Hi Everyone!

Pumpkins have taken over my local Trader Joe’s, so I guess it’s safe to say that Fall has arrived. This also means that my favorite drink of all time is back on the menus: the Pumpkin Spice Latte. Last year, I got my first PSL from Starbucks (🏈 Football School? 9/14/25), so I figured it was only right to diversify my Newsletter PSL this time around and go to the other national coffee chain, Peet’s Coffee (at least the company was originally founded in the Bay Area!) I grabbed myself an iced Pumpkin Latte with a Vanilla Dream Top cold foam, and the warmth of the baking spices instantly whisked me to a simpler, more nostalgic time.

I recently read an article about how pumpkin spice lattes have fallen in popularity compared to the rise of chai and matcha¹, and even at the Peet’s I went to, I found a Pumpkin Chai Latte plastered onto its fall menu. I’m a pumpkin spice purist through and through, though, so you wouldn’t catch me dead with a pumpkin chai anything. That’s a promise I make to you, my friends.

Anyway, this also works as a great way to intro a week that is full of sugar, spice, and everything nice. Let’s find out What’s Up With Will…

As I spent this week’s lectures and activities in the class that I am teaching on “tips and tricks for confidence”, I noticed my continued incremental confidence and ease with teaching a class. While I wouldn’t say that I projected nervousness, I do feel calmer up there, as well as in my ability to more cohesively connect interspersed lectures, slides, freewrites, and activities, rather than just move from lesson to lesson. I guess some of those confidence tips and tricks might have worked on myself.

For the study hall class, we made a Field Trip to the Career and Leadership Development Center(CLD) to talk about the resources that the school provides students for career development. As they went through the resources that they provided, they would ask questions like, “Has anyone booked an appointment with a career counselor?” As you readers may know, I certainly have(😲 Super Surprise Visits! 2/8/26), and it was good to know that I was raising my hand for almost all of these resource utilization questions. I might feel overwhelmed, but I truly am making the most of the tools at my disposal. 

We also hopped on a call with the head of the CLD. As a Doctor of Education (EdD), he had some thoughts about teaching as a profession. Namely, he described the role of a teacher as “part comedian, part actor”, and it all made sense why  have gravitated to this role. I’ve always wanted to make people laugh, and I originally grew up wanting to be an actor. 

This week’s wine appreciation enlightenment began in the readings. We have been talking about things like body, acid, sweetness, intensity, and alcohol, but this reading starts to connect how to apply these sensorial components to identifying wines. You know how sommeliers can identify wine just from looking, smelling, and tasting a wine? Well, the way that they do it is by recognizing patterns in the wine. Color (the closer a wine is to brown, the older it is), its aromas (as a wine starts to exhibit more earthy and mineral aromas), sediment (more = older), and tannins (softer = maturity). You can determine where it was produced based on acidity (colder climates = high-acid wines), alcohol content (hotter climates = more sugar = higher alcohol content = heavier body). Then you can use this delineation to determine if it is an Old World (Cooler climates, more earthy and minerally) or New World (hotter climates, more fruit-forward). You can even determine the grape varietal from residual sugar, color, the determined climate, how it’s aged, common aromas of varietals, and tannin levels. While my current wine identifying capabilities are a far cry from those of a sommelier, it’s fascinating that blind tastings essentially boil down to trivia of the wine varietal. 

In class itself, we covered the “traditional” method of serving wine, storing wine (10- 15 °C preferred), decanting wines, and how different glassware can change our interpretation of how wine is perceived. This naturally led to alternate methods of opening a bottle by the students, including the shoe method (take a bottle, put it in a shoe, and slam the sole of the shoe on a hard surface), which, from personal experience, does work. This also led to the professor debating with the class on the merits of a corkscrew vs. a screw top, arguing that the screw top “takes the romance out of wine” and misses the aural component of popping the cork. 

Interesting, before we moved on to the tasting portion of the class, we finally moved on to the specific, regimented process of wine appreciation we would be using. While the previous weeks have followed the general process of looking at the wine, smelling the wine, and then tasting the wine, we were finally given a spreadsheet of the WSET Level 2 Systematic Approach to Tasting. These included words that the professor had been talking about over the past few weeks, as well as general expressions of each grape varietal. However, the professor made one crucial addition to the worksheet, asking us to consider, “How much did it cost?” Beyond the realness of finding wine that is a great value, I was surprised that we waited until the third week to be given this standardized system, especially as we have been using the vocabulary. Maybe it was meant to not overwhelm students, but using this specific method felt overwhelming to me, as it added to the gravity of the situation.

 As we moved from look to smell to taste of both a Sauvignon Blanc and a Cabernet Sauvignon from Box Wize, I noticed an intense fear of saying something aloud. Having properly introduced this, our third tasting had me struggling to understand the sensations of acidity, sweetness, and alcohol levels. I noticed myself making incorrect calls during our group tasting discussion, and I would get timid after speaking each incorrect call aloud. 

This brings to mind some ideas. First, I think this means that I have to brush up on the particular sensations of what acidity, sweetness, alcohol, and finish actually feel like. Hearing these words, I seem to have interpreted a particular idea of what they mean without necessarily understanding the right sensation. Second, I think that this brings into question how we communicate sensations to others, things that have a less-than-tangible component to them. Third, it also makes me think about how confidence impacts how we view our knowledge and expertise in a domain. Can we know something when we are wrong? Is there value in saying the wrong thing? If so, what value comes from being wrong, and how does one correct another in a constructive way that continues engagement rather than shuts down participation?

Besides tasting wine in class, my Wine Appreciation Professor has also encouraged us to go exploring the world of wine. Besides extra credit assignments of drinking wine with a meal, he has also let us know that he will be taking us on a Napa field trip, as well as informing us of wine events going on around us. So, this past week, I went to Sicilia DOC Grand Tasting for free just for being a student at SFSU. Wine Appreciation truly is the class that keeps on giving!

This was also my first wine industry event, so I had little to go off of other than the word “Grand”. I was a bit shocked when I pulled up to Webster Hall on a Wednesday afternoon, only to find a beautiful, yet unmarked building. I was a bit worried that I was in the wrong place, but as soon as I walked in, I was greeted by the event’s banner (it really makes me wonder how many events are going on behind the scenes in the buildings I walk past everyday. What are my chances of walking into a random building and stumbling into a wine tasting? Above or below 50%?).

I signed in, picked up my wine glass, and glanced around the venue. I noticed eleven tables lined the perimeter of the room, holding approximately 25 different wineries, each with about 3-4 wines each. So, give or take, a 100 or so different wines to choose from, varying from imported Sicilian wines already distributed in California to some of the actual wineries of Sicily that were in attendance. As I was walking around perusing my options, I ran into a different wine appreciation professor from San Jose State University, who was grateful enough to walk me through the process of tasting at a wine industry event. First, though, she ran to give me a spit cup, as it would be essential to survive at this event. 

We walked up to the first table as she explained the process. All you had to do was go up to the table, ask for wine, evaluate the wine, spit it into your spit cup(again, this is optional, but highly recommended in order to make it through all the wines you possibly can, as the more wine you drink, the harder it is to properly evaluate the wine), and then ask any questions of a source that has highly specialized knowledge about the wine. I made sure to heavily use the spit cup provided, so I could try to appreciate each and every wine in front of me. In fact, I don’t think it ever left my side for the entire event.

While a relatively simple process on paper, the event felt like a trial by fire, with the guardrails of a classroom environment gone. While I did my best to describe wines, I was most definitely a minor league player in the major leagues. That said, most of the pourers and attendees were very approachable, and more than willing to answer questions about the wine. This wasn’t across the board, though, as some interactions felt more geared toward the knowledgeable wine industry professional rather than educational opportunities, but this was the minority rather than the majority that I was expecting. I know wine has a reputation for snobbery, so I wonder if wine as a whole is shifting to a more collaborative, less gatekeepy model, or if it’s just the people that are present here that are breaking this stereotype. Maybe there is some infighting about the future of wine, too. That’s way above my pay grade, though.

I ultimately learned a lot about the Sicilian DOC. While Sicily grows multiple varietals (I tried a pinot noir and a Cabernet Sauvignon), most of the wines revolved around the MacDaddy of the Sicilian grapes, Grillo and Nero d’Avola. Grillo is a grape that generally has a strong acidity alongside notes of lemon and pear, and the Nero d’Avola had fruity notes of black cherry, but had a bit of earthiness to it. Additionally, this offered an examination of the climates of Sicily. Even though Sicily is a small island, it retains distinct cooler and warmer climates that changed the acidity, flavor, and sweetness of each wine. Each table that I tried these wines at had subtle differences that I was able to pick up on too, and probably would have only been able to pick up on in this vertical tasting format.

Unfortunately for me, Grillo and Nero d’Avola aren’t the most common grapes, but Sicily seems to be pushing its wines to gain more notoriety. And I was impressed by reading the stats on pamphlets throughout the event, such as the 82,000,000 bottles produced in a year or how it has the most organic acreage in Italy (3,200 Hectares). Maybe one day, we will be sipping on Grillo instead of butterball Chardonnay.

On the day of our Belmont Stakes party over a year ago (🏠 Making This Place Our Home 6/8/25), I got a call from my brother. When I picked up the phone, Daniel immediately informed me, “Willy, you are going to be my best man”. As I got off the phone, I ran running to Rylee, crying tears of joy in my green and purple jockey attire. The only question Rylee had was, “Since when were Daniel and Hannah engaged?”

You see, Daniel asked me to be his best man a month before he asked Hannah to be his bride (🎂Cake Duty 7/13/25). And while it shows how excited he was that he didn’t do the steps in the traditional order, I was so incredibly grateful to be standing by his side for another important life event. However, looming in the background, I recognized the daunting task of writing and delivering a Best Man Speech, and procrastinated on it again and again until it was a week away.

By that point, I was in panic mode, scouring the internet for tips and tricks for Best Man speeches. I wanted this speech to be perfect, yet I had little idea on how to get it there. In accordance with the “Ultimate Guide” on a best man speech, a great Best Man speech should balance humor with sincerity, and sometimes the best way to start is to just start writing things down.² So that’s what I did. I started writing down as many memories as I could about Daniel, and there were quite a lot because I’ve known him since I was 4 years old. In fact, I couldn’t think of many memories without him in them.

I wrote down moments of us galavanting around France, Italy, and Japan, and not just the family reunions in EPCOT, but the real countries too.

As I wrote memories down speech, though, I also kept on reminiscing about the moments closer to home too, like the one single time we managed to eke out a Victory Royale in Fortnite, shooting baskets in the pool, and even the slightly larger of the everyday memories like our moves from North Carolina to Michigan to Georgia.

I also thought about the peeks that I have been able to see into the life that he has created for himself. I specifically recall the first time I saw him after he left for college and thought, “Dang, was he always this cool?”

And then came Hannah, and she gradually appeared in his life. From the first time I stumbled upon an Instagram photo of them together and grilled him on who she was, Daniel assured me that they were just friends, and two years later receiving a call telling me that they were finally dating.

I thought back to the first time we all met Hannah at a pre-Thanksgiving dinner, cheering with a celebratory glass of wine, except Daniel, who was 20 and cheered with a glass of milk. Then, we all, including Hannah, started poking fun at his choice of beverage, and I knew that we would get along.

I then thought about the moments we had together, from sipping on spritzes in Europe to them teaching me how to tailgate the Auburn way (War Eagle!).

All of these, whether big or small, showed the relationship that we have with one another: finding joy in the moments around us.

I realized that that was the speech all along. A celebration of a life that is both majestically magnificent, yet marvelously mundane, and carrying that into their marriage.

In case you were wondering why the previous section was a breakdown of my best man speech, this week is also the week of Daniel and Hannah’s Wedding! So we flew out Wednesday night to Atlanta. Then, my dad came to pick us up and to start our trek to LaGrange, Georgia (which is French for The Farm).

Along the way, we stopped for a brunch at J. Christopher’s, a Georgia-based American brunch chain, described as familiar food with flair. As we walked in, Rylee was surprised that I had never been to a J. Christopher’s before, considering there was one right next door to Georgia Tech’s campus. I ordered myself a Pantry Feast, consisting of eggs, bacon, potatoes, and a piece of their Maple Challah Bread French Toast. I guess since you can see it in the photos, this is the moment that I tell you my brunch-related secret: I love putting ketchup on my eggs! My family has always done it as a way to add a bit more flavor to the eggs. I didn’t realize that this wasn’t common practice until I met Rylee, who always seems to question my sanity when I reach for the ketchup bottle. Move over, “Is a hot dog a sandwich?” We have a new food debate in town.

Practically next door to our brunch was the first stop for the wedding: grabbing my tux rental from Men’s Warehouse. As I put it on, I immediately noticed a problem. The suit didn’t fit. It was less tux and more high-water pants with how much they rode up, and the jacket wasn’t much better. I could barely move my arms. While I appreciate that the Men’s Warehouse in Walnut Creek clearly thought I was a skinny legend, it did pose a problem. Thankfully, they said that I would be able to get a better-fitting tux tomorrow. 

It was an introduction to Murphy’s Law of Weddings that things that can go wrong will. That said, if a suit that I could pick up the next day was our biggest problem, I would be able to survive. With our only mission for the day tentatively put on hold, we continued onward toward LaGrange to rest up for the upcoming Rehearsal Dinner and Wedding. 

We woke up bright and early the morning of the Rehearsal Dinner, as we had the whole day to turn our rehearsal dinner venue, Del’avant, into a masterclass on rehearsal dinner decor (Side note 1: Del’avant means forward, which is a pretty beautiful name for a wedding venue). (Side note 2: In my time studying abroad in Metz, France, I learned that if the letter “e” is not present at the end of the word, then you do not pronounce the “t”. However, everyone around me pronounced the “t”. Some good studying abroad did me.)

A majority of the day was spent driving around unloading drinks, flowers, AV equipment, etc. You name it, I brought it around because in order to be a Best Man, one must first be an errand boy. Everyone else was on decor duty, creating centerpieces, votives, and bouquets. While it was stressful, we finished just in time for us to head to the wedding rehearsal at the Oakfuskee Conservation Center, where the entire wedding party convened for the first time as we did a practice run for wedding day. Rylee even joined us as she was given the important job of DJ for the ceremony. As we practiced hitting our marks, it began to feel real in a way that it hadn’t before. My brother was actually getting married, and it wasn’t some far-off abstract event, but happening a day away.

I didn’t have too much time to think about this as we were racing back over to Del’avant for the rehearsal dinner. I was impressed walking in with how everyone transformed it. It legitimately felt like watching an HGTV show, seeing the before and the after. The dinner itself was quite lovely. As we ate Italian-fare, we listened to some of Daniel and Hannah’s friends and parents give speeches. Funnily enough, I mentioned how Daniel referred to Hannah only as a friend, but apparently that’s the narrative they were telling both friends and Hannah’s family too. It sounded like everyone also had their doubts as well, so I don’t know who they actually fooled. 

After the rehearsal dinner, the doors of the venue opened up to a welcome party with 140 people who planned to show up. I got the opportunity to meet a lot of family members that I haven’t seen in ages as well as meet more of Daniel’s friends. 

I woke up on Wedding Day to my phone ringing. Rylee, who had headed to the venue early to set everything up, told me that barely anybody who was supposed to be there for the Wedding Day setup was there. That was not going to happen on our watch, as this was an All Hands On Deck moment. I had to put on my second job role of Best Man, the Rally Guy. I was calling and texting up a storm. If there was someone who had a phone and I had their number, you can bet money that I gave them a call. I then ran over and helped as much as I could, but I had a strict deadline of 12 PM, as the time that the groomsmen had to meet to start getting ready. 

In the grooms’ room, we all started putting on our tuxes, all of us looking spiffy as all get out. There was a case of beer down there, and one bottle of sparkling wine. Because I wanted to fit in with all of the other guys who were drinking beer, I quickly chugged my Michelob Ultra and poured it full of wine. I don’t think any of them suspected a thing. 

Unfortunately, just as everything was looking like it would turn out great, a torrential downpour started outside, so all of us in the grooms’ room were compulsively looking at the radar, and it looked like things would clear up before the ceremony at 4 PM.

Yet in all of the added hustle, the wedding coordinator pulled me aside to give me a tiny black hexagonal box and my third job responsibility as Best Man: the ring bearer. This was the scariest yet, as there wouldn’t be a wedding if I didn’t have those rings up there come the ceremony. But at that point all we could do was wait out the storm and compulsively check that the rings were still in the box. I swear I probably checked 1000 times. 

Just as the radar predicted, the storm cleared, so we finished getting ready for the wedding. As we lined up and saw the seats full of friends and family, the tears started to hit. I was crying almost the entire walk down the walkway, and almost cried a few more times throughout the ceremony. At the end, both Daniel and Hannah said, “I do!”, meaning that my younger brother got married!

We took some family photos before the cocktail hour (featuring Aperol spritzes and grape transfusions as the speciality cocktails). Then came the reception, and that meant it was time to give the best Best Man speech I could muster (and I don’t want to brag, but I had people coming up to me all night long about how great it was!) 

After that, it was just time to party and celebrate! At one point they lifted both Daniel and Hannah into the air on a chair. At another point, all of the siblings got to the stage to do a sibling song (I gave Daniel a twirl, but I don’t think he was very happy about it). Everyone screamed “War Eagle” at several points in the night. Yet, despite all of these Auburn fraternity brothers, it was Rylee and I who were the last ones on the dance floor. We got to talking with the DJ, who told us that he didn’t realize Georgia Tech could party that hard. He also told us that he was the exclusive DJ for Daniel’s fraternity, so he practically got a front-row seat to Daniel and Hannah’s relationship, even when they told everyone that they were “just friends”.

We also made it out to the one bar in LaGrange (134 Main) that was open until 1 AM on a Saturday with some of Daniel’s friends as well as my cousins. 

I’m so proud of the life Daniel and Hannah have built together. Talking to this wonderful group of people at the wedding who are most near and dear to their hearts, or even when catching up about the Humdrum of their day-to-day, I’m grateful to have seen what they have built together. As they enter this next phase of life, I can’t wait to see what they build next. Here’s to a life that is majestically magnificent, yet marvellously mundane. Here’s to Daniel and Hannah!

You had the energy to make it to the end of what is officially the longest What’s Up With Will Newsletter? Props to you. To spare you from have to invest another 10+ minutes to a video, here’s a short video showing a collaboration between Skyrim and Ikea. I think it’s pretty cool that Ikea is canonical to the Elder Scrolls Universe as of now!