The Sushi That Got Away

Magic Fingers Sushi also known as MF Sushi is considered probably one of the best places in all of Atlanta where you can get fresh tasting and authentic Japanese sushi. Not only is it the best place for sushi, it boasts as being the FIRST sushi bar established in all of Atlanta. It is known for its sophisticated atmosphere and great service which is why it draws crowds of people in at a time. Reservations are required and it's wise to place them as far in advance as possible. Don't even think about showing up even 5 minutes late or else your reservation will be considered non-existent. It's located in Midtown which is a very trendy area of the city with people willing to spend the money for good quality food. Needless to say, this place is VERY EXPENSIVE but the yuppies are willing to pay for it.

The Tyger wanted to take me to this all famous MF Sushi Bar as our little girls night out together. Having lived in Japan for two years, I'm quite the fish and sushi snob. I rarely find a sushi bar or Japanese restaurant that meets the standards I got used to living in the native country. Either way, my friends really enjoy going to Japanese restaurants with me as I can still speak Japanese pretty well and converse with the servers and sushi chefs. My friends also get a little Japanese culture lesson as well with me. Over all, I've been told I'm a lot of fun to eat Japanese food with.

The Tyger had made reservations about a week in advance for 7pm and reminded me about it over and over. However, on the day of our "date", The Tyger got involved with some project and forgot about the time. Next thing I know I hear this, "Damn it!", as she goes running into the shower. She comes out and is rushing around the entire apartment like a chicken with its head cut off trying to get ready in time. In the middle of her frenzied chaos, she asked me to look up the directions. I look them up, she writes them down and we're off and running a little late.

So now we're driving and driving and driving until we finally arrive at where the restaurant was SUPPOSED to be located. We couldn't find it so The Tyger calls for directions only to find out that we're on the other side of town! What I didn't know when I looked up the directions was that MF Sushi also has other affiliates. I basically looked up the wrong location. Doh! By this point, The Tyger and I are lost, hungry, and bummed out that we missed going to this famous and luxurious place. We sat quietly in the car not speaking for a while trying to figure out what to do. We're dressed to the nine's, pumped to be out, and hoping to get some food porn on. What do we do now? Go home and call it a night?? Hell no! This is OUR summer and no obstacle is going to get in our way of spoiling the best summer we've ever had!

My dad's favorite all time quote is, "When life hands you lemons, make lemonade", and that's exactly what we did! We ended up going to this burger joint called 5 Guys which makes the best burgers I've ever tasted. I used to eat there all the time with my friend Jersey from back at school in Washington, DC. This place has been awarded as having the best burger for like 8 years straight by the Washington Post. Anyway, we eat our burger and fries then decide to head off to a place called Birdi's located in the downtown area near the Tyger's apartment for Martinis. We have Martinis then decide to each do a shot. From there we were out for the count. We stumbled back to the apartment where we passed out as usual, her on the couch and me on the floor.

While we missed out on the Atlanta sushi experience, we made up for it by having our other comfort food, getting drunk, and waking up the next morning with smiles on our faces.

Here's to us and summer!

Life is a Highway

"Life is a highway, I wanna drive it all night long. If you're going my way, I wanna drive it all night long..."

Oh c'mon sing it with me! You know you know the lyrics to it! This famous song by Tom Cochrane has really influenced not only my perspective of Atlanta but The Tyger's and my outlook on life itself. For example, if I hadn't gone through the divorce, I would've been taking the highway back to the west coast rather than to the good 'ol south. And if I had never taken this highway here to the good 'ol south, we would not be having the adventures that we are having this summer. I guess things in life happen for a reason and there is a reason as to why I ended up here in the first place. What that reason is, I have no clue yet.

But I digress, the real story behind this song is how we view Atlanta roads, highways, and city streets. To put it simply...THE ROADS HERE MAKE NO FUCKING SENSE AT ALL!!! In fact we have changed the lyrics to, "Life is a highway, you can get lost on it in Atlanta all night long!" Main streets have other main streets attached to it that branch out to various parts of the city making it so it looks more like a termite's trail in a piece of wood. Also, I never really thought the saying, "It's the little things that count", as being the ultimate truth. You know those little endings at the name of a street like DRIVE, AVENUE, CIRCLE, STREET, and PLACE? Those make a HUGE difference when taking down directions. For example, they have an East Ponce de Leon, West Ponce de Leon, Ponce de Leon, Ponce De Leon NE, etc. The list of Ponce de Leons go on and on and on. Peachtree is another street name here that has a looooong list. Basically, if you don't write down those little important endings, you're pretty much screwed. It took me 30 minutes to find the library when I first arrived here which is only a 5 minute drive. This was because I turned on Sycamore Place instead of Sycamore Street which happened to be the next street up. And I thought getting around D.C. was bad! Natives of Atlanta tell me that even they sometimes get turned around.

Now if we want to look at it from an intellectual point of view, the city of Atlanta is full of history that can still be seen through its architecture, railroads, and city streets. Roads here were designed to prevent horses from getting stuck in the mud which explains why the city has connected main streets to other main streets. Also, because change is slow in the south which has preserved its history, it is easier for them to just build off of other streets rather than revamping the whole city. Street names back in the day were named so people knew where they were. So street names like Mill Road, Spring Road, and Ferry Road all told a person where they were near. It is not unusual for street names to change within a block of each other or become a completely different city due to the dozens of small communities squashed together. There are streets that meet up with other streets and become other streets. Did that make sense? See, even I'm confused and I'm not even in my car!

All of this does not make it any easier for a person visiting the city or anyone who has just recently relocated here. My advice? Get a GPS unless you don't mind taking that wrong turn and having the highway of life take you on a new adventure. Hey, you never know where life is gonna take you.

The 5th Earl Market

Just down the street, a literal 5 minute walk from The Tyger's apartment is this small deli/sandwich shop with a wine and beer bar called The 5th Earl Market. We tend to go there so we can drink ourselves to the point where we get obnoxious and stupid, then stumble back to the apartment and pass out without the worries of having to drive.

The first time I walked in I fell in love with the restaurant itself for its atmosphere and beautiful decorations. When you first walk in, it looks like a cute sandwich shop but as you head to the other side towards the back where the bar is, the place darkens with some soft lightening. The cement floors, candles on the tables and bar, and the white Christmas lights that reflect off the mirror behind the bar, I feel is what gives the place its relaxing atmosphere.

The food is so delicious too. Yes, between all the drinking we do manage to get some food into us! I haven't had a chance to try a lot but what I've seen and what I've eaten has been great! Last time I went in, I ordered the special of the night which was shrimp cakes served with mac and cheese and broccoli. The plate came with two perfectly round cakes with their version of a white BBQ sauce. I took one bite of the shrimp cakes and pretty much had a 10 minute foodgasm! With each bite I took, I could feel my tongue tingling with deliciousness. The white BBQ sauce added a slight tang to the cakes which made me savor each bite. I LOVED the shrimp cakes to say the least! I normally don't eat a whole lot and don't even finish half of what is served on my plate when I go out. However, I cleaned my plate to the point where they probably didn't even need to put it in the dishwasher. It was that good and like I said, I normally don't clean my plate like that!

The Tyger and I look forward to each visit we make to "The Earl" as it has become our secret escape away from home. The clientele tends to be mostly families and couples so we usually have the bar to ourselves without the worry of creepy guys picking up on us. The two owners also make the visit enjoyable too. They're very nice, laid back, and friendly making it more welcoming for us. There is also a girl who works there that is just the sweetest and warmest person. The Earl couldn't have found a better person to serve their customers.


She works 5 days a week with two days off so you could say she pretty much is always there. Everytime we come in, she always greets us with a smile and chats with us for a bit...girl gossip stuff! A graduate of Agnes Scott College with a BA degree in Astrophysics, you can say she is one smart young lady. I always look forward to seeing her whenever I walk in just so I can have a few giggles with her. Oh...and she's single! *wink, wink*

So, If you're ever in the Atlanta area, stop by and have a drink and say hello to our girl!

Gee...I feel like I just wrote a restaurant review!

The Dog Days of Atlanta Summers

The one definite thing I can say about Atlanta after only being here two weeks is that it's damn hot!!! The humidity just sucks the energy right out of you leaving you to marinade in your own juices. It's pretty disgusting to say the least. It amazes me that at 8am, it feels like it's already 90F and you're just sweating away. It's like Atlanta was designed to be one big sweat factory. I thought I would be used to humidity after living in DC for 2 years but then I realized I normally spend my summers on the dry west coast. At this point, I could really use those California beaches to cool off.

The other thing I don't understand is how fast the weather can change on you here. It will be sunny with a few clouds, hot, and humid as you feel yourself melting away. All of sudden, the wind kicks up, these huge black clouds come in that sit very low in the sky, thunder rattles the apartment and shakes the ground, then buckets and buckets of rain just come pouring down along with all this lightening that lights up the entire sky and knocks out power for a little bit. The storms get so bad that you can't even see more than 8 feet in front of you. The storms last at most 30 minutes then it's back to normal as if nothing ever happened. I equate this with earthquakes in California except we don't get them everyday and they don't last 30 minutes!

The Tyger and I have pretty much established a summer routine that I feel everyone should follow. We basically watch TV all day, sometimes lay out by the pool and sweat some more, drink beer/wine at night, and then repeat the next day. It's kind of like the directions on a shampoo bottle, "Wash, rinse, repeat." It's that simple.

Our TV watching consists of Law & Order marathons specifically SVU (Special Victims Unit) with Mariska Hargitay who plays Detective Olivia Benson and Christopher Meloni as Detective Elliot Stabler. To be honest, we watch the show just see Stabler's hot body! *sigh* I would do that guy any day of the week! Other TV watching includes the Atlanta Braves baseball games where we not only keep track of scores but also on who has the best ass on the team. The Food Network channel is where we get in our food porn and foodgasms for the day. Hey, when you're single and not getting any, any kind of porn will do!

That's pretty much what we do and then occasionally we manage to pull ourselves out of the apartment to go drink some place else. Of course we make sure the place we go to has a TV so we don't feel totally lost.

My Profile

Age: 34 years old (Getting old)
Bday: December 9, 1973 (winter time)
Birthplace: San Jose, California born and raised (also known as Silicon Valley)
Horoscope: Sagittarius all the way. Explains why I always move around and get into trouble!
Chinese Horoscope: Ox...so I guess I'm part bull too???
Nationality: Half Italian & Half Spanish (that's that country in Europe called Spain not Mexico!)
Height: 5'3" (That's if I stand completely straight!)
Weight: Stressed out 117lbs...Healthy 125lbs
Body type: Hourglass and sexy!
Shoe Size: 8 1/2 (I have big feet for my height)
Skin color: Olive (Means I tan very nicely!)
Eye color: Brown
Hair color: Brown
Favorite Food: My mom's cooking and Japanese food
Favorite Beer: Corona (It's the Spanish blood in me)
Favorite Wine: Blush (I have weak tastebuds)
Hobbies: Yoga, Hiking, cross-stitching, eating, and drinking
Introvert or Extrovert: Extrovert...can't you tell???
Bra size: You be the judge of that
Dress size: 4
Favorite sport: Baseball (no favorite team since I move around too much)
Most outstanding features: My ass. It's very round from what I've been told
Distinguishing characteristics: My hair. It's thick and big

The Tyger's Profile

Age: 33 years old (yeah we're both 30-something and getting older)
Bday: January 2, 1975 (winter)
Birthplace: LA, California born and raised (yes she's a native as well!)
Horoscope: Capricorn...that's why she's serious about her partying!
Chinese Horoscope: Tiger...Hence the nickname "The Tyger"
Nationality: Full blooded Chinese
Height: 5'7" (tall for asian)
Weight: Women don't discuss their weight. But I'd put her at around 130-135lbs
Body type: Thin (aren't most asians skinny??)
Shoe Size: 8
Skin color: Olive (not the kind you eat)
Eye color: Brown
Hair color: Black (Don't most asians have black hair?)
Favorite Food: She'll eat anything. She's a food slut!
Favorite Beer: Guiness (She like 'em dark!!!)
Favorite Wine: Red (like blood)
Hobbies: Reading, drinking, eating and watching TV
Introvert or Extrovert: Believe it or not, she's actually a bit introverted. Shy I guess maybe?
Bra size: I dunno, I don't stare at her boobs
Dress size: About an 8
Favorite sport: Baseball (LA Dodgers)
Most outstanding features: Her ass and hands. Not that I've stared at her ass or anything :P
Distinguishing characteristics: Just the budda she wears around her neck

Introduction--How We Met & How I Ended Up Here

"A friend is someone who knows everything about you, and still likes you"

During my last two years of undergrad, I had transferred to a university just outside of LA where I didn't know anyone. I was 24 years old and it was my first time away from the Bay Area. Homesickness and loneliness made my first two weeks of school very difficult to get through. That all changed though when I was sitting in class waiting for the teacher to arrive and The Tyger just so happened to choose a seat in the row behind me. She was wearing a white tank top with her long straight black hair draped over her shoulders, khaki colored shorts, and black flip-flops. All of us students sitting around each other were chatting away while still waiting for the teacher and it came up that she also lived in the dorms. We both discovered that we were in the same major with the same class schedule. I'm not sure what it is when you meet someone but when we met, I thought to myself, "You and I are going to be good friends". It was then that I gave her my number and told her we should hang out sometime. The rest is history.

The Tyger and I had many memorable adventures while finishing up our degrees. Her dorm was the "party dorm" where endless bottles of booze filled her place and tons of people were always over drinking themselves to an oblivion. It was not uncommon for The Tyger to invite a bunch of people over, get drunk, and then disappear into her room passed out from all the booze. Some host leaving her guests to tend to all those bottles, huh? Drunken nights, hangovers, and dinner parties full filled my last two years of school with her to which I finally graduated with my BA and left to return to the Bay Area.

Since then her and I have always kept in touch. Ten years of Christmases, New Years, and Spring Breaks have made it possible for the two of us to never lose contact. She is my friend, my party buddy, and my partner in crime!

Fast forward 8 years later....

Christmas 2006, my husband and I decided to divorce leaving me with no other option but to continue with my studies in graduate school where I already was in Washington, DC. I suffered from severe depression while trying to get through my thesis, coursework, and school presentations. Going through the process of a divorce and trying to heal at the same time is not easy to say the least but somehow I managed to graduate with my master's degree earning a 3.9GPA ( I got a B in one class, damn it!). Once I graduated, I realized I was left homeless with no place to go except possibly living in my car until I could figure out what to do. Hey, I'm a very adventurous person who embraces change but my car is a bit small even for my tiny frame!

This is where The Tyger stepped in to help me. She had moved to Atlanta about 5 years ago to be with her boyfriend. However, just like me, her relationship wasn't successful and she ended up moving out on her own. Knowing the emotional pain, severe depression, and stress I had been going through for almost 2 years she offered her home to me until I could get back on my feet again. Like a baby learning to walk, they fall down, learn to pick themselves up again, and continue walking. This where I am in my life right now, trying to learn how to walk again. While the decision to come here was a difficult one, I eventually realized being with her was exactly what I needed. I needed rest, a better diet other than salad, sleeping pills, and diet coke, and a shoulder to cry on as the healing process is still continuing.

After driving 12 hours to Atlanta through thunder storms, lightening, farms, strange small southern towns, and trying to figure out why people pronounce the word TOMATO as TOMATER, I finally arrived at The Tyger's apartment located in a very beautiful, hip and trendy area of the city. Seeing her again after 5 long months was comforting and I began to feel relief that there would be somebody there to take care of me for once. I'm forever grateful to her for opening up her home to me as if I was her own family. It's this act of kindness that you don't see too often, at least from where I'm from.

This is where I begin the crazy adventures and the daily on goings of our summer together. Like our unforgettable memories of the dorms, we are leaving our mark in the good 'ol south.

Names have been changed to protect the innocent as well as the guilty.