Big Night

You know the Hollywood hot spot restaurants that have a three-week wait list for reservations and are always jam-packed with stars? The kind of restaurants that don't serve normal food, replacing staples like Caesar salad with "shaved brussel sprout salad with goat cheese, roasted almonds..." and so on. And instead of chocolate cake or apple pie for dessert, they have lavender honey ice cream and zinfandel sorbet. Well, I went to a restaurant like that tonight (without the jam-packed, reservation-required, Hollywood attendance parts). It was at H2O Sushi in Broad Ripple, IN of all places, and it was a phenomenal dining experience. The waiters recognized my aunt as a regular customer (of course, she was there on Tuesday, so they didn't exactly need to have amazing memories) and were very professional. They even made brussel sprout salad sound appetizing. Of course, we passed, because we were there for sushi. We did have etamame, steamed and salted on the outside of the pods, which I never would have guessed would prove successful but it was. Delicious! Then my choice of rolls was called "Big Night" which seemed appropriate. It was portabello, scallions, avocado and maybe something else, rolled inside out and wrapped in seared salmon (or maybe tuna, doesn't matter, my palate isn't that discriminating) and more avocado. Wonderful dipped in the wasabi and soy (low sodium soy at that!) Dessert was by far the highlight of the evening and while I didn't try the lavender honey ice cream or the zinfandel sorbet, I did try two other exotic ice cream concoctions: salty peanut and some sort of native bark (flavored with the syrup from this local hickory tree). And the to-die-for cookies. Walnut pecan maple coconut oatmeal cookies the size of my head. Soft and crispy at the same time, just out of the oven and served with espresso whipped cream. It was absolute heaven. And the whole time I was at the restaurant, I felt just like the movie stars must feel at the latest craze restaurants with funny names and famous chefs and the bizarro menus that I always thought left people wanting regular bread and chicken. The cost ended up being Hollywood-worthy, but fortunately I brought along an aunt with a good job and no kids to support (besides me for the last four weeks) who was more than happy to treat if it meant sharing the joy of her favorite restaurant. And since I'm bragging, I also wanted to comment that I was daring enough to try sashimi for the first time--not bad, just not something I would pay for--as well as trying a roll covered in roe. I couldn't taste it as there was so much else going on in the roll and it was just as well because the thought grossed me out but I wanted to say I'd tried.
That's all to report for now. I could go into a labored account of work and the types of jobs in industry that intrigue me versus those that disgust and disappoint, but I'll spare you. I suppose any job has its ups and downs. Mine just leaves me wondering if there will ever be a time in my life when a) I look forward to work, and b) I will have enough to do that I'm not bored half the day. That job is out there somewhere. Along with everything else about my adult life that I can't wait to start but that appears to be in deep hiding. I mean, is there a hiding spot big enough for my dream job, my dream husband, my house with a front porch and a back yard and a fireplace, a soccer team to coach, a horse and an adorable dog, and the several countries that I'm waiting to visit? Wow, I digress.

From the desk of...

I'm taking the final three minutes of my lunch break to check in. First thought which prompted me to blog: Annie Lennox's "Into the West" on my launchcast player reminded me of how powerful music is. That song specifically dredges up such intense emotions related to the drama of LOTR. Then, I watched Bones Couples Counseling which are little extras on the website that haven't made it into shows. More brilliant chemistry between David and Emily showing how these characters can have a fun, adorable, witty relationship without being a couple. Go check out the vids for insights on why Brennan fears snakes, which clowns bother Booth the most, Booth's take on the 5-second rule, and more goodies.
Such wonderful mental deviations from the world of diabetes and drug information, don't you think? I have to take advantage since I have the pending doom of my presentation in an hour and a half. I'll let you know how it goes. I brought an extra dark chocolate bar to give me courage. Alright, three minutes is over. More to come later when I think of a topic that can keep my typing for more than a few sentences.

Not to make excuses

While still shamefully brushing off any comments regarding the Broncos' game today, I just wanted to point out that we were without many key playmakers: John Lynch, Javon Walker, Rod Smith, Tom Nalen, Ebenezer Ekuban, Jay Cutler (for most of the game), Stephen Alexander, and Ben Hamilton. Injuries shouldn't be an excuse for losing, and they certainly don't justify a 44-7 manhandling by the Lions (?!?!?!), but we may just have to face that we do our best to get through this season without our best players. We've also had games where we've sat other key players--Champ Bailey and Travis Henry--due to injury. It's gonna be a long season Denver fans.