The Hare Krishnas are keeping me fed! (The Indians & Me!)

In accordance to one of their core beliefs (you are doing good by feeding others), the Hare Krishnas have provided me with a fabulous lunch. They often bring food to the flower market, and Mark and I share it for supper. Last night, we had something different for supper, and he gave it to me today for my lunch.  
(It is basically 100% vegetarian Indian food, and we all know about my addiction to those Indians! :)

Some recipes and general info:

http://harekrsna.com/practice/prasadam/recipes/recipes.htm
I love restaurant Indian food, but when I get home cooked Indian meals, the taste is turned up a couple notches. They are cooking for individuals, rather than a general American group, and they will cook and flavor the food as they would eat it, rather than "bland-ur-lize" it for the weak, American public.

You should see the shocked looks on their faces when I go to a festival or a bazaar, and I order food, and they tell me, "just a minute", and start to "Americanize" it for me. I stop them with, "Wait a minute...I want what YOU are eating, and as YOU eat it. If I wanted McDonalds, I would stop by there on the way home!" It takes them a second or two to switch gears, and to realize that I am different than how they are accustomed to serving the food to our public. THEN... I get a surprised, pleasant smile, an acknowledging nob, and and the food served to me the way it was originally intended.

I have an Indian friend (Prathibah Vasudevan - CALL ME!), and she had been in this country 12 years, but eats only Indian food. When I go over to her house, I can't hug her, because in her customs, hugging is reserved for small children or OLD people. Just for shits 'n' grins, as a joke (I'm telling her that she is getting old!), I sometimes chase her around the yard, with my arms outstretched yelling, "Come on, give MOMMA a hug!" While I am chasing her, she is trying desperately to outrun me. Then she beats up on me a little - to ensure that I am properly punished. he he he

However, hospitality is also a big part of her culture, and that includes cooking small, quick meals for guests. While I will always love restaurant Indian food, Prathibah has taught me the difference between restaurant and home cooked Indian food. I will readily admit that knowing the difference makes me spoiled!

- Michael

Does everything have a price?

So far, I have sold:
* two vintage synthesizers
* two short Leslie speakers
* one MIDI controller (keyboard)
* two accordions

(seven musical instruments)

I still have for sale:

* two entry level guitars
* one Hammond Composer 146 Series spinet organ
* one hand-pumped Indian Harmonium

The good thing about these sales is that these items are going to people who want them, and will get good use out of them.  These instruments have been taking up space in my home, and I might turn them on once a year.  I view such inactivity as a waste of space, a waste of an instrument, and a waste of money.  I HATE to waste anything at all.

The bad thing about these sales:

The uninitiated person that peeks into my music studio wouldn't notice anything missing!

I have one Hammond organ to sell, and 3 guitars. If I get those sold,  people that have visited my studio *might* notice 'something missing', but I wouldn't guarantee it.

Anybody that knows me well will testify to the fact that I am not one of those "buy and sell" types.  I have a lot of possessions, including many instruments, that somebody will have to pry out of my cold dead hands before I part with them.  I am friends with people who till buy a (car, house, instrument, and the list could go on forever!), and they will brag and crow over their new 'love' - their new 'favorite'.  As soon as the next item of interest comes along, that new 'favorite' is an immediate 'has been', and it is kicked to the curb.  Next!  They will then rant and rave about the latest find until...yep.... you guessed it:  NEXT comes along!  That new favorite is immediately replaced, and the vicious cycle continues.

Let's consider my late friend, Dale (God rest his soul!)  Dale was as sweet as any person you would want to meet, even if he was a bit of a perv!  He was outrageously creative in rebuilding and fabricating - from scratch - many instruments, including reed organs and band organs.  If you wanted to know how to make, from scratch,  a Bose-like bass speaker that could kick your ass across the room, you should have asked Dale while he was still with us.  In addition, he was one of the best Gospel Hammond organists I ever had the privilege of knowing.

(You know there is a 'but'.... coming along, don't ya?)

Here's your butt....er...but!  :)

Dale had a Hammond C2 organ with a Leslie 122.  He traded it for (God only knows what!).  

Say this without any D's:

To his dying day, Dale regretted parting with that organ.


Hammond C2

When I last spoke with him, Dale's last Hammond was an R-124:


Hammond R-124

Personally, I have a Hammond A-100 / Leslie 122 and a Hammond E-100 / Leslie 122. Many 'purists' consider the Hammond E-100 nothing but a 'boat anchor' - worthless, dead weight.  I play the Hammond E-100 combo as much, if not more, than I play the Hammond A-100 combo.  I like them BOTH.

My point is that Dale's 'favorite' was whatever came along next.  Nothing was sacred enough to him that he could say, "I can sell this (Item #1).... I can sell that (Item #2), but you can't touch THIS (Item# 3) - because it will never be for sale.

I have a new Kawai upright piano (2 months old.). I have my two Hammond combos, a digital piano and a 1966 Wurlitzer piano.  Even though I want both, a Wurlitzer piano AND a Rhodes piano, for the present time, I would consider trading this Wurli for a Rhodes in good condition, and I would buy another Wurli piano at a later date to complete my collection.    I would also love to have a Clavinet!

I still have a 5 MIDI keyboard set-up with a dedicated music computer, 3 functioning toy player pianos and toy pianos without player mechanisms, and 1 reed organ.  That leaves me with 17 instruments in my collection.

HOWEVER...  My new piano, my digital piano, and both of my Hammond consoles are off limits to deals.  Their final disposition will be somebody else's problem - after I am dead.

I firmly believe that **everybody** should have 'untouchables', instead of being a sell-out, don't you think?

- Michael