I’m really thinking hard about what I’m going to be doing after my contract ends in May. I’m thinking about trying to do some schooling/training in wine making (aka oenology) and/or fermentation science (with an emphasis on brewing). But I have to figure out where and how I’ll do that.
The skinny on schooling:
There are a couple community college programs I know about in oenology. One is in Santa Maria, CA at Alan Hancock College. The known pros so far: I’m already in California and technically a resident. CC tuition is super inexpensive in Cali…$20/credit. Also basically in the middle of one of the major central coast wine regions. Would be good for eventually transferring to one of the BS programs at UC-Davis or Fresno State. The cons: Santa Maria is a small town. I have no job, place to live, friends there. Chemeketa CC in Salem, OR also has a wine making program. Pros: in Oregon. Good for transferring to Oregon State’s program. Close to Oregon Wine Country. Cons: Much more expensive ($70/credit). In Salem, which I’m not too excited about the prospect of living there.
*update: I just found a program in Santa Rosa (which is a little north of San Fran). Pretty much the same pros and cons of the Santa Maria program. Only instead of central coast wine country, i’m close to Napa and Sonoma and in the Russian River wine country.
What I don’t know yet…is it enough to just go to one of the community college programs? Should I just take some targeted science classes at a community college and then try and apply to one of the BS programs? Is there a CC program in WA that would help facilitate transferring to WSU’s program? Should I just stick to beer and try and find a brewer to apprentice with in Portland?
Anyway, that is the main thing stewing in my head (at least when I get a few moments away from work).
I finally made it up for a brief visit to Griffith Observatory on Friday night. By the time I got up there it was only open for twenty minutes, but it was still pretty cool. The sprawl of LA is both impressive and depressing at the same time. Saturday was largely a day of relaxation, running a few errands and trying to get my desktop computer working again (I didn’t succeed). Then I went to Sub-Level with some friends later that night. It was out in the middle of nowhere in an empty warehouse Sun Valley (ewe…i went to a party in the valley). I was out until almost 6am Sunday morning. I had lots of fun, but getting up at 10am for church and then working Sunday afternoon wasn’t as fun. USC observed President’s Day, so I got an extra day of relaxation over the weekend. Made a trip to Venice Beach and finally did some long overdue cleaning on my room. It was a very nice weekend.
