These Things: Maofeng and the Yellow Mountain (or Why I Write)

I got nasty habits; I take tea at three.

- Mick Jagger

I’m waiting for the water. It’s early morning and I’m waiting on the water to boil. No, it is early morning, that part is correct, but I’m waiting for the water to get to 185 degrees Fahrenheit because years ago someone realized that if you pour water at 185 degrees Fahrenheit, and they obviously didn’t know the water was this temperature and there are obviously other standards to indicate an amount of heat energy in a particular atmosphere, but none of these had been invented yet and I can imagine that years ago someone realized that when they poured water at 185 degrees Fahrenheit over the leaves of the camelia bush that, well, they didn’t know what 185 degrees Fahrenheit was so how did they know how to prepare the tea unless it really was a lone monk, as the stories go, sitting on top of a mountain, picking camila leaves and boiling water as hot as it would get on top of that mountain, and since there’s less atmosphere at altitude the water would obviously boil more quickly, and by more quickly I mean at a lower temperature, but I think it actually takes longer, and the monk would pour the boiling water over the camila leaves, say a prayer for three or four minutes, and then drink in the tea, the mountain, the mist, and all of time.

These things recently inspired me:

• “Most Mysterious Song on the Internet” - There’s a song floating around the Internet that has no clear etymology.

• When to nail and when to screw. - This is not a euphemism. It’s a practical guide when to use nails and when to use screws. It’s fall and all the projects gotta get done soon.

• “The Toolbox Fallacy” - I’ll finish my novel/screenplay/song/poem/project when...

• “You’ll Be Miserable If You Don’t Do What You’re Supposed To: Kris Kristofferson on William Blake” - Is someone wrestling the existential dilemma of getting off his ass and finishing the screenplay for Poco a Poco? Yeah, maybe so.