My Meaningless Mumbling Mind

stoooopid me

2010-03-29T10:06:00.001-05:00

I hate it when I haven't used something in long enough that I can't remember how to get into it. I swear if doesn't seem that long since I used Flickr from a logged-in perspective, but for the life of me I'm having a hell of a time getting it. Lets face it, I'm not that much of a picture taking person, but now that I have a new camera, I might step it up a bit so I'd like to get in. That and I'd like to get into my sis/b-in law's pages to see the additional pics of the BABY. grrrr

an attmpt to get back into things...

2010-03-29T09:15:00.002-05:00

Lots changed in the past two years. Well not all that much, but

I've moved (but I'm still in chicago but south side instead of north)
my jobs gotten reconfigured a couple of times (but I'm still at the Field)
I have two new kittens (which in a few months time should really be called cats)
found out I have cyliac (no more gluten for me-saddness)
underwent 5 mos. physical therapy to get my back pain solved
finally have curbed the insomnia (no more 3 hr nights is a relief - for anyone who thinks their is no solution to their insomnia and you've tried everything look into whether you're not in some constant level of pain that you just don't notice anymore the back and intestines were the source of mine and now I sleep 6-8 hours regularly)
I've finally figured out what I want to do for grad school (either a Ph.D in education or an Ed.D. either way focusing on public policy and education regulation/requirements.) GRE's are a few months off still but I've been bad about studying this past month or so, so I really need to get with the program and knit... I mean study. (funny my fingers actually typed knit all on their own so I decided just to leave/correct it.)

Other things remain wholly unchanged. I still drink tea, knit and read the same kind of mix of philosophy, mysteries and historical fiction. I also still probably watch too much tv - only I watch more of it on dvd from netflix or through the internet.

facebook still curbs my tendency of thinking of blogger as a forum to type in, but the truth is I never type much there either (just twitter like posts) so I'm considering going to typing in twitter and blogger - twitter for status updates and blogger for notes - and seeing if I can work out the way of linking the two into the facebook page where everyone else hangs out to read them... we'll see.

Staple-maniac

2008-10-28T12:03:00.002-05:00

So my sister emailed me this cartoon. She thinks the crazy man with the staple gun is me. (I think she's right.) I wonder if there is a word for staple-maniacs that sounds as cool as pyromaniac...

Facebook killed my blogging...

2008-10-28T11:51:00.002-05:00

So a few months ago I was sitting with some friends chatting and they were talking about their facebook pages and how they were so critical to keeping up with their friends. I mentioned that I didn't have a facebook page and they were momentarily struck dumb.

So I signed up for one. Truth of the matter is that I don't currently have a computer at home and it's a lot more reasonable to tap out a comment here and there than it is to put together a whole post.

So the dillema is what to post where. I will have to think about it. Maybe I will put the tea/knitting stuff here, and the random wize-ass stuff there.... we'll see.

Mmmm tea.

2008-05-28T15:14:00.002-05:00

So summer is starting soon. Really it is. Even though it's only 50 degrees outside, I really believe that it will soon be warm. Which means a whole change over in teas. Time to tuck away all those black teas that I drink with milk and move on to lighter lemongrass oolongs, ginger green teas, and fruity herbals. mmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Yes, yes, stop appologizing and get on with it...

2008-05-28T15:05:00.003-05:00

So after Febuary, I ahve gotten no better and keeping this thing up to date.

I could claim job business - which is legit seeing as my boss "resigned" in April and hasn't been replaced, which has resulted in me frequently working through lunch, and my only internet access is here at work. But I won't

I could claim that my sister got married the first weekend in May, which had me out of town for a week (it was lovely by the way), but I won't.

I could claim that I have been finishing revising one grant (which I got yay!) and finishing implementing another with my mom which has eaten up every spare moment for two weeks after Kate's wedding. But I wont.

I could even claim that it doesn't even really matter that I haven't updated becasue no one really reads the d@mn thing, but I won't.

Instead I will say that last week/weekend was the most beautiful weather yet this year, so I spent as much time out of doors as possible and that is the reason I didn't update sooner.

Thank god february is over

2008-03-11T11:55:00.002-05:00

So to put it bluntly, Februrary Sucked!

I suppose I jinxed myself by starting out the month claiming that we should be allowed to hibernate for the whole month, but really the weather sucked, which made the parking miserable and roads pot-hole ridden. And the stupid wide-as-the street pot-holes that can't be dodged finally did in my Muffler/exhaust (it turns out it was really rusted, but the sharp jolt was the final straw.) $$$ And then a couple days later I got a flat tire. $ My dog hurt her foot - which she had ot go to the vet for. and she also needed her annual shots so double the $$$$. and I had to buy my pridesmaid dress for my sister's wedding.$$$ So I haven't updated, and now, I log on to find the minimal posting I have done, were never "published" sigh... hopfully I will get back on track now.

A Great tutorial on doing a Russian Join

2008-02-08T15:58:00.001-06:00

The Russian Join

The Russian Join is starting to become my most favorite way to join ends of yarn. In this example, the yarn is sock/fingering weight yarn.

Here are the 2 ends of yarn that you want to join

Thread a tapestry needle through one of the ends

Weave the needle in and out of that same end for about 1 – 2 inches

Insert the other end of yarn through the loop formed by the first end

Pull the needle through

Thread the tapestry needle through the other end of yarn and repeat weaving the needle through that strand of yarn

Pull needle through

Now pull both ends of the yarn till the loops disappears

Clip off the excess yarn and there is your join. Very neat and almost invisible

Pros:

Very neat join
Very strong join
No ends to weave in
With color work, you can almost pick exactly where you want the first color to end and the next color to start

Cons:

There will be a double thickness of yarn where you weave the yarn onto itself
Works well for thinner yarns but will start to become too bulky with heavier weight yarns

Fleted slippers

2008-01-16T10:18:00.001-06:00

In knitting I find that when tackling a giant project the best thing to do to not loose your mind to the k,k,k,k,k,k,k... (or in my case with the moss stitch throw blanket I'm making k,p,k,p,k... ) is to have a whole slew of little projects to break things up. So far this year I have made a black and white cotton wine bottle bag, a navy angora doubled with teal wool mug warmer, a bunch of knit roses, and what I am calling a boo-boo doggie bootie (my dog had a very badly cracked pad on her foot that got wrapped up by the vet - the bootie keeps her from messing with the bandages and has the added benefit of being ridiculously cute.)

My next endeavor is a pair of felted slippers by drops. they are super simple to do, knit on two needles with bulky yarn, and should be done in no time.

No Post Soooo Long...

2007-12-10T15:51:00.000-06:00

Gaaaa - aaaa-aaaa..

What is it about the holiday season that tends to eat your (my) soul and spit it out again somewhere mid-January laughing maddly about how it has consumed your entire life for a month and a half... Eversince the whole gearing up for Turkeyday time, I've been witout time to do all the simple things like return phone calls, and post blog entries. And the worst part of it is, I can't seem to figure out where, precisely, that time has gone. I mean there are the standards -work, the choir rehesals, laundry, concerts, plays, trips home the parents for the annual cookie baking bonanza, the trip to my sisters for Thanksgiving - and the seasonal time suckers - scraping my windshield, hauling bot window airconditioners down 4 flights into the storage locker in the basement, sealing the windows off against the cold, digging the snowboots out of storage, diging the oh-so-cute mini Christmas tree out of storage, burrowing under the down blankets when I get home to resume some sembelance of warmth, lecturing my dog on how if she'd only let me put her stupid little doggie boots on she wouldn't have to limp aournd playing the most pitiful tiny violin in the world (three words PIT_E_FULL).

Ravelry invite is here

2007-11-02T12:29:00.000-05:00

Yaaaay I got my Ravelry invite - now I gotta go start filling in info! It will probably take a few weeks.
As always - I am Poofsizzle

So Lazy

2007-11-02T09:58:00.001-05:00

I've been really lazy about posting lately. Part of it has just been being busy, and part was that I was out of town for a few days, but the other part was just getting out of the habit of loging on during lunch and doing my daily update. So here goes-

I was in LA last week for a workshop at the Getty. It all went really well. I was by far one of the least experienced people there, and yet I still felt like part of the group and all the people were realy welcoming and knowledgable and informative. I was also really suprized that the people out and around LA were so very nice. I was, by far, not expecting the average person on the street to be so generally friendly (I was expecting more of the New York type mentality). I was also really struck by how entirly foreign all of the plant life was. I don't think I saw a single distiguous tree it was all palns and conifers and eucaliptous. No maples, birches, oaks, locusts, elms, pines, etc. And the roses were all blooming even though it was late october, and there were birds of paradise plants everywhere growing like weeds. And all the bushes and trees had flowers. Even the hedges had little spots where they hadn't been trimmed and flowers emerged.

I found a great chain of coffee/tea stores called the Coffee Bean and Tea leaf. I got some tins of loose tea there that are v.good. It is a shame there aren't any of them in Chicago.

All in all it was a lot of fun (though I didn't get any knitting done...)

TODAYS MY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!

2007-10-22T11:46:00.000-05:00

Yay - today's my b-day. And it's been really good so far. I'm suprised I'm saying that because I have had a lot of so-so b-days in the past few years. But so far, I've had a really great one. My parents spoiled me all weekend taking me out to dinner and a concert and a play. Now at work two of my co-workers gave me prezzies and a cake. I feel special. And wouldn't you know it fate is actually on my side, my Fall into Autumn Dishcloth package came today as well.

2007-10-16T10:46:00.000-05:00

What with the sickness and all I have been drinking a ton of tea. My two favs were a Lychee black tea and an Orchid Oolong. Both are really good and are made by a local tea/coffee company called Intelligentsia Coffee & Tea . The Lychee was best on the first steep and lost a lot of the Lychee-ness on subsequent steepings, but the black tea that was the base was good enough that I didn't mind that much. The Oolong had a lovely toasty flavor. ( I got it to-go so I didn't try additional steepings as I trew out the tea bag on the way home.

I was happy to see that there is a new intelegentsia store open in the loop, which makes it much easier to go get tea :)

Sunday, I met my mom for tea before we went to a play and I had some kind of ginger mint specialty drink that Argo tea (another Chicago tea company) makes. I'm not sure what I was expecting but what I got was really really sweet. The description made it sound like it had a spiciness from the Ginger, but really it was more of a liquid - candied ginger taste.... disappointing. I've had other things there, including their loose tea, that are really good, and this wasn't bad, just not what I wanted...

Nasty-Bad Cold

2007-10-16T10:39:00.000-05:00

Gaaaa I hate being sick . I have had the worst cold for the past 5 days. Nothing life threatening but horribly horribly uncomfortable with all the runny nose and sneezing and hacking cough. I lost most of my voice, and am still coughing up the last of the gunk.

Despite this I still managed to sing Betoven's 9th Sympony, on Sat, High A's and all (that might be the reason that I lost my voice as much as I did, but I didn't want to miss things.)

To reminisce

2007-10-09T15:13:00.001-05:00

The things time erases from you memory. During the four years I spent in Minnesota "its warm enough to snow" was a common expression. Yes indeed, it can get so cold that snow is no longer a possibility.

Must have coffee...

2007-10-08T13:24:00.000-05:00

Hmm I'm having one of those - "maybe I should have coffee instead of tea" - afternoons. They don't strike often my general MO is almost always one BIG cuppa Coffee before noon, tea from noon to 5 (keep that pot filled!) , and a sweet expresso treat sometime after five. But this afternoon I am craving that coffee taste (a mocha would be better, but the Corner Bakery here at the Musuem tends to make nasty expresso - maybe I will see if they will give me chocolate syrup for my coffee - ooo or better yet, I think I have hagendaz in the freezer that I could put a scoop of in my coffee. Yum.

waiting for Ravelry

2007-10-08T11:10:00.000-05:00

I checked my spot on the Ravelry waitlist this morning... I'd be more depressed except last week when I checked there were 15 thousand and change people ahead of me and only 500 behind me. If they keep going at this rate it should only take a month or so.... ok that doesn't sound as optamistic... sigh I hate waiting.

You signed up on October 3, 2007
You are #39013 on the list.
13654 people are ahead of you in line.
2153 people are behind you in line.
58% of the list has been invited so far

Lovely Poem

2007-10-05T13:48:00.000-05:00

Why are all the poems I really love so sad...
I came across this one today it is so poignant.

Funeral Blues

Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,
Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,
Silence the pianos and with muffled drum
Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.

Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead
Scribbling on the sky the message He is Dead.
Put crepe bows round the white necks of the public doves,
Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves.

He was my North, my South, my East and West,
My working week and my Sunday rest,
My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;
I thought that love would last forever: I was wrong.

The stars are not wanted now; put out every one,
Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun,
Pour away the ocean and sweep up the woods;
For nothing now can ever come to any good.

   -- W.H. Auden

Gotta Luvva Great Weekend

2007-10-03T12:17:00.000-05:00

This weekend was a blast! I went to Eat the Runt this weekend. It was playing at the Chicago Center for the performing arts. Disclaimer - this play is not for the faint of heart or the easily offended. First of all the premise. It is the only play that has been specifically written without the use of any pronouns. It is intended so that any person can play any role, regardless of race or gender. This leads to some non-traditional pairings, etc. In addition, it was quite crude in places. That said, I enjoyed myself immensely. Just a blast. And to top it all off, this girl named Amber that I did theater with in high school was in the play, which was an interesting blast from the past.

That makes 2 high school theater people I have seen in the past month. The other was a guy named Mike that was delivering something to the Museum. I bumped into him in the loading dock (I was dropping off a fed-ex) and he goes "hey did you go to H-F" I was a little surprise because I hadn't recognized him until he said something, and it wasn't like we were standing around waiting, but rather just passing by one another. I guess I don't look much different. I'm not sure if that is good or bad...

On Saturday I went to see the Red Stick Ramblers - a Louisiana bayou band that plays a little jazz, blues and zydeco all in one. They were great I don't think there was a song I didn't like and I loved the Main Street Blues (the link is to nice clip of the song.) Or there's more music on their MySpace Page.

The opening act is a Chicago based Gypsy-Jazz band that was also fabulous. Though in general I am more fond of groups that include vocals along with the instrumentals.

On Sunday I spent the whole day reading the first two books of a new vampire-romance series called the Twilight Saga. Swoon. Now I just need to borrow book 3 from my mum.

waiiiting... might as well blog

2007-10-03T11:19:00.000-05:00

So today at the museum we are supposed to have a International Bibliophiles Group here at the Museum. They are supposed to be touring our new library gallery (that one of their members funded) and our rare book room. They were supposed to be here at 9:15, it is now 2 hours later and they have yet to arrive. OMG.

In a way it is really funny because they are supposed to be this posh group of rich men that are supposedly very fastidious. Go figure. We were expecting to be running around because they were split into 8 groups of 12-15 people. Now that the first three groups times have passed, things are going to be crazy when ever they do arrive, if they arrive. We shall see. In the mean time we are Their lunch is scheduled for 12:00 so I'm wondering if they are just going to double the afternoon groups. Apparently they haven't even called to tell anyone why they are late.

...

Well - the second group showed up... late. The first group is MIA. Noone knows what has happened to them. Hmmmm. We're kinda big and hard to miss - you'd think it wouldn't be that hard.

...

Well - its lunch now so I might as well continue with what happened this weekend until the afternoon rush is on.

Temari Balls

2007-10-03T10:42:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I found a new kind of hand craft I am going to try called Temari Balls. They are kind of like embroidery, but they have this strong geometric element that I really love. So last night I made a bunch of core balls (mari) out of some wool offcuts and crappy acrylic yarn and really nice wool thread. Tonight I will begin marking one with my guide lines and maybe start a chrysanthemum pattern (pic below) as it seems like one of the most satisfying beginner patterns.

2007-10-02T11:58:00.000-05:00

I loooove Knit and Tonic's blog. Anyone who has any interest in knitting, or on how to write in a compelling fashion should read this blog. I only hope that I am as good as she is someday.

a Chinese tea ceremony

2007-09-27T12:27:00.000-05:00

Most people don't realize that the Japanese aren't the only ones that have tea ceremonies. The Chinese have tea ceremonies too, but theirs aren't as strict about procedure. The Chinese ceremonies tend to focus on the tea (it's aroma, flavor etc.) rather than something external to the tea (religion, society etc).

I looked into this further because a friend of mine, Paul, said that he his host (who was an elderly Chinese man) had conducted an elaborate ceremony surrounding their drinking tea. Now Paul despite being a fairly intellectual person, is amazingly dense sometimes. Despite being married to a Chinese woman who could understand everything the old man said, he asks me about it. I was initially confused because the tea that he described in the cup is definitely not a green tea, but then I found out they use oolong and that would give the brown colored tea that he described.

The closest thing I can find similar to what he described is the following:

"The gongfu method of tea first became popular in China during the Ming dynasty (1250-1600) For the first time, tea was prepared in the whole leaf style and the kilns of yixing grew famous for the purple clay pots they so masterfully produced.
Gong-fu Tea takes its name from the same term kung-fu with which we are all familiar. The use of the term with tea implies similar types of concentration, practice, and spiritual benefit.
Originally intended for brewing oolongs, the centuries-old gong-fu ritual (meaning "to do things well") now extends itself to other tea varieties.
Gongfu cha is performed in the following manner:

Heat water to a temperature of about 170 degrees.
Pour the host water into the teapot, which is placed on the tea platter or tea boat used for the ritual.
Pour the water from the tea pot into the tea bowls to warm them well.
Take about 1 teaspoon of leaves from a tea box and place in a tea pot.
Drench the leaves with hot water, filling the tea pot to overflowing; pour this first, short infusion into the boat, leaving the tea leaves behind, and again pour hot water into the tea pot.
Rotate the lid on top of the teapot to eliminate bubbles and close it again.
Pout hot water over the exterior of the teapot to prevent the leaves from cooling.
Empty the water from the tea bowls while the tea steeps for a minute.
Pour the tea into the bowls in a circular motion. The tea can also be poured into another bowl, which is then poured into the drinking bowl: this allows everyone to savor the tea's fragrance before drinking the infusion.
Take small sips of the tea, which is thought of a a liqueur.

This ritual is carried out three times with the same leaves. It has been taking place more and more often in France in true Chinese teahouses to better celebrate "dragon teas." "

Comparing black teas by location of Origin

2007-09-27T12:13:00.000-05:00

I've slowly been putting together something of a tea dictionary. I get questions from my friend all the time. Some are basic and can be answered off the top of my head - what is tea? What's the difference between green and black tea. What does it mean when they say it's fermented. Where does it come from, what is a tisane

But then some times we get into the questions that I need my reference materials for - like what is the difference between Assam, Keemun, Darjeeling and Ceylon teas...

This is a great site for that particular question I especially like their name "Relax Sip and Enjoy."

2007-09-25T13:37:00.001-05:00

So last weekend was very lazy. I took my dog to the park, and did some knitting, and some movie watching, and some tea drinking, and not a lot else. Well I went to a jazz concert. Which was a bust. everyone else there seemed to love it, except me, my mom and my aunt. My mom called them artsy and pretentious. I don't know that that is what I'd call them. I think I'd just say that I don't like the kind of jazz where everyone is playing their own part, and their part doesn't fit with anyone elses'. Fortunately the concert was both early and short, and the Bears game was a bust during the first half, so I didn't really miss anything of any importance. And dinner was nice we went to an italian place in lincoln square caled Boca de veritas that we've been like a dozen times or so. Its good, and they have several non-pasta options which is good since I cant eat pasta anymore. Wow this post is blah - ah well.

knitting Vocab

2007-09-19T14:02:00.000-05:00

The correct term for throwing wool in the washing machine to shrink is “fulling” rather than felting...

I waaaant it...

2007-09-19T13:24:00.000-05:00

Oooo I really want A Gathering of Lace it is sooo going on my b-day wish list. :)
Not that I really need it, but I keep coming across things people have knit from it and I get jealous.

Mini Sock Advent Calendar

2007-09-18T13:17:00.000-05:00

I'm thinking of making a mini sock advent calendar. I haven't made socks before and it seems like it would be a good way of practicing the mechanics without having to worry about them actually fitting a real foot. The idea occurred to me becasue I am hosting a tea advent on swap-bot and was bumming around looking for a good picture to add to the post when I came along this...

You know tea has caught on when...

2007-09-18T12:03:00.000-05:00

It turns up in your yogurt...
It doesn't taste a thing like green tea, but I imagine that it has some sort of antioxident benifit, or else they just figured that people like little ol me would pick it up because it said tea on the lable. Little do they know that I only got it becasue it was on sale :)

2007-09-17T14:28:00.000-05:00

I once again revisited Lapsang Souchong Tea today and have decided yet again that I don't like it. I think I should take it home (right now it is a work) and try cooking with it, as I have a few recipies that I have come across that use it. I think I am just anti-smoked food in general. I got a smoked mazorella (cheese) that was equally bad. Actually I think that the only smoked thing I do like is Salmon, and even then I don't like the ones that really taste smoked.

2007-09-17T10:15:00.000-05:00

So earlier this summer I finished the Ruana, the idea of which cam from Folk Shawls (part of the Folk knitting series.) I picked up yarns all over and put them together. I gutes the main color patern is kind of a blue/gureen/purply, but there are hints of yellow and fucia throghout.
It was a nightmare to block and I will probably have to re-block the front pannels as they are still curling a bit. I strung the whole thing up on my bed for an entire day and sprayed it down with a water bottle, but I don't think I got it wet enough...
Hmmmmm looking at it all strung up like that is kind weird. I ran blocking wires down the sides and safety pinned it to the bed athe the headboard and sides. Then I ran it around the horisontal spindle in the foot board and ran a piece of bottom wires so that I could tie it back to the posts on the head board.

Here is a close up of the colors. It took a few tries for the colors to come out right on the digital camera. The first few shots made it look much redder than it really is... The white scrap that runs down the middle is what I picked out to create the neck hole after it was blocked.

I wore the completed shawl to a couple of art fairs this weekend, and it got rave reviews. (YAY!) Though I was unprepared for the random people comming up and touching me factor. I imagine it was a little like the odd people who walk up to pregnant women and touch them. I much prefered the people who just told me that they wanted to steal it off my back. Or pointed smiled and waved.

My random profle question that I lost... (I'm so sad)

2007-09-13T16:30:00.001-05:00

You can wistle and a tea kettle can wistle. So why do you sing in the shower?

My answer - Becasue it makes me happy. :)

Gotta love those Aussies...

2007-09-13T16:16:00.000-05:00

For those of you who don't know - and I don't know why you would - my Maternal Grandmother was from Australia. Though I never go a chance to know the woman ( she died before I was born) she was by all accounts a wonderful lady. As such I have been brought up with a love - or at least a longing - for all things Aussie. In that tradition...

Tea Tree Oil: It's Not Tea

"Ti" is the Maori name for the Cabbage tree (Cordyline Australis). These plants are collectively known as 'tea trees'.

You've heard about the number of remarkable properties of tea tree oil: antiseptic, antibacterial, antifungal. It's too good to be true. Maybe you've taken it for a condition, or as a topical medication. Could you make your own tea tree oil?

Not unless you live in Australia.

Native to — and found only in — Australia, the tea tree that makes this potent medicine is the Melaleuca Alternifolia, a shrub with pine-like needles. Like its homonym, the Australian Tea Tree has a number of health benefits and uses in modern medicine. Aborigines used a number of tea trees to make inhalant medicine for coughs, colds, or topical poultices for various wounds and infections. Today, tea tree oil is used in the development of many modern medicines as well as available in supplement and topical form in specialty herbal shops and organic markets.

Pairing Food and Tea

2007-09-13T16:08:00.001-05:00

I had a friend a work gift me with tea from Meru - a very high end tea company from Buffalo Grove, IL. (www.merutea.com) They had an interesting guide to Pairing food and teas....

Pairing Tea — Basics & Suggestions

Pairing food with wine or other spirits is something most of us like to leave to the experts — afraid to make "wrong" choices and seem foolish.

Yet the largest difference between the general consumer and a pairing expert is simply experience. It takes time and practice to identify and describe the flavors, textures, and aromas we experience when dining and pair them with complementary items. Every fragrance or sensation — no matter how light — will give you a richer experience and enable you to make more specific choices. Build your knowledge by beginning with broad descriptions and narrowing down to specific observations.

Of course, a good vocabulary doesn't hurt. Use the flavor descriptions in our chart below for with initial suggestions in your food pairings, or create your own based on your own palate's experience. Trust yourself to pinpoint the wonderful aromas and textures of our teas. The broad range of "notes" in any particular tea give you many avenues to explore successfully.

Remember when you select an item for a particular quality, to seek a pair opposite your flavor selection. Similar tastes will not bring out the qualities of either selection, while opposites will give your palate something to identify and savor in each item.

FOOD	TEA FLAVOR CHARACTERISTICS	TEA SUGGESTIONS
Grilled meats Mushrooms	Sweet teas, green, floral, nutty, light almond flavors, hints of white peach.	Darjeelings: Phoobsering Estate FTGFOP1 Greens: China Specialty Pan Long Ying Hao
Fresh fruit Smoked fish Goat cheese	Sweet, grassy green teas. Ceylons or Assams for more bold muscatel or berry overtones.	Greens: Yamato Gyokuro
Fondue Curry	Jasmine, florals, vegetal greens. Light fruit tones.	Darjeelings: Gielle Estate FTGFOP1 (1st FL) Greens: Special Gunpowder Jasmine Yin Hao
Thai food Bouillabaisse Sushi	Oolongs and First Flush Darjeelings: peaches or apricots, melons, floral notes. Assams: herbs, red fruit, peppery	Oolongs: Formosa Toppest Oolong (peachy) Formosa Oolong Ti Kuan Yin (smokey)
Shellfish	Roasted, nutty flavors. Buttery finish.	Greens: China Specialty Plum Blossom
Smoked Salmon Duck	Apple or pear hints, crispness, tropical fruit flavors, spice.	Assams: Meleng Estate Other: Tahitian Blend (Black)
Lamb Cornbread Mac and cheese Cheesecake	Plum, berries, full body. Peppery or spicy notes.	Ceylons: Dimbula Estate FP Ceylon Kew Estate
Chowder Milk Chocolate	Vegetal, astringent greens.	Greens: Lung Ching (Dragonwell) Sencha Hiki
Blue cheese Dark chocolate Sushi Grilled fish	Malty, astringent, red fruits, full body Assams. Second flush Darjeelings: fruity, slightly spicy aftertaste, hints of rare-wood fragrances, nutty overtones.	Assams:Mokalbari East Estate FBOP CLSPL Darjeeling 2nd flush: Jungpana Estate FTGFOP1 Namring Estate FTGFOP1

2007-09-13T08:57:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I went to the doc to have my foot checked out. She wan't really able to tell me anything really, but sent me off to have x-rays taken and we'll see. If there isn't anthing on the x-rays I'm going to be pissed (at my foot not the docs) becasue you would think that it wouldn't hurt quite so much unless something was actually wrong with it. And winning the oddest symptom that is of no help at all and makes me sound like a crazy person, my foot hurts every time I sigh or yawn. Stupid foot.

2007-09-12T12:17:00.000-05:00

I am at a loss. I keep getting Wedgwood Tea from wonderful swap partners. But I can't find it to buy it... I've tried the web, but can't seem to find it there either. Sigh - it is such a lovely bagged tea. So far I've tried English Breakfast and Afternoon as well as the Queen Anne. All have been quite good. Sigh...

2007-09-10T15:47:00.000-05:00

This weekend's tea was an Elderberry black tea that was waaaaay over scented. I wonder if I should mix it with some basic black tea... as it was it was a bit toooo strongly elderberried... or maybe as an iced tea - strongly fruited teas are often good iced...

Soapmaking

2007-09-10T15:07:00.000-05:00

My Mom and I started making soap about a month and a half ago. Our first batch, made from Corn oil with daffodile pettals and lightly scented with Grapefruit oil, turned out quite well so we decided to make more.

This weekend's soaps included:
About 5 lbs scented with clove oil with bakers spice and green cardamom these are kind sqare shaped. I think the clove will be very scrubby because we put so much gritty stuff into it.
About 5 lbs scented with pepermint oil with lavender petals and lavender leaves we added sugar which should add more froth to the bubbles. These we cut into big squares for now. I tried to talk mum into triangles, but she said she doen't like her soap to have corners.
:P spoitsport :P
About 5 lbs scented with lemon oil with hibiscus petals we added powder sugar which should make the soap both silky and add more froth to the bubbles. some are standard bar shapes and I talked my mum into letting me do hearts. (I think we should make soap as a wedding favor for my sisters wedding in a year.)

I watched "For Your consideration" which is the new flick by the makers of "Best in Sho" and " A Mighty Wind" and "Waiting for Guffman" It held up to expectations. Also 3:10 to Yuma - which was very well done and Shoot 'Em Up which was hellarious. (I wasn't expecting it to be funny - it was very bugs bunny and elmer fudd)

2007-09-06T10:30:00.001-05:00

MMMMMMMMMmmmm I used to go to a place called the Urban Tea Lounge whitch was very Bohemian, but it closed earlier this summer leaving me without a nearby place to cash after work and before going home to my hyperactive pup. On Tuesday another tea shop close to me finnally finnished it's renovations. Pre-fixup, the cafe part of the boutique/tea shop was at the back of the store and was very dark. Like too dark to read dark. But the overhauled Unique So Chicque Tea Room, which is a grand total of 4 blocks from my apartment, is lovely. They have big windows and comfy seating and the Intelligensia Pur Eh Tea I had was very good . They refilled my teapot 3 times and I sat for an hour reading my Laura Childs Tea Room Mystery (Gunpowder Green) I even bought a can of tea, though I really didn't need it. IT is a Fancy Magnolia Blossom Oolong Tea by CHAA. I am having it this morning instead of coffee and WOW is it good. The taste really lingers on your tounge. It goes absolutely heavenly with chocolate. (usually I'm not a big tea and chocolate together person but had some of my absolute fac Milk Chocolate LU Le Petit Ecolier cocolate topped butter biscuits and wow did they just sing together.)

2007-09-06T10:14:00.000-05:00

So I made this little knit cell phone purse for my mom at her request. She saw an amulet bag that I made with the pattern and thought it would be perfect for a cell phone if it were a bit longer and had a shorter strap. (The strap is hidden behind my hand.) I modified a lace pattern that I had from the amulet bag to eliminate the beading (which I was worried would scratch the phone in the long run.) and to adjust for the different yarn. I think it turned out nicely. In retrospect I think that the fuzzy red yarn, while perfect for my mother, did not lend itself to the pattern which was mich clearer on the amulet bag. The picture was taken with my phone so it's not the greatest, in the future I will have to take ones with my digital camera.

In the background (along the right side) you can see the massive shawl that is my masterpiece :) it is a modification on a pattern in a Folk Shawls pattern book that I love. I is about five feet long and pretty reaches all the way down to the floor. I will have to post a better pic of it as well. I took a whole set with my camera when I was blocking it on my bed..

2007-09-05T13:14:00.001-05:00

Tea this afternoon is "Black Forest Fruits" a black tea flavored with strawberry, raspberry and rhubarb. Its scented primarily with fruit pieces, rather than flavoring, so it is more subtle than a lot of fruit-flavored teas. It has a coffee like color, though not as opaque as coffee is.

2007-09-05T12:59:00.000-05:00

I had a lot of fun last night futzing with my blog. I got a new pic in my title bar, and finally got the button for the dishcloth swap I am taking part in posted... took forever, but the next one shoudl be easier...

A lot of time has been wasted today, I don't know why but everytime I turn around there is something else preventing me from getting on with things...

Weekend teas...

2007-09-04T17:46:00.000-05:00

Tea for the weekend included Republic of Tea Ginger Peach. It was very good for being a bagged tea. I got the mini tin of this from a swap-bot swap... I am ashamed to say I can't remember which...

I had Mighty Leaf's Orange Dulce tea, also bagged, while at the Field from Corner Bakery. It was ok. Way too much water to tea ratio though.

At my mom's I made Rosegarden tea from Bayswater tea Co. on Sunday Morning. I measured it out, but it came out very strong and I had to cut it with more hot water, and even then I chose to add milk. With the milk though it was delicious so I am glad that I added the milk. Next time less Tea :)

Finally, I had Dragonwaters' Champaign Oolong. I found Dragonwaters on the internet, and thought I'd try them. The Champaign Oolong was my free tea with purchase. They have this great program, where you get to choose a what tea you want a sample pack of with each purchase. You can get any tea, even the delux expensive ones. (So, being the cheep-o I am I chose one of the expensive ones for my free sample.) he sample pack was generous - enough for two 6 cup pots at least. I was quite happy with it as well as the teas I actually paid for. :)

A fun-ish weekend

2007-09-04T15:31:00.000-05:00

I think starting a blog has got to be one of the hardest things. On one hand you feel like you should start at the very beging and fill in all the back story, but on the other hand you know that you if you do that you will never get going with you life here and now if you do that... add on top of that filling out your side pannells and well... you get the picture.

So I'm going with the second approach and just start with the here and now....

Kate, my sister, and Ross, her fiance were in town this weekend. We went bike riding up on the north side of Chicago. There is this great path that winds its way through a bunch of forrest preserves, and up to the botanic gardens. It was a lot of fun, but disaster packed. First my mom couldn't find the bike pump, but luckily I had mine. Then sister had a flat tire, which she couldn't patch, but was able to get to a bike shop a few blocks away, and bought a new one. Then my chain broke, but we flagged down someone who had a chain tool, and we fixed it. Tehn we got about half way there and found out that they had torn out a big chunk of the path to replace it. So we had to turn around. My chain broke a second time about a mile from the parking lot. Sigh. Fortunately there was a lot of down-hill between the place my chain broke and the parking lot so I was able to do a lot of glide and ride...

Sunday was better, we went to the Field Museum (where I work) and I showed them around and we went to the new exhibits: Darwin and Dinosaur discoveries. Both I have seen multiple times, so it was dull... grrr. We did fondeau for dinner - yum. Though I was a bit peeved at my sister for not helping with the prep at all. (Good thing she doesn't know this blog exists or she'd be pissed with me for saying anything...)

Monday was kind of a bust, we we all tired and lazy. We went out to breakfeast - yum. Then did a bit of gardening, but the mosquitos were so bad, because of all of the rain, that we couldn't stay outside. So we didn't make more soap either. Our first batch is just now ready to use, and it is lovely, so I am eager to make more. Instead I knitted and read and watched hours of the Closer on TNT with my sister and Ross heading back to Ann Arbor around 2pm , and me heading back to the city about 9pm. Ripley (my pup) was happy to go home.

Some stuff about me...

2007-08-30T14:04:00.000-05:00

I knit - my favorite things usually involve lace patterns but I am working on getting better at knitting in the round and I hope to start my first pair of socks soon. I'm not too picky about my materials as long as it is natural fiber, but in general the softer the better. I also like beading and have recently been experimenting with patterns that use both knitting and beads.

I am a big tea drinker. Where other people drink pop/soda, I'm all about the tea. For me it is a year round drink. Most of what I drink is loose leaf, but some is bagged - especially when I'm on the go. I've also been swapping tea bags online lately and I've discovered that as tea has ecome more popular the quality of the some of the tea bags has gone up. I drink black, white and oolong. Occationally Green tea is Ok, but I really don't like red tea (roobois)

I ride my bike more than the average person (I used to say "alot" but I've been so lazy lately that that is just not true. I try to commute to work (9 miles each way) for the summer these past two years, but I've been pitufully bad this year.

I love yellow flowers, Roses that smell, Forget-me-nots, irises, and columbines.

My favorite color combination is purple and green. Odd I know... but in general I like cool colors, so I suppose it does make sense... if your me. :)