Guilt makes me hungry.

I have been guilted to write, and so write I shall. Much has happened since my last entry exactly fifty-four weeks ago today. The fabulous wife and I now call Quincy, Massachusetts, home. I have a new job, the wife soon to follow.

Most relevantly, I returned to school. Boston University. To get my Master's in...gastronomy. Tee hee hee! My first course is...(hang on to something)...cheese. (!!!) Can you believe it? My classes comprise three hours of sampling a dozen cheeses, drinking accompanying wines, and giving my opinion. Three things I EXCEL at. In May, I begin my Sommelier certification classes. In the fall, "The Many Meanings of Meat." Truly! That's the name of the class! "The Many Meanings of Meat." I've got one meaning for you; meat makes me smile. I can't wait to learn more.

The gastronomy program was created by Julia Child and Jacques Pepin after realizing there were no programs for the study of food beyond culinary techniques; they wanted someone to be able to explore the value of food, of cooking, of eating. Although they didn't know it at the time, that someone clearly is me. Mr. Pepin sometimes teaches and pops his head in to check up on things. As it was his book, "The Apprentice" that exposed me to this wonderful program, I hope to one day thank him personally. If not, I fear I shall be relegated to dressing in a flower-print dress, donning a big grey wig, and attempting to commune with Julia's ghost over a half-case of Chateau Neuf-de-Pape and a gigantic wooden spoon (ever seen that photo of her with the four-foot wooden spoon? It's crazy!)

As for where the site is at, I've updated it with some new links to other foodies (as recommended by Ms. Allez-Oop, thank you very much), Formaggio Kitchen (THE greatest cheese shop in all of New England), and various and sundry other places to get your food on.

So, if you're one of the three or four readers I have that stuck with me during my absence, thanks. Know that I have been eating well, drinking finely, and cutting back on the salt and sugar. I hope the same for you.

Now I must leave you. I have a date at Previte's butchery to grind me up some veal; it's sausage making time at my grandmother's house. With a glass or three of Rose, I think.