BUSY MINDS ARE THE DEVIL'S WORKSHOP

For the past ten days, while convalescing, this blogger has kept himself busy with a lot of reading, taking walks to improve stamina, belly-aching (both literally and figuratively), and cooking to disguise the reek of tobacco before his very patient apartment mate comes home. She does not smoke, hates the smell, and thinks of smokers as somehow lacking moral fibre.

I've got plenty of moral fibre! I avoid associating with drug addicts and loose women, and years ago I gave up on watching smut or dealing with Christians! And I shave and shower regularly. Soap and water.
Nor do I abuse stuffed animals or small children.
I'm fond of the little dingoes.
Distantly.


Three subjects in particular have kept me reading.


HONG HONG RIOTS

A good source for news has been the South China Morning Post, which among other things has mentioned the unseemly pressure from Mainland Authorities on the HK government to do something. Anything. Water cannons. Arrests. More police. And above all, stop allowing the Taiwanese gangsters, the United States government, and English imperialists, to influence events or encourage the severely misguided activists. They've also detailed those activists' points of view, which is that A) There must be an independent investigation into police violence, B) That the proposed extradition law shouldn't be just tabled, but scrapped entirely, C) More actual democracy, as was promised before the handover years ago.

Possible reasons for so many people to join the protests have been housing prices and a very American lack of opportunity and democracy. There is, obviously, a huge amount of frustration. When you combine that with rock hard Cantonese stubbornness and a tendency to push envelopes over a cliff, mayhem may result.

Sun Yatsen was from that part of the world.

So was 洪秀全。


ANGLO INDIAN FOOD

Lovely food photos, great recipes, spirited people. It all looks fabulously delicious, and the commentary before and after the recipe postings makes for great reading and insight into people's present and past. Almost all the dishes detailed on that page include chilies. It reminded me of much that I've enjoyed eating or cooking in the past. And sometimes still do.
As all of Yesterday's essays here show.
A mental feast.


PIPES AND TOBACCO

Several of the members of that Facebook forum are quite literate, highly intelligent and very liberal (which is why I've friended them over the last several years), and their input about pipes and tobacco has been witty and informative. And yes, there are lovely pictures of pipes, both restored pieces and beautifully made new items. Quite a few are talented craftsmen.
Not all of them are men.
Some are women.

One of those members has a bee in her bonnet about Halloween, which is her favourite holiday. She's probably putting up the decorations this week, and disturbing her neighbors with that. In her favour, I should mention that with age comes sanity, and she seems to have given up on the aromatics she used to smoke. It was because of her that I sampled Cult Blood Red Moon -- not as bad as I thought it would be -- which is a cherry froo froo mixture, extremely popular among pretentious hipsters.
I once also tried pumpkin pie pipe tobacco.
It was seasonal, and surreal.
Terrifying.


The walking has been for more blocks every day. The folks at the hospital told me that it was good for me, and would help me fully recover faster, as well as greatly benefit the eliminative processes, concerning which they evinced a fascination bordering on obsession.

They're almost English in that regard, really.

Fortunately, they aren't into cold showers.



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