An Empty Chair
He has a presence.
It leaves a shadow on the empty chair.
Shimmering.
A fleeting memory sees him sitting there.
Tall and broad, you see him stand, strong back above wide hips.
Sleek.
Two hundred pounds stretched smooth over six feet of bone.
Your eyes are drawn to his face.
Wavy grey hair, wild and tame, sculpts softly along scalp and brow.
His mouth curved in a smile foreshadows sensuality.
Rows of ivory teeth glimmer.
Electric.
The whites of his eyes circle dark, cold pupils.
His glance penetrates your core, knowing you want to dance with death.
Fascinated by my fascination, I flounder seeking the proper social graces.
Tuesday, November 19, 2019
Sunday, November 17, 2019
Sweet Iced Neth with Spices (Faux Mango Lassi)
Ethan
Phillips (Neelix) and William J. Birnes have created a delightful
cookbook. Ethan / Neelix uses his experiences as chef on Star Trek Voyager to
talk about various "recipes" he made during the show and recipes he gathered from crew members from all the Star Trek series.
It's like an anthropological cookbook because Ethan / Neelix weaves in stories about the history of the recipe and the ingredients. I must say I am glad that I don't really need any bloodworms or bugs to make most of these recipes.
For Sweet Iced Neith, Ethan / Neelix talks of his family adventures exploring the countryside near their home, discovering "The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page."
I rarely have all the ingredients called for in a recipe and I often want to make a smaller amount.
In this recipe, I used ingredient ideas from two Star Trek Cookbook recipes, Sweet Iced Neth and Spiced Iced Neth.
Sweet Iced Neth with Spices (Faux Mango Lassi)
(Adapted from: the Star Trek Cookbook)
Ingredients:
1/2 Cup Yogurt, plain
1/2 Cup Milk
1/2 Tspn Ginger powder
1/2 Tspn Cardamon powder
1/4 Tspn Cumin powder
5 Full TBspns Canned Mango juice with pulp, crushed
1 TBspn Honey
In a large glass, add ingredients.
Use the spoon to smash the mango pulp.
Stir and mix ingredients well.
#GERD-friendly - this recipe is GERD-friendly for me, if I use lactose-free milk.
It's like an anthropological cookbook because Ethan / Neelix weaves in stories about the history of the recipe and the ingredients. I must say I am glad that I don't really need any bloodworms or bugs to make most of these recipes.
For Sweet Iced Neith, Ethan / Neelix talks of his family adventures exploring the countryside near their home, discovering "The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page."
I rarely have all the ingredients called for in a recipe and I often want to make a smaller amount.
In this recipe, I used ingredient ideas from two Star Trek Cookbook recipes, Sweet Iced Neth and Spiced Iced Neth.
Sweet Iced Neth with Spices (Faux Mango Lassi)
(Adapted from: the Star Trek Cookbook)
Ingredients:
1/2 Cup Yogurt, plain
1/2 Cup Milk
1/2 Tspn Ginger powder
1/2 Tspn Cardamon powder
1/4 Tspn Cumin powder
5 Full TBspns Canned Mango juice with pulp, crushed
1 TBspn Honey
In a large glass, add ingredients.
Use the spoon to smash the mango pulp.
Stir and mix ingredients well.
#GERD-friendly - this recipe is GERD-friendly for me, if I use lactose-free milk.
Vignette - A Cinderella Moment
A Cinderella Moment
It was Thursday evening, I had worked late. I was tired and hungry, so I stopped at a local pub for dinner before I caught the subway home.
I got onto the subway car and did not realize for about three stops, I was headed in the wrong direction. As I got off at the next stop, I remembered fondly another evening where I had gotten on the wrong train.
A winter evening, years ago, I had come home very tired, so I went straight to bed. When I awoke, the clock read 6:00. I thought I had slept through the night and was late for work. I dressed quickly and ran to the bus stop. The sky was semi-light like sunrise.
When I exited the subway at my final stop, I looked at the sky again, something was wrong, it was too dark. I realized my mistake, it was evening not morning. I turned back to the subway to catch the next train in hopes of making the last bus connection home. That’s when I caught the wrong train.
A few stops later, I got off and sat on the stone bench to wait for the right train. If I was lucky, I could still catch the last bus and make it home before midnight.
A young man approached me and said “Hi.” When I looked up into his face, I saw the vision of a young version of my ex-husband. His face was open, friendly, and innocent. His dark curly hair fell across his forehead. His warm brown eyes were light and curious. I said, “Hi”, and lowered my eyes.
I stared at his shoes. They were two-tone canvas affairs. They spoke of honesty and warmth. His feet danced.
The train pulled into the station and the doors opened. I rushed to board the car. I wanted to stay and talk but I had to catch the last bus home.
A few days later, an art gallery announcement card crossed my desk. It pictured a modern Cinderella running to catch the last subway train before midnight.
I contacted the artist and bought a few cards. Later, I wrote to the subway’s general manager, using one of the cards, to make some suggestions regarding the service and I mentioned the significance of the card.
Now, a few years later, as I stood on the platform thinking about that evening long ago, the subway speaker system clicked on. An announcement opened with the sound of a grandfather clock and the announcer advised all Cinderellas that they didn’t have to rush to catch the last train at midnight because the evening hours had been extended.
Image credit:
I got onto the subway car and did not realize for about three stops, I was headed in the wrong direction. As I got off at the next stop, I remembered fondly another evening where I had gotten on the wrong train.
A winter evening, years ago, I had come home very tired, so I went straight to bed. When I awoke, the clock read 6:00. I thought I had slept through the night and was late for work. I dressed quickly and ran to the bus stop. The sky was semi-light like sunrise.
When I exited the subway at my final stop, I looked at the sky again, something was wrong, it was too dark. I realized my mistake, it was evening not morning. I turned back to the subway to catch the next train in hopes of making the last bus connection home. That’s when I caught the wrong train.
A few stops later, I got off and sat on the stone bench to wait for the right train. If I was lucky, I could still catch the last bus and make it home before midnight.
A young man approached me and said “Hi.” When I looked up into his face, I saw the vision of a young version of my ex-husband. His face was open, friendly, and innocent. His dark curly hair fell across his forehead. His warm brown eyes were light and curious. I said, “Hi”, and lowered my eyes.
I stared at his shoes. They were two-tone canvas affairs. They spoke of honesty and warmth. His feet danced.
The train pulled into the station and the doors opened. I rushed to board the car. I wanted to stay and talk but I had to catch the last bus home.
A few days later, an art gallery announcement card crossed my desk. It pictured a modern Cinderella running to catch the last subway train before midnight.
I contacted the artist and bought a few cards. Later, I wrote to the subway’s general manager, using one of the cards, to make some suggestions regarding the service and I mentioned the significance of the card.
Now, a few years later, as I stood on the platform thinking about that evening long ago, the subway speaker system clicked on. An announcement opened with the sound of a grandfather clock and the announcer advised all Cinderellas that they didn’t have to rush to catch the last train at midnight because the evening hours had been extended.
Image credit:
Book Review: Anger, the Misunderstood Emotion
Book Review
Anger, The Misunderstood Emotion
by Ms. Carol Tavris
Simon and Schuster
New York
1982
pgs 302
Trade paperback
Summary
I enjoyed this book simply because it attempted to dissect the emotion of anger. It attempted to take the fear out of expressing anger and the fear of hearing it from someone. It developed many different categories of anger, like rage, irritation, fear etc.
By comparing different societies outside our own American culture and the subcultures within our society, the author illustrates the part anger plays in holding up that society’s values and accepted types of behavior. It puts anger into the whole repertoire of emotions we express like joy, love, pleasure, fear and more.
Anger is seen as an unacceptable emotion when it is discussed, it is not a desirable response. Yet, on the unspoken level of acceptance in our society, anger is expected in many situations. Men are expected to get angry in situations where their “manhood” is threatened.
I also appreciated Tavris’s breakdown of how we tend to rationalize injustices, to avoid anger we “denigrate the victim”, we “deny” the existence of situations that threaten our concepts and values. We “reinterpret” the injustice and its outcome. We “blame ourselves” for misfortunes. We accept a “religion” that offers us a just world.
The book has a lot of data to digest. It is a little wordy. It is not clear to me the method she choose to illustrate the illogic of many statements, i.e., she quotes Rubin “Are you solidly aware that the purpose of warm, healthy anger is to deliver an affective (emotional) message in order to clear the air and to make corrections and reparations if necessary?” She adds in parens (Yes, and I’m also aware that corrections can be made without anger.) To me this is an example of how Rubin may not have characterized the type or level of anger he meant to be expressed, i.e., I think to some people merely taking a serious tone of voice can indicate displeasure and therefore anger, it is not the anger of loud voices. So, Tavris responds as if that is the type of anger he is addressing.
(https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/anger-carol-tavris/1113909951)
Anger, The Misunderstood Emotion
by Ms. Carol Tavris
Simon and Schuster
New York
1982
pgs 302
Trade paperback
Summary
I enjoyed this book simply because it attempted to dissect the emotion of anger. It attempted to take the fear out of expressing anger and the fear of hearing it from someone. It developed many different categories of anger, like rage, irritation, fear etc.
By comparing different societies outside our own American culture and the subcultures within our society, the author illustrates the part anger plays in holding up that society’s values and accepted types of behavior. It puts anger into the whole repertoire of emotions we express like joy, love, pleasure, fear and more.
Anger is seen as an unacceptable emotion when it is discussed, it is not a desirable response. Yet, on the unspoken level of acceptance in our society, anger is expected in many situations. Men are expected to get angry in situations where their “manhood” is threatened.
I also appreciated Tavris’s breakdown of how we tend to rationalize injustices, to avoid anger we “denigrate the victim”, we “deny” the existence of situations that threaten our concepts and values. We “reinterpret” the injustice and its outcome. We “blame ourselves” for misfortunes. We accept a “religion” that offers us a just world.
The book has a lot of data to digest. It is a little wordy. It is not clear to me the method she choose to illustrate the illogic of many statements, i.e., she quotes Rubin “Are you solidly aware that the purpose of warm, healthy anger is to deliver an affective (emotional) message in order to clear the air and to make corrections and reparations if necessary?” She adds in parens (Yes, and I’m also aware that corrections can be made without anger.) To me this is an example of how Rubin may not have characterized the type or level of anger he meant to be expressed, i.e., I think to some people merely taking a serious tone of voice can indicate displeasure and therefore anger, it is not the anger of loud voices. So, Tavris responds as if that is the type of anger he is addressing.
(https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/anger-carol-tavris/1113909951)
Bollywood Movie Review: Fanaa
Bollywood Movie Review
Fanaa
In Fanaa, Kajol returns to the screen playing Zooni, a young blind girl on her first venture away from her home in Kashmir. In the story, Zooni’s blindness illustrates that sometimes we see things with our hearts but are blind to dangers and deceit.
Zooni travels with a troupe of dancers to Delhi to perform in the Independence Day celebrations. Several days of tours of the historic sites in Delhi are included in the trip. The group has arranged for a bus and guide. The guide is an attractive rogue, Rehan, played by Aamir Khan. Rehan is both charming and cruel. He admits he only wants to satisfy his own desires and does not believe in love as he flirts with the girls.
A Bollywood movie does not cut to the chase as quickly as a Hollywood movie. At the heart of many Bollywood movies are human relationships and family values. Various aspects of the characters and subplots are given time to develop before the central conflict unfolds.
In Fanaa, the cinematography is stunning. Delhi is shown in a rainbow of colors, shining and majestic. Kashmir is pictured like a winter wonderland with endless vistas of beautiful snow capped mountains. The camera captures the silence and wonder of snow.
While one musical interlude is choreographed with a large number of dancers, director, Kunal Kohli lets the rest of the music simply touch the characters as the story moves forward which I think represents Indians’ love of music and poetry as part of their daily lives.
After intermission, the movie changes from a story about love to one about suspense. India’s counter-terrorism organization is tracking a group that has bombed various cultural and political sites over the years. Tabu, the organization’s profiler, works to build a psychological picture of the terrorist group’s mastermind in order to capture the mastermind before the group’s final plan is carried out. The group’s premise is if they are sufficiently armed and perceived as a threat of massive proportion then they could affect the balance of power and achieve independence for Kashmir.
Zooni is a meaty role for Kajol. As a young blind girl, Zooni is gentle, loving and hopeful. Later, Zooni is a single mother. She is older, wiser, and fiercely protective of her family. Aamir Khan’s character, Rehan, is a man torn between loyalties. At first, he is seen as a self-centered charmer who preys on young women. He has cut himself off from his emotions. Then he falls in love with Zooni and battles his emotions in a struggle over his loyalties. Is he loyal to his love for Zooni, or is he loyal to his former life? Khan’s character believes that loyalty to a belief carries more weight than loyalty to love, even familial love.
(image source: http://blog.chosun.com/web_file/blog/25/25/1/Fanaa.jpg)
In Aamir Khan’s previous movies such as Laagan, Mangal Pandey, Rang de Basanti, and now Fanaa, he seems to be selecting stories that portray a gritty realism. He does not want to be the lover; he wants to be a man of action. When Aamir must play the lover, he does so reluctantly. He wants to be unaffected by emotion, and loyal to his vision. But loyalty is a strong emotion. Khan wants to play to a male audience who feels it is manlier to be pragmatic than to a female audience who feels love is central to life. Yet, when his character, Rehan, must choose love or loyalty, the war between his competing desires plays across his face.
Zooni’s struggle is not choosing between two loyalties, for her, love is part of life, just as is loyalty. She thought love could heal and love could make a prince out of a ruffian. Her struggle is in loving a flawed human being and learning that loyalty can be shattered by deceit.
Director: Kunal Kohli; Producers: Yash and Aditya Chopra; Cast: Kajol, Aamir Khan, Tabu, Rishi Kapoor, Kiron Kher
Fanaa
In Fanaa, Kajol returns to the screen playing Zooni, a young blind girl on her first venture away from her home in Kashmir. In the story, Zooni’s blindness illustrates that sometimes we see things with our hearts but are blind to dangers and deceit.
Zooni travels with a troupe of dancers to Delhi to perform in the Independence Day celebrations. Several days of tours of the historic sites in Delhi are included in the trip. The group has arranged for a bus and guide. The guide is an attractive rogue, Rehan, played by Aamir Khan. Rehan is both charming and cruel. He admits he only wants to satisfy his own desires and does not believe in love as he flirts with the girls.
A Bollywood movie does not cut to the chase as quickly as a Hollywood movie. At the heart of many Bollywood movies are human relationships and family values. Various aspects of the characters and subplots are given time to develop before the central conflict unfolds.
In Fanaa, the cinematography is stunning. Delhi is shown in a rainbow of colors, shining and majestic. Kashmir is pictured like a winter wonderland with endless vistas of beautiful snow capped mountains. The camera captures the silence and wonder of snow.
While one musical interlude is choreographed with a large number of dancers, director, Kunal Kohli lets the rest of the music simply touch the characters as the story moves forward which I think represents Indians’ love of music and poetry as part of their daily lives.
After intermission, the movie changes from a story about love to one about suspense. India’s counter-terrorism organization is tracking a group that has bombed various cultural and political sites over the years. Tabu, the organization’s profiler, works to build a psychological picture of the terrorist group’s mastermind in order to capture the mastermind before the group’s final plan is carried out. The group’s premise is if they are sufficiently armed and perceived as a threat of massive proportion then they could affect the balance of power and achieve independence for Kashmir.
Zooni is a meaty role for Kajol. As a young blind girl, Zooni is gentle, loving and hopeful. Later, Zooni is a single mother. She is older, wiser, and fiercely protective of her family. Aamir Khan’s character, Rehan, is a man torn between loyalties. At first, he is seen as a self-centered charmer who preys on young women. He has cut himself off from his emotions. Then he falls in love with Zooni and battles his emotions in a struggle over his loyalties. Is he loyal to his love for Zooni, or is he loyal to his former life? Khan’s character believes that loyalty to a belief carries more weight than loyalty to love, even familial love.
In Aamir Khan’s previous movies such as Laagan, Mangal Pandey, Rang de Basanti, and now Fanaa, he seems to be selecting stories that portray a gritty realism. He does not want to be the lover; he wants to be a man of action. When Aamir must play the lover, he does so reluctantly. He wants to be unaffected by emotion, and loyal to his vision. But loyalty is a strong emotion. Khan wants to play to a male audience who feels it is manlier to be pragmatic than to a female audience who feels love is central to life. Yet, when his character, Rehan, must choose love or loyalty, the war between his competing desires plays across his face.
Zooni’s struggle is not choosing between two loyalties, for her, love is part of life, just as is loyalty. She thought love could heal and love could make a prince out of a ruffian. Her struggle is in loving a flawed human being and learning that loyalty can be shattered by deceit.
Director: Kunal Kohli; Producers: Yash and Aditya Chopra; Cast: Kajol, Aamir Khan, Tabu, Rishi Kapoor, Kiron Kher
Changes are coming
A lot of changes are coming to the RiaStoneBlog.
More interviews with authors and artists.
Bollywood Movie Reviews
and more....
More interviews with authors and artists.
Bollywood Movie Reviews
and more....
Friday, November 8, 2019
Hotplate: Simmered Sardine on Toast
Update 2/11/2020
I added a choice, garlic or anchovy butter.
At times, I get lost in recipe research. I enjoy looking for cookbooks online, in particular, old ones.
I use Project Gutenberg and the Internet Archive, often.
Found this little gem, The Cook-Book of Left-Overs, on the Internet Archive.
I was amused to find several Toast Topping recipes in this 1911 cookbook.
While this is a similar recipe to other Sardine on Toast recipes I have blogged about, in this recipe I used a different brand of sardines, Yavaros. The sardines are larger and in a tomato sauce. Surprisingly, the sardines were meaty and less fishy than the smaller tins of sardines, I use.
I could not remove the sardines whole, they fell apart. I made several adjustments to this wee recipe. For example, the original recipe called for broiling the sardines. I choose to use a skillet and simmer the sardine in a garlic butter base.
Hotplate: Simmered Sardine on Toast
(Adapted from: the Cook Book of Left-Overs, Broiled Sardines on Toast, p101 [p95].)
Makes one serving or more.
Ingredients:
1 Tin of large sardines, drained
1 TBspn of garlic or anchovy butter
A bit of water
Ground black pepper, to taste (Optional)
Lime juice
1 Slice of multi-grain bread
A dab of olive oil
Garnish: Parsley, dry, crushed between palms
Process:
In a skillet, add garlic or anchovy butter.
Cook on medium heat.
Add 1 or more sardines (save any remaining sardines for later use.)
Mix the sardine with the butter as it melts.
Add a bit of water.
Add black pepper.
Stir mixture.
Cover the skillet.
Simmer mixture several minutes to heat thoroughly.
Make toast.
Add a bit of olive oil to toast.
Spread sardine mixture over toast.
Top with parsley.
Sprinkle a little lime juice over the topping.
I added a choice, garlic or anchovy butter.
At times, I get lost in recipe research. I enjoy looking for cookbooks online, in particular, old ones.
I use Project Gutenberg and the Internet Archive, often.
Found this little gem, The Cook-Book of Left-Overs, on the Internet Archive.
I was amused to find several Toast Topping recipes in this 1911 cookbook.
While this is a similar recipe to other Sardine on Toast recipes I have blogged about, in this recipe I used a different brand of sardines, Yavaros. The sardines are larger and in a tomato sauce. Surprisingly, the sardines were meaty and less fishy than the smaller tins of sardines, I use.
I could not remove the sardines whole, they fell apart. I made several adjustments to this wee recipe. For example, the original recipe called for broiling the sardines. I choose to use a skillet and simmer the sardine in a garlic butter base.
Hotplate: Simmered Sardine on Toast
(Adapted from: the Cook Book of Left-Overs, Broiled Sardines on Toast, p101 [p95].)
Makes one serving or more.
Ingredients:
1 Tin of large sardines, drained
1 TBspn of garlic or anchovy butter
A bit of water
Ground black pepper, to taste (Optional)
Lime juice
1 Slice of multi-grain bread
A dab of olive oil
Garnish: Parsley, dry, crushed between palms
Process:
In a skillet, add garlic or anchovy butter.
Cook on medium heat.
Add 1 or more sardines (save any remaining sardines for later use.)
Mix the sardine with the butter as it melts.
Add a bit of water.
Add black pepper.
Stir mixture.
Cover the skillet.
Simmer mixture several minutes to heat thoroughly.
Make toast.
Add a bit of olive oil to toast.
Spread sardine mixture over toast.
Top with parsley.
Sprinkle a little lime juice over the topping.
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