We met at PJ's, a Johns Hopkins University campus bar in Baltimore, that was holding a "last call" party to commemorate its closing. Brennan knew the owner and was tasked with working as a bouncer for the event, so his was the first face I saw on entering the establishment. We mostly talked about the city of Baltimore as he had just moved from Memphis and... science, of course. Has he told you his story about capsaicin? If not, there's still time. I was charmed by his knowledge of Charm City and hot pepper ingredients, and the rest is history!
We went to the historic Hotel Belvedere in the Mount Vernon neighborhood under the guise of a rare nice dinner while I was on my ICU rotation. Brennan used the pandemic in his favor, and reserved the whole 13th floor for a romantic, candle-lit dinner overlooking the Baltimore cityscape. He got down on one knee and said "I have a crazy plan and it starts with loving you for the rest of my life."