Check it out...GAME OF THRONES RED ALE! Choose your dragon...

Berries (straw-, blue-, and black-), an orange, a couple of white peaches, and some carrots...all bounty from my visit to the farmers market yesterday. CP, I know you love Indian food as much as I and I wanted to share a great recipe for lamb vindaloo that I cooked for a party recently. Clay Oven's Spicy Habanero Lamb Vindaloo 1 large or 2 small habanero chiles, seeded and chopped 2 tablespoons vinegar 1 (2-inch) piece of fresh ginger, minced 8 cloves garlic, minced 2 cups water, divided, plus more for grinding the ginger and garlic and thinning the gravy if needed 2 tomatoes, finely chopped 1/4 cup grated coconut 1/4 cup rice bran or canola oil, divided 4 bay leaves 8 black peppercorns 1 cinnamon stick 4 cloves 1 teaspoon cumin seeds 2 pods green cardamom, smashed 3 white onions, finely chopped 1 whole dry red Kashmiri chile 1 tablespoon coriander powder 1 teaspoon turmeric 2 pounds lean lamb, cut into roughly 1-inch cubes salt to taste 1 tablespoon cumin powder 8 (1 inch ) cubes boiled, peeled potato 2 tomatoes, cut into quarters 1/4 cup chopped cilantro, divided Step 1 Soak the seeded, chopped chile in the vinegar for a few minutes to soften, then grind to a paste (a mortar and pestle work well for this). Grind the ginger and garlic as well to a paste, adding a little water if needed to soften. Finally, use a blender to purée the finely chopped tomatoes and coconut together with 1 cup of the water. Step 2 In a large, heavy-bottomed sauté pan, heat 3 tablespoons of the oil over high heat until hot. Add the bay leaves, peppercorns, cinnamon stick, cloves, cumin seeds and cardamom, and toast for a minute or so, just until aromatic, being careful not to burn the spices. Stir in the onions, then the ginger and garlic paste, the Kashmiri chile, coriander powder and turmeric. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are golden brown, about 20 minutes. If the gravy begins to thicken too much and dry out, and/or the onions begin to stick, stir in water, a little at a time, and continue cooking. Step 3 Remove the pan from the heat and spoon the spiced onion mixture into a bowl. Place the pan back over high heat and add the remaining tablespoon of oil. Add the lamb pieces and sear on all sides until well-browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the pan from heat and place the lamb pieces on a plate. Add the spiced onion mixture back to the pan and heat over medium heat, scraping any lamb flavoring from the base of the pan. Step 4 At this point, taste the mixture, adding salt to taste. Remove the whole spices if desired (the gravy can also be puréed at this point for a smoother consistency). Stir the lamb into the gravy along with the cumin powder and habanero paste. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, to marry the flavors, 2 to 3 minutes, then stir in the puréed tomatoes and coconut. Add the remaining cup of water. Step 5 Continue cooking until the lamb is fully cooked, an additional 10 to 15 minutes. When the lamb is almost ready, stir in the potatoes and quartered tomatoes, along with one-half of the chopped cilantro. Taste again, seasoning as desired before serving. Serve the vindaloo garnished with the remaining chopped cilantro.

So, like many other actors, your best work was left on the cutting-room floor.

Good question, Emily. I did have ambitions to be a journalist, especially after reading "All the President's Men" by Woodward & Bernstein in Junior High. But I guess life had other plans for me, as I was never able to find work as a reporter and other passions took root and other avenues opened up. I appreciate your (and other recent readers such as Pagefan55, SINS, and BecZep) compliments. Hartelijk dank.

Interesting. It was very close but I used to prefer "You Shook Me" to "I Can't Quit You Baby". Steadily over time, however, I found myself gravitating more towards ICQYB's charms...it's brevity, it's more nuanced vocals, Bonham's crisp hi-hat. I wavered back-and-forth over the years between the two, but with these latest remasters, I have been able to hear them again with fresh ears. I vote for ICQYB...and it was the revelation of Jonesey's bassline that cinched it. For some reason, I had never paid much attention to the bass before on the song, partly because it was muddled on past cd releases...it didn't have the clarity of Page's guitar or Bonham's drums. But now it sounds clear as a bell, with nice depth and round full tones. In fact, how much I enjoyed ICQYB was one of the biggest treats/surprises I had listening to the new reissued first album. Incidentally, YSM and ICQYB share some similarities. Both are Willie Dixon blues standards and both are the penultimate songs on their respective sides and have nary a break between them and the following song; YSM segues immediately into D & C and ICQYB and HMMT are likewise linked. Both feature sizzling tone from Mr. Page.

HELL YEAH! Maybe my new favourite band, haha! This is some serious EVIL GENIUS shit. One of the reasons I got tired of metal was the proliferation of all these sourpussed-doom 'n' gloom-Cookie Monster-voice bands. The whole Norwegian Death Metal thing was the worst...they weren't scary, they were laughable. Musically and lyrically, metal just hit a dead-end for me. I am bummed I had to miss Babymetal's recent show in L.A. http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/posts/la-et-ms-babymetal-fonda-20140728-story.html

Not only is Charlie Watts a great drummer with the Stones, but I had the pleasure and privilege of seeing him in a jazz setting when he played a Charlie Parker tribute concert, "Ode to a High Flying Bird" in 1992. Too many people seem to get hung up on drum solos when evaluating drummers, but I always admired Charlie Watts' restraint and lack of gratuitous flash. He always played what suited the song...nothing more, nothing less. Always just right.

Just not the same without the Big Man, Clarence Clemons...not to mention Danny Federici. Though Bruce is still energetic in concert, I don't find his recent albums as rewarding as his early ones from "Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J." thru "Darkness on the Edge of Town". Like with Bob Dylan, I'm a little tired of him. I have many memories of some thrilling Bruce concerts...from the Santa Monica Civic in '73 to the Sports Arena in 2007...but I doubt I will pay the money to see him again.

Is PlanetPage still around? Happy Birthday PlanetPage, wherever you are!

My sympathies. Death is sad at any age, from any cause, but suicide is perhaps the most tragic, and one that leaves the friends and family behind to suffer the most. Whether a death is from natural causes, a illness, or murder, at least the "why" and "how" is usually answerable and there can be a sense of closure. But suicide doesn't give any closure...it leads to a whole set of questions, doubt, and guilt among the surviving loved ones. What signs did they miss? What could they have done to help? Why did the deceased choose death over life? That's the one that's usually the hardest to fathom. Most of us are wired to "want to live"...to survive at any cost. So when we hear of a person who chooses to end life, it seems so anathema, so alien to our way of thinking. The ironic thing is that most people who choose suicide think that they are ending all their problems but don't realize they are creating a new set of problems for the people they leave behind. I hope you have a good circle of friends, lipslikecherries, to lend support during this difficult time. Well said, ladies. I was at the "Hair" musical tonight and one of the most touching songs from the musical seemed apropos for this topic:

May I enquire as to what ratio of strawberries to lemons you use in your strawberry lemonade? Ok, this one is for all those non-Americans...like CP and CJW...who are always aghast at what Americans eat for breakfast. It was French Toast Friday for me earlier today. Sourdough french toast with Nutella spread between the slices and drizzled on top with whipped cream and powdered sugar. Side of bacon and large glass of water.

Not that I was worried, but your posts reassured me all the same. Thanks for the 411.

^^^Thanks. Unfortunately I lost my place and put it in the wrong thread...I thought I was in Random Thoughts. As you might surmise, I've had a few glasses of wine tonight.

Sorry Misty. Didn't mean to spoil your day or add to your worries. But like Pagefan55 said...it doesn't happen that often.

Plenty of passion here and given the crowds I have to deal with at the record shops and swap meets, I wouldn't mind a little less passion. At least when I'm trying to score a good deal on a record.

What is this crazy talk I hear about the Raiders talking with San Antonio? I swear, if Da Raiduhs move to San Antonio, that's it. I draw the line at the Mason-Dixon Line...no offense jabe, Walter, Deb, and other Southerners.

Thanks Reg. She should feel at home here in L.A. because lately there has been a flood of Aussies in town. In the past week, I've met about 15 groups or families from Australia...10 from Melbourne, 3 from Brisbane, and 2 from Sydney. Not to turn this thread all morbid, but remember Natalee Holloway?

Migraine or otherwise? Do you work/live in a loud environment...one where there is constant noise, machinery, etc.? No over-the-counter meds work for you? Hope you can manage until Tuesday. I gotta work tonight...hate working Friday nights.

What a coincidence...I recently received a petition in my e-mail from some watchdog group about the ebola crisis in SIerra Leone, Liberia, and other countries.

My Birthday Burger yesterday...ground sirloin/chuck blend, cooled medium-rare, Monterey jack cheese, bacon, sliced red onions, lettuce, avocado, tabasco sauce, mustard, thousand island, toasted bun. With onion rings and...wait for it CJW...several large glasses of water. Did an extra hard run this morning for penance, hehe.

Famous last words. As a beet lover I heartily give a big thumbs up! If she's making bread, does that portend Mrs. Walter is doing better? I hope so.

Damn, Reg, why didn't you let me know? I could have given her the Zeppelin tour, taken her record shopping, maybe even pick up a few Zeppelin bootlegs for her to send to you. Hope she enjoys her time with Disney. Did she check out the ORIGINAL Disneyland while she was in L.A.? I feel for you Misty. I hope she always travels with companions and NEVER ALONE. May she have a rewarding and educational experience. My friend is having a similar experience to yours...his sister has chucked everything, job and place in San Diego to go on some peace mission in Ghana. He's a tad concerned. You gotta admire their altruistic spirit, though.

Although I'm initially partial to LA 77 for obvious reasons, this is really a tough choice. Each show has amazing highlights to recommend it...each unique to that particular place and time. Even the so-called flaws that people point out were idiosyncratic in a way...part and parcel to each respective period. This requires Solomon-like judgement.

Welcome Metalgina! Glad you got the Super Deluxe boxes...I, and many others here did as well. If you go over to the Main Zeppelin Master Forum, that is where everyone is discussing the sets, posting pictures and revealing what numbered lithograph they received out of the 30,000 limited numbered editions. There are individual threads for each new remaster and other related threads. Check it out and post your input. It's on the cover of the hardbound book that comes with each Super Deluxe Box. The Led Zeppelin is die-cut right through.

BIRTHDAY BIRTHDAY! Someone's got a BIRTHDAY! And that someone is Rick, whose gambling heart's hope springs eternal. Hey Rick, hope you enjoyed that Machado walkoff HR I arranged for your birthday present last night! Damn Angels can't beat your Os to save their lives. Enjoy your celebration day...I'm recuperating from mine.