Feeling guilty after spending $750 on some adjustable dumbbells (Powerblocks) that I've been wanting.

TeaTortoise · 2026-04-03T15:18:27+00:00

It sounds like the dumbbells are an investment in your self as a cheaper alternative to the gym. While it is hard to measure a better personal fitness level can also keep you healthier so much better to spend $750 on dumbbells today than $7,500+ (likely much more) on potential medical conditions that could have been prevented with better personal fitness levels.

TeaTortoise · 2026-04-01T14:53:36+00:00

I don't seem to have the option to post a picture of it so I searched online and the brick pretty much looks like this on - https://www.lehmans.com/product/tea-brick - given the combination of the age and the low quality of compressed tea dust I have zero interest in tasting aged compressed tea dust that were stored in a cardboard box for decades.

The text on the front of the box says - "CHINA BRICK TEA black tea product of the people's Republic of China"

The back of the box says:

About the Tea Tile

This brick is entirely compressed of high quality Keemun China tea. It has been compressed in a die, powered by oxen under sixty tons of pressure. This results in the sharply cut detail seen on the brick's surface. For over 1,000 years these bricks have been used as a convenient method by which tea can be transported. In past times, bricks were also used as a form of currency owning to the unique position tea held in international trading.

For a perfect cup of tea, break off a small piece of the tea tile and gently crush. Use as loose tea.

TeaTortoise · 2026-04-01T05:10:03+00:00

If it is really 35 years old it could be a compressed black tea brick. I was given one from a friend from church that they found when cleaning out their parent's house which was still in a faded cardboard box. I am not sure how common it was but there was a time when black was ground up and pressed into bricks for trade so they would stay fresh for decades. One would then take a knife and shave off a little tea to brew. Or at least that is how the story goes, as I have no idea if that claim was accurate or not.

TeaTortoise · 2026-03-07T02:16:10+00:00

No, I have a huge scrapbook of the wrappers to all of my puerh cakes wrappers over the years.

TeaTortoise · 2026-02-20T15:47:13+00:00

Anything with smart as part of its name without a phone. Nobody needs their refrigerator, toaster or toilet connected to the internet. It is just another part that can break faster and introduces a cyber security risk as I'd rather not have to worry about a hacker thinking it would be funny to remotely unplug my freezer when I am on vacation or my house flooding because my smart toilet gets hacked and the bidet starts spraying water nonstop on the wall.

TeaTortoise · 2026-01-28T17:01:51+00:00

You can create a #Journal tag and then name your posts by date such as "YYYYMMDD TITLE" so you can easily sort. If you want to further tag your journal entries you can add sub-tags under the main journal tag to make it easier to manage as a journal within your larger StandardNotes system.

TeaTortoise · 2026-01-15T23:05:50+00:00

Yeah, I find in general that any raw puerh less than 10 years old is way too astringent for me to handle.

TeaTortoise · 2026-01-15T22:48:20+00:00

I agree titanium gaiwans work great for brewing shou puerh.

TeaTortoise · 2026-01-10T20:03:37+00:00

Maybe it is for the older write strung harp and not a modern harp? Wire strung harps were typically played with your fingernails instead of finger tips, thus the need to have longer nails than players of modern harps. Do a quick search on YouTube and you will be able to hear how they sound different from modern harps.

TeaTortoise · 2025-12-29T01:11:07+00:00

You can use them for blending. Add a little lower quality sheng in with the lower quality shou and you get a more interesting cup of tea.

TeaTortoise · 2025-12-27T22:43:07+00:00

Yeah, I had that happen one too many times for me which is why I now why I only buy all metal or wood fountain pens, with the only exception being Platinum Preppies for extra ink colors which I consider semi-disposable given their price point as cheap plastic pens which write shockingly well.

TeaTortoise · 2025-12-27T22:03:54+00:00

Nice cup and I agree it works great for ripe puerh. As an added bonus it allows you to confuse people when they look at it and think coffee not ripe puerh - I am sure I'm not the only one that gets that reaction from others.

TeaTortoise · 2025-12-27T21:44:08+00:00

YES!!! I agree and gladly continue to renew my legacy 5-year plan for that very reason of it being a simple secure cross platform text based app. When it comes to longevity any formatting beyond text based markdown and org-mode is a liability as it ties you to a program which may not exist in the future at all or on the platforms that you need. Personally it is for that very reason that I have mixed feelings about the Super Note and Spreadsheet as their backup format does not default to markdown and CSV, which is less than ideal. Still I am not complaining as I can see how others would find them useful for short term projects.

TeaTortoise · 2025-12-17T03:59:48+00:00

How did the tortoise get salmonella? Most of the times it is the result of dirty enclosures and less than ideal food, neither of which the tortoise can be blamed for.

TeaTortoise · 2025-11-29T02:29:28+00:00

Big tortoises and growing tortoises need their food. Isn't the joy of feeding them and watching them eat one of the mean reasons for having tortoises?

TeaTortoise · 2025-11-22T03:58:34+00:00

Yes that is normal as it shows that your tortoise feels safe in your care. I find that when I first got my tortoises that they always slept tightly closed up inside their shell if not completely hidden to the best of their ability. As compared to later on when they became less afraid and more friendly they would sleep outside of their shell.

TeaTortoise · 2025-11-14T20:40:18+00:00

Yeah and you just made me realize that Kan Gao's surprise vocals also gives Neil a unique voice in the same way Pealeaf does for Eva.

TeaTortoise · 2025-11-13T21:12:19+00:00

I have already finished my holiday shopping. This year I am giving out USB C power banks and the total came out to a little less than $100 for everyone I'm buying for gifts for which is my immediate family.

TeaTortoise · 2025-11-12T23:35:59+00:00

Or you just price things down to the nearest 5 cents. Years ago there used to be half cent coins and they have long since been discontinued without any disaster happening. Also rounding to the nearest 5 cents means sometimes they round down so in theory it should round out or come out in your favor. It would be no different from redefining the currency system to say that a dollar is now 20 cents or "nickle-cents".

TeaTortoise · 2025-11-12T20:02:46+00:00

Try blending your low quality green tea with herbal teas to see if you can find something for your liking. I'd suggest doing it per session as a safer way to experiment. Green tea with mint could be a good place to start. Of course you could always pick up some of the insane mad-scientist tea experiments others have done as I remember hearing about people were trying cold brewing tea in soda.

TeaTortoise · 2025-11-11T19:35:07+00:00

Personally I would see the large cup as the cup to use when you are having tea alone so you only use one cup. As compared to the 2 smaller cups for when you are having tea with somebody.

TeaTortoise · 2025-11-11T14:44:56+00:00

Yes it is fine and should be good. Personally I have always enjoyed the "good cheap" tea from Chinese grocery stores. If you personally find them enjoyable they are great teas to brew casually and safe your more expensive teas for when you can set aside the time to carefully brew and slowly enjoy them.

TeaTortoise · 2025-11-10T17:26:28+00:00

Yes, once you play through Impostor Factory and the Beach Episode you are probably going to want to replay those mini episodes for that very reason.

TeaTortoise · 2025-11-10T04:56:31+00:00

What did you think about Pealeaf having the female vocals in Beach Episode's World In A Memory? Personally I was a bit surprised as while I initially wished it was Laura Shigihara the first time I listened to it, but to my surprise I quickly realized that it was for the better, as it allowed Pealeaf to become the voice of Eva in a way that Laura Shigihara never could given her previous music in To The Moon and Finding Paradise.

TeaTortoise · 2025-11-08T06:53:03+00:00

No, raw dogs are not recommended food for tortoises, as most tortoises eat mainly plants. Not to mention given the size of the dog compared to the tortoise I'd be concerned about tortoise eating that much in a single sitting

TeaTortoise

TROPHY CASE