I Did It!

I took a very big step this week, and it turned out quite well. For a number of years now I've been pondering the idea of becoming a winemaker. It's a big batch process, which fits nicely into that pesky undergraduate degree of mine, and I'm in love with the results. So when Grant found a remote learning program at UC Davis in enology I thought to myself, that could be a very good way of finding out if I really want to be a winemaker.

Well, time, as it has a wont to do, went rushing by and in all the distractions of Grant moving home, going to Egypt, Ryan and Sara's wedding, my current career, etc. this idea got lost. Until this weekend. I was talking to Tammy, my best friend of the last 20 years and mother of cute little Trevor (recipient of the Trevor sweater, my first sweater made without a pattern), and she told me the story of some customers at her restaurant she was talking to that said I should become a winemaker because the industry is growing and they'd be willing to invest in my winery (not that I really believe they were serious about backing me mind you). You see, Tam for years has been encouraging this little dream of mine, I'm sure because she's imagining all the yummy wine I'd send her as gifts. So, in this conversation I realized what I had forgotten, the UC Davis remote learning program.

After a heated conversation with Grant about my always sitting on the fence, and perpetual absentmindedness, I finally looked into the program and discovered I'm not too late! The deadline is Sept. 2nd. So I frantically rushed to apply online. Today I received an email from someone I didn't recognize with the title Re:Your Application. I was moments away from marking it as spam and moving on with my day, when I realized it might be from Davis. So I opened it, and there were the words I was hoping to hear:
Congratulations - you are accepted in the certificate Program in Winemaking.

I'm in! They actually accepted me. It was decided that I had enough college level science to enter their program. Considering the 3 years of chem and 1 year of physics I took I should hope so, but nonetheless, I'm still happy to know I made it! So, this fall I will be using their DVDs to learn all about winemaking, and taking a midterm and a final to prove I actually learned something. Who knows, if I really like this I may go on to the graduate program and get me another degree. Anyone want a glass of zin?