I am back in the City of Brotherly Mild Discontent and I think I actually survived another New Year’s Eve celebration. I am getting ready to head off to the gym for another long day of coaching basketball. At least I do not have to worry about watching any more football as both the college and professional football seasons are effectively over now. Unfortunately, that means I have run out of excuses to help start getting the house ready to be put on the market this Spring. Maybe I need another time intensive hobby….

1. The new theme for the next Monthly Wine Writing Challenge was put forth by this month’s winner, Jill of L’Occasion. The deadline is still two weeks away, but you should start the ruminating over “Second Chance.” All the details are HERE.
2. Several people have already signed up for my next wine dinner at Fare Restaurant in Philadelphia on January 20th. This go around, the wines will all come from the Lodi Appellation in Northern California, which was recently named Wine Enthusiast’s Wine Region of the Year. Once again, there will be five courses, each paired with its own wine. The cost for the dinner is $75 (plus tax and tip, so $96 total) but space is limited this go around to 20 people, and there are just a couple of spots left, so call now to make a reservation: (267) 639-3063.
3. Saturday Showcase: I am stealing this idea from a group of bloggers that are doing the same thing on Sundays, but since I already have something planned for Sundays (at least for now), I thought I would add it in here. The idea is a great one: throw some light on some of the other blogs that I find particularly enjoyable. This week, I have It’s a Marathon and a Sprint as my suggested blog of the week. It is written by two runners, who are both great writers and down right hilarious. I always make a point to read their work even though I am far from a runner and have no desire to ever run a marathon. The blog is much more than running, though, and they even toss in a story now and then about booze. I did hesitate to mention them, however, since they both came to Philadelphia last year to run the Philly marathon and made no attempt to contact me. But when I think about it, I am probably the last guy I would contact if I were in town to run a marathon, too.

Have a great Saturday folks!