Month: January 2017

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Something Wonderful

Something Wonderful: Casual Cosplay

Casual cosplay for work
Wonder Woman casual cosplay

Some days, you have to channel your inner Wonder Woman. Or Batman.

You can, of course, do this without changing a thing about your external appearance, but sometimes dressing the part helps.

Enter casual cosplay.

When you cosplay, you want people to know you’re dressing as a character, and ideally people recognize it. Anyone who has done cosplay at a sci-fi convention knows the thrill of someone shouting out your character’s name, or asking to take your picture because you did a great job with your costume.

If you are an adult doing casual cosplay as you go about your daily life, you don’t want to look like you’re wearing a costume. I don’t want a coworker to know I’ve gone to work as Sherlock unless I let them in on my secret. When I indulge in casual cosplay, it’s just for me.

I have four casual cosplay outfits I’ve worn at work, and, no, I won’t tell you what they are. Some days I wear them because I’m feeling playful. Some days I wear them because I want to feel powerful. Some days I wear them because I feel like I have nothing else to wear! I’ve also worn superhero socks under my trousers, my nerdy little secret, but I have the most fun with my clothes when I arrive at work dressed as one of my fictional heroes.

If you’re the sort of person who can put together fabulous outfits with ease, you may already have some ideas about how you could casually cosplay a character. If you, like me, are a little less skilled in the fashion department, you can find all sorts of inspiration on the Internet if you search for “casual cosplay,” “everyday cosplay,” or “closet cosplay.” You can throw in a character’s name if you have someone specific in mind. You’ll find a lot of far-from-subtle outfits, but some people put together wonderful cosplays that capture the essence of a character perfectly without looking costume-y. It helps if you pick the right character. It’s hard to cosplay Kiki from Kiki’s Delivery Service without looking exactly like her. On the other hand, many Pokemon are easy to cosplay in secret, probably because they aren’t human. Unfortunately I don’t really feel the need to express my inner Bulbasaur.

There are bloggers who specialize is casual cosplay ideas. The Nerdy Girlie is one of the best; she does cosplays on everything from Doctor Who to the Harry Potter series.

There are also some good articles on the subject. Jada Young put together some of the best work-focused cosplays on the Internet. I especially like her Deadpool and Loki outfits. Geek and Sundry has an article with some Force Awakens cosplays that are beautifully subtle.

This week, I challenge you to get creative and think of a way to secretly dress as someone else for a day. You may enjoy it so much that you’ll make it a permanent part of your work wardrobe!

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Make a Difference

Make a Difference: Shake Up Valentine’s Day

Celebrate all kinds of love on Valentine's Day

Certain holidays seem to be particularly painful for many people. Valentine’s Day is one of those days. The emphasis on romance has caused a bit of a backlash in the form of “Singles Awareness Day,” but plenty of people in relationships are unhappy on Valentine’s Day, too.

I’m not about to tell you to stop celebrating Valentine’s Day if you are in a romantic relationship. If you love Valentine’s Day, you don’t have to stop celebrating out of guilt. And if you don’t love it but your significant other does, it’s important to remember that you are a team and to figure out a way to make Valentine’s Day work for both of you.

I am going to suggest that, single or not, you shake things up this Valentine’s Day. Fight the notion that the holiday is all about romantic love and start celebrating all kinds of love — love for your family, love for your friends, love for humanity in general.

For several years now I’ve been making homemade valentines for friends and family. When I say homemade, I’m not talking about the beautifully handcrafted cards that your friend with the cool rubber stamps makes. Anyone who truly knows me knows that I am “craft challenged,” so my valentines tend to be hearts cut from construction paper, glued to a doily, and decorated with stickers. They may not be works of art, but I believe they demonstrate love better than a generic card that I can purchase at a drugstore in five minutes. (Sorry, Hallmark. I do buy cards… just not for Valentine’s Day.)

I have a list of people I like to send valentines to every year, but for the past couple of years, I’ve invited Facebook friends to request a valentine from me as well. It’s my way of letting them know that, if they’re not feeling the love this year, or if they just really like receiving valentines, I’d like to be there for them.

Last year I decided to take things a step further with 14 acts of kindness on Valentine’s Day. I spent the morning doing things like bringing flowers to a friend, putting a love note under someone’s windshield wiper, leaving a used book with a “take me” note just outside the library, and handing a lottery ticket to a stranger. It was one of the best Valentine’s Days I’ve had in years — and I mean no disrespect to my husband when I say that. I just really enjoyed finding ways to give love to others.

I also considered asking my local female friends if anyone wanted to have dinner together that evening. My hope was that dinner with a friend would be a welcome distraction for someone who was dreading Valentine’s Day. My sister did something like that for me when I was in high school, and I’ve always cherished the way she looked out for me on a night I had hoped to be going out with a certain boy. I didn’t end up extending the dinner invitation, because when I talked to my husband, he said he would like to go out with me — something we don’t always choose to do. It may be something I will do in the future, but only if he’s on board.

The concept of devoting a day to love isn’t a bad idea. The problem is that it has become a day piled high with romantic expectations. There’s no reason to stop celebrating romantic love on Valentine’s Day… but consider expanding your celebration and showering love on others, too.

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Something Wonderful

Something Wonderful: Character Creators

Dwarf
Here’s the dwarf I made on Azalea’s Dress up Dolls.

Having read the title, you may be thinking, “She’s lost her mind. It was fine when she recommended books, music, and even a tea shop, but now she’s recommending character creators?”

Yes, I am. Before you write them off, check out these three websites.

HeroMachine

More than a decade ago, for reasons I no longer remember, I decided I wanted to create a superhero for someone. Somehow I ended up at HeroMachine, where I had so much fun that I took the time to make more than the one hero I’d originally had in mind.

HeroMachine has been around since 2001. It’s designed for non-artists who want pictures of the characters they think up. When I decided to revisit the site late last year, it had been a while since I’d played around with it. This time it felt frustrating — perhaps because it is more complex than it used to be. Go to HeroMachine 3 and start looking at standard male bodies. Adding legs alone took me far longer than it should have. In the end, I got tired of messing with the options and never completed my superhero.

In order to be certain that the problem wasn’t just me, I asked my artistic teenager to visit the site and create a hero. She completed her character (and it looked pretty good!), but she agreed that the process was clunky, and she felt that the options, at least for female characters, were too limited.

That said, HeroMachine is a true character creator, and it probably will appeal to males more than the other sites in this post. My guess is that, if you put in the time to play around with it, you can make some pretty decent characters.

Doll Divine and Azalea’s Dress up Dolls

I’m willing to bet that both of these sites have an audience that is largely young and female. That’s not to say there aren’t options males might enjoy, but most of the characters are female.

Both sites include character creators from a variety of sources, so the interfaces change from one game to the next, but all of the ones I’ve tried are easier to manage than HeroMachine. Some doll makers are exclusive to one site or the other, but there is overlap between the two sites. Both sites have different categories of characters, including animals, historical characters, characters from pop culture, and fashion dolls. Almost all of my play has been in the sci-fi/fantasy realm.

The really fun doll makers are the ones with lots of options. Given enough variations in skin tones, hair styles, and clothing choices, you can make drastically different characters. Both characters below were made on the “Sci-fi Warrior” doll maker exclusive to Azalea’s Dress up Dolls. One I deliberately created to look like Princess Leia; the other I just made up as I went along. Although the poses and body shapes aren’t variable, pretty much everything else is.

Princess Leia dollFemale sci-fi warrior doll

I don’t spend much time on these sites; I’ve probably created no more than 10 characters over the past three years. But I do find that playing these dress-up games from time to time is an enjoyable way to relax. Consider taking a break this week to visit one of these sites and see what you can create.

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Make a Difference

Make a Difference: Get Outside

Lake Itasca
Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul. — John Muir

When my daughter was in elementary school, we stopped at the visitor center for the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, where we checked out a backpack to use as we explored the river. One of the items in the backpack was a trash bag. Unfortunately, it took us little time to fill it with tangled fishing line and other waste.

Our world is awe-inspiring and filled with beauty, but it needs advocates to clean up trash, to fight for the protection of wild places, and to take action in the face of global warming. If we go from car to office to car to store to car to home, hardly spending any time outdoors, we forget about how valuable nature is, and how important it is to protect it.

I started writing this post during a glorious fall, when I took frequent long walks. I set it aside for posts that seemed to be more important at the time, and then, as the days grew shorter and colder and the sidewalks became icy, it felt wrong to blog about something I’d stopped doing. I hate winter. I think Dante must be right — hell is frozen at its core. It’s hard to make myself get in the car to go anywhere, let alone go outside for a walk.

But now the days are lengthening, and we’ve been blessed with a January thaw. I really miss my outdoor time, so I think it’s time to try to venture out for walks again. Nature is good for my soul. This is one of the reasons why we need to get outside: to remind ourselves of what nature can do for us and to give back to it by doing what we can to protect it.

As a working mom, I know how hard it can be to fit in “extras” like walks outdoors. Our days our filled with things that need to be done — work, housework, maybe parenting or tending to aging parents, perhaps taking a class or pursuing a side gig. There never seems to be time to spend just enjoying nature, and when we have time, we’re so tired that we just want to collapse with a book or a screen and escape for a while.

Make the time anyway. Take time this week to walk through a park, ramble in the desert, stand at the edge of a beach… whatever you can do to connect with nature.

And if it’s miserable outside where you are and you have no desire to leave your house, I sympathize. It’s hard to enjoy nature when it’s dark and your cheeks are numb. But on that first nice day, whether it’s tomorrow or a month from now, get outside and breathe in the beauty of nature.

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Something Wonderful

Something Wonderful: Rare Silk

Rare Silk

If you were a jazz aficionado during the 1980s, you’ve probably heard of Rare Silk, although they only released three albums between 1983 and 1986. Along with Manhattan Transfer, they were considered one of the best jazz vocal groups at the time.

I only recently learned the history of the group when I ran across an article on what one of the founding members, MaryLynn Gillaspie, has been doing recently. Rare Silk started out as a trio of women who sang jazz standards with Benny Goodman, but eventually they added a male member, changed their style, and landed their first record contract with Polygram. The album, the Grammy-nominated New Weave, was my introduction to the group, and it is to my great sorrow that Polygram hasn’t seen fit to rerelease it. New Weave is their most traditional album, and there’s not a bad song on it. Their take on Freddie Hubbard’s “Red Clay,” which earned them one of their two 1984 Grammy nominations, is one of my favorites, but they also do wonderful interpretations of jazz standards like “Lush Life” and “Spain.”  I also love their bubbly version of “Joy,” an instrumental work to which group member Todd Buffa added lyrics.

The group became more adventurous with American Eyes, also nominated for a Grammy. Perhaps the most impressive song is “Watch What Happens,” originally from The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. They start the song with a wordless note, moving through seemingly random sounds into a percussion-like rhythm before the melody comes in and the group starts singing. It ends almost as it began, becoming percussive again and coming to a close with the same wordless note. Their interpretation of “Round Midnight” is also beautifully done.

One year later, they came out with their final album, Black & Blue. While they didn’t avoid using synthesizers in previous albums, this one is so synth-heavy that it sounds dated. It takes less than 10 seconds of the first song to know you’re listening to an album from the ’80s. The song “Argot” is particularly disappointing; the vocals take a back seat to the music, and the song ends much like “Watch What Happens.” The album isn’t horrible. I like “Playback” a lot, and the short and aptly named final song, “Over,” is excellent. But Black & Blue doesn’t live up to the quality of their first two albums, and I haven’t bothered to buy it.

The band broke up a couple of years after the third album was released — a huge loss to the jazz world. Manhattan Transfer has been around decades longer than Rare Silk, and they are a prolific group, but I’m not convinced that any of their output, wonderful as it may be, can best the first two Rare Silk albums.

If you want New Weave, you’ll have to get a used copy on CD or vinyl, but you can get American Eyes and, if you wish, Black & Blue, digitally. If you are a jazz lover (or even if you aren’t!) and you don’t know Rare Silk, you owe it to yourself to get acquainted.

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Make a Difference

Make a Difference: Reduce the Amount of Plastic You Use

plastic

 

Plastic is wonderful; it’s lightweight and durable.

Unfortunately, its durability is a problem. Throw it away (many of us, myself included, do just that with at least some of the plastic we use), and it just sits around. Plastic in our water is a particular concern, and reports about the amount of plastic in the ocean and the damage it does are alarming.

We even put some plastic directly in the water without throwing anything away. Currently, you can buy facial scrubs with exfoliating microbeads made out of plastic. Rinse your face, and the beads wash down the drain. They can eventually end up in our waterways. The good news is that a law was passed in late 2015 requiring the beads to be phased out by mid-2017, so this should no longer be a problem in the near future.

But that’s not the only source of tiny pieces of plastic entering our water. When we wash synthetic fabrics, microfibers can wash out of our clothes and, since they are not trapped in water treatment plants, they can end up in lakes and rivers.

What do we do about all of that plastic?

Besides recycling what we do use, one of the best things we can do is to move away from using so much plastic in the first place. There are people who are trying to lead completely plastic-free lives, and I admire them for it. It does require a great deal of commitment. But there are small steps you and I can take to at least reduce the amount of plastic in our lives — and if you want to take on the challenge of going completely plastic-free, there are some great online resources to inspire you.

I am far from being a role model for plastic-free living, but here are some things I have done that have made a small difference:

  • When I can choose between an item in a glass bottle and an item in a plastic bottle and the items are equal in terms of quality, I choose the item in the glass bottle, even if it costs more.
  • Also, I try to give preference to natural fibers when shopping for clothes (not always easy to do).
  • I have purchased reusable bags for sandwiches and snacks. They aren’t completely plastic-free, but they reduce our use of plastic baggies in lunches.
  • Last year I was very good about cooking up large batches of soup and putting individual servings in glass canning jars. Just thaw the jars ahead of time, and you can heat up the soup when you’re ready for lunch!
  • I try to remember to bring reusable cloth bags to the grocery store, and if I forget, I try to request paper bags. If I get plastic bags (including not only shopping bags but also bread and produce bags), I try to reuse them to pick up after my dog. That said, there are plastic-free alternatives to cleaning up dog poop, which I should make it a goal to try.

Something I haven’t tried but recently heard about: alternatives to plastic wrap that use beeswax. I’m also interested in Smile Squared toothbrushes. Although the bristles are nylon, the handles are bamboo, and the company gives away a toothbrush to a child in need for every toothbrush purchased.

I still have many ways to reduce my plastic consumption, but I’ve made a small start. Consider joining me (and maybe surpassing me!) as we work to end the problem of plastic pollution.

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Something Wonderful

Something Wonderful: Children’s Books About Strong Princesses

Books about strong princesses, including Cinder Edna

 

A couple of years ago, I participated on the “Do we really need princesses anymore?” panel at CONvergence. I came in pro-princess (in fact, I don’t remember a lot of “anti-princess” sentiment), arguing that there are strong princess role models for children in many books. The fact is, for some reason, lots of girls are going to gravitate toward princesses. I’m not going to try to guess at all of the reasons this is so, though I think it is fair to argue that our culture encourages it. I simply believe that it’s okay to let our children dream of princesses. Let’s just make them heroic characters in their own right.

I brought a list of children’s books that feature strong princesses, and I received the thrill of my life when (1) I realized I was sitting next to an author I admired, and (2) she told people to come up and take my list, because it was a good one.

A few of my readers may have seen my list, but because I believe that many have not, I am sharing it here. All of these books are worth reading, and I’ve indicated my particular favorites. The list is slightly updated from the original list I shared at CONvergence.

Strong Princesses in Literature for the Young, the Young-at-Heart, and Their Families

Picture books

The Very Fairy Princess by Julie Andrews and Emma Walton Hamliton – Although in many ways very pink, sparkly, and girly, this fairy-princess obsessed girl also contradicts others’ views of fairy princesses.

The Princess and the Pig by Jonathan Emmett – An infant princess and piglet are accidentally swapped, and the princess is raised in poverty by loving parents.

The Princess Knight by Cornelia Funke – A princess learns to be a knight and wins her own hand in marriage in a tournament.

Princess Pigsty by Cornelia Funke – Bored of being a princess, Isabella rebels. She is eventually banished to the pigsty, where she is very happy.

Princess Grace by Mary Hoffman – A princess-obsessed girl redefines princesses – for herself and her community.

Cinder Edna by Ellen Jackson – Contrasts Cinderella, pitiful, helpless, and shallow, with Cinder Edna, practical, fun, and capable. Their princes are very different, too! (One of my favorites)

Princesses Are Not Quitters! By Kate Lum – Three princesses decide to be servants for a day. After their hard day, they make life easier on their servants… and they continue to do many of the chores.

The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch – A dragon burns down Elizabeth’s castle (also destroying her clothes) and carries off her betrothed, Prince Ronald. Wearing a paper bag, she rescues Ronald, only to discover he’s not worth the trouble. (Another favorite)

Sleeping Bobby by Mary Pope Osborne and Will Osborne – A gender-neutral, otherwise very faithful retelling of Sleeping Beauty. Prince Bob is Sleeping Beauty, gifted with kindness, courage and modesty, “qualities that anyone might wish for and admire.” He is rescued by an unnamed princess who shares his virtues. (Also one of my favorites)

Part-time Princess by Deborah Underwood – An ordinary girl turns into a princess at night. In frilly dresses, she regularly saves her kingdom from disaster. (Yet another favorite)

Easy readers

The Princess in Black by Shannon Hale and Dean Hale – A perfect princess and her supposed unicorn are secretly a monster-fighting duo. Since I first put it on this list, Hale and Hale have added more books to the series: The Princess in Black and the Perfect Princess Party and The Princess in Black and the Hungry Bunny Horde.

Comic Books and Graphic Novels

Princeless by Jeremy Whitley – This series has a diverse cast of characters and some very funny moments (my favorite bit occurs early in the series, when a female is trying to choose armor). It now includes a spin-off series, Raven: The Pirate Princess. I have one caveat: Someone once said to me, “I wish all of the men [in the series] weren’t evil.” At the time, I didn’t agree that the books were anti-male, but having read a couple of Raven volumes, I understand what that person meant. Some people reject feminism because they think that feminists believe all men are awful. I strongly disagree with that view of feminism, but Whitley manages to reinforce the stereotype in a scene in which Raven selects her crew.

Rapunzel’s Revenge by Shannon Hale and Dean Hale – Rapunzel in a Weird West universe

Wonder Woman – Need I say more? I especially enjoy the first six volumes of the New 52 Wonder Woman series (Blood, Guts, Iron, War, Flesh, and Bones).

Books for Older Children and Teens

The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson – The princess is strong, but the author’s attempt to write a body-positive story hasn’t gone over well with some people. There are more books in the series, but I haven’t read them.

The Goose Girl and The Princess Academy series by Shannon Hale – All of these books feature strong female characters, including princesses. There is a heavy emphasis on romance.

Dealing With Dragons by Patricia Wrede – Funny book featuring a princess who is definitely a role model. There are more books in the series, but I haven’t read them all. (A favorite)

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Make a Difference

Make a Difference: Plan to Celebrate Some Minor Holidays in 2017 (part 2)

Chocolate Chip Cookie Day is a minor holiday
Celebrate National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day by baking for someone.

This is the continuation of last week’s post on minor holidays.

July 30, The Feast Day of William Wilberforce, Olaudah Equiano, and Thomas Clarkson

I’m not sure when the Anglican Church chose to commemorate these three abolitionists, but they are included on its calendar of saints. You don’t have to be an Anglican or Episcopalian to celebrate their work. Here are some suggestions:

  • Take the time to learn more about these men and the abolitionist movement in England.
  • Watch Amazing Grace. Although, like pretty much all films based on history, it bends the truth to make a better movie, it will still teach you a lot about British efforts to abolish slavery.
  • Educate yourself about slavery today and make a pledge to take an action to fight it — through refusing to buy certain products, through making a donation to an anti-trafficking organization, or through educating others about slavery.

August 4, National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day

There’s very little I need to say. If you have time to bake a batch of cookies and deliver them to someone who would appreciate them, you can celebrate this day in a way that will make a difference in someone’s life.

September 4, Labor Day (United States)

Labor Day was originally established as a day to honor American laborers, but over time it has become a farewell to summer, full of picnics and sales. How do we celebrate in a way that makes a difference, especially when much of the work the day was intended to honor falls in the area of rapidly dwindling occupations? Here are some ideas:

  • Resolve to show respect to all workers, no matter what their occupation. Whatever your own job may be, make it a point not to look at people in other occupations as less hard-working or capable or otherwise beneath you. If their job is necessary, then their labor is valuable.
  • If you go someplace on Labor Day where tipping is allowed or encouraged (a restaurant, coffee shop, or spa, for instance), tip generously in recognition of an employee’s hard work.
  • Support laws that allow all American workers to take paid time off. There are no laws that require American businesses to provide paid time off, including parental leave or sick time, much less vacation time. This hits people in poorly paid jobs the hardest.
  • Consider buying locally made products more often to support the economy in your area.

October 4, The Feast of St. Francis

Francis of Assisi was known for embracing poverty and for treating all of creation as his family. Because of his love for animals, some churches hold a blessing of the animals around October 4. Whether or not you recognize him as a saint, you may want to choose to use his feast day to show your own love for animals.

  • If you choose to eat meat and animal products, be willing to pay more to support more humane methods of farming. I know someone who is trying to get to the point where she can trace the meat she uses back to the very animal it came from; she has developed relationships with farmers that allow her to do this. You may also choose to limit your consumption of animal products.
  • Look into what your local animal shelter can use and make a donation. Some shelters collect not only financial donations, which are of critical importance, but also items like old towels or empty toilet paper tubes.
  • If you are looking for a pet, please consider adopting a homeless animal. Far too many pets are euthanized or languish in shelters, because they are unwanted. Also, make it a point to spay or neuter your pets to prevent adding to the number of homeless animals. Even if you could give all of your kittens away, I can promise you that there are a number of cats at your local shelter that need good homes.
  • Take a walk and clean up trash. My child and I once borrowed a backpack from the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area office in St. Paul. Among its contents were a trash bag and a request to pick up trash along the river. We found a huge amount of fishing line that had just been thrown on the ground. Trash like that isn’t merely an eyesore, it’s dangerous to birds and other animals. Picking up trash can save an animal’s life.

November 24, Buy Nothing Day

I mentioned this “holiday” six weeks ago, but it is worth mentioning again, so you can decide well ahead of time whether or not you will celebrate it, particularly if Black Friday shopping is a tradition in your family and your decision not to participate could shock or upset some people. The point of Buy Nothing Day is to protest consumerism and a society built on pointless, wasteful, even harmful shopping. While some people use the day to engage in acts of protest at shopping malls, you can choose less radical ways to spend your day. REI encourages people to get outside for the day. If the weather where you are isn’t conducive to that, you might want to spend time with a loved one, baking, playing games, or watching a movie at home. The phrase “it’s not the presents, it’s your presence” isn’t just a cute saying.

December 26, Boxing Day

Boxing Day is celebrated in England and other countries that once belonged to the British Empire. It’s always the day after Christmas, but precisely what its origins are is rather fuzzy. It could now be described as a British Black Friday… except for the fact that England has adopted America’s Black Friday sales, so we’ll just say it’s a major shopping day with lots of sales.

Since one of the theories behind the origins of Boxing Day involves opening alms boxes for the poor, we could choose to celebrate December 26, no matter where we live, as a day on which to engage in charitable acts. Volunteer your time to prepare meals that will be shipped to starving children, give a donation to a nonprofit, or box up belongings you no longer use and donate them to a charity that will distribute them to others.

 

I’ve suggested only one minor holiday per month that you can use to make a difference in the world. An Internet search will produce at least one holiday for every day of the year. Your options for alternative celebrations are limited only by your creativity.

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Something Wonderful

Something Wonderful: Sample Days at TeaSource

TeaSource sample tray
TeaSource sample tray

I promised to limit the number of location-specific posts I write, and I plan to keep that promise. But occasionally I have to recommend something tied to a place, and this is one of those cases. If you drink tea and find yourself in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, you must take advantage of sample days at TeaSource on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Even without its sample days, TeaSource is a wonderful store for serious tea lovers. They sell well over 200 teas of all sorts, ranging from popular types of teas, such as black and green teas, to more unusual puer and dark teas. They offer classes covering everything from the history of tea to pairing tea with food. At the 2015 World Tea Expo they were named Best Tea Business. I’ve purchased some of my favorite teas from TeaSource.

The best days to visit the store are its sample days. For $5, you get a tray of five different teas. Every sample day has a theme. Sometimes the theme focuses on a variety of tea or a geographical area. Other times the theme might be “staff favorites” or “Halloween treats.” The samples are generous, so if you are caffeine-sensitive, you should try to go early in the day rather than a couple of hours before bed. Each tray includes a card that identifies the teas, and you can use the card to get a discount on any of the featured teas on the day they are offered as samples.

When I first decided to write this post, I tried to find similar sample trays at other tea shops for readers who live elsewhere. I’m sure they must exist somewhere, but I couldn’t find any. It’s too bad. If you have the chance to enjoy a sample tray at TeaSource or somewhere else, take advantage of it. A cup of tea is always a treat, but the chance to savor five different teas, comparing them and finding new favorites, is absolutely wonderful.

October 2018: TeaSource has replaced their sample trays with tea flights. Like the sample trays, the flights are based around a theme. Each flight is available for one week, Monday through Friday. Flights are $7 for three different teas. While I am sorry to see the sample trays go, I understand that businesses must raise their prices, and I definitely will try the new tea flights.