I Like Fish and Mango Pickle

Officially tapped out of 2007.

In the Zowie family, hoping for luck in the new year, we like to start off the year with a fishing trip.

For lake fishing, the night crawler inflated with air is the essential bait. I know it's slightly perverse, but ever since I was small I was always entertained by injecting the worms with air and then watching them float on the water's surface.

The lake was recently stocked with 4 thousand pounds of rainbow trout, but we didn't catch a thing -- perhaps this implies that 2008 will be an unlucky year...more reasonably though, it probably means that my air-filled night crawler was as unappetizing as it looked.

Fish remained on the menu however, for the Japanese New Year meal I prepared this afternoon. For every new years day since I can remember, my grandma and great aunt each cooked up huge Japanese feasts and spoiled everyone in the family with homemade sushi. 2008 was the first year in which there wasn't anybody to cook on new years. I was thoroughly disgruntled by the Japanese food void so I took it upon myself to travel to the Japanese store on New Year's eve and purchase the ingredients for a simple version of Japanese New Year. I made sure to serve the essentials: black beans for health, teriyaki salmon for family, sake for longevity, and mochi for strength. Additionally, I purchased/prepared sushi, beets, salad, pickled vegetables, and rice.
Here's a few of the items set out on the table:

I suppose it was moderately acceptable for a Japanese New Years meal -- I'm just please that the family all gathered together on new years to keep the tradition going. I think it's one of the few moments in my life that I've actually felt sentimental about something.

In other news, I may have to travel to Hawaii to console Colt Brennan after the ass-kicking he's receiving in the Sugar Bowl right now. College football, just like 2007, is officially tapped out. At least Cal's victory yesterday was slightly redeeming -- slightly being the emphasized word.

Luckily, broken college football dreams and unappealing night crawlers have been the opposite my 2007. 2007 was a solid year and 2008 is gonna be huge - graduation and New Orleans better watch out.