Breinthewild

Mug lore: This legendary drinking utensil is a gift from a family member who made it during a pottery class in college. (Other hits from this time include a vase shaped like a barbell/tea kettle and several lumpy but functional plates and bowls that were later distributed to various family members.) I love the pond-like ripples across the front and the fact that it turns every liquid it contains into an unknowable black depth. I thought of it as an Enchanted Pond Mug for a while; unfortunately as with enchanted ponds, it’s impossible to know what might be lurking under the surface. Once when I was halfway finished with a mugful of delicious tea, the boiled body of a pale yellow spider emerged from the depths and floated to the surface. Suffice to say I check the now-named Spider Mug carefully these days before beginning the steeping and drinking process.

What I’m drinking: A delightful Yunnan black tea from Smith. I received several Smith teas as part of a sampler smorgasbord and have been slowly working my way through all of them. This one is by far my favorite of the collection. It’s light and smooth, with no bitterness at all and a delicious drink any time of day.

What I just finished reading: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick. (Also known as Blade Runner). This short novella was mostly a fun break from the heavy lifting going on as I continue through The Brothers Karamazov. I’d seen the movie Blade Runner but this was my first foray into the story inspiring it. As with a lot of the classic sci-fi I’ve read, much of the enjoyment of the book comes from 1) the things the author got absolutely correct about the future and 2) the things the author got absolutely wrong. The story is set in 2020 where technology is so advanced androids are difficult to distinguish from humans. (This hits harder in light of all the AI drama currently happening). The earth is a radioactive mess, real living animals are all but extinct (most people have robot ones, like the titular sheep, instead) and switchboard operators still exist. The story is very much a product of its time (particularly where the female characters/”feminine” androids are involved) but it was also a wild and entertaining ride and a good break from the hundreds of pages of ongoing Russian suffering I am making my way through. Speaking of which…

What I’m reading now: The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky (still). I’m making slow but enjoyable progress. This is the kind of book that I find myself setting down, pondering, and often writing down quotes from the text. I genuinely appreciate that I have to slow down in order to read it. The pace plays into the storytelling well. I’m not even halfway through yet, so there’s a lot more to look forward to.

What I’m writing now: My work in progress is now up to 55k words (about halfway)! I’ve also been putting together several presentations for work which—while fun—has bitten into my writing time. While this month I’ve not been as prolific, I’m still trying to beat my last year’s word count for the month. It’s going to be a close one but I still have a week to get a few thousand more words finished. We’ll see what happens.