Fandom

National Hot Tea Day

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My breakfast nook! My special place for tea preparation. (c)2022-2023

I finally broke down and created this special area for our breakfast needs. My husband works from home and makes himself coffee every morning. For myself, I drink tea, especially during the cold months, and I wanted a space that spoke to me and that I could find everything I needed for my cup of tea since tea is more than a drink – it is life-giving and life-sustaining. There is so much more to tea than drinking leaves steeped in hot water.

One of my favorite ways to make tea is the way Douglas Adams, author of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy described in 1999. It really works well. It’s the using a hot cup that really does the trick. You can read his brilliant way to brew tea by clicking here.

Here is George Orwell’s take on it as well: A Nice Cup of Tea

What I’ve discovered about brewing tea is that the simple ways are the best ways.

  1. If you’re making tea one cup at a time, the cup should be hot.
  2. The water should be boiling.
  3. The tea bag should not be left in the cup once it has been steeped.
  4. And under no circumstances should the tea bag be squeezed.
  5. Sugar, honey, agave, your sweetener is your choice, but I prefer the tried and true sugar.

Enjoy.

Check out my instagram later today for the cup of tea I had this morning with my breakfast bagel!

Reflection on Weekend’s Book Bash

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This past weekend was spent in scavenger hunting fun! Since the pandemic, they’ve (GISH) been doing more and more mini-hunts to give people on lockdown something to do and raise money for charity. This most recent hunt was called a Book Bash and most of the items centered around reading and writing. My go-to’s if you will. With my writing retreat cancelled I found myself with nothing* to do so I signed up at the last minute.

[*Nothing to do means: cleaning house, taking a shower, going to mass, planning and cooking dinner, writing, preparing and filing my taxes, typing up interfaith meeting notes, writing and sending Cursillo reports, and half a dozen other things that are still on my to-do list, but hey who doens’t have 48 hours to spend aimlessly. I also signed up for a free vision journal workshop at a food co-op.]

Aimlessly doesn’t accurately describe the weekend, but I think you get the drift of the lack of impulse control I sometimes have.

Before I share the few items I did, I want to share the link to the charity that we supported with our registration fees: World Central Kitchen for their current humanitarian work in Ukraine. Their leader is Chef Jose Andres who leads with his heart and encourages giving especially where getting hungry people their necessary nourishment. If you have the mean, please give generously. They are on the ground in the world’s poorest and dangerous places, bringing hope with their meals.

World Central Kitchen

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National Tea Month – Fandom

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One of my favorite tea brands and companies is Adagio Teas. They have all the regular teas that you love plus accessories and gifts, but they have a special section on fandom teas.

I started my collection with gifts from friends, and not every tea has agreed with my palate, but they’ve opened me up to try new things.

I have two favorites in particular – The Walking Dead Daryl and Supernatural Survival Tea. I tried the sample tins, and reordered the bulk bags.

There is also an option to mix and create your own blend, which I have yet to try; it is definitely on my to-do list.

In recent days, I’ve been enjoying a morning cup of tea, and I hope to continue with my fandom favorites.

Fandom Sample from Adagio Teas. Represented are Harry Potter, The Walking Dead, Doctor Who, Supernatural, and The Avengers: Civil War.
(c)2021
The Walking Dead Daryl sample tin with my tea strainer and favorite cup.
(c)2021

“…Nothing Ever Really Ends, Does It??…” – Chuck Shurley (Spn, 5.22)

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Supernatural ended a week ago, and I am still not over it. I have many thoughts about the finale, both positive and negative, and I am still not ready to confront them.

In lieu of my opinions and emotional upheaval, I decided to share a few links of things that posted in the days leading up to the last episode.

BEWARE SPOILERS

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Supernatural Lists: Charities and Organizations Worth Looking At

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UPDATED: 25 NOVEMBER 2020

For a number of years, Supernatural merchandise has been offered with a portion of the proceeds going to charities chosen by the actors.

They’ve been offered through different organizations, although more recently, they are primarily offered through Stands.

What follows is a list of some of those charities and organizations if you can spare some time to volunteer or money to donate.

The series finale aired last night and can be watched today on The CW app.

Supernatural Lists: Hunter’s Lore

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A large part of the Supernatural story is what it takes to be a hunter. It isn’t just killing monsters, eating cheeseburgers, and drinking beer although that seems to be a large part of it.

There’s research to be done, weapons and tools to be made, and a set of skills to learn, both in the “downtime” and on the job.

Here is my list of fifteen skills/Hunter’s Lore that Sam and Dean have picked up along the way, beginning with one of the most important ones –

  1. Hunter’s Journal, where the hunters keep their notes and references as well as contacts with other hunters, etc. Over the years as technology advanced, many of the functions of the Hunter’s Journal were supplemented by library research, laptop and/or tablet and online search engines. As Sam would say, “So, get this…”
  2. Anti-possession Symbol – as a charm to wear or a tattoo as the Winchesters have.
  3. Salt. Salt lines, salt circles. Keeps the ghosts at bay.
  4. Salt and burn the bones. Kills the ghosts and vengeful spirits.
  5. Iron. Gets rid of the ghosts.
  6. Lock picks and lock picking tools.
  7. Devil’s Trap
  8. Silver knives, letter openers. These can be used on shifters and werewolves.
  9. Head shots are used for vampires, ghouls, and others.
  10. Exorcizamus Te – the Demon expelling spell
  11. The Colt – kills nearly everything (unfortunately, not Lucifer)
  12. Angel Blade
  13. Archangel Blade
  14. Witch Killing Bullets
  15. Demon Knife (from Ruby)

What have I left out?

Supernatural Lists: Jobs

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Here is a partial list of some of the jobs that Sam and Dean had, actually, pretended to have. I’ve combined similar careers, and kept the list to twenty. Did I forget any?

  1. Actors, Talent Agents, Talent Scouts
  2. Animal Control, Pest Control
  3. Art Dealers
  4. Author, Blogger, Journalist, Reporters
  5. Bartender
  6. CDC Agents
  7. Coach, Janitor, Research Assistant, Students
  8. Doctors, Medical Students, Orderly
  9. Electrician, Maintenance Technicians
  10. FBI
  11. Fire Fighters
  12. Game Wardens, Park Rangers, US Wildlife Service
  13. Grief Counselors, Priests
  14. Historic Preservation Society
  15. Insurance Investigators
  16. Law Enforcement, Police, Sheriffs, Deputies, SWAT, US Marshalls, Code Enforcement
  17. Personal Trainers
  18. Ranch Hands
  19. Teddy Bear Doctors
  20. Wedding Florists

Supernatural Lists: Monsters

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Fifteen or so monsters we’ve met and other entities:

  1. Demons
  2. Djinn
  3. Ghost (also Vengeful Spirit)
  4. Ghoul
  5. Hellhounds
  6. Leviathan
  7. Phoenix
  8. Rugaroo
  9. Shapeshifter (aka Shifter)
  10. Skinwalker
  11. Vampire
  12. Vetala
  13. Wendigo
  14. Werewolf
  15. Witch
  • People (see The Benders [1.15])
  • Clowns (see Sam, Everybody Loves a Clown [2.2])
  • Jefferson Starships (aka Starships) (see Mommy Dearest [6.19])
  • Khan Worm (see And Then There Were None [6.16])
  • Faeries
  • Leprechaun
  • Zombie (but not really – see Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid [5.15])
  • Trickster (again, not really, but spoilers) (see Tall Tales [2.15])

Biblical:

  • G-d
  • Lucifer
  • Michael
  • Raphael
  • Gabriel
  • Lilith
  • Eve
  • Ezekiel
  • Gadreel

Who am I forgetting?!

Supernatural Lists: Geography

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The Winchester Brothers travel back and forth across the country in Baby, their 1967 Chevy Impala. I never much paid attention to some of the place names until in one episode Dean mentioned that he was going to Buffalo, New York because his Dad’s old storage locker was broken into. He was in Queens, New York, and said he’d be there in two hours.

I stared at my screen.

I’ve lived in New York my whole life, including spending my elementary years in Queens, and I’ve been to Buffalo. It is not a two hour drive, I don’t care how fast you’re going.

It’s almost 400 miles! That’s six hours and fifteen minutes IF, and that’s a big if, you’re going the speed limit, don’t stop off in any small towns where the speed limit is lowered drastically, don’t need to get gas, and there is no traffic.

Oh, and four hundred miles in a 1967 Chevy? You will definitely need to get gas. At least twice!

Here is a list of fifteen places the Winchesters visited during the series. I’ve included the episode when they first went there. Some places like Kansas, South Dakota, and Fall River, Massachusetts they’ve been to multiple times over the years.

Note: The notation: 1.1 is Season 1, Episode 1.

  1. Lawrence, Kansas [Pilot, 1.1]
  2. Lebanon, Kansas [As Time Goes By, 8.12]
  3. Buffalo, New York [Bad Day at Black Rock, 3.3]
  4. Lily Dale, New York [The Mentalists, 7.7]
  5. Ankeny, Iowa [Hook Man, 1.7]
  6. Sioux Falls, South Dakota [Devil’s Trap, 1.22] *
  7. Las Vegas, Nevada [Season Seven, Time for a Wedding!, 7.8]
  8. Vancouver, BC, Canada [The French Mistake, 6.15]
  9. Grants Pass, Oregon [Mommy Dearest, 6.19]
  10. Hollywood, California [Hollywood Babylon, 2.18]
  11. Cicero, Indiana [The Kids Are Alright [3/2]
  12. Sturbridge, Massachusetts [Malleus Maleficarum, 3.9]
  13. Monument, Colorado [Jus in Bello, 3.12]
  14. Fall River, Massachusetts [Mamma Mia, 12.2] *
  15. Windom, Minnesota [Jump the Shark, 4.19] *

* A couple of fun things:

Sioux Falls, South Dakota is where Bobby Singer lives. It’s like a home base for the Winchesters. The sheriff is Jody Mills, who becomes a close friend of Bobby and the boys.

Fall River is also where the Lizzie Borden House and Museum is, and Sam and Dean go there in a later episode.

Windom is where Sam and Dean meet their up until then unknown half-brother, Adam Milligan.

Which was your favorite place that the Winchesters traveled to?

Supernatural Lists: Catch-Phrases and Pithy Sayings

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This is the second of seven in a series of Supernatural list posts celebrating the conclusion of their record-breaking series run of fifteen seasons.

I’m sure our house isn’t very different from other families. We have our own idiosyncrasies and short hand for expressing ourselves. For me, my go-to for commentary is almost always one of three places: Seinfeld, Supernatural, and Hamilton. Even my kids, who have never seen Seinfeld, are familiar with several of the pop culture vernacular: yada, yada, yada, not that there’s anything wrong with that, Newman, TWIIIIIX. Low talkers, close talkers, anti-dentites, big salads, baby eating dingoes, as well as why we don’t lick envelopes.

Supernatural is one of those wonderful shows where the actors love to go to work. It’s evident, and after fifteen completed seasons, they often harken back to previous seasons and episodes and call out fanon, continuity, plot holes, and just plain call back fun. For fans who love the meta, and I am one of them, it is a laugh, a private moment between actor and fan, an inside joke; a fourth wall broken. My sister just binged and completed the series, and she’ll make a comment to me, and I’ll smile because I know something she doesn’t, mainly because I’m on tumblr and read many of the convention accounts, and participate with the Supernatural family and on social media.

Here are a few of those out-of-context quotes that might or might not make sense to you, but for the SPN family, trust me, they are hilarious. They are not in any particular order, and I’m sure I’ve left out a few, but come on, it’s been fifteen seasons. (Warning for some language.)

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