Gone But Not Forgotten

(Promt #298 from my 300 writing prompts journal)

The question was "Have you ever had the rotten experience of having to put a pet down?"  I chose to go with the first pet that was actually mine, rather than a family pet.

My very first pet that I could call mine was a sweet, hooded rat named Spot (so called due to the small caramel colored spot in the white fur on her back).  She was such a sweet rat and very smart.  Her favorite food was mashed potatoes and she'd eat them right from my finger.

Spot was developing tumors, like many rats do when they get old.  When it became hard for her to breathe, I knew that it was time.  It was heartbreaking for me because she was my best friend and confidant.  I petted her and told her how much I loved her as she went to sleep for the last time.  I refused to let the vet dispose of her body.  I took her home, placed her in a box full of flowers with a eulogy taped to the lid, and buried her in the flower garden.  Even to this day, I still think of her and miss her.

She looked a lot like this rat but with only one spot of light brown in the white fur on her spine.

(Picture from: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/2a/d2/82/2ad282574fa8b9a343864ce1a2c7becb.jpg)

Starry Night

So last year, my good friend Marie gave me a journal of 300 writing prompts.  I did one, which you can read here http://thehookandthepen.blogspot.com/2016/06/lazy-day.html , but I forgot/lost the journal for a while.  I rediscovered it the other day and decided that, starting today, I am giving myself until the end of 2018 to complete the other 299 prompts.


Here is #299: What is your favorite work of art?  What do you love about it?

As cliche as it may sound, I love Van Gough's Starry Night.  To me, it makes me think of the churning and swirling of the cosmos.  When we look up at the stars at night, all we see are little balls of light that twinkle ever so slightly.  It you are lucky, you may even see a streak of fire as a meteor comes through our atmosphere and gets burned to nothingness.  But that is all we see, at least with the naked eye.  We don't get to see the fires that churn on each star's surface, sending their light in every known direction in the universe for all life to see.  Starry Night seems to encompass a small part of that celestial dance, at least to me.

(Picture from: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ea/Van_Gogh_-_Starry_Night_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg/1280px-Van_Gogh_-_Starry_Night_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg)

Gift to the World

With all the negative stuff that is happening in the world today, it is wonderful to hear the positive things that kids can come up with.

In my 3rd grade class today, we did a short writing assignment about what gift we would give the world.  The other group that was working in the room with the 3rd grade teacher was having fun coming up with silly gifts and not being very serious about it.  My group, however, blew me away.  

My five students came up with gifts like money for bills, food for hungry people, new clothes and shoes for everyone, pets to teach people how to love, and so much more.  These are students whose families don't have a ton of money so they know how important the necessities are.  It was amazing to hear these things come out of kids that are eight to nine years old.

With their words, it made me feel as if there is still some hope for our world.

(Picture from: http://sendinglovetotheworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Give-the-Free-Gift-of-Love-to-the-World.jpg)

My Goddess of Writing

I have always been a lover of mythologies, especially those of Greece and Egypt.  Recently I came across a name of an Egyptian goddess that I didn't know of: Seshat.  It took a bit of time but I found out who she is.  In a nut shell, she is the goddess of writing.  (For more info, click this link: https://www.ancient.eu/Seshat/)

What better goddess for a writer to invoke while working on a manuscript?  I know many that ask the Muses for inspiration and ideas to place in their manuscript.  While I am grateful for the inspiration, I don't always need it.  What I do need is the motivation to start the writing process.  Once I get going, I can only be stopped by cramps in my fingers.

So, to the Goddess Seshat I offer up this prayer:

Lady Seshat, goddess of writing
May my fingers always be nimble as I type my manuscript
May my characters be complex and may the storyline never be flat
May my writing be an inspiration to those that read it

(Picture from http://www.crystalinks.com/seshatglyphs.jpg)

You Can Be Santa

Santa is seen as a spirit of giving; an individual who thinks of nothing but bringing joy to good children and encouraging those that aren't doing so well to do better.  Now I know that this is something that many kids believe in and very few adults do, but why discourage believing in Santa?  Hear me out.

Santa is more than a person.  Santa represents the good that can dwell in everyone's hearts.  He is the idea that everyone can help those around them, brighten their day, and lift their spirits when they are feeling down.  And even though it is only for a brief period, that spark of joy & wonder that Santa brings can help ignite a fire of love and hope in the people that the spark touches.

Now, a lot of people would say that it is wrong to tell kids that Santa is a real person and that they are only letting them down when they are older.  I can understand the disappointment that a kid can feel when they find out that Santa is not a real person but there is no need to kill the spirit of Santa within them.  Every child should be able to hold onto that sense of wonder, joy, and love for others that they get when they believe in Santa.

So, on this holiday season, I will continue to believe in the spirit of Santa and the good it can do for this world.  I will do my best to embody the best qualities of Santa, not only now but during the whole year.  Maybe if everyone can do this, the world will not seem so dark.

(Picture from: https://d3ewd3ysu1dfsj.cloudfront.net/images/stories/large/18904.jpg)

Hallway Poem

I sit alone
On the outside.
You all enjoy the shows
Yet I am still on the outside.
No one asks
They just assume
That I will do it all
And that it is okay.
But it is not.
So remind me again
Why I do this?

What Would Santa Do?

I realize that it is still October but many stores are putting out or have already put out their holiday decorations.  Soon, there will be tons of normally nice people transforming into sadistic, discount demanding, spawns of evil.  They will argue with associates over every little thing, picking at imaginary flaws in the merchandise and trying to get an item that normally costs $10 down to $5 just because they feel that they have the right to be a tightwad and that the associate they are dealing with is just a drone with absolutely no feelings what so ever & only exists just to serve the customer.

Well, I am here to point out a few things that you, as a holiday shopper, can do to make your shopping experience easier & a lot more pleasant and not be the person that an associate wishes, as my good friend Melodie Ramone said, that "Santa shits under your tree".  And I am including my brothers and sisters in the food industry as well.

Rule #1: Be prepared
Nothing is worse than dealing with a customer who has no idea what they are looking for.  My best friend Marie used to work at a bookstore and she actually had to say "There are 5,000 blue books. I have no idea which one you are looking for".  Don't just give a random description of what you are looking for.  Do what you were told in school: do your homework.  Most people have cellphones these days.  Take a picture of what you are looking for or text yourself a description or sku of the item.  Retail associates are dealing with a lot of people during the holiday season and nothing drives them nuts more than a very vague description that could be applied to over half the items in the store.

Rule #2: Read the fine print
The holidays is a big time for coupons.  I am a lover of a good coupon but, unlike many of the customers that come into the store I work, I actually read the fine print.  Make sure that the coupon that you are holding will actually work on what you are purchasing.  It is rather frustrating dealing with a screaming customer who insists that the coupon "should work" and having to explain that it doesn't because of what it says in the fine print.  You will save yourself a lot of pain and aggravation if you just take a few extra seconds out of your shopping day and READ THE FINE PRINT!

Rule #3:  Don't wait till the last minute
Oh holy mother, this one has to be one of the top of the frustrating list.  If you actually think that one of the hottest items will actually still be available three days before Christmas, you must be smoking something really strong.  Stores are sent a limited number of items and their online store warehouses only have so much storage room.  You have 2 choices: one, stop being a cheapskate and actually buy the item when the stores have plenty but may not be on sale or two, wait until the item goes on sale right before the holiday and risk it not being in stock.  It is your choice.  And that leads us right to the next rule.

Rule #4: Stock is limited
Stores have a finite amount of space.  They can only hold so much.  Do not ask if there is more in the "back room", as if there is a pocket in the space/time continuum that holds extras of everything that you could possibly want.  It does not happen.  If an associate says that it is the last one, over 99% of the time, they aren't lying.  they don't have it.  They have checked their inventory.  If there was some at another store or online, they will probably tell you.  If they don't, POLITELY ask about the possibility.

Rule #5: Be aware of your surroundings
Stores will have many more people in them than other times of the year.  If you are one of those people who insist on carrying a purse that could double as a piece of luggage, it would be better for you to switch to a smaller bag so you don't take out associates, merchandise, or your fellow customers.  This particular rule also includes making sure you know where the line starts and who is already waiting to check out.  Don't just set your stuff on the counter where there is a sign that says "register closed" and expect service.  Read the signs people and you won't have your fellow customers slashing your car tires because you decided that you were better than everyone else.

Rule #6: Patience is a virtue
This is a big one folks.  The holiday season is a busy one for everyone: shoppers and retailers alike.  Lines are going to be longer, stuff may sell out quicker, and people's tempers are definitely shorter.  It is supposed to be the season where you are to show love and kindness to your fellow human beings.  If something is sold out, if they don't have what you want, if your coupon doesn't work (see rule 2), don't turn into a demon and verbally abuse the people trying to help you or your fellow customers.  Remember, they are just people who have feelings that can be hurt by individuals who feel that it is okay to flay people bloody with their evil tongues.  Take a deep breath and put yourself into the other person's shoes before you go off one them.

There will probably be a part 2 to this post as the holidays get closer.  Just don't be a douche this holiday season and remember to show kindness to your fellow man.


P.S. Please feel free to let me know of any rules that you think I should include in the comments.  :-)

(Photo from https://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Santa-Naughty-List.jpg)

867-5309

There was a song back in the early 80's that talked about seeing a phone number scrawled on the bathroom and whether or not he should call it.  (You can listen to the song here: https://youtu.be/8ou6DDG5e7I).  This got me thinking of how many times I have gone into a public bathroom and seen a number scratched into the paint of the stall wall.  It normally got my brain working on two tangents pretty regularly.

The first of these tangents was why.  Why would anyone Put someone else's phone number on the wall?  Was it for revenge or a prank?  Did they actually use a real number or did they make one up in the hopes that it would be called and the person on the other end would be rather annoyed?  I have never known any one to write a person's name on a bathroom wall, or at least no one that would admit it to me, so I have no answers to any of those questions.  My husband Lee did text a random phone number once and he said that the person was rather confused about the whole situation.

The second tangent was what would happen if I called one of those numbers.  Would the phone number actually work?  Would the call actually be connected or would it be disconnected?  Would I get a voicemail or would an actual person answer?  Since I have never actually called a number that was written inside a bathroom stall, I guess that these questions won't be answered either since I have no plans to call a random number since I get enough random calls to my phone, which annoy the hell out of me, so I don't want do it to someone else.

(Photo from http://www.toptenz.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/8675309-jenny.jpg)

At The Edge of Death

The fifth writing prompt was to write about a near death experience.  Enjoy!


I go to thinking about being near death.  A lot of movies portray it as either a very intense experience or a peaceful one.  But they both have something in common: the act leading to the near death experience is a huge one.  Many people expect that in order to have a near death experience, it has to be a major accident.

But what if I said that you can have a near death experience in a small event?  Let me give you an example.  Say you are walking down the stairs and you misjudge where the last step is.  Your heart skips a beat, leaping up into your chest.  Your breath catches in your throat and a lightning flash of a vision of injury or death from a fall appears before your eyes.  When you realize that you are okay and unharmed, your heartbeat begins to return to normal and you vow to be more careful walking down the stairs.  Did you come close to crossing the veil between the living and the dead?  Your mind seems to think so.

Me, personally, have experienced both a major and many minor near death experiences.  My major one was being hit by a car while riding my bike across the street when I was 17.  All I remember is starting across the street and the next thing I knew, I was opening my eyes and looking at the sky above me.  I was calm but I had no recollections of any major insights with my brush with death.  I do remember having several insights during my minor near death experiences.

So I ask you, which insights are more important?  The ones brought one by a minor near death experience or a major one? Or are they both equally important?  That is up to you to decide.

(Photo from: http://www.daily-tarot-girl.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/death.jpg)

A Big Change

From early adulthood onwards, I have this love/hate relationship with my hair.  I will often go through phases where I want long, then short, then long hair again.  It was during one of these short to long cycles that I decided to grow it out long enough that it could be donated to a place that could use it to make wigs for cancer patients.  I was mainly due to the actions of one person, my sister Noel.

Noel was born almost 12 years after I was and it was definitely a surprise but a good one.  Then, when she was three, she got sick and we got terrible news: it was cancer.  She went through all the treatments and dealt with a lot of the usual side effects, including hair loss.  It hurt her a lot to deal with the side effects but she missed her hair the most.  As her big sister, it hurt.  There was nothing that I could do do make it better.

So, this past weekend I decided that it was time for me to cut off the long hair I had been growing for a few years.  I divided my hair into two ponytails and let the stylist snipe them both off.  For those that haven't done this before, it is so freeing to have that much hair cut off.  Once my hair was cut to the style I wanted, I went a step further.  I changed my normal brown hair to red.  The hair that was cut off my head measured 12 inches, which should help make a great wig for someone fighting cancer.

The reaction that I got to this big change from both my jobs was almost as fun as getting the haircut itself.  My students' reactions went from "Oh my god!" to "Why did you cut it?!" to "You look like a boy." (Kindergartners, gotta love them.)  My retail coworkers were a bit more subdued but not by much.  It is really hard for people to believe that I would go and do something so extreme.

Just remember, it is hair and it grows back :-)

 My hair before the cut

Artistic Expression

My writing prompt from Marie this week was to write about my first artistic expression.  Now, even though I am a naturally artistic person, I honestly do not remember my first artistic expression.  I am sure that it must have been very similar to everyone elses; a crayon scribble across a piece of paper, but I don't remember it.  Instead, I am going to tell you about how I learned how to crochet.

My mom has major domestic skills.  Sewing, knitting, crocheting, you name it, she can probably do it.  Part of it comes from the era that she grew up in but it also comes from her environment.  She was a farmer's daughter and a lot of these skills were very handy.  After years of doing these things, she is a pro.  I still will contact her whenever I am having trouble with a pattern or two.

My mom tried to teach me when I was younger how to crochet.  Being a rather stubborn child, I tried and immediately gave up because it was too hard.  Fast forward a few years and I'm about 18 years old.  I get it into my head that I want to finally learn and I tell my mom.  She gives me an H hook, a ball of yarn, and proceeded to show me how to do a slip knot & how to do a chain.  Once I figured that out, she had me chain and chain and chain.  The chain strand was about as long as the couch before she checked on my progress.  Mom then showed me the differences in the tension of the chain stitches I had made.  Some were rather loose, some were really tight, and some were in between.  Once I had a gotten a length of just right chain stitches, she knew that I had a feel for how to hold the yarn as I work, so she took me to the next step: making a granny square.

I was able to progress rather quickly with the granny square and eventually made a blanket for my brother out of them (which I hope he still has).  Before we moved apart from each other, her from California to Montana and I from California to Illinois, she taught me one of the hardest crochet skills: how to read a pattern.  Ever since that time, I have loved crochet.  It is really cool to take just a simple string and create a fabulous piece.

So, while it may not be a memory of my first artisitc expression, it is definately the most memorable.

Think I have enough hooks?

A Cat's Love Letter

To the humans that feed us
And take away our poop
You are lucky that we tolerate you
When you give our nose a boop

We like it when you scratch our head
And give our fur a rub
But don't pet our belly
Or you'll pull back a nub

You sit in a puddle of water
And shave off your fur
But we can tolerate all this
When you really make us give a happy purr

Why you do such odd things
We often wonder about you
But none of that really matters
Since we picked you too

There is something about the things you do
And the way that you smell
It is all your strange ways
That make us love you as well

Gabby & Oscar snoozing on the bed

In Search of a Hobby

(This is the first of five different posts from Marie's and mine writer's block challenge.  Enjoy.)


 "Man, all you do ever do is work, work, work.  Don't you do anything for fun?  Don't you just relax?" complained Jax as he flopped down on the sofa next to his roommate Derrick.  Derrick just grunted, moved a random dreadlock away from his face and kept typing away on this keyboard.  Jax took a look around the darkened living room.  The curtains were doing their best at preventing the afternoon sunlight from entering the room, although some of the light was peeking through around the edges.  What little light that was creeping in barely illuminated the discarded corn dog sticks, empty chips bags, and mostly crushed cans of Citrus Kickstart laying on the mid level brown carpet of their apartment floor.  The blue sofa was starting to sag a bit where Derrick had set up his temporary office.  "This place is a fucking mess dude!  I ain't picking up after you," Jax said, aiming a kick at a near by can.  Derrick grunted at his roommate's outburst but made no other indication that his roommate was talking with him.  Throwing his hands up in the air with a growl of frustration, Jax stomped out of the living room, into his room and slammed the door.  And the only sound that came from the living room was the sound of another can hitting the carpet.

The next morning, Derrick awoke to a stiff neck.  He had passed out after another long night of coding.  His boss had been really riding him and his whole team to try to get this new clothing site up and ready for launch two weeks before the customer was expecting it to be ready.  They kept having issues with the shopping cart charging weird shipping costs and duplicating items to very high amounts.  He rubbed a hand over his face, feeling the roughness of his stubble on his chin.  Thankfully the hair on his face grew rather slow, unlike some of his coworkers.  Steve probably had a beard right now that could rival Grizzly Adams.  Derrick stood up from the couch, wincing slightly as the joints of his lanky frame tried to resist his sudden movement.  He had been sitting on that couch for way too long.  Maybe Jax was right.  Maybe he was working too much.  He looked around and noticed that the trash from his last session was missing from the carpet.  In fact, the whole living room had been picked up while he had been passed out on the couch.  He felt his heartbeat begin to rise.  His pride, his joy, the lifeline to his job and the world, his Leveno ThinkPad, IT WAS MISSING!!  Derrick's heart went from just beating fast, to about to explode.  "Jax!" he screamed.  "Where the fuck is my laptop?!"  Jax emerged from his room, clearly having been awoken by Derrick's yelling.  "Dude, what is your problem?"

"My laptop, you moron!  It's missing and I need it for work!"

"D, my man, all you do is work.  Ii am freeing you from the electronic beast."

"What?!  I need that for work!  I have to work!"

Jax gave him a look that was very similar to the look that a mom gives a child who is throwing a temper tantrum.  "I get that you need it for work, but work is all you do.  You never go out anymore.  Heck, you don't even participate in game night, which you started.  All this work is not healthy for you.  So," Jax crossed his arms across his chest, "this is what we are going to do.  You are going to leave this apartment and do something else other than work today.  You are totally brain fried and you need a break.  How do you expect to solve your major issues with your site if you don't break away once in a while and let your brain relax?"

Derrick stared at his friend without saying a word.  The silence in the apartment was getting thicker and thicker by the second.  He didn't want to admit it but his friend was right.  Grudgingly, he shoved his hands into his jean pockets and stared at the floor in defeat.  "Fine," he muttered.  "I'll go for a walk."  He turned on his heel and walked out the apartment door and into the morning light.

Several blocks down the road, Derrick was muttering to himself about how unfair the world was and he wasn't looking where he was going when he ran into a little old lady as he turned around a corner.  "Oh my goodness.  Ma'am, are you okay?  I am so sorry.  I wasn't looking where is was going."  The tiny gray haired woman just reached down to pick up her dropped bag with a chuckle.  "It's alright young man.  You look like you are having a rough day. "

"You have no idea ma'am."

She wrapped her arm around his and said, "Why don't you walk me to my class and tell me all about it.  I'm Mimi, by the way.  You are about as tall as my grandson except he doesn't have such nice long hair like yours."

Derrick couldn't help but smile at Mimi's chatter.  He introduced himself and told her what had happened.  She nodded and made sympathetic noises as he talked. When he was finished, she said, "Well, I'm sorry to agree with your roommate but all work and no play just makes you old before your time.  You should come with me.  I'm meeting up with a few of my girlfriends and we can teach you a fun little hobby that will help you get your mind off your work from time to time.  Plus, it will help keep your fingers nimble, which will help you in your work too."

Mimi walked Derrick up to a little craft shop and she about pulled Derrick through the door.  "Now, lets get you some supplies.  Being a rather computer smart guy, lets start you off with an easy one."  She was pretty speedy for her size and age and he stumbled a bit as she turned down one aisle.  It was full of little kits of cloth, thread and needles.  "Ah, this you should be right up your alley," she said with a grin as she held up a little packet as close to his face as she could reach.  It had a little picture of R2D2 on it.  "I am going to teach you how to cross stich."  The grin on her face was contagious.  He was not going to say no to such a sweet lady.  "Alright Mimi, teach me."

For the next hour, he sat surrounded by Mimi and several of her friends like a very large bird in a group of little sparrows, working on his R2D2.  The ladies were more than happy to give him advice and help him when he messed up.  The stress left him as the picture grew bit by bit.  At the end, R2D2 looked back at him from the little circle of cloth.  The ladies hugged him several times before he left and they made him promise that he would be back the following week.  He would be back.  He knew that he would have to do many of the other characters, but that first one was the best and closest to his heart.

(Photo from: https://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/starwars/images/e/eb/ArtooTFA2-Fathead.png/revision/latest?cb=20161108040914)

And The Challenge Begins

My best friend Marie and I enjoy writing about anything that strikes our fancy.  We will often inspire each other.  A while back, a funny picture that I sent her sparked a short story where she wrote the first half (http://eclecticthe.blogspot.com/2016/08/until-cows-come-home.html) and I wrote the second half (http://thehookandthepen.blogspot.com/2016/08/until-cows-come-home.html).

One day, many years ago, I was at an art museum and found a really cute book in the gift shop.  It was shaped like a cube and titled The Writer's Block by Jason Rekulak.  This particular book is full of different writing prompts for the stuck writer and it has 786 different prompts in it.  This particular book is what has sparked our current challenge.

So, here's the deal.  Each week that has a date in September, which there are five of them, Marie and I will randomly select a page from The Writer's Block for the other to write.  We will get a prompt every Sunday and the piece has to be posted to our blog by Saturday night.  Each of us is only allowed one veto of a prompt during this entire time.

Hopefully, this challenge will help open up some new creative paths.  At the very least, it will create five interesting short stories.  Let the challenge begin!!

The beginnings of all 5 pieces lay hidden within this book

Dude, Listen To Me

There are very few words in the English language that have such versatility in sentence structure.  No, I am not referring to common Anglo Saxon word that starts with the letter F, although that one has a lot of versatility too.  I am referring to a word that people  associate mostly with surfers.  The word that I am referring to is dude.  Now, before you try to tell me that it isn't a versatile word, allow me to educate you.

I am a child of the West Coast and I grew up using this word a lot so it is a part of my internal lexicon.  As a noun, dude can refer to a person of either sex, any animal, or object.  And while it doesn't really work as a verb or an adjective, it does work to express feelings.  When said with a lot of excitement, dude becomes a word to show how happy you are about something.  When said sadly, it can show disappointment.  With a touch of wounded pride, it can show being offended.

One other note to mention about the word dude is that it is considered one of the gender neutral words.  And before you try to tell me that dude is for guys and dudette is for girls, about 95% of all the generations that use the word dude, use it for everyone.  They also do not use the word dudette.

Dude!



















(Photo from https://i.pinimg.com/736x/74/4c/78/744c785bf0cbd75e42a210352cbde282---kids.jpg)

The Day That Hell Froze Over

I have been an outcast my entire life.  Now that I am an adult, I don't mind so much.  I have people who like me for me and I don't have to pretend.  Now, this has not always been the case.

Many people would agree that high school wasn`'t the greatest time for them and I would be one of them.  I went to high school in the late 90's and it was a very dark time in my life.  I have often said that there is not enough money in the world to get me to go back through that experience again.  There wasn't a lot of talking about anti-bullying, especially at my high school.  I was bullied a great deal during that time period.

The interesting thing about my bullying was that it wasn't the popular girls that tortured me.  In fact, they were friendly and treated me nicely.  It was the popular boys that made my high school life hell, four of them being the main culprits.  I had my hair pulled, things taken off my desk, but the verbal abuse was the worst part.

In my moments of logical thinking, I went to my English teacher to ask to be moved, which was denied simply because he didn't want to mess up his seating chart.  I went to my vice principal to report the abuse (my school was very big so we had four VPs and you went to a certain one based on your last name) and she reprimanded me for kissing my boyfriend off school property before school started.  It got so bad, that I contemplated suicide several times, getting to the point where I was holding a knife to my wrist.  I was luckier than most people suffering from bullies and I escaped high school with my life intact and some mid-level scarring to the psyche.

The reason why I share this painful part of my past with you is something happened last week that brought a lot of these memories of abuse to my mind.  I received a letter, addressed to me but under my maiden name.  I didn't recognize the name or the return address but curiosity got the best of me.  After reading it, the shock was so great that I felt weak in the knees and had to sit down.  It was a letter from one of my bullies, one of the main ones in fact.

The letter went like this (edited for privacy reasons):
I am writing this letter in the hope that it reaches (my name).  You and I were classmates together at (my high school) in the late 90's.  The intent of this letter is not to reconnect with you, we were not close.  I more accurately terrorized you in school.  I said all kinds of hurtful and insensitive things about your family.  I am writing to you now not to revisit that pain and suffering, but to ask for  forgiveness.  The way I acted towards you was solely my inability to behave and act appropriately.  You were completely innocent of any of the negative attention that was directed towards you.  If there is ever anything I can do to make it up to you please do not hesitate to ask.
Sincerely,
(my bully)

You hear of things like this happening, especially in this age of mass media, but it is something that you never expect to happen to you.  My first thought was "why now?" but then it hit me.  It doesn't matter that it happened now.  The point is that he was taking responsibility for what he had done to me in the past and was apologizing for it.  I do plan on writing him back, to let him know that his letter was received and that his apology was accepted.  It takes a lot to admit a mistake and even more to admit that mistake to another person & seek them out for forgiveness.






(Picture credit: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/3f/59/57/3f5957c800df66f4383fe691457eb235.jpg)

Then the Darkness Comes

As I sit here writing this now, I feel that I must explain that I do not write it for sympathy.  I write it simply to purge myself of the feelings that are attempting to swallow me whole.  

What does one do when something becomes to unbearable to deal with any longer?  Do you walk away, leaving behind all that you know so that you can be free of the burden?  I hate to say this but walking away does nothing but make it harder for you to face because you then have to walk back to the issue to face it head on. 

But what if the issue is one that doesn't cause you physical pain, but spiritual and emotional?  The only physical pain is the pain you give yourself, trying to fight the feelings the issue raises.  Sadly, the physical pain that you give yourself can only override the internal pain for so long.  Soon it returns, more painful and damaging than ever.

How does one cope with it all?  Do you surrender to the darkness, letting it consume everything that you worked so hard for or do you continue to fight back against it, knowing that it will continue to cause you pain?

I ask these questions, not looking for an answer, merely to speak them aloud since they are running so strongly within my head right now.  The darkness has arrived and I'm not sure if the small spot of light in the distance is the pure light that I so desperately need or if it is the train coming to take me out of this existence known as this life by hitting me head on.

When the Book is Not Better Than the Movie

 As an avid reader, I love getting lost in a good book.  I'll even get excited when a favorite of mine is being made into a movie.  Even if the movie is done well, I will still favor the book over the movie.  Very rarely will there be a time that I like the movie more than the book.  I believe, at the current count, there is only four movies that I like better than the book.

 The first book is The Princess Bride.  Now I will admit that I saw the movie first before I read the book, but like any good reader, I approached the text like I had never seen the movie. (Plus, it came with the anniversary edition of the dvd and how could I say no to a free book?) No offense to the author, but oh dear lord was the text boring.  I struggled to finish it.  It was very dry and I felt myself getting distracted every time I went to read it.

This is another book where I saw the movie before reading the text.  Now, while the text was enjoyable, for the most part, there are certain things that just put me off the text.  I won't go into all of them here, but the main one was the zombie "sex" scene.  I understand that it was to make R jealous but the visual that it evokes is one that sticks in your head for years to come (and not in a pleasant way).

Now, the movie had come out by the time that I had heard of the book.  I had seen previews of the movie, which seemed interesting, but I was determined to read the book before I watched the movie.  This particular book barely made this list since I did like it but not enough to keep in in my personal collection and reread it again and again. The movie, on the other hand, I could watch multiple times and still be amused by it.

The last book was a book I read in college for a reading course.  It was cute but it felt flat to me.  It read more like someone's thought process rather than an adventure.  There is one part I liked in the book that I felt should have been placed into the book.  Ella's fairy godmother finally realizes the error in the "gifts" she had given to Ella and others in the past and punishes herself by going through the same experiences.











Picture credits
book w/ glasses: http://cdn-media-2.lifehack.org/wp-content/files/2015/08/Reading-Glasses-On-Book-With-Hot-Tea-Drink1.jpg
The Help: https://coilycrowns.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/the-help.jpg
The Princess Bride: https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0345348036.jpg
Warm Bodies: http://thebooksmugglers.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Warm+Bodies.jpg
Ella Enchanted: http://cdn.skim.gs/images/x03qencqew1tnghz76xa/books-for-girls-em-ella-enchanted-em-1

In Comes The Babysitter

I have some great friends who went on a went on a week long trip.  They have lots of very cute pets, including cats, ferrets, and rats.  Since it was going to be rather hot out during the week they were gone & their A/C was trying to give out on them, Resha asked if I would be so kind to babysit her 3 little rat babies.  With Lee's okay, I said yes.  The week of rat sitting had begun.

Okay, to start off with, I had a pet rat when I was a teenager.  Her name was Spot and she was a beautiful rat.  Her markings are what they call a hooded rat, with the body being white and  their head another color.  Spot had a caramel colored head with one little spot of the same color in the center of her back, hence her name Spot.  She was an amazing little friend who would often be the only one I could talk to when I was going through rough times, saying rat words of comfort back to me.  It broke my heart when I had to let her go but I never forgot what a great friend and companion she was.

Now, for those of you who think that rats are dirty creatures, allow me to clarify a few things.  Yes, they do have a distinct aroma, but it isn't bad as long at you replace the bedding on a regular basis and wipe down their cage each time you do.  They are very good at keeping themselves clean.

Camilla (the dark one), Corrin (the one with the white markings on her side), and Elise(the one under Camilla)

Meet my little guests.  They cracked me up with their antics and I spoiled them rotten.  They got lots of fresh veggies & they loved the carrots the best.  Fresh green apples were okay but fresh strawberries were well received.  Since they were still young, I didn't want to pick them up but I was able to pet them from time to time.  I made friends with them quickly by giving them treats every day.   

When Resha came to pick them up, she swore that they had gotten a lot bigger and that they seemed very happy.  She even laughed when I told her that my cats didn't bother them at all.  In fact, Oscar seemed rather spooked of them and Gabby liked to watch them without approaching the cage.  Resha said that her cats liked to watch "Rat TV" as she called it.  It was a lot of fun watching after these funny, little girls and I look forward to visiting them when I visit Resha and her family.

Tomorrow is a New Day

I work hard every day

I do my best to help others

But on days like today

You make me lose hope in humanity

Harsh words said

Not caring if what you want will cost me my job

It is all about you

And what you want

I am human

Just like you

I am not a doormat for you to trample

Nor am I less than you

The sun rises again

A new day begins

Your negativity is in my past

While it continues to drown you

(picture from http://planetxnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/rising-sun.jpg)

Hooker at Large

As a hooker (another name for a crocheter), I have a tendency always have a bunch of yarn around my house.  Stuff that I've bought with the intention of using for a project that I've never gotten to, remains of projects that have been completed, and skeins that people have given me because "I won't use it.  Danielle is a crocheter, let's give it to her!"  And, as any fellow yarn crafter will tell you, you never throw it away because you'll eventually use it for something down the road.  I am no exception to this either.

So, back in April, I got it into my head that I was going to sort through the yarn that I had, see what was there, and come up with some projects to use up the many  balls that could be found floating around my house.  Boy, was that an interesting experience.

My wonderful yarn hoard

What I thought would take me only about 30 minutes to an hour, ended up taking me around 3 hours to sort.  I will admit, I did get distracted by several skeins that I had forgotten that I had and my dear cat Gabby got it in to her head that she had to "help" me sort. (Her help was sitting in the middle of all of the yarn, watching me move it around the room)  I eventually got it all sorted out into worsted weights, thread, and specialty yarns (chunky, silky, etc).  Holy cow, did I have a lot of it, and sadly not enough to do a major project with one or two colors.

After a couple of weeks and a couple more donations of random skeins, the crocheting gods graced me with inspiration.  I am going to make hats.  My reasoning?  Because hats are fun, they don't take a lot of yarn to create, it will use up a lot of the random skeins, and I can be really creative with them.  And boy, have the creative juices been flowing.  I have several ideas, most of which will be my own designs, that I think will work well & could possibly sell.  If, and this is a very big IF, I manage to get a lot of these hats made, along with a few other things, I am hoping to vend at a fair this fall.  So, wish this hooker good luck as I dive deep into all my skeins and whip out some cool creations.

You Use It Everyday!

One of the phrases that makes my husband Lee cringe every time someone hears what he does is "I hate math" or "I never use the math I learned in high school".  He is a math teacher and teaches his favorite subject to (hopefully) the future leaders of our nation.  He hears that phrase from almost everyone; students, parents, strangers, and even some of his fellow teachers.  It honestly drives him up the wall.

So in honor of him, and great math teachers everywhere, I am here to address both of those phrases and silence those that continue to ridicule this great and very useful subject.

First, the phrase "I hate math" is a horrible thing to say to anyone who have dedicated their lives to the subject. Second, you don't understand it.  It is an inherent part of human nature to hate and fear what we don't understand.  How does one stop hating and loose that fear?  You educate yourself about the subject at hand.  One has to  realize that you do math every day of your life and way beyond figuring out how much money is in your bank account.  When you come to a stop at a stoplight, you are using math.  Your brain is calculating the velocity of your vehicle and the amount of pressure your foot has to apply to the brake pedal so that you stop before hitting the car in front of you.  When you make 3 batches of your awesome chocolate chip cookies for the school's bake sale, you are using math by calculating the amounts of each ingredient that you need from the original recipe.

The second phrase, which Lee hates more than the first one, "I never use the math that I learned in high school" or it's cousin, which is often spoken by students "Man, I'm never going to use this".  According to a great site called weusemath.org, a mathematician is considered the best job out of all jobs and the median annual income of one is $94,160.  Not to shabby if I do say so myself.  Now, telling me that other jobs don't really use math is a poor argument.  Below is some of the most popular jobs that I hear from my students that they want to do and what type of math is involved.  Included are links to those job descriptions that offer further explanations on how the math is used in that field.

Animator: College Algebra, Trigonometry, Calculus 1 &2, Linear Algebra (http://weusemath.org/?career=animator)

Astronaut: College Algebra, Trigonometry, Calculus 1, 2, & 3, Ordinary Differential Equations, Linear Algebra (http://weusemath.org/?career=astronaut)

Mechanical Engineer: College Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, Calculus 1 & 2, Linear Algebra, Differential Equations, Statistics (http://weusemath.org/?career=mechanical-engineer)

Nuclear Engineer: College Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, Calculus 1 & 2, Linear Algebra, Differential Equations, Statistics (http://weusemath.org/?career=nuclear-engineer)

Physician: College Algebra, Trigonometry, Calculus 1 &2, Linear Algebra, Statistics (http://weusemath.org/?career=physician)

There are many other fields listed on that site and I could spend the next month explaining all the ways that we use math in every job out there, but I think that I have proven my point.  Remember, don't say that you hate math or that you never use it.  If you struggled (or still struggle) with the subject, simply say "I have trouble with math" the next time you talk with a math teacher.  More often than not, they will always be willing to help you become better at it.











(Photo from http://abyss.uoregon.edu/~js/images/mathslide.jpg)

Passing On the Love

I love to wander around little stores.  Most people have these in their towns.  Those little, non-chain stores that can be full of little treasures as long as you know where to look for them.  There is a little thrift shop run by volunteers really close to my house that is one of my favorite places to wander around.  I'm never quite sure what surprises will be discovered when I wander in.

So, after work the other day, I went over to that little thrift shop just to wander and unwind a bit from the long day.  I found a couple of goodies as I wandered before I decided I needed to go home and be a responsible adult.  As I got in line to pay, there was a lady who was a head of me, buying a pair of shoes.  She asked one of the volunteers if they would take $3 for the shoes instead of $4 since that was all the cash she had on her.  She then told them that she needed them for a job interview that she was going on since she had been out of work for a while.  I stood there, in line, quiet and listening to the lady's exchange with the volunteer.  Then I spoke up.  I told her not to worry about it, that I had her covered.  I told the volunteer to add the cost of the shoes to my purchase.  They both stared at me for a few seconds and the lady asked me if I was sure.  I told her that I had been in her place before and to do well on her interview.  She smiled and gave be a big hug, saying thank you.

After that little moment, I got to thinking.  With all the difficult and horrible things that are happening in the world, would that one little act of kindness, that act of love to a complete stranger make a difference in the grand scheme of things?  I honestly think that it will.  It helps to make my day & life better by helping a fellow human being make her life better.  It helps that lady who accepted my kindness face her upcoming interview with more confidence.  It helps the volunteers at that thrift store seeing that human kindness is not dead.  That simple act of love can have a lasting impression on not only those few people, but the people that they interact with in the future.

Remember, love can change the world.  Pass it on.







(Image from http://kimchilds.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/DChitwood_NoActOfKindness.png)

A Letter: A Never Ending Conversation

My best friend Maria and I have known each other since the second grade and have been friends since the third.  I can't remember what caused us to bond in those early years, but we must have seen something amazing in each other & thought to ourselves "Hey, this is an awesome person."

Years pasted and high school was approaching for both of us. We were both in different middle schools at this point but we were still the best of friends.  There were constant sleepovers at each other's houses and lots of phone calls.  The summer before we were to become freshman in high school, a blow rocked our world:  Maria was moving.  And it wasn't a small move either.  It was a move that would take her to the other side of the country.

Like many teen girls, we promised to stay in touch.  (Totally going to date myself here).  It would be hard for us to call each other (long distance phone calls on a land line phones could get expensive) and the Internet was still in it's infancy stages.  So we did what any person would do in order to keep in touch: we wrote.

We wrote long letters, short little notes on postcards, coded letters written in the wingdings font, and fun little notes stashed within in gifts to each other.  As we got older, the letters got more in-depth, revealing deeper insights into each other.  Our gifts to each other got more mature and even sillier as time went on.

My most recent postcard

Even though we are adults, calling each other has gotten cheaper, the letters still come and go.  And they mean as much now as they did when we started so many years ago.

Adult Silliness

Many know this familar face from our childhoods.  I don't know about you, but I loved getting a Mad Lib book.  My friends and I would sit around, filling in the blanks with the naughtiest words that we could think of and then giggled like crazy, little nutjobs when we read the completed story outloud.

With many of the world's population active on Facebook, this amusing past time has taken on a new form.  I have seen a few mad lib-like challanges before in my newsfeed but none that were as detailed as the one I was tagged in a few days ago.  It's complexity and length is what intrigued me, so I decided to fill it out.  Now, unlike the paper mad libs where you inserted your own words, this one gave you a list of selections for each part.  Each section had a specific way you picked the answer for each blank section.  It took a bit of time to fill mine out but it was worth it since I was laughing by then end of it.

So, for your giggling pleasure, here is my completed mad lib:

Dear Maria,
I don't know how to tell you this, our romance is over.  I think I realized it that night you picked your nose outside your office & I saw you carve your initials in my boyfriend.  I'm sure you're shamed enough to understand that I'm allergic to your earlobes.  I'm returning your nose hair clippers to you but I'll keep your neighbor's dog as a memory.  You should also know that I will not tell the authorities I'm off to lead a new life as a lemon,

Greeting to your frog Leonard,
Danielle



*If you would like to do your own, a copy of the blank mad lib can be found below.  Feel free to share your completed one in the comments.  I'd love to read them :-)












If you're looking for some hilarious entertainment, do this adult mad lib with a friend.

Dear (person's name you recently talked to),
I don't really know how to tell you this, (1). I think I realized it (2) (3) and I saw you (4)(5). I'm sure you're (6) enough to understand (7). I'm returning (8) to you, but I'll keep (9) as a memory. You should also know that I (10) and (11).
(12),
(Your name)

1. What is the color of your shirt?
Blue - I'm in love with your cat
Red - Our affair is over
White - I’m joining the Convent
Black -Our romance is over
Green- Our socks don't match
Grey - You're a leprechaun
Yellow - I'm selling myself for candy
Pink - Your nostrils are insulting
Brown - The mafia wants you
No shirt - Purple hedgehogs want to destroy you
Other -I dislike your eyelashes

2) Which is your birth month?
January - That night you picked your nose
February -When I quoted Forest Gump
March - When your dwarf bit me
April - When I tripped on peanut butter
May - When I finally changed my underwear
June - When you put cuffs on me
July – When I saw the purple monkey
August - When you smacked my ass
September - Last year when you peed your pants
October - When we skinny dipped in the bathtub
November - When your dog humped my leg
December - When I threw up in your sock drawer

3) Which food do you prefer?
Tacos - In your apartment
Chicken- In your car
Pasta - Outside of your office
Hamburgers - Under the bus
Salad – As you were eating Kraft Dinner
Lasagna - In your closet
Kebab - With Jean Chrétien
Seafood - In a clown suit
Sandwiches - At the Elton John concert
Pizza - At the mental hospital
Hot dog - Under a street light
Other- With George Bush and Stephen Harper

4) What's the color of your socks?
Yellow - Ignore
Red - Put whipped cream on
Black - Hit on
Blue - Knock out
Purple - Pour syrup on
White - Carve your initials into
Grey - Pull the clothes off
Brown - bite off
Orange - Castrate
Pink - Pull the pants off of
Barefoot - Sit on
Other - Drive over

5) What's the color of your underwear?
Black - My boyfriend
White - My father
Grey – The Catholic Priest
Brown – The Montreal Canadian’s goalie
Purple - My corned beef hash
Red – My knee caps
Blue - My salt-beef bucket
Yellow - My illegitimate child in Ghana
Orange - My Blink 182 cd
Pink – Your ‘My Little Pony’ collection
Other --The elephant in the corner

6) What do you prefer to watch on TV?
One Tree Hill - Senile
Heroes- Frostbitten
Lost - High
Simpsons- Cowardly
The news - Scarred
American Idol - Masochistic
Family Guy - Open
Top Model - Middle-class
Other -shamed

7) Your mood right now?
Happy - How awful you are
Sad - How boring you are
Bored - That I get turned on only by garbage men
Angry - That your smell makes me vomit
Depressed – That we’re related
Excited - That I may pee my pants
Nervous - The middle-east is planning their revenge on you
Worried - That your Ford sucks
Apathetic - That you need a sex-change
Silly - That I'm allergic to your earlobes
Cuddly - That Santa doesn't exist
Ashamed - That there is no solution to you being a dumb kid
Other - That your driving sucks

😎 8.) What's the color of your walls in your bedroom?
White - Your toe ring
Yellow - Your love letters to me
Red - The pictures from Vegas
Black - Your pet rock
Blue - The couch cushions
Green - Your car
Orange - Your false teeth
Brown - Your nose hair clippers
Grey - Our matching snoopy underwear
Purple - Your old New Kids on the Block blanket
Pink - The cut toenails
Other - Your Hannah Montana underwear

9) The first letter of your first name?
A/B - My virginity
C/D - Your photo with the mustache drawn on it
E/F - Your neighbors dog
G/H - The oil tank from your car
I/J - Your left ear
K/L - The results of that blood-sample
M/N - Your glass eye
O/P - My common sense
Q/R - Your mom
S/T - Your collection of butterflies
U/V - Your criminal record
W/X – Your sucide note
Y/Z - Your credit cards

10) The last letter in your last name?
A/B - Love your sweet, sweet ass
C/D - Always will remember the pep talks
E/F -Never will forget that night
G/H – Will not tell the authorites that you stole the whale from the backyard.
I/J – Mocked you behind your back constantly
K/L - Hate your cooking
M/N -Tol d in my confession today about the moose poaching
O/P - Told my psychiatrist about the bruises
Q/R - Get sick when I think of your feet
S/T - Always wanted to break your legs
U/V - Will try to forget that you broke my heart
W/X - Haven’t showered in a month
Y/Z – am better off without you

11) What do you prefer to drink?
Wine- Our friendship is ruined
Soft drink – I’m off to lead a new life as a lemon
Soda – I will haunt you when I’m reincarnated as an Eskimo
Milk - The apartment building is on fire
Water – I'm scratching my butt as you read this
Cider– I have a passionate interest for mice
Juice – You ruined my attempts at another world war.
Snapple/Vitamin water – You should get that embarrassing rash checked out
Hot chocolate – Your Cucumber-fetishism is weird
Whiskey - I love Oprah Winfrey
Beer – Thanks for the Cocaine
Other – you should stop picking your nose

12) To which country would you prefer to go on a vacation?
Thailand – Warm tingly sensations
Australia - Greetings to your frog Leonard
France - Love always
Spain - With tears of sadness
China – You make me sick
Germany – Please don’t hurt me
Japan - Go milk a cow
Greece - Your everlasting enemy
USA - Best of luck on the sex change
Egypt – Kiss my butt
England - Go drown yourself




(Image from https://botlist.co/system/BotList/Bot/logos/000/001/535/medium/madlibs.jpg)

A Month Wasted

Silence.

The soft click of keys tapping out answers, a mouse being clicked to go on to the next question.

The faint scratch of pencil on paper, working out a problem.

The silent & internal struggle of a difficult question crosses a young face.

Glazed eyes stare blankly at a computer screen, not understanding what they see.

Heads hung low with internal conflict, being made to feel stupid by a question they do not understand.

Sobs muffled behind closed lips so as not to disturb the testers around them.

A teacher's heartbreak as a special needs student begs for help that the teacher is prevented by test rules from giving.

Sigh of relief when answers can be submitted & the test ends.

Then the next day, it starts all over again.

Three weeks, almost a full month of learning lost & never to be regained to the monster of high stakes testing.

(Side note: Unfortunately, teacher are prevented from telling parents that they have the right to opt out of standardized testing.  Kids don't have to take these high-stakes tests.  While some tests are used to help gauge a student's academic level & see where they are struggling, high-stakes testing does not.  It also takes away learning time from the students.)

Childhood Nostalgia

I have always loved to read, even as a small child.  According to my mom, I've been reading since I was four years old.  Being a child that didn't have a lot of friends, reading became my way to learn new things, go different places, and see amazing things, all while sitting comfortably on my couch.

One of my absolutely favorite books from my childhood is Chocolate Fever.  It is about a young boy who loved chocolate so much that he ate it with everything and at every meal.  This caused him to break out into chocolate spots all over his body.  He spends the rest of book going on adventures while he tries to find a cure to his "chocolate fever".

This particular book holds up today since they really make no mention of any technology, which can make a book seem dated to kids.  They also keep it simple and really focused on the interactions between the characters.  Its message is a great one but I won't say what it is since you won't read the book if I give you the answer.

Reading is and always will be one of my favorite past times because of all the adventures that can be found between the pages of a book.

My copy actually has this cover

A Tastebud Adventure

One of the many reasons why I love my best friend Marie is that she always knows how to surprise me.  Letters, postcards, "just because" gifts, the list goes on.  She must have had fun putting together my birthday box, which arrived at my house the 2 days after my birthday.  It all came from Amazon and the variety & quirkiness made my day.  I had this image of her, sitting at her computer, giggling to herself every time she found a unique item to throw into the cart.

One of these items was a variety box of tea.  I love a nice cup of hot tea sweetened with honey (never with sugar).  Each box has 4 flavors (5 bags each).

So here is the taste review for all you tea lovers out there

Fruit Tea Selection
Apple Refresh - This one was pretty good.  It smelled like apples, but not tart like most apple flavored items.  It was like it was a combo of black tea and apple juice.

Peach & Passion Fruit - Not quite sure how I felt about this one.  It had a faint taste of peach but couldn't tell the passion fruit.  I could taste more of the fruit flavor when it got lukewarm. (Got distracted and forgot about it)

Strawberry Sensation - The tea bag smelled really good & the tea wasn't bad.  it is hard to get a good strawberry flavor in a lot of things but they did a pretty good job with this one.

Lemon & Lime Twist - This had a very refreshing taste.  I think it would be great to have on those days that you are under the weather and need a little pick me up.

Green Tea Selection
Green Tea Pure - This one was very nice.  I don't normally like straight green tea due to the after taste but this one was light and not bitter.

Lemon Vitality - This would be another good one if you were sick.  The lemon  flavor was strong enough to make you think that you had put fresh lemon into your tea.  I could tasted it over the honey I had put into it.

Jasmine Romance -I was rather looking forward to this one.  Sadly, there wasn't a lot of the taste of the flower, just a hint of the smell of jasmine.

Mint Mystique - Wow, this one smelled great as it brewed.  It was very similar to the smell of Doublemint gum.  But the funny thing was that it didn't have a really minty taste to it.  You could taste more of the green tea than the mint.

Classic Black Tea Selection
Earl Gray - This is a tea that I have always liked and this one was no exception.  The bergamont flavor wasn't super strong, which is always a plus.

English Tea No. 1 - Not sure how to feel about this one.  There really wasn't much of a flavor difference between this tea and just straight black tea.  I may have to make it again in an actual tea cup rather than in my travel mug to get a more in-depth experience.

English Breakfast - I have to say I was disappointed with this one.  I've heard that it was pretty good but after I tried it, I really don't think that it lived up to the hype.  It was rather bland.

Darjeeling Tea - Wow!  Talk about some strong black tea.  I needed a bit more honey in this one since it was so strong.  With a tea like this, I can see how people functioned before coffee became mainstream.