I seem to keep forgetting the main reason I have been so unsuccessful at blogging in the past – I am WAY too busy! At some point I’d like to really get caught up on the posts I’ve got partially drafted, but until then, here is a snippet:

The Standard: 4, 5, and 6

Our 4th visit to The Standard’s wine tasting was alright – we took a break after that trip. For old time’s sake we caught up for visits 5 and 6, the last two of the season. I think the dishes were more on par with what we expected after the first few trips, but the food and wines were not as great as our first few pairings. I still recommend The Standard to anybody looking for some really nice Southern food.

Dim Sum

We’ve been back for dim sum twice. The second time everything was still great, plus we tried a few new dishes. The third time we went on a Saturday evening, so we sat in a different area and ordered off the menu. While the food was still good, I would not recommend this at all. Everything took a while to prepare, and came out at random times. Find time on Saturday or Sunday early afternoon and get the full cart experience.

Wii Fit

We got a Wii Fit, and I LOVE it! I’m still trying to make my Mii have a normal BMI, but hopefully soon!

Graduate School

School is so busy right now, it’s insane. I submitted my first journal paper about a month ago, so I’m waiting to hear back on that. I’m taking two classes right now, working on another project, and trying to make some serious progress on narrowing my PhD topic.

tnmccoys.com

Jake and I finally got a shared domain name – www.tnmccoys.com. I’m not sure how long we’ll keep it, depending on where we end up, but it will serve us for now. You can also go to jake.tnmccoys.com for his site, or alli.mccoys.com to redirect here.

Ravelry

I joined ravelry, so hopefully I’ll get better at finishing knitting projects and showing them off:

http://www.ravelry.com/people/amccoy (I don’t think this will work though, unless you’re a member)

Random To-Reviews

Tin Angel, Greek Festival, Cuisine of India, Flying Saucer, Royal Thai, McDougal’s, WOW Wingery…

Pictures

Jake and I have been out to Stones River to do some shooting. Check out some pictures here:

I got my diploma yesterday, so I am officially a master!

1200 Clinton St.
Nashville, TN 37203
(615) 320-0290
http://www.yazoobrew.com

We have been meaning to go visit the Yazoo Brewery for a while, so yesterday Jake and I, along with a couple of friends, went on the tour. For $6, you get a tour of the brewery, a pint glass, and samples. The tours are given on Saturdays at 2:30, 3:30, 4:30, and 5:30.

On the outside, the Yazoo Brewery isn’t much to look at. It is located in the Marathon Motor Works building downtown. To get in on the tour, you’ll need to visit the the Tap Room inside and sign up. I don’t want to give away too many details, because I think everybody should go visit on their own. You’ll get a great history of how the brewery was started, learn about the beer-making process and see where it all happens, learn about the different beers Yazoo makes, and taste a few of their most popular brews. The tour isn’t incredibly long, but we enjoyed it, and our tour guide was really friendly, funny, and helpful.

After the tour, we headed back to the Tap Room for (of course) some more beer. We got a few samplers to share, which included 5 oz. samples of their Dos Perros, Pale Ale, IPA, Hefeweizen, Porter, and Stout. Normally I prefer not to drink any of these styles. However, fresh from the tap these were a lot better than any I’ve had at local bars. The sampler was a great way to try everything, and it cost $8. If you know what you like, pints are $4. They also had some cheese and bread selections available to order.

One other thing to note – if you really enjoy the Yazoo brews, you can take some to-go in one of three forms: a half-gallon growler for $11 ($8 refills), a sixth-barrel keg for $50, or a half-barrel/full keg for $140. We had a great time, and we will definitely go back for both the tour and for drinks in the Tap Room.

Here are some pictures that we took:

My birthday was last month, so we celebrated a few ways. Jake and I visited my parents in New Orleans the weekend before my birthday, where we had dinner at Commander’s Palace and went fishing. Since it was Lauren’s birthday too, we had a small get-together at The Melting Pot. I took a few pictures, which are below.