The day started out fairly normal. I got up, went to work, lunch, but I came home at 3:15 so that Greg and I could leave early to head to Titusville and then Melbourne. We stopped in Titusville first because there’s a restaurant there called Dixie Crossroads that Greg has been raving about. So we headed down 50 and made our way there.

Firstly, the place was decorated with murals and they had a fish pond out front filled with big, dull eyed fish who wanted food. And pigeons. There were lots of pigeons there too.

Inside, it was really friendly and happy – very coastal. We sat in a big booth and ordered our food. Greg had crab legs and scallops and some shrimp (they had a multitude of combo plates) and I had fish and veggies on the side. It was yummy, and their “corn fritters” were more like corn doughnuts. They served them covered in powdered sugar. Except for eating too many fritters, the whole meal was really good for my diet. So good! When we’re done eating, Greg says there’s a really awesome Indian restaurant out there too. So, if we’re out that way any time we’ll probably stop there, if we can find it.

After dinner, we made our way towards Melbourne. Unfortunately, when we got to Dixie Crossroads, it started raining, and it was spitting at us all night off and on. The 45 minutes or so straight down 95 to Melbourne were quick and easy. We got to the King Center, and after a little bit of a fun time parking (I missed the first driveway), we got a spot and got in. Earlier in the day, I had pulled some cash from my account for dinner/gas, etc. I completely FORGOT they’d be selling merchandise at the concert. Luckily I had enough to get a shirt. I got the CD cover, because the others were cool, but I liked the tour dates on the back, as well. Its too bad my other Weird Al shirt doesn’t fit anymore (too big). If I found it, though I could give it to Greg. He’d probably get a kick out of it. Anyway, we had about an hour to kill, so we milled around, watched the people and Greg bought drinks. The awesome thing is that I knew my friend FDR (filthy drunken Rebecca, even though she doesn’t drink) was going to be there. She was in the same row as us (front row balcony) but in seats far away. I waited for her to show up, we talked a bit, and then the concert started…

Unfortunately, the first thing I noticed was the sound was weird, but other than a few balance problems here and there, the whole concert was amazing. He showed lots of funny clips between numbers and was really full of energy. Some songs, you could hear the whole place singing along. At one point, he either forgot a line or just needed to take a breath, because he stopped singing, and the audience took it up and kept going. It was great. The most amazing thing the whole evening during the concert was that he performed ALBUQUERQUE! Its a 12 minute song, and I swore he said he’d never do it in concert. He did it on the Running With Scissors tour in Albuquerque and that was it. Amazing, absolutely amazing. That was a great encore. Afterwards, I was bound and determined to wait as long as I could to see if I could get an autograph. We went down to front row and waited. A security guard told us to leave rather unceremoniously. On the way out, I even begged some of the people with passes going back stage to get my cd cover signed, but they looked at me and didn’t say a word.

While we were headed towards the car, I saw a group of people waiting near the back, and I headed that way, much to Greg’s annoyance – he was tired and wanted to go home, and was sure the Security Guard meant business. I know that Al tries to come out for his fans if you wait long enough and the other guards seemed to be more cooperative. I ran to my car and grabbed another CD. Greg had the case for “Straight outta Lynnwood” to get signed, and I had the “Running With Scissors” CD.

We waited for a long time, and little by little we got more and more hope that he’d come out to see us. Finally, the guard told us to move to a different location. Excited, we all followed him. After about another 5 minutes, he told us to get in line and follow him. WE GOT IN!

I was elated. They walked us through some hallways and into a room, and there he was!!! Reuben, Steve and John, too. I think I even saw their producer, as well. Greg and I were only 5th or so in line so it wasn’t long before Greg met him and got his autograph. A very very nice lady agreed to take our pictures because I stupidly had left my camera in the car when I went to get the cd. I gave her my e-mail, and Greg offered her a card so she’ll get in contact with us soon I hope. Greg and Al spoke for a while and then it was my turn. I shook his hand, told him the concert was great, that it was my 3rd one and they’d all been amazing. He said it was the first night with a new sound guy and I told him it was awesome, and it sounded great. Overall, he looked really tired, but he was nice, soft spoken – a really great guy. I said thanks again and let the next group have their turn. I made my way around the room with my sharpie and CD and got Reuben, Steve (who spelled my name right on the FIRST TRY!!!), and John “Bermuda” to sign it. I was ecstatic.

While we were waiting outside to get in, I called my friend FDR, who is a bigger Al fan than I, but I got her voicemail. Unfortunately she headed home before listening to it because she never turned up, and I called her afterwards on the way home and told her what had happened. At least we know it’s possible. Amazing. From being kicked out to actually meeting him, it was a great night.
Then we drove home. Greg fell asleep, and I got us home safe with the help of Diet Coke!

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Friday night was spent at a Party!
Greg’s friend Charlotte threw a party on the occasion that she was back and visiting from England. She lives in a *very nice* townhome in Sanford. Though I didn’t know any of the people, save Greg, at the beginning, suprisingly I felt not too out of place. At first, I was wary. The people that were there and that showed up were not really my type of close friend person. At least on first impressions. After a while though, they all turned out to be really cool people. Especially once they all started drinking. I was Greg’s DD so I didn’t drink but one or two things early on in the evening. Unfortunately I completely ruined my diet by snacking on all the chips and chocolates. Blah.
So that was an interesting departure from the norm.
Over the weekend, I was bound and determined to ride by bike again, but I didn’t do it because Saturday it was cold and rainy and Sunday it was just cold.
Good thing is that my pants this morning weren’t *quite* as tight, so diet seems to be working, if annoyingly slowly.
Keep at it. Blah. Sleepy.

From the store, I purchased Sushi Nori (Seaweed sheets specially designed for sushi purposes. Purchase from your local Asian market for about 2-5 bucks), Jasmine Rice (Any sort of rice will do, just make sure that you cool it off before you start to work on it. Don’t use the fridge. You’ll have to let it sit, which means you should prepare your rice first, and let it cool while you chop up all the other stuff. A rice cooker helps, but is not essential), Imitation Crab, Egg Whites,Portabello Mushrooms (Traditionally, one would use Shitake mushrooms. Seeing as I didn’t buy any from the Asian market the last time I was there, I had to settle for these. After using them, they aren’t a bad substitute, if not a bit expensive just for sushi), and Cucumber. You will also need Soy Sauce, sugar, and Rice Vinegar (You don’t have to use rice vinegar. I didn’t have any and I used a bit of normal old white vinegar. The taste was different, but it worked). It helps to have a sushi rolling mat (Again, an item which is easily purchased from your local Asian market. However, if you have a flexible cutting board or any similar sort of thing which will distribute pressure across the whole sushi roll at once, that’s what you’re aiming for), but its not ESSENTIAL…

Here’s some basic instructions on how to get started making your sushi!

Make the Rice
Cook the rice until it is done. Let it cool. The best way to do this is to put it in a bowl and scrape it up the sides so that it is in a thin layer around the bowl. When the rice is close to room temperature, pour about 2 tablespoons per 2 cups of rice worth of vinegar over it. Then add about the same amount of sugar as vinegar. Mix this up until the sugar is dissolved. Taste it. If its sweet and tangy, its perfect. If it still tastes like rice, add a bit more until it tastes like you want it to (which is really up to you and your sushi-rice-preferences).

Cut Up Vegetables
Any veggies that you want in your sushi need to be cut into thin strips. You can save yourself some time by buying pre-shredded carrots, for example. Cucumbers can be sliced lengthwise into strips. Other veggies that aren’t long enough to span the entire sushi roll should be cut into pieces as long as possible, and then can be layered when placed in the roll. Refrigerate these once you are done slicing them.

Cook Mushrooms
Whatever type of mushroom you choose, you’ll need to simmer it in soy sauce and sugar until it is soft. Dilute about 1/4 cup of soy sauce with a cup of water and bring to a boil. Stir in about 3 or 4 tablespoons of sugar. Add your mushrooms and simmer until they are dark and soft. Drain them, and cool them in the fridge.

ROLL!
Ideally, you want everything to be cold before you roll it. If you don’t have the luxury of time, you can roll and then refrigerate the rolls. If you don’t have time for that, just suffer with warmish sushi.

Place a sheet of Nori on your sushi mat and cover with rice. Then lay out your ingredients.
Roll the nori up, being careful not to roll in your sushi mat. Once the roll is completed, roll it around once or twice to ensure a tight roll up.

Slice and Enjoy!
Cutting Tip: Use a non-serrated knife. Dampen the knife with water before cutting to ensure it doesn’t stick to your sticky rice.

Eat, and enjoy!