Indian Curry in Downtown So-lame (Uh, I mean Salem!)

Well, now that I'm "home" I can take the opportunities to do stuff I normally can't do in Rexburg and so on. One of things I can do at home is eat at some of my favorite places! Now, I do rag on how lame Salem, Oregon can be a times (not to mention the entire state regarding the laws and politics!). However, I will admit that there are quite a few good places to eat out here. And while at home, I figure I can take some opportunities to go out and eat at some of my favorite places! And while I'm at it, why not do a blog post about some of these places? On the off-chance you happen to be coming through the state capital of Oregon, you can get the chance to try some of these restaurants instead of the usual boring ol' fast-food stuff that ALWAYS happens to be just off the Interstate; I think you'll thank me for it! Plus Rexburg NEVER did have an Indian-Curry place...

Turns out my family found this place while I was spending two years over in Japan. The place is called The India Palace and obviously, the place serves Indian food. Most notably and popular, Indian curry. Even better, they do lunch buffet specials! Typical of most Indian-Curry establishments, they serve a different kind of curry everyday depending on what day you go in. Our family (my personal) favorite is the Butter-Chicken curry (And pretty much everyone else's favorite!), served on Thursdays and Sundays.

Rice, Butter-Chicken Curry, and Nan! Three of my favorite things to enjoy at this place.

I certainly get a feeling of nostalgia when I dine at this place because it's just as good as the places I enjoyed while living in Japan. The only difference between here and Japan? Free refills on soft drinks!

Semester Done, Time to Go Home

Yep, I finished my second semester of college. And before you ask, yes, it did chew me up and spit me back out before I was done with it. I was technically supposed to have one final exam in the testing center (for my Business 101 class) but it got dropped from the class schedule due to time constraints (Woo hoo!). Basically my finals comprised of two online exams for American Foundations, one in-class comprehensive exam, an extemporaneous speech in Communications 175, and a classroom discussion in my religion class. Aside from the online and in-class exams, the overall load of all this felt slightly lighter compared to last semester. Part of it had to do with the fact that these classes seemed a lot more interactive so I found it easier to remember the concepts. I think I know what kind of style of classes I like now! So I was done with my finals as of last Thursday, ahead of schedule I might add. Final grades are basically in and I did A LOT better this semester compared to last. I'm going home with straight A's!

But the warmer weather really took its toll on me, that's for sure! That was by far the biggest challenge I had to deal with this semester because studying was really uncomfortable... But I managed. And I sure did have a lot of fun this semester with the activities and the involvement I played. And of course, the great friends:

They're like family to me... Well, almost!

And with the ladies!

Yep, a lot of fun.

So I spent the weekend doing... well, not a lot. Slight laziness slipped in since I was done with classes and the apartment was still hot. The nights on the other had have been cool and comfortable. But I did go up to Ashton for a day and went boating with my relatives; my cousin Matt and his wife Monica picked me as they drove up from Idaho Falls. Sorry, no pictures this time as I actually started feeling a little sick! Weird right?! That has never happened to me before... We went to Big Juds for dinner and THIS is what the sandwich looks like:

I can never for the life of me eat something like this! The thought of it actually makes me a little queasy...

I just had a fish 'n tots basket.

Other than that, it was relax and THEN clean! Yep, had to clean the apartment with my roommates before we terminated our housing contracts for the semester. The apartment complex I stayed at these last two semesters was alright, but I know there are better places to live in. Plus, it was evident that the lack of a/c in my first college apartment cost another one of my nine lives! We finished cleaning the apartment today and we checked out with the manager and it was time to leave Rexburg. Me and one other roommate utilized the Salt Lake Express to get us down to Salt Lake City; we both have flights to our respective destinations tomorrow. We were dropped off at the Salt Lake City International Airport. My aunt Loila, if you recall, lives in the area and was kind enough to let us spend the night at her place! Having relatives nearby and throughout the region really has been a HUGE benefit and I am absolutely grateful for them putting up with me and taking care of me! I really am a lucky guy to be close to so many members of the extended family because not all families are like mine. So my aunt picked us up from the airport and she took us to dinner at In-N-Out Burger:

TWO different kinds of burgers featured in one blog post! I figured In-N-Out is popular with a lot of friends so it was worthy of taking picture of the food!

I was also wearing an In-N-Out t-shirt today so I was dressed for the occasion! The cashier without missing a beat said to me, "Nice shirt!"

And I said, "Thanks! It is a nice shirt." And let me tell you, it's been a while since I ate an In-N-Out Burger and it tasted really good! And I'm planning on and eating at one again when I get down to Reno this upcoming September!

Well, it's been all great but it is MOST DEFINITELY time to go home and take a break from school and get a job and work for the rest of the year. Hard to believe I've been gone just for schooling purposes for nearly seven months. And without a doubt I've come a long way in these last seven months from starting Freshman year of college feeling like a chicken with its head cut off until today... But I still got a LONG way to go as far as education is concerned. Still undecided on what I want to major in...

Well, here's to safe travels for everyone and a productive remainder of the year!

Boating the Snake River

Well, here's something I haven't done in about four or five years. Not only does my uncle own a plane, but he's got a boat!

Yeah, I know some people.

Yep, this is what I call class!

Oh yeah, we also dragged some boating tubes (and knee boards later on)!

Considering that I haven't done much other than homework, making gyoza, and celebrating the Fourth of July, it was pretty nice to get out and play for a couple hours.

Friday is Gyoza Night

I don't think I have to explain anything here. I think the pictures are pretty self-explanatory. I'm just keeping up with traditions and tapping into my Japanese roots!

Probably overdid the meat this time...

One of like eight of these trays!

While everybody eats, I cook!

What my plate typically looks like while I multi-tasked.

Friday makes for a great gyoza night!

4th of July Ashton Style!

Happy 4th of July everybody! Last night's fun over in Wyoming kick started my holiday off to a good start. And it sure is great to be with my aunt and uncle and their family; it sure beats being stuck in an apartment lacking a/c. I'd say it's a well-deserved few days off. You gotta really appreciate the events these small towns like Ashton puts together. Today, we sat in front of my uncle's furniture store and watched the Ashton 4th of July Parade. Here are some of the more interesting photos from the event:

We simply cannot forget the origins of this great country and the sacrifices that were made for it.

Great turnout

This one was just disturbing!

Retro is good!

Local business participation is obviously evident in this one here.

Patriotic AND retro. The perfect combination!

The Legacy Flight Museum brought four of their planes over from Rexburg and did a few fly-overs during the parade as well. You can read about it and see pictures of those planes on my aviation blog.

As for the rest of the day, it was play, then work, then play again, followed by some more work. To pass the time, I've worked on a few school assignments due after the holiday weekend. But you wouldn't think I'd go without fireworks would you? Taking pictures of fireworks is just as interesting (if not cooler) than a bonfire. I didn't go to a fireworks show this time but I just watched some people in the neighborhood set some of theirs off:

Pretty rad when you take pictures of fireworks going off! Well, I'd say this was a decent Independence Day. Happy Independence Day everyone!

Pre-4th of July Fun: Feeling the Wild Wild West! Well, kind of...

As soon as I was done with classes for the day, my aunt picked me up and we drove to Ashton to meet with everyone else. From there, we drove through back country and made our way to Jackson, Wyoming. I've never been to Jackson before, let along the other side of the Teton mountains so it seemed like a lot fun. I really enjoyed the scenic drive over there; Idaho/Wyoming countryside is just downright beautiful in the summertime. We went to a place called Bar J Chuck Wagon; my aunt and uncle bring their family to this place every year. I was surprised at first but this place seems popular because people from all over the country and even from different parts of the world come here. I even met and talked to some Japanese people when I went; I was actually wearing a "I Love Japan" t-shirt so that caught their attention! The place had a feel for the wild west:

Dinner and show! Definitely a place where you get your money's worth.

I knew clearly what this was for but I had take a picture of it because it's so funny!

It's a smoking-free establishment.

Food is served on an aluminium plate and it doesn't get anymore "western cowboy" than this:

BBQ chicken & beef, beans, baked potato, cakes/bread and applesauce. Just one serving and I was stuffed.
Must have been the beans.
(I know, bad pun!)

After the dinner portion, we had an actual show. Yep, this place is a legit "dinner & a show" establishment. The staff plays double-duty of serving the customers their food and then play country music; and I'm not talking Taylor Swift of those sorts. This is REAL country music! You can make any genre of music sound good so long as it's kept more towards the original side. Every night, a band known as the Bar J Wranglers plays for the audience:

The Bar J Wranglers on stage.

Not only the music is great but these guys are absolutely hilarious! No joke! In between songs, they throw jabs and jokes at each other as part of the act. They even take customer requests and compile them into some kind of hilarious medley. They had a 'Gangnam Style' AND a 'Michael Jackson' moment that was to laugh for! Check out both the establishment and the band's Facebook pages for more details and see what it's like. If you're passing through Jackson Hole, I'd highly recommend you spend an evening at the Bar J.

My 4th of July holiday weekend is off to a great start!

It's HOT D@#* it!

Okay, not gonna lie. This weekend was pure torture! No a/c in the apartment means sweating and not getting much done. No a/c in the apartment means going shirtless and having a wet towel over my shoulders and around the back of my neck in order to stay cool. Sorry no pictures of that! My bruised shoulder with the armpit hairs is as undignified as I'm willing to get! Actually, the wet towel thing is a Japanese thing (trust me, I've seen many guys do it on a hot summer day!) and it really does work and help quite a bit.

Another useless "Japanese" trick I learned: Well, useless to some but I find it quite useful... Green tea, though it may make you look younger when you drink it, it will make you have a hunch-back when you advance in age. But green tea (as in the ones made from leaves) is also great for getting rid of bad foot odor. And yes, I learned this while I was in Japan. Just soak your stinky feet in a bucket or some kind of foot bath-type container and keep it soaked for about 30 minutes.

So it really was a struggle to get any homework done over the weekend because my favorite study area (namely my desk) is not ideal during the summer heat. We've had a steady week in the 90s so I definitely capitalized the opportunity to jump in the pool in our apartment complex.

Other than that, this past weekend wasn't a total loss. We actually went to the dunes once again and had another bonfire:

I never get tired of how cool it is take a picture of a bonfire; the flames look really cool when it's still in a photo... So it's hot outside! And I'm getting easily exhausted and drained more frequently (don't worry, I'm drinking lots of water!) But the bright side is that I only have three days of classes this week and I'm heading up to Ashton to spend the 4th of July holiday weekend with my relatives! So I'll have an excuse to ACTUALLY update on a semi-regular basis for once...

Stay tuned!