Friends from India

Enjoy these pictures of some of the special people that I met while in India. (Clicking on images will greatly improve quality! :D)



Susie hanging out in a bidi factory in Mysore. The intense heat, time and humidity has caused these old buildings to darken and stain. Factory consists of three or four men sitting cross legged on the floor all day rolling slim indian cigarettes, called bidis. My traveling pal then had a great time exchanging his british city slicker cigarettes for bidis.



Here are our three young entrepenuers who took us on a locals style tour of Mysore, stopping at the bidi factory, then an aromathreapy shop(pe) where we indulged in 100% pure sandlewood oil, jacaranda, black jasmine and other native Indian goodies. We felt that we had paid a bit too much for the oils, but when I came back home and did a little research, I realized, that, for example, even some very special moisturizers and face creams contain less than 1% jacaranda oil, and here I had an ounce of pure jacaranda oil! Ok so guess how much I figured that 75. USD worth of oils turned out to be worth in America? I figured it out to be about $500.00, at least.....woo hoo! My favorite guy up there is the one on the left, who had at age 20, already lost his two permanent front teeth. He was really into reggae music, and constantly sang "No Woman, no Cry"!



Now these characters were playing cricket in the street in Bangalore before school started in the morning. I never could figure out why, but school in Bangalore and Mysore doesn't start til 11 am. So, if you are out early in the morning, "schoolkids" are everywhere, playing and hanging out with groups. The boys, usually alone. The girls, almost always escorted by mama.
Just look how cute those little whippersnappers are!




More little schoolkids hanging out together in the morning before school starts, Koromangala, Bangalore. Look at that little angel wayyyy over there on the left.......ohhhh!

Here are two very special pals that I met in Agra. Ya know, I live in the country, where wildlife abounds, but, even after three visits to India, I am still amazed about bands of monkeys roaming the countryside, and swinging from trees and buildings in the cities!

Signs, signs, everywhere signs!

Ok well, at least he's honest!



OK, now I have seen this truck driving down the road here in town, and I just about crashed my car laughing...I love humor in business!



Like, I can't really be sure how many times Little Rita has, like, said like, because like, this is California, and like, every one says like, like, all day long, so like, who can count all that LIKING?

Is this green enough for you, Os?



Gigantic Vegetable Invasion HNT!
























One of the coolest things about my work is that I sometimes get to make silly costumes. Take this giant pea pod costume, for example, which I made for the annual town parade. As you can see in the picture below, I am not the only extra large vegetable HNTer this week! Happy HNT!



















Uh, yes, as a matter of fact we do like to dress up in giant vegetable costumes and hang out together. You got a problem with that?

Mr Ratburns got Guinness!

HOLI, HOLI




It is spring time in India, flowers and fields are in bloom and the country goes wild with people running on the streets and smearing each other with brightly hued powders and coloured water. This is the festival of Holi, celebrated on the day after the full moon in early March every year.




Originally Holi is a festival to celebrate good harvests and fertility of the land. There are many legends concerning the origin of this spring festival. The most popular among these concerns Prince Prahlad, the god-fearing son of the evil King Hiranyakasipu. Prahlad did not give up worshipping the god Vishnu in spite of fearful persecution by his father and his demon aunt Holika, who was deputed by her brother to kill young Prahlad. Ultimately, when Holika who was immune to death by fire, took Prahlad and entered a blazing furnace built for his destruction, it was the wicked Holika who was burnt to ashes by divine intervention, while Prahlad came out unscathed. Before she died, she realised her follies and begged the boy's forgiveness. As his gesture of forgiveness, Prahlad deemed that her name would be remembered at least one day in the year.
Holi commemorates this event from mythology, and huge bonfires are burnt on the eve of Holi as its symbolic representation.
This exuberant festival is also associated with the immortal love of Krishna and Radha. The young Krishna would complain to his mother Yashoda about why Radha was so fair and he so dark. Yashoda advised him to apply colour on Radha's face and see how her complexion would change.
Holi is celebrated with particular eclat in the villages around Mathura, the birth-place of Krishna.




Down the ages, civilisation has advanced leaps and bounds, but the spirit of Holi remains the same. Each year, without fail, the old and the young alike, gather into groups and indulge in a riot of colours.



Holi is also synonymous with bhang, which is consumed by many in the form of laddoos and ghols. One could get away with almost anything on this day; squirting coloured water on passers-by and dunking friends in the mud pool saying "bura na mano, Holi hai" (don't feel offended, it's Holi)


Apart from this usual fun with coloured powder and water, Holi is marked by vibrant processions which are accompanied by folk songs, dances and a general sense of abandoned vitality.

Check out Lime's Holi post from yesterday......

This is Michael Caracciolo, a real pain in the arse.

As Mr Ratburn would say, this guy is a real pisser. I can only stand him for about 2 minutes. He does this hilarious schtick on Starbucks, that you all really must see......click the link to see it, then when you get to the home page, click the link that says all videos, go about half way down the second column of videos to one entitled "Starbucks 1/21/2006" (I know, sorry! There has got to be a better way but I sure can't figure out how) , the movie will load, watch it.......then forget you ever heard of him. He will haunt your dreams.

I would like to take the time to introduce myself to you. My name is Michael Caracciolo. I am the president of a ticket company in New Jersey. However, although I have been in the ticket business for many years, I am certain that I am in the wrong profession. I should be an actor instead. I believe that I possess all the qualities necessary for success as an actor. I am a very conversational person, my voice easily projects, via my six foot six inch 400 pound amplifier! I also sing. My unique background, persona and life’s experience truly qualify me as one of a kind .The material recorded here is ad-libbed, improvisational and spontaneous. It contains profanity which is offered only in support of demonstrating my dramatic intensity and the context of the material. I am certain that after watching it once you will immediately want to contact me. Thank you very much for your time. Email BigMike@thekidfrombrooklyn.com

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to rush off and email this guy at once before all the talent scouts snatch him right up!

In My Blood Like Holy Wine, You taste So Bitter and So Sweet..

It's Monday night and I am listening to a Tori Mix C/D that I made. The first song is A Case Of You, which is not available on any of her releases. Wow! I am sure glad that I have it! In fact, a few of the songs on this set are kind of rare!
For those of you that have to know, here's the track list for my latest homemade Tori C/D.


A Case Of You
Honey
Daisey Dead Petals
Sister Janet
Sugar
Take To The Sky
Upside Down
Ain't No Sunshine
Butterfly (Chaos Mix)
Famous Blue Raincoat
I Don't Like Mondays
New Age
Sweet Sangria
Breathe (Anna Nalick)
American Baby (Dave Matthews Band)















A Case Of You by Joni Mitchell

Just before our love got lost you said
"i am as constant as the northern star"
And i said, "constantly in the darkness
Where's that at?
If you want me i'll be in the bar"
On the back of a cotton coaster
In the blue t.v. screen light
I drew a map of canada
Oh canada
With your face sketched on it twice
In my blood like holy wine
You taste so bitter and so sweet
Well, i could drink a case of you, darling
And i would still be on my feet
I would still be on my feet
Oh i am a lonely painter
I live in a box of paints
I'm frightened by the devil
And i'm drawn to those ones that ain't afraid
I remember that time you told me
"love is touching souls"
Surely you touched mine
'cause part of you pours out of me
In these lines from time to time
My blood
My holy wine
Tastes so bitter and so sweet
Well i could drink a case of you, darling
And i would still be on my feet
I would still be on my feet
I met a woman
She had a mouth like yours
She knew your devils and your deeds
And she said, "go to him, stay with him
But be prepared to bleed"
My blood
My holy wine
Tastes so bitter and so sweet
Well i could drink a case of you, darling
And i would still be on my feet
I would still be on my feet.

I would drink a case of you, darling, and I would still be on my feet...WOW!
Oh man, if someone sang those words to me, I'd follow them half way around the world.....

A copy of my latest Tori C/d goes to the first person to leave the next lines to this Tori song in comments box.

"Can you launch rockets from here?"
Boy I've done it for years
Right over my head
And when I promised my hand...
He promised me back
Snow Cherries from France.

Congratulations QL......!

Car Wash, anyone?

Help!

I've just been hired to make a Woodstock costume for a 10 year old boy. Ackkk! Papier Mache'? Foam and fabric? Buckram? Wire? I'm really stuck on this one....how to make a head piece that covers his head so noone recognizes him, so that he can still breathe and see (where am I gonna put the kids eye and breathing holes?)......and doesn't cause him whiplash! (just take a look at the size of that beak, it's enough to make anyone topple over!)....the body part I can handle, wings and tail.....but the head has me stumped.....any ideas?

When I was in 2nd grade, the school nurse came into our class and put an eye chart up on the board. No sweat, right? Read the letters with one eye and then the other. So, when it came to my turn, I read all the way to the bottom line with my left eye, and then, had to cover and read with the right eye. Uhoh! Houston, we have a problem! I could not even read the top letter, even though I knew it was an E! Of course, the other kids just thought that was hilarious, which made me cry. Kids can be so cruel.
What followed was lots of tests, and I was diagnosed with amblyopia. That means that I only see out of one eye. Actually, I have 20/20 in the left eye, and 20/200 in the right eye, but 20/200 might as well be completely blind! We tried the eye patch routine, that didn't seem to help, and I kept bumping into walls and couldn't do my school work, either.
So, I've been like that all my life, and my left eye has done all the work for 40 years. As it happens to most people over 40, I began to have trouble reading without my super magno glasses.......and that worried me, because ya know, I've only got one working eye here! But here's what I noticed, now that my left eye is weakening, which is completely normal for people my age, my right eye seems to be waking up! It's so weird, almost like a new eye moved into the right side and is trying really hard to work for me now. Unfortunately, sometimes now it crosses....especially when I am looking in the mirror!
Anyway, I am so grateful for my vision, and I hope it will not get any worse. For now, I cannot read, sew, or draw without my glasses, and I have 6 pair. They are all the same, not prescription, just magnifying. For this weeks HNT, I present myself in my two favorite pair of glasses. Be good to your eyes!
I leave you with this final question: Do you believe it's true that men don't make passes at girls who wear glasses?






Mr Ratburn's got four eyes as well!

Please stop by Hijacked and wish the Idiot a Happy Birthday!

Arghhh!!!!!

Bug A Martini?

On todays Tori Tuesday I have snatched this review of Tori's 2004 release, Welcome To Sunny Florida, which is a DVD of a concert in Florida, plus a bonus cd with some special little songs that every Tori fan is sure to love.


Tori Amos's first concert-length live DVD, Welcome to Sunny Florida, is a riveting showcase for the artist's formidable vocal and instrumental chops and preciously off-kilter pop music. Taped on a wet day in September 2003 at West Palm Beach (the final stop on Amos's Lottapianos tour), the show was well performed, stunningly recorded, and lusciously lensed, if too frantically cut. Session ace Matt Chamberlain on drums and the nimble-fingered Jon Evans on bass provide just enough firepower to flesh out Amos's moody micro-epics while leaving sufficient space to keep her voice and keyboards the focus of our attention. Most songs feature brilliantly reworked arrangements, and the band uses the venue's acoustics to heighten the music's magic. Amos, a vital 40, enjoys a reputation as a great live act, and it's easy to see why as she loses herself in song, head thrown back, one hand on the keys of her Bösendorfer grand and the other on an accompanying Wurlitzer.
(If you want to check out a live performance of Tori before you venture out to see her in real life, this dvd is the perfect way to do that!)

Ok, and now my review of the accompanying CD which includes 6 awesome songs that can only be found right here on Scarlet's Hidden Treasures. I have included the lyrics to Apollo's Frock, which is my second favorite tune on the c/d. My favorite, Indian Summer, I reviewed a few weeks back. This c/d is small, but let me tell you, it contains some mighty Tori! This is one of the Tori c/d's that I play the most. It is fresh, beautiful, and I never get tired of hearing it. And, incidentally, word has it on the street, that QL just loves Ruby Through the Looking Glass! Right, QL?


Apollo's Frock

put me back in the cold
I'm going to Antarctica--
it feels like these days,
our old meeting place,
in an LA cafe
or on the Serengeti,
the hunt has not Begun.
cause I am tired of you taking from me
and I have let you eat from the fruits of my tree
I am not the one to turn into a Laurel wreath
for the last time you have crossed my line
you could never see
you could never see
Apollo's frock
was always as beautiful
always as beautiful as
the saddest rainstorm
Apollo your frock
was always as beautiful
always as beautiful
as your sister's
that your light shined on
how can you think you've won
when there can be no winners
the soul has been lost
of the bow and quiver
do you remember
well I remember
amid the clashing of swords
I'm losing you in my rear view
and I have called the Shekhina in
and the ninefold and a few other friends
you and your predators were warned
if the cubs were drawn in
for the last time you would officially
cross my line
you could never see
never see
Apollo's frock

EEEEKKKK!!!!

7 Songs

The Instructions
"List seven songs you are into right now. No matter what the genre, whether they have words, or even if they're any good, but they must be songs you're really enjoying now. Post these instructions in your blog along with your seven songs. Then tag seven other people to see what they're listening to."
This took me awhile because I could have easily picked all Tori....in no particular order....



1. Stairway To Heaven _ Led Zeppelin: Ok, it was playing on the radio today as I was driving, and I thought, ya know, this song still rocks the casbah!



2. She Says_Howie Day: Oh man, if you haven't yet checked out Howie, you oughta, he's terrific. And this song is super sexy!



3. Cooling_Tori Amos: So then love walked up to like And said i know that you don't like me much, lets go for a ride.......



4. Beautiful_James Blunt: Finally saw the video, dang he didnt finish stripping, and I can't believe he jumped off a bridge that high up! Whoa!!!!!



5. #41_Dave Matthews Band: Gotta love him..he's such a great song writer with such a sexy voice! And, this song is awesome. Howie Day covers it also!



6. Tribute_Tenacious D: Ok, I know these guys are randy as all get out, but they are also very very talented and Jacks voice is soooo excellent!



7. Famous Blue Raincoat_Leonard Cohen: Beautiful song about naughty Jane, Tori covers it as well.

I tag Blither and Fortress Guiness.....

Accckkk!!!!

Laissez les bon temps rollez!!



Mr Ratburn, you are out of control!

Oh wow! The Hijackers are on a jungle adventure HNT!

Tori Tuesday

I noticed I haven't written much about Tori's newest release, The Beekeeper. That's because I don't like it as much as all the rest. However, Tori has become quite political in this stage of her career, and The Beekeeper touches on a lot of that. So, today I'm just gonna slap this Tori Quote up here to let you chew on......

"I know some artists prefer not to comment, but I’ve followed the US administration and I genuinely believe they’ve emotionally blackmailed and manipulated the American people. We’re living in a frightening time and I wish people would wake up and realise they’re surrendering their civil liberties."
From an early 2005 Tori interview at uncut.net. Click for details.

Amen Tori, amen!

Ten Top Trivia Tips about Susie!

1. Susie is picked, sorted and packed entirely in the field!
2. More people are killed by Susie each year than die in aeroplane accidents!
3. Susie has only one weakness - the colour yellow!
4. Susie can eat up to four kilograms of insects in a single night.
5. Most bottles and jars contain at least twenty-five percent recycled Susie.
6. There are roughly 10,000 man-made objects the size of Susie orbiting the Earth.
7. You would have to dig through four thousand kilometres of Susie to reach the earth's core!
8. Some birds use Susie to orientate themselves during migration!
9. Twenty-eight percent of Microsoft's employees are Susie.
10. The Eskimos have over fifty words for Susie.

Gimmee some cookies!!!!!



(Don't tell anyone, but I hate milk...this is really a banana smoothie)
Ratburns got milk......

Yummy Indian Stuff

Lime's recent post of Buljol a la Lime over at her blog got me all inspired to post some recipes of what I cooked on Sunday night. I got this fantastic Indian cookbook which has a lot of Balti recipes, and so far, are all delicious!
For those of you that don't know, Balti is a style of cooking which some say is native to Baltistan. However, "It seems like the Pakistani community in Birmingham and elsewhere have attached a romantic notion that these so called Balti dishes originate from Baltistan, whereas from my knowledge it is more commonly found in Peshawar North West Pakistan, where it is known as 'Karhai'. It's a kind of curry, its ingredients usually assembled and cooked quickly in a manner reminiscent of a stir-fry. If you'd like to clear up this issue about Balti cooking, go here.
Here are the two recipes I tried. They are easy to make in that you can make them in saucepans and frying pans if you dont have a wok or karahi, and the ingredients can mostly all be bought in the grocery store except perhaps for a couple of the spices which can be bought at an Indian grocery store. (Once you get your own stash of Indian spices, you'll be tossing them into everything you cook!)
A word about the chilies and chili powder: If you are a wimp, then maybe you might wanna go easy.....I compromised and left out one chili from each recipe. I really like it hot, but, I didn't wanna melt my family!


Saag Aloo



4 tbsp vegetable oil
8 oz potatoes
1 piece fresh ginger, 1" long crushed
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 onion, coarsely chopped
2 fresh green chilies, chopped
2 dried red chilies, coarsely broken
1 tsp cumin seeds
salt to taste
8oz fresh spinach, chopped


Wash potatoes and cut into quarters, peel if desired. Or, use small, whole, new potatoes. Heat the oil in a skillet and fry the potatoes until brown on all sides. Remove from pan and put aside.

Remove all but 1 tbsp of remaining oil in pan. Fry the ginger, garlic, onion, green chilies, fried chilies and cumin seeds until the onion is golden brown.

Add the potatoes and salt and stir well. Cover the pan and cook over a medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a sharp knife.

Add the spinach and stir well. Cook with the pan uncovered until the spinach is tender and and all the excess fluids have evaporated. Serve hot.



Hot Chicken Curry




2 tbsp corn oil
1/4 tsp fennugreek seeds
1/4 tsp onion seeds
2 medium onions, chopped
1/2 tsp garlic pulp
1/2 tsp ginger pulp
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
14 oz canned tomatoes
2 tbsp lemon juice
12 oz chicken, skinned, boned and cubed
2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander (cilantro)
3 fresh green chilies, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, cut into chunks
1/2 green bell pepper, cut into chunks
fresh coriander sprigs (cilantro)

In a medium saucepan, heat the oil and fry the fenugreek seeds and onion seeds until they turn a shade darker. Add the chopped onions, garlic and ginger and fry for about 5 minutes until the onions turn golden brown. Lower the heat to very low.

Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, mix together the ground coriander, chili powder, salt, tomatoes and lemon juice. Pour this mixture into the saucepan and turn up the heat to medium. Stir fry for about 3 minutes.

Add the chicken pieces and stir fry for 5-7 minutes.

Add the fresh coriander, green chilies, and the sliced peppers. Lower the heat, cover the saucepan and let this simmer for about 10 minutes until the chicken is cooked.

Serve hot, garnished with coriander sprigs.

Pretty Good Year

This weeks selection, is from Tori Amos' 1994 release Under the Pink.
The video is really cool this week, and worth waiting for. When I hear this song, wow, it really takes me back to the beginning days of being a Tori fan and how I thought she was just weird enough for me! Happy Tori Tuesday everyone!
By the way, Pretty Good Year is one of the featured tunes on the new Tori video DVD, Fade to Red...but we'll talk about that later......

Go see the video!

PRETTY GOOD YEAR (Tori Amos)

Video Code provided by VideoCodeZone.Com

Pretty Good Year

Tears on the sleeve of a man
don't want to be a boy today
heard the eternal footman
bought himself a bike to race
And Greg he writes letters
and burns his CDs
They say you were something
in those formative years
hold on to nothing
as fast as you can
well
still
pretty good year
Maybe a bright sandy beach is gonna bring you back may not so now you're off
you're gonna see America
well me tell you something about America
pretty good year
some things are melting now
well
what's it gonna take till my baby's alright?
and Greg he writes letters with his birthday pen
sometimes he's aware that they're drawing him in
Lucy was pretty
your best friend agreed
well
still pretty good year

Favorite Photo of the Weekend

It happens that in India, the young boys are the most approachable, friendly and curious. Many times it's because they have learned English, have been to school, and are interested in the rest of the world. So, it is often I find myself in India hanging out with a few young men, chatting about American things and Indian things. Here I am in Mysore, in December 2003, talking with some chaps that wanted to know all about California.

Who doesn't like a good neck nibble now and then?

Mr Ratburn gets nibbled on.......