Books and Tea | August, 2015
I Have an Awesome Vocabulary
Two weeks ago, I took over as community manager at the Environmental Media Association (EMA). It’s an exciting gig, one that merges my interests in the environmental and entertainment industries. One of the primary tasks of a community manager is to make daily posts on social media. What I post consists of our news, stories from our sponsors and celebrities, and timely environmental content (think lots of “breathtaking” nature photos). For most posts, I have to write a brief introduction or explanation, as well as give proper credit to authors, photographers, etc. While writing a description for an Instagram post, I realized I use the words amazing and awesome way too much. Now, many of these photos are awesome and amazing, but it cheapens the impact of these words if everything is awesome and amazing. I solved the dilemma by tossing in an occasional stunning and wonderful, but I was left shaken.
Am I not the savvy wordsmith I think I am? Am I doomed to a world where everything from meerkats to lunch is awesome? Okay, that doesn’t sound as grave as I intended, but you get the point.
The other day, I had an aha moment while watching a Taco Bell commercial. Naturally, the ad was promoting Taco Bell’s latest taco, one it described as awesome. There’s that dreaded word again. Only this time it’s not describing the awe-inspiring view of Yosemite’s Cathedral Lakes, but a soggy GMO-purse filled with 61% of your recommended daily sodium intake. In the Bell’s defense, awesome is slang for very impressive, so I doubt it was implying its taco “inspires an overwhelming feeling of reverence, admiration, or fear” – though the idea of eating Taco Bell for breakfast, lunch, and dinner should inspire overwhelming fear. Taco Bell’s far from being the only company that overuses words like awesome and amazing, which is why I’ve come to the conclusion advertising is to blame for my consistent desire to describe everyone and everything as awesome.
Here are some amazing book and tea pairings for August. Enjoy.
Book and Tea Pairings for August
Book: The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton
This is a guest post by my friend Sanne Dekkers. She does an excellent job of documenting and sharing the books she reads via her Instagram account. Make sure to follow her: @sanneah_reads
Tea: Nilgiri Green
Book: A collection of short stories by Various Authors
This is a dirty book, and I don’t mean that in a promiscuous way, I mean it’s literally dirty. I had to fight off the strange men and women buzzing around the free-book cart like flies around a dead squirrel to snag this one. It looks nice in this photo, but it’s a bit too musty to read.
Tea: Lapsang Souchong Tea from Mountain Rose Herbs
Book: Pomegranate Tree by Nazan Bekiroglu
My Instagram friend, @jellicle_kutuphanesi did me one better by thinking of books and a cat. But not just any cat. No, this is one heck of a pretty kitty. Thanks, Yoda Charlotte for posing for the photo. (That’s her photo in the cover image as well)
Tea: Melon Tea
Book: The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradburry
Another fantastic guest submission from my friend Natalie. The mug is from Macedonia. Way to go, Natalie!
Tea: Mountain Tea (not sure what that is, but it sounds yummy).
Book: Wabi-Sabi for Artists, Designers, Poets & Philosophers
Since I’m all of the above, I figured I should buy this book. I read it one sitting. The book is not long, and I’m already appreciating the wabi-sabi in my life. For instance, our indoor plants that are starting to brown suddenly look beautiful.
Tea: Alpine Berry form Two Leaves Tea
Book: A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle
This guest-submission from my friend Ann, features a bookmark with one of my favorite quotes.
Have a book and tea pairing you’d like to share? Connect with me on Instagram and use #BooksAndTea or contact me at jayjasinski10@gmail.com
Jay Jasinski - Marketer | Writer 
At one time or another, we all hit a wall with choosing words to suit an image, how we feel, etc. I find when that happens, the thesaurus is my best friend. Sometimes just reading the options reminds me of another word that fits in just as well.