Keeping Warm: the teakettle

[asakiyume]

Picture the grad student: she is a teaching assistant. She works late into the night. If you went into the teaching assistants' room, you might find her curled up and assume she'd fallen asleep over her grading, or over her reading, or in contemplation of her laptop. But then she'd raise her head in some confusion and embarrassment, because, you see, she'd been cradling the teakettle, which is so nice and warm. A stainless-steel hot-water bottle.

It's cold in the TAs' room: she's got her jacket on, and a scarf, and the old boots she just bought replacements for, but somehow has not yet stopped wearing--the boots with the big split on top that lets the snow come in direct contact with her sock (and then it's quick work to reach her foot).

"If anyone finds out I do this," she'll say, "they might not want to make tea from it anymore!" As if to embrace a teakettle is illicit--transgressive--deeply wrong. Please, reassure her--but not too effusively, or she will become suspicious.

Comments

[khiemtran.livejournal.com]

Makes perfect sense to me! (I don't like the cold...)

[cucumberseed.livejournal.com]

I snuggled with my teacup yesterday in my office, since the heat wasn't working.

Deedees says that kitties are better, but a teakettle will do when you're in a pinch.

[sartorias.livejournal.com]

I don't think that's any worse than pressing an icy drink to one's forehead in trying to escape the heat.

[browngirl.livejournal.com]

This is deeply adorable. :)

[sovay]

As if to embrace a teakettle is illicit--transgressive--deeply wrong. Please, reassure her--but not too effusively, or she will become suspicious.

I wrap my hands around hot drinks in restaurants. My circulation is terrible.

I like your drawings.

[vanatoomas.livejournal.com]

What a lovely story and sketch (poor teaching assistant, though! I hope she will not get sick from being cold all the time!)

[wuweibaby.livejournal.com]

Ah, a drawing and a story first thing in the morning as I cradle my warm cup of tea in my hands. Nice.

[rosefiend.livejournal.com]

Oh man, I totally know how that TA feel.

I guess it would be a good idea to invest in a space heater for my work. Because if I'm cold now, I'm going to be a lot colder soon!

[duccio.livejournal.com]

Sometimes I've read stories about people in Oakland CA, sleeping with irons on in their beds because the heat has been turned off by their landlords or the gas co. We never hear about that occurrence in San Francisco, but I suppose it happens everywhere, just reported on in minority communities because: minorities... no need to act. Blame the victims.

Cuddling the teapot probably is loaded with multiple benefits. "Tea adds life", as scientific studies re: anti-oxidents have shown, and it is a tasty stimulant, better than quasi-poison/addictive big pharma products, for keeping students alert and learning. Everybody can see we need more smart students learning and staying awake, to comprehend and to solve all these problems we have these days. Go TEA!