Well, let's see...
Thursday was the last day of the 3rd quarter at school. It's amazing how fast the year has gone., and it seems nearly inconceivable that I have been teaching now for almost 6 full years. That's longer than my longest continuous Microsoft stint, to put that in perspective.
Friday was the first day of Spring Break. We probably should have been on our way to Japan, but I chose to travel from Sunday to Sunday in the hopes of being able to use some of my and the Queen's international upgrades on American Airlines. Of course, as soon as I booked the flights, every businessperson decided to travel between Dallas and Tokyo, and we may not be able to use them. DOH! I'm keeping my fingers crossed that our vacation won't start with 10+ hours trapped in the middle section of a Boeing 777.
Last night we went to Sekisui Cordova and ate American-style sushi. By that, I mean maki-sushi (rolls) with lots of crazy fillings which makes the fish somewhat immaterial. In a couple of days we'll be back in Tokyo at Sushicho eating real Japanese sushi -- I can't wait. Henry's the boss at Sekisui Cordova, and he's a very nice guy -- the Queen and I even went out to dim sum with him and his family and were invited over to their house for spectacular Mexican home cooking. Did I forget to mention that Henry is Mexican? Not a big deal -- we've encountered all sorts of unusual cross-cultural sushi chefs in the USA. In Miami, I ate sashimi many years ago made by Thai and Laotian chefs that was garnished with mango, papaya, and pineapple (tropical sushi). In Tucson, the Queen and I used to eat at Hana Sushi where Pancho (a Korean guy) would speak Spanish and toss the oshibori (hot towels) across the whole restaurant as if he was a Major League pitcher.
Oh, back to my original thought... I feel like a cheating husband. OK, not that bad, but let me explain. We have two friends who through the oddities of their career paths have ended up at sushi chefs at different Sekisuis in the Memphis area. The other chef, Mike of Sekisui Collierville, is very good, but is more erratic in his moods and has his Taiwanese Mom there as waitress and sometime cook. She makes us Taiwanese food that Karen really enjoys and I enjoy pretty well myself. She started off bring them as complimentary treats -- almost like a bonus for her loyal customers. Last Friday, she gave us some noodles and chicken, and $15 ended up on my bill. Huh? So now, I'm paying for off-menu, unpriced Taiwanese dishes that I can't even order? Maybe my wife ordered it in Mandarin... The problem is that we now have to divide our sushi business between Henry and Mike without letting them know about this -- as a result, we may have to start eating sushi all the time. I guess there are worse problems. At least my Costco Amex card gives me 3% back at restaurants.
This morning, it was off to Blue Plate Cafe for breakfast with the Queen. She loves breakfast, and it's growing on me. I watched an episode of Good Eats the other day that featured omelets, and I'd been jonesing for one ever since. This morning was a jalapeno cheese and mushroom omelet that hit the spot perfectly. I even drank coffee instead of sweet tea -- I could become an adult yet! OK, maybe I'm dreaming...
OK, that's enough for now. I hope you like all my sidebar bling.
