12 December
2020
12 December
2020
Evening relaxation
12 December
2020
From the bartender’s corner – Barkeep’s Whimsy
After that thorough soaking I got while riding the motorbike, I needed a drink on the stiffer side. On a whimsy, decided on Barkeep’s Whimsy. (that and the hottub got me out of my shivers).
Rinse a cocktail glass with some absinthe (of course, the inside of the glass đŸ™‚ ) and then throw away the excess. Now, mix 1 1/2 oz of mezcal (I used Casamigos), 3/4 oz of Genever (I used Boomsma) and 2/4 oz of Apricot Brandy with ice for about half a minute and then strain it in the rinsed cocktail glass.
Technically, one is supposed to use a lemon twist as a garnish. I did not. I did not see the connection at all. The citrus would have no effect in a cocktail with such a strong nose.
The nose was all of the sweet absinthe but length was all earthy, petrichor vapors of mezcal. The palette was fairly bland.
12 December
2020
That was a wet ride
Did a solo ride to Ballground to spend some time at Barrel House Coffee Company with the wonderful staff there – Sidney, Kevin and Autumn – and catch up on some reading. That part went well.
On the ride back, got caught in fairly strong rains. I had enough layers on – and it was not the soaking part that bothered me. It was the helmet visor that kept becoming too blurry.
The good news was that there was no traffic at all. So, I was able to ride back at my own sweet pace…
12 December
2020
The stories about my sanity are largely exaggerated…
If you thought that my car is old – it has a cassette player – try this:
In a bit of head turning lunacy, I got myself a turntable (vinyl record player). I had been thinking about it for quite some time – but a discussion with Ashok Deb last Sunday at the Chalupa post-run coffee get together – led to a firm resolve on my side. Thinking no further, ordered a Japanese turntable (Denon). Which duly arrived on Wednesday. Assembled it and set it up last night.
Just the mere sight of it brings back too many memories. As a child, I was fascinated by this device – which we called “record player” for some reason. Way back in December 1974, we had visited my mother’s elder sister. They had a “record player”. Uncle (who I last saw in 2014) had shown me the device. He put a Hemanta Mukherjee vinyl on it and let it rip. I was fascinated by how the thing would keep going round and round and somehow produce an amazing sound. (I was 8 years old then). But uncle would not let me touch the vinyl. I figured they must be very important.
Much later, I found out that my school mate – Ashoe Das – had turntable too. I became a regular feature on Sundays at his house at 11AM. His parents used to love me and his dad allowed me a lot more freedom. He showed me how to load the vinyl, put the pin on it (I was always scared of putting the pin down lest I scratched the vinyl), how to change the speed etc. None of those folks are alive any more. I would have absolutely sent them this picture.
This week, I had to sit down and learn the basics of a turntable – you know direct motor versus belt (I got the belt), maintenance of the cartridge and all that. My next problem was how to get LP records. The problem is I do not listen to Western music. At all.
I spent an hour at the Vinyl shop in Alpharetta and came home with a Saxophone (jazz) record. That is all I am listening to all day.
Do you folks know where I might get good LP records – could be instrumental, Hindustani classical, Ghazal/Qawali and such?
Meanwhile, I am getting inexplicable thrills every time the thing starts rotating and the arm loads itself!!
12 December
2020
Only my dad would think of it…
The somewhat good news from India is that dad is in a relatively stable state. But when I tell you that his blood hemoglobin level is 5 (normal 14-17 for men), you get the general picture – that the “goodness” is only relative to what he was going thru last week. But at least, he has been getting up on his bed to read the one book he keeps reading over and over again (Gita) and has also been taking a couple of stabs at recitation.
My brother and I were discussing about his health a couple of days back and somehow the topic went to the new refrigerator Sharmila just jot installed in our kitchen. My brother was surprised that the refrigerators here are connected to water supply. (Back in India, we were and still are used to putting water in the fridge to cool it down or make ice cubes). As I was explaining how we get cold water just by putting the glass in that cubby hole at the door, he started laughing out.
“What happened?”
“Do you remember the dad story at Taj Bengal hotel?”
“Which one?”
“That tap in the bathroom where the water flowed moment you put your hand under it?”
“Oh! Yeah!”
In a flash, I remembered the incident and started guffawing too.
As a background, back in the late 90s, I used to go to India very often for work and on my way out, I used to fly down to Kolkata and stay at the Taj Bengal hotel there. My parents would come down from Durgapur – we would meet for a day and then fly out back to the USA.
There was that one time, when the hotel had upgraded me to a fancy suite. I think we were all sitting around (my brother and sister in law was also there) when we heard dad yelling from the bathroom.
“Ki hollo?”, my brother yelled enquiring what was going on.
“Jol porchhey na”, replied my dad notifying us that the taps were apparently not working.
In a jiffy, I realized what was happening. Quickly went inside the bathroom to see my dad helplessly staring at the tap which had no visible way of being turned. For good reason too. Because it had a sensor and all you had to do was put your hand under the tap – and voila!
“Tap-er nichey haat ta diye dekho”, I encouraged him to put his palm under the tap.
“Jol ta khulbo ki korey?”, he still wanted to know how to start the water.
“Aarey, haathta diye-i dekho na”. I encouraged him to follow my instructions.
You can only imagine what happened after that. He was totally flabbergasted how the tap kept guessing correctly when he had put his hand underneath it and would promptly dispense warm water. He tried the few usual moves to see if it could trick it.
Finally, he was convinced that the tap was fool proof. Then he looked at me and asked “Ei hotel-e emon room aachhey jekhaney kol-er tolaay haath paatle-i, poisa phelbe?”.
So, he wanted to know if the hotel had a room with a tap where if he put his hand underneath it, it would dispense money instead of water!!!
That be truly my dad!!
12 December
2020
That would be over seven trips around the earth at the equator
Trusted partner for nearly 14 years. Reached the 180,000 miles mark (that would be very close to 300,000 km). This is my second car; the first one lasted 12 years. Here is how old this car is…
1. The manufacturer stopped making this car model 10 years back!!
2. The car has a tape cassette player!
3. It does not have blue tooth to play music.
3. It does not have a USB port either. And the cigarette lighter does not work!
4. It has no rear view camera
5. The GPS maps are so hopelessly outdated, it will take you twice the time to reach any place in Atlanta. Which is fine by me, since the lid to uncover the maps does not open either đŸ™‚
Here is another thing. This car is supposed to be filled with premium (91 minimum) gasoline. Every single gallon of the 10,000 gallons I have fed it has been regular (87). Never had any challenge with the engine.
I think I am going to run this one to the ground too like the first one (1995 Honda Civic).
11 December
2020
That was a long evening out with the Fabulous Four
11 December
2020
Book Review: How We Got To Now by Steven Johnson
As mentioned before (see here) this is a book recommended to me by Avi Basu. As I had mentioned there, the author’s basic premise is that while we remember an invention for its immediate effect, in reality, there are a lot more profound downstream effects that we do not pause to realize. One example he talked about was how the printing press led to telescopes and microscopes. In a fashion that you will fail to connect – even after I tell you that one led to the other.
He calls this the “hummingbird effect”.
The six “inventions” the author focuses on are Glass, Cold (as in air conditioning), Sound (recreation of sound), Clean (-liness), Time and Light.
To me, the book starts on a high note, maintains the level of excitement for a couple of more chapters but towards the end (Time and Light), I found the discussions to lose the energy and sometimes the point the author was trying to make to be a little abstruse.
But that should not take away any merit from the very interesting and unique way Steves has tried to tie together the tapestry of various inventions.
Did you know that the world renowned glass making island of Murano (we visited in 2015 and got this from there) was a result of protecting public safety? (the glassmakers were banished there)
Did you know the origins of air conditioning included cutting up huge ice pieces from lakes in Massachussetts and then shipping them to the tropics? The invention of air conditioning not only circulated air molecules, it circulated people too! Hitherto barren lands – now called Texas, Florida and California rapidly saw people move there due to the tolerable temperatures that could be created inside. Florida went from less than a million people in 1920s to the Top 4 populous state in under 50 years!
This has had a very interesting effect – on Presidential Elections!! The redistributing of electoral colleges that air conditioning effected decisively moved election attention to the Sun Belt.
The ability to recreate sound quickly gave rise to the radio and then jazz. The author asserts that jazz – which created overnight celebrities (mostly Africa-Americans) led to a profound breakthrough – for the first time, white America welcomed African-American culture into its living room. Eventually paving the path to the birth of the civil rights movement.
In another interesting example, the author traces how a dangerous and unauthorized experiment with chlorine (lime) released into a New Jersey water tank proved the thesis a John Seale had – chlorine disinfects water of its contamination – and how that eventually led to people taking daily showers (a rather modern less-than-100-year practice in the USA). Which then led water to be used for as social entertainment – the swimming pool – which then led women to shed multiple layers of clothing that was the common practice to exposing almost all skin in public in a very short period of time!!
Go figure!!
One interesting point in the book – while we remember a person for an invention (Edison for light bulb, as an example), it is rarely one person who actually invents anything. (In fact, Edison did not invent the lightbulb but that is a story for another day). All inventions are fundamentally built on work (and other inventions) done by others and sometimes within a small period of time, multiple people invent the same thing. The time and forces of nature are just right at that point.
Easy reading. Recommend it.
10 December
2020
Great family evening… with a new guest!!
Work went a little late and by the time I wrapped up dinner it was nearly 9 PM. The sharp cold in Atlanta has somewhat abated. It was a good day to sit around a fire. Which is what Sharmila and I did.
After some time, we heard a familiar meow. I say familiar because yesterday, we had a cat show up at our door. Natasha had tended to it while I tried to find out from the neighbors if any were short of cat count by one. (None were). The cat would not come indoors. So, Natasha left food, water and a cozy bed in the garage and settled it there. The garage door had to be kept open. Everytime she tried closing it, the cat would dart out.
In a few hours, the cat was gone! This morning, got a call from somebody about a mile away that it is their cat (I had posted a picture in the local bulletin) and that it is not exactly lost. It is an outside cat, does not like to come indoors and will generally hang around for some time and then leave.
Well, that cat was back!! Now, I am not big into cats – in fact, I get an allergy attack (in the eyes mainly) if a cat comes too close to me. But Natasha loves them. Well, a quick call later, all five us settled down by the fire. The cat would not leave Natasha! Interestingly, it came to make friends with the dog. The dog just simply ignored it!! (And they say it is a spaniel and terrier mix! My left foot, it is!).
After about a couple of hours, Natasha went inside. The cat, on a cue, left our property. I waited for the embers to simmer down and then came inside myself.
Nice family evening!
