Rumboozle and Nimbarita -- you saw them here first folks..

A new drink, created first here in Bangalore by yours truly.  A favorite in our house these days:

Rumboozle
1 part Rum (or 30cl if you're a Bangalorean bartender and must measure every drink)
3 parts Nimbooz
Juice of one lime
Served on ice in a whiskey glass

Extra points possible for sugar or salt on the rim, but it's absolutely not necessary.

Also known to be served in these parts:

Nimbarita
1 healthy shot of (good) Tequila
3 parts Nimbooz
Juice of one lime
salt on the rim
served on ice


Cheers to all.

Indian Driving Manual, part 109, subpart 7

Here is an excerpt from the 1982 Indian driver's instruction manual that my driver used:

Turning Right:

When turning right (Editor's note: across traffic in India, remember?), here is the appropriate chain of events:

Slow down, flash your lights at the oncoming traffic.  This serves to alert them to your intentions of fouling up their progress.  It's appropriate to keep them on their toes.

Swerve left ever so briefly then back to the right. This helps keep the traffic behind you in a state of doubt. 

Under no circumstances do you use your indicators. Signaling your intention is a sign of weakness.

Begin to straddle the center line at least 30 meters before the intersection, as if you're going to really cut it short.

Pull half-way out into the oncoming traffic while flashing your lights one more time for that powerful look.

At this point, note that the oncoming traffic (now flashing their lights at you) is actually not going to stop for you. You should begrudgingly stop now. 

When done correctly, you now find yourself about 45 - 50% of the way across the intersection, blocking traffic in both directions.  Now is a good time to ignore all the people honking their horns behind you.  They will wait.  They have no choice.  Now that you have impeded traffic in both directions, everyone is slowing down.  This is important for two reasons.  It gives more time for you to show your power, and allows the oncoming drivers to see your glowering face of stone. Look like you mean business.

At this point, continue to creep forward slowly as cars squeeze by coming the other direction.  Move forward inches at a time forcing the oncoming traffic to slow an swerve around you.  Proceed forward slowly until someone gives in and cannot squeeze through.  Now sound your horn and flash your lights with vigor. You own this road by god, and you'll make them know it.

Watch out for the few motorcycles who now will squeeze through.  You don't really have to wait for them, but don't want to miss an opportunity to glare and honk.

As you complete the turn go as slowly as possible, blocking the oncoming traffic for as long as possible.  Glare at the drivers stopped to your left, reinforcing your position of power.

Look up just in time to avoid running over the pedestrians. Blast that horn again, but do not slow down for them under any circumstances.

After crossing the intersection, accelerate slowly while looking in the mirror at the pile-up of traffic you left behind.  Watch as it slowly unwinds itself and people start moving at a normal speed again.

Half-marathon: 1:58

Today was so much better than I thought it would be.  I ran my first organized half-marathon.  I had run one before as a training run last month.

We left the house at 4am, after I had all of about 5 hours of sleep. 

Drove 2 hours in the dark on crazy Indian roads to get to Srirangapatna for the Kaveri Trail Marathon.  Found the starting point with relative ease as the sun rose. The course was gorgeous, along a canal through rice paddies.  Flat, dirt, and not too rough.  Some old stone under the dirt but it was relatively smooth.

The race started more or less on time (yes, you read that right, on time in India!) at 7:10am, and I ran just the race I wanted to. Progressively faster.  1/3 slow, 1/3 medium, and then at some semblance of a race pace for the last 3rd.

The first 3k were painfully slow, picking my way through a field of runners on a narrow dirt road.  I wanted to start slowly and finish fast, but I didn't think I would start that slowly. HR 150-155

By km 5 I was back on pace, and feeling solid.  I drank at all stations, usually two cups of water, and ate a few biscuits as well.  At the turn-around point (10.5k, 61mins) I was feeling like I had something in reserve.  I saw a couple friends up ahead of me, and I decided to try to catch them.  I ran pretty strongly the entire 2nd half.  HR 165-170  The last km felt long, but I wasn't dying.  I just also couldn't sprint.

So, I am really pleased with the progress I've made.  4 months ago, I couldn't run 5 miles.  Now, I'm nearly ready for a marathon.  5 more weeks to go. 

Art in the 21st Century

“There is nothing special about David Cerny’s art, other than that he is more visible than other artists and talented at marketing. But artists like Cerny who are in headlines today will be forgotten tomorrow. His work is destined for the amusement park and won’t stand the test of time." 

-- Milan Knizak, the director of Prague’s National Gallery, as quoted in the New York Times

Funny, that's how I feel about MOST 21st century art.  Beyond the 3-second "wow" that some of it induces...it's all just marketing. 

Somehow, though I feel much differently about most modern architecture.  Even when I don't like it visually, it serves a purpose and I can relate to that.

I have been to many art exhibitions in India, and I have yet to see something that seems worthy of attention.

Tartiflette in Bangalore

It sounded like a good idea, and overall it was a lot of fun, but 24 hours later, I'm not sure it was the best thing for my body.

Last night we headed to a nearby hotel last night for a "French Cheese Club" meeting.  The food was (of course) awesome.  Greeted by a tray of yummy sangria just after going through the door and having flowers pinned on and photos taken, we were then bombarded with a non-stop offering of tiny squares of quiche, (ham, salmon, tuna, vegetable) and other lighter goodies. 

Then came the main course, tartiflette.  Not something I eat regularly, but I have had it in France during ski season. It's remarkably like my mother's "scalloped potatoes" recipe from the 1950's Bettie Crocker cookbook.  But unlike my Mom's, it's made with really nice (ahem, French) strong cheese, (Reblochon) and it's delicious.  They provided an excellent simple salad (the french do this right...) and bread accompaniments.

With unlimited wine.

Let me say that again. 

Unlimited wine. 

In India. 

(And it wasn't some sour Sula stuff either.  The white wasn't bad.)

So, after one large plate of yummy food and about 4 glasses of wine, it didn't take much to convince me of another plate of the potatoes-and-cheese heart-stopper.

Which then made a couple more glasses of wine obligatory. 

Which then gave me no chance at all of making a 7am bike ride.  And no chance at all of feeling healthy this Sunday.

Today I'm paying penance for unlimited wine, cheese, and potatoes.  Worth it?  Probably.

9.6 miles, 87 mins.

That route plus two more laps of the neighborhood a one-mile each.

When I arrived home, my wife said "I predict a nap on the couch this afternoon". I think she's right.


Update!

It's now 4pm. I just woke up from a 2 hour CRAAAAAASH. Holy smokes. I never nap. I never catch a little catnap in the afternoon. Instead, I completely crash, like a lemming over a cliff. Drool. Boogers in my puffy non-focusing eyes. Wow. I feel like a train just ran over me.

Kaveri River (Half) Marathon

I'm planning on running this as a training event for the Amsterdam Marathon.



Choose Satellite View to see the actual route (Or bring it up in Google Earth under the "Route" menu).

Amsterdam Marathon

Somehow I've signed myself up for this. I'm training for it, but it's not going to be easy for me to finish 26 miles running. A friend sent me this video which I find pretty motivational; Amsterdam can be such a beautiful place (at 7am after the streets are cleaned by a Spring rain like in the movie).

The Flow

Good Morning Captain

what memories this brings back.

The 60s and 70s were a bizarre time. Captain Kangaroo and Mr. Rogers.

I'm a product of that time, no doubt.

Courtesy of Kung Fu Grippe

Feelies - Outdoor Miner

Outdoor Miner - The Feelies - 7/4/2008 in Battery Park New York

For some reason I'm feeling homesick for the US lately, especially the music scene. It's just non-existent in India.

I've been watching a ton of old Feelies, Yo La Tengo and similar videos on YouTube.

Another one. This one takes me back to 1985-1988 when I was going to shows just like this at least once a week. Just watching the audience dance makes me smile.