Grumpy Beastie's Other Lair

Winterfest in July Spirit Where are You?

Mon, 27 Jul 2026 18:05:46 GMT

There is, what, a week of month left? I've been trying to find my Winterfest/Christmas in July all month and I'm just not sure where it is.

I borrowed Christmas movies from the library I had wanted to watch at Christmas time, but knew I'd never get my hands on them in season.

I've been drinking "Christmas" flavored water all month. The discount grocery had a good deal on the Hint brand variety 12 pack of holiday themed flavored water. The spiced pear tasted like green apple chew candy. The apple cinnamon smelled like cutting into a crisp, red apple, but the flavor is hard to describe. It makes me think of strawberry banana yogurt every time I drink it. The cranberry orange smells of cranberries but tastes like Tang. The peppermint bark they seem to have gotten right. It tastes like peppermint and chocolate.

At the beginning of the month, I swapped my black cat soap dispenser for my gingerbread house soap dispenser.

I also got the holiday themed puzzle books back out and all that did was remind me how infuriating they are and made me not want to do my daily brain puzzles. Honestly, the word search is the one that bugs me the most, but it has some nice themed prompt lists, should I need some. The Nightmare Before Christmas puzzle book is fun, but I'm almost done with it. I can't remember the name of the third book. It's okay, but it's was for a much younger demographic than I thought and it's made of cheap newsprint, which dyes my fingers every time I use it.

I thought about grabbing some Christmas romance novels from the library paperback exchange, because it's a genre I'm curious about and they have so many of them. On closer examination, they were all inspirational, Christmas themed, Christian, faith-based-romance, crime dramas. There were so many of them. It was a bit more than I was wanting to dive into.

By happy accident, I also watched Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries' Christmas in July episode. That was fun.

Here is to hoping I get my bingo done by the end of the month. (Both of them actually.)

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Let's Make a Dungeon Crawler OC

Fri, 17 Jul 2026 06:18:17 GMT

After reading Dungeon Crawler Carl, I decided to do a text version make your own OC game. Basically, you are building a Dungeon Crawler OC based on info about you.

1. If you were born...
In spring, your OC has short hair
In summer, your OC has long hair
In autumn, your OC has medium hair
In winter, your OC is bald

2. If you have...
A tattoo, your OC uses a melee weapon
A mole, your OC uses a shield
Freckles, your OC uses a ranged weapon
A scar, your OC uses a found weapon
If you have more than one/all of these, you choose your OC's weapon

3. If your eyes are...
Blue or green, your OC was gifted a magic tiara
Brown or black, your OC was gifted knuckle and/or knee protection
Any other color, your OC was gifted an animal companion

4. If you sleep with your socks...
On, your OC arrived at the Dungeon in sensible clothing
Off, your OC arrived at the Dungeon in their pajamas
Sometimes, your OC arrived at the Dungeon in a coat and their underwear

5. Is you have...
One sibling, your OC is wearing slippers or sandles or crocs
Two or more siblings, your OC is wearing boots
No siblings, your OC has no shoes

Enjoy your new OCs!

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Absolute Batman Playlist

Fri, 17 Jul 2026 04:56:10 GMT

I read Absolute Batman Volume 2: Abomination and decided to make a playlist for that universe.

The Absolute Universe is a new official DC alternative universe. For the Batman part of it, Bruce Wayne is younger, giant hulk of a man of a different socioeconomic background and origin story than his canon counterpart.

Volume 1 collected all the story parts of The Zoo, which established Batman's new origin story and the new roles of regular Batman characters such as Alfred Pennyworth (not a butler), Waylon Jones, Harvey Dent, Oswald Copplepot, Edward Nygma, Martha Wayne, James Gordon, Bullock, Barbara Gordon, and Black Mask. The world is also much darker with a more centralized villain with some minor cyberpunk elements (very minor). It also firmly establishes itself as a bloody horror series.

Volume 2, however, is when the body horror begins, collecting the storyline that introduces this universe's Dr. Freeze and the storyline that introduces Bane. Almost all of our previously introduced main cast is tortured and experimented on. Catwoman is properly introduced. (Selina had been established as a character and mentioned in Volume 1, but we only saw her in flashbacks.)

This is all the further I have gotten in the series, so my playlist only reflects those 2 volumes. (Track list order was decided by dice rolls.)

Track list:
"My Way" Frank Sinatra
"Rise" Origa
"By the Way" Red Hot Chili Peppers
"Time Heist" LO
"Destroya" My Chemical Romance
"Loser" Beck
"Lone Digger" Caravan Palace
"Riot" Three Days Grace
"Save Yourself, I'll Hold Them Back" My Chemical Romance
"Sabotage" Beastie Boys
"Bodies" Drowning Pool
"Endless Neon" LO
"Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)" My Chemical Romance
"The Man Who Sold the World" Nirvana
"Planetary (GO!)" My Chemical Romance
"Animal I Have Become" Three Days Grace
"Inner Universe" Origa
"Run Rabbit Junk" Hideyuki Takahashi

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Larry the Cryptid

Fri, 17 Jul 2026 04:22:07 GMT

As part of our library summer reading challenge, we were supposed to come up with our own enrichment activities to go with the books we read. Because of this, I have made up a local cryptid.

Their name is Larry.

They're part seagull, part crab.

They have a crab army they summon onto the beach at night to dance.

Larry requires regular sacrifices in the form of tourists and others who fail to read their tide tables and get stuck out on rocks in the ocean. It is speculated that Larry feeds on their fear, not their flesh.

Failure to do so leads to bad fire seasons.

It is speculated that Larry possibly controls lightning to some extent.

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Summerween Read-a-Thon

Sat, 04 Jul 2026 04:49:22 GMT

This is going up later than intended. I found out about this via Book Riot's blog post/article about various summer reading challenges happening this year.

BookTuber gabbyreads hosts this particular read-a-thon every summer. I'm not sure for how many years. She has information up on YouTube and Instagram.

The five reading prompts this year are:

1. Read a book in the dark or at night

2. Read a thriller or horror book

3. Read an author you've never read before

4. Read a book with pink on the cover

5. And read a book with fewer than 250 pages

If you are posting your Summerween challenge on Instagram, the Instagram posting specific prompts are:

1. Post your TBR

2. Post books with pink spines

3. Post a reel of your reading routine

4. Post a pic of your current read

5. Post a pic of any books with summer vibes

6. Post a pic of a book in nature

7. And post a pic of your final read (or a stack of all the books you read)

Challenge runs July 3rd - 9th

Do with this information what you will and have fun.

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Currently/Last June 2026

Wed, 01 Jul 2026 21:08:18 GMT

Currently/Last lists are the last and/or current answer to the categories for a given time period, in this case a month.

In the text box, I've a blank html coded version of the list, including categories I didn't use this month.

Making: Summerween activities list & Creepmas in July activities list
Watching: Father Brown
Reading: Everything You Wanted to Know About Indians But Were Afraid to Ask by Anton Treuer & My Best Friend's Honeymoon by Meryl Wilsner
Listening: "Payphone" by Maroon 5
Eating: open-faced Swiss & mushrooms burgers with cucumbers & potato chips on the side
Drinking: Coke
Loving: Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries
Hating: My increasing anxiety
Wanting: effective help sleeping
Planning: what to do next to my room
Wishing: for better time management skills
Puzzle Books: Once again, ignored my puzzle books this month, but did online puzzles. Last day of June was Huedoku & Lite Brite Daily, Trivia Bingo, & Word Chain.
Wearing: Pajamas
Needing: "enrichment activities" ideas for the library's summer reading challenge
Enjoying: Korean coffee flavored milk drink
Wondering: how I can get everything taken care of
Playing: Subeta (Masquerade has started)
Trying: to tackle things one dumpster fire at a time
Cooking: sautéed mushrooms
Calling: vexed_wench
Texting: the niblet
Crafting: knitting the cable blanket, making butterfly themed cards with Lynne, & a replacement bracelet for Jellybean
Going: a pride event in a neighboring state & an Asian market on the way home
Feeling: anxious
Hoping (For): breathing room
Celebrating: getting a pedicure
Thanking: vexed_wench
Considering: what on earth I'm going to do for my birthday
Finishing: nothing, everything is very much ongoing
Starting: co-hosting Winterfest in July allbingo

Notes:
My room deep clean/reno is still ongoing. It's had a few setbacks, but I think I can still get things done on time.

The library's summer reading challenge started. It's only 10 books this year and we have to come up with our own "enrichment activities" for each book and describe and rate them on the reading log.

I've been doing my best not to take on new things that weren't already planned for, but my plate is still too full. I'll figure it out, but I'm just overwhelmed right now.

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Summerween Cometh

Tue, 30 Jun 2026 21:50:41 GMT

And people are losing their minds a little.

For some reason this year, my social media feeds are filled with headlines like, "Summerween taken over by overconsumption problem and losing spirit of the holiday." As someone who is dismayed by the fact that there is a very fast cycle of monetizing to the teeth everything that becomes vaguely popular and by the fact that most "Halloween All Year" online spaces are dominated by shopping hauls, code oranges, and sponsorship videos, I do feel the overconsumption problem should be discussed. It's the "spirit of the holiday" statement I keep seeing that's bothering me. Summerween is a made up holiday for fun, like Christmas in July. Some people need to take several breaths and touch some grass.

Also, if buying a skeleton flamingo pool floatie or a wolfman in a Hawaiian shirt tchotchke makes you happy, I'm not going to stop you (or judge).

So what is Summerween exactly?

It's two things. It's a fandom holiday from the Gravity Falls fandom, like Supernatural Day or October 3rd (Fullmetal Alchemist). I have yet to watch Gravity Falls, (I know, it's on my short list), so I can't offer further guidance there. It is also a fun excuse to do Halloween things in summer, like Christmas in July is for Christmas.

When exactly is it celebrated? (Answer is northern hemisphere oriented)

This kind of varies from person to person. For some, it's July 5th only. (I suspect due to Gravity Falls.) Some see July 5th as just the kick off day with it continuing either until the beginning of fall or Halloween itself. Other people start at the beginning of June or the summer solstice. I'm not sure there is a wrong way of doing this. If you want to celebrate Summerween in December in the northern hemisphere, I won't stop you.

All that being said, I've made a list of Summerween activities that don't necessarily revolve around shopping, if you don't want it to, for those you want inspiration:

Carve a jack-o-lantern out of a watermelon (or any melon. I've seen people use pineapples)

Have a party, BBQ, or picnic with a Summerween theme and/or Halloween themed food. Examples: spiderweb nachos, jack-o-lantern cheeseburgers, etc.

Make spooky versions of summer cocktails & mocktails

Read scary/horror/Halloween spirited books. If you are needing inspiration or mire structure, I know of at least one online Summerween reading challenge (which I am hoping to make a separate post about). Many people put out Summer themed horror reading lists. (Ash.reads.horror does sub category lists like carnivals, summer camp, beaches, etc.) There also used to be a Summerween book club online that I can't currently find the link to, but I'm sure there are others.

Join in the fun with Dracula Daily. It started May 3rd, but you can join anytime and there are archives to read the sections you missed in at least two official places. vampiremedia is also doing a weekly recap & discussion.

Sit around a campfire and tell scary stories. Though, if you are in the US, given the heightened fire risk this year nearly everywhere, maybe a fake or battery powered campfire alternative.

Have a costume fashion show or even just get a jump on making your Halloween costume. Have a complicated makeup look you never have time to practice? Summerween makes a convenient excuse.

Have an old school sleepover. The whole bit with games and mischief and snacks. (Yes, you are allowed to have silly fun as an adult.)

Have a craft party. Interpretation of craft up to you.

If you are both a Halloween Ghoul and a Christmas in July Ghoul, try Creepmas in July. Plug: vexed_wench and I are co-hosting our annual Winterfest in July at allbingo again this year and we've added a creepmas in July prompt list.

Have movie nights alone or with friends, possibly with themed snacks. For extra fun, you could slowly amp up the scary content, starting with TV specials and cute Halloween movies in July, building up to gory slashers in October.

Make or find playlists. I know for a fact there are Halloween surfer rock playlists on Spotify.

For my fandom creation peeps, find some summer prompts and Halloween them up or vice-versa for your fics, art, edits, etc. There used to be a summer horror exchange on DW, but it's long dead. There maybe other challenges out there I don't know about though.

Make prompt lists or find them. In years past, there has been Summerween drawing challenges on Instagram, one was you were given Summerween prompts and you drew ghosts doing the activities and there was another which was the same thing, but with pumpkins. I am sure there are others.

100 days until Halloween starts in July (the 22nd, I think) and there are lots of challenges out there like Halloween Happy's annual prompt list and Alt Knots' big countdown crochet project.

Have Halloween decorations you always want to make, but don't have time? Want to be the house that gives fun candy alternatives like crocheted spiders? Want to start building a Halloween village, but never seem to be able to pull it together in October? Summerween is your new excuse to start all these things.

Make memes or journal/blog games & activities. Make "make an OC" games. Basically anything that was thought up for 3 Weeks for Dreamwidth, but Summerween flavored.

Look for local tourist things around you; ghost tours, short road trips to haunted places, oddity fairs, carnivals (which are inherently spooky), bat watching hikes, etc.

Make up a local crypid

Summerween nail art

There is definitely more, but my brain says that is enough brainstorming today.

I hope that gave everyone some fun ideas. Summerween safely everyone!

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Tea review: 2014 aged da hong pao oolong tea

Fri, 05 Jun 2026 06:59:51 GMT

Tea Month 2026: Tea 22

Tea Review
Name: 2014 Aged Da Hong Pao Oolong Tea
Brand: unsure, vendor: Bana Tea Co.
Type: oolong
Brick

Notes:
Tea Guy described this tea as fully oxidated and "super super" roasted. This tea came in a pressed brick that resembled a bar of baking chocolate. Which is only sort of funny because when it was passed around before brewing, it smelled like a molasses cake. You break up a piece of the brick before brewing. Tea Guy warned us to be careful when buying brick tea because when you are first searching for it online, most of what comes up are these very beautiful brick tea sculptures, which are technically drinkable, but they use the lowest grade/worst tea to make those and are more meant to be art. The tea was very Amber colored. I had trouble describing the taste. Woody & smoky were the closest I could come to describe what I was tasting. Someone else said it had a malt flavor. I did like it, it just sort of evaded my vocabulary. Mostly, it made me think of campfires and smoke rooms (where meat and cheses would get smoked or dried) where I would be charged with keeping the fire going while men sat around talking, drinking whiskey, and smoking pipes all night when I was a kid.

Rate
Appearance: 7
Aroma: 7
Flavor: 7

Overall Rating: 3 stars

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tea review: yunnan "qing xin" taiwan varietal red oolong tea

Thu, 04 Jun 2026 05:55:16 GMT

Tea Month 2026: Tea 21

Tea Review
Name: Yunnan "Qing Xin" Taiwan Varietal Red Oolong Tea
Brand: unsure, vendor: Yunnan Sourcing
Type: oolong
Loose leaf

Notes:
Despite the name of the tea, the info sheet says it was imported from China. This is another light roast, but it's heavily oxidized. The tea leaves before they were brewed smelled sweet, but not fruity. The tea was a dark amber color with a faint citrus smell. The taste was very similar to a black teas that are labeled "breakfast tea." Some people could taste a nutmeg like flavor. I did not.

Rate
Appearance: 7
Aroma: 8
Flavor: 8

Overall Rating: 3.5 stars

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tea review: baozhong oolong tea

Wed, 03 Jun 2026 05:29:30 GMT

Tea Month 2026: Tea 20

Tea Review
Name: Baozhong Oolong Tea
Brand: unsure, vendor: Tao of Tea
Type: oolong
Loose leaf

Notes:
Tea Guy made a point of telling us that the leaves of this particular tea did not come rolled. It is pretty common for loose leaf oolong tea leaves to be individually rolled up tightly, which expand as the tea steeps. This was the only tea we tried at the May tea tasting that was from Taiwan. It was also at the lightest end of the roasting scale an oolong tea can be, making it closer to a green tea. The leaves themselves before bring brewed had a fruity scent. The tea was a light honey color, with a light perfumy taste with a little bit of a bitter aftertaste.

Rate
Appearance: 7
Aroma: 7
Flavor: 7

Overall Rating: 3 stars

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tea review: clouds & mist green tea

Tue, 02 Jun 2026 05:58:18 GMT

Tea Month 2026: Tea 19

Tea Review
Name: Clouds & Mist Green Tea
Brand: unsure, vendor: Ohio Tea Co.
Type: green
Loose leaf

Notes:
This was the first tea we tried at the May tea tasting. The name is very fitting. It is a very light light tea, both in color and flavor, with a mild bite at the end. We also got to try it cooled, which mellowed out the aftertaste and it got a bit of a nutty flavor to it.

Rate
Appearance: 7
Aroma: 7
Flavor: 7

Overall Rating: 3 stars

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Test post

Mon, 01 Jun 2026 00:36:38 GMT

Earlier today I posted the Currently/Last post for May 2026 (it was very long and I didn't write it out by hand first so no other copy to redo it, yay) and now a couple hours later it seems to be gone. So I'm posting this to see if it stays.

Everything seems to have gotten righted with fix dw maintenance did.

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Currently/Last May 2026

Sun, 31 May 2026 23:26:05 GMT

Currently/Last lists are the last and/or current answer to the categories for a given time period, in this case a month.

In the text box, I've a blank html coded version of the list, including categories I didn't use this month.

Watching: Fafner volume 7 Going Home (episodes 24-26) + Stargate Atlantis s4
Reading: Death Note 13 How to Read by Tsugumi Ohba & Takeshi Obata (art)
Listening: Today's Oz's Vault Reddit reaction video/"Jealous" by Nick Jonas
Eating: fettuccine Alfredo with chicken & broccoli
Drinking: Powerade Xtra Sour in Peach Pucker
Loving: fan art by Circlearts of Damian Wayne drawing on Jason Todd while he was sleeping
Hating: My nonstop anxiety
Wanting: to actually finish something
Thinking: where am I going to put all this stuff?
Planning: future projects to do on Mondays with Lynne/setting up my calendar for the week & the month
Wishing: I could squeeze either just a little more productivity out of my day without exhausting myself or get some real rest so I'd actually feel like doing something.
Puzzle Books: been ignoring the puzzle books in favor of doing daily Huedoku puzzles and daily Light Brite puzzles
Wearing: PJs
Needing: some help, but I've put feelers out
Enjoying: having a day off
Wondering: Where am I going to put all this stuff?
Playing: Subeta (no special events right now) & lots of Buzzfeed Quizes
Trying: drink more water, get real rest, calm my anxiety enough to be functional, and clean (yes, all at the same time)
Cooking: stroganoff
Calling: Vexed
Texting: Vexed
Crafting: knitting on the cable blanket (still & forever), a sample magnet I want to try making with Lynne
Going: last place I went was the library because I had an escape room reservation there, a book club meeting, photo copying I needed to do, donations (face paint stencils & white glue) to drop off, things to turn in, & holds to pick up all on the same day.
Feeling: anxious
Hoping (For): This summer to go smoothly
Celebrating: I got the post taxes accountant copy incorporated into QuickBooks
Smelling: whatever shampoo it is we are currently using for hand soap in the bathroom
Thanking: That their were some people in my corner this month.
Considering: if I can afford everything I'm planning on doing
Finishing: ani-MAY, MAY-nga, One Book One Coast, clearing out PumpkinSpider's apartment, the flower bouquet project I was doing with Lynne
Starting: the deep clean from hell (I have been told to come up with a more positive name for what is happening to my room, but this feels most appropriate) & the library summer reading program

Notes:
This was an insane month. My anxiety was mostly low, but nonstop, which is not helpful. On top of the normal shenanigans I have every month, I had extra Lynne drama, an advance directive workshop with my mother, a lecture (I was in attendance, not speaking, but let's just say they had to hire security for the event and my person who was going to go with me flaked), preparing for and being part of a public book discussion panel, voting, the azalea festival, the kick off of tourist season, a last minute birthday party, One Book One Coast and its various events, some personal things I don't want to talk about here, some things my friends went through that are not mine to tell, some ongoing issues with my Dad, and clearing out PumpkinSpider's apartment. I feel like I have missed things and most of them were not bad. It was just a lot and I do not see things slowing down for the rest of the year.

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tea review: 2013 liu bao dark tea

Sun, 31 May 2026 06:13:53 GMT

Tea Month 2026: Tea 18

Tea Review
Name: 2013 Liu Bao Dark Tea
Brand: unsure, vendor: Ohio Tea Co.
Type: fermented
Loose tea

Notes:
This is the other tea that we sampled at both tastings. Dark tea is another name for fermented tea. It is also aged. The 2013 in the name refers to when it was originally harvested. This kind of tea is considered an after dinner tea and is supposed to aid in digestion. It requires hotter water and has a high brewing threshold, which is why Tea Guy prefers to use a clay tea pot to brew it in. The first steeping of this tea is always a rinsing of the tea that is thrown away and not drank. The way it is aged and stored means things accumulate on it that need to be rinsed off. Tea Guy says the first steeping (the one you dump) usually has an "oceany" or fishy flavor. This particular tea is considered an "approachable" tea for beginners wanting to try fermented teas. Even with a light steeping, this tea is almost black in color. It is very dark, with maybe a little red. At the second tasting, I noted it had no scent, but I think that was the leaves before brewing not the tea. It's a very thick tea, not in a syrup kind of a way. It just sort of fills your mouth in a way other tea doesn't. The flavor is hard to pin down. At first, it made me think of the way peat smells, but the more I drank, the more it tasted like figs. I enjoy fermented teas, but they are an acquired taste.

Rate
Appearance: 8
Aroma: 5
Flavor: 8

Overall Rating: 3.5 stars

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tea review: formosa black tea

Sat, 30 May 2026 06:14:42 GMT

Tea Month 2026: Tea 17

Tea Review
Name: Formosa Black Tea
Brand: unsure, vendor: Tao of Tea
Type: black
Loose leaf

Notes:
This was another tea from Taiwan. I did not write enough notes to describe this properly, but according to Tea Guy, Taiwan has a program to incentivize farmers to experiment with different ways to cultivate tea and bring out different flavors in the tea. And this tea is possibly part of that. This one was grown in such a way that it has a fruity flavor. All of us experienced that slightly differently. For me, it tasted and smelled a bit like raspberry hard candy, but everyone either tasted something similar to raspberries or citrus. It's a very light black tea, flavor wise. We did two infusions of this one. With the first infusion, it was a very dark amber color and the fruity scent was very strong. For the second infusion though, the color became more golden and the fruity scent was gone. Tea Guy said this happened because the more you brew it the more it brings out the tannins I'm the tea. He also said this one makes an excellent iced tea.

Rate
Appearance: 8
Aroma: 7
Flavor: 7

Overall Rating: 3.5 stars

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tea review: medium roast "fancy grade" ben shan varietal oolong tea

Fri, 29 May 2026 00:55:43 GMT

Tea Month 2026: Tea 16

Tea Review
Name: Medium Roast "Fancy Grade" Ben Shan Varietal Oolong Tea
Brand: unsure, vendor: Yunnan Sourcing
Type: oolong
Loose leaf

Notes:
I tried this at the March tea tasting. It was imported from China. I do not know what "fancy grade" means. It had a really heavy coffee-esque scent while it was steeping. Tea Guy said he gave it a "light steep to bring out the sweetness." Apparently, it can get pretty bitter. The tea was a ruby color. It tasted mostly like a light roast coffee, but had a citrus flavor to it. We did try four infusions of this tea and it didn't change much, except for the flavor intensifying with each one.

Rate
Appearance: 8
Aroma: 8
Flavor: 8

Overall Rating: 4 stars

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tea review: gaba oolong tea

Tue, 26 May 2026 23:07:26 GMT

Tea Month 2026: Tea 15

Tea Review
Name: Gaba Oolong Tea
Brand: unsure, vendor: Boulder Tea Co.
Type: oolong
Loose leaf

Notes:
This was my other favorite from the March tea tasting. It's another selection from Taiwan. I, unfortunately, did not get all the details written down for this, but this tea is exposed to nitrogen gas in someway while it's growing to increase the amount of GABA in the tea leaves, which is supposed to make it more relaxing. It is considered an afternoon tea. We dubbed it the cookie tea because it smells like brown sugar and tastes faintly of nutmeg. While still being a light roast, it is darker and a lot closer to being a black tea than the Tung Ting Oolong was. The later infusions of this tea we tasted had the same color, scent, and flavor of the early ones, just stronger.

Rate
Appearance: 9
Aroma: 9
Flavor: 9

Overall Rating: 4.5 stars

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tea review: tung ting oolong tea

Sun, 24 May 2026 17:03:50 GMT

Tea Month 2026: Tea 14

Tea Review
Name: Tung Ting Oolong Tea
Brand: unsure, vendor: Boulder Tea Co.
Type: oolong
Loose tea

Notes:
This was one of my two favorite teas from the tea tasting in March. It's from Taiwan. We tried six infusions of this tea. It is at the least roasted end of the scale. The color stayed pretty consistent across the infusions, a lighter black tea color. The first two infusions had a very grassy/leafy scent and taste. It became more floral tasting over the next infusions until the 6th one, where it had a slightly smokey aftertaste.

Rate
Appearance: 8
Aroma: 8
Flavor: 8

Overall Rating: 4 stars

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tea review: 2015 guan yang gong mei "wild white"

Sat, 23 May 2026 23:49:40 GMT

Tea Month 2026: Tea 13

Tea Review
Name: 2015 Guan Yang Gong Mei "Wild White" Tea
Brand: unsure, vendor: Yunnan Sourcing
Type: white
Loose leaf

Notes:
This tea is one of the two that I had at both the tea tasting in March and the one earlier this month. It is another tea imported from China. "White Wild" usually means that the tea comes from older trees. This is an aged tea. The 2015 in the name is when the tea was originally harvested. It is also minimally processed. At the first tasting, we tried six different infusions of the tea, and at the second tasting we did two. At both tastings, I noted the color changing from a golden yellow at the first infusion and getting a deeper, more amber, like a light black tea color with further infusions. I also noted at both tastings the strong smell of the leaves and how the flavor of the tea is sort of thick and fills your mouth, kinda of like thinned down honey. It was also the second tea at both tastings. Here is where things differ. At the tasting in March, I describe the flavor as starting off like a mellow, light black tea, getting more of a bite as the infusions when on, with the sixth infusion being described as having a "nutty" flavor. At the more recent tea tasting, I described the taste of the first infusion as "almost like a light black tea with a lingering not quite honey after taste" and the second infusion as more "grassy/dry hay." Did they taste different because we had different teas before them on the different days or was it that on the second tasting day, Tea Guy did shorter infusions/brewings, or both? I do not know.

Rate
Appearance: 8
Aroma: 9
Flavor: 7

Overall Rating: 3.5 stars

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april 2026 media

Wed, 20 May 2026 22:18:36 GMT

series
Stargate SG-1 s9
Endeavour s4
Stargate Atlantis s2
Star Trek: Discovery s2
Penn & Teller Fool Me (YouTube episodes)
Law & Order (live tv)

movies & short films
Agent Red (2000)
Heat (1995)
Hell in the Pacific (1968)
Mechanic: Resurrection (2016)
American Guerrilla in the Philippines (1950)
Hatari (1962)
Batman: Death in the Family (all plot options) (2020)
SGT. Rock Short (DCC Showcase Animated Shorts)
Adam Strange Short (DCC Showcase Animated Shorts)
The Phantom Stranger Short (DCC Showcase Animated Shorts)
Death Shorts (DCC Showcase Animated Shorts)
Harmony in Despair - Cartoon Cartoons/Warner Bros TV

novels
Mr Kato Plays Family by Milena Michiko Flasar
There Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston (75th anniversary edition)
The Compound by Aisling Rawle (Book Talk Book Club)

graphic novels
Batman/Elmer Fudd: The Deluxe Edition written by Tom King & art by Lee Weeks ("Pway For Me") & Byron Vaughns ("Rabbit Season")
Hunger's Bite by Robin Taylor (Pub Grub Book Club)

youth & children's
Free Speech Handbook: A Practical Framework for Understanding Our Free Speech Protections by Ian Rosenberg, art by Mike Cavallaro (World Citizen Comics)
Beavers: The Super Power Field Guide by Rachel Poliquin, illustrated by Nicholas John Frith

podcasts
Philip Defranco Show
1 800 Drama - Shaaba.

reaction content
r/BestOf- Oz's Vault
r/AITA - Oz's Vault
The Most Controversial Wife Swap UK episode - Luxeria
r/UhOhConsequences - Oz's Vault
Reddit - Kallmekris & Kallmekris2
E Dirty Rotten Scandals ANTM Documentary, all parts - Jessica Kobeissi
r/NotHowGirlsWork - The Click
r/AmITheDevil - Oz's Vault
RPG Horror Stories - Crispy's Tavern and Tales
Accidental Trans allies posts - Jammidodger
ANTM episode reactions - Luxeria
r/InsaneParents - The Click
r/AddressMe & r/HoldUp - The Click
Kitchen Nightmares' Burger Kitchen Episode (both parts) - Luxeria
r/ImVeryBadass - The Click
The worst gender reveals - Jammidodger
Decorating Cents episodes - Luxeria
r/ImTheMainCharacter - The Click
'Why I Became Right Wing' - Jammidodger
Ladette to Lady episodes - Luxeria
r/ConfidentlyIncorrect - The Click

video essays & deep dives
The Queer Rebrand Pipeline (JoJo Siwa Isn't the Only One) - Jessica Kellgren-Fozard
A TERF Tried to Sue Me - Jammidodger
The Edwardian "Dark Woke" Cartoon Character That I'm so Obsessed With - Kaz Rowe
Trans Women BANNED From the Olympics - Jammidodger
How the Crocodiles Survived the Ice Age - ExtinctZoo
Bees Have Unlocked Meat Honey - LivingZoo
The Red Panda Problem Not Being Talked About Enough - Casual Geographic
The History of Rats (That We Know Of) - Lindsay Nikole
This Recent D&D "Scandal" Proved Something - Bob World Builder
The Largest Bird to Ever Fly - ExtinctZoo
A Very Normal Oil Painting Tutorial - A Brush with Bekah
The Last of Us Cast a Cis Actor in a Trans Role, so Let's Talk About it - Council of Geeks
Cheaterbuster Has Gone Too Far - Funky Frog Bait
Tumblr Executives Are Very Confused About Tumblr - Strange Aeons
The Myth of a Clean House - Nicole Rudolph
The Victorian Language of Flowers, Explained - The Generalist Papers
The Moon isn't the color you think it is - A Brush with Bekah
Dinosaur "Myths" That Are True - ExtinctZoo
The MANY Lies About HH Holmes and the "Murder Castle" - Kaz Rowe

ambiance
music to make your brain shut up - nobody
you're in a comfort place for 10 hours, 37 minutes and 29 seconds - nobody
ASMR for sleep
Jurassic Park Help Line - Good Knights Sleep

other
Stargate SG-1 s9 DVD special features
Stargate Atlantis s2 DVD special features
Stargate Atlantis s3 DVD special features
Dracula, A Comedy of Terrors clips
Bad Design series - RefashionedHippie
Cat compilation videos
Canceling Ourselves Before Anyone Else Can - Megan and Ben
Dramatic readings of TTRPG & fantasy Tumblr world heritage posts - Zacspeaksgiant
Lucy Darling Clips
Stupid Rich People Fashion series - RefashionedHippie
February Vlog - Toxic Tears
That Good News Girl
Answering Your Most Intrusive Questions About Raising Children in a Queer Household - Jessica Kellgren-Fozard
Good News You May Have Missed - Sam Bentley
SkyeBluez order packing shorts
Soldier Boy World War II Found Footage - Vought International
Soldier Boy Really Hates Doing Public Service Announcements - Amazon Prime Video UK & IE
Soldier Boy PSA | 1984 - Vought International
Soldier Boy | Guest Appearance on Solid Gold - Vought International
The Boys: "From A Logical Point of View" by Soldier Boy
Soldier Boy - VNN Interview - Vought International
[Comic dub] Batman: Wayne Family Adventures - Lucky Derp Productions chapters 183 & 184
Bowl Goals Playlist (Ramen shorts)

ongoing
Stargate SG-1 s10
Stargate Atlantis s3
How to be a Saint by Kate Sidley
[Monster Week] Kraken Week '24 playlist
[Monster Week] Fey Week '26 Playlist

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Currently/Last April 2026

Tue, 19 May 2026 21:14:29 GMT

I actually sat down and wrote this out before bed on April 30th, the forgot to post >.>

Currently/Last lists are the last and/or current answer to the categories for a given time period, in this case a month.

In the text box, I've a blank html coded version of the list, including categories I didn't use this month.

Making: some kind of progress, hopefully
Watching: Batman Death in the Family interactive movie, plus the animated shorts that came with it.
Reading: How to be a Saint by Kate Sidley
Listening: "Irresponsible" by Voltaire / r/ConfidentlyIncorrect - Bad Women's Anatomy tm - The Click
Eating: toffee ice cream bar thing
Drinking: Cosmic Swirl (berry vanilla) flavored sparkling water
Loving: that I have snacks available, 3weeks4dreamwidth memes, and my finger seems healed
Hating: whatever is wrong with my mom & my lovely month long low grade anxiety that spikes into worse anxiety
Wanting: a restful spot
Thinking: how am I going to do all this?
Planning: summer cleaning project
Wishing: I felt better
Puzzle Books: PennyPress Puzzler's Giant Book of Crosswords #49, February 2014
Weathering: so much drama around me
Wearing: My pjs
Needing: a snack
Enjoying: Knitting to Stargate special features
Wondering: if what I'm doing is sustainable
Playing: Subeta (Vesnali)
Trying: different flavored waters
Cooking: pork steaks
Calling: Vexed
Texting: Vexed
Crafting: paper flowers and knitting on the cable blanket
Going: grocery store
Feeling: ANXIOUS
Hoping (For): Sleep
Smelling: laundry detergent
Considering: how much I'm going to do before bed
Finishing: water challenge
Starting: ani-MAY & MAY-nga (among other things)

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tea review: pai mu tan white tea

Tue, 19 May 2026 19:48:40 GMT

Tea Month 2026: Tea 12

Tea Review
Name: Pai Mu Tan White Tea
Brand: unsure, vendor: Ohio Tea Co.
Type: white
Loose leaf

Notes:
This tea was part of the tea tasting in March and the one I probably have the fewest notes on. The tea is also known as "White Peony" tea. It was the starter tea of the day being the lightest and only one tasting of. (Most of the teas we got to sample multiple brewing of.) For a delicate looking white tea, it had more body than expected. This is also where I was reminded that we don't all use the same words to describe things. I used the word "woodsy" to describe it, meaning a flavor profile that is sort of comparable to how you would describe a woodsy fragrance, somewhat of wood, not quite earthy. Everyone else in the room would later be using the word "woodsy" to describe things (though not this tea) I would consider "floral," with the meaning of things that are flowery/notes similar to floral perfume. It was an interesting time to try an communicate.

Rate
Appearance: 7
Aroma: 7
Flavor: 7

Overall Rating: 3 stars

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2026 Snowflake Challenge #7

Tue, 19 May 2026 19:25:40 GMT

Challenge #7

LIST THREE (or more) THINGS YOU LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF. They don’t have to be your favorite things, just things that you think are good. Feel free to expand as much or as little as you want.

1. I'm strong. In the physical sense, sure, and I do take it for granted, which I shouldn't, but also in the "Everything feels like it's hard and I get up and do it anyway" way.

2. I am resourceful.

3. People enjoy my company.

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#mymusic meme

Tue, 19 May 2026 01:47:32 GMT

Snagged from maevedarcy

#mymusic

Songs

Last song I listened to:
"Dragula" by Rob Zombie

Favorite song ever:
"Clones (We're All)" by Alice Cooper

Current song on repeat:
"Lil Boo Thang" by Paul Russell

Song that reminds me of my childhood (positive, I actually enjoy getting reminded of this):
"Take it Easy" by Eagles

Song that reminds me of my first crush (romantic or platonic):
O.O

Song that reminds me of a person important to me now:

I love this song I will add it to playlists for no reason:
An exact song doesn't come to mind, but I tend to worm whatever Fall Out Boy song I have on repeat at the moment into any playlist I'm making.

I love this song and I wish I could listen to it again for the first time:
"Baby You're a Haunted House" by GerardWay

A playlist about me would start with this song:
"I Will Buy You a New Life" or "Father of Mine" by Everclear

Artists

My top 5 artists of all time are:
Fall Out Boy, HIM, My Chemical Romance, Aerosmith, Florence and the Machines

My current top 5 is (current rotation for the last month or so):
Fall Out Boy, Pink, Adam Lambert, Anthony Vincent, Noah Kahan

When I want to feel at home I listen to:
Location-wise: 80s/early 90s Country (pretty much anyone) or Doctor Hook and the Medicine Show
In my skin: My Chemical Romance

When I want to feel somewhere else I listen to:
LO

Last artist I discovered:
Chloe Adams

Albums

Last album I listened to:
Sisters of Mercy First and Last and Always

Favorite album of all time:
HIM Venus Doom

Comfort album that I listen to to feel better:
My Chemical Romance Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys

Album I'd pay to listen to again for the first time:
HIM Razorblade Romance

Album that reminds me of my teenage years:
Red Hot Chili Peppers Californication

Album I would love to listen to live from start to finish:
Hozier (self titled)

Last album I bought:
Red Elvises Greatest Hits

Last album I received as a gift:
I'm not, I was given a stack of CDs yesterday and I haven't been able to look at them yet.

Last album I recommended:
I've been recommending Dirty Space Groove singles to people. Does that count?

Playlists

Last playlist I made:
It's called "Icky Feelings." It's less about getting rid of the icky feelings and more about being seen.

Last playlist I listened to:
My Jason Todd/OC playlist

Last playlist I recommended:
The four character playlists for Hunger's Bite's main characters made by the author

A playlist that makes me feel at home:
Pretty much any YouTube generated 80s & 90s country playlist I used to listen to while housesitting 5+ years ago

A playlist I made for an artist I love:
I'm currently making a Fall Out Boy playlist

A playlist I made for a ship/tv show/movie/book:
I no longer have access to it, but I had a pretty good McShep playlist

Concerts

Last concert I went to:
I'm not sure, but it was probably the concert at Pirate Fest 6+ years ago

Last music festival I went to:
Our Summer Music in the Park Festival, I'm not sure how long ago.

Next concert I will go to:
I don't know.

First concert I went to:
Slow Children (local band in the 90s & and early 2000s)

Concert I wish I could have gone to:
HIM's Bang & Whimper 2017 Farewell Tour

Concert that I'm glad has been preserved by the internet:
Nirvana MTV Unplugged

This concert was healing for me:
HIM Roseland Theater Portland, OR 2005

#mymusic Songs Last song I listened to: Favorite song ever: Current song on repeat: Song that reminds me of my childhood (positive, I actually enjoy getting reminded of this): Song that reminds me of my first crush (romantic or platonic): Song that reminds me of a person important to me now: I love this song I will add it to playlists for no reason: I love this song and I wish I could listen to it again for the first time: A playlist about me would start with this song: Artists My top 5 artists of all time are: My current top 5 is (current rotation for the last month or so): When I want to feel at home I listen to: When I want to feel somewhere else I listen to: Last artist I discovered: Albums Last album I listened to: Favorite album of all time: Comfort album that I listen to to feel better: Album I'd pay to listen to again for the first time: Album that reminds me of my teenage years: Album I would love to listen to live from start to finish: Last album I bought: Last album I received as a gift: Last album I recommended: Playlists Last playlist I made: Last playlist I listened to: Last playlist I recommended: A playlist that makes me feel at home: A playlist I made for an artist I love: A playlist I made for a ship/tv show/movie/book: Concerts Last concert I went to: Last music festival I went to: Next concert I will go to: First concert I went to: Concert I wish I could have gone to: Concert that I'm glad has been preserved by the internet: This concert was healing for me:

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Tea Tastings

Sun, 17 May 2026 19:45:07 GMT

In March and yesterday, I was lucky enough to be part of tea tasting presentations. Both were lead by same person, who I will be calling Tea Guy, since this is a public post. Seating was limited to 10 people at both events. The two I went to were hosted in the small meeting room at the library, but he does travel to other spaces to hold these events. It was two hours of discussing tea in general and sampling seven different teas from Tea Guy's collection. (There were two overlapping teas, so between both events, I've gotten to sample 12 new to me teas.) Part of what made these so enjoyable was that Tea Guy is not a tea snob or an elitist. He just really loves tea and wants to share tea with others.

I will do individual reviews of the teas we drank in separate tea review posts, but this is what we discussed otherwise.

One of the first things we discussed were the seven different kinds of tea (that are made from tea leaves, so no herbals, etc) and how those processes differ: white tea, green tea, matcha, oolong tea, black tea, and fermented/dark teas. At the first event, we got to take home a little chart with the explanation as well. We also briefly discussed the existence of yellow tea, which wasn't on the chart and we aren't likely to come across as it's rare and some people don't consider it it's own tea.

Fermented or dark teas are teas like pu-erh and Liu bao. According to Tea Guy, their names are based on what region of China they're produced in and each producer/farm has their own method.

We also discussed caffeine content in tea. The basic take away there is trying to calculate how much caffeine is in tea is way more complicated than coffee. And while there are general guidelines to help people make choices, caffeine content varies wildly within types, let alone between them. Also fun fact, when tea leaves sprout, they have all the caffeine in them they will ever have and it remains stable and no amount of aging will increase it. Though smaller leaves tend to have more caffeine per volume.

Brewing did not have as many hard and fast rules as you'd expect. Water temperature really isn't important. It's easier to overbrew bagged tea then loose tea because of how finely the leaves are chopped up. Water quality is important in that, if you don't like how your water tastes, it will not make tasty tea. Tea Guy prefers a tea basket over a tea ball because the tea doesn't get as smoothed together. When he tests a new tea he hasn't drank before, his first brewing of it is a heaping teaspoon of tea per 16 oz of water for three minutes, then adjusts for future brewing. Basically, the correct way to brew is to your taste.

Tea Guy does have tea vessel brewing preferences. He prefers a glass teapot for white teas and lighter teas, a clay teapot for fermented/dark teas that benefit from the heat retention, and a gai wan for everything else.

The tea tasting itself was pretty simple. Tea Guy brewed the tea and told us what we would be drinking. We each were poured tea in itty-bitty tea cups and sampled the tea, then discussed what we thought it tasted like as a group. We were also given paper and pens if we wanted to write anything down. There was also an assortment of cookies for snacking or palette cleansing.

All the teas we sampled were imported from China & Taiwan. One day, Tea Guy would like to do a tea tasting where every tea was from another country.

The vibes of the groups both times was very different. The group in March was very rowdy and a couple of people there were very pushy with their opinions. The group yesterday was so very chill. It was great.

The last thing we talked about was tea vendors. Tea Guy recommends never buying tea from eBay. These are the places he recommends:

Tao of Tea

Eco-Cha - especially for oolongs

Boulder Tea Co. - they can be hit or miss

Ohio Tea Co. - this is his highest recommended vendor, especially because most of their teas can be bought in one ounce quantities.

Yunnan Sourcing USA - this is not recommended for beginners because of the overwhelming amount of information they provide, but they do sampler /variety boxes and they are the best place for tea supplies.

Bana Tea Co. - more specialized stock

And I hope to go to another one in the future.

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