A Thanksgiving Past

Thanksgiving is over as well as the shopping spree in the stores. We finished "Small Business Saturday" and are coming up on "Cyber Monday". 

There are just too many close knit days to deplete the wallet even more these days. Considering Amazon is promoting things "up to 45% off", there's a good chance you'll find something worth the percentage, but maybe not, as sometimes the box stores have better deals. Like I've said in the past, "research is your friend" and one place might not be the best place to buy everything. It all depends on what you're looking for.

Or in our case, what we were looking at. 

My mother decided to make Thanksgiving this year, as I had to work the week. It's the first time in a long time that I wasn't able to get off the day of and the day after. 

As we usually go to a relatives, this year we didn't want to attempt it as it would have been too much to go up and back on Thursday. It comes out to be three hours in the car (round trip) to be there for what, two hours? One time we did try to make it to Sarasota, it took 5 hours of bumper to bumper traffic because everyone had the same idea of leaving town that morning. It normally takes 90 minutes door to door. 

Which is also why we didn't want to chance it. Had I had Friday off, maybe. But who knows.

That's why we had dinner here. Too many variables. My mom invited a couple who she's friends with. We've come to call each other "family" because we do a lot together including Christmas and Easter dinner at their house, so doing national bird day at ours was okay. 

The meal plan was such:

• Individual charcuterie cups
• Turkey (cooked in the crock pot - new recipe)
• Home made cranberry relish / sauce
• Green beans and broccoli
• Roasted mini red potatoes
• Rolls
• Home made Ambrosia salad (made by the guest)
• Sweet potato casserole with mini marshmallows
• Stuffing
• Dessert was made by our guest and it was Costco's pumpkin pie and home made spice muffins.
• Drinks were water and punch (cranberry, orange and pineapple juice mixed with some ginger ale)

Unfortunately, I didn't get pictures except for one, which was the burnt sweet potato casserole. 

It was already cooked when my mom topped it with the marshmallows and put it in the oven under broil at the last minute. 

Next thing you know, we're smelling something burning.

Whoops. We weren't paying attention because we were trying to set everything up on the table as well as being deep in conversation.

Everyone still ate it, but scraped the burnt off as much as we could. It wasn't an end all, as we just ate around the extra crispy parts. 

Side notes for what was on the table / made:

• Amazon has various suggestions for "Thanksgiving dinner" ideas, and unfortunately, ordering an entire turkey through them would likely come from Whole Foods and cost you a literal arm and a leg. Or in this case, a wing and a leg. 
• Solely based on the fact it's priced per pound plus a $13.95 delivery fee, even for Prime members (see here). 
• This is why it "pays" to shop around: we got our three pound boneless breast at Aldi for $10.99 and it was big enough for four people, with leftovers. I couldn't find the circular that was promoting it, but if you search around, there's a Facebook page or two where people are talking about it.
  
  

• We cooked the turkey in the crock pot according various recipes found online. The most searched was "Crock Pot Turkey with Garlic Butter". Every site has a different value, so it's a matter of what you're going for. 

• The pumpkin pie was "hacked": Our guest had seen a video on how to make the best of the big Costco beast. 
• You take a biscuit cutter (pretend like you're making biscuits at home) and start cutting the pie up, into the round shapes. It becomes individual little pies. Add whip cream accordingly.
• What's left over of the pie, put all of that in a blender or pan and mush it all together. Scoop out that extra into bite sized balls and cover it in white chocolate. It's like pumpkin pie truffles. 
  

• The spiced muffins were.. home made but I don't know how home made. 

Overall, for a "1pm seating" we were done in two hours and our guest went home with full bellies and leftovers. My mom and I put the rest away, reset the table and by 4pm, were crashed on the couch, ready to watch a movie. You'd never know we had a big turkey dinner at our place just a few hours prior. 

Now if we could only figure out how to limit the crazy amount of extras and dial it back so we don't feel like we're going to be throwing away more than what we need, that would be spectacular. 

Also, when is a good time to turn the scale back to normal?

Image taken from Starting Line Fitness blog

Take care of yourselves and watch your spending!

Cheers;

A Thanksgiving Present

I decided to make the attempt in editing together a six minute and forty one second video of all the clips I took of the Ben Folds concert on Thursday. 

Mainly because it bothered me that I couldn't upload anything and show how it was a bit of a struggle to keep focus on Mr. Folds when I was writing about not getting great visuals from where I was sitting, even though I had great seats. 

I honestly apologize in advance for the quick edits, the blurriness and the overall weirdness of how this came out. However, it does prove how great a showman and entertainer he is. 

The various videos were taken on an iPhone 11 and edited in Cyberlink PowerDirector, as I wanted to attempt something different this time around (also, I am using an older version of PowerDirector, so it wasn't what I was going for, but point proven?). I really wish I had better opportunity to get more clear shots and wasn't fighting a white hot stage light shining on him the entire time. Extending an extreme close-up gives him too much of a weird blur and glow. I'm not happy with it even though the audio came out spectacular. 

I ended up leaving a lot of "Army" at the end because it not only shows how he went off script in playing, but it shows how he energized the crowd into singing along with him. There are points in some of the zoomed in shots, how he was so wrapped up in playing and proud of himself, that you honestly feel happy to be there. There were definitely magical moments because he's a cool artist to hear live. Super enthusiastic for being "the dude who sings sad songs" (paraphrased from something he said Thursday). 

While further editing this, I didn't realize how most of his songs played were between 1998 and 2002, a period where I must have started to fall out of listening. Hearing them now, I have no recollection of them, but can say they definitely are cool little bangers. 

The track listing in the video:

* The end of some song, which I didn't get the entirety of. Just the jamming at the end.

* "Annie Waits", track 1 from the 2001 album, "Rockin' The Suburbs"

* "Zak and Sara", track 2 from the 2001 album, "Rockin' The Suburbs"

* "The Luckiest", track 12 from the 2001 album, "Rockin' The Suburbs"

* "Army", track 6 from the 1999 album, "The Unauthorized Biography Of Reinhold Messner" (this album is still under "Ben Folds Five"). 

If the crowd singing and cheering along is any reason to not go to a Ben Folds concert, then you're going to miss out on his story and his music. These are the things people remember and pass down to other generations. Sure, there are incidents where he stated sad reasons for writing what he is about to play but you can tell he's genuine. He laughed, he smiled, he admitted to shenanigans. He added some swears into the conversation, only to make him seem more real; more relatable. He wasn't using vulgarity to turn us away. He was admitting to his own faults, much like a lot of people do, or need to do. "I fucked up" sort of thing (or even "There was no way I was gonna fuck with that.. that's just crazy"). We're all adults; we get it. 

I liked him before (through the years), but I have more respect for him now, after seeing him live. Especially after learning about his non profit work and his tenure in a celebrated arts center. The latter ties into my #Masshole roots, not only because it's named after a president born in my state (it built way before that person was president), but also because I'm a PBS / NPR child that enjoys various "cultural performances" whether it's comedy, music or visual performance (I draw the line on some things though).  

This all illustrates the fact that if you keep an open mind and don't go in and judge first, you'll come out with a different perspective on things and maybe enjoy what you saw or heard. You never know. 

Until the next sound and vision post pops up, have a tubular Tuesday and hope you're getting ready for national "find me a big old poultry to cook" day. 

Cheers;

There is still some 1990s rage in that one...

Tonight I went to see Ben Folds & A Piano Tour at the Barbara B Mann Arts Hall in Fort Myers. I have not had the opportunity to see Ben perform before and knew this would be my chance.

I still kick myself over not seeing The Goo Good Dolls back when I first moved to Florida. 

I did try to get some photos and videos, but unfortunately, I was at an angle (orchestra right, middle of the row, a few rows from the stage), behind a man with a buzz cut and smallishly large ears, and the stage lights were doing a number on the ability to properly focus on Ben and the piano, who were dead center on the stage. 

I will post what I can, but I am not making promises. I'm not proud of this set of visuals because I feel the lights were really what I was fighting. Even trying to use both auto focus and manual focus, my poor little iPhone couldn't keep up with the changing scenery. 

Plus, I was trying not to be rude since I was sitting smack in the middle of people and no one else had their phones out for the duration of the show.

Ben is such a wild performer on the piano, that whoever was playing with the lighting board, went to town based on the level of Mr. Folds' smashing on the keys. The communication / lighting person in me wanted to run back there and control the board myself, because I was getting squirrely from it. I was having trouble focusing myself.  However, adding the "it's not my job" voice, and my liking the row I was sitting in, I didn't move. Solely because it wasn't my job to run the lights and also because I was super close to the stage and got to see all the facial expressions Ben did. 

Every bit of that is something to discuss later. 

The opening act was Lindsey Kraft, a woman better known for her acting roles over the last two decades and more recently, her singing roles (the last 4 years). She stuck by the piano and played well, but I think she was using this to workshop her music. She mentioned she was working on a musical and is in the "write and rewrite stage". Which is why I think touring with Ben is giving her better ideas on how to improve her sound and what to add to whatever her finished product will be. 

I honestly have to say, based on not being a real fan of her acting work, she did not win me over to become a fan of her music. She seemed to be trying too hard, for as much as she also seemed to be not trying. She slipped in a few local things and tried to interact with the audience, but it seemed off putting. There was just something weird about her. 

I do have to admit, to her credit though, at one point during Ben's performance, he stopped to speak positively about her. He stated that (I'm paraphrasing here) "she's only been working on music and singing for four and a half years. She came from a place where she knew absolutely nothing. She had ideas in her mind of what she wanted to accomplish in the music world, and took the time to learn the piano; she could have picked up anything and tried it. In this digital age where you can do most of the things on the computer and it spits something back out to you, she has taken it upon herself to hone her craft and know the difference between each and every note".

Good for her, especially being in her late 30s when she wanted to do this. 

Seriously. It takes gumption to shift course like that, if only for a part time side hustle. I just wasn't impressed by her overall performance. She was okay, but I wouldn't run out and find her music and tell my friends they've got to get her albums as well. If anything, should her music end up on shuffle somehow and somewhere, I don't think I would know it from a hole in the wall. I probably would find myself cycling through it - fast forward until the next song popped up. I was that neutral about it. 

If this offends anyone, sorry. We all have our opinions and we can disagree or agree on stuff. I'm sure what I write about in this blog, people disagree with, all the time. What I'm going to say about Ben Folds, there's bound to be someone who has some hate to say. If you take the time to consider what he's recently done in his life, those who have certain political beliefs may not like him, or even me for that matter. 

As I've stated a lot, I try not to get political in my blog and I know Mr. Folds recently left a well to do position in a big named arts center (*cough* Kennedy Arts Center in Washington DC *cough*) due to the current political climate, and he has every right to have done that. However, that's a different day and a different story. I'd like to talk about his tour here in Florida. 

I know there are people who aren't totally familiar with his work and there are people who are whole heartedly familiar with what he has done for the last thirty plus years. I fall in the middle of that. 

The music I know is from the 1990s and very early 2000s. I've heard bits and pieces of the later years, having picked up an album or two over the decades. He was a judge on NBC's short lived (4 seasons) show "The Sing-Off" and co-founded a charity called "Keys For Kids" (which is amazing. I suggest looking into it, if only to see what he's trying to do). Again, in his humanitarian work, he recently left an eight year stint with a specific arts center due to current politics. It's unfortunate because he embodies such positivity for the arts, it's a shame he had to walk away. I totally respect his reasoning and feel like he did the right thing. I'm going to leave it at that. 

He's also got some symphony / orchestra level albums out, as he had taken advantage of his residency at the arts center. He said in his performance tonight, that when and where he grew up, musicals weren't a thing, but he got to take advantage of the sounds when he could. He didn't become a practicing "musicals" type person until later, which is why he sounds like he has done more of them then he should. I think playing with the orchestras has helped that, just a little bit. 

Tonight, he showed grace and funk and fun on the piano. He really is a showman and a whiz. Which feels like it's the reason why he brought up musicals. He said there was one time, early on in his career, where he and his band were in London, playing at the BBC and he had seen The Music Man on television and had his own vision of how a specific song would come out that he wrote. As the band sang it, this tall man crosses the stage and stops right at Ben at the piano. He had to keep going but he was frozen at the same time. It turned out to be Pete Townshend leaning over him and says "you ever write musicals?" and Ben said "No". Pete goes "You should" and walks away. He sent Ben tickets for Rent and Ben said he still hasn't wrote any musicals, but he will, eventually. There were just so many instances where he just free flowed after explaining something, and people were going wild. 

For a partially filled theater with the average age being in their late 40s and early 50s, as well as people in the upper years of their lives, they were super chill about everything. From what I could see, no phones unless it was a quick photo. Like, a real quick photo. No one stared at their screens. Their full attention was the man on the stage, banging away on the ivories. 

That's how it should be, and why my photos came out bad. I didn't want to keep my phone out. This was an experience like "the old days" before smart devices. Sure, we didn't have to use Yondr bags for this performance (like a few celebrities have requested over the years. Here's looking at you, Robert Zimmerman), but everyone stayed cool and had fun. The phones weren't the priority. 

I think some people had a little too much fun in some instances. For example, there was a couple sitting somewhere behind me. If not immediately behind me, they were the next row behind me. They had to be immediately behind me as I could hear closely them in my left ear. They sounded like they were "right there" - close enough that through their heckling and chattiness, I could tell they had been drinking before the show and during the show. There were some very inappropriate things to come out of their mouths, including the moment they tried to take a photo of Ben and their flash went off. The woman next to me looked back a little to see what that was, as it surprised both of us. I saw her give a "what the hell" look and she shook her head. The couple who took the photo laughed it off, said something and the last thing I heard was "okay, boomer!". They also had very bad timing when it came to agreeing with Ben when he made some comments before the playing another song. There was a moment when he was talking about an experience in his past with a friend who was alone and unwell. The couple gave him the wrong type of affirmations - something like "you get it!" which wasn't the best thing to do. The whole time they whooped and clapped at him like he was some sort of big comedian telling "fall on your face funny" jokes. He was funny with some of his witty comments, but some of the things he said were not funny. It was all to explain his thoughts and what was going through his mind or life at the time. This couple did the same for Lindsey when she started too. They were making me uncomfortable and I was already a little anxious being in the middle of the row as it was. The pair truly needed to shut the hell up and calm the hell down quite a few times during the entire 100 minutes we all sat there. 

In all reality, it only takes one (or two) assholes to ruin a good time. 

I mean, the night wasn't ruined all the way. It was really great to be there and watch Ben play. I wish this couple wasn't directly behind me, becoming another distraction. 

I squirreled my post. I totally went around the topic I was on. 

Ben showed his musical talents on the piano, for sure. He's still got some of that 1990s rage in him and it showed. It was slight circus whirl, jazz, funk and jam band, all mixed with his own type of crazy. He pounded on the piano, stomped his feet, made a full scene out of the song without needing a backing band. If the lighting was better suited for this show, I definitely would have videos to post with this massive amount of text. 

I do have some photos, and again, I'm not happy with them. But it's become one of those "prove it or it didn't happen" things. 

The first photo is when I got there, the second is Lindsey giving a chat and the rest is Ben.

As you can see, I struggled to get clear shots.  I'm not proud of them but feel something needed to be shared. 

Due to being "close but far enough", I spent part of the time watching Ben and part of the time watching the lights. Ben started off sounding like he's either starting a cold or on the tail end of a cold because he was wiping his nose a lot and sniffling. It's not old age kicking in; "he's not yet 60". It must be Florida; there are too many people who are allergic to it. As he played on, the cold issues seemed to go away and he lit up as he played. Not because there was a white spot light on him the entire time, but because you can tell he truly enjoys playing in front of people.

He's a showman and it's evident. 

Once he started in with a few songs, he obviously got in the jam band head space and started free playing. He was doing such an array of various ups and downs, it felt like a carnival or circus ride. It was fun because you expected this weird, goofy looking nerdy  guy to just play the straight card. But there he goes, doing what he wants with no questions asked. He killed it. 

I recognized one or two songs, but couldn't tell you what the rest were. Probably because it's been so long since I've listened to his music. I try my best to know as much as I can, but again, I'm not up on the mid 2000 stuff, probably when some of this came out. There were no super early 90s songs, but I'm okay with that. I liked what I heard and he kept the crowd energized. He even had a sort of sing a long with a couple songs, and the audience did some snap and response thing for one song. It was cool. 

Ben Folds did do some chatting in between songs and he did speak about what's been going on over the last 5 years. He had some commentary to go with one of the songs, which he wrote during the beginning of everyone being in lock down and how he came up with those lyrics, as well as why he wrote some earlier songs. For example, "Fred Jones, Part 2", which is actually off the 2001 "Rockin' The Suburbs" is something he talked about before playing. I had forgotten about that one as it was the first album Ben did without the "Five". The song is about Ben's hometown hero, a 25 year newspaper veteran who was let go from his post and had to choose other methods of keeping himself busy in his forced retirement. Ben said he "remembered when this happened" and the "man was already an old man when" Ben was younger, which means Jones was super old by the time he got canned. 

It's the little things you don't realize that are about the big things you sing along to.

I think I've gone in an absolute circle with this one. Thank you for sticking with me through this. I actually started writing it when I got home at 10:45 and now it's almost two hours later. I am definitely over tired at this point and I do hope everything makes sense. If you have the chance to see Ben Folds, please do so. You won't be disappointed because you don't need to know all of his songs to enjoy his show. He's informative, he's funny and he's a great watch. 

Plus, if you purchase his $45 "Folds" shirt, you actually support his Keys For Kids charity. The great marketing scheme in the shirt is that there's an NFC tag sewn right into it. If you put your phone on the token under the patch, a popup appears and wants to take to "the experience", which is an explanation of what ten dollars of your 45 goes to. Your purchase now is helping raise awareness for Ben's work, which is to "provide young people in North Carolina who express an interest in learning to play piano the access to appropriate lessons and instruments at little or no cost" (per North Carolina Arts Foundation). 

Go forth and try something new. Support the arts and support change. 

I need to support a better sleeping habit, so I need to start having a conversation with by bed.

Until next time..

Cheers;

See Also:

* Amazon doesn't have much on Lindsey Kraft, as she's probably more known for her Netflix role in Grace & Frankie. It irks me to say this, but "according to Wikipedia", Lindsey has also been in a lot of other TV shows, if only for an episode. 

* Ben Folds on Amazon

If "you've read it in the tea leaves", are "the tracks [..] on tv"?

Okay, so this isn't a science fiction (double feature) reference to an Orwellian time that was supposed to be from 41 years ago, but I did just reference a David Bowie song. 

The blog title is "1984" from the 1974 Diamond Dogs album (track 09). The "double feature" reference is crossed out because I sometimes laugh when I write out "science fiction" because I think of the opening song of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, where Patricia Quinn's lips are mouthing the words to "Science Fiction / Double Feature" as Richard O'Brien is singing the song. 

The 1970s were full of crazy weirdness, man. I wonder what George Orwell would have thought if he heard his book was turned into a song.. or at the very least, some Brit wanted to turn it into a rock opera... 

At any rate, I mentioned last night I would post pictures of my tea the next time I had a cup. 

I do want to clarify something about the ashwagandha before proceeding: One of the reasons I'm going to limit myself with it regarding liver issues is that I'm already taking a product that contains trace amounts of the herb, so I do not want to overload my system. 

The product I'm taking is something I've mentioned before - I mix Om Master Blend Mushroom Powder – Organic Mushroom Supplement with 10 Mushrooms and Ashwagandha into my morning smoothie, but I have been alternating between this powder and Sprouts version (which does not have ashwagandha). Which is again why I feel I need to be careful with what I'm doing. I'm already taking various supplements and I've done a good job in keeping the lab work within a reasonable range this year, so I don't want to mess anything up. I want to continue what I'm doing and see how it goes. 

Can't blame me, right? 

Anyway, the pictures came out wonky because I am using a darker mug than I should, in order to be showing off pictures (It's a Nightmare Before Christmas mug - Jack and Sally "Simply Meant To Be"). The mug is dark purple on the inside, which doesn't jive with the dark color of the tea. 

Apologies in advance. 

Also, the tea is hot. You'll see that in the photos - the fog on the lens.

Before creamer:

After Creamer:

The photos were taken with my iPhone 11 and edited in Photoshop (my name). 

Looks like black coffee and then coffee with some sort of creamer in it, no? The milk product I used was the Planet Oat French Vanilla Oatmilk creamer, not available on Amazon (but there are other flavors of the brand). 

I didn't put any extra sweetener in the liquid; drank it "as is" with the added Planet Oat as there are already 4g of sugar in it and adding all the different types of powders to my morning smoothie, I have enough things that break down into other things, there's a reason I need to be in the gym for two hours! People may think I've lost a lot of weight, but I'm still a fat kid. "Goonies never say die!" and fat kids never say no to cake. Maybe. Haha. 

Speaking of saying "no", I think I should say no more to writing the update. I'm getting squirreled and I need to go work on something else. 

Until there's another update or freestyle rambling, go have a drink and play in the mud or something.

Cheers;

See Also

* If you want to price shop, I have a referral link for the OM website. You receive $5 off your first purchase of $45 or more. I know it's not much, but every little bit helps. In return, I receive 50 points for the referral. 

* "Goonies never say die" items on Amazon.

* The quote is from the 1985 movie, The Goonies

Gimme the tee (tea)?

I broke down yesterday and bought a box of Teeccino tea at Sprouts. It was "cheap enough" at $7.29, that I figured I'd buy it. I've been wanting to try the tea, so I grabbed a box of Chaga Ashwagandha Tea - Butterscotch Cream and continued my shopping. 

As Sprouts had it under eight bucks, comparatively speaking, Amazon has the same 10 bag box for $9.99 with a (one time use) dollar off coupon if you subscribe and save. The Teeccino branded website also has the 10 bag box for $9.99, but their subscribe and save offers a "recurring 23% off" the listed price. This would make it just 40 cents more than what I paid at Sprouts. Plus, I have a referral link for first time buyers: Get $10 off your first order (shipping is free when you reach $59 and you get a "free gift" at the 25 dollar price point). 

I know I've talked about it before - do your research and see what is the better deal. If you're already an Amazon subscriber, then that may be better than opening an account on another site. However, I've been getting emails from the Teeccino site and they've got some random sales going on currently. With the holiday season starting to ramp up, they are one of the brands who are offering discounts to customers. I am enjoying the blog and newsletter, as the latter has cool information and recipes for the various products they offer. 

With the cold snap a lot of places have been having, it wouldn't hurt to try out the (non alcoholic if you wanted) winter festive drinks. Once the dieting time of year begins, those who want to try keto coffee, there's even a recipe for bulletproof coffee. I'm not a health professional, so please consult a doctor if you decide to go that route. 

Now that I've got the prices out of the way and suggestion of where to look, how has this tea been, you ask? 

Yesterday: "Black" - no sugar, no creamer, just plain old steeped tea. The serving suggestion is 8 ounces of water, and I didn't think, so I made 12 ounces. It really is a matter of that extra because it was a little too watered down (not by much) and once I got to the end, it was cool enough, it tasted slightly bitter but tangy. I could feel a slight butterscotch profile among other notes, so for it being a "Smooth, earthy brew with a hint of warm butterscotch", it really was light in that area. I feel like there was a dark chocolate undertone as well, but it could have been the carob I was tasting. 

The ingredients are listed as: 

"Carob pods*, chicory root*, ramón seed*, dates*, ashwagandha root*(Withania somnifera 600mg), Indian sarsaparilla root*, chaga extract*(wild harvested inonotus obliquus conk and mycelium blend: 300mg), natural flavors*

*Certified organic

Produced on machinery that also processes almonds"

I guess it's how everything intertwines with each other. 

I wasn't really amazed by it without creamer, so today, I added a splash of Planet Oat French Vanilla Oatmilk Creamer (which Amazon doesn't carry that particular flavor, but they carry other "alternative" brands). I also followed the directions and made 8 ounces. 

This time it was was more palatable. I think the French Vanilla toned down the robustness of what would be considered the "earthiness" of the tea. It felt settled and calming instead of weird and almost tasteless like yesterday.  

I don't add extra sugar or any sugar to my coffee / tea because I rely on (flavored) creamer. I used to be one of those Massholes who went to Dunkies and ordered "a medium iced regulah" - medium iced coffee, cream and sugar. When you'd get several heaping teaspoons of raw sugar on the bottom of your coffee, you tend to get turned off, quick. I don't like chewing my liquid java. Thankyouverymuch. Every so often, I'll order a coffee with just half and half, and I'll put in a Stevia or Sweet N Low packet in it. Which I know is probably worse for you, but you trick your brain into thinking it's good. Monk fruit is actually a better option, I feel.

Okay, I've squirreled. 

I've taken pictures (on my iPhone and edited in Photoshop) pictures of what the tea box and bag look like, otherwise this entire post is for naught. 

I thought the information through out the box was interesting - how they suggest you make the tea and how to tag them on socials, so I took pictures of it all. I didn't get any of what the liquid looked like in the cup, but trust me, that spent bag is proof I made it. I'll have to take pictures of the brew next time I make it and I'll upload it in another post. 

After doing a little more poking around, I don't know if I would continue using this exact tea again. Rather, I feel I need to limit my ashwagandha use, in general. 

According to the National Institutes of Health's Office of Dietary Supplements, ashwagandha "appears to be well tolerated for up to about 3 months of use, but its long-term safety is not known. [...] However, there are a few reports of more serious side effects, including adverse effects on liver function". When I went to have my routine wellness exam last year, there were some questions regarding my liver function, due to elevated blood levels. I've since lowered that, but I do want to be careful with some of the things I do and take. Even though this same webpage states "extracts may help reduce anxiety and stress and improve sleep" (which I definitely need), I don't want to risk turning going back to where I was last year. 

I am not going to go into any details of what my doctor has said and what exactly my lab work looked like, but I will say this: it was minimal enough he wanted to question it. I'm a fat kid, so certain tests fluctuate every year, depending on what I'm doing with my life. Last year happened to be the opportunity where my doctor suggested I get things looked at, which I did, and I have bettered myself (to an extent). My numbers are down and the doctor is happy. 

Which is why I am careful in what I do and I'm always saying to research things. Don't take my advice and my advice only. I'm not a medical professional and I don't pretend to be. I write based on experience and if I can offer another view point, I do. It just so happens that ashwagandha is one of those "herbal remedies" that has pros and cons with it, and as much as I would like to sleep better and be less anxious and stressed, I don't want to over do it and risk killing my liver. 

I know that won't happen - killing my liver with one product. "Everything in moderation", but I would hate myself if the herb was the thing to push everything over the edge. I think once I finish this box, I won't buy it again. It's not because the tea was bad, it's because of the ashwagandha and I didn't think this through. I'd love to try the other flavors of Teeccino, but I'm going to read the ingredients before I make the purchase. I knew there were studies about the side effects of ashwagandha, and I've actually been good by not buying the pill form of the herb, solely based on that specific liver issue. There was something that flipped in my mind yesterday because I saw the price and I knew I wanted to try one of the teas. 

Tay would always tell me about chaga. How he makes his step father a vat of tea every couple days. It's got so many good things attached to it, it has helped the step father alleviate some of his pain, even though it's not stopped his ill health. He's still not fully healed, but it slowed down some of the problems. That's partly why I figured I'd try this tea. For as much as Tay said "you have to be careful what chaga you're getting - how it's processed and how you process it, because you can have more challenges than you need", he would go on to tell me what to do and look for. How he purchases his and how he makes it. I thought this would be easy. 

I'm not saying it's hard to do - all you need is boiling water, but the more I think about it, the more I am going to continue to drink this and say "yup. I experienced it. It's better with creamer than it is black, and I can cross this flavor off my list". Much like I can cross off the Almond Amaretto off my list. I made it, I drank it (much to it making me feel a little boozy once I smelled it), and I'd recommend it to people looking for a little punch in the morning. Would I buy it again? Not if I want to keep some of my wits about me. I don't know if I'd serve it to friends who are trying to stay sober, either. As I had a long conversation with another friend about that one day. We both agreed some smells are better left unsniffed. 

I think my espresso coffee is starting to kick in from 1:00 this afternoon. It's a sign I should get off this blog while I am a head. 

Until the brain zoomies wear off... stay hydrated. 

Cheers;

We got a pair of nosy bodies wanting a quick morning warmth

My community had a yard sale yesterday. I didn't do extremely well, however, I did capture a pair of mourning doves that were hanging out on the roof line, catching some early morning warmth.

For those who do not know what mourning doves are, Cornell University's "Lab of Ornithology" / All About Birds site states that they are "[a] graceful, slender-tailed, small-headed dove that’s common across the continent. Mourning Doves perch on telephone wires and forage for seeds on the ground; their flight is fast and bullet straight. Their soft, drawn-out calls sound like laments. When taking off, their wings make a sharp whistling or whinnying. Mourning Doves are the most frequently hunted species in North America". 

From what I've heard and have seen, they make a mid range "coo" sound and usually hang around the entrance areas (front doors) a lot. I see them in the walkways and balancing in the gutters. Usually they frequent the aforementioned roofline, as I was able to see them this particular morning.

All the editing was done in Photoshop, and I did try to auto tune it, but some came out pretty worse in auto color than they should be (it's my lack of calibration). However, I was using (the now old and currently listed as "renewed" / "refurbished") Canon EOS Rebel T7i camera with the (again, "renewed" / "refurbished") Canon 75-300mm Telephoto Zoom Lens. I had no tripod or stabilizer at the time, due to having to stop setting up the driveway to run in and get my camera. I didn't want to take away from why I was home on a Saturday instead of being at work (I switched days during the week so I could have the weekend off). Therefore, the more I could set up my sale stuff, the better I would be when the gates opened. 

I know the photos came out different. I wasn't trying to be truly professional with them, but I wanted to take something to show my friends, since I know they would love to see the nature shots and what a Canon can do, as they are both users of other brands. 

Yes. I got a photo of random birds flying. I don't know what they are. I also admit, again, the quality isn't the best. It's a combination of my inexperience (especially in editing) mixed with a zoom lens that likes to add a touch of fuzziness around the object. I feel like you can tell when a photographer uses a zoom lens and then blows that image up on a larger size than what is needed - there's always some weird halo around the subject; how do you explain that? 

At least I got some thing. My mother says, from the angle we were standing at, they both look like they are carrying eggs. I don't think they are; I think it's just the way we were standing, looking upwards at them. These type of birds are small and can be round from the front; based on whenever I've seen them hanging around. According to various PDFs, egg laying time is "around April to May", and mating / courting season usually happens "late January, early February". So the pair I have are just a couple of randos enjoying the morning before it gets busy. 

Side note, I finished Edward M. Kennedy's "True Compass: A Memoir". I hate bringing politics into my blog, but I do have to say, this autobiography is very well written and really insightful. As a former Masshole who has lived in Brookline (and was born in the next town, Brighton, if you want to be hyper specific), I'm very familiar with the Kennedy lore. Considering they were residents of those particular areas as well as the compound is in Hyannis, which is an area of Massachusetts I spent a little bit of my much younger years in (Hull / Nantasket Beach). 

Although my accent is gone due to living in Florida, I still have some "r" droppage sometimes and this book name checks all of the historical sites I learned and other Massholes know about. Kennedy friends, family and associates are all spoken about, well before their names were leant to building names. Examples would be the Tip O'Neill Federal building (I'd actually have some work related stuff to do here) and the Tip O'Neill Tunnel (which took ages to work on.. felt like generations), Leonard P Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge and much more. I don't want to get into all the landmarks, but these are specific stand outs of people who have had dealings with the Kennedys or in Massachusetts legislature. 

I really was amazed of all the things Mr. Kennedy spoke about in his memoir. There were things I knew from reading about the family in other stories as well as seeing some of the family photos - it seems like every Kennedy documentary has access to the same media. There's nothing wrong with it, but after seeing the photo of John, Bobby and Teddy standing happily together too many times, you start getting bored with it. I want to say I'm a little desensitized to the pictures, but that's the wrong wording. I enjoy reading about history and things "from my own back yard", but the oversharing of the same photos and videos gets boring. 

Yes, I realize I'm talking about figureheads that were relevant in the past and there is nothing up to date about them currently. They've all since passed away during various decades so all of the information we have in print is what there is; there's nothing left to share that would be "new". I'm not saying it's so old  that it's truly tiresome, because it isn't. I did like reading Teddy's story, I just got bored with the photos. 

I didn't realize how long he was in the Senate or what he fought for. Some of the health care issues we are currently trying to fix  (or revert back to) were things he had a hand in - whether he started it, came in during the middle of it, or he helped finish it. Our senior population receiving certain "perks"? Teddy worked on that too. Help for the underprivileged and underserved? Teddy worked with others to make it happen (a lot of Civil Rights stuff). He did a lot of work between the late 1960s and mid 1980s, that I really didn't put a specific person behind that issue. I just thought "it got done" by various humans. It did, but he was one of those humans who pushed for it. 

Which is why he name checks people too. High powered people who would have some pull he could barter with - share what he can do if they can help back. He didn't use his last name to his advantage 100% of the time. For as much as some people might expect that to happen. He had to fight for a lot because of his birth order, but also that birth order made him see life differently. There was 17 years between his older brother Joe Jr. and himself. He also had struggles, politically, because he was third generation Irish American and the early years of the family being in Boston weren't well received when they were out stumping for each other. 

Honestly, I'm struggling to write about this right now because I know it can be seen more of a political review or a biased review. I don't want to offend anyone, but I do want to say, if you want to read a little more about history and what "the little guy" (literally - he was child nine of nine) can do, I suggest readying this. Especially if you're familiar with Boston and want to know more about the area or like to sail, this memoir is loaded with boating terminology and analogies. If you don't want to take my word for it, pick up the book and give it a whirl. If all else fails, you can tell your friends how much you may (or may not) agree with it. You never know, it might make you see things in a new light.

Until the birds come back and I get them talking to each other, enjoy the day and take care of yourself. Read a little and learn something too.

Cheers;