12.5 Things To Do - #27 Stop Cursing

Ugh, my 30 before 30 list isn't looking so hot right now. I have a little less than 11 months to finish almost half of these things. That's not good. However, the new year has infused new energy into me so I'll use this qi to knock off #27 from my list.

#27 is to stop cursing. Honestly, I'm not even sure why this is on my list. It's not like cursing was ever a forgetting problem to begin with, nor do I care if other nintendos do it. I'm guessing I stole this from the original list I saw in the Merc. I could have checked this off years ago but I never found a way to make this an achievable goal. That is until now.

This is where you all come in. The next time you hear me dropping an F-bomb, S-bomb, or even a Q-bomb, call me out on it and I'll hand over a cool Washington right on the spot. The very first person to call me out gets a Hamilton (cuz it's all about the Hamilton's baby). I'm super serial. Watch a UCLA football game with me and you could probably make enough to get that mocha frap you've been craving.

So there you have it. 17.5 things done, 12.5 things to go. Until next time...

13.5 Things To Do - #6 See Armin In Ibiza

One lesson I’ve learned while trying to finish off this list is that things that I thought were important when I made this list are no longer important to me now. A 30 before 30 list made at age 20 will be much different from a list made at age 24 and that list will also be very different from one made at age 28.  

Originally #6 was to see the world's #1 DJ, Armin Van Buuren, live in the Mecca of electronic music, Ibiza. Unfortunately traveling to Spain (at least before I turn 30) was just not doable so I had to settle for AVB at the Cow Palace. Click over here to check out a video of the event.

Even though seeing my favorite DJ work his mojo just a few yards in front me was something I’ve always wanted to do, there was no true feeling of accomplishment afterwards and I wondered why this thing was even on my list to begin with. I felt much better after divorcing my toxic friend or running that half marathon.

There’s no doubt that in the last few years my priorities have changed and it’ll be interesting to see if I react the same way to the rest of the things on my list.

Thanks to Chap and Abe for coming out. The night wasn’t life-altering but it was still pretty damn fun.

And a special no thanks to Channel 7. No, you cannot interview me.

16.5 done, 13.5 to go. Until next time…

Omakase at Sasabune, Oahu, Hawaii

Last month Gem and I went to Oahu. You'd think that hyperventilating, panicking, and seeing my life flash before my eyes while at the bottom of the ocean would be the most memorable moment of the trip. Truth is I'll eventually forget about my lonely near-death experience while diving, but I'll never forget having omakase at Sushi Sasabune. Omakase is the menu-less sushi dinner where the chef makes for you whatever he feels like making. This was undoubtedly the best sushi I’ve ever had and is on my top 3 list of best meals I’ve ever had. Here’s a quick rundown of what they served us in order of appearance:

Albacore carapaccio

Baby calamari stuffed with blue crab

Toro (belly), Toro (back)

Flounder (left), red snapper (right)

Yellowtail, Kyoto

Scallop, King salmon

Raw oyster (left, Seattle), Baked Oyster (right, Vancouver)

Prawn (Alaska), Mackeral (Spain)

Trivali Jack (left), Amber Jack (right)

Spanish toro (Sasabune’s signature dish and my fav of them all. Cut near the skin, then minced, then frozen. Melts in your mouth like buttah!)

Uni (Santa Barbara)

Unagi (Japan)

A few notes from the dinner:

- all the fish is served no longer than 24 hours after they receive it
- they didn't start making the next dish until I finished the previous dish. Because of that the food came out a little slower than I would have liked

- they tell us what dishes need sauce and what dishes don’t

- I tried placing my wasabi/ginger dish close to me but they forced me to set it on the elevated platform in front of me near the glass display

- customer service was beyond excellent

You definitely gotta check this place out if you’re gonna be in Honolulu. Double D and MK suggested omakase at some place in Alameda so I’ll definitely have to check that place out. Here's the damage:

Sushi Sasabune on Yelp!

Bi Mon Sci Fi Con 2010!!!

A few weeks ago I went to Comicon in San Diego. Click here to check out my Flickr set from the weekend. Here are some of my favorite Comicon moments:

Best Costume: General Grievous

I saw some funny, sexy, silly costumes, but the one that totally wowed me was General Grievous. The price of admission was worth it just to see everyone dressed up. Check out io9 for more costumes.

Best Schwag: Rings from DC Comics

DC comics gave out three sweet rings large enough to wear as bracelets but I lost my Green Lantern ring. Boourns. Words cannot describe how cool I feel when I put them on.

Best Toy: Wool Buddies

Can you believe that these things are made of yarn? Jackie Huang has quite a talent. The man can conjure up cute monsters or make any animal you want. Vampirella not included.

Best Advertising: The Walking Dead

AMC will soon air a mini-series based on The Walking Dead comic. I don’t care much for the comic or the mini-series but to see zombies walking all around town was pretty cool. Those guys all stayed in character even when going to the bathroom Not that I would know.

Best Celebrity Citing: Richard Hatch

You might know him from the original Battlestar Galactica. You also know him as Tom Zarek from the new Battlestar Galactica. Seeing him was fun because the guy actually left his booth and walked a good distance just to say hi and take photos with us. Then again, I’d probably do the same thing if two attractive ladies were checking me out.

Best Desert in SD: Mondo Gelato

They’re right next to the baseball stadium so give them a try if you’re near by.

14.5 Things To Do - #10 Learn To Snowboard

I always felt that the time and energy spent driving up a snowy mountain was never worth the joy experienced snowboarding down it. Why do I have to wake up at 4 am just so I can freeze my ass on top of a mountain by noon when instead I could just sleep in, roll outta bed, and spend my afternoon sniping fools?

Number 10 on the list was to learn how to snowboard. Before this past season I had only gone once and that was many moons ago. I didn’t really know what I was doing and I didn’t care to learn. I figure I’d give snowboarding one last chance before I turn into a really old man and I’m glad I did. I went a few times this past winter and had a blast. While I still can’t go down a mountain without hurting some part of my ass at least I have lots of fun doing it.

Here’s a clip of Gem. One of these days I’ll be able to keep up.



Thanks to the people that drove me up the mountain, to the people that lent me their gear, and to all my patient instructors.

Before, I thought the worst parts about snowboarding were the long drives going to and from the mountain. It turns out that being in a car with all your pals is way more fun than sniping fools. Here's a clip of us driving back from Tahoe. Wait for the button at the end of the clip.



So there you have it. 15.5 things done, 14.5 things to go. Until next time…

Mortal Kombat Rebirth

This trailer for the new Mortal Kombat movie looks pretty sweet. Unlike most crappy campy video game based movies, this one looks like it's gonna be a hard R (as opposed to the hard P that I do every morning). What's even more awesome is that Johnny Cage is played by an old friend. Seeing friends on TV makes my tummy all warm inside. Or maybe it's the Makers doing that.