It's more than a drink, it's an experience.

Sleepy time tea, it will change your life. It will stimulate every one of your senses in such a pleasant, gentle manner while soothing your soul at the same time. The first warming sensation appears in the nose as you submerge the delicate tea packet into the steaming water. The subtle addition of mint in the gentle concoction immediately diffuses into the air and up your nose, resulting in a sense of tranquil serenity. As the delightful smell works its way through your olfactory system, your eyes will behold the seeping colors slowly oozing their way from the tea bag into the depths of the mug of water. As you leisurely swirl the tea bag through the water, the warm liquid will gradually grow darker with deeper and deeper color, drawing you ever so slightly into a deeper trance. Cupping the warm mug in your hands gives you a whole new sense of experience as a hot, tingly sensation will slowly spread first through your extremities and then gradually up through your arms and to your core. All of this leads up to the climax of the ultimate sipping of the beverage. The delicate hint of mint, the dollop of chamomile, and the slight trace of honey and other flavorful herbs make a blend of utmost pleasantry inside your mouth, soothing not only the taste buds, but the essence of the core being. As the swallowing mechanisms engage and the relaxing warm liquid is felt all the way to the belly of both body and soul, you will find yourself slipping ever more deeply into repose. It's quite the relaxing experience, and you may find yourself just peaceful enough for a restful evening of slumber. It's just what the doctor orders after a long day at work or school. Or at least what I order every night before bedtime.

The only problem is that sleepy time tea before bedtime turns into sleepy time pee-pee time tea amidst bed time. You give some, you take some.

First attempt at the whole "holding-the-camera-phone-in-front-of-you-to-take-the-picture-because-there's-nobody-else-around" picture. Pft. Pathetic. Only got 1/4 of my nightly tea mug.

Second attempt - still no mug, and a handle for a face.

So maybe the third time is almost the charm, but roommate Meridith was rapidly losing interest.

A Perfect Match

I've always really loved things that just fit together in a seemingly perfect way. Just ask my mom when she was digging the bead out of my nose that didn't fit quite as perfectly as I had imagined it fitting. I was just a child then, and my perception of what fits wasn't quite as developed as it is now. This obsession of matching duos is the reason why I make sandwiches to take to school for lunch when I don't really like sandwiches--for the sole purpose of being able to nest it so rightly in my little sandwich container.

I'm also quite convinced that a motorcycle and me would be quite a good match. I'm told I could get this piece of work up and running for only about $700. Honestly, who can refute this? It just fits.

I'm even more convinced that the guy playing the guitar in the very middle is the perfect match for me. I'm pretty sure I could make room for two on that bike for him.

These are all extremely wonderful matches, and they make my soul feel, well, settled, but this next match blows them all away. With this match, I'm not just settled, I'm complete. After 7 years of searching, and after 7 years of disappointment and let down after let down, I've finally found the one. I've finally found a song whose beat goes to the rhythm of the blinker in my car. "You in the barricade listen to this! No one is coming to help you to fight. You're on your own. You have no friends. Give up your guns or die..." If I'm not careful I might get carried away and quote the rest of the musical. I knew there was a reason I feel such a connection toward Les Miserables.

Faces and bathrooms, on the other hand, are not such a fit. I find this highly disturbing.

I don't like the looks of it.