At some point last week, I happened to look at my post total and realized that I was seriously close to my thousandth post. For a while, I thought I should do something special for the occasion, like saber a bottle with my laptop, or give away a few choice bottles from my cellar, or even throw a big party here in Philly and invite you all to come.

But none of that is really “me.”

Even though I have now published a thousand posts, I really do not like talking about me all that much (unless I do something stupid that makes people laugh).

Then I thought I would just do nothing; let the milestone pass without so much as a whisper.

That did not seem right either, however, since I imagine a few of my readers would like to know that I have been around long enough (four years in a few weeks) to put out four digits worth of posts.

I had planned on releasing the new Ohmygod installment with this post (my 100th post was the first episode, and the series is now up to #39), but it is not quite ready yet. Then I thought I would reblog one of my initial posts, but I am no longer that writer anymore, so it did not seem right.

I then thought I would write about some of the other people who have followed me since the beginning and started to go through my earliest posts, and seeing who “liked” them. Well, some of them are still “around” (Maralee of Through My Lens and Ron of Ron Sucabdiver’s Wild Life, both great photographers coincidentally, come to mind), but many are not, which I found a bit sad, so I dropped that idea altogether.

In the end, I decided to “celebrate” my milestone by introducing the next Monthly Wine Writing Challenge. The first Challenge was back on June 7th, 2013, so it was well into my second year publishing the Drunken Cyclist, but it perhaps is a decent symbol of my first 1000 posts since through the Challenge I have been introduced to a host of great writers (all of whom have helped me become a better writer) and made some (hopefully) lasting friendships.

So without further ado….

Last week, Jill of L’Occasion won the Monthly Wine Writing Challenge #21 (#MWWC21) and just like all previous winners of the Challenge, her “reward” was to choose the theme for the following Challenge (in this case #MWWC22).

A few of us started the Monthly Wine Writing Challenge a couple of years ago with the desire to promote more creative wine writing. The thought was that we get caught up in tasting notes, winery visits, and the occasional food porn and we soon forget that part of the reason we put in all the hours that we do on these silly blogs is that we love to write!

I have babbled on far enough with this post, so I will not belabor any longer (other than to mention this is the first multi-word theme!):

A quick recap of the rules:

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: “Second Chance”.
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. Once you post on your blog, please do at least two of the following and I will be sure to include a link  on all subsequent posts about this month’s challenge:
   1. Include a link back to this post in your entry.
      
   2. Use the hashtag #MWWC22 somewhere in your post.
   3. Tweet, using the #MWWC22 hashtag and include a link back to your post.
   4. Send me an email: jeff(at)thedrunkencyclist(dot)com

The all important dates:

Deadline for submission:  Monday, January 18th, 2016

Voting Begins: Tuesday, January 19th, 2016

Voting Ends:  Monday, January 25th, 2016

Winner Announced:  Tuesday, January 26th, 2016

Previous winners:

If you’re looking for some inspiration here are the links to the previous winning posts:

MWWC1 – Transportation

The Armchair Sommelier

MWWC2 – Trouble

My Custard Pie

MWWC3 – Possession

The Wine Kat

MWWC4 – Oops

Confessions of a Wine Geek

MWWC5 – Feast

The drunken cyclist

MWWC6 – Mystery

The SAHMmelier

MWWC7 – Devotion

The Sweet Sommelier

MWWC8 – Luck

The drunken cyclist

MWWC9 – Fear

The Sybarite

MWWC10 – Value

Dracaena Wines

MWWC11 – Friend

Armchair Sommelier

MWWC12 – Local

Talk-a-Vino

MWWC13 – Serendipity

Duff’s Wines

MWWC14 – Tradition

Cheap Wine Curious

MWWC15 – Success

JVB Uncorked

MWWC16 – Finish

The Wine Raconteur

MWWC17 – Epiphany

Wayward Wine

MWWC18 – Crisis

Traveling Wine Chick

MWWC19 – Choice

Frankly Wine

MWWC20 – Variety

JVB Uncorked

MWWC21-Pairing

L’Occasion

Please contact me if you have any questions: jeff (at) thedrunkencyclist (dot) com