Adoring these Muses

There are certain photographers that can do no wrong. They are so brilliant that I know whatever they create will be tortuously beautiful to behold. Here are some images that always inspire and put a smile on my face.

Sweet Prosciutto Baked Brie Recipe #1 (no carb)

This is the second day I make this delicious lunch:

1 Brie Cheese big slice
Prosciutto sliced (3-4 slices)
Honey (5 tbsp)
2 Sweet Red Apples

Wrap brie cheese in fresh prosciutto, then place it on a foil-lined baking sheet. Then drizzle honey all over it and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

While it is baking you can chop up 2 sweet red apples.

You dip the red apples into the brie. It's delicious! I bet figs would go really well with this too.
This could also go well with a small salad of tomatoes, cucumbers, onions and peppers (seasoned with lemon, olive oil, hot sauce and dried red chili pepper flakes.)

Opera, Boston, Good Eats & Love

I had a wonderfully long weekend in Boston, this past Thursday through Sunday.It started off with a nice 1st class flight to Boston on American Airlines Wednesday evening. Kat Von D. was right next to me as we were all herded through security. The flight was pleasant for a red eye, although once you go 1st class you can't go back.

Upon arrival I got to watch the tech rehearsal and dress rehearsal for Evan Ziporyn's new opera "A House In Bali", directed by Jay Scheib, with renown musicians Bang On A Can and a 16-piece Balinese Gamelan ensemble from Bali. It was a really impressive opera, that I would watch the premieres of the following 2 evenings.


After that first night's rehearsals I went to a delicious fine seafood dinner with Timur in the theater district. I had a platter of fresh calamari, oysters and cod with tomato ratotuille. That was the begining of the delicious food my weekend. Every performance was followed by a reception or after party. On saturday, my younger brother Michael, took the train from Brown University to visit. We ate an Indian lunch in Harvard square and after a visit to the Natural History museum, we had nutella and strawberry crepes for desset.

The weather was gently cool (although it felt very dramatic compared to LA.) Boston is just a beautiful city and incredibly inspiring.

More about the opera:

A House in Bali is a new opera by Evan Ziporyn with libretto by Paul Schick based on a memoir by Colin McPhee. is stunning, multi-media spectacle brings together the finest ensembles of east and west: a 16-piece Balinese gamelan directed by the dynamic Dewa Ketut Alit, the Bang on a Can All-Stars, Balinese choreography by the enchanting Kadek Dewi Aryani, wayang shadow puppets, and high-tech projections converge, pushing all boundaries of theatrical innovation.

A House in Bali features some of the finest operatic and Balinese voices working today: Anne Harley, Marc Molomot, Timur Bekbosunov as well as the legendary Nyoman Catra and Desak Made Suarti Laksmi and - making his operatic debut - Nyoman Triyana Usadhi.

Kristian Hoffman "Out Of The Habit" Official Music Video

Donkey Lovin' Scene

Donkey Lovin'

I've been editing a music video for Kristian Hoffman's new album. There are so many silly outtakes from it. Here's 1 of them: Donkey Scene

Stellar's Sea Cow: The Defenseless Beast

Besides the Dodo Bird and Tyrannosaurus Rex, I have discovered a new extinct love: The Sea Cow. Some believe there have been sightings of it in the Bering area and Greenland. I hope that is true. It seems like such a large, loveable beast.

"The sea cow grew at least 8 metres (26 ft)to 9 meters or 30 feet long. According to Steller, "The animal never comes out on shore, but always lives in the water. Its skin is black and thick, like the bark of an old oak…, its head in proportion to the body is small…, it has no teeth, but only two flat white bones—one above, the other below". It was completely tame, according to Steller. They fed on a variety of kelp. Wherever sea cows had been feeding, heaps of stalks and roots of kelp were washed ashore. The sea cow was also a slow swimmer and apparently was unable to submerge.

Fossils indicate that Steller's sea cow was formerly widespread along the North Pacific coast, reaching south to Japan and California. Given the rapidity with which its last population was eliminated, it is likely that aboriginal hunting caused its extinction over the rest of its original range (aboriginal peoples apparently never inhabited the Commander Islands).