Living with the Richest people in the US

Today, the Washington Post came out with an article and named DC as having one of the riches suburbs in the nations. Does that make me feel richer living in the DC area? Nope, instead...it enforced the notion how everything is over priced here, and living here, I have to pay for it all! Worse, my salary still looks the same as yesterday!!!

DC Suburbs top List of Richest Counties

Sake Tasting

Yes, most of your have probably done the wine tasting, and cheese tasting, but have you tried sake tasting?

Most people in the US have very little knowledge of sake. Sake in Japan refers to all alcohol, and what most Americans drink or call "sake" are really known as "nihhonshu" (prepared by brewing milled rice, water, yeast and other ingredients."

Moreover, a lot of Americans drink Sake warmed, but this is not how all sake should be served. yes, they do serve sake warm in Japan, but not all sake.

You can bring a new delightful twist to your next "tasting" party by hosting a SAKE-Sampling party. Things to note before your party: sake is categorized by the amount of rice grains polished. More polishing makes for a purer product.

Experts have suggested, like wine, you should serve from the lighter tasting to the heavier, more complex sake.

Example of what to serve:
Start with Junmai sake (amde with water and rice that has a 30% polish) - this of this as your regular table wine

Then move to Junmai ginjo (this will taste aromatic, with floral and anise with a smooth clean texture)

next, try a Honjozo sake - example: Ohkagura HOnjozo (made with distilled alcohol and rice) This one will taste rich and creamy with nutty aromas and a sweeter more full bodied texture.

Finish with a Daiginjo ( a combination of distilled alcohol and 50% polished rice). Try Nobu Diginjo - this is a full flavored sake with an assertive nutty aroma.

All of the above should be served Chilled!

Also, stay away from ceramic cups, those are usually reserved for warmed sake. Use wine glasses or shot glasses instead, or you want to be really fancy, you can buy glass sake cups.

And it is not necessary for oyu to serve sushi with your tasting, you can serve it with any beef, game or duck.

or to really show off your sake knowledge, do food paring as if you are serving wine. For example, Juneau jinjo are good with seafood and honkies are excellent with fried foods. But who really cares - as along as there is good food let your taste bud tell you which sake goes best with which food!

That is why we became lawyers

Today, while I riding on the metro to work, I pick up the free "Express" newspaper they give out here in the Washington, DC metro area - and of course this is in the paper.

A Shandong, China, student is suing his teacher claiming mental distress after being punished for sleeping in class, China Daily reported. Four months ago, Xiaodong fell asleep during class and was awakened by his teacher, Wang; when Xiaodong fell asleep again a few minutes later, Wang made the student stand in the corner of the room as punishment. He refused, walked out of class and went home.

And I am sure all lawyers all inspire to bring cases like such....

Mid-Life Crisis

It has appeared to me that numerous co-workers at my job are currently through mid-life crisis! I mean, does everyone really go through mid-life crisis??? What is this all about. All the men in my office around their 40s want to get out of their marriage, want to have a new girlfriend... basically want to be different than they are now. I am not sure if they are "bored", and this age thing is really hitting them or what - but what is this phenomena?

Here are some insights from the internet:

Midlife is the old age of youth and the youth of old age.Proverb
If this is true then many people are standing on the threshold of a "new youth." It is what Gail Sheehy in her book, New Passages, calls the "second adulthood." We all have a second chance at becoming the person we are meant to be. This second chance is called midlife. However, midlife is a new and often dangerous territory.

What is a helpful image for the midlife process? Perhaps it is the Midlife Quest in which there is a challenging adventure of seeking, exploration, and discovery. Or, it might be Midlife Metamorphosis where there is the profound change of reformation and transformation. Another image is that of Midlife Renaissance with a new birth, a new beginning, and a chance to start over. There is also the possibility of Midlife Crisis where there is a sense of urgency along with intense emotion and perplexity. Of the four possibilities it is Midlife Crisis that is ultimately most appropriate. This is because the two fundamental elements of crisis are found in all of the images.

A Dangerous Opportunity
The Chinese word for crisis readily shows these two basic elements. In the Chinese language the ideogram for crisis is made up of two separate characters. One of these characters represents "danger" and the other represents "opportunity." Thus the proper translation of crisis from Chinese is as a "dangerous opportunity." Any crisis in our lives provides the chance for change and growth -- the opportunity -- as well as the risk of regression or stagnation -- the danger. In the images of Quest, Metamorphosis, or Renaissance both opportunity and danger exist. You may not always attain the goal of the Quest, the Metamorphosis may not be complete, and the Renaissance may be a still birth. The danger of midlife is very real. Successful transition to the next life stage is not guaranteed.

How to Stay Awake at Work

It is that time of the day around 3:30, and all I want to do is take a nap.... how am I ever going to stay awake? Anyone has any ideas? please help!!!