Bits and Bobs

Hi all,

It stopped raining! It seems like it's been raining FOREVER here. Parts of Massachusetts received more than ELEVEN inches of rain over the past couple of days. It's been really stunning. I've lived in my town for ten years and there were places flooded that I've never seen flooded. A number of roads were shut down, several of them major roads. A friend who has never had a water problem at her house suddenly saw her yard completely submerged as her neighbor's pond spilled out across neighboring properties. Mother Nature is amazing. I must confess that I'm more used to seeing piles and piles of snow than rivers running down the street. But, with a smile on my face I announce that the sun has returned!

My tea drinking and writing has been a bit sporadic of late. I've been really working hard to keep the freelance work coming. Right now I'm writing for two tea companies. ( Just a reminder - My policy is that I will not promote or review teas or products from a company while I am on payroll. It wouldn't be fair to you and I think it would be an abuse of my podium.) I also just completed a pretty lengthy personal essay about my journey to tea for a college magazine. I must confess that while I extol at great length about tea here in the blog, writing about myself in that way was REALLY hard. But, it was another writing challenge. Then I branched off into another area of interest and was writing a piece on food allergies and restaurants for another consumer magazine. Alas, the blog gets neglected yet again. I'm considering allowing the occasional guest post on the blog so I won't have so many dry spells for you. Just something I'm thinking about.

I wanted to let you know about a few events that are on the horizon. There is one I'm VERY excited about since it's in my own backyard. I will certainly be there with bells on:

April 23 - 24, 2010 the Boston Park Plaza Hotel and Towers will be hosting a two-day tasting event with the American Tea Masters Association. Chas Kroll, the ATMA Executive Director, will lead the event. Friday night's events will be from 6 - 10 p.m. and Saturday's will run from 9 a.m. - 1 p.m., culminating with a special tea lunch prepared by the Park Plaza's tea sommelier Cynthia Gold. At least 14 teas will be cupped, many quite rare. Tickets are $189 for both days, including lunch.

This second event is one that I WISH was around the corner from me. It sounds fabulous. Definitely let me know if any of you attend!

Adventures in the Global Kitchen: Silk Road and Tea
Wednesday, March 24, 6:30 pm
Featuring Morris Rossabi and Sebastian Beckwith
American Museum of Natural History - Central Park W at 79th, NYC, NY

Rossabi is a History Professor at City University of New York and Beckwith is the owner of In Pursuit of Tea. The evening's events will include a discussion of "teas of the Silk Road era, the history of the tea trade, and beliefs in the medical and religious value of tea." Tea tastings will also be part of the event. The event is being held in conjunction with an exhibit on the Silk Road that will be up until August 15. Tickets are $20.

I did notice on the site that they offer podcasts of some museum events. I will keep an eye out to see if this one gets posted and let you know.

Have a great day everyone. Hope the sun is shining on you!