Skip to main content

Todai

Captain's Log, Stardate 04.27.2006

TMI:

Todai:
Todai is a Japanese buffet restaurant that serves sushi and other Asian-y dishes. I hadn't gone in a long time, but a friend suggested we eat there last night.

Now before Robin goes off on how I'm supposed to be writing, I was interviewing my friend for my book. She has worked with female professional video gamers. Yeah, way cool. One of my characters is a professional gamer.

Back to Todai. It's not bad, for the price. The raw fish isn't slimy or smelly. But you are talking to someone who grew up in Hawaii--read: surrounded by water--and who is Japanese American.

I try to visit Hawaii at least once a year partly because of the food. Mom and Dad take me (and my husband, when he can take off work to travel with me) to Kabuki, a Japanese restaurant in Pearl City.

We've been going there since I was in high school. Mom and Dad know the sushi chefs so well that they joke and laugh with them (and give them big tips--remember to tip your sushi chef generously).

The fish is super fresh. Firm, tender, clean-smelling. And as in authentic sushi restaurants, the slice of fish on the nigiri sushi is about the length and width of an iPod Nano or maybe a cell phone, and the thickness of a Sharpie marker. The rice under it is the size of your thumb. I'm not kidding, your thumb from tip to joint. That's it.

Okay, back to Todai. Since it's a buffet, the fish and rice are not the sizes I'm used to. But they are soft and not fishy smelling, so I'm okay with a few pieces.

Then I look at myself. When did I become such a snob? I mean, there are lots other Asian people in this restaurant, so it's obviously passed some kind of Asian test. Is there such a thing as an Asian test? I'm not sure. But it's kind of like how I know a sushi bar is good when I see Japanese businessmen (from Japan) sitting at the bar and drinking.

So I ate my okay-sushi and got great info for my book, and I'm counting the days for when I can go back to Hawaii.

Last day at PT: Well, yesterday was my last day at physical therapy for my knee (for those of you who don't know, I had ACL surgery on November 23rd, 2005). Now I'll need the discipline to exercise on my own. Good thing we bought that exercise bike from Goodwill--best $30 we ever spent.

Popular Posts

Window shopping

Captain’s Log, Stardate 03.14.2005 Knee update: I went to the doctor today for a checkup, and saw his assistant. I’ve been concerned because there’s still inflammation in my knee joint, and it’s been almost 4 months since the surgery. She said she’d talk to the doctor about it tomorrow and call me. Sometimes he suggests laying off the PT to see if that causes the inflammation to go away, but I don’t know if that will work because lately I’ve been pretty active outside of PT. At PT today, the therapist did ultrasound and some sort of electrical current on the joint. Hopefully that will make the inflammation start to go down. I’ll know by tomorrow, probably. Writing: Mt. Hermon conference starts this Friday! On Thursday night, I’ll be at the Santana Row Borders bookstore to help out (and hopefully learn a bit, too) at a booksigning for several of the ACFW authors who are attending Mt. Hermon . That should be lots of fun. I had a good brainstorming time at ...

"Sincerely" by TRUE (from Violet Evergarden)

I’ve been watching the anime Violet Evergarden on Netflix and it is possibly the most beautiful anime series I’ve ever seen. The animation by Kyoto Animation is top notch, the storyline (based on the light novel series ヴァイオレット・エヴァーガーデン by Kana Akatsuki (暁 佳奈)) is emotional and unique, and the original soundtrack by Evan Call is out of this world. The vocal songs in the series are also really beautiful, but the best one is the opening song, “Sincerely” by TRUE. She not only has a beautiful voice, but the melody and lyrics are absolutely gorgeous. I can’t rave about this song enough. 知らない言葉を 覚えていくたび おもかげのなか 手を伸ばすの Each time unknown words come to mind, I reach my hand toward the traces they leave. だけど一人では 分からない言葉も あるのかもしれない But there may be words That I can’t comprehend all alone. さよならは 苦くて アイシテルは 遠いにおいがした 例えようのない この想いは とても怖くて だけど とても愛おしくて “Goodbye” is so bitter, While “I love you” carries a far-off scent. This incomparable feeling Is so very frightening… bu...

Grace Livingston Hill romances free to read online

I wanted to update my old post on Grace Livingston Hill romances because now there are tons more options for you to be able to read her books for free online! I’m a huge Grace Livingston Hill fan. Granted, not all her books resonate with me, but there are a few that I absolutely love, like The Enchanted Barn and Crimson Roses . And the best part is that she wrote over 100 books and I haven’t yet read them all! When I have time, I like to dive into a new GLH novel. I like the fact that most of them are romances, and I especially appreciate that they all have strong Christian themes. Occasionally the Christian content is a little heavy-handed for my taste, but it’s so interesting to see what the Christian faith was like in the early part of the 20th century. These books are often Cinderella-type stories or A Little Princess (Frances Hodgson Burnett) type stories, which I love. And the best part is that they’re all set in the early 1900s, so the time period is absolutely fasci...

Simplification 2013

It seems like every year I realize I’ve filled my time with things that take up too much of my time! As I’ve been praying over 2013 during the month of January, I’ve been feeling I need to (once again) simplify my life. So I’m stepping back from a blog I contribute to. I’m also aiming for less participation in some of my Goodreads groups (that is truly a time suck! Fun, but time suck.) My book writing schedule is still very busy, so I’ll be doing no more critiques with my Story Sensei business in the first half of the year so that I can focus on my books, on writing what God wants me to write. I’m going to focus my energy on my own blog --I’m aiming to post 3-4 times a week, as well as posting contests more regularly. I’m also going to be more active on my Goodreads group and my Facebook page , posting contests there as well. And I absolutely DEPEND on those three outlets for help when naming characters, since many of you know how pathetic challenged I am in coming up wit...

I sold to Steeple Hill!

Captain's Log, Supplemental Remember that romantic suspense proposal I blogged about earlier? Well, it just sold to Steeple Hill’s Love Inspired Suspense line! I am so jazzed! I am beyond jazzed! The story’s working title is Sinister Spa The story's title is Deadly Intent and here’s a blurb (but it’s probably not what will appear on the back of the book): Massage therapist Naomi Grant could use a massage herself. With her father at home recovering from a stroke, Naomi is put in charge of the family’s elite day spa in Sonoma county. The new responsibilities sit awkwardly on her shoulders, and things only get worse when handsome Dr. Devon Knightley breezes into the spa, demanding to see one of the female clients. And the woman is found dead in Naomi’s massage room. Suddenly, Naomi is a suspect and her family’s spa is shut down. How could God let this awful thing happen? Devon only needed to see his ex-wife about a family necklace she still hadn’t returned, but when she dies and...