I say yes, you say no, OR People are Strange

I'm with Momine and RR - that cloud looks like nothing so much as a top hat to me.  I've never seen anything like it, and didn't know there *could* be anything like it.  Nature is pretty amazing.

Yorkiemom, I'd missed your trip to India.  How exciting!  My family lived overseas when I was a kid, and we visited New Delhi and did a few driving trips from there (Jaipur and Agra -- I have no idea of the distances, it was a LONG time ago).  I would love to go back and see more of the country.  Kerala is on my bucket list for sure.

Kind of a crazy weekend for me . . . discovered a work deadline was earlier than I'd thought, so I've been doing some work work in addition to shopping work and cooking work and yikes-the-wedding-is-in-three weeks work.  February honeymoon plans are set . . . Trinidad and Tobago!  It's going to be 10 days of birds. beaches, rum punch and street food (doubles! aloo pie! shark and bake! the names alone make me want to go there!).

Tonight is latke night in our household.  Getting them out of the way early so the smell of oil will clear by New Year's.  (I love latkes, just not the way they make the kitchen smell the next day.)

Linda

Just went back to look at the cloud. Wow, amazing! 

Linda, we'll be stationed in New Delhi. Will make at least one overnight trip to the Taj Mahal. I think we'll probably book trips but will wait until we get there.

Too Cute was just so funny last night! It's hilarious to see the pecking order already starting among littlers of tiny puppies and kittens. Seems there's always a bully in the group, usualy a female! 

Riley, my yorkie used to watch animal t.v. shows all the time. She'd jump up and down frantically and bark her head off. She's so old now she usually just sleeps through the programs.

Yorkie - what a wonderful trip! I have always wanted to visit India. My father went there several times and spoke of it often.

Hands up if you are (like me) having a dull depressing Sunday that you hope ends soon.

If I hear crickets, then....hands up if you have loads of housework you are too lazy to get started on.

If I'm the only one at home NOT having a wonderful life with romance, adventure and color....I'll be jealous too. :-)

Picture of the day: coffee pot brewing, unmade bed and me trying to get a Lancet article in full print to share on my comorbidities thread....

Anyone care to share an equally non-special time?

Kam - That's a rather sudden huge decision they put on your shoulders - wow! I'm hoping I am not too lazy to go and get some yoghurt from around the corner. It is a very dark day. All my lights are on.

Yorkie - When I was there, I unfortunately made the choice to eat some street food 2 weeks in (one get's complacent - same thing happened to me in Mexico!).  A day or so later, my lower back just seized up -  I still remember it happening, as we were walking by the prepartions being made for the Dali Lama's arrival in a few days.  I crawled into bed and didn't want to eat.  Took the CIPRO and I was fine the next day!  

It's been 15 years, but I think you'll be ok in a nice hotel with their food.  We ate at a very popular fine dining establishment in Kolkata the first few days we were there and it did not make me sick.  I'd still follow all of the rules if you're out and about....eat only fruit you can peel the skin from - bananas and oranges.  Question bottled water (is it rebottled)? And don't drink chai tea served by a street vendor (we saw them get their water from puddles in the street)!  Make sure to get a fresh coconut drink...they'll chop the top off right in front of you (but maybe worry about the straw?).  Coconut water is so healthy.

India has gone through somewhat of an economic revolution since I was there and there is probably no comparison between Delhi, where you are going, and Bihar (poorest state in India) and Bengal, where I was.  Jaipur is beautiful, or I've heard.  Are you going there?

Oh....edited to add...it is part of the culture to crowd to be first rather than properly wait in line.  It's quite a shock the first time you see it.

I want Kam's cloud.  FANTASTIC.  Really want one.  And there are very few things I don't have that I want.  Seeing a cloud like that is one of them.  I'd even learn to use my digital camera if knew was gonna see one.

Ah, Lewing - latkes, by the time we're done "tasting them to make sure they're good" there's no applesauce left. The grease smell is not removeable.  No. Way. ;-)))  ENJOY...may all your lights last for much longer than 8 days.

Ah, yorkie - spent several months in India during this time of year, many years ago.  Full Moonrise over the harbor ( Victoria's Necklace was what the lights were called then) in what was then Bombay - and in the country side where I spent most of my time ( I was there for months) the smell of NIGHT BLOOMING flowers: frangiapani (plumeria here?), and the soft breezes carrying the smells, oh, my, oh, my - I hope you have as many wonderful experienes as I did and happy memories of an extraordinary place.

I love Athena's toast - and if I weren't gluten free for several years, I'd take a bite Champagne sounds good too.  My latest gluten free adventure ( I know somebody is gonna gag) home made tapioca!!!  With soy free coconut milk, fresh vanilla ( the whole sticky thingie) and Agave instead of sugar. Delicious, decadent comfort food.  It's in the 50's today - so I will save the rest for the snow in a few days.

happy today, all....

Take and share pictures above all, Yorkie,

Athena, who just came back from yet another excursion of talking to herself on her nutcase thread! (Hoping someone reads and gets helped - even if they are too embarrassed to post.)

It doesn't have to be Sunday for me to be crazy - lol!

The biggest pre-trip advice I would give you is that you take daily Vitamin E for about a week before your trip to avoid catching a cold on the plane that ruins your stay (assuming there are no contraindications for you). Also, zinc and vitamin c for a few days helps me to avoid a cold or stop the symptoms in their tracks. 

How gorgeous!

Oh, wow! Thanks Kam!

Kam: Two great pictures.  Good luck on your decision re: retirement.  Would it be possible to take it and maybe work part-time to supplement if necessary?

Dark and gloomy Sunday here.  i really don't like cold rain.  Fighting the Sunday blues, along with my cold.

ooooohhh...and many aaaahhhh's for the clouds..

Yorkie - Suzie is talkinig about having your doc give you a broad spectrum antibiotic ( don't know if folks still use Septran, that's what it was in "my days" in Nepal. 

MAINLY - you DO NOT DRINK THE WATER. 

DO NOT BRUSH YOUR TEETH WITH TAP WATER. 

DO NOT HAVE ICE in your drinks.

DO not eat fruit until you PEEEL it.

There are some good tablets ( iodine or chlorine based) you can buy in camping stores in USA to purify water.  Even have straws that purify now.

IT is the water - local's have immunity ( built up over years) to water bacteria is in it, or usually they do, we don't - from whence cometh the expression "Dellhi Belly."  Not fun, but AVOIDABLE!!!!!

You are gonna LOVE LOVE LOVE it.  So happy for you to have this fantastic experience in front of you ;-)

I actually started to clean house and came back for a quick visit.

Yorkie - you will have a great time no matter where you go.  I just put on Jai Ho to get in the spirit for you.  I love Indian music....if you can go to some musical event, how fun that would be!

Alexandria - living in a small town limits job opportunities....I think a parttime job would be wonderful...that's all I need, about 10 hours a week.  Not sure what it would be though.  I could do my current job, maybe, but requires $20K in software

Chickadee - yes that is a lenticular.  It hasn't quite smoothed out to it's optimum, but nonetheless, beautiful

Alyson - I have one cat with allergies...the only thing that she tolerates is fancy feast beef (or what I call kitty crack).  I'm starting to think she is feigning allergies to  get her favorite food, otherwise she might get something actually healthy, fromme.

Yorkie - her is what my friend said.....

mosquito net - if you go south and probably depending on your sleeping accomodations...I doubt you'll need that.

cold in north - she liked having her down jacket sweater. (Cold to her is what I call as pleasant, though...60's and 70's)

@ decent hotels you can probably trust the water as they have filitration systems, but her travel partner had a water bottle that filtered and insulated water and she thought that was a great idea.  

City of Djinns  "fabulous book about Delhi

Kam, you read, haha, my mind! I was going to ask if anybody knows a good book about India. Will download the one you mentioned to my kindle. Thanks! We'll be in good hotels so unless we are really stupid, which could definitely happen, I think we'll be ok. Been checking the weather and it's in the 70's. Don't think it will go lower while we're there. I have a lined rain coat, which, with a light sweater and tee shirt should be fine. But if it isn't I'll have an excuse to go shopping!!

Yorkie - you could read one of my nieces historical romance novels - I think this one took place in Delhi 1857..The Duke of Shadows by Meredith Duran.  (Not really recommending, unless you really like romance novels, but I imagine she is historically accurate given her academic studies involve India.)