In any case, I don't go to bed when I am tired, I go to bed when I am so bored and tired of myself that I can't take it any longer, its a part of my 'mania'. Much like Luis C.K. said to his doctor when his doctor asked him how long before he feels full when he stops eating and C.K., incredulous at the stupidity of the question says, "I don't stop eating when I'm full, I stop eating when I hate myself." See it here. I am like this, but with consciousness. I drink tea until I have become too bored with living in my head to continue, then I take a Melatonin/5-HTTP, put on a sleep mask that says 'Offline' grab the dog, my favorite stinky blanket my granny made a thousand years ago and pass out for a few hours. Then I get up and start again. This morning I wanted to break that pattern. I eyed the purple Xiying pot still packed with last night's seemingly inexhaustible sheng session of Zheng Shan De Ye Raw from 2005 Mengku Wild Arbor but wisely decided to back away from that. Try to wake up in a meaningful way and do something of some value with my mouth. Totem Tea! Yes! Yesterday Totem Tea sent me a few small samples. This would be an opportunity to focus on something new, new tea, new company. I can clear my head on a moments notice, thanks, no doubt to tea making me so frigging' brilliant that I can access my prowess of words even in a Melatonin haze, and I choose a pairing which turns out to be fabulous. Fresh chilled figs and 5 grams of Gui Fei Oolong.
The five grams went into my smallest gaiwan, with the water just under boiling and from the first rinse the tight little balls started to unfurl with a rather incredible enthusiasm for the work, watch them grow! Wow! The scent made me realize, FIGS! GET FIGS NOW! And damned if I weren't right on target. Four steeps now, interspersed with bites from almost overly-ripe fresh chilled California figs, and the result is a new appreciation for life. Christ, I might even get dressed today. Seriously, it doesn't take much to get me excited and this surpasses most of those easily accessible states of joy. The intense tart and sweet depth of this Gui Fei oolong is a total treat. Yesterday was the Yunnan Sourcing Puerh, over and over until I had reached a zenith of intensity that wiped me out, and today will be this oolong, and a few other oolongs, and lots more figs. I am rejuvenating, and this is a combo that will allow me to reach new levels of slack and stillness, and that mellow and total pleasure that I've been lacking in my thrill-seeking tea-drunks of late. Sweet. Big thanks to Totem Tea out of Portland for the opportunity to be 'dude' once again. Abiding from here, dear readers!
