer, who recently resumed his podcast after taking a six-month hiatus. “I quickly realized that working without a script and having no solid facts to back up my words wasn’t going to work.”

Since that first broadcast, Miller has spent an average of 30 hours carefully researching each of his aural essays, whether it’s on the Japanese origins of the fortune cookie or the legend of Lefty O’Doul. “It really bothers me when stories have been altered or embellished. That’s the biggest difference between me and Mark Twain,” says Miller of the legendary raconteur, whose colloquial writing style is evident in the podcaster’s stories. “He never let the truth get in the way of a good story.

Discovering, for instance, that Levi Strauss was not the originator of the blue jean - that honor goes to a Nevada tailor named Jacob Davis - came as a big surprise to Miller. “I thought I knew the story, but I did the research and found some historic letters that proved I was wrong. It motivated me to start getting the facts straight.”

Currently, the amateur historian is working on a Sparkletack essay book, and ultimately hopes to hang up his graphic-design hat to podcast full-time. (He’s now turning out two segments per month.) Which may help to explain his recent move to Sacramento, after 17 years in SF - the cost of living is lower there, and the Internet hasn’t made him rich yet. Still, when he’s overseas and people ask him where he’s from, “I always say San Francisco,” says Miller. “Eyes light up. They say, ‘I’ve been there,’ or ‘My aunt lives there.’ Everyone is connected to the city. Its stories resonate all over the world.”

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UPDATE: Richard has also recently been interviewed by Travel & Leisure!!! So more to come on this man of the moment. But in the meantime, check out Sparkletack and brush up on your SF history!

Much of what makes Roshambo such an exciting experience (besides the incredible tasting wine) is the relationships we have developed with YOU, the people. Roshambo has always been about bringing together a community of fun and interesting people. People who are seeking a new wine culture that’s free from snobbery and elitism. And whether you are new to wine or a seasoned vet, Roshambo offers something for everyone. We want you to wear whichever mask you want, and drink us out of a jelly jar if that’s how you do. We like to think of this as Naomi’s living, breathing art project and as all of you as participants in this Party.

During our transition into the new and improved tasting room, this Roshamblog has been an exciting way for us to continue expressing our personality and playful spirit. And now, I’d like to expand our mission and highlight YOU and the things that make you laugh or cry, think or feel. With that said, I’d like to introduce a new category to the Blog: Roshambuddies. Our hope is that you will write us with your photos, your stories, your links to fun stuff online, or whatever. We want to turn the spotlight on YOU. Let’s show the world who our Roshambuddies are.

Starting with Audrey…

Have you ever played Scrabble with the kind of person who can throw one letter on the board and somehow flip it into a 63-point bonanza? You know, the annoying kind of player who knows “XI” is the fourteenth letter in the Greek alphabet? Well, here’s one of them (caught in clumsiness!). Meet Audrey Sherry Gunshor, one of our best Roshambuddies. She’s a whip-smart geology teacher in Aspen, but her nerdy tendencies are sometimes hard to swallow. Not just because of her facility in the game of Scrabble, but because of all the environmental petitions she forwards to everyone she knows. (Not that there’s anything wrong with environmentalism and activism, but how about a personalized email once an Ice Age? Can you manage that, Audrey?) Normally, her emails are promptly deleted, but for some reason today I felt compelled to click on the unidentified link. What followed was me clumsily flopping off my chair in an apoplectic fit of laughter. If you haven’t already seen this spoof tequila ad, watch and enjoy…

Thank You Audrey for sharing.