Figured we could use one.
I find it kind of alarming how addicted I have become to tea now that I have had the real stuff. I was always exclusively a coffee drinker, and I still am in the morning. I need those two cups to get me going, and tea just doesn’t have the same kick for me for some reason. But throughout the day, I’ve been drinking a good deal of tea, and I’ve been drinking it by the gallon it seems. I had a sampled of ginger/peach that I thought was spectacular, but I really also like the Taylors Gold Tea.
arguingwithsignposts
Woah, DJ/JC mindmeld. spooky.
Yutsano
Y’all REALLY need to coordinate these open thread thingies better.
@arguingwithsignposts: If they had both put up the same song that would have been REALLY creepy.
How you feeling?
General Stuck
I’m just glad all you delicate flowers have spent the day in blog therapy, and that every thing is back to abnormal around here. I’m just wondering what ever happened to that Whitey Tape. I bet wikileaks has it . Discuss.
Rich2506
Y’all want some serious waker-upper tea, try Morning Thunder. Srsly good stuff!
The way I do iced tea these days is I boil up a whole milk carton’s worth, toss in three tea bags, let it steep just a minute or so, pull the teabags out and refrigerate. Lapsong Souchong is very good brand for that.
EIGRP
I like the raspberry green or peach white I get at Wegmans. My wife liked the assam estate from there (supposedly Rishi) but they don’t carry it any more.
It’s all about the time and water temperature. Invariably, people screw up both. I hate getting tea at a restaurant. It’s a little harder to screw up coffee at places like that.
Eric
Keith G
I’ll second Rich’s Lapsong Souchong and add Jasmine Pearl.
jeffreyw
Fair chance Mrs J and I will look at this pretty lady soon.
stuckinred
@jeffreyw: Look at that sugar!
Barb (formerly Gex)
@jeffreyw: Very nice. What a sweet girl!
ETA: I’ve been doing a lot of dog sitting lately. Last weekend there were four dogs. Vid
EIGRP
I’ll second Keith G’s Jasmine Pearls. Another good one is wuyi when having sushi (or probably any japanese/chinese food)
parsimon
I actually recommend a cup of green tea to start the day. Really. I do segue to coffee once I’m working (1.5 to 2 cups), but that initial cup of green tea is remarkably head-clearing. No kidding.
I’m thinking I might try ditching the coffee itself later; it’s chiefly a ritual by now, I think.
Best green tea to my mind is kombucha. I use the Yogi Tea variety (it’s bagged), and I gather from a quick google that there are numerous ways to come by it, but just the bagged Yogi variety is so fragrant and delicious, and, again, head-clearing, that I become very sad when I run out.
WereBear
Jasmine Pearls is incredible; like drinking the flower itself. I keep meaning to get some. At some point.
I’m kinda outing myself, in terms of Internet anonymity, but it was bound to happen sometime as I pursue books and videos. I made my first YouTube video, and now everyone can see me. In front of God and Everybody.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLdhNSnyQio
Tristan fans will be pleased with his role in this film (he did his own stunts!) while others will note the strong supporting performance from Reverend Jim.
And please forward to any of your cat-loving friends, as part of my campaign to become the first Cat Chow Correspondent.
You like this video! You like it up!
alwhite
I have been enjoying a Japanese tea, Genmaicha, with toasted rice in it since we discovered it at a sushi restaurant. It has a nice nutty, smoky note to go with the tea. A very nice change of pace.
AT
A good rule of thumb is coffee before lunch, tea after, works wonders.
There’s a reason the English built an empire on tea.
alwhite
@EIGRP:
EIGRP? now theres a geeky nom-de-cisco.
General Stuck
Powder ground Japanese Matcha, iced tea. Tastes great, less filling too.
Gonna watch The Next Three Days. Been sitting on it for a week.
EIGRP
@alwhite: Yeah, too many Erics here. At least it has the E to make it seem like it has something to do with me.
Eric
WaterGirl
@EIGRP:
No fair saying that without sharing the right way to make it! :-) I made my favorite tea yesterday (Stash Licorice Spice) after getting a new batch from Stash, and for the first time I thought it was bitter.
Did I brew it too long?
Captain Goto
Rooibos (I know, it’s not really tea, but whatevs) with a shot of Cointreau is very nice, right about this time of the evening.
Egypt Steve
Couldn’t agree more, the ol’ stomach can’t take coffee throughout the day like it did before.
I really love Early Grey — I guess it’s the imperialist in me — but haven’t found a brand that I just swoon over. Anyone have a recommendation? I’ve also wondered if you can get bergomot essence and add it to tea yourself. Anyone know?
WereBear
@Egypt Steve: If you miss coffee, I find Chai to be a nice sub, and it comes it beaucoup flavors.
EIGRP
@WaterGirl: OK, here’s the handy guide from Wegmans (I’ll do a pre-emptive FYWP and not bother trying to make columns)
White: Minimally handled, delicate with nuances of early spring. Lowest in caffeine. 180-190 F, 3-5 minutes
Green: Refreshing, high in antioxidants, lower in caffeine; sweet, grassy notes. 150-190 F, 1.5-4 minutes
Oolong: Painstakingly crafted; multiple steepings reveal its complexity. Between green and black in flavor/caffeine. 185-200 F, 3-5 minutes
Black: Robust, energizing, higher in caffeine. Often enjoyed sweetened, with milk/cream. 200-212 F, 4-6 minutes
Pu-eerh: Hearty and brisk; the tea for coffee-lovers. Collected like fine wine in Asia. 205-212 F, 4-6 minutes
Herbal: Herbal teas aren’t teas at all – they’re infusions of natural herbs, flowers, and spices. 200-212 F, 4-6 minutes
I’ve found that any “fruity” tea doesn’t really steep well a second time. Others, like jasmine pearls, wuyi, assam, etc. do great with second and third steepings.
Eric
Corner Stone
@WereBear:
Yeah. Me too.
Corner Stone
@EIGRP: Too many Erics? Just call it good you didn’t sign on with a “cat” in your handle.
metalgirl
Just so glad UK beat UNC to make it to the Final 4 in Houston!! I’m wearing a UK shirt to work tomorrow and hope my UNC buddies are good sports but it’s been 13 or so years since we’ve been to the Final 4 so we’re due :) I’m also doing my prep work for my taxes – fun!
WaterGirl
@EIGRP: Thanks so much for that! Where does chai tea fall in that chart? My friend who drinks chai swears the water has to be rapidly boiling.
RossInDetroit
I’ve been making my Lapsang Souchong in a press pot because I’m too lazy to find the tea ball. It works really well, as well as being easy to clean up after.
The Golux
I have more than a liter of coffee every morning, and more later in the day if the opportunity presents itself. But it’s not because I need it to make me alert. I can drink it after dinner, and it almost never affects my ability to fall asleep.
Tea, on the other hand, can make me completely wired. One hot summer day many years ago, I drank a lot of iced tea (from loose-leaf tea) while working outside, and I was wide awake until the wee hours.
Dilbatt
I drink coffee in the morning, but I find that Tazo brand “Awake” tea is pretty tasty and stout. Plenty of caffeine.
S. cerevisiae
Evil North Dakota Fighting Sue are evil. Go Bulldogs. That is all.
Yutsano
@jeffreyw: ZOMG PUPPEH!! And another Lily to boot! So when are you gonna go pick up Buddy’s new sister?
Dilbatt
On another note, a talented homeless single mom with 2 kids could use some help.
http://invisibull.wordpress.com/2011/03/21/mini-van-update/
EIGRP
@WaterGirl: Chai is generally (always?) black so I would follow that (i.e. boiling is probably good)
I’d like to try coffee from one of these machines: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/23/dining/23coff.html
Also, has anyone tried kopi luwak coffee – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kopi_Luwak ? I’ve tried a chemically induced version from http://www.coffeeprimero.com and it is pretty good – not nearly as acidic as regular coffee. I think it came to like $20/lb when you included shipping. It was worth the try since I don’t think I will ever get the real deal.
Eric
honus
Drinking loose tea, lounging pajamas all day, several stray pets, running a political blog… I see a manifesto and survival gear in the near future.
EIGRP
My previous comment is awaiting moderation. Maybe because of the kopi luwak URL.
Eric
The Dangerman
Since now I HAVE to root for VCU (some casinos will get hammered), I found this article on their Coach that is kinda cool:
Shaka Smart
trollhattan
Found a typo on the BBC Web site too funny not to share:
Libya kan haz ultimate death tax?
WaterGirl
@WereBear: The video is great. Really impressive!
In sending the video link to our friends, how does that help you?
Is it the # of views or the “like” votes?
P.S. I love Tristan.
The Dangerman
@jeffreyw:
Now that is one fine looking filly.
Gin & Tonic
@EIGRP: Now what we need is somebody named Oscar going by the handle OSPF, and you two can duke it out. PUMAs vs O-bots, ain’t got nothing on a good routing protocol religious war.
parsimon
@EIGRP: Thanks for this. I think I’ve gone on instinct regarding steeping time and temperature, and haven’t been entirely wrong, judging from what you write, but this is welcome.
MikeJ
@metalgirl:
Any girl that likes KY is ok by me.
moe99
I’ve substituted Market Spice Tea for coffee and have not looked back. But you have to take the tea bags out of the foil container and put them in a plastic or glass vessel and store them in the freezer so the oils don’t go rancid.
jurassicpork
Funny you should say that, John. Last month or so, I rediscovered my love of Irish breakfast tea. I’ve taken to buying Twining’s brand both regular and decaf when I can afford it. I always have a relaxing cup about an hour or after dinner.
Anyway, speaking of finances, April is the cruelest month but March wasn’t so hot, either.
Sarah in Brooklyn
I drink a lot of tea (gave up coffee years ago) and I buy all my tea from http://www.uptontea.com. Great selection, great quality, super fast service. You can order sample packets of any tea to find what you like. They’re great! Tomorrow I will awaken with the help of a lovely Assam from them.
MikeJ
@WereBear: I wish my parents had seen your video before they had me.
J. Michael Neal
@S. cerevisiae: I thought it was fascinating that the TV broadcasters had an extended discussion of Matt Frattin’s character without once bringing up the name Kevin Wehrs. They mentioned that Jesse Martin suffered three fractures in his neck in a game against the Fighting Sux without describing how it actually happened.
The WCHA’s complete unwillingness to do anything to rein in North Dakota is one of the reasons I switched to the women’s game. Of course, UND is the most thuggish women’s team, too, but they’re less likely to cripple someone any given night.
Yutsano
I am eating tons of food that alternates between really good and really bad for me. Me likey living in a big city.
Jules
I have a pot of English Breakfast every morning and yeah, I’m addicted.
1st cup full of sugar and milk then with each progressive pour it keeps a bit stouter.
S. cerevisiae
@J. Michael Neal: We beat ’em once this season, we can beat ’em again. First we have to take care of Notre Dame but if the ‘Dogs play their A game they should be able to win. Reiter needs to stay hot.
J. Michael Neal
@S. cerevisiae: I’m hoping that Michigan keeps you from having to beat the Sux.
MikeJ
@Yutsano: Butter poached salmon. Beer poached spinach. Mmmm. Seattle.
(if you find the beer poached spinach, please let me know, because I lurve both ends of that equation.)
kdaug
@jeffreyw: Gorgeous. Congrats papa.
Perfect Tommy
There is a documentary called “All In This Tea” that I enjoyed. It follows a tea buyer through remote areas of China as he searches for quality crops.
All In This Tea (2007)
It’s available for streaming on Netflix…
WereBear (itouch)
MikeJ & Watergirl, Thanks very much!
How it helps me, I don’t know. I don’t know how they are going to pick the person, I just know that the PR firm is going to be impressed that anyone has heard of me at all.
And I’ve decided not to do anything halfway anymore.
Thanks to all, must crash. Been an exhausting week.
S. cerevisiae
@J. Michael Neal: Wolverines look pretty good.
Nicole
Anyone else with Mildred Pierce tonight? Thoughts? I know my husband’s can be summed up as, “Yay Kate Winslet naked.”
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
@arguingwithsignposts: O hai. How iz you?
J. Michael Neal
@S. cerevisiae: I keep waiting for burnspbesq to show up. Not much of a performance by the ECAC. OT to beat the automatic qualifier from Atlantic Hockey and outscored 13-3 by the WCHA, after the only game the conference won in the women’s tournament was against another ECAC team.
Yutsano
@MikeJ: Per teh Google, this is about as close as I can get. Though I bet I could make that work. Salmon ravioli and spanakopita ain’t too bad either.
scarshapedstar
Watched “Inside Job” and I’m just numb, I guess. Iraq for Sale made me cry. I’m just too familiar with the overall scam and the players involved to even get outraged anymore.
Fucen Pneumatic Fuck Wrench Tarmal
i am a true coffee believer. when i drink tea, the best it can do is make me think how much more i would rather be having coffee. although i will say, if the coffee is low quality, and its all that is available, i would rather drink tea to tide me over until i can get coffee.
S. cerevisiae
@J. Michael Neal: Yeah, the west is the best. Hopefully the Sux will spend the next week and a half reading all the press clippings about how great they are…then get buzzsawed by the Wolverines.
FlipYrWhig
I’ve never succeeded in making a good cup of tea. I have it other places and like it, I try it at home and it tastes like boiling water with a penny dropped into it or something. Metallic and nasty. Unless I dose it with sugar, in which case it tastes like sugar. Maybe I’ll hang onto those instructions above.
Sly
@AT:
They originally built it (partially) on coffee, which was pretty much the symbolic drink of Protestant Europe from around 1700 onward, while the Catholics drank their decadent wine and chocolate. One of ironies is that’s exactly the same reason why coffee became the signature drink of Islam: an alternative to alcohol.
You could actually make a pretty credible argument that the European Enlightenment itself wouldn’t have gone very far without the coffee house to serve as a meeting place for the emerging European bourgeoisie. Lloyd’s of London, for instance, was originally Edward Lloyd’s Coffee House, where merchants, insurance agents, and stock jobbers would meet to discuss business.
The English only switched to tea because they had exclusive access to its principle source in China. Cultivate opium in India, trade it to Chinese merchants for tea, and sell the tea throughout the Empire under a monopoly. The vast majority of coffee cultivation, meanwhile, was in areas in the hands of Britain’s competitors. Haiti, Brazil, Java, etc. So the switch was mostly just incidental to colonial commerce.
suzanne
@MikeJ:
Fo’ reelz? That sounds insane.
suzanne
Reading this conversation, I realize I’m a total heathen. I drink maybe one cup of coffee a month, and that’s going to decline sharply, because my friend quit her job at Starbucks and I only drank it while visiting her at work. And I actively dislike tea. I drink fewer hot beverages than many Mormons.
Yutsano
@suzanne: Theoretically anything you can do with wine can also be done with beer. You just have to pick the right brew to enhance the flavor notes of the spinach. And something that won’t clash with nutmeg, which is enchanting on a green like spinach.
@suzanne: There is always hot chocolate and hot apple cider. And I’ve known Mormons that could outdrink fish.
Martin
Well, Libya appears to be going along the optimistic path. NATO has fully taken over. Rebels are making progress. They’ve taken Sirte, 2 more towns before Misrata. How long that takes will likely determine if this is a short or indefinite effort.
I’ve got this week off. Maxed out on vacation. Gonna spend some quality time with the power tools.
Comrade Luke
I like tea, but there aren’t any good tea houses that I know of in the Seattle area, as opposed to the coffee shop I go to with the cute women.
There, I said it.
FlipYrWhig
@Sly: IIRC that’s the argument of Brian Cowan’s _The Social Life of Coffee_, which gets more specific than the famous Jurgen Habermas argument about the coffee-house as emblem for the “public sphere.”
suzanne
@Yutsano:
I do hot chocolate a handful of times in the winter, and once every few years, I make some delicious wassail at Yuletide. But, for the most part, I stick to Diet Coke. It’s a horrible habit, I know. Leave me alone.
Me too. No one drinks more than jack Mormons.
Yutsano
@suzanne: I had to turn my roommate onto the true pleasures of hot chocolate after she went to school in Washington. Being from Arizona she’d never had anything but the instant cwap. But the funniest was taking a group of Arizonans to Pike Place Market and watching them dodge fish and poke at a just-caught octopus. It opened up their worlds a bit.
jayboat
Anyone else catch the blurb on HuffPo re Chris Wallace’s little hissy fit today? Kinda surprised there isn’t a thread about it. (apologies if I missed it- basketball jones will be my excuse)
He’s all butt hurt because the White House didn’t send representatives to his ‘news’ program today to inform the peeples about world events and such.
Hilarious with a squid cloud on top. More, please.
Kaarma, bitchez!
Johnny's Mom
I drink a lot ( A L O T ) of tea. I think the perfect cup is really subjective. I drink Bewley’s Irish Breakfast Tea, steeped for 10 mins. There’s an Irish saying, that a cup of tea should be strong enough for a mouse to trod across. Words to live by.
Some of my favorites are Cinnamon (maybe Bigelow, maybe Twining’s). It’s like cinnamon toast in a cup.
Constant Comment (Bigelow?)- a little sweeter than regular black tea or breakfast tea.
Earl Grey – when it’s good, it’s really really good. When it’s bad, it’s horrid. Toss it and start over.
One other thing- there’s another saying that if you need sugar in your tea, it’s not the right tea for you. I don’t buy the sugar thing, but I do think there’s a tea that’s right for you. If it doesn’t taste like heaven in a cup, play with the amount of time you steep it. If that doesn’t work, try another brand/flavor.
General Stuck
@Martin:
Did you get a chance to read Juan Cole’s open letter to the left on Libya? Or course, he’s a big neo con, but I thought it was an excellent piece on why sometimes interventions are a good thing. It is still an open question how it will turn out in the end, but so far it is heading in a positive direction and a lot more people are above ground that likely wouldn’t have been.
Must be driving our wingnuts wingnutty though, as well as parts of the left, all that Euro delegation of power instead of just us. Some failure of an imperial presidency is Obama. Mccain would have leveled North Africa by now, and Sarah would be dancing on all the graves./
As for quality time with power tools, I am restaining all my log furniture I made a few years ago, and finishing up a log rocker I started. the fucker is huge, but rock solid with all the dowel plugs used.
trollhattan
@suzanne:
A favorite joke:
Q: When you go fishing with a Mormon, how do you keep him from drinking all your beer?
A: Bring another Mormon.
Doug
The reason tea doesn’t quite have the same kick for you as coffee is that, contrary to popular belief, tea had about one-third as much caffeine in it as coffee.
Mnemosyne
I have very reluctantly been forced to give up my new favorite bedtime tea, because apparently peppermint and acid reflux are a very bad combination, especially right before bedtime. I searched all over for a tea blend that had ginger but no mint, and ended up with … Starbucks tea. Of course.
Yevgraf (fka Michael)
Q: How many True Conservative activist pundits does it take to change a lightbulb?
A: None. They’d rather sit around with a burned out bulb and blame the dark on liberals. Then, if a liberal changes the lightbulb, the True Conservative activist pundit screams about the tyranny imposed by liberaldom upon him, inasmuch as the market should decide when the lightbulb should be replaced.
Anne Laurie
@Egypt Steve:
After looking at its wikipedia entry, I’d guess you could buy the oil, but I’m not sure I’d experiment without a trusted source to backstop me. You might want to dig further into aromatherapy resource sites, and see what the warning labels look like.
tofubo
self-confessing witch:
We don’t have to go through this, I’m perfectly willing to tell you whatever you want to hear.
inquisitor/court stenographer:
Confessions are only accepted under torture, otherwise you might confess just to avoid torture, and it wouldn’t be a true confession.
the 1991 version of The Pit and the Pendulum must have been seen by some and thought, yeah, that’s the way to do it, we should try it out sometime, maybe in a dozen years or so…
Martin
@Johnny’s Mom: I like strong tea. I usually have a cup of coffee at work in the morning and then it’s tea the rest of the day, and at home it’s tea all the time. In summer I’ll down a half gallon of iced tea (with lemon off the tree) every day.
For my hot tea, I always go for a teaspoon of sugar and a healthy flop of half and half. That’s how my grandmother and other Irish relatives taught me to drink it. She said that a little sugar in your tea was like having dessert all day long – and what could be bad about that? I think I do it just out of memory for her than anything else.
When I was about 9 or so, she came to visit for about 3 weeks and spent the time teaching me how to properly cool my tea by pouring it into my saucer (without spilling a drop) and then back into the teacup. She said any proper saucer holds precisely the volume of the teacup it’s designed to support.
O.G.
Juan Cole has written “An Open Letter to the Left on Libya.”
Regardless of your opinion on this endeavor, it is worth the time to read.
http://www.juancole.com/2011/03/an-open-letter-to-the-left-on-libya.html
Comrade Luke
If there a decent tea to have after around 3pm that won’t keep you up at night? Should I go herbal?
Mnemosyne
@Nicole:
We watched it. I really liked it, but one of the things I liked was comparing it to the classic Joan Crawford film, so I’m not sure how someone coming into the story cold would like it.
They’re definitely setting up a subtly different relationship between Mildred and Vida — Vida is not a bad seed like she is in the Crawford version. Haynes is showing the seeds of the resentment that seems to come out of nowhere in the Crawford film, so I find that really interesting.
ETA: Also, I like having the young Vida actually played by a young actress — Ann Blyth was never able to act like a 12-year-old in the original film.
Rachel in Portland
PG Tips. With splenda and half & half.
Barb (formerly Gex)
When did this blog turn into a tea party?
ETA: winky face
Comrade Luke
@Nicole: I thought she said she wasn’t going to go naked anymore.
I gotta go add MP to my Netflix queue :)
Martin
@General Stuck: Yeah, I thought it was a good read, and I thought he did a good job of addressing the ‘yeah, well why not Sudan, why not Syria, etc.’ arguments.
I’ve been toying with the idea of making some log furniture for the yard, but that’s a whole other set of tools to get. I need to find some storage before I can branch out too far.
I’m replacing my last segment of fencing, and moving part of it. Installing a new gate – the old one was truly shitty, and the wife and kids have asked for one that everyone can easily open and will work with the animals properly so I’m building a redwood arched dutch door. We can open the top and do a lot of our gardening tasks without the dog or tortoise getting in the way. The latch will be down at standard door height so the little ones can use it. It’ll be nice and solid and not flex and shift and mainly be a pain in the ass like the old one. It’ll have big fucking iron strap hinges. It better not get wobbly on me.
I don’t know how I got this far without a jigsaw, but I picked up a nice one up to work on this project. In 2 weeks were having a bunch of windows replaced, and I need to do the casings on those, and a new countertop installed, so a bunch of tile work and plumbing there. Assuming I’m not homicidal after that, we’ll be replacing the shitty wood floor that the previous owner installed and I’ll be doing a house full of baseboards and more casing. I’m going to take the opportunity to replace my crappy chop saw with a nice one with teh lazars and shit on it. And my reward after all of that is to replace our old 27″ CRT with a shiny HD tv. 2011 is our year to stimulate the economy, but I’m going to be perpetually sore this year, I think.
bago
Best response I have seen to CNBC scaramucci’s question of “when will we stop whacking on this wall street piñata “?
When it trickles down.
H/t some Digg commenter.
Mnemosyne
Also, too, speaking of the new version of “Mildred Pierce,” the straight ladies and not so straight gentlemen might like to know that Guy Pearce clearly did some working out before he started the role, because he looks really good in his swim trunks. Yummy.
Yutsano
@Mnemosyne: He wasn’t exactly skin and bones before, though he had lost weight for his last role IIRC. He has always been rather tasty to me.
bago
Yutsano, make sure they hit the science center, and then the union/university bus tunnel entrances. Those blinking led lines in the wall display pictures if you wave your vision left to right.
Nerds. Seattle has em.
CaliCat
Me love tea too. Life is so much better with it. I’m the same as you, John, I have to have my coffee first thing but it’s tea after that. It’s so soothing..keeps me alert and content.
And loose tea is the best. My husband’s family is Chinese and when we go to his parents house, I really look forward to pouring myself a cup from the tall tea thermos they always have filled with the delicious stuff.
sb
Guy Pearce, IIRC, was a former bodybuilder.
Just saw ‘Inside Job’. I’ve read interesting comments from BJ’ers about the film. One groups says they are too mad to sit through all of it and that’s understandable. But there is another group that I’m frustrated with, not that said group will give a shit; that if you were paying attention, the film is superfluous. I cannot understand that argument. I’m showing the film to my 9th graders next week (lesson plan creation underway, damn that film for being interesting). In short, it’s the one film I think every human being on the planet should see.
Yutsano
@sb:
Teh Wiki concurs:
Martin
@Yutsano:
It’s the ‘junior’ that makes that title truly humorous.
Yutsano
@bago: I go through there every day and I see those blinking lights all the time. I had no idea there was a trick to them! But if it works like the 3-D pictures do then I’m gonna be let down. Having that 2% of the population whose brain is wired different thing is a pain sometimes.
Mary G
Someone has probably posted this before; sorry if it’s a repeat. I thought it was amazing – Two dogs eat at a diner.
CaliCat
I read the Juan Cole piece and found it very interesting. I agree with his stance. The best part of the article is when he says,
“I would like to urge the Left to learn to chew gum and walk at the same time. It is possible to reason our way through, on a case-by-case basis”
Lmao. He must have just visited a DK comment thread.
Elizabelle
Can the VCU Rams be BJ’s official bball team? They knocked off the mighty Kansas Jayhawks today. 81-71. After USC, Georgetown, Purdue. They’re the little team that could. Go Rams.
EIGRP
@Comrade Luke: A white tea has less caffeine so you might be OK with one of those. I regularly have that in the evening and it doesn’t seem to keep me up any later than normal. I like moonlight white or peach white.
Eric
alwhite
@J. Michael Neal:
Actually the Sux are not as bad as they used to be! Back in the day they always seemed to be loaded with 22 year old Freshmen from Saskatoon who had run out of Jr. A eligibility. Every other team just had 18-22 YO kids. But they are still the biggest thugs in a tough league.
Speaking of the womens team – “The Twins” dad got in my wife & my face when we boo’ed his daughters. I laughed at him & asked him if his son left ND to play for MN did he think he’d get boo’ed in Grand Forks. But those 2 were just a wee bit ‘aggressive’ when they were here.
bob h
Try Japanese green tea. A delightful addiction will soon follow. One problem is that it needs water at about 180-200 F, so it is best to have one of the Japanese “airpots” which heat the water just right.
cleek
possibly because tea has roughly half the caffeine of coffee.
Triassic Sands
I just happened by the NYT front page, which announces a budget “deal” (in New York) that cuts funding for schools and health care while giving a tax cut to the wealthy. Naturally, this was done by Democratic governor Andrew Cuomo — we can always count on Democratic politicians to fight to the death to protect the weak and vulnerable. (Apparently, even some Republican legislators wanted to continue a high income tax surcharge to help offset the need for such deep cuts.)
If there is one notion that rules supreme in this country at this time it is that the rich can never have enough.
Alwhite
@Triassic Sands:
Here in MN the GOP controlled leg is offering more of the same with some interesting twists. They are claiming savings from cuts well beyond what is projected. Not sure how that actually works. If they claim they save a billion dollars but really only get half of that when where and how does the state make up the rest?
We also have a D Governor – Sadly, Mr Dayton appears to be a quivering tower of jello. His one term in the Senate before he quit was not exactly a tour-de-force designed to increase confidence so I expect we are well on our way to competing with the Cheese balls for title “Mississippi of the North”
Ash Can
@Martin:
Now that’s some serious old-school. The older English antique saucers (a good 150 years and older) look more like shallow bowls than our saucers of today, for exactly this reason of cooling tea in them. As the cup-to-saucer-to-cup practice faded, saucers became shallower. If her saucers held her entire cup of tea, she must have had some fine heirloom porcelains in her home.
Kirk Spencer
Just for the caffeine focused people, I present energy fiend’s caffeine database.
agrippa
To John Cole:
Please read this:
http://www.stonekettle.com/2011/03/america-you-keeping-using-that-word.html
JR in WV
I’ve been drinking tea for years now… Never liked coffee too much, but have been converted to mocha lattes on rare occasion.
I discovered Republic of Tea some time back, it’s carried in some bookstores and in Drug Emporium’s Healthy Food’s stores.
I don’t like Chai, which isn’t tea but flavored stuff of some sort, nor do I care for teas with various flavored oils/flowers/etc in it.
Darjeeling is my any time favorite, and Wuyi Oolong second best, better late in the day. Darjeeling is Indian from a northeastern province of the same name. Wuyi is Chinese, and more expensive for less tea in the canister.
I agree that in restaurants tea is usually poor. When they bring a little pot of lukewarm water with a Lipton’s bag unopened, that’s the worst. Just get a coke or pepsi and go on.