Monday, December 7, 2009

Weekend Wanderings - Part VIII

Another weekend has passed here in the Twin Cities, and it was a chilly one.

Not as chilly as the photo above indicates, that one was taken last December and I'm using it as a reminder to myself of what is to come... Perhaps I should have titled this entry "Weekend Wanderings - Fucking BRRRRRR!"

This weekend consisted mainly of movies and food, so that's what I'm going to write about today.

Friday was uneventful as far as the day itself went... or so I thought... After a quick phone call to refresh my memory, Ms. Tara reminded me that she had been benevolent and magnanimous, and had treated Misplaced to a second round at Tiger Sushi, and the magic that comes from the knives of that Japanese Madman J.R.

Misplaced is pleased to report that the technique of just giving J.R. fifty dollars and turning him loose is quite satisfying. We were presented with a platter containing an assortment of sushi that I was mostly unfamiliar with but positively amazing, along with a few pieces of wonderfully fresh sashimi.

Raw fish (sashimi), properly sliced and served with a little ponzu and wasabi ROCKS.

Anyone who turns up their nose at it without at least trying it doesn't know what they're missing, and Misplaced frowns at you for not trying to open your minds and broaden your horizons a little.

(Close your eyes and visualize me frowning at you... you know who you are.)

Saturday dawned even chillier than Friday was, but on the plus side it was clear and sunny all day. I managed to get a few of the minor tasks I had been neglecting these past few weeks taken care of, with the end result being that I now realize that neglecting numerous small tasks turns them into much larger tasks. On the plus side, I got most of the little shit taken care of.

Saturday night I got to check out a nifty little Mexican Restaurant in my neighborhood, El Paraiso once again in the company of Tara, and armed with a buy one entree - get one free coupon. The first indication that the restaurant was going to be worthwhile was the fact that there was no one in the place except us (the black guy and the white girl) and eight or nine Mexicans. There was a jukebox that appeared to have nothing except Mexican music on it, two TV's in the dining room that were showing Telemundo, and Univision, and a plasma screen in the center of the room with ESPN Deportes. (For those who are unaware or painfully ignorant, Telemundo and Univision are Spanish-speaking U.S. television networks, and ESPN Deportes is an ESPN channel that broadcasts only in Spanish, and seems to only broadcast baseball and soccer... I mean Futbol) The TV showing Telemundo was broadcasting a Mexican soap opera, the one showing Univision was giving us 'El Sabado Gigante' - a program that has to be seen to be truly appreciated... check it out sometime if you get Univision on Satellite or Cable, and the TV showing ESPN Deportes was showing soccer... I mean Futbol from Mexico of course... there was a group of three somewhat intoxicated Mexican gentlemen seated at the table closest to the plasma screen watching the game, one of whom was entertaining to watch as he cheered loudly and exuberantly each time someone scored... I was watching the game as well, and observed that it didn't matter which team scored, he cheered just as loudly for both.

I do have to point out that the food at El Paraiso was VERY good, and reasonably priced... the portion sizes were definitely more New York than Minnesota-like, and there was more than enough to eat. This was the first Mexican place I had been to in Minnesota that like New York, gives you THREE enchiladas instead of the two I have gotten at other places. El Paraiso will definitely see Misplaced again soon. In need of further entertainment this was followed by a trip to Blockbuster where we picked up "Tropic Thunder" (which I had seen before, but still makes me laugh my ass off) and "KNOW1NG", the Nicholas Cage end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it vehicle. All I can say about KNOW1NG, is that it's about forty-five minutes too long... if you have to see it, watch the first thirty minutes, then the last thirty minutes and skip everything in between... trust me.

Sunday was typical, started with my bagels and lox routine (it's SO nice to have that part of my life back), and I ended up at the Lagoon Cinema that afternoon with Tara, to see the latest film from Twin Cities Metro natives Ethan and Joel Coen "A Serious Man":
Side note to my older Jewish friends, and the parents of the ones closer to my age: If you haven't seen this movie yet, do so at your earliest convenience. It is one of the best black comedies I have seen in years. When you DO see it, make sure that you stay through the credits... ALL the credits. At the end of the credits is a single line that will make you laugh your ass off. We were the only people who sat through the credits, and therefore were the only ones who got the extra little joke that the Coen Brothers threw in. Those of the Jewish faith will appreciate it even more than I did, even though I am an honorary Jew.

Sunday ended with pizza at Fat Lorenzo's, and a final movie: "What The Bleep Do We Know?"

All I can say about "What The Bleep Do We Know?" is that ALL OF YOU need to get your collective asses to Blockbuster and RENT THIS MOVIE.

That's enough for now, sorry for the late posting, but Misplaced is WAY behind schedule today and needs to take the Victor & Roxie out for a little exercise before the snow starts flying... six to twelve inches of snow is forecast between now and Wednesday afternoon. Looks like winter is finally arriving here in the TC.

See you tomorrow.

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