The Hiatus, The Employment, The Horror, The Horror

*strides into the room, sneezing and hacking as if caught with a sudden case of severe hayfever* Goodness me it's dusty down here. Not only has the dust gathered on this so-called "blog", but in my new residence too. Allow me to expand.

Firstly, my apologies to you all for my last post. My very beloved father had just passed away, and I was not, perhaps, in quite the right frame of mind for writing anything of interest, especially not without sounding tiresome and pompous. I think I'm over the worst of it now...nothing a sturdy tankard of Shaky Pete's Ginger Brew won't fix, at least.

Yes, you heard me, Shaky Pete. Now, whether his name was garnered from the immense amount of cocktail-shaker motion he achieves on a daily basis, or from an occasional bout of Deleriun Tremens that is the barkeeps' occupational hazard, Pete is one of the finest "mixologists" (what a frightful newfangled word that is) in town. A resident bartender at The Hawksmoor Spitalfields since as far back as I can recall, he now has shifted his professional attention to their new site in the Seven Dials district of London's Covent Garden. And, what's more, I have the exceedingly good news of telling you that I have joined not only him, but a cadre of far more elite professionals than myself at that very such venue, hailing from most of London's finest drinking and eating establishments, and far beyond (I've probably learnt more cursewords in Lithuanian than most Vilnius residents ever have). As with my last place of employment, I am stuck in a subterranean, ceiling-arched marvel of exposed brickwork and wood, locked away amidst the dust-gathering bottles of wine and fine spirits. This, in fact, is most likely what is causing this infernal sneeze-fest.

So, in short, I have a new calling; rather than simply exchanging great wines in return for the greater public's money, and seeing very little profit from it in return...I am trying to fill a role that is both a lot more fulfilling, satisfying, and monetarily rewarding than I imagined I could achieve at my age. My pride at working with a group of people such as I do is immense; where many offices, stores or corporations may have the resident moron or intolerable firebrand, there is not a single duff individual at Hawksmoor. They, along with the many awe-inspiring and pleasant-to-deal-with customers I've met in the past couple of weeks, have goaded me into resuming my blogging habit. I used to write a lot more than I do nowadays, and on a lot more sites and forums than this bagatelle of a page here.

I hope I can begin to entertain, amuse and educate you all a lot better than I have before. Kudos must go to the most excellent fellow known as Simon (or as the more handsome half of Dos Hermanos, the people to whom being called "food bloggers" would be like calling The Iliad "pretty long"). Had I not met him, as well as a few other bloggers of note recently, I may have left this page untouched for many more weeks.

Stop Tugging My Cape This Instant!

Yes yes, very well, no need to drag me back to this dingy old page *slaps your hand away*. As it happens I've had far more important things to do than cater to entertaining you paeons. My beloved father passed away, and I have changed the so called "job" I used as a front for my true identity. No more shall push large quantities of alcohol around the streets of London town. Nay, now I may walk as freely as I wish around a restaurant or cellar floor, enlightening the hungry masses as to which wine pairs best with their nut cutlet (or indeed, steak).

Now that I'm likely to have something worth sharing with you all, I'll make the effort to take the time out to post you people a few tidbits of interesting information and stories now and then. I could be spending that precious time fighting pirates and/or saving appreciative pretty women from the clutches of lesser men. You lucky, lucky people.

Welcome, One And All

As a birthday treat to myself, and a gracious gesture to you all, I thought I would publish my wine diary on this "intarwebs" I have heard so much about. I am, of course, not typing this myself... I dictate to a small Florentine boy with stronger fingers and more time to spare for that. I pay him well, in sherry. I need my own fingers to crack open bottles of champagne, and dial, on my old rotary phone, a myriad of bookings at exceptionally exquisite restaurants...

Or do I? Isn't it always nicer when you can read someone's blog without knowing who they are, or anything about them to taint your opinion of what they write?

So, as of today, I shall be bringing you both details of my findings as I trudge through the world of wine and spirits, and taking on recommendations for anything else you would like to see appearing in such a "blog". I try to be as unbiased as I can, and lack any sort of snobbery (except towards drunkards and lager louts, for whom I have no time at all). Alcohol is capable of being a piece of art, and as such, we should respect it. You wouldn't vigorously rub yourself against the Mona Lisa in appreciation, singing a garbled cover of "Build Me Up Buttercup"; you stand back and admire, with deep thought and objectivity. The same approach applies to wine.

Hopefully you'll find my advice useful and, if not, you can always open a (welcome) debate with me on the matter.

Now, just let me finish this bottle of amber deliciousness that rests in front of me, and I'll get right back to you.