Le terrain vague. OK, it's not exactly a wasteland. It's a place where kids go to play, to hide in the weeds, or to collect bottles or step on them, or to enter dilapidated structures or abandoned vehicles where they invent histories and hook their clothes (or worse) on rusty nails and serrated edges. It's to the tetnus shot what jungles and swamplands are to anti-malarial medication. It's also the title of a book of poems by Richard Meier; a film directed by Marcel Carné; the title of a photography exhibit (Terrain Vague: Photography, Architecture and the Post-Industrial Landscape); a matter of concern to urbanists and architects; and the title of a number of digital quarterlies, blogs, and journals by the same. I chose it anyway as the title of this blog because I googled this information after I sneaked the title in by including the article le and because the idea came to me from a chapter in Le Petit Nicolas et les Copains called "Les Campeurs," in which Nicolas et ses amis set up a tent in un terrain vague terrible.

Why am I reading Le Petit Nicolas et les Copains at my age? Because I'm trying to learn French, and for anyone trying to learn French, this little book is a necessary stepping stone, apparently. But what the hell, it's charming, and I deserve to read it--after more than a year of listening to all three CDs of the Pimsleur Method and then slogging through the first 30 chapters of the Capretz Method, which meant having to watch endless videos of the world's most insufferable pair, Mireille and Robert.

Back on topic, Terrain Vague seemed like a great idea for the title of a blog in which I'm just going to throw a few things--for instance, the opening drawing, a doodle that has nothing to do with the text of this post-- and which is pretty much already abandoned territory at inception. Besides, potpourri was taken (LOL).

I just love black tea! I've been drinking green tea for about a month now--twice a day usually, and I really dig it. The weight loss benefits the "experts" claim green tea possesses are evident. My metabolism was terribly sluggish after I had my youngest child. In the past month, I haven't been working out religiously and I've dropped 9 lbs.! So, anyway... I decided I'd expand my tea collection and try some different ones. Well, I was browsing this new tea store I happened upon in one of my shopping escapades (English Tea Store), found some adorable teapots, and some great teas. I picked some yummy English Breakfast tea, some Earl Grey, and some black tea. Took 3 days to arrive at my doorstep! Great black tea and I prefer it bah-lack, like me.

Assam tea: Assam is a black tea named after the region of its production (Assam, India). This tea grown at sea level is known for its body, briskness, malty flavor, and strong, bright color.

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