Wastin' Away Again...

Well, after 6 years of trying with no luck, I was finally able to score tickets to the Jimmy Buffet concert in Cincinnati this past Thursday. It was out of this world! It's like the world's biggest parrothead party! The margaritas were flowing, the music was blaring, and beach balls were flying everywhere! Jimmy Buffet is one of my favorite artists. I'm well on my way to collecting every album by him and to get the chance to see him in concert was amazing. You could literally feel the energy wash over the crowd when he did one of his popular songs like Fins or Margaritaville. Hopefully this won't be the last time I get to see him and I'll be able to score tickets the next time he comes back to Cincy. Until then, guess I'll just have to settle for drinking margaritas and listening to my CDs.

Hunka Hunka Reese's Cup

While at the store today, I found a most interesting candy that got me 'All Shook Up'. Reese's has released a special collectors edition Reese's Cup to honor the King of Rock & Roll, Elvis. It's a peanut butter & banana creme concoction in honor of the fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches made popular by Elvis. Well, being both a choco-holic and a Elvis fan, I had to try them. Overall I was very impressed. Banana flavor is a very hard flavor to do right, it usually either comes out too artificial or too overpowering. But these were right on the money, tasting like real bananas (of course, it probably helps that the ingredients list actual banana flakes so they are at least partly real bananas). The banana creme was just the right consistency, not too runny or too chunky and blended quite well with the peanut butter. They're a little to sweet to eat too many of them at once, but they're definitely worth a try.

Here's a link to the official Reese's website: Reese's

Indiana Jones 4 News

Some good news out of Hollywood. It seems that Indiana Jones 4 has just completed it's 3rd week of filming and everything seems to be going good. He's even doing many of his own stunts, "he just has a few more ice packs and a few more massages" according to the co-executive producer. Here's the story from Yahoo!Entertainment:

Ford Can Still Fit Into Indy's Trousers

HILO, Hawaii (AP) He may be 65, but Harrison Ford still fits into Indiana Jones' tight trousers.

Many fans are curious to see if, 18 years after "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade," Ford can live up to the physical rigors of the globe-trotting archaeologist in the long-awaited fourth installment of the epic series. The actor's 65th birthday was Friday.

Producers of the adventure, currently being filmed on Hawaii's Big Island, say there's no need to worry. Ford is as fit as ever.

"I have to say, he looks amazing," said Kathleen Kennedy, the film's co-executive producer, along with George Lucas. "He looks fantastic in the outfit."

Actually, Ford knew the hat would still fit but wondered if he could still squeeze into the pants. He did.

The action star, who first introduced the fedora-wearing, bullwhip-cracking Indiana Jones in the 1981 classic "Raiders of the Lost Ark," is actually doing many of his own stunts in the latest film.

"He's doing them, he just has a few more ice packs and a few more massages," Kennedy said.

"And a lot of Celebrex," producer Frank Marshall added.

The movie just completed the first of three weeks of filming in Hawaii, after spending a week each in New Mexico and Connecticut. The lush areas surrounding Hilo are filling in as a South American rain forest.

Lucas and director Steven Spielberg have not released the title of the film, scheduled for release May 22, 2008.

The filming has created a buzz on this normally sleepy island, known for macadamia nuts and premium Kona coffee. It's the most action since nearby Kilauea volcano rumbled to life in 1983.

The film's biggest action sequences are being filmed in Hawaii. Marshall compared one scene to the thrilling, white-knuckled truck chase in the desert in "Raiders."

"It's that level," he said.

Link to the full article.

Konnichiwa

If you're wondering about the title of the post, it's Japanese for "hello". As a personal hobby and in an effort to broaden my mind I have recently decided to try and learn Japanese. I know, those of you who know me or who have read my profile are thinking "He lives in the eastern part of Kentucky, why Japanese?" Well, there are many reasons for me choosing this particular language. First off, I think it's a beautiful sounding language. Next, I've always been interested in the culture of Japan; the tea ceremony, the food, the legends, etc. Also, I've recently became hooked on some Japanese anime and manga, and I would enjoy being able to read them the way they were wrote, not relying upon a translation I wasn't sure about. Finally, my mom lived in Japan when she was a child and my grandpa was stationed at the Air Force base there, and the stories they've told have piqued my interest.

So, thanks to a trip to Barnes and Noble a few days ago I picked up a book on beginner's Japanese and have been going over it when it's quiet on the night shift here at work. It's been very informative and seems to be a great resource, the only problem is I'm not totally sure of my pronunciations. That's one downside to teaching one's self a language, there's not a live person there to correct you when you mispronounce something or conjugate it wrong or whatever. Another thing I've figured out is that the hours between 5AM and 7AM aren't really conductive for learning anything! Knowledge just seems to slip into the vacuum of mild sleep deprivation. Hopefully I'll be able to overcome these obstacles and continue in my pursuit of knowledge, only time will tell. Until then, sayonara (goodbye).

Happy 4th of July!

Here's wishing everyone a happy and safe 4th of July!

Restaurant Review: Miyako Japanese Steakhouse

Disclaimer: First off I don't claim to be a food critic or anything like it, but I am a fat boy and I like to eat, so although this isn't an official review it comes from someone with a LOT of experience in the eating department.

Monday my wife and I decided to go out to eat at Miyako Japanese Sushi & Steak House in Lexington, KY. This is, without a doubt, the best restaurant I've ever been to in Lexington. The atmosphere was great and comfortable, the staff was the friendliest that I've seen in quite a while and the food was out of this world! We started out with a Japanese pickle assortment as an appetizer which consisted of gari (pickled ginger), pickled ume (Japanese plum), pickled daikon radish and normal pickled cucumber. Next was miso soup with tofu, which was wonderful. Then for the main course my wife had the chicken katsu with rice, while I opted for the tonkatsu and rice. And finally for dessert my wife had tempura ice cream (vanilla ice cream surrounded by sponge cake and lightly fried), while I had azuki (red bean) ice cream. Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to sample anything from the sushi bar on this trip. The entire meal was unbelievable. My wife for the most part doesn't like Asian food (with a few exceptions), but even she was highly impressed with everything. I definitely would not hesitate to eat here again.

So overall I would definitely recommend Miyako Sushi and Steak House to anyone in the Lexington area looking for a great Japanese dining experience. I would give it 5 out of 5 stars.