Thursday TeaDay 4/21/11 Origin/significance of your avatar

[Chip]

Welcome one and all to a great day for TeaDay...well, isn't everyday? So, fill 'er up and share what is in your cup today, all day! Don't forget to check out what other TeaChatters are sipping today as well! If you need to, you can also reflect back on your TeaDay.

Yesterday was a slow day on the forum, so we hope you will still vote and discuss yesterday's topic!!!

Today's TeaPoll and discussion topic. I see a few new avatars lately, and time to ask, "What is the origin or significance of your avatar?" Please also share with us how or why you chose your TeaChat avatar. If you do not have an avatar, seek some inspiration here today.

I am looking forward to hearing what is your cup today, so bottoms up ... refill ... repeat ...

[karmaplace]

I have changed my avatar fairly often, whenever I had taken a new picture of tea or teaware that I was particularly fond of. My current avatar is of my cat and a calico cat bowl I had purchased off Etsy. The cat on the bowl and my own cat look very similar. I'm expecting to keep this one for a while.

Nothing but extra bold masala chai with steamed milk and honey today. Mmmmmmmmmmmm.

[Nenugal]

I also try to take pictures of my favourite pieces of teaware for use as avatar pictures. Currently it shows a hagi chawan by Deishi.
Today's morning teas are a Dong Ding from a local tea-shop, and Wu Yi Qu Hao green tea from TeaSpring (good!). Soon: A bowl of Yame Matcha Sansui from Zencha.

[FlyedPiper]

Mine is a monk drinking tea! I first discovered teas while living at a local meditation center, so for me tea brings me back to breaks in hard sitting while on meditation retreats or after work, all by myself before I went to bed in silence. Tea never tasted so good...

[IPT]

My avatar is the Chinese word for tea before we started using the word "茶". It is a much older character. Few people know it now.

[Xell]

Maybe, i always liked cats and they like me too as you can see on my avatar

[JBaymore]

Mine is simply a piece of my work; a wet faceted shino glazed mizusashi with red and green overglaze enamels. I think it is a nice piece. My college used it for large 18" x 24" posters promoting the school's ceramic program a number of years ago. It's now in the collection a potter, Matsumiya Ryouji, in Kanayama, Japan who purchased it from an exhibition of mine.

Sorry..... just some blatant commercialism....... promoting my pots.

best,

............john

[JBaymore]

My avatar is the Chinese word for tea before we started using the word "茶". It is a much older character. Few people know it now.

Interesting!

best,

...........john

[artmom]

Yes, my avatar is the oldest piece of Japanese teaware I have. It was given to me 34 years ago by Yoshi, our exchange student that we still keep in touch with. It has never been used.

[hopeofdawn]

Mine is the happy little fish on the top of the one and only yixing pot I've bought so far. It probably won't be my last one--but I think obsessing over a pot for months before caving and buying it is a new milestone in my tea journey ....

[Chip]

Yes, my avatar is the oldest piece of Japanese teaware I have. It was given to me 34 years ago by Yoshi, our exchange student that we still keep in touch with. It has never been used.

Be right down to remedy this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Fuji and tea fields ... home of the mythical TeaCave! I have never seen Fuji first hand, but I see the attraction ... and combined with fields of fave teas.

I have quite a few such photos, often asking a Japanese vendor for permission if they have a nice one on their site.

About to begin TD, a late start.

Of course, if you do not have an avatar, I am also planting seeds today!

[tortoise]

(EDIT: all links go to a google search image results page and to polishposter.com)

I changed my avatar recently just because.

I really like quite a few Polish poster artists and found this image moving by Stasys Eidrigevicius: http://bit.ly/ehrgQ2

More Stasys: http://bit.ly/epkBnz

But my all-time fave would be Wiktor Sadowski:
http://bit.ly/g4TAps

So now you've seen some Polish posters, but have you ever witnessed Polish theatre? It's generally outstanding. Far more gutsy, visceral, and artistic than just about anything produced in this country.

I'm currently drinking a cold brewed HF TGY from Teamasters. This is around the 10th steeping for this session and all the roasted notes are gone, but left in their wake a nice floral taste that is surprisingly concentrated.

[Marco]

Fuji and tea fields ... home of the mythical TeaCave! I have never seen Fuji first hand, but I see the attraction ... and combined with fields of fave teas.

And we all thought it is the look out of your window.

For a long time here I had no avatar - just because I could not decide what tea-related thing to choose. But everyone has a tea related avatar.
So home in winter I saw it - took a picture - and voila.
It is the village I come from on a beautiful winters day.

Today I squeeze the last flavor out of some 90s Pu sample I brewed on Monday and then had one or two cups the days after.

[Drax]

My avatar is the Chinese word for tea before we started using the word "茶". It is a much older character. Few people know it now.

Huh, it looks like 名　with the grass radical on top.

I've looked in books that talk about the origins/evolutions of chinese characters, but I have yet to see one that talks about 茶...

[jaderabbit]

My first chawan!! My great love!!!