On Jun 7, 12:25 pm, pgwk > wrote:
> Hi Dominic....
>
> No, no flaming and no reply, just withdrawal. I'd hoped I was
> contrbuting to the group through my invitations, but......... Life
> really is too short for all this.
>
> Anyone still interested in the NYC event or the bibliography, which is
> going well, please contact me by private e-mail. As for the book, I
> have at least informed you all of the references and no one has to
> read it, after all.
>
> This was the first Usenet group I have been on. Definitely a unique
> experience.
>
> On Jun 7, 11:16 am, "Dominic T." > wrote:
>
> > On Jun 7, 10:31 am, Space Cowboy > wrote:
>
> > > You're the one who needs a life vest. You still haven't given me your
> > > publisher contact info. That was for my lawyers who say you seem to
> > > have deep pockets. I don't hide behind anything I say anywhere. My
> > > instant psycho babble analysis of you passive-aggressive with latent
> > > homosexual tendencies. You play the victim milking it for all it's
> > > worth and you follow guys around on the Internet.
>
> > > Jim
>
> > > PS You're damn lucky I can't get the MAC hooked up to the Internet
> > > and my current network card can only handle a few bytes at a time.
> > > Who is your ghost writer? You're still a lazy ass.
>
> > > pgwk wrote:
> > > > I almost didn't send this message and also thought carefully about
> > > > dropping out of RFDT, which would be a big loss for me - I enjoy the
> > > > group and am learning so much. I have decided to address the
> > > > underlying issue very directly: Space Cowboy. The second part of this
> > > > posting is a firm effort to rescue the group from him. I do not intend
> > > > to discuss it/him or respond to him; as I stated after his last and
> > > > silly attack on me, no reply is needed or merited. But, something
> > > > needs to be done and I hope I can help RFDT in this regard.
>
> > Honestly you could possibly be well served by maybe just trying to
> > ease up a bit. What kick do you get out of being so odd and biting? It
> > always appears as someone trying to be/sound/act so highly intelligent
> > and above others when in reality it is easy to distinguish those with
> > the real knowledge and the true essence of tea. And sadly they are
> > some of the quietest members of this NG.
>
> > You do have the ability to actually contribute and be helpful, you
> > just choose not to. That always bothers me, but I will say that I'm
> > not so sure pgwk is doing much better. I've worked as a writer, and a
> > post like this just emphasizes the fact that he maybe should not be
> > writing a book at this stage and also should rethink this promotional
> > tea tasting until he has the knowledge and true passion inside to know
> > implicitly and completely what to serve and how to go about it.
>
> > What this newsgroup was and what it currently is are two different
> > things. I'd much rather have fun, active, yet retreaded conversations
> > and answering the common newbie questions over a stark barren
> > wasteland of technical talk and arguments. I also think that as with
> > any endeavor there is a fine line between actually enjoying something
> > and obsession. Knowing yourself and those boundaries is something I
> > have always been good at and anytime I notice the scales tipping to
> > the obsession side, I make sure I slow down, step back, and get back
> > on track.
>
> > Balance is what life is all about, and truly both SC and pgwk should
> > take a serious look at themselves and try to regain some balance. I
> > know these are probably wasted words, but in the small chance it might
> > fire off a neuron or two even for a second it's worth it. Else, just
> > flame me and feel good about your lofty perch.
>
> > - Dominic- Hide quoted text -
>
> > - Show quoted text -

I fear that you may be missing some of my point though, it appears
that while you have done a lot of research online and some travel,
that you haven't really "lived" what tea is all about.

How can I explain? Feelings, moods, history, nationality, religion,
people... that is what tea is really about. Not whether your water is
from the finest artesian well or heated to the nearest .001 degree and
steeped for the exact millisecond which is recorded in a logbook.

It also seems like you are trying to cover too broad of an area in
your tea as well, which is causing you to falter... which would happen
to anyone attempting to do what you are.

I can brew Gyokuro properly almost every time, why? because I've taken
my lumps and ruined a lot of expensive tea and sat and watched those
more skilled than I, and worked at it... and this is for almost every
different Gyokuro not just learn one and they all come easy. And even
then year to year it can change. This isn't to brag but to make a
point. How about going one of two ways (I normally do not offer advice
to help someone in a business pursuit unless I'm gaining something,
but I will here):

1. Just give a quick overview of each tea region and a little about
it, with a brewing of one specific type in their style.

2. Cover one region only. India, China, Japan, etc.

Everything would become easier, your guests would get more out of it,
and you would too. I fear this is the same problem your book may face.
As someone who has worked as an editor I've seen this a million and
one times. Focus on what you know very well, distill it down to the
core, and cover that and that only.

If you are weak in Japanese culture and tea, don't cover it. Defer to
some good texts or resources. Don't know Pu-Erh, don't try to, mention
it and again defer to proper resources. Giving people second-hand
knowledge with no insight of your own is useless and even damaging.

What happens is someone *will* know, call you on it, and that's the
end of your credibility and your book sales. This is your first
experience with Usenet for sure, it is also a fairly amateur way of
approaching a book and a demonstration so I'm guessing this is new
territory for you too. Simplify, stick to what you know, and know
well, and knock it out of the park. Your guests will thank you, rather
than be confused and overwhelmed.

That's the most free advice I've ever given out to anyone with a
financial gain involved, and there is a reason I chose to do so... so
maybe don't brush it off and actually think about it.

- Dominic