Last month in this space, I lamented the fact that basketball season had started and that I would be coaching both my sons’ teams. I was concerned not about the basketball (I was a varsity high school head coach for ten years), but rather about my sons. First, they are not all that athletic, and worse, they are not all that competitive. While I might suffer from the former, I am certainly not lacking in the latter. So on the eve of the basketball season, I was a bit concerned that my sons would soon see me for the nut-job competitive freak that I really am (somehow I have been able to hide that fact from them until now).

Well, I am not sure if they see me that way at this point, but the combined record of the two teams is currently 8-1 with the sole loss coming in overtime by one point.

What does this have to do with this Month’s Challenge? Absolutely nothing, but I felt like I needed to fill this space with something–cutting and pasting from last month is just cheating. But it is time to give all of you out there a reminder….

This month’s theme, chosen by last month’s winner, Bill of Duff’s Wines is:

The rules

1. The Challenge is open to anybody and everybody. It helps if you have a blog, but that is certainly not a requirement (contact me if this is the case).
2. Write a post based on this month’s theme: “Friend”.
3. The post should be at least tangentially related to wine (after all, it is the name of the challenge).
4. The post should be more or less around 1000 words (I routinely violate this rule, so it is just there as a “guide”).
5. Include the Monthly Wine Writing Challenge badge (above) that was designed by the very first winner, The Armchair Sommelier.
6. Remember to vote!
7. I will try and secure another outside judge for this month’s Challenge. If I succeed, the judge will choose the winner from the top three vote-getters. If I fail, the winner will be the top vote receiver.
8. Once you post on your blog, please do at least two of the following and I will be sure to include a link here as well as on all subsequent posts about this month’s challenge:
   1. Include a link back to this post in your entry.
      
   2. Use the hashtag #MWWC14 somewhere in your post.
   3. Tweet, using the #MWWC14 hashtag and include a link back to your post.
   4. Send me an email: jeff(at)thedrunkencyclist(dot)com

The all important dates:

The all important dates:

Deadline for submission:  Monday, January 26th, 2014

Voting Begins: Tuesday, January 27th, 2014

Voting Ends:  Monday, February 2nd, 2014

Winner Announced:  Tuesday, February 3rd, 2014

This morning, I finally reblogged or posted all of the entries that I have received for this month’s Challenge. Let’s just say it did not take all that long. I still have hope, however, since there are a full ten whole days to increase the number of submissions–get writing folks!

I have scoured the internets and here are the entries thus far:

Aseuba: Savored…Our unconventional tradition of Sparkling with Duck

Dracaena Wines: Riots for Tradition

Griffy on Wine: Traditions

Leticia Noebauer: The viennese spirit of the Gemischter Satz

The Sweet Sommelier: Tradition

There remains a scant ten days to get your submissions in!

So get to the keyboard and get writing!!!