Present Joys

The Mountain Goats were on Letterman wednesday night. This is a new song from their forthcoming album All Eternals Deck. It’s a very good song called “Birth of Serpents”.

let the camera pull back till the fulness of the frame is clear and plain
peer into the screen until you see it all like a vision in a crystal ball
let it all fill with smoke
is this somebody’s idea of a joke?

let the fixer work till the silver’s washed away and take a picture from the tray
look hard at what you see and remember you and me
and let the truth spring free like a jack in the box
like a hundred thousand cuckoo clocks

from the Oregon corners to the Iowa corn
to the rooms with the heat lamps where the snakes get born

crawl through the tunnel and follow, follow the light northwest
see that young man who dwells inside his body like an uninvited guest
see the tunnel twist
clutch your birthright in your fist

let the camera do its dirty work down there in the dark
sink low, rise high, bring back some blurry pictures to remember all your darker moments by
permanent bruises on our knees
never forget what it felt like to live in rooms like these

from the California coastline to the Iowa corn
to the rooms with the heat lamps where the snakes get born

I just got a new tea shipment from Upton Tea Imports, my favorite source for tea! It’s been just about three months since my last order, so I was in dire need. I tried to keep it pretty modest, though. Six new bags.

Gu Zhang Mao Jian Organic. A China green tea which I’ve never tried before. It sold out right after I placed my order, so I’m glad I was able to get some. If the flavor grabs me when I try it, I will report back.

Pai Mu Tan Imperial. I’ve always got to have some China white tea around for friday mornings, whether it be Silver Needle, Shou Mei, or a Pai Mu Tan. I just ran out of an old berry-flavored Pai Mu Tan—I ordered it on a whim and was pleasantly surprised, but even so I will be happy to have something naturally-flavored for a while. The Imperial part means the leaves are bolder, which is always a plus for me.

Season’s Pick Earl Grey Crème Vanilla. It’s still on sale, and I always like having some Earl Grey around to drink on sunday afternoons. The crème vanilla flavor was a little hard to get used to when I first tried this tea, but I quite like it now. The dairy flavor seems to cut the bergamot’s acidity. Good for long, unattended sunday afternoon steeps.

Tie-Guan-Yin Oolong 2nd Grade. Because I haven’t had a good, fresh tie-guan-yin in a long time, and I want to start taking it to school on mondays and wednesdays. The second grade part is because I don’t like tie-guan-yin quite enough for first grade!

Golden Nepal (Kanyam Estate). The last time I had a Nepalese black tea was years ago, and I don’t think my palate was quite mature enough to appreciate it. I’m quite excited about this new stuff; it was the first tea I drank of this new shipment and it’s delicious. Like a Darjeeling, but heartier. Have you noticed a theme here? I originally thought I’d take it to painting class on tuesdays and thursdays, but after realizing how delicate it is, I think I’ll just drink it at home. I’m currently taking a Golden Yunnan to painting, and the Nepal lacks the Yunnan’s brisk maltiness, something I can’t afford to give up when I’m painting!

China Keemun First Grade. The best of Upton’s standard Keemuns. I am becoming quite a Keemun connoisseur (I’ve still got two almost-finished Keemuns in my tea cabinet at the moment) so I figured I’d treat myself to the good stuff. And when you really think about it, 125 grams of good quality Keemun for $7.40 is cheaper than most any other beverage you could drink, short of tapwater. Tea is the best.

Me and my pal Colleen are painting very similar portraits. Also note: the painting coat I made for myself over Christmas break. Also note: the look of excitement in our eyes, brought about by all kinds of painting shenanigans and the awesomeness that is Jason Clary.