Tea.

Early this summer, my friend Theresa gave me a tea kettle as a birthday gift. Because of its' kitchen-ey nature, it found a home (still in its' box) in the pile of wedding gifts slowly taking over a corner of our dining area. Recently I finally started unpacking and organizing all of the wonderful gifts we received, and last week I unpacked the kettle. I have always been an iced tea drinker, but I never ventured into hot teas. Lots of my friends around here drink hot tea, and after a few warm mugs full at friends' houses, I decided that hot tea was something I could get into.

After opening my shiny new red kettle, I went to the grocery store and bought three different kinds of tea; a white tea with lemongrass, green and white tea blend with vanilla, and a black spiced tea. I brought the tea home and began assembling a basket full of a variety of wrapped tea bags (I haven't ventured into loose leaf tea just yet), including several I already had at home. I've been sampling the different varieties this week, and enjoying the warm, aromatic coziness a cup of tea brings.

Luis enjoys hot teas too - well, some of them. This morning, as he was drinking his mug of green tea, I brought him my cup to smell. I was trying this India spiced chai I had in the cupboard (a gift from a friend some time ago...) and it had the most wonderful spicy aroma. I held the mug out to him and he leaned forward and inhaled, then pulled back quickly with a crinkled nose and exclaimed, "it smells like a god damned ham!"
I guess maybe he'll stick to the plain green.

It's been a week, and already I have no idea how I ever survived without a tea kettle. To make tea in the past, Luis and I used to boil water in our old stock pot and then try to pour from that into mugs or a pitcher. It was a mess. The kettle makes making a cup of tea so easy! I'm sold.

This American Life.

If you have never listened to it before, I highly recommend you check out This American Life, a weekly radio show distributed by Public Radio International. The show can be heard on public radio stations (it airs Tuesday evenings at 7:30 in Missoula), and is also available as a free podcast both on their website and through iTunes.

Each week the show features a theme and tells stories that surround the central idea. The stories are bits from everyday lives, told in a completely captivating way. Host Ira Glass introduces the different stories, tells interesting anecdotes and weaves the short excerpts into a cohesive show. This description doesn't do it justice, of course - it's so much better than I can possibly describe in a few sentences. If you want a better idea of what the show is like, here is a link to their about the radio show page.
If you're interested but don't know where to start, they have a list of their favorite shows posted on the website, and these archived shows are available for free in streaming audio, or available for download for a small fee.

Listen to it - seriously. It'll be one of the best spent hours of your week.

Ira Glass.

Ira Glass is the host of This American Life, and I'm a big fan of both the show... and Ira himself. I am not alone in my crush on Ira - plenty of women (especially liberal, hipster, college girls) dig his geeky, intelligent persona and his soft, slightly froggy voice.

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My mom has a blog, and she recently wrote a post about Ira Glass' nonviolent takeover of her life. Too funny! In honor of her newfound interest in this little radio show and its' host, I drew up a pair of bumper stickers for us:

Snibble, No. 4

I had a breakthrough discovery yesterday: I’m a grown up. An adult. Old(ish)...

Around two o'clock yesterday I left work and headed over to Subway to grab a quick lunch. As I was standing in line, I turned to my right just in time to see a teenage couple avidly making out. The guy wore this focused, intent expression; a “Yeah, I’m doing this” sort of look. The look, combined with the licking-the-entire-inside-surface-of-his-girlfriends’-mouth kissing technique employed by teens (and frat boys) everywhere, was more than my almost-thirty self could handle. I shuddered and looked away quickly, and my mind automatically bounced to the phrase “damned kids.”

Usually, when I see public displays of teenageness, I smile and fondly recall my former curious teenage self. I think about kids learning and exploring, constantly testing boundaries, and what a normal thing this is. I see their defiance, their sullen expressions, their need to both fit in and to stand out, and I always think of this awkward stage as an important part of growing up. (I can’t help thinking this kind of crap – stupid psych classes…) I don’t know what it was about this situation – the overcrowded restaurant setting, the especially unkempt appearance of this particular set of teens, or perhaps it was the sweaty, oxygen-deprived, beet-red face of the boy –
but it grossed me out.

Damned kids.

Dave Matthews - So Damn Lucky

So Damn Lucky is one of my favorite Dave Matthews songs. When Dave introduces this song in his performance at Radio City, he describes it as being about the frozen moment after you've tripped and realize that you're going to smack your face into the wall, but can't do anything to stop it. But, he says it's also remembering to count your blessings.

(This version is from Farm Aid, but the version from Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds at Radio City is my favorite recording of it...)

Sad news.

LeRoi Moore, saxophonist for the Dave Matthews Band, died today.

Mr. and Mrs.

After nearly seven wonderful years together, Luis and I were married last Saturday. We were delighted to have friends and family from far and wide visit Missoula to join in our celebration - it was exciting (and a bit surreal) to have so many of the people we love here at the same time.

We would like to thank everyone for their love, warmth and generosity, and for making our day so special.