I do not have a tea maker. I have a laser thermometer that was maybe $80, I just take the top off my kettle and monitor the heating water when I want a precise temperature. Or poke a probe down the spout. My sister has a set-the-temperature kettle but she doesn't actually set the temperature anymore, the way it regulates is inefficient or something, but I guess the built-in thermometer still let's her get the temp she wants if she watches it.

I was sure *someone* said they had a teamaker. And I figured, statistically, it was likely to be you.

I'm looking at this insanely expensive do-it-all teamaker, and I'm seriously thinking "you got a bonus" and wondering if I can just replace my kettle with something crazy. The reviews are pretty good, with the big caveat being slightly difficult cleaning. But in a manageable way--you have to wipe down in place, or boil water. You can't wash it in a sink or dishwasher. That's okay. I'm totally that sort of lazy.

I can't decide! How crazy am I? I just know I'm getting sadder and sadder when my first cup of tea is done. I'm turning into Amy. But I drink too slowly to use a teapot. I can barely make it through a cup with the whole thing at a good temperature. A teamaker that keeps the tea warm would be brill.

I think it was Seska, ita !.

Do it. You earned it through AWESOME.

my first mammogram was in the summer and it freaked me the fuck out. I am not sure why - except that I might have white coat syndrome in general and pressing my flesh against glass was just icky.

So far I am not freaked out, and maybe only having a day to think about it will help out. I have been meaning to do this since I turned 40 (2 years ago) and since the office is right around the corner from my house, it's a little absurd that I haven't done so. I am glad to be finally getting it done.

Yeah, that is totally the kind of thing you should buy with bonus money. Because you wouldn't otherwise, but now you'll use it every morning and be reminded of your RADIATION OF AWESOME.

I kinda want one.

But a) I didn't get a bonus, b) I just spent a wad of cash on a damned paring knife, and c) it kinda defeats the whole "I made my tea on my woodstove" vibe I've got going. Which reminds me, I need to take a pic of my teapot for Beverly.

I can barely make it through a cup with the whole thing at a good temperature. A teamaker that keeps the tea warm would be brill.

I make a pot with two tea bags in a stainless steel carafe, and it keeps it hot for hours. Not scalding, but hot.

Seska has mentioned hers with affection, I believe. Get yourself one, ita !, that's what bonuses are for!

Go, Sue, preventive care ftw!

More weather weirdness:

How hot is it? It is so hot that the low temperature for the normally frigid International Falls only hit 60°F yesterday, which tied the previous record high for the date! meteorologist Dr. Jeff Masters wrote he’s never seen that happen station with a century-long data record. Monday was “the seventh consecutive day that International Falls broke or tied a daily record.”

500 Days Of Summer: Get Used To It, Says ABC News, Thanks to Global Warming. But NBC Is Still Out In The Cold.

10 Coolest Sidekicks in Science Fiction and Fantasy

Fun.

The last sentence of this one cracked me up:

2) Spock
It sometimes seems like the 1960s were the era for cool sidekicks. And Spock is the coolest cat of the mod era. You know how in like every other Star Trek episode, Kirk is stuck down on the planet by himself, getting deeper and deeper in shit — he's been mind-daggered, he's been android-duplicated, he's been wink-of-an-eye'd — and then in the last 10 minutes, Spock finally arrives. The moment you see Spock turn up and greet Kirk, you know things are going to be fine, because the team is back together and they're going to blow up the computer together. Spock is going to help Kirk sort out all the wrong shit, with logic and one raised eyebrow. Because the many need to get their asses kicked by the one.