2 November
2015
1 November
2015
Suddenly, upon a fence…
I was cleaning the pool in the rain when I thought I saw something unique fallen on the fence. I assumed it was a small branch that had fallen off a tree in the high winds. But it was the colors that got my attention. Once I walked up to it, I realized that it was a single strand of a creeper – I believe it is called a wild grape creeper – hugging onto the fence.
I cannot think of a better microcosm of Mother Nature’s glorious change of colors. We have all seen the beauty of tall trees changing colors – but note how this single strand has all the changing colors – going from green in the top to the bright red in the bottom.
Apologize for the quality of the shot – it was raining and I needed to quickly get a couple of shots in my iPhone before water got into the phone.
1 November
2015
From the bartender’s corner – Fall Cocktail
This is not from any recipe. I had been thinking of how to make a layered cocktail to mimic the fall colors. I had to go thru quite some alcohol and failed experiments before I could get to a set of alcohol and liqueurs that had the right viscosity and color and also were compatible with each other to make a good cocktail.
Finally settled with some vodka, a little chartreuse and orange juice and a few drops of grenadine to give the red color, a few drops of Aperol to get the orange and just one drop of Jagermeister for some brown color to float in the drink as it started dispersing.
31 October
2015
From the bartender’s corner – The Lemony Snicket Cocktail
25 October
2015
From the bartender’s corner – 15th State Cocktail
24 October
2015
From the bartender’s corner – Boulevardier
23 October
2015
Friday evening puzzle
When I met Lia’s mom (see a couple of posts back) last evening, Lia mentioned to her mom and her sister about my FB posts. And quickly added that she totally skips my puzzles. Which gave me an idea to form a puzzle including Lia and see what she does about it 🙂
Lia and I, both Saturday morning runners at Fowler Park, decide to run together tomorrow morning. We agree to meet up between 6am and 7am. Both of us are definitely going to arrive in that timeframe. But, since we were likely to reach there at different times, we agreed on the rule that upon reaching the trailhead, if one does not find the other waiting there, he/she will wait exactly for 20 minutes for the other person before proceeding to run by himself/herself. Of course, in the middle of the wait, if it becomes 7 am already, the person just goes ahead for the run alone, (realizing that the other person came earlier and must have left after waiting for 20 minutes.)
Question is what is the probability that we will actually get to run together?
22 October
2015
Donald an 9/11
22 October
2015
Awesome joke from a colleague
After driving for a couple of hours from Portland to Corvallis, joined the local team leaders of our company for a quick drink. A very lively group that is awesome fun to be around – and the ring leader Kris Fausti is one of the funniest person you will ever get to know. The discussion at the table somehow veered towards who starts the fights at home – your spouse/significant other or you? Ok, dont ask me how we got there, but we got there.
Some admitted that they are the ones who start the tiffs, some took advantage of the lack of spouse/significant other’s absence and squarely blamed them. One even said 50-50.
But Kris had the most memorable response – “Wait. Being right does not count as starting a fight”!
I had to be picked up from the floor of the bar, I was laughing so hard!!
Game, set and match, Fausti!!
19 October
2015
Durga Puja Primer
Today is “Mahasasthhi” – the kickoff of the biggest festival for Bengalis – Durga Puja. For my American friends who might land up in such a Puja with some Bengali friend of theirs – I have compiled a ready reckoner to understand the various aspects of our Durga Puja.
“SAREE”: Nine yard of colorful cloth commonly used by Bengali women to wrap their husbands/boy-friends around their fingers. One of the rare objects known to exhibit three different properties at the same time – (*) Pauli’s Exclusion Principle – No Bengali woman shall ever be seen wearing the same saree twice, provided the audience remains constant (*) Lavoisier’s Law of Conservation of Mass – Pauli’s principle notwithstanding, no saree, even if it has no chance of ever being used again shall be evicted from its rightful place in the closet and (*) Associative Property of Value – Ceteris Paribus, a saree carries no value unless accompanied by innumerable accoutrements.
“6 PM” : See “9 PM”
“PANDAL”: also known as “Mandap”. Refers to the geospatial location – invariably a high school – where all the Bengalis congregate. The exact choice of high school is delicate in so far as it has to be at least twenty miles away from the nearest Bengali inhabitant. Such a location must have an auditorium for the really important part of Puja to start at “6 PM”.
“PARKING LOT”. This is a regional definition – valid only for the Puja I go to. This refers to any place that can fit a car that is outside the four walls of “Pandal”. We might drive for fifty miles to go to our “Pandal” but there is no way in God’s errr…. DurgaMa’s green earth that we will walk a few steps. Especially if we are in our “Sarees”. So if you see a lot of cars standing next to each other with nary a space to open the door and blocking all access to emergency vehicles, then you know you have reached our “Parking Lot”
“9 PM” : This is when all programs scheduled to start at 6 PM, 7 PM or 8PM start. There is a reason, “eeesh” is part of the Bengali dialect. For example, we start at “9-eeesh”!
“STAGE” : Where all Bengalis will get up to demonstrate their talents. (which admittedly they have a lot of). Also refer to “Auditorium Seats”.
“PHONE”: Curious looking device in every Bengali’s hand. Also considered an accoutrement for “Saree”. Originally used to make phone calls, was later used to take pictures of Ma Durga. With the advent of the front camera, it is used solely to take selfies. With the “Sarees”, of course.
“SELFIE QUEEN”: That lady going around like the Statue of Liberty all the time. Works best with “Phone”!
“BARS”: This is used to mention the strength of the cellular connectivity. Its original purpose to make reliable calls has been abrogated to today’s single minded determination to upload the selfies to Facebook.
“AUDITORIUM SEATS”: Chair like structures in the gallery used to prop up video cameras on tripods. The purported audience, meanwhile, are all onstage!
“AASCHHEY BOCHHOR AABAR HOBEY”: When the next edition of this primer will be published.
“BOLO BOLO DURGA MAI KI… JAI”: Salutation to end any primer when you have nothing more to add.