Heeeey, blog. Remember me?

I took the entire months of July and August off from studying to give my head a break, and my city some attention. Governor’s Island, Rockaway Beach, Breakneck and Cold Spring, Bryant Park, Broadway, Brooklyn. It was a busy summer of doing absolutely nothing. Favorite weekend mornings included picking up the New York Times Sunday edition, a coffee and a donut from Donut Plant, and hitting either Madison Square Park or the West Side Park for some qt with Ag.

I left New York exactly two times, and both were for the glorious state of New Jersey. Once to Hoboken to meet my parents for my birthday dinner, and once in August to go home with Kati, Sean, and Agustin to have an incredible dinner on the back porch of my childhood. Otherwise, I’ve been city bound, and basking in the quiet streets of Tribeca.

But by September I was ready to get out. Thankfully, Andy Hyde was nearby and invited me down for an amazing weekend of Nashville. It was definitely a pared down version of Nash-Vegas, not the likes most people experience during a bachelor/bachelorettedom, but a Nashville defined by balance. Excessive balance. Bike, eat, bike, drink, bourbon. Eat, boat, drink, eat, bourbon. There was even a kale salad sandwiched in there.

The advent of September also marks the advent back into MW goals. The idea is to spend at least one hour every day researching and writing essays, with practical (tasting) practice on top. Ambitious yes, and it hasn’t exactly been happening, but hey, you’ve got to have goals.

Other cool things. I’ve been tasting with Wine & Spirits magazine to help narrow the selections for judging in the magazine. I was quoted in Wine Spectator (super cool!), and tomorrow I head to NJ to have dinner at The Pluckemin Inn, which is the first place I ever had foie gras and the first place I spend $50 on a bottle of wine.

That’s what’s news for now.