Dinner and a Show

It has been said that "all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy" but I gotta tell you - it's not just Jack who suffers from such a calamity! Ever since I decided to move someplace that has hot water and a landlord that wasn't going to make me feel bad if I had the nerve to ask him to fix something, I've been using just about every available moment outside of work to get my worldly goods out of the old place and into the new. It's made for a stressful couple of weeks in more ways than one so when my son asked me if I wanted to go out to the Fuji Garden Japanese Steakhouse in Pawcatuck this past Saturday to celebrate his wife's birthday, I thought it sounded like fun and said "sure".

Amanda and I had joined Mike and Laura at the same restaurant two years ago and not only was it fun to sit at a hibachi table and enjoy the show that our chef put on but the food was also very tasty so I was definitely looking forward to the night out, especially considering I spent the entire rest of the day hauling things in and out of one house or another. A break was definitely needed! Before I went, though, I needed to stop and pick up a couple of birthday gifts for Laura though I was on my own as to what to get her as Mike had said the only thing she wanted was a night out.

After giving it a little bit of thought, I decided that it might be nice to get Laura some 'girly stuff' being that she lives with three guys - my son and two grandsons. To that end I bought her some coconut and lime soap and body lotion, a box of European chocolates, and a candle that not only looked exactly like a jar of maraschino cherries but smelled like it, too! The only thing missing was vanilla ice cream, hot fudge, and some whipped cream!

I ran home, quickly wrapped the gifts, and changed clothes before heading out to make the drive over to Pawcatuck, a small town near the Rhode Island border. Even though I hate to be late, I had a feeling I was going to be as traffic past Foxwoods Casino was its usual pain-in-the-driver's-seat no matter that their profits have plunged with the current economic status of the country. I guess people still figure they need to go out on a Saturday night and the casino is apparently as good a place as any.

Dinner was set for 6:00 and I got there at about 5 minutes past so met up with everyone else already sitting around the hibachi table. Joining us were Mike's friend and best man at his wedding, Bill (who also had helped Mike the week before in moving most of the furniture out of my old house - thanks, Bill!); Tom, an EB co-worker; and Beth and Eric, more co-workers. If it seemed strange to any of them that Mike's mom was joining them for dinner none of them acted like it and I didn't feel at all out of place around a table of young 30-somethings. Besides, isn't 50 the new 30? I think I read that somewhere and if that's the case, I fit right in!

Our table was the one on the left and because I'm a dope lately and totally forgot to bring my camera, I got the above picture from the restaurant's web site. The other picture in this post was taken with my cell phone camera so it isn't of the best quality but I think you'll get the general idea!

When I arrived everyone was ordering sushi, something that I really haven't been able to get into even though two of my three kids just love it. Mike told me that he was going to give the sea urchin (Uni) a try as he'd heard it was supposed to be good. Yeah ... okay ...! Bill, who is apparently quite well-versed in the stuff, was having an assortment of sushi for dinner as opposed to a hibachi meal and when the platter arrived, I had to admit that it all looked and smelled good even though it isn't something I care for. It made me laugh, though, when Mike tried the Uni as his face was similar to that of a baby's when you give him or her some new food to try - somewhat quizzical and perplexed and not quite sure whether to swallow or spit! He said that the taste was okay but he didn't really care for the texture at all; either way I give him major points for being brave enough to try it!

Shortly afterwards our chef came out and fired up the hibachi grill - literally!

I love to watch these guys prepare the food as they flip their knives and spatulas, chop and dice at the speed of light, and crack jokes all at the same time. They are true artists at what they do and it's one of the most fun dining experiences ever! It's most definitely dinner and a show and well worth the extra charge that you pay to sit at a hibachi table. If you've never had the pleasure, may I suggest you try it sometime - I guarantee you won't be disappointed!

My steak and chicken was absolutely delicious as was the fried rice, noodles, and vegetables that I had on the side. Everyone agreed that the food was great and plentiful and there wasn't a single one of us who had room for dessert. Most everyone else was enjoying a bit of Sake with their meal but knowing that I'm a lightweight when it comes to alcohol, I opted to just have a diet soda. Because it was her birthday and Mike was driving, Laura was quite enjoying the Sake and the night out for her birthday and everyone really seemed to have a good time. It was a very nice way to spend a Saturday evening and I was really glad that I was asked to join in the celebration - it sure the heck beat staying home by myself and opening a can of soup to dine on amongst the packing boxes!

At the end of the evening, the leftover sushi was boxed up to be sent home with me for Amanda to have later (she was over at her friend Cate's for the night) and I headed for Norwich with a full stomach, the memory of a nice night out, and the knowledge that I seemed to have done a decent job in raising my son if his choice of wife and friends were any indication. Now I ask you, what more could a mother want?

Siblings and Seashores

Amanda and I took a ride over to Rhode Island yesterday evening to visit my son and his family who live not too far from Westerly and not quite an hour from Norwich. They were having a birthday party for Christopher who turned five earlier this month but being the unsociable person that I am, we didn't get there until everyone else had left. Well, that and it was raining cats and dogs and I wanted to wait to make the drive over there until the weather had cleared up a little! In order to get to Mike's house I have to drive past Foxwoods Casino and the traffic can be horrendous, especially on weekends. Driving in pouring rain and too much traffic is just not my idea of a good time so I avoid it when I can. Yeah, yeah - excuses, excuses!

I had called Mike and told him we'd be there around dinner time so perhaps we could order pizza or something but after we arrived he suggested we go to the local Applebee's instead being that they were pretty "pizza'd out". Sure! Sounded good to me so off we went for a nice dinner and a chance to visit and catch up.

While Chris and Matt happily dug into their kids' meals, Amanda and Mike took the time to catch up a bit. Even though they don't look a whole heck of a lot alike (at least certainly not in the hair department!) ...

... they have no problem talking about music, video games, comic books, World of Warcraft, caped super heroes, and all that sort of stuff. While I sat across from them and snapped this picture it dawned on me for the very first time out of the blue that all three of my children wear glasses! Hmm, does that count as an epiphany?!? Amanda said I obviously passed down a "bad eye" gene but considering that I don't wear glasses myself - yet! - I am going to blame that on their respective fathers. Now if she wants to blame me for the sarcasm gene then I will certainly take full credit for that!

After a nice dinner with lots of french fries and ketchup for the boys, we parted company and Amanda and I went in the direction of Misquamicut Beach so that I could try out my hand at taking some pictures of the ocean before it got too incredibly dark. Weather-wise it wasn't the best of days to begin with and by the time we got down to the beach it was going on 9:00 and there wasn't much light to work with. Still - stubborn is as stubborn does and I decided that I'd try my hand at some more night photography and edit it a bit when I got home. Which I did with these pictures being some of the results ...

This picture shows how dark it really was when we got there, it was taken using a flash.
The rest were taken using night mode on my camera

The clouds touch the ocean while the waves meet the sand.

Dark waves roll up on shore.

This may not look like a wave but really it is!
Truth be told, I rather like this effect.

Light from a far away boat reflects off the sand.
And yes, that's another wave believe it or not!

A lone figure stands in the distance watching the waves come in.

This video shows you exactly how dark it was on the beach by the time we left - or maybe it doesn't because it's so dark you can only see the occasional whitecap! It sure sounds nice, though, doesn't it? I just love the sound of waves crashing ashore - it's just so peaceful and relaxing.

I'm now inspired to go back to the ocean when I can actually see it and try taking some more pictures and videos - ones that you might actually be able to see rather than just hear! I'll be sure to let you know if that happens!

Happy 1st Anniversary, Mike & Laura!

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Last weekend my son, Michael, made the trip from Rhode Island to Connecticut (a good stone's throw if you're any good at throwing stones!) to put in my air-conditioners for me. Having a bad back, I know it's paramount that I don't do it myself so it's a good idea to either rely on the kindness of someone with a strong back at work or call in the Prodigal Son. Considering that the Prodigal Son also had a second guitar peripheral for Guitar Hero II that he wasn't using that I wanted to borrow it made for the perfect "kill two birds with one stone" situation. Hmm, perhaps it was the same stone that was thrown over from Rhode Island?? Well, either way, I digress.

While Mike was here he asked me why it was that my blog always referred to my having two daughters but there never seemed to be any mention of a son. Granted, I have made mention of he and his wife in past posts but he's right, I haven't really mentioned him much at all recently and with my template and pictures, etc. it would be very easy for one to say "what? you have a son? I had no idea!" I hope to rectify that error of omission with this post!

Tomorrow, July 1st, marks the very first wedding anniversary of Michael and his bride, Laura. If I remember correctly, it was an awfully hot summer day in Rhode Island but the humidity wasn't bad so that was a real plus!

Mike & Laura's wedding was only the second wedding I have been to in Rhode Island and it wasn't all that far from the first wedding I attended there which was that of Mr. & Mrs. Bulldog, a regular commenter on this blog. I have to say that both were very special occasions and, despite the fact that I have stated that I don't dance, I reluctantly admit that I danced at both weddings. I had actually completely forgotten that I danced at Mike's wedding until Jamie reminded me of it recently just as Bulldog reminded me that I danced at his. I'll chalk it up to old age that I had forgotten both occasions - well, either that or I really, really, really wanted to forget them and was hoping that everyone else had also! Sadly, that is apparently not the case!

Anyway, all talk of dancing aside, I find it rather hard to believe that it has already been a year since my son who proclaimed that he was never going to get married proved himself wrong. As my cousin Amy likes to say, don't ever say you're never going to do something because as soon as you do, you're going to end up doing it (that and "only idiots buy soundtracks", right cuz??).

If Mike had chosen to never get married based on his mother's track record, I could certainly understand that. I haven't exactly been a shining example of wedded bliss having tried and failed twice at the "till death do us part" thing. However, where I have been less than a beacon of light when it comes to matrimonial success, my parents' marriage was a perfect example and two of my brothers seem to be doing pretty well with it, too. I hope that Michael emulates them and not myself or his father - another not so shining example though at least he had the good sense to have only tried marriage once!

To Mike and Laura - I wish you many more years of happiness as well as a successful partnership as I think that's really what makes for a good marriage. It's not easy to put your own needs aside and take into account those of your partner and children but many, many people (other than myself) have proven that it can be done. Happy Anniversary!!

Oh, and for those who didn't realize that in addition to having a son and a daughter-in-law I also have a grandson, may I present to you Mathew Kendall? This isn't a recent picture but that's because my son who owns a digital camera never sends me any new ones! Hint, hint!