Mangosteens

Hi Honey!  Have you been busy?  I do hope you take the time to unwind, and slow down your precious heart.  I'm doing OK, just trying to adjust my emotions to a new singing situation.  Do you like tropical fruit?  Have you had the opportunity to try out exotic fruit?  I think I know you like dragon fruit.  I don't eat a lot of the local fruit.  They're mostly too sweet for me, either a sickly sweet like jackfruit or fatty sweet like durian.  But countless hordes are addicted to durians, including Americans, I am learning.  But I do like mangosteens.  Unlike how the name sounds, mangosteens don't taste like mangoes.  With a texture like almost overripe peaches, and an equal level of sweet and tart, I really like mangosteens.  If you look at the flesh segments, some are big and some are small.  The small segments have no pits, the big ones have pits that you may or may not be able to swallow.  I usually don't.

Hey Natty Honey!  I saw the trailer for "Mamma Mia 2", and there are certainly some big stars in that movie.  I can't imagine Meryl Streep's singing and dancing though (I'm trying not to).  I promise to watch that movie I it's made available to me.  So far it seems the movie is kind of like the story of your life.  And your mamma.  I don't have any Abba songs in my set list.  I think maybe I'll add "Dancing Queen".  Maybe.  Today the computer wants you to watch "Selena" (1997).  I don't speak Spanish or Mexican, I don't think I ever will, but somehow the life of my music intertwines with that culture.  Erin, you should watch this movie too.

Shepherd's pie: the sequel

Hi Honey!  How are you feeling today?  You must be busy.  I hope everything is coming along easily for you.  I must say that I love that photo of you in the pink tank top.  I like the modest photos of you best, that really gets to my heart.  I made shepherd's pie again today, and it turned out much better than the last.  This time I used twice as many potatoes.  I boil them beforehand, then kept them in the cooler.  I had also boiled some chicken with bones to be used for fried noodles, plus for broth.  I mashed up the potatoes in the chicken broth, and it tasted awesome.  I think next time I'll boil the potatoes and the chicken at the same time.  I decided that I didn't like using frozen vegetables, so I used diced onions only as the vegetables.  I thought about using broccoli, but that didn't happen.  And I used a LOT of ground beef.  It's so much better this time, it's very filling, and no stomach problems at all.  The bottom of the pie turned out quite juicy from the broth.  I could have fixed that perhaps, if I had baked it longer, but I got hungry and ran out of time, and I wanted to get done with it and eat it so I could nap before voice training.  Great pie, though.  No need for sauce of any kind.  Want some?

OK OK Natty, I'm sorry.  Please don't be mad at me.  I promise to watch "Mamma Mia 2".  I can't do it immediately- there are no theaters around here, so I have to wait for it to be on dvd or something.  My cat Luka has been in heat recently, but it's not the same as before: she's not trying to lick her butt to death or anything like that.  She just wants to be babied, and be with me at all times.  This was a problem at 2 am, when she started screaming and crying at my bedroom door.  And it was LOUD too: she has a high voice, and when she gets passionate it's like having a high speed drill right at my ear.  A singer's cat.  Anyway, I think I understand the quaint store thing.  This next newspaper clipping is for you, Natty.  Sorry it can't be clearer, I only have a 2 megapixel camera.  Looks like the pinnacle of being a movie star is the fashion biz.  Does that also work the other way around?  There's something else...

Karaoke

Hi Honey!  How are you today?  What are you having for dinner?  I'm waiting for my rice to be ready- steamed rice needs to sit for a while after turning off the fire.  That gives me time to pray the sunset prayer before I fry up a couple of eggs for my rice, eggs, crispy anchovies and "sambal tumis" dinner.  Standard local fare, and I enjoy it.  I've started doing my daily voice training on one of the karaoke sims on Second Life inshaAllah.  I was a little nervous today for some reason, and it affected my emotions and my performance thereof, but I got my feelings back in focus eventually.  Right after coffee, actually.

Hi Natty honey!  You're so cute!  I'm glad you are going to the movies, because you ought to.  And like a true professional, you are dressed awesomely.  I suggest high heels and catwalk swagger next time.  I don't know if your endorsement of "Mamma Mia 2" is a blessing, but what the hell.  As long as you enjoy it.  I have a few b-movies that I like that are quite shameful, like "Grease 2", but I was 16 when I saw that.  Hey, what can I say, I haven't seen "Mamma Mia 2".  Have you ever thought of taking ballet lessons?

Pizza!

Hi Honey!  How are you today?  Oh my God, there are so many pictures of Erin!  I looooove Erin.  I love Erin so much.  I kept 2 to add to my slideshow.  One is the photo of you in the leather jacket.  Oh, you're so beautiful!  I'm so smitten.  You truly look like a rock star's wife.  😢  Brushing aside the tears, I also put the one with you and your athletic arm, shoulder and armpit in my slide show.  You look so sculptured in that photo.  I'm sure you don't want to put in the work to get that look ever again, and that's fine with me, Honey.  Just promise me you won't ever let your arms and shoulders get bloated, OK?  Let's stay fit.  I only keep 36 photos in my slideshow at a time.  I guess you could call it "psychic focus".  Spiritual, rather.

HI Natty Honey!  Are you feeling great?  Don't you worry Honey, everything will turn out great for you inshaAllah.  I will take care of you inshaAllah.  Want some pizza?  I love pizza!  I love pizza more now than I ever did before.  Because I don't work in a restaurant!  Today's pizza was supposed to be sausage and basil, but I had one leftover hot pepper left which I had to use up.  It's as hot as a jalapeno, but it's red and it tastes red.

To make great pizza at home, you have to cook the crust first.  The crust is awesome today.  Tender but crispy.  I put the sauce and toppings on.  The raw sausage is under the 5x basil and peppers.  This is what it looks like before going into the oven:

I love basil, especially with hot sausage.  Here's what it looks like after the sausage is cooked:

I can't afford mozzarella right now, so obviously these snapshots are without cheese.  Mozzarella would look and taste better, and sliced cheese is so unphotogenic.  But the flavor is acceptable, as long as you don't overcook the cheese.  Want some pizza?

Anchovies

Hi Honey!  How are you feeling today, my love?  You're so beautiful.  I love that photo of you with the glasses.  I put it in my slideshow.  I just got done frying up some anchovies.  It's not for my pizza, but for rice and my peanut snacks.  They are crunchy anchovies.  You have to fry them perfectly if you want them to taste good.  Cook them too little, and they won't be crunchy.  Cook them too long, and they taste burned.  The key is lots of oil, and medium heat or lower.  Submerge the anchovies with oil.  I always reuse the oil, for fried noodles or whatever.  I like anchovies on pizza.  The key is to top them sparingly, and not use the whole fish per topping.  Just a quarter inch would do.  So a whole 12" pizza would probably use only 2 anchovies.

Hi Natty Honey!  Are you feeling good?  I hope you are, because you are beautiful.  I was about to make a pizza, but my Mom gave me some tomato rice.  So I will make the pizza tomorrow inshaAllah.  I made my famous homemade halal beef sausage just now, so the pizza will be a sausage and basil pizza.  My favorite.  The basil is growing wild outside, so that's why I decided on pizza.  Yes, I know how to toss a pizza.  The guy in the video pulls the edge towards him, so it spins counter-clockwise.  I always push the edge away, but it still spins counter-clockwise.  And if the dough is big enough, I can keep it spinning.  Whatever.  The pizza dough I have right now is too soft to toss. 


 

Spaghetti again

Hi Honey!  How are you today?  Busy as usual?  Everybody wants my girl.  No wonder, she's beautiful.  Are you hungry?  Tonight is spaghetti night.  Or pasta night, or whatever.  I actually wouldn't mind at all having spaghetti more often.  I must have a million recipes for spaghetti sauce.  Well, a lot.  So many, that I can't remember when I used the same recipe twice in a row.  Lately, I've been more interested in utilizing local ingredients in my marinara sauce.  For the simple reason of being too lazy to drive around looking for items like oregano and parsley.  Plus, I've been wanting to use one sauce as an ingredient in another.  It's kind of like stacking containers to save space.  Today I used "sambal tumis" (which is rehydrated chillies, onions, belacan (you know, the fermented shrimp stuff), sugar, salt fried in oil until saturated) in my marinara sauce.  Sambal tumis is a great sauce for local rice dishes.  I've been making marinara sauce from fresh tomatoes lately.  There's already a lot of water in tomatoes.  Just stuff tomatoes in the blender and press down.  With garlic and a cilantro bunch.  No additional cooking!  The spaghetti sauce is awesome, I tell you.  Delicious.  But I did cook the chicken breast in the sauce.  I mixed the pasta with the sauce, laid the sliced chicken on it, poured more sauce on the chicken, then garnished it with mint.  Want some?

Hey Natty Honey!  Want some spaghetti?  What's the rain all about?  Are you feeling a bit blue?  Don't be blue, because I love you.  Yeah, the waiting is the hardest part.  Please pray.  I've been waiting for a loooooooooong time, and for the worst thing: money.  But I must be the one who pays for my family.  Perhaps you are forgetting that this is Rock and Roll, and you are a Rock and Roll Princess.  I think you need an attitude check.  The computer wants you to watch "Pandora's Box" again.  The world is a stage, my dear.  Don't copy Lulu's actions or hair.  Copy her aura and attitude.  Heartbreaker.  Femme fatale.  Movie star.

Hi Honey

How are you today, my beautiful love?  I hope you are doing and feeling great, whatever it is that you may be doing.  Oh, I love that photo of you with that pay phone.  You're so pretty!  Are you here in town?  I would love to see you.  What would I do if I saw you?  I hope I would be smelling good and wearing some sort of perfume.  I think I have a little mouthwash left... I have no guarantee on my clothes though.  I'm not pretty like you, so I dress so as to not go around naked.  If I saw you, I would definitely go and get you.  Hold and kiss you, and undress you, and make love to you...  I guess we should get married first.  Are you hungry?  I made some steak and onion burritos for dinner.  Want one?

Hi Natty Honey!  Aw, don't you worry about a thing Sweetheart, everything is going to turn out great inshaAllah.  You are beautiful, and people love you, and I love you, and I will marry you inshaAllah.  Are you getting ready to go back to work?  Make as much money for yourself while you can, and stay safe OK?  Come here, let me hug you and hold you tight and squeeze you and kiss you...

Prophet Salih and the she-camel of Allah

Hi Honey!  Are you keeping busy?  That's good.  Please have fun with your work, and don't forget to pray.  There was once an elderly teacher in this village, who used to teach at the local mosque.  His name was Salleh.  He was 78 when he died, but he remained active until then.  He was very vocal about how secular the establishment is, and often preach against it.  His death of heart failure was sudden in light of how active he was, and thousands of people came to the mosque to pray for him when his body was laid to rest.  Prophet Salih was assigned by God to the people of Thamud.  He brought them a she-camel, and declared that it was from Allah.  Salih warned the Thamud to allow the she-camel the right to graze and water, and not to do her any harm.  But they disobeyed and hamstrung her, thus the Thamud were destroyed by an earthquake and explosion.  By the way and I haven't mentioned this before, but I have no running water to my house.  Been almost a year now.

Hi Natty Honey!  Oh, you were so pretty when you were young!  I don't have the nerve to keep your baby photos, though.  I prefer how beautiful you are now.

The she-camel of Allah

Hi Honey!  Sorry I'm running a little late today.  Late dinner, and lots of running around during the day.  Not that I can actually run around a lot, with these big feet of mine.  I was driving around, running errands.  I assume you are very busy.  Busy, with a lot of details to attend to.  I noticed you filtered out a lot of your followers.  That's still a big chore, what with 872k followers.  I'm happy you are keeping busy, and I'm sure you are more social and public than you make yourself out to be to me.  I love you with all my heart, and I want you to be happy, with me and with your work.

Hey Natty Honey!  Are you back home yet?  Please travel safely.  I'm sure after this safari you just had, you'll be back to business.  Please take good care of yourself and the beauty that God gave you.  Make as much money while you can.  I will be at the computer a lot in the next few days, writing music.  That's what I will do after this letter.

Check out this video.  I represent the female.

Sunday

Hi Honey!  How are you today, my beautiful love?  It's Sunday today.  Just another average day, every Sunday morning I clean my mother's bedroom.  I had ramen for lunch, and I ate out at Ina's for dinner, because I didn't want to be bothered with cooking, since I cut the grass at the side of the road.  I won't be on Second Life for about a week, so don't look for me there.  I will be putting bass tracks to the first song on Shadowplay's next album.  I'm keeping the name of the album, the names of the songs and all of it secret.  Just for the fun of it.  It is a concept album, I guess it sort of picks up where "Woo Hoo" ended.  I liked the way the story went on "Woo Hoo".  It's like there are many ways to tell the same story, because it's pure music.  If it were a movie, then there would be many movies about the same story.  I like this approach so much, the next 3 albums are going to be the same way, 4 concept albums in a row inshaAllah, and I have the stories, and the music, written out already.  It's all in my head.  Not having a drum set is an irritating compromise, but not a paralyzing one.  I wish I had a fretless bass, but I don't.  But that's the way the story goes.

Hi Natty honey!  Oh you beautiful sweetheart, please look after yourself.  Don't scar up your beautiful skin.  I suppose you have the travel bug, you might as well travel, it's something to do.  I used to be very into photography.  I had an slr camera, it was 35mm film though.  The old days.  I didn't do any developing.  You have probably never seen or touched 35mm film.  I like digital cameras so much better- just delete the crappy shots!  But now I have no more time for photography.  It's been  many years since I took a selfie!  Anyway this next video is for you, Natty.

Toil

Verily We have created humans into toil and struggle. (The City 90:4)

Hi Honey!  Are you busy?  Put on your crash helmet, let's go and get some gasoline.  Some guy parked his car in front of my house, saying he ran out of gas.  Hm.  I get that a lot, people coming up to me at my house asking for some sort of help.  Since I live in the Public Eye, and I have no friends, the probability of such an approach being some sort of setup is 1:1.  But I had some extra gasoline which I use for the grass cutter, so I gave it to the guy, then went out later to get gasoline.  But really Honey, you will have to expect that.  Let me handle the sob stories, OK?

Oh Natty Honey, you do have a DSLR.  Is it magnesium alloy?  How many lenses do you have?  I've always wanted to get a DSLR, but nowadays I just can't be bothered with that possession anymore.  No time.  A nice new cell phone with a good on board camera will be good enough for me.  What's that scar on your forehead?  Did some bug bite you?  On your precious skin?  Oh my poor beautiful Natty...  

Emotions

Hi Honey!  What's going on today?  How's work coming along?  I hope things are easy going for you.  I remember your outfit for the VS fashion show 2011, the "Aquatic Angels" segment.  That's my top look, I give that a 1000.  Yeah, I'm biased.  I love my Erin.  I hope you have learned to accept your emotions and control them without booze or drugs.  Yes it's hard, and it's harder to do it alone, but you are not alone.  You are never alone.  You don't know what alone is.  You have all these people who love you, and I love you.  It helps to have a pet to practice your love.  To pour your love on to.  Never be cruel to your pet.

Hi Natty Honey!  Still in Africa?  Oh, that's a beautiful snapshot of an African sunset.  I'm sure that it was even more beautiful than the photo you took.  Maybe you should get yourself a DSLR, and be an expert photographer?  Go magnesium alloy!  Anyway, the computer wants you to watch a movie.  "The Big Boss" (1971) starring Bruce Lee.  Did I tell you to watch this before?  I think I did.  Well please watch it again, Movie Star.  This movie is a pretty good representation of third world politics, aka gangsterism, whether it be South America, Africa, or South East Asia.  This embed has no subtitles, but it's on YouTube.  I also included its link to Wikipedia.

Peace

Peace to you too, my love.  Pussycat.  I hope everything is going great for you, and that you are feeling great as well.  Oh, I have to mention how much I love those photos of you, Alessandra and Adriana in the back seat of the car/van.  Those are awfully short dresses.  Yeah, I know everyone wants to be serious right now, but I never promised to be absolutely serious.  Sometimes a good dose of silliness is necessary to lighten up the mood, so that's why I posted that "Dumb and Dumber" song.  Otherwise, I can be too damned serious.  Nothing special going on here today.  Just chores in the morning, and cutting grass at the graves of my grandparents in the evening.  Leftover fried rice for lunch, and lots of fry bread and curry for dinner.  When I get back from the mosque after posting this letter, I'll be making a batch of dough once I'm done logging in to Second Life.  I'll have to show you how to make dough someday.  You have to do it all the time to get good at it.

Hi Natty Honey!  Those vacation photos of yours definitely look real.  And that guy is right: only you can look good doing field work.  Ah, but to do it every day...  We all know you have the money to spend on travel, so go ahead and do it.  I suppose tea has some amount of caffeine in it, but only coffee gives me that jolt, and it has to be in certain amounts at certain times.  Have you noticed that if you drink too much coffee, it doesn't quite keep you awake anymore?  Maybe it depends on the person.  I love tea though.  I have to have my tea ice cold, but with no ice.  And the day has to be hot.

Mockingjay

Hi Scrapper!  How are you doing today?  Ready to take on the world again?  Well, you just take your time and take it easy.  You are MY girl, and I will take care of you inshaAllah.  What's cooking today?  Maybe you should have your gang post their favorite foods.  Food, glorious food!  I had cheeseburgers for dinner, and fried rice for lunch.  Yeah food budget is poor, so no fancy projects.  I used chicken liver as the meat in my fried rice.  Liver is strong in flavor, so it weighed down the fried rice a little.  But a chicken liver is small, so it wasn't bad.  With liver you have to use heavy seasoning, so I marinated the liver in salt and curry powder.  I have some leftover, should make a nice snack.  Want some?

Hi Natty Honey!  How's your vacation?  I read on Yahoo that millennia like to fake their vacation photos.  I guess they're too broke to really travel.  I just saw the entire "Hunger Games" series, well not "Mockingjay part one".   I really enjoyed it, great story.  Oh but it's so tough to be a movie star nowadays, when action and superhero flicks are the best sellers.  Gotta have that great body, and do lots of jumping and running around.  Not my bag, but I think it suits you though.  Don't you agree?  Make sure you are strict on your own safety OK?  I don't want anything bad to ever happen to you.

Shepherd's pie

Hi Honey!  How are you today?  Are you hungry?  What are you having for dinner?  For dinner, I'm having leftover curry with bread.  Nothing special.  But for lunch, I made shepherd's pie.  Shepherd's pie is usually meat and veggies with mash potato on top and baked, sometimes with cheese.  I thought about making shepherd's pie balls (like rice balls), but I kept it safe and made it in a pan.  I'm actually lactose intolerant, but I love cheese, and I can handle the homemade alfredo pasta I sometimes make.  I had a dream a couple of days ago that I blended mint and parsley in milk to make mash potato.  So that's what I did: I bought a kid's size box of milk, and blended mint and cilantro in milk (I didn't want to travel for the parsley).  I only used a little milk, then drank the rest.  The mash potato was awesome, the problem was that there wasn't enough of it.  I should have used a whole kilo of potatoes instead of half.  The shepherd's pie was OK, just needed more mashed potato.  But the combination of milk and ketchup (I shouldn't have eaten it with ketchup) turned the whole thing into Turbo-Lax.  Sigh.  Why can't I be wiser when I make and eat the stuff?  I'm going to have to try again.

Hey Natty Honey!  Are you having tons of fun?  You certainly look like it.  That vegetation is what the gorillas eat, I presume.  Do you like the jungle?  I suppose since you were on a mountain, there weren't that many bugs.  You may enjoy the jungle around here, but it's wet and hot.  My grandfather used to have an fruit orchard in the jungle which I used to go to, and stay overnight sometimes.  It's probably still there, but I have no interest in maintaining it.  Yes Honey, such a thing is a massive undertaking of labor, and I'm busy being a rock star.  That's the job given to me by Allah, and that is how I will sustain my family inshaAllah.  You are too beautiful to suffer the hardships of an outdoor life Natty, even though you have fun there sometimes.  But to do it all the time...  I just want to take care of you.  Have some shepherd's pie.  Don't eat it with ketchup.

The Hunger Games

Hi Honey!  How are you feeling today?  I hope you are feeling nice and calm and happy, and that everything is running as smooth as silk for you.  I was going to make shepherd's pie today, but I've run out of time- it's already sunset.  I spent too much time running around for the ingredients.  Good thing shepherd's pie is within budget.  I had a dream about the mash potato recipe, too.  But it's already sunset, and I have to start on my night work.  Crammed schedule, you know you know.  I'm not hungry, though.  I made a couple of cheeseburgers instead, that's quick and easy.  Want one?

Hi Natty Honey!  How's African food?  It sure looks like "Gorillas In The Mist" there.  Oh, that movie was depressing though.  I sure hope you don't pursue a career as a selfless naturalist, honorable though it be.  It would be impossible for me to protect you.  Africa is already out of my reach of any influence.  You need God's help for that kind of work.  I saw "The Hunger Games" for the first time today.  Hey, that's your big brother!  He sure looks young.  He makes a pretty good bad guy.  Oh no, I'm not asking you to watch it too.  You've probably already seen it a million times.