New Jersey to New Delhi

One of the most interesting things about hosting a blog is seeing where all your visitors come from. In the past few months, I've noticed a trend (and you thought I hadn't been watching). It seems that my most frequent site visitors are from New Jersey and India.

First of all, let me just say thank you to all of you for repeatedly checking out my ramblings here on Whole Bean. Writing is a hobby of mine, and I realize that these topics are usually all over the board, but it is nice to see that someone out there likes the site enough to come back for more. I can only hope that my writing is as entertaining for you as you would like it to be.

My good friend Joe is a transplant to Atlanta from New Jersey, and he is always fascinated to see his home state appearing on my site tracker log. And personally, when I've visited New Jersey in the past, I've had a wonderful time. I may not know everything there is to know about NJ, but I do know that:

1. It's called "the shore", not the beach.
2. Jug handles? Traffic circles? I understand.
3. It's hard to find better Italian food anywhere else on earth.
4. The people have a great sense of humor.
5. You can't pump your own gas.

And of course, I have tons of friends from India as well. I truly find it inspiring that you guys halfway around the world have somehow landed at Whole Bean and that you come back from time to time. I am fascinated by the culture of India, some might say obsessed, to the point that I have a growing personal collection of Bollywood DVD's, favorite Indian stores, and even my own kurta. Gotta love that! I said I knew a few things about New Jersey -- well, I know the following about India:

1. Just because two of you are from India, you may not necessarily know each
other's languages.
2. Food needs to be enjoyed with three senses: smell, taste, and touch.
3. There are beautiful beaches.
4. Sharukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai, and Bipasha Basu are very wealthy people.
5. India mixes some of the best house/techno/club music on the planet.

So to all of you, regardless of where you're from, a sincere thank you for visiting my blog. I'll do my very best to keep you entertained!

Bollywood Backup Plan

By the time I heard the news, all the excitement was over. A Bollywood strike, which began on September 28, was called off on October 3 when film and TV executives agreed to the demands of striking industry workers. Whew...that was close. Apparently, a number of employees had gone without pay for several months, and the whole issue just came to critical mass. Personally, I'm glad it was resolved, since I have a strong affinity for these movies, and any disruption of their production would cause me tremendous angst.

However, situations like this point to the fact that a backup plan is needed, and I believe I have just the answer. Here you have lots of people out of work, many of them very nice-looking (that is parenthetical), in need of food and shelter. And here also you have my house with a couple of extra rooms. Put two and two together, and the answer is obvious.

Bollywood actors and actresses...the next time something like this happens, do not worry about where the next meal is going to come from. Just catch the next flight to Atlanta, give me a call on my cell, and I'll get some rooms ready. We'll have martinis, spicy finger foods, and our own Bollywood festival right here. Ladies and gentlemen, I'm here for you.

Namaste!