The Weather Gods must be crazy

The Weather Gods must be crazy

I missed the morning bus to campus, but I wasn't complaining as it was nice and pleasant and ideal for a walk.........a lovely Spring day!! By the time I came out of a meeting in the afternoon, it was snowing...........yes, it snows in minnesota at the end of April!! The forecast predicted it but we all trashed it saying its just not possible. I mean what are the chances. Its like saying the summer in chennai has been bearable this year. Fast forward to late afternoon. Its nice and sunny, warm almost. So much so that I had took take off my jacket. Are we having an early summer this year? But wait, that wasn't the end to the madness.

If all this wasn't enough, around 6pm, it starts raining. After which, it got windy and was cold!! I mean what's going on here. This is like one of the last scenes in the Truman Show. Is somebody messing with the weather gods.

All this was just too much for a day. I suddenly have an urge to listen to Vivaldi's four seasons.

moodmagic

moodmagic

Ben and Jerry's has now officially become my favourite icecream place. I dont think anyone could get bored of their flavours except they themselves but hey, we aren't complaining. The more choices the merrier. In keeping with the theme of "An icecream for every mood" , come 4 different flavours which capture not just your imagination but also evoke different moods. I have been exposed to a lot of chocolate icecream in this country. Trust me, there is no lack of choice or flavour when it comes to chocolate here. But if you're still not satisfied, then you probably need medication for that insatiable craving. Aptly named "Chocolate therapy", it has chocolate icecream, chocolate brownie, chocolate chips, chocolate cookies and fudge. Trust me, it is not for the faint of heart.......and if you aren't terribly fond of chocolate dont even come near. It was a bit strong even for a choc lover like me. If this can't satisfy your need for chocolate then nothing can. The mood here is aggression.

But my favourite is "The Last Straw". The flavor has a hint of vanilla covering a light undertone of strawberry which gently stimulates your tastebuds. I was a kid again. It brought back so many memories. I just realized how much i've missed strawberry icecream. I started remembering little incidents when I used to absolutely enjoy strawberry icecream. It gave me a feel of remembrance, of carefree joy, of introspection. The mood was nostalgic.


I still haven't tried the other two flavors, one of them named "Apple-y ever after". The beauty of the whole thing is that it is bound to evoke different moods in different people. It truly is magical.

The crucible

The crucible

When I heard that the World championships of Snooker may not stay at the crucible, I went "What are the organizers thinking?" Its been its home for the last 25 yrs. I can't imagine it being played anywhere but Sheffield. I agree that metros like London and Manchester are more cosmopolitan and hence are a marketing dream but I mean comeon. If a World Cup is played in England, can you imagine the final not being played at Lord's. I think you now understand what I'm saying.

Glad that they decided to not move it. All this hoopla luckily hasn't distracted the crowd from one of the most exciting tournaments in years. I mean almost every match has been so tight. Just wish I could have watched the 147 from the Welsh southpaw Mark Williams. Too bad he wont be lifting the trophy this year. There are a few interesting new faces this year including Shaun Murphy who really has been a revelation. But my money is on King Hendry. I think he has gone long enough without a title. Once he is past Stevens I think he should be safely through to the final. O' Sullivan seems jaded this year. He may still make it to the final. But to be on top come Sunday, he will have to up his game.

Whatever the result, whoever the players, The Crucible will be the place to be this Sunday evening!

A little kindness can go a long way!

Wednesday was free cone day at Ben & Jerry's. Being right in the heart of the U of M campus, u are bound to have a mad rush for it. Why would a business do such a thing? Why give away free icecream for an entire day especially right in the middle of campus where students are ready to try out all the flavors on offer even if it means standing in long queues. This may not run you to bankruptcy but is surely not going to be profitable by any stretch of the imagination. What did they themselves have to say..........."It is our way of saying Thank you". Cool, I'm not complaining but i just failed to see the reasoning behind it. Its almost laughable.

Atleast till today. Ever since then, I dont know if its just me, but this place has gone ice cream crazy......more specifically Ben & Jerry's crazy. The people coming in and out and the number of people on the road with icecream cones just seems to have suddenly gone up. Whenever I walk on the road just a couple of blocks to the bus stop I see atleast 5 people with icecream cones in their hand. Its unbelievable. Wonder how just one cone made such a difference. For regulars like me, it was just another icecream but it seems to have done the trick on most people who otherwise wouldn't have even come near the place otherwise.

Now I wonder who is laughing all the way to the bank!!!

When the going gets tough call in the professionals!

One thing I really like about my apartment is our landlord. He is the fix-it-all handyman who can get you out of anything. Be it moving ridiculously large and heavy furniture up the stairs and through narrow entrances, changing the screws in the stove, killing bugs, drilling holes through walls, fixing problematic toilets or just being there for any and every trouble............u name it, u can count on him.

So the latest problem, a clogged kitchen sink. the problem with a sink which grinds waste is that u have a tendency to rely on it too much. I think we have been dumping too much food into it over the past few months that it has finally taken its toll. After half an hour of digging away, even our landlord gave up. So what do we do? Call in the professional...........There is a professional for everything in this country. So why should drain cleaners be any different.

Hopefully they will get the job done!!

Tamil New year!

Its been the week of new years. Its funny how different states in India celebrate their new year's on different days of the first fortnight of April.

I know that the Tamil Calendar follows the movement of the sun.I'm sure each state has its own little story attached to ringing in the new year. I was not aware of this until this year when I got to see it first hand with people from Andhra, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Bengal and ofcourse Tamil Nadu. I always thought that there was Ugadi and Tamil New year and thats it coz we used to get a holiday only for those two in school.

Its also strange that Tamil New year is probably the only occasion( i wouldn;t call it a festival) among all the states to not have a proper name. I mean when there can be a Ugadi, Vishu, Gudi Padwa, Baisakhi etc why dont we have a name?

Hmmm.......anyway, here's wishing you all a Happy Paarthiva Varsham!!

How appropriate is it to receive a Panchangam on New year's day!!!!