Winter Chill and Chitchat

We had a dusting of snow last night and today, the temperatures are reminding us that winter is nearly upon us. For the past few months, I've been taking Bento boxes full of nutritious snacks as my lunches but these past few days, I've been craving warm foods in the mid-day. I work in a toasty warm office so it's not like I'm outside freezing, yet, because of the change in temperature and the time of year, my body is instintively craving warmth. Good thing the grocery store has some interesting frozen lunches on sale this week! I've bought some breakfast-style meals, pot pies and pasta dishes to have on hand for those days when only a hot lunch will do - and that's ready in three minutes or less. Tomorrow it's leftover Chinese takeout which is almost enough to make me look forward to going to work.
Christmas at work is busy and we'll soon be shorthanded as people start taking their holidays. Even though I work in news, this is a time of year when no news is good news and I'll be hoping for everyone's sake that the next few weeks are quiet. I addition to working in a warm office, it can often get dry so I stay hydrated by bringing a Thermos of boiling water and a selection of teas into work everyday. The first teas of the day are black, the afternoon are usually green and if I need another cup by the end of the day, it will be a white since the temperature of the water remaining in the Thermos should be about right for a white. A typical workday of teas could go like this: Mornings - Tazo Awake, Stash Orange Spice or Earl Grey (all blacks); Early Afternoon: Harney's Tropical Green, Twinnings Graperuit/Pineapple, Bigelow Eggnoggin, Blackcurrent; Late Afternoon: Earl Grey, Bigelow Tangerine White, Stash Chai. Sometimes I'll bring in a selection of loose teas in T-Sacs; I did try using a teapot at work but found it cumbersome since our lunchroom is on another floor so now I rely on my Thermos, some carefully chosen bags or T-Sacs and a decent china cup. At home, I drink only loose tea but at work, the bags do work better - and they mean I can get a cup together pretty quickly. That's important for those of us who work continually on deadline!