tea and no tea

hmmmm.... tea of the week, drive thru vanilla chai from a local coffee hut.

I have been so crazy busy this week, that I haven't had time to get up and heat a cup of water!  Crazy to the point that when you take lunch, it's kinda irritating, because it's interrupting getting everything that needs to be finished, completed.  Yet, you have to take lunch because you scheduled an eye appointment months ago when you weren't busy.  So it's no wonder that I woke up with a kinked neck.  Can't move it worth anything.  Talk about frustrating.

And I want to add to it all by getting lazik eye surgery.

I have the hope that all will go wonderful, and I will be able to see without glasses.  Ah....  sounds so nice.

But also the fear that I will flinch and be rendered blind, thus unable to work, out of a job, and trying to figure out how to cook some favorite  recipes.

I'm leaning toward a more positive thinking with this, as I know a few people that had the procedure, and none are blind.

The real question is how soon will I be able to get it done.  That depends on when I can get vacation, since it is an out of town trip.

As much as I want to be glasses free next month, it's looking like next spring would make more sense.

I've been with glasses this long, what's another handful of months?

Back to the crazy week.  Today I was able to chill out, and be lazy, so of course I'm exhausted.  (of course) Next week doesn't look like it's going to ease up any.  I just hope I have a moment to brew a cup of tea or two.

But we shall see....

Tea and Yoga

This week I'm working on increasing my tea consumption, as well as my yoga practice.

That sentence is quite misleading, it sounds like I am a daily yogi that is all bendy.  No, I can barley touch my toes, and forget about any type of hip flexibility.  It's only been recently that I discovered that you don't need to be flexible to do yoga.  You do yoga to help you become flexible.

I fell in love with Yoga Booty Ballet when it first came out.  Except when they did happy cow pose.  They make it look like anybody can bend their body in that pose.  While I'm sitting there with one hip not even touching the floor, and one knee up by my ear.  I swore off serious yoga that day.  It would never be for me.

Then this summer I was on a 30 day challenge kick, and decided to try Erin Motz's 30 day yoga challenge.  In that month I completely changed how I feel about yoga.  I took an actual class at the local yoga studio. While I had gradually been introducing myself to yoga before that challenge, it wasn't yoga yoga.  I was enjoying Piyo, which is a Pilates/yoga combo, that is fast paced, and doesn't hold the stretches.  I take Pilates at the gym, on the equipment (love the reformer!) and since the yoga challenge, I have decided that yoga is a great compliment to Pilates.

All this rambling has a point.  I recently supported a kickstarter campaign, that I think will be super awesome.  If you like yoga, and want to enjoy your practice at home, you should totally check it out.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/andreaszoltan/myyogapro-a-revolutionary-way-to-learn-and-practic

That's pretty much it this week.

Tea and Trick or Treating

The question in my head today is, do kids go door to door anymore to trick or treat?  When I was single, I can only remember a handful of kids that knocked on my door.  And that is over a ten year period.

Now, I do have to take into account, that in that time I spent many a Halloween working either graveyard or swing shift.  So I was either sleeping or working most Halloweens when the kids would be out.  But, in the time that I have been working an 8-5 job I only see about 2-3 kids each year.

And each year the downtown businesses do a big trick or treating thing, the malls do a trick or treating thing, and a few other businesses have special trick or treating events.  Not to mention the churches that do the "trunk or treating".

So, with this being the first year I'm taking my child out I have to decide.  Will we go door to door? or will we simply do a few events and go home?

Honestly.  Probably the events and go home.  For one, most of those are on the Saturday before Halloween, and I don't have time to get home from work, get everyone ready, get dinner on the table and get trick or treating in before bath and bedtime.  I can barely get dinner on the table before bath and bedtime. Lets not add in the Halloween sugar addiction.

So tell me, do you trick or treat door to door?

Tea and snow

Friday it was chocolate mint tea day.  I'm not sure what brand it is, but it's teabags not loose leaf.  I'm going to order teavana's chocolate mint tea soon, and see how that tastes.

Friday, I stayed home from work.  My babysitter didn't want to try traveling in the weather, and I don't blame them.  So I watched as around 16 inches of snow dumped onto my yard.  I wandered outside early in the morning to shake the snow off the trees.  The sound of tree branches cracking and breaking all around the yard and in the neighbors yards is a scary sound.  Very never ending story nothingness.....

I went out with my husband after dark, when the snow was slowing down, to shake the trees again.

Today, he's been cleaning up branches all day.  This crazy snowstorm completely snapped the top of some trees around here.  But really, we have it easy.  A good chunk of this town was plunged into darkness as the tree branches downed power lines.  Now we, the collective we, as in the entire town, is going to be spending the next week or so cleaning up tree branches, and trimming what's left of the trees so they survive the rest of the winter.

Tea and Fall

Today's tea is  Sterling Tea Caramel Nut.  Is it currently brewing as I type, but it does have a nice caramel flavor, and there are bits of almonds in it.  I think I've posted about it before.

Fall is here.  We had a bit of a snowfall Friday, and even though the weatherman predicted it, I didn't believe him and was surprised when I woke up and it was snowing Friday morning.  It followed a nice heavy rainstorm on Thursday night, so everything was heavy with snow.  Trees hung low, our canopy we have set up in the back yard is fairly demolished.  The metal rods that used to support the canopy in an arching upward fashion, are now arching down, so you have to duck under them.  Since this is the first September snowstorm we've had in four years, and the temps were in the high seventies all week prior to this, I don't think anyone was prepared.

So today I have some fall yard work to tend to.  Mostly coiling up hoses, picking up all kinds of branches that broke off the tree yesterday, and putting any leftover remnants of summer away.  While it's sad to see the warmer days go, at the same time I can look forward to having just a little more time to myself.  Since now my evenings and weekends won't be full of tending the lawn and garden.

Which means that this is the first weekend since the gardening began that I have brewed a full pot of tea!  Because while I do have yard work to do today.  I don't think it will take up that much of my time.  (why am I blogging instead of doing that?  I'm waiting for my two year old to settle down and nap.  At the moment she is in her room singing to herself.)

Today is the first day the farmers market down the street is selling pumpkins.  Since I always have put it off until the last second, I have always run around town finding out that not even Walmart has pumpkins.  This year I was prepared and a week or so ago I had cash in my car, waiting for the pumpkin sign to show its self.  Therefor, I have acquired quite the large pumpkin (as seen below)  Now I must keep it safe and chilled until Halloween, and we can carve it into a large "masterpiece"

You'll also notice the BOX of pomegranates.  I love pomegranates. In fact, that bowl of seeds pictured is already mostly gone.  This is the only box of fruit I will get from bountifulbaskets.org because at the moment, I don't can, or freeze, or any of that sort of thing.  And my husband doesn't think to eat the fruit in the house as a general rule, so I eat most of it.  So a box of peaches or apples would go bad before it could get used.  But a box of pomegranates won't.  I know because I got a box last fall and I pretty much ate the entire thing.  Which is not ever something to be ashamed about.  It's not like it's a pallet of cupcakes we're talking about.

If you have not heard of bountifulbaskets.org I urge you to look into it.  It is a very affordable way to try a wide range of fruits and vegetables.  Through them I have discovered my love for butternut squash, and Brussels spouts.    Not to mention I've finally learned not to hate bananas.  Like I said, my husband won't just snack on the fruit.  I have way too many frozen bananas in the fridge waiting to turn into cookies, or bread, or something to not just start eating them, and learning to like them.

Well, it sounds like a nap is not in the works today.  Looks like I'm going to have to bundle the little girl up and take her out there on my yard cleaning mission with me.

Until next time, enjoy that cup of tea!

(Can you tell I write so much better at three in the afternoon instead of about midnight?)

Tea and Teacups!

The tea this week has been fireside by The Old Wilmington Tea Company.  Mostly a cinnamon tea.  But it's a bit too cinnamon for my taste.  Probably thanks to some email I got a few months ago that said hot water mixed with cinnamon and honey is good for all kinds of things.  So I drank said hot water with cinnamon and honey for about a week or two.  Now, any seriously cinnamon tea makes my stomach turn a bit.  Which is sad, since I did enjoy such teas prior to that.

So this week I visited a thrift store, and found a pretty teacup to drink my tea out of!  I have been drinking it out of the prettiest coffee cup I own up until this point.  Granted, this is my cup for drinking tea at home.  I still use my silly cat mug at work.  Although, I am seriously considering going back to the thrift store to find another cup for work.

I had been looking all over town, and a few places online, for a nice teacup.  Why I never thought to look in a thrift store I don't know.  I wasn't even looking when I went to the store.  I was just there because of my job.

I don't know, there is just something about drinking your tea out of a delicate tea cup to make you feel all fancy, no matter what you are wearing.

Of course, I had to take a photo of my first cup of tea in my new teacup.

Tea and rain

This week has been crazy.  Between the constant overcast days.  The rain that has followed, and not to mention all the flooding going on, it's been different.

At the beginning of the week I stepped out, and found that fall had arrived!  Saturday we were running through the sprinklers, Monday I'm shopping for sweater dresses.

So, the tea of the week has been "holiday" by Old Wilmington Tea Company  It has the perfect flavor to begin the fall with.



As I was enjoying the fall weather outside, I was pondering pencils inside.

I wonder how many people, not counting school children, still use a pencil.  Anymore people directly type their thoughts, projects, or what have you's onto a screen.  Whether it is a computer, tablet, cell phone, what have you.

I find that when it comes to this blog, I just type it out.

When I have a moment to work on my book (because we all are working on a book right?) I use a pencil.

When I am at work, again, I use a pencil.  There is just something to putting a pencil to paper that seems to help me think creatively.

And it has nothing to do with the fact that you can erase a pencil.  I can erase text I type a lot easier than I can erase a pencil.  I am a bit heavy handed when it comes to writing.

To tell me, what is your preferred method of letting your creativity show?

Tea and meditation

Tea of the week has been a return to the cupcake tea.  Although, there really hasn't been much tea drinking this week.  It seems the busier I am, the less tea I have time to brew.

This week I spent quite a bit of my free time at home rearranging my office to fit in a desk that a house down the street abandoned.  The entire experiment started with moving a bookcase across the room. Then trying to get the desk into the room, only to find it didn't fit.

Of course, with a little (er, lot) of re-arranging I managed to get everything to fit, and ended up getting a lot of the clutter off the floor.

Which leads me to the actual point to this whole entry.

In creating a giant mess,  I managed to clean up an area that has been a constant thought in the back of my mind.  In the sense that I walk in the room to get something, look around, grimace, and shut the door.  In the end, the larger mess encompassed the smaller mess, as of course, I had to clean up the entire thing.

And now, I have an office that is a space I can relax in.

Now, the challenge will be keeping the clutter of the desk.  Being a flat space and all.....

Everyone needs a space that is there own.  A room, or even a corner.  Depending on your situation.  But whatever it is, make that space, take it over with the things you love.  Own that space.  It will help create a sense of self and and calm.

Or at least it will give you someplace to go when the world has gone mad.

I have returned

The previously mentioned pomegranate tea has been in my cup the last few weeks.  

My computer was almost drop kicked through the window. Or at least out the door.  It's acting a little nicer today, but still not completely behaving its self.  I blame Windows 8.  

Anyway.

Right now the only thing I have on my mind is a book I read years and years ago.  I have no idea what it was called, or who wrote it.  And Google is of no help at the moment.

So, what's a person to do?

Well, what this person is going to do is describe what I remember and hope someone knows what I'm talking about.

Pretty sure it was a Harlequin book.

It was about this woman who was blind, the starting scene is her running into a man after going to the library, literally.  He, of course, is completely upset until he realizes she is blind.  Romance ensues until the end when she shows up and can see.  She had lenses placed in her eyes and had voluntarily been blind for a year as research for newspaper articles (or something of that nature).  I want to say he had some kind of a scar or something on his face.  Not quite disfiguring, but enough that he was more comfortable with her when she was blind.

So, if this story is at all familiar to anyone out there, leave me a comment! I'd love to find this book again.

tea and..... tea.

This week I've been loving Let's do tea's Pomegranate black tea.  Seriously can't get enough of it!

So, I thought I would talk about my progression into tea.  When I was growing up, my family only drank herbal tea, and usually only peppermint tea.  I usually had about four spoonfuls of sugar in my cup and enjoyed every cup.  Once, when I was about nine or ten I was sick with a stomach bug, and we happened to have run out of peppermint tea.  I had an uncle recently visit who enjoyed black tea, so there was a box in the house.  My mom made a cup for me to help my stomach.  I took one sip and never wanted to touch the stuff again.

Years went by, I left for collage, I stuck with the herbal teas, but ventured out in flavors.  I browsed the tea aisle at the grocery store every chance I got.  If I had a bit of extra money, I'd buy a new flavor and try it.  I had quite the tea collection going.  But all of it, herbal.

It wasn't until I met my husband that I actually tried black tea again.  In the form of "sun tea".  Again, lots of sugar was involved, but I was hooked.

When we met I had been listening to the artist Emilie Autumn for a few years.  After we married I purchased the "Opheliac" companion album.  As I listened to the story behind her latest musical album, and the frequent tea breaks I actually because a little obsessed with learning to like tea.  Preferably with no sugar involved.  After some internet searching I came across an article talking about the correct steeping times, which were much shorter then I had been steeping.

Meanwhile, my tea collection grew.  Now I was adding REAL tea to my collection.  Picking up tins at Big Lots, and stopping in the tea aisle at the grocery store every other week.

For four years I drank my way through boxes of tea.  Replacing my spurts of only drinking Dr. Pepper while at work with spurts of only drinking tea.

Then one day I ordered a tin of tea from Emilie Autumn's website.  It was loose leaf tea.  The first I had ever bought.

Now, I did not immediately switch over.  It was good, but it's a pain to make. You need a tea ball, or something of that sort.  Too cumbersome for me to go to work with.  But, my weekends were a different matter.  About a month after that purchase I ordered a few samples from Old Wilmington Tea company.  I'd brew a pot and drink it all myself.  I'd do this all weekend until late spring where I spent more time outside working on the yard, and really only spent time inside to eat and bathe.

Then, in May (yes, this year) I was given a portable tea maker as a gift.  It was perfect, I could store the leaves in the top part. Take it to work, and make loose leaf tea all day as I sat at my desk.

About a month later I determined that the downfall of my tea was the water at work.  So I started bringing my own filtered water.

Now, my collection is vast.  Tea flavors I haven't cared for have been abandoned in cupboards at work for others to try (someone must like it for them to sell it right?)

I still have quite a selection of tea in bags, that I'm working my way through.  Of course the green tea is my husbands, as he has a cup every night before bed.

But I feel it will take a long time to get through the multitude of tea bags as I just can't stop drinking the loose leaf tea.

And yes, I have stopped adding any sugar to my tea.  Except for iced tea or "sun tea"  but that is a rare treat.  For some reason I don't care for my tea cold and unsweetened.

Give me a nice warm cup of tea to relax with.  It's great for those days at work when you want to cut someones throat with a piece of paper. (don't tell me you don't have those days)  Just relax, take a few deep breaths, breath in the aroma and sip.  If someone complains, I just say "I don't smoke, this is my break I don't get because of it."  (not that anyone has complained, but you must be ready at all times to defend your tea!)

The week off is coming to an end

I did a bit of shopping today at the local stores and found this wonderful new tea by let'sdotea called Fitness Curve Black & Green Herbal Infusion Tea.  I was hesitant, but the store had a sample you could smell... and it smelled wonderful.  I've already had three cups.  Seriously good stuff.  Supposed to be good for you as well.

So.  As I had mentioned earlier this week.  I had the week off.  And I think I worked harder this week then I have in a long time.  Wednesday I did manage to lay all 48 stepping stones in my front yard.  I took a bucket of my little ponies out and my daughter didn't touch a single one.  She did, however, grab a little garden shovel and sat digging in the dirt while I did my own digging to get the ground level.  Granted, all 48 were not put in place while she was awake.  I was surprised I did all of them in one day.  I had planned it in groups of 16 and figured that would be the rest of my week.  But once I got going I just wanted to finish.

Then there was another trip to the store to purchase perennials.  I bought quite a variety and planted them all.  Kinda silly since summer has maybe one month left.  But, if I can get them established, then next spring it will be easier to decide what to fill the rest of the area with.  I can see what actually returns in this weather, and buy a lot of them.  There is one leafy plant I hope comes back next year, because I think it would look beautiful if I lined the entire edge of the flower garden next to the house with it.   Of course, it would help a little if I hadn't thrown away the tag that says the name of the plant.  But, if it comes back, I'll be able to recognize it in the store.  If not, then no more big box store plants for me.  Local nursery grown plants will be what I look at next year.

The week has been so busy that I can't believe that it's coming to an end and tomorrow evening I have to start the usual routine of getting everything ready to go to work.  I did so much, and yet there is so much more I wanted to do!

Plus, it has been such an almost drama free week.  And the only drama was caused by work when I agreed to give a co-worker a lift to work.

Of course, since I've been gone a week, I'm sure there will be enough drama to take care of to fill up pages and pages and pages of novels....  It's just a matter of remembering it all late at night on a Saturday.

Until next week.  Enjoy your tea, in whatever setting makes you calm and happy!

Surprise Entry

Everyone needs to swing by "The Asylum Emporium" http://www.asylumemporium.com/collections/featured-items and indulge in a cup of Basil's Brew Tea.  Yummy refreshing minty flavor.

So, it's only Tuesday. Surprise entry this week.   

This is because I have this week off, and therefore, I can. ;-)  Since I am not doing anything with my vacation, I shall just be playing housewife for the week.  My husband will be working the remainder of the week, so it will just be myself and my little one during the day.  Tomorrows grand plan....  laying stepping stones in the flower garden.

I'm a fun person right?  We'll see how much of this task I can accomplish with a 2 year old running around. I have half a plan that might work.  I think if I take as many of the various horse related toys she has (that aren't plush) I might be able to entertain her for a good.... ten minutes?  that should get 2 out of 48 stones in place.  Then if I'm really lucky she might take a nap.  That could get another 14 in.  Since I really only planned this adventure in sets of 16 anyway, I'll be right on track.  Hopefully by the end of the week I'll have them all down and I can hide from yard work (outside of watering that is) on Saturday.

But, there is a planned trip to the library.  And, the reason I'm taking this week of, my husbands family is in town.  So....  we'll see how reality will interrupt my plans.  At least I had the foresight to take all the stones out of my husbands truck tonight.  Would do me no good if they are miles away park outside his office.

Today as I was putting away leftover spaghetti I realized I really need to go through all the "Tupperware" in my house and find out why it is I have so many lids, but no containers.  I"m seriously baffled by this discovery.  I know at one time there were containers to go with all the lids...  but they appear to have been eaten by the cupboards.  My cupboards are very hungry by nature, and things tend to vanish all the time.

Stay tuned for the most <i>exciting</i> update on Saturday about those stones.  Will I get them done? who knows? maybe something super exciting will happen to prevent me... like finding a map in a fortune cookie.  hahaha

My ultimate, favorite tea is almond vanilla by Old Wilmington Tea Company. I took one drink of that and fell in love.  When I'm having a bad day, or week, It is my tea of choice to get through it.  This week has been something else.

The short version is, a lot of drama about nothing.  I manage a department. The supervisor I have and his assistant are causing some drama that I could do without.  It's all because he would love to date her, and she would love for him to fall off the planet.

As is always the case, all he managed to do was make the entire workplace an awkward situation for many people, and all he can do is drone on and on and on about what she did to him.

Unneeded drama that is not helping any situation there.

Then to top it all off, somewhere my office is bugged.  Because the Boss always manages to bring subjects up right after we talk about them.  So I knew when the assistance lack of work was discussed, I would hear about it from the Boss.  And sure enough. Monday morning I got a phone call.

Now, as soon as the supervisor stuck up for the assistant, and tried to give her a second chance for her job, the Boss called me and speculated about their activities outside of work.  Because why would he be so hell bent on saving her job?

And that is a question I've asked all week since one minute she is horrible, and the very next sentence she is great.

This is a case of, now the Boss and myself are closely watching her. And time will soon tell if she is as great as the supervisor thinks, or if he needs to get himself into some intense therapy.

No great insight to be had this week. Outside of, think before you make things awkward.  Sometimes an office romance works.  But really, if you are a supervisor over someone.....  Don't do it.  Just don't even go there.

This weeks tea....  Cupcake by Old Wilmington Tea Company.  The first time I tried this I didn't like it at all.  But, I think it was my fault.  I forgot I was steeping it, and have no idea it steeped before I actually drank it.  This week I put a timer on it, and it's much better.

Nothing like dreaming of all the possibilities of what you want to do. I'm old enough, you would think I would have figured it out by now.  But I've looked into opening my own business a few times.  This time around I have looked in to more than before.  Enough that the price is the only thing scaring me away.  And yet, I'm looking for ways to raise that money.

I think I have read so much information on the business I really want to get into that it is the only thing on my brain.  Thus, I will leave this post short.

There were numerous things I was going to write about this week, but as I sit here at my computer, I don't remember a thing.  So, this next week I will try to write things down as they pop in my head and perhaps next week will have a far more interesting post.

 

A bit more mint

This week I have moved on to Old Wilmington Tea co's Marrakech Mint.  A very minty blend. 

I drove across the bridge, if I was dreaming I had nothing to loose.  If I wasn't dreaming, then I had to see this strange adventure through to the end.  Another person directs me to turn left and I park my car alongside the castle.  As I get out they walk toward me.  I warily look them over.  They are wearing what looks like a full coat of armor, almost like I had stepped back in time.  They lifted their helmet and I found myself looking at.... myself.

"Welcome to our castle, the Prince has gone ahead to the throne room.  If you will follow me I'll take you to him."  She (I?) said and started to walk toward the castle

"Wait.  Where am I, and who are you?" I asked, as I hurried after her, the confusion strong in my voice.

"I am Sarah.  I'm a mirror chameleon.  The Prince will fill you in on where you are."

"Chameleon?  You don't look like a lizard to me" I looked her up and down, honestly looking for a tail.  She stopped and turned to look at me.

"I mirror whomever I am looking at.  It appears to be startling to those who have never met my kind.  If you would please follow me the Prince will answer all your questions" She started to turn but before I could stop myself I asked
"What happens if you look at another mirror chameleon?"
Sarah raised an eyebrow. "interesting question.  As there are so few of my kind, I can't answer that." She turned and continued walking toward the castle "I was brought here when I was very young, and have not met another of my kind.  It is told that when we are together, our true self is revealed.  But I have learned there is much myth and little truth in this land."  She led me through a tunnel that curved through ornate carvings and sculptures. "While you are visiting this place, remember that nothing is as it seems.  Even the Prince." She stopped before a huge set of doors and turned.  She seemed to be studying me, weighing her thoughts before she continued.
"Many have lost themselves here.  I do not know why you are here, or if you are destined to return home. But what the Prince says is true. What most others say is false, even if they make more sense." She paused and looked up. "I perhaps have said too much." She looked back to me. "be careful, do not lose yourself. Remember where you come from, and you will find your way home." With that bit of advice ringing through my head the doors were opened and she bid me to walk into the throne room.

I'm not sure I will ever be able to accurately describe the beauty of the room.  It appeared to be carved out of a single piece of crystal.  The ceiling glowed like the aurora borealis, while rainbows seemed to skip over the walls.  Sitting on a jewel encrusted throne was the gentleman that had motioned me into this crazy land.

I walked up to him, and before I could ask he said "you wish to know why you are here.  That answer is simple.  You chose to come.  The map can be easily ignored.  Thrown away.  You chose your path, and now the question is, what do you intend to do with it?"

I opened my mouth, but had no response.  I swallowed and shook my head. "I don't understand.  What is this place?"

The Prince leaned back and closed his eyes in thought before responding.  "It is a place of magic.  Only visible to the outside world a few moments out of a year we serve to keep the colors and imagination alive in all animals.  When a map comes in possession to one in your world it can only mean that help will soon be needed.  Very few have followed up on the map.  That is why there is so much chaos in your world."  He paused and studied me.  "You are meant to do great things.  But your work is not here.  And it is not your job to fix the world.  You must return, and be a witness to what is to come.  Someday people will read your accounts of the events to take place, and will understand the deeper meaning behind them."

After a moment of silence I asked, "That is it?  I venture into this unknown land just to be told to 'witness' what is going to happen?"

The Prince nodded "not all that receive the map are meant to be heroes.  Most have no roll to play whatsoever.  Very few actually pay attention."  he glanced toward the doors. "your time here is limited, and you must leave now if you wish to return home.  To stay here could prove detrimental to you, and your world.  You may not be a hero, but like I said, you are destined for greatness and if you are here, that will not come to pass.  Return the way you came.  The path will open for you to return home, but never to return here."

I felt I had so many questions, but none would form in my mind as I was ushered out of the room.  Sarah met me by the door and escorted me back to my car.

"Normally, you must find your way home." she said with a strange tone in her voice. "You must be special for the Prince to want to ensure you are returned safely."

I climbed in my car and started it up.  Carefully I started to maneuver across the bridge.  As I was halfway across something very large and dark descended in front of me.  As adrenalin rushed through me, I slammed on the breaks and cranked the steering wheel, forgetting I was on a bridge.  I screamed as I went over the side. The force of the airbag hitting my head caused me to see stars before everything went black.

When I next opened my eyes I was lying in my bed at home.  I jumped up and ran to the window.  My car sat undamaged and pristine in the parking lot.  Sitting on the edge of the bed I shook my head as the details of the very vivid dream played in my head.

As I stood I noticed body aches that didn't make sense.  If I had really been in a car crash like I dreamt, sure, but as I woke up with a perfectly fine car sitting in the parking lot I was baffled.  Walking into the bathroom I looked in the mirror and gasped.  My face was black and blue. But even scarier was the helmet Sarah had worn sitting on the shelf behind me.  I turned and picked it up.  It was real. As I turned it in my hands a piece of paper fell out.

I picked it up, and scribbled in hard to read handwriting was "I was ordered to get you home safe, and I have done so.  Remember all you have seen"

I set the helmet back on the shelf.  It would remain with me always as  reminder to observe.  As we watch the chaos unfold, we sometimes feel helpless in the face of it.  The helplessness and hopelessness can fade when reminded of the magic that surrounds us.  Simply look at a rainbow, or how a child can find wonder in rocks to realize that not all is bad with the world.

A taste of mint

On a mint kick this week.  I've been indulging in Old Wilmington Tea's "Double Mint" all week.  Such a refreshing little tea.


I'm sure you have heard the joke about the fortune cookie.  "Help I'm trapped in a fortune cookie factory"
But never have you heard of a fortune cookie containing a map.  How they fit the map in the fortune cookie I'll never know.

but let me backtrack a bit...

It was a lazy summer Saturday, I had no plans, and that was just fine.  As I wandered through the kitchen opening cupboards and eating nothing I decided to make a trip to the local Big Lots to see what I could find.

After a fairly non eventful trip I found myself standing in the food isle looking at boxes of fortune cookies.  A few brands I've seen before, a few brands I've never heard of.  After debating I chose one at the end of the isle.  It was kinda off by itself, like it was a product that had been found at the back of the truck after the rest of the fortune cookies had been stocked.  There were a couple cans of soup and rice between it and the rest of the cookies.  Not to mention there was only one box left.

I figured that was a good sign.  Everyone must have bought out the rest of the boxes.  And the box design was brilliant.  It wasn't the usual red and blacks that for some reason always seem to be associated with fortune cookies, and other Chinese food.  This box was bright florescent colors.  Pinks and purples, as if it had been transported from some flashy 80's movie.

I picked up the box, wandered to the checkout, and confused the checkout lady.  The box had no price sticker, and she had never seen the item in the store before.  As I've seen that happen before, I gave no thought to it as she rung me up for the "usual" cost of fortune cookies and off I went.

I didn't wait to get home before I opened them.  I just sat in my car and started munching on the cookies.  The third cookie held an oddity, a map.  I set the box down on the passenger seat and unfolded this little piece of paper into a full sized map.

"what the....."  was the extent of my vocabulary as surprise stunned my mind.  No way did a full size map just come out of a fortune cookie, but there it was, in my hands.

I started to study the map and saw it was of my town.  There was the street I was currently on (well, parked next to).  There was the street I lived on, the park, the forest outside of town, and so on.

But added to it was a road I had never seen on any map.  One in the forest that I knew couldn't be there.  I'd driven through that forest so many times I knew it by heart.

I scratched my head, shrugged and turned on the car.  I have nothing better to do, might as well drive to the forest.

I've always found a great peace in the trees that start on the outskirts of town.  When life gets hectic, I often escape to the area, so a spur of the moment drive to the forest is nothing new with me.

As I get closer to where the road shows up on the map I am surprised to find the road right there in plain site.  I know I've never seen this before, and have never heard of anyone going down it before.  I pull onto it and stop the car, leaving the engine running.  I look at the map and see that it goes for about a mile then ends abruptly.

Slowly I drive forward.  I don't know why the road ends like it does, and I don't want to discover a hidden cliff the hard way.  I watch my gauges, and after 3/4 a mile the trees clear and I see a castle.  Mote and everything.

Rubbing my eyes I pinch myself.  I have got to be dreaming, there is no way this is real.  I don't wake up, but then who has ever woken up from pinching themselves? Slowly I drive forward and park a few feet from the edge of the mote.  I check my cell phone and find there is absolutely no signal.  Shrugging I leave it in the car and start to walk along the mote looking for a way across.

A half hour later I have walked the entire mote and am standing next to my car scratching my head.  I suppose your not supposed to get across one of these things to a castle if they don't want you to, but why is there a castle in the middle of Wyoming?

Looking at my watch I see it's getting late.  I get into the car and turn around.  I drive forward a few feet before realizing the road is gone.  Slamming on the breaks I throw the car into park and quickly get out.  I pace back and forth where the road should be.  Now trees block the path.  As I pace I hear a noise behind me.  Turning I see a large bridge lowering across the mote.  As it lowers a man walks across it.  He speaks to me in what I assume to be Chinese, but for some reason I understand him.

"Drive your chariot? this way. You may keep it inside the mote where it's safe."

Then he turns around and walks back.  The bridge finishes it's descent and looking around I realize my only other option is to continue pacing in front of my car looking for a road that once was.  I slowly climb into my car, check my cell phone to confirm there still was no signal, and drive across the mote......

.....To be continued next week....

Today is a good day for a nice cup of Darjeeling tea.  Preferably outside, in the early morning sun.  Before it gets too hot.

Many thoughts have crossed my mind for the topic of the first entry of this blog.  Not to mention the topic of the entire blog in general.

Or even the reasoning behind it.

I have come to the conclusion that it shall be very free form. My reality one week.  The fictional stories in my head the next.

And this one entry to explain that not all is as it seems.  I'm not going to specify at the beginning of an entry if it's fact or fiction.  For one, it will let me relay the strange realities I've run across in an anonymous fashion.

So with that said.  On with the blog....


You know your duration at a job is getting long when you visit a client and the words out of their new assistance mouth is "she still works there?"
That is what happened to me last Wednesday.  I went into a store where a former co-worker was now working.  I do enjoy my job.  I get to see many businesses that I would otherwise not know about.  Or so I imagine.
But since I'm in the business of making TV commercials for local companies, one would imagine that if I weren't doing that.  I would at least see them on TV, thus learning about the business.

Honestly, probably not.  I find it more and more difficult to find time for TV. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing.  It is just what happens when you manage to have a life.

So, I walk into this store, and that's one of the first things I hear.  Great way to send my mind into a quick spin of what I could do instead of my current job.  Longevity at a business isn't a bad thing usually.  But sometimes you feel like you are in a rut.  You are there because that's all you know. To leave would be to have to learn a whole new profession. To take a pay cut. To enter the unknown.

Most of us don't have the luxury to enter the unknown.  We have bills, a family, and the few luxuries we come to rely on.  So we carry on. Day to day, going to work, paying those bills, coming home with the thoughts of how it could be better, how the grass is greener over there.

And not really taking a good look at the grass we are standing on.

It's amazing that when you stop and look beyond the so called flaws of you life what you really have.  Around this time I got an email with my "easy yoga move of the day" It was to relax, breath deeply, and think about all the things you are grateful for.

We spend so much time looking at the flaws in our self, and our lives, that the joy that is standing right in front of us has a hard time competing.

So, yes, I still work there, and that's a good thing.