Cthulhu & Mage Go To Boston (and Salem)

 So David and I (as well as Cthulhu, Mage, and Padfoot) went to Boston for the weekend to see Mitzie and Eric.  We ended up seeing several other people, not everyone we would have hoped but there is only so much you can do in such a limited amount of time.  We originally had an awesome idea of getting up there mid afternoon but the traffic in Connecticut was HORRIBLE.  so instead of getting there mid afternoon we ended up not getting to Boston until later into the evening.

David was exhausted and due to the stress of the drive I ended up having some horribly painful fibro spikes that made me feel like someone was chiseling into my spine and legs.  Thankfully Mitzie and Eric are wonderful and they had some tea set out for when we got there.  I had some tasty Peach Fairy from Virtuous Teas.

If you've never been to Boston, you may have not seen the statue I have two photos of here...that is the Johnny Kelley statue near Newton's city hall.  He competed in the Boston Marathon 60+ times.  He was also named the "Runner of the Century" (honestly cannot remember who dubbed him that though).  Anyway, the reason it is included is because we were going down Comm Ave (Commonwealth Ave for those of you that don't know) and the statue had bunny ears on the figures and each had Easter baskets!  It was hilarious!  Sadly the photo I took was from the stoplight and there was too much traffic on Walnut to get a good shot.  I had to share though.

We ended up having a nice dinner at Little India in Waltham.  I had Darjeeling tea (which they almost forgot to give me) and a delicious Lamb Korma.  

We just relaxed and had a nice meal, Eric risked it and had Vindaloo which was spicy but I guess not too horrible.  I just wanted comfort food so the Korma hit the spot.

I was happy and went to sleep and slept well..the sleep of a girl who stressed out as the passenger.  David also fell asleep like he had been through a stressful battle.

I had really wanted to go to Salem and go tea shopping while we were up in the Boston area, we ended up being able to go to Salem and visit with Sean and Samara while we were up there.  We went to Gulu Gulu Cafe for "brunch".  I had a delicious chai (they call it a chai latte but since that's redundant I thought I would just call it what it was) followed by a very tasty Blue Flower Earl Grey.

I ordered a Patsy's Breakfast "Burger".  It was a tasty egg with portabella mushroom sandwich with spinach and cheese on bun of choice.  I chose an Everything Bagel of course.

 It was snowing out (yes...it is apparently spring) but Sean and Samara were awesome enough to trek across the common to join us.  So Tammi, E, Mitzie, David and I chatted with them and got to spend a nice time.  David and I had not been to Sean and Samara's apartment before - it is GORGEOUS!  Pugsley and Wednesday (their ADORABLE kittens) were so darned cute!  It was so wonderful to spend time with them before they had to run to a wedding (Congrats to the Roberges!)

I wanted to go be my cute pagan self and so Mitz and I went all over town enjoying a wonderful day looking for statuary, ritual items, herbs, etc.  There were a few moments in the day that weren't so awesome (most of which being the cold rain/snow/slush) but honestly we spent an amazing day with our friends.  Walt came over to Mitzie and E's apartment and we played Apples to Apples.  I WON!!  After the day I was not doing so hot... I was exhausted and started to shake and have temperature regulation issues.  Everyone was wonderful and put up with me as they piled blankets on me and put a heat pad on me.  I started to feel better after some food and a lot of blankets.  It was also the wonderful feeling of having friends with us.

We drove home midday on Sunday.  It is always hard to leave Boston, since David and I really love the city but most importantly we love our friends.  I am back to looking into work in Massachusetts (western or boston area would be great).  Speaking of that - if anyone knows of any recruiters or headhunters for professionals, please let me know.  I am going to need help finding leads if we are going to move back to Mass.

Random Photos from My Day & Stuff

I am taking the night off. Here are some photos from the day and Pinterest photos

Don't worry all will be blogging from Boston this weekend and visiting tea shops.

Poetry Is A Therapy - "A Spectre of an Other Me"

Spectre of an Other Me

I am always looking at a different version of myself
The ghost of the girl who ran and jumped who played with scrapes on her knees
The same girl who bled, sweat, and lived her sports with her whole being
A girl who never saw her own worth and who saw only flaws
I see that girl in my mind and my body remembers when pain was able to be traced
when she knew the origin of bruises and slept like a babe
I see a girl who was unafraid of competition on the field but
couldn’t imagine competing within her own species
I see a woman covered in bruises and pain and scars, so many scars
lacking the ability to cry because the shock is still so heavy
I see a woman who drank her esteem and lost sight of herself
This woman picked herself up with the help of others and started to see a person
she once knew and recognized from another life
Pain from inside, pain from outside, untraceable and unknown caused the woman
to hate the new her and long for the girl who didn’t need pills to be healthy
This new woman is different than the one before, she is still haunted by this spectre
but she is slowly wiping away the soot of burned dreams and ideals
She is remembering that her former self was unsure and insecure
The spectre of the past Other is just as beautiful as the current
and the body that has walked through the trial fires is beautiful for all its scars and
imperfections, they make up the Me
Shedding the weight of pills that did more harm than good and the hatred of
a body that felt like a prison and not a cocoon; finally I am seeing the latter.
Soon, not yet, I will bid adieu to the shade of an other me
and emerge from this metamorphosis into a woman whole, beaten by winds of change
altered by the erosion of self-hatred and the shifting plates of the image shell that
no longer defines my self.
I am always looking at a different version of myself; and I am beginning to like who I see

**I wrote this poem over a cup of tea, after reflecting on the benefit of living a better life, being a better me, and being happy and safe.  I can only thank my family, friends, and especially because he is my family and friend - David.  But I need to remember that no one else lived my life and I need to thank myself too.  So thank you me for keeping going and coming to a place where happiness IS**

And Some Days Dancing and Singing in the Shower Feels Great

I have been having a problem with stress at work and I talked to my boss Jaffa about it.  He was really awesome and willing to talk and discuss my concerns, which helped me relax a little.  Staff concerns and issues have been plentiful and trying to handle those in a calm and understanding way has been difficult.  All a part of the job, understood, but it is stressful and someone in management needed to be awesome enough to listen.  That person is my boss.  YAY him.  Anyway, so it was a crappy day with some up points but as the meme to the left says, it could be worse so I guess celebrate the little victories.

So I went to Pilates tonight, which was awesome and wonderful.  We did some advanced moves and I was actually able to keep up and do some full moves that others in the class were not able to complete.  So that really was a boost to my day, a bright light of YAY!  It was a two-hour Pilates week, my teacher and I were the only ones for the Reformer class, which involves the machines.  It was nice to just relax.  Both of us admitted to needing it after our days and it was just nice to chat with a woman I think is really wicked cool and is willing to work with me on any issue regarding stress, flexibility, pain, fibro, endo.  I don't know if it is possible for every Spoonie but I highly recommend yoga and Pilates with an instructor that understands your ailment and limitations and is willing to work with you and challenge you within workable limits.  Anyway YAY being fit and healthy!!

David came to pick me up from class tonight and when we got home I had a package from +Tea Ave!!  It had three Oolong samples and an awesome note with cards from the founder and marketing directors.  I have been so happy with the blessings of dealing with several Tea companies and have been so excited and happy to see responses to my inquiries (yay and nay) as well as receiving some REALLY amazing tea!  I am very very excited to see what I think of these samples from Tea Ave as I know I love Oolongs and the flavors just sound delicious.  I will make sure to try at least one tomorrow and report back to you.

As the title of this entry states, I was feeling really good after class, and the tea delivery just made me do the "YAY I HAVE TEA DANCE" and so I decided to go take a shower, since after Pilates and sweat I probably need to not be a sweaty mess.  Anyway, I brought my BT speaker into the bathroom and turned on Pandora.  It was my "Feel Good" station and I just started to dance and sing in the shower to all the different songs.  I won't give you any more visuals or mind-bending images than that but it was just fun to belt out songs being drowned out by the volume of the music and the sound of the shower and do a little "dancing" while I "performed".  It was me being able to relax and let loose for a few and that just was the best therapy.

I wish you all the best and hope that you find that thing that makes you take a moment and smile.  Some times, just letting go of your worries and cares and having a moment to sing your heart out is the greatest feeling and can really make your night.  I hope you all have that ability and I wish you many smiles and lots of laughter.  Even if it is at yourself, because you always need the ability to laugh at something, especially yourself.

"Will Hawkgirl ever stop sublimating her passions with that big honkin' mace?"

"Joker: Will Green Lantern ever admit to his feelings? Will Hawkgirl ever stop sublimating her passions with that big honkin' mace? Will true love conquer all? Not on my show!" - Justice League, Wild Cards

Cthulhu and I were enjoying a pot of Peachy White from
+Tealated

Today was a normal day of post-Monday stress...and cleaning up after several messes.  I had an awesome tea from +Tealated called Peachy White.  Both Cthulhu and I give it five sanity points. (for non-geeks that is a lot of tasty goodness)

When we got home I put a ton of the teas in jars, labelled them and then organized my tea nook.  David has his tattoo consultation today with Tiff George at +Black Thorn Gallery .  We're very excited for this tattoo for him, it is one David has wanted for a long time.  We're watching Justice League now that we're home and we are winding down for bed.  Not a ton to post at the moment and we had a relaxed weeknight.  More about tea tomorrow.  For now, enjoy the most hilarious quote from the Justice League series - per the title of this entry and first lines in the body. 

My Tea Nook & my Irish Blessing Plate

Close up of the labeled jars of TEA!

Mondays Are Made Better With Presents

Monday is always a challenge, usually the phones are ringing off the hook at work and we don't much have time to breathe.  Today was a little different, my staff and I commented to the irony of the phones being quiet when the news from last week still loomed over us.  Oh well, what can be done but to soldier on.

I started a tea journal so I can keep track of the different teas I try and have a quick reference of my inventory.  I can also have a quick place to record the medicinal and therapeutic merits, as I study the medicinal properties of teas and tisanes.

Anyway, I had Cocomint Green tea this morning, it's a blend from +Adagio Teas.  It has a nice clean taste from the mint and green tea blend and then there is the scent and taste of cocoa.  It is not too much so the overall cup is nice.  I am actually not a huge cocoa fan because I like deep chocolate flavors and most cocoas are too weak for me.

I came home to a delightful surprise of my +Steepster Select delivery for March, which included five tea samples and tea filters!  One of which was Wild Chrysanthemum Flower, a tisane that according to my resarch into chrysanthemum tea can be served cold or hot, obviously steeping the flowers hot and then allowing the liquid to cool.  The herbal tea is very nice in flavor and I like it for the smooth taste.  It is herbaceous but that is not offputting.

In addition to the Steepster delivery was another package from +Tealated.  It had two tea samples and tea bag/filters a postcard with coupon code and a wonderful card from the CEO/Founder.  I was so excited by the package and then I was floored when I read the card.  I had to post it all to Instagram immediately.  I also wanted to be cute and show my thanks in a unique way, so I made the hashtag #IAmTealated.  I am very excited to try the Peachy White tomorrow!  My review will be posted on all of my social media outlets and the blog.  YAY!

Below is a picture of my tea at my desk, the chalkboard journal that I can display which tea I am drinking with some of the information of the company.  Of course I needed to have my tea in my wonderful Batman mug.

Sunday...Sunday...Sunday...(imagine it with the WWE announcer voice)

I don't actually know why I imagined that in the WWE announcer voice, but there you have it.  David worked on his artwork most of the day.  I did the weekend with fibro thing and slept a bit.  We decided to go to my favorite, yet also least favorite, place on earth...Michael's.  Michael's is fun because it is a craft store and there are tons and tons of things to do and see but there are also tons of things to buy.  I go there a lot in my random A.D.D. moods and today was a mood for more organization in my tea nook.

David and I went and he picked up some  painting supplies.  I found glass jars with sealable lids that I could store my larger bunches of teas.  They have chalkboard  paint on them so I can label which tea is within.  I also picked up some chalkboard tape that will allow me to label containers and keep track of the various teas I now have in my collection.

After spending a bit of money in Michaels we went to Noodles & Company for lunch.  That was very nice and the food was delicious.  We had a nice lunch and chatted a bit before heading home and getting settled into the library/studio.  David started painting the portrait he's doing for a friend, it looks very nice.  I brewed a cup of  Glendale Basil Green tea by Teabox.  I was very tasty, I paired it with a pumpernickel toast with preserves, the perfect snack.  The tea was light in its base but had a very delicious basil taste and some nuttiness.

Now David and I are upstairs watching the first two episodes of Penny Dreadful.  I really like the show so far, David is really enjoying it.  Eva Green helps that a lot, but I am pretty sure Eva Green could sell ice to people in Siberia and they would thank her (especially if David was one of them...he added that part).  After episode two we both needed a break so we're geeking out to Justice League at the moment and sleep in soon in coming.

"See you Space Cowboy"