Blog Tag - I'm It

Joe at Joe's Wine Journal tagged me, and now I'm it. I wasn't going to play because Joe has cooties, but then I decided that cooties aren't so bad. Sticks and stones can break my bones but words can never harm me. 4th grade moments people, I apologize. "Tag" just brings me back...

Not sure how this "Tag" thing started, but bloggers have been tagging each other, requiring them to answer in five parts the question - why do you blog? Then to tag further bloggers.

So why do I blog?

1) One day while bored at work I was reading some Wine Blog Wednesday posts and I came across this one about Clos Rougeard on Fork and Bottle. I found myself basically in tears after reading this piece. That's right- in tears! So what's up with that? Am I some sort of crybaby? So I cry easily, so what? But more importantly, I had been feeling like the time I spend at work was time wasted, time that barely contributed to the well being of people or the earth or anything. I have been trying since I can remember to find work that really involves me every day, that challenges me, that makes use of my abilities and yet forgives my failings...not so easy. I love wine and fantasized about the life of growing, tending grapes, making wine. And I read this well written and caring piece about the Foucault brothers, people who are passionate about what they do, and I it really hit home for me. I felt that they represented everything that was missing from my professional life. And I was really impressed by Fork and Bottle's rendition of Clos Rougeard's story, enough so to email them and tell them so...

2) And both Jack and Joanne wrote back to me, offering words of encouragement regarding work and life. Joanne said " I hope you find what you love." Well, I'm still looking professionally, and maybe I will get there soon, but I figured 'I love wine, and there aren't many blogs out there devoted to my favorite wines, so why shouldn't I blog?' So I created one. But it sat for weeks without an entry. Who was I to blog about wine? Did I really have that sort of chutzpah, that type of hubris, to assume that what I would write about wine would actually be of any interest to anyone?

3) Then I realized that actually, it is irrelevant to me whether or not anyone wants to read the blog. I mean sure, it's nice to have a soapbox to stand on, but for me, that's really not the point. For me it boils down to this - I love wine, drinking it with my wife and friends, visiting wine regions, tasting everything I can get my hands on. And I approach it the same way I have approached other passions from my past, like chess or poker - I remember everything and I am willing to study, I am interested in the theories of the game, the ground rules, the various strategies and positions. Within them, I enjoy experimenting. Blogging for me became an experiment. Why are there no "pedestrian" blogs writing about Burgundy? Not everyone is A Burghound, nor does everyone have the cellar depth to hang with Bill Nanson at Burgundy Report. What about those of us who can throw a little $ around, but need some guidance? Same for Oregon Pinot, and for the Loire Valley. I decided that I would write the blog that I wanted to read.

4) And then I got my first ever comment, on my third ever post, about a tasting of some New York Wines. The commenter was none other then Lenn of Lenndevours, one of the blogs that I was already regularly reading. Lenn offered to show me around the North Fork of Long Island, something that I have not yet taken him up on, but definitely will, and this offer based on the camaraderie he felt after reading one blog entry? How did he even find that post? Anyway, Lenn's comment really encouraged me to keep writing, and hammered home the idea that I don't have to be a professional to do this, that I can do it for the pure pleasure of drinking and sharing thoughts about wine and food, and the pleasure of reading your thoughts.

5) And that is where it is - blogging is a community of people sharing thoughts about something that is meaningful to them. I don't have a myspace or a facebook or a friendster page. I better brush up on that stuff though before my daughter turns 10, but that's another project. I can't play poker anymore because I have too many responsibilities to put a grand down on the table and fight it out until 3 in the morning. Chess has been with me since I was a little kid, but it's sort of isolating in the study it requires and in the solo nature of the game. A few years ago I had to give it up as I couldn't participate without seeing positions when I shut my eyes to sleep. Now I sometimes think of wine and food pairings and the like when I close my eyes, and I accept that I am a bit obsessive by nature, but at least now I am obsessing about something social, sharing thoughts and reading about other people's experiences. A healthier diversion than many others until I can find my place in the professional world.

So I will tag the folks who inspired me early on:
Jack from Fork and Bottle
Joanne from Fork and Bottle
Lenn from Lenndevours.

You're it!