Shogun

Yesterday was Amy’s 23rd birthday, I didn’t really have a gift for her since we just purchased a new car which will be her primary form of transportation, and she understood that. But, she did have one request for a birthday meal, Sushi. Now for a guy like me, that is asking quite a lot. I tend to favor bovine when it comes to dining out. When I do defer to food forthcoming from the sea my favored preparation tends to be deep fried. Alas, Amy want sushi, Amy get Sushi.

I researched and found a rather small place called Shogun here in Palmdale. A search online will reveal rave reviews. Tucked away on Avenue Q-6 between Sierra Highway and 10th Street East, it is not a large establishment by any means. The restaurant has maybe five booths total and a sushi bar you can sit at.
Only one Sushi chef, Massa, and only one waitress Judy. We were promptly seated and handed menus. After careful consideration Amy ordered the California Roll (Not realizing that it contains avocado which she dislikes) and Noodles. I hade a combination dinner of Fried Shrimp (Yeah I took the easy way out), Golden Shrimp (Baked easy way out), and the Shogun Roll. I really had no idea what was in the roll, but I figure if it is named after the establishment it can’t be too bad.

The meal was quite good I am happy to say. Amy enjoyed her noodles and roll, even though she had to pick out the avocado. The shrimp dishes were all great, and the Shogun roll was very good, I think it had some tempura crab, avocado and something else. Either way a very nice meal that didn’t really fill up the stomach too much. I enjoyed it and I hope to go back again. And since the place is so close to work maybe I can start eating there at lunch. Yea, maybe I can be one of the SoCal guys who is always eating sushi….I can see myself doing that.

Sweet.

That New Car Smell

A very exciting moment in the life of a young couple, we just bought our first new car. The other day we snaked down the grand Golden State Freeway to the Norm Reeves Honda Superstore and became the proud owners of a 2008 Honda Fit Sport. Prior to this car Amy was pretty much driving a dump of a car. A 1992 Mazda 626, which at the time of purchase was one heck of a car, but now it has 250,000+ miles on it. And it seems like it could go at any moment. It has had its share of dings and dents, having the front bumper ripped off, losing it driver side mirror and having a terrible transmission slip problem. But now it is no longer a problem. We now have a new car with working air conditioning and plenty of leg and head room for Raymond, so even I am happy. Even the back seat has a decent amount of room for a compact car. So suffice to say we are excited and look forward to our first long drive to see the Grand Canyon and my Grandparents in Arizona. I hope to post pictures soon.

Movie Quickie: Step Brothers

Yesterday in the afternoon Amy and I went to see the latest Will Ferrell movie: Step Brothers. This movie puts Ferrell back on the screen with his acting buddy John C. Reilly and also puts Adam McKay back at the helm. The move and the plot and pretty pointless but it is funny. The best Ferrell movie in quite a while, lots of stupid joke and just general silliness but with the R rating you get all of that with a lot of coarse language which can be great fun. The movie will probably move to the discount theaters next week but I think it is worth seeing. Nice to see Ferrell back in top form, although I am still not sold on John C. Reilly as a true comedic actor, despite his Dewey Cox turn earlier this year. Also a great cameo by Horatio Sans as the leader of a Billy Joel late 80’s cover band called: Uptown Girl. Good times.

Movie Quickie: Tropic Thunder

While Amy was away in Orange County this weekend I snuck in to see Tropic Thunder. I will be quick with this one. The movie while retaining a quite a bit of the Stiller brand of zaniness is full of some pretty good satire and parody. I enjoyed it and it does deserve the #1 movie spot. Also the best role Tom Cruise has had since possibly Mission Impossible in my opinion.

Movie Quickie: Pineapple Express

If “Die Hard” and “Up In Smoke” had a baby it would come out looking and acting like “Pineapple Express”. The perfect mating of a high times stoner flick with a violent action movie. Plenty of laughs, lots of people getting shot, lots of people getting high and some great violent deaths. The movie slows at times when it focuses on the friendship of Seth Rogen and James Franco’s characters but that really shows the movies heart, there are also enough action sequences to keep you going, and it is good to see Rosie Perez is still getting work these days.

Eddie Izzard: Stripped

One of the few comedians I have really wanted to see for a long time now was Eddie Izzard, Executive Transvestite. First off I have to admit I was a little disappointed he wasn’t dressed in drag. He came out in jeans, shirt, vest and a jacket with tails. Also he had his goatee, which I guess all accounts for his work with “The Riches”. But attire aside it was refreshing to see a smart, clever, and very entertaining performance from Mr. Izzard. Some of the jokes and references I remembered from previous shows I had seen or heard from him, but much of the material was fresh. What we got was the Izzard take on the creation of the universe and the dawn of man right up into the Biblical times. A little bit of lampooning of the Christianity but he does in such a light hearted way that it does not offend and I do appreciate that. Unlike many today who seem to enjoying just bashing the Hell out of Christianity, Eddie treats it like any other religion and shows a certain amount of respect. He did end the show with a bit of a pro-Obama pep talk, but seeing as how he was a transvestite comedian giving a performance to crowd in Hollywood he was pretty much preaching to the choir. Overall I had a very good time, the show was a strong two hours and very fun, very British, very Izzard. I hope I get to see him again in next time he is in town.