Sushi Nazi

Irvine to La Jolla - 87 Miles

Had dinner with Larry at Wasabi Sushi in Irvine. This place is pretty incredible. There are no prices, there is no menu. The Sushi Chef may turn you away if he doesn't like the looks of you. It is a small hole-in-the-wall in a strip mall and very unassuming. The sushi chef decides what you will eat, and at the end he makes up a price. You will eat what he serves you, and you're done when he decides. He has really fresh fish.

The sushi was outstanding. Among the best I've had. The chef was quite perceptive. He looked at me and served me various tuna, including albacore, which I love. Then he gave me a limpet (Opihi, if you're from Hawaii). This is something that I normally won't eat - he chopped it up finely and made a mousse, and seared the top with a blow torch, like you'd do with a creme brule - creating a great taste and texture. He looked at me again, shook his head and said "No Tako for you". (tako is octopus) I smiled and nodded. He broke out in a big grin. He read me right. But he truly is the sushi nazi.

Larry is doing well for himself. He picked up the check for dinner (over my protests), and it was not cheap. He claimed that he cannot brag about doing well, and not grab the check - I guess he's right. No steady girl-buddy, but that does not surprise me. He spends too much time in the office.

Today, I'm off the visit my Aunt and Uncle in La Jolla.

Old Days

Huntington Beach to Irvine - 18 miles

Chrissy has an incredible zest for life. We stayed up 'till 3 in the a.m. almost finished a bottle of tequila and reminisced about the old days. She's kept in touch with more people than I have. I learned about who's getting married, who's getting divorced, and (in 1 case) who's going to jail. Yes, I now have a former classmate who is incarcerated. Yeah, I went to a *good* school.

Chrissy's got some guy she's been dating for about 6 weeks, I give it another 2. She had her heart broke something awful back in our sophomore year in college. Since then I haven't seen her get attached to anyone. That's kinda sad. But she seems really happy.

Tonight I'm going to see my buddy Larry, also a school-mate from way back when. Larry lives in Irvine. He's a corporate lawyer - plays monopoly with real buildings. Buys and sells shopping centers and commercial real estate, that sort of thing. Has a disgusting amount of money, unless he's lost it all in the down-turn.