And...a whole bunch of online training in Machine Learning.
Showing posts with label sushi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sushi. Show all posts
Friday, February 07, 2020
February 2020 Reading
And...a whole bunch of online training in Machine Learning.
Sunday, November 17, 2019
Sakura (and more)
We've been doing a monthly dinner event for almost a year now. We've gotten around. Tonight we went to Sakura in downtown St. Paul. I had the Chriashi sushi - it's in the foreground. K and L are eating primarily appetizers and rolls. The food was good, although Kyle had the most positive things to say about the whiskey flight they tried before I got there and my sushi was better than Poot's salmon teriyaki, which looked like what you'd order if you didn't like sushi. She did enjoy her dumplings. I particularly liked them when I squeezed some orange on them (as in citrus, not simply the color) to complement the soy sauce.
Our historical venues:
Outside the restaurant someone had dropped their sushi roll. Very sad. I hope it wasn't the Zach Parise specialty roll. And I assume they dropped it rather than flung it at the wall/ground in anger.
We also made it to the play "Towards Zero" by Agatha Christie this weekend, over at Theatre in the Round. Good play. I really enjoyed the first 99%. And then there was a weird Christie twist at the end that made it feel like a bit of a rom com. The acting was great and her murder mysteries are fun. This one had the motto that the murder should occur at the end of the story.
Kyle gave me a birthday present, a bottle of Ohishi Whisky.
And Joe gave me a birthday present. Schematics for a keg and other brewery related items. I'm going to ask my father in law to frame them for me. They'll be really nice wall art. My family got me a cast iron bank. A dog. I have a small collection, and it fits in nicely. Poot says she picked it up in Wisconsin near the cheese shop while on her visit to a friend last month. No picture. You'll have to trust it looks like a cast iron dog.
Our historical venues:
- November 2019 (Kyle) - Sakura
- October 2019 (Matthew) - Chimborazo
- September 2019 (Larry) - Mesob (Ethiopian on Hiawatha)
- August 2019 (Scott) - Apoy Phillipino Bistro
- July 2019 (Ming)- Mama Sheila’s Soul Food Kitchen [Buffet]
- June 2019 (Kyle) - Babani’s Turkish
- May 2019 (Matthew) - Winzer Stube German Restaurant
- April 2019 (Larry) - Adelita’s
- March 2019 (Scott) - George and the Dragon [Brunch]
- February 2019 (Ming) - City Afrique (Poot and I missed this one)
- January 2019 (Kyle) - Peninsula
Outside the restaurant someone had dropped their sushi roll. Very sad. I hope it wasn't the Zach Parise specialty roll. And I assume they dropped it rather than flung it at the wall/ground in anger.
We also made it to the play "Towards Zero" by Agatha Christie this weekend, over at Theatre in the Round. Good play. I really enjoyed the first 99%. And then there was a weird Christie twist at the end that made it feel like a bit of a rom com. The acting was great and her murder mysteries are fun. This one had the motto that the murder should occur at the end of the story.
Kyle gave me a birthday present, a bottle of Ohishi Whisky.
And Joe gave me a birthday present. Schematics for a keg and other brewery related items. I'm going to ask my father in law to frame them for me. They'll be really nice wall art. My family got me a cast iron bank. A dog. I have a small collection, and it fits in nicely. Poot says she picked it up in Wisconsin near the cheese shop while on her visit to a friend last month. No picture. You'll have to trust it looks like a cast iron dog.
Sunday, March 03, 2013
Pink Floyd Experience
Last night Kyle and I went out to dinner at Origami and then over to Mill City (not where you think, if you think like I do) for the Pink Floyd Experience. We got to Origami exceedingly early for a 9:00 p.m. performance just down the street. Around 6:20 p.m. But the timing was right on. After two ten-piece sushi platters with rolls, an extra spider roll, an extra NY NY roll (very good - had a bit of soft apple in it), some underwhelming wasabi tobiko, and green tea ice cream that was perhaps pushing it, but hit the spot, it was closing in on 8:15.
We thought the performance would be by the river. That's the only Mill City I've ever heard of. But it turned out to be in a club, Mill City Nights, in the warehouse district with an interior reminiscent of First Ave. Although, unlike First Ave, I could see the stage almost the entire time. Except for when this guy built like a 6'6" sumo wrestler stood in front of me. Despite being more than a meter away, I couldn't see much around his head without leaning.
The performance was better than I expected and they reached back into some older albums and deep cuts to really deliver a good performance. I remember thinking, "They're not quite as good as Floyd." But they were also in a small club without an enterprise level sound system. So damn good given the constraints. Couple of characters around us, including two guys who went for the high five and missed (have another), and a guy who tried to high five his friend three times in under a minute. On the third try, his friend just left him hanging.
I didn't realize until later that I didn't get the main singer in my shots. In the second one, I didn't even get most of the band. But they look almost exactly like the photos at their web site. And if you'd like to hear them, there are a bunch of videos on YouTube, including a 38 minute clip. Here's a more reasonable 4:26 clip of them doing Wish You Were Here, with a lot of audience participation.
The screen behind them had a variety of psychedelic videos, many of them featuring large eyes and a lava lamp motif, sometimes blended together. And yes, per the video and from what you can tell in these photos, mostly guys. But it was a mixed audience, age and gender wise, and there were a few 20-something women nearby. The middle aged overly excited guys just happened to predominate, both in number, and in their dancing, fist pumping exuberance.
We thought the performance would be by the river. That's the only Mill City I've ever heard of. But it turned out to be in a club, Mill City Nights, in the warehouse district with an interior reminiscent of First Ave. Although, unlike First Ave, I could see the stage almost the entire time. Except for when this guy built like a 6'6" sumo wrestler stood in front of me. Despite being more than a meter away, I couldn't see much around his head without leaning.
The performance was better than I expected and they reached back into some older albums and deep cuts to really deliver a good performance. I remember thinking, "They're not quite as good as Floyd." But they were also in a small club without an enterprise level sound system. So damn good given the constraints. Couple of characters around us, including two guys who went for the high five and missed (have another), and a guy who tried to high five his friend three times in under a minute. On the third try, his friend just left him hanging.
I didn't realize until later that I didn't get the main singer in my shots. In the second one, I didn't even get most of the band. But they look almost exactly like the photos at their web site. And if you'd like to hear them, there are a bunch of videos on YouTube, including a 38 minute clip. Here's a more reasonable 4:26 clip of them doing Wish You Were Here, with a lot of audience participation.
The screen behind them had a variety of psychedelic videos, many of them featuring large eyes and a lava lamp motif, sometimes blended together. And yes, per the video and from what you can tell in these photos, mostly guys. But it was a mixed audience, age and gender wise, and there were a few 20-something women nearby. The middle aged overly excited guys just happened to predominate, both in number, and in their dancing, fist pumping exuberance.
Tuesday, June 08, 2010
Chicago, Day 2 - Museum of Science and Industry
Our second day in Chicago, we hit the Museum of Science and Industry. We've been there before, but Eryn hadn't been on the U-boat since she was really little and couldn't remember it. It was a timely trip as we went to see Indiana Jones at the Trylon last weekend, so we could talk about U boats. Just a random observation, while we were sitting in the food court at the museum, I asked Pooteewheet, do you see any black people here who aren't working here? We eventually noticed a family, but there were virtually none. The reason it was strange was that we had just come from The Original Pancake House only a few blocks away, where we were definitely a minority. So at least on the day we were there, it seemed as though the museum was a favorite of tourists, and not of the people in the neighborhood. Maybe it's just because we weren't there on a school day. But the contrast between breakfast (delicious, by the way) and the museum was a bit dramatic.
Avalanche exhibit. Not really worth watching unless you're trying to hyponotise yourself. Visitors control the spin of the exhibit. The various video games around the hall were more interesting as they encouraged a kid to be a forest fire fighter, fireworks display coordinator, and jet fuel/car fuel creator. They were little adventures with numerous endings and Eryn spent quite a bit of time checking out what a mixture of marshmallows and oxygen would do to a car, and learned that dumping fire retardant near a river is a no-no.
The U-505. We weren't allowed to take pictures inside. The tour guide was very enthusiastic. The tour I had of the sub (non-Nazi) in Australia was much better. I liked getting a tour from an actual Aussie bubblehead better than the 25 year old at the museum. Primarily, the U-505 capture is a story about incompetence (failing to throw the plug over the side, etc.). But I did find it enjoyable to see that the submarine had a great big plug in the bottom, just like a bathtub, so that it could be quickly scuttled. It reminded me of people in Monticello that used to claim there was a big red button in the nuclear power plant that could make it explode. Except the plug in the sub was real.
The line before the tour. The perspective is correct. Eryn was playing rock, paper, scissors. The tour guide asked us all where we were from. We said Eagan. The woman next to us said, "China." And the people next to her said, "Right next door." Pooteewheet replied, "To China?" The Chinese woman did not even crack a smile. She didn't seem amused one bit.
There's a ship tagging game in the periscope. Eryn had to wait about ten minutes for a guy to make space, so she made sure to spend some time enjoying it.
Submarine simulation. We made it through safe and sound. It's a little less complicated than the Wii, the only options being spin toward each other, spin away from each other, or really get mixed up and do something else.
Engima machines are not little girl friendly. This is why they shouldn't let someone else encode what you get to decode. It was a step up from the drunk guy in our hotel screaming in the hallway at 2:00 a.m. "Your sister's a fucking whore!" Pooteewheet was amused when he was yelling "Don't touch me! Don't fucking touch me!" And someone put a hand over his mouth. "Don't touch me! Don't fucking touch mfphfh!" Security eventually arrived to quiet them down, but not before they left behind a leather trash can full of vomit for the morning cleaning staff. That was a real treat to smell in the hallway as we were checking out. He's probably the guy who left this message for Eryn to decode.
I think I published a picture of this guy a long time ago. I know I'm supposed to be reflective, but he makes me smile. It looks like someone took his puppy or ice cream sandwich. It's the same face Eryn used to make when she was annoyed/sad, except she added a little nostril huff as she made the face.
Eryn and Pooteewheet in the wind tube. Gusts of up to 80 mph. Yet their hair seems strangely unaffected.
Avalanche exhibit. Not really worth watching unless you're trying to hyponotise yourself. Visitors control the spin of the exhibit. The various video games around the hall were more interesting as they encouraged a kid to be a forest fire fighter, fireworks display coordinator, and jet fuel/car fuel creator. They were little adventures with numerous endings and Eryn spent quite a bit of time checking out what a mixture of marshmallows and oxygen would do to a car, and learned that dumping fire retardant near a river is a no-no.
You could control the light mixture in this exhibit. Eryn was fascinated that by changing the colors she could make certain flowers on her shirt disappear.
Train! Gave me flashbacks to the locomotive at the park in Sidney, Montana. I used to play in that thing all the time. I think it has wire around it now because it's not safe for modern children.
After the museum, we went to Tsuki for dinner. As I mentioned yesterday, Eryn thought she'd prefer Friends Sushi. But when we got to Tsuki they told us Sundays were for kids and their meal was free and available in a bento box. Eryn picked the Hello Kitty bento box. The meal wasn't some kid-sized knock off, but a full chicken meal and free ice cream. They gave her a balloon when she left as well. The chef, the owner, or someone involved in the restaurant really likes kids.
Bubble gum flavored soda. Ugh. There's a little glass ball in the top that comes with many warnings about not trying to extract it.
Sunday, February 08, 2009
MinneDemo
On Friday night I went to MinneDemo with Erik and Ming at the Intermedia Arts theater. I'd never been to a MinneDemo before, and if you haven't either the rules are that the presenters have to present on working software, have approximately seven minutes to complete their presentation, and cannot use a PowerPoint slide deck.
In addition, there's tons of networking with developers from around the Twin Cities. We bumped into Alan from work there, a friend of Erik's who used to work at Thomson, a guy from SAS who said I looked familiar (e.g. I look like my brother), Ed Kohler of The Deets (a real pleasure to talk to), Peter who used to work at Findlaw and was at CodeFreeze, and some guy who was sort of dressed as a poor man's ninja with a straw hat. For some reason that last guy focused on Ming, so the rest of us didn't have to deal with him. I'm not sure if he's the reason Ming snuck out later without telling us goodbye.
There was also free Surly. A lot of free Surly. I had the coffee and the Furious. The beer alone makes it the best developer event I've been to in a long time.
The presentations were good, at least the first four I saw. There were so many people at MinneDemo that only about 3/4 of them fit into the little auditorium. Even for the first four I was sitting on the stairs. There was a big screen in the entry way, where Erik and I stayed for the second half so that someone else could get a shot at the seats, but it was a bit fuzzy and impossible to hear. Fortunately, you can see them all at Minnov8. Re-searchr looked particularly interesting, albeit a bit slow. But they were streaming the presentations to the entry area, so it might have been a bit congested.
After the beer and the presentations, Erik and I went out for a late dinner at Fuji Ya Sushi on Lake. When we bellied up to the sushi bar, the place was packed. Two hours later we were completely alone. I hadn't been to Fuji Ya before and I strongly recommend the tuna flight (six pieces) and the tobiko wasabi roll that left little fish eggs all over the place. We were there long enough that the sushi chef prepared us a pineapple/strawberry/chocolate-raspberry sauce dessert as a free treat. Just a great evening.
In addition, there's tons of networking with developers from around the Twin Cities. We bumped into Alan from work there, a friend of Erik's who used to work at Thomson, a guy from SAS who said I looked familiar (e.g. I look like my brother), Ed Kohler of The Deets (a real pleasure to talk to), Peter who used to work at Findlaw and was at CodeFreeze, and some guy who was sort of dressed as a poor man's ninja with a straw hat. For some reason that last guy focused on Ming, so the rest of us didn't have to deal with him. I'm not sure if he's the reason Ming snuck out later without telling us goodbye.
There was also free Surly. A lot of free Surly. I had the coffee and the Furious. The beer alone makes it the best developer event I've been to in a long time.
The presentations were good, at least the first four I saw. There were so many people at MinneDemo that only about 3/4 of them fit into the little auditorium. Even for the first four I was sitting on the stairs. There was a big screen in the entry way, where Erik and I stayed for the second half so that someone else could get a shot at the seats, but it was a bit fuzzy and impossible to hear. Fortunately, you can see them all at Minnov8. Re-searchr looked particularly interesting, albeit a bit slow. But they were streaming the presentations to the entry area, so it might have been a bit congested.
After the beer and the presentations, Erik and I went out for a late dinner at Fuji Ya Sushi on Lake. When we bellied up to the sushi bar, the place was packed. Two hours later we were completely alone. I hadn't been to Fuji Ya before and I strongly recommend the tuna flight (six pieces) and the tobiko wasabi roll that left little fish eggs all over the place. We were there long enough that the sushi chef prepared us a pineapple/strawberry/chocolate-raspberry sauce dessert as a free treat. Just a great evening.
Monday, February 02, 2009
Thanks
I owe Mean Mr. Mustard a thanks for the sushi set he gave me for my birthday today. Sure my birthday was two months ago, and he seems to have eaten the frozen lobster that came with the set, but I can find a use for the various Asian oils and lotions in the box.
And I owe Klund a thanks for hooking my family on Wii. Then Rockband. And now Skype. The other night we tried to use all three at once, and Rockband II failed us, allowing us to connect with complete strangers, but not the Klunds. I've messed around with my router, watched the traffic come through on the Wii IP, opened up appropriate ports, and I think we're still screwed. According to many posts online, often the friend-to-friend portion of Rockband II just does not work.
And I owe Klund a thanks for hooking my family on Wii. Then Rockband. And now Skype. The other night we tried to use all three at once, and Rockband II failed us, allowing us to connect with complete strangers, but not the Klunds. I've messed around with my router, watched the traffic come through on the Wii IP, opened up appropriate ports, and I think we're still screwed. According to many posts online, often the friend-to-friend portion of Rockband II just does not work.
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