That Sink-ing Feeling

I got hold of a new mother the other day. In this case, a mother is a symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast that ferments a mixture of black tea and sugar into a refreshing and potentially health-promoting drink known as kombucha. I kept one other kombucha culture in the past (actually the new one is an offshoot of an offshoot of the original culture I kept), and never before realized the incredible toughness of these mothers. I wanted to split the new mother in two pieces so I could work up two separate jars of kombucha, and had an incredibly difficult time. I eventually came out with two mangled pieces, but hopefully I'll have a couple of intact mothers after a week or so of fermentation.

If you look at the photo, you'll see layering near the top of the jar. Each layer is a distinct mother (more or less). This whole thing has me wondering what a mother consists of exactly... Ahhh! More info here: Kombucha. Well you can check out some of the purported health effects of kombucha while you're there.

I replaced a bathroom faucet yesterday at the request of my sister. This was a first for me, and I have to say it turned out pretty well. Looks good, and no leaks! Is it strange that the liquid that gets trapped in the sink drain looks a lot like kombucha?