the rabbits of the night

A delicacy, made all the more delicious with their element of surprise. And free! There's a bizarre little operation going on in my town. A deli by day...and "Sushi by Night", which is plastered all over the windows of Paper Moon, in the heart (near the Stop N' Shop) of Sandwich. I went there for some takeout last week, and my experience was, at best, troubling. The joint was empty. One couple, on a Saturday night, at 7:00. I placed a meager order, and was told it would take 35 minutes, which seemed long, no? I also got rooked on some real vs. imitation crab routine (I'm thinking at an extra $2 per roll, this is how they're staying in business). I also didn't get what I ordered, and when I thought about getting out of my car and going back in to get things straightened out, I looked up to see the sushi chef, his apprentice (a dead ringer for Rupert Gee, from the Hello Deli) and the waitress, all huddled together, under an awning on a rainy night, their faces submerged in shadows, cigarette tips glowing red. I stayed in my car. The sushi? Fucking fantastic. So we went in tonight, to get the full dining experience. The lone couple on a Friday night, 7:00...that was us. And you know what we ordered? The Deep Impact Roll (you can't make this shit up). It's as delicious tasting as it is erotic sounding. Tempura shrimp, avocado, topped with spicy tuna, tobiko, and scallions. If you're in town, you need this. And then came the fresh, piping hot, crazy-ass looking Japanese Doughnuts. Kristin's theory, having worked in restaurants since forever, is that the guys in the kitchen were bored, made some treats, and rewarded us for being their only customers. Anyone on the Cape, in the mood for weird atmosphere (Japanese techno cover version of "Paint it Black" on a CD player that skips incessantly), and killer sushi, check out Paper Moon.

1. Lift with your back. That's your 'power center'.
2. Pick up as much snow as you possibly can.
3. Work quickly. You don't want to be out there all day, do you?

Scariest graphic novel......EVER!!!!! In fact, I'm not sure I've ever actually been creeped out by a comic before. But man, this book is a complete nightmare. It's also really, really good. The Joker is nothing short of menace here.....the usual one-liners, instead of being hokey, are just downright disturbing. Even the images of Batman, all wispy pencil sketches and gritted teeth, are more than a little unsettling. I have my friend Bill to thank for my recent reawakening into the world of all things comic book-y (that, and "Sin City", which, prior to the movie, I had never read). After loaning me the excellent "Planetary" books by Warren Ellis, he got me "Superman For All Seasons" by Jeph Loeb (et al) for Christmas, and it kicked my ass. I followed that up with Loeb's "Daredevil: Yellow", also a great read. I can't help but wonder how those guys felt about the "romantic comedy" tagline on the back cover.....doesn't seem appropriate. All this prompted me to dust off my old comic collection and take stock.....with mixed results. It ranges from the great (at the age of 10, I somehow managed to put together and keep in pretty good shape a solid pile of Frank Miller's "Batman" graphic novels), to the bizarre ("Quasar"?), to the embarrassing (I have several "ALF" comics). Anyway, there seems to be lots of great stuff out there. And this is what I need. Another expensive hobby.