Sushi and Honky-tonk in Texas

Aware of my constant hunt for new dining options, my friends decided to take me to Ra, a newly opened Sushi bar in Houston. For some reason, we ended up ordering more sushi than we could eat.
The sushi here was very good: in addition to the California, Shrimp, and Tuna rolls, I decided to be a little more adventurous and try their Octopus rolls (picture below)! If you enjoy your sushi and like a bar-like ambience with loud music, this place may be just for you!

We also decided to have desserts at the Marble Slab Creamery. For those who haven't been to one, this is an ice-cream place with a difference: the ice-cold marble slab on which they mix your selection of ice-creams and toppings before placing it in the cup.

Here's the recipe for the Murali Special (named after the genius who gave me this treat!): two scoops of butter pecan ice-cream mixed with pecans, shredded coconut, fresh stawberries, and finished off with a light topping of hot caramel). Try it, it is delightful and different from anything you have had before.

And then I was off to Dallas to spend (part of) the weekend with old friends. We decided to see a movie together; the one I selected turned out a disappointment (The Prestige, directed by Nick Nolan of Memento fame). We then decided to spend the evening at Billy Bob's, which is a honky-tonk place in Fort Worth. The band that weekend was an unknown Herman's Hermits from the UK. Eventually, we hit the bar, and after downing some scotch, the evening felt much better!

I get to read a variety of newspapers when I am tralleving, and this time was no different. A couple of interesting articles caught my eye. One was about www.legacy.com which has carved a niche business of online obituaries, where friends and relatives can mourn and leave comments on a departed loved one. The interesting thing, however, is that in the online world people display more candour than usual. Therefore, these companies have had to hire an army of people who now scrutinize every comment for 'appropriateness' before they are posted, adding to their costs! From claims of illicit love, to abuse, these 'editors' have seen it all. However, Legacy is a profit-making companies and gets paid by the newspapers that run obituaries and links to their sites.

The other article was about the lobby at the Hyatt in Guatemala which is always filled with American couples with newly acquired infants. Apparently, Guatemala now is the third largest among countries from where Americans adopt babies (Russia and China are the first and second respectively). And so, if you enter the Hyatt here, be prepared for crowds of wailing babies and doting parents. The gift shop in the hotel sells diapers and other baby stuff as well :)