Wine, New Book, New Job, & Teaching



I’m taking advantage of my first day off (or at least what passes in my life for one of those) in quite a while to update this blog.

First big thing: I’m now enrolled in the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) Level 2 certification program. Classes start April 13th. If all goes well, I intend to follow the program all the way through to Master of Wine. I had originally intended to go into the CMS (Court of Master Sommeliers) program, which has more name recognition. WSET, however, places as much emphasis on the academic and business aspects of the wine industry as it does on a comprehensive body of knowledge concerning wine. This greatly appeals to me. Like with cheese and theatre, my other two passions, the history of wine is the history of world civilization. The deeper I get into it, the more fascinating I find it.

Second big thing: I’m pretty far into the second draft of a new novel, which is slated to come out in early June. It’s a very loose adaptation of my first produced play – a story I loved, but which I don’t feel like my early writing did any justice. It’s a horror/thriller novel, tentatively titled It Will Come For You – which absolutely/probably/perhaps may change before June. It’ll be available for pre-order in the next week or so.

Third big thing: I have my second interview next Tuesday for a new position within Earth Fare. I’ve been the Specialty Department Manager (wine, cheese, beer, olives, chocolate, and coffee – you know, the good stuff) at their Fort Mill store since they opened, and I have loved and continue to love that job. But an opportunity to work for corporate in the OSTET program has opened up, which basically means I’d go from new store to new store and get the Specialty departments up and running. If I get the job, that means I’ll be on the road for three weeks at a time and back at home for a week. It also means a significant pay increase and, you know … money is good.

Fourth big thing: After having taught playwriting and other theatre-related topics at Greensboro College for the better part of a decade, I had to take a year off once I moved to Charlotte. This semester, however, I’ve been teaching it again online for GC, and have loved doing it. Any other colleges out there looking for a dedicated online playwriting instructor from a multiple-award winning playwright … well, I know one.

Currently reading: Sommelier Prep Course (Gibson), Understanding Wine (Wheaton.) Just finished Corked (Bosker), which was a delight.
Currently listening to: a crap-ton of jazz.

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