Sushirama

Last weekend we went out for sushi.  It was a lot of fun, but I always have a hard time finding something on the menu because I don't want to eat raw fish.  Of course that's the whole point of sushi, but not for me.

So I go with the veggie just to be safe.  It was really good despite each piece being nearly too big to fit in my mouth.

Sushi is Japanese and usually consists of vinegared rice and raw meat or seafood.  Important note when looking at a sushi menu - raw meat served by itself is sashimi.  You've probably heard of a California Roll even if you don't know a thing about sushi.  It's not actually Japanese, it's American, of course!

We decided we could do just as well or better than the restaurant and I think we did.

The sticky rice is very sticky, but a little water on the fingers helps a lot.  We filled them with cucumber, carrot, green onion and either smoked salmon or fried shrimp.

Those sheets are called nori and are actually a type of algae!

They definitely ended up nearly too big for my mouth again, but they were really good too. That looks like a lot (and it was), but we ate every one!

Make your own sushi - I recommend it.

Square One, Full Circle

I got my year off to a good start with a near-constant hair trial.  Perhaps better labeled as trial and error.

Amazingly, it only took 15 tries to come full circle.  That comes to one product every 7.3 days and I'm back at square one.

I do not recommend this.

Mercifully, I still have a head full of hair.

Jim wondered if I'd learned anything.  I hope so, but sometimes I'm a slow learner.  Case in point - see above.

Glareglasses

Forecast: Sunny

No, not all day long and not every day, but enough for me to trade in my glareglasses for my sunshades.

I know, they're one and the same, but usually when I pull out my Ray Ban's, it's strictly to block the glare.

Lately they're bonafide sunshades.  Long time coming.

Rakin' it in

Now that our weather has slightly improved, we've made a trip or two to the antiek and brocantemarkt here in Hasselt as well as the antique market in Tongeren.

FYI - Brocante is Dutch for flea and antiek is Dutch for antique. Ha.

You can find nearly everything from watches to dishes and bikes to yard tools.

For three-plus years I've been in search of the perfect rake - metal, not too heavy, not too wide.

Well, I hit pay dirt last weekend!

This thing is perfect.

Now, I can focus on finding the elusive sharpshooter for my garden shed.  I figure only me and my sister-in-law Becky know what I'm talking about :)

No, it's not a gun.

Sentenced to . . .

Limburger tot 1 jaar cel veroordeeld na diefstal vijver
Limburger sentenced to 1 year in prison after pond theft

The Leuven criminal court on Wednesday ordered the immediate arrest of a 50 year old man. This happened ... after he had stolen a preformed polyester garden pond during a burglary. 

The owner had, during that night in April, a polyester pond worth 400 euros seized during a burglary.

~ One year in prison for stealing a "polyester" pond?

Man veroordeeld voor verkoop valse Prada-handtassen
Man sentenced for selling fake Prada handbags

The Tongeren criminal court on Thursday sentenced a 24-year old man from Maaseik and a 30-year old companion from Brussels to six months each and 2,750 euro fine, because they sold fake handbags of the exclusive brand Prada. 

The police were sent to the house after a report of domestic violence.  There, the man's wife told that her husband had 370 Prada shoulder bags.  The agents found that they were fake copies because the logo and packaging was wrong.

~ Luckily the agents are experts at Prada logo and packaging.  This guy and his "companion" got 6 months each for selling fake Prada purses - plus a hefty fine on top of that?

Last and definitely not least . . .

Eight years in prison for rape and torture of 10 women

The 40-year-old Carlo P. from Aarschot was sentenced Thursday by the Hasselt criminal court to eight years in prison for molestation, rape and torture of 10 women. 

Carlo P. initially worked for the gullible women. What began in the care of their animals, led to an invitation to dinner. The man drugged the women with sleeping pills in a plate of spaghetti.

The man explained that he had a fantasy with sleeping women. He took pictures of his sleeping victims, while the offenses committed.
  

~ Unbelievable? Perhaps, but it seems very normal here.

I'm guessing there must be some details missing from this story.  Did the first 9 women forget to report this guy?  They knew him!  They ate spaghetti with him!

Anyway, that comes to 9 and a half months for each rape/torture - assuming he serves all that.  And I think that may be a big assumption.  Equal to nearly as much time as selling fake Pradas and less time than for stealing fake ponds. 

Prison sentences here just don't seem to have the same priority levels as in the States.  Perhaps because there's not all that much crime here, Belgium hasn't figured out that serial rape/torture is worse than theft and  counterfeiting?  Or, heaven forbid, they actually see them the same. 

By the way, the sentence for a serial rapist in the U.S. - life without parole.

Your guess is as good as mine on sentences in the U.S. for purloined ponds and pretend Pradas, but I think I'm safe in assuming it ain't life without parole.