What Made you Smile/What Ticked you off Today?

[Luke]

Smile: Yesterday I was alerted by facebook that a friend of mine was celebrating a birthday. I was able to pay for his comic folder at the shop in time, and a bunch of us got together and went out for a sushi/sashimi/nigiri dinner. After a late dinner (we left the restaurant at around 10pm) we went to a friend's house and shenanigans ensued. All in all a pretty rowdy night for a Wednesday.

Frown: The restaurant we went to, and the bill.

I've eaten at every sushi bar in my city and one stands alone. Perfect food, service, and although it isn't cheap, it isn't ridiculously priced. I also know the owner and head itamae, and they don't "Americanzie" their food.

Instead we went to Wasabi 88, where a single sushi roll filled with fake crab meat can run $18.00usd. The service was pretty crappy, but by far the biggest disappointment was the food.

If I would have been blindfolded I could not have told the difference between the salmon and tuna. The fish was cold and tasteless. Before last night, I have never, ever eaten salmon that didn't taste heavily of salmon. Chefs also joke about how complicated salmon recipes are as "Well, no matter what it's going to end up tasting like salmon".

And there were no traditional rolls on the menu. Instead of futomaki rolls it was philly cheese steak rolls and other deep fried garbage smothered in tempura and then drowned in a mayo based sauce. And they also committed one of my culinary pet peeves; putting more inedible items on the plate than actual food. Nothing wets the appetite like plastic flowers and shrimp shells, right?

1 sushi roll
1 plate sashimi
1 plate nigiri
2 carafes of sake

=

$80.00usd before tip.

[Key-Glyph]

Just to throw in on the holiday madness conversation, are most people's parents still married? That's what it seems like, and I guess it surprised me a little.

If you think getting married makes things complicated (which it does), consider being the child of divorced parents and marrying someone else with divorced parents. Suddenly you've got four separate families to work into the equation and/or feel guilty over. It can be a logistical and emotional nightmare.

I often wish there weren't officially-observed holidays -- just general seasons, in which special celebrations could occur at any time therein -- and not just for the reason above. This includes birthdays.

[fastbilly1]

If you think getting married makes things complicated (which it does), consider being the child of divorced parents and marrying someone else with divorced parents. Suddenly you've got four separate families to work into the equation and/or feel guilty over. It can be a logistical and emotional nightmare.

It was the brilliant concept for a poorly made movie called Four Christmas's.

[Xeogred]

That was the case of my parents somewhat. My mom was adopted but connected with her birth parents over the years and then my dad's side is a chain reaction of divorces.

I think these things made a really big impact on both my parents in different ways probably. They did separate for a year or two back when I was in high school. I did the whole back and forth two homes thing for a bit. Luckily I was so busy with school, friends, and part time work that I didn't really dwell on it, but certain things did happen during those times that hurt me a lot as well. Just now kind of learning to accept and let go of some of that stuff.

Nowadays things are really good between them and they both joke that for the sake of my sister and I, my nephew, and future family, no matter what they'll "work it out".

My dad has seen it a lot from what I've seen, and now I am as well. But when there's some deaths in the family or major things like that, some strong connections to huge chunks of family are completely lost sometimes. So it's definitely complicated and weird.

[Ack]

Did none of you ever try the "I have to work" excuse? I used to intentionally take work on holidays so I didn't have to put up with the monstrosity that is my family situation. Mom's not so bad now that she's divorced again. On my Dad's side, there's always some kind of fight, but he's gotten pretty tired of a lot of the crap too. My grandmother is in the process of kicking the bucket, so Dad is having to take care of that right now, and my stepmother's mom has days ranging from 'ok' to 'suicidal'. And then there are my numerous aunts and uncles, a couple of which are fighting or getting divorces, there are my cousins(some of whom are really good folks and some of whom are dumb as rocks), and there's my alcoholic and abusive grandfather that nobody really ever wants to talk about. Dad, my stepmother, and my younger brother have been fighting for several years now, so who knows if that will abate for the holidays. Probably not.

On the upside, at least now I have a normal girlfriend, as opposed to the psycho bitch I used to date. She made holidays a lot worse. With my girlfriend, I drop her off at the airport the weekend before a major holiday, and I pick her up on the weekend after. She goes home to visit her parents. Easy.

[BoneSnapDeez]

at least now I have a normal girlfriend

I laughed harder at this than I should have.

[fastbilly1]

at least now I have a normal girlfriend

I laughed harder at this than I should have.

Nono, his old girlfriend was best described as a "crazy ass bitch." She was so bad that we refer to the Sirens in Killing Floor as Acks Ex.

[AppleQueso]

Acks Ex.

Ax-X

[fastbilly1]

Smile - Found a local contact that said he should be able to repair my Astro City's monitor.
Ticked - It wont be done before my wife and I have a party later this month.

[Hobie-wan]

Acks Ex.

Ax-X

oAx-x?