So here we are, where ever this place is...we got on a plane for 11+ hours and arrived somewhere, I'm just not sure it's 'Australia'. The reason for my suspicion is that I have yet to see an Outback Steakhouse. Not even one. We are allegedly in "Brisbane", and we leave for "Sydney" tomorrow. We're having a great time so far, and I've already taken a full memory card worth of pics. And we still have two weeks to go! Anyway, I'm out for now. Maybe someone can help me figure out where I am. I can't remember all the countries that begin with an 'A'. I'm pretty sure I'm not in Argentina, I know I am not in Austria, and I pray I'm not in Angola. It definitely can't be Australia, because forget about the steakhouse, I haven't even seen any Foster's. And we all know what a great beer that is. Right up there with Budweiser.
- posted by Prince Roy @ 2/26/2005 04:15:00 PM| |

 
Hey, the sign says it all: We're outta here! It's off to the Land of Oz for two weeks and then to the Kiwi Isle (South) for a week after that. I'll try to check in from the road every now and then. This is going to be a blast. If anyone in Melbourne, Sidney, Brisbane, Christchurch and Queenstown sees this, do the needful and send me an email.
- posted by Prince Roy @ 2/18/2005 09:55:00 PM| |

 
UPDATE: Kribs' Party Pics Now Up! It's been a fun weekend. Things got started last night when the German Consulate threw its annual German Night bash. They did a rooftop affair at the Hilton Trident. When I first walked up there, though, I thought I was at the wrong party, because the loudspeakers were blaring Boston's "More Than a Feeling". I hoped beyond hope that it was actually a polka band doing a cover, but no such luck. Lots of our consulate folks showed up, and no wonder: Beck's beer on tap, a German wine bar, Schnapps and other assorted German spirits, two different kinds of German sausages, both boiled and grilled, and a superb selection of sandwich meats and cheeses. They also had ice cream and German cake. And a whole bunch of other great stuff I didn't even get around to. All for the amazing price of 800 rupees (all you wanted, too). The food was flat-out wunderbar. The best of all was this other-worldy spicy mustard. I wish I could remember the name (it starts with 'Schw' I think). It was like a cross between wasabi and Dijon's. Guaranteed to clear up any sinus problems. The only (minor) drawback was the beer taps encountered some kind of pressure problem all night. They also had only one beer stand, which made for a long wait. You'd think the Germans, of all people, would have the beer situation sorted. I also didn't really get the music selection. All American, all 1980s and before. It's like they were appealing to the lowest common denominator. No German music whatsoever. No Scorpions even. Or David Hasselhoff. Or Mötley Crüe, who qualify as German because of the umlauts. But no matter, the Germans did a fantastic job, and I definitely plan to attend next year. I also had the good fortune to receive an invite to Kribs' (aka Kiruba Shankar) Vodka Cocktail Party today. He held it at his home, also on the roof, and me, Yardboy and Spicygirl all piled into the Prince Roy royal jalopy and headed on over. With Yardboy riding shotgun as chief navigator, we somehow managed to find Kribs' house, and we only got lost once (well, twice if you count our misadventure trying to get home). It was a BYOS (bring yer own snack) affair, and so I brought some great all-veg samosas that my housekeeper prepared. In a previous post, I compared Tamil food with the soul food of the American south. Lots of deep frying, and grease: it's no wonder that heart disease and diabetes are so prevalent here. But these samosas are different, almost healthful, even. The batter is quite light, and not fried to a hard crisp. Here's a view of the outside: and here's that same samosa cut in half: The ingredients are potatoes, carrots, and many different herbs and spices. They have a bit of a spicy kick, too. I think rooftop parties must be a Madras institution. Here's the view from atop Kribs' building: Yardboy, Prince Roy, and Kribs So here we are. Don't let Yardboy fool you; he held his own in the day's vodka consumption. As did Kribs, who tries not to let one hand know what the other is doing. I'm posting more photos of the event at my companion site, so please do take a look.
- posted by Prince Roy @ 2/14/2005 02:25:00 AM| |

 
Some Guys Have All The Luck If you were not already aware, I'm doing a consular tour here in Chennai. I work primarily in the non-immigrant visa section, and now I'm also starting to spend time in American Citizen Services. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I don't get some measure of job satisfaction out of what I do every day: I enjoy helping out US citizens abroad, and I like the fact that I assist in facilitating legitimate Indian travelers go to the US to conduct business or visit relatives, etc, not to mention keeping the bad guys out; but aside from interviewing the occasional Indian movie or pop star, it ain't the most glamorous job in the world. My colleagues in the Pol/Econ section have it different. They get to play host to all manner of visiting VIP bigshots. Case in point: US Supreme Court Associate Justice Stephen Breyer is in town. Most of you know I was a law school inmate in my former life, and the Supremes to us were like the gods on Mt. Olympus. My entire three-year hell practically revolved around those guys. So it sure would be nice to meet one and see what all the fuss is about. Breyer is the Court's administrative law expert, and since I took Admin Law, I remember reading lots of his opinions. As I explain in this post, I'm no great fan of the current Court, and Breyer's opinions are among the most convoluted of all. But there is no doubt that he is a brilliant jurist, and to be able to say that I met him in Madras of all places...take that UCLA Law Class of 2003! But it is not to be. One of my colleagues in Pol/Econ is picking Justice Breyer up at the airport and taking him to his hotel. I asked that colleague if I might possibly meet Breyer and the answer was a quick and brutal "No". Harsh, mate. But that's the lot of a consular prole: no respect. Way back in law school I took an online quiz designed to reveal which of the current justices most closely resembled my own judicial philosophy. You can see the results here. Just for kicks, I thought I'd take it again now, almost two years later. So away we go:

1. Ruth Bader Ginsburg
2. John Paul Stevens
3. Stephen G. Breyer
4. David H. Souter
5. Anthony Kennedy
6. Sandra Day O'Connor
7. William H. Rehnquist
8. Antonin Scalia
9. Clarence Thomas

The results are identical to last time except that Kennedy and O'Connor switched places for whatever reason. It still mystifies me that Ginsburg beat out Stevens, because I think he is my closest match by far, and his opinions and legal reasoning are the ones I most admire [UPDATE: I should qualify that last point. While it is true that I think Stevens is my closest match, I have listened to the oral arguments available at OYEZ since my 2L year. And I have to say that Justice Breyer almost always steals the show. This is a big reason why I wanted to meet him. A lot of people focus on Scalia during these arguments. Not me. It's easy for an all-powerful Supreme Court justice to belittle, mock, bully and intimidate counsel with sarcastic remarks. That's Scalia's schtick, and it plays well to the peanut gallery. But if you want to hear probing, incisive and cogent questioning of the legal issues at the heart of the case, Breyer is your man. He is by far the most impressive performer of any justice at oral argument]. Oh, and if you think you can guess my politics on the basis of this list, you've got another think coming, so don't even try to pigeonhole me. Curious about how you might turn out? Do the needful and take the quiz here.
- posted by Prince Roy @ 2/05/2005 01:25:00 AM| |