Thoughts on my mind.

Had a moment tonight I was missing my brothers and sisters in arms back in the USMC. Specifically the ones I served with in Okinawa, Japan. And then this thought wandered into my mind.

The life of a drinky girl must be hard. They're kinda like that first slice of bread in the loaf. Everyone has touched them, but nobody really wants them. And those who say they love them, are usually not in their right mind.

Andy, I really hope you're puking over the thought of a banana right now.

Adventures in Life

A lot of things change as we get older. When we're kids, we didn't necessarily have a lot of choice in how we spent our nights. But staying at a friends or relatives was usually great. Camping even better. But it was whatever was alright with the folks. Then we finally got that freedom to do as we pleased. Oh man, it's like dropping a tone of raw meat in a shark tank.

I think back to some nights before I enlisted and some of my early years in the military, and I shudder to think of some of the stuff I would do. A great night out was loading up some of the guys, and going down to Mexico for a night of booze, loud Mexican music, soggy chips, salsa, and then making the trek to Denny's after drunkenly testing the fates and coming back home. Yeah, I'm glad the folks didn't learn of that until years later.

A night out in Ishikawa, Okinawa, Japan.

Then came my service years. The first part of it, you could easily find me at an E-Club, or a local hole with some booze, loud music, or even some karaoke. This was usually topped off with the Okinawa offerings of yakisoba, taco rice and cheese, or one of the biggest corn dog's you ever imagined. There was usually more drinking to be done after returning to the barracks as well.

Gate 1 outside of Cp Hansen in Okinawa. Nothing but restaurants and bars.

The next phase I'm not sure how it came about. Either as my time as an MP dealing with drunks, dealing with drunks in the barracks, or just generally being tired of boozing it up. But for me at that time a good night, or weekend for that matter was SCUBA diving, sight seeing, or even just hanging out at the beach. I'd go out to the various restaurants, different beaches to lounge or dive, the various sites from the aquarium to waterfalls. It didn't matter where or what, just that it was there to be done and not in the confines of a bar, or barracks.

Playing with Nemo and his cousin in the East China Sea.

Posing with the A&W Great Root Bear in Nago, Okinawa, Japan.

Then I came back to the States, a little older, and a little wiser hopefully. And again things changed. Bars still do nothing for me. Clubs are a joke in general. There for a while a nice night out became a meal, and a movie. But even that changed quickly. There for a while I knew I wanted to do something, but I didn't know what. Going to the zoo is still a treat. A few years ago my youngest and I were treated to watching a giraffe being born.

A giraffe being born at the Albuquerque Bio Park around 2009. You can see the hooves under the mothers tale.

Sometimes going out is still the answer. Some place that isn't too rowdy, a restaurant here and there. The zoo a rare treat. But outside of taking a road trip someplace, or camping, there's one thing that I can do pretty much every night that makes me happy. Sit out on the porch with my wife, a cigar, a drink, maybe some music, and just stare off into the sky. Who'd have ever thought that a good night would become a night at home? Guess it's true. You can take the boy out the country (sometimes literally), but you can't take the country out of the boy.

You can see my bench  a little on the far left.

It's funny how things change.

Quality Sushi in the Desert

I've always loved seafood, and fish. Now I know some are looking at that statement and thinking, "it's the same thing." It's not. If it doesn't come from the ocean, it's not seafood. If you've ever been fishing, and pulled a bite out of a lake, river, or other fresh water source, you know what I'm talking about. And I'm not talking about the breaded stuff you'll find at the local Walmart. Then one day I hit one of the best places in the world for one of my favorite dishes. I got stationed in Okinawa, Japan. It's a bit like letting a cat loose in a fish warehouse without storing the fish.

Welcome to Okinawa

Then I came back to the U.S. and learned just how accustomed to quality food I had become. With exception of living in a coastal city, you're going to have a hard time finding restaurants with "real quality" seafood or fish in the U.S. Being that I moved to New Mexico, I figured it would be a long time before I found something resembling the food I left behind. What's that? Red Lobster? Come on, that's the McDonald's of seafood. Sure it's decent food, but doesn't compare. And just because a place says it's a real Japanese kitchen, or seafood house doesn't make it so. Get rid of the theatrics and actually sit down for the food alone, it's not that great. Sadly, for a good while the best sushi to be had came out of an Albertson's grocery store.

My wife enjoying some quality food.

Now my wife didn't used to like seafood much. But she's slowly become more adventurous over the years. And recently has learned that sushi is good! A friend told her about a place called Sushi Hana here in downtown Albuquerque. So we checked it out. I was shocked, and overwhelmed with joy because it's the real deal! My wife even planned a surprise birthday party for me there.

My birthday cake made by my brother Stephen. You can contact him for your personalized cake at:
https://www.facebook.com/SweetToothDragon

They have a large selection of delicious morsels. And even cater to those who don't care much for sushi, but love noodles. So now I have a spot where I can enjoy quality seafood and fish away from home. And it gives me a place to reflect on the good ol days.