SHOOT THE J... SHOOT IT!!

We began Kate's birthday celebration at Coach Sushi in Oakland where we enjoyed delicious sashimi and maki sushi and the bottomless masu sake for $3.50 (!). The owner of the resaurant ("Coach"?) actually ran out to the local convenience store to get ice cream, candles, and party noisemakers for us. He and his staff were wonderful, thoughtful, and friendly. It is our new favorite restaurant of all time.

After dinner we headed to the Oakland Ice Center for Broomball!!! My face hurt from smiling so much. It was almost total anarchy. You go out on the ice with your street shoes, a helmet, and a "broom" that looks like what would be a very ineffective canoe paddle. Multiple balls are one the ice simultaneously. The aim is similar to hockey or soccer, that is to score goals. Only you can't really run or stop or change direction very well on the ice. It was crazy. We were playing with a random group of people from about 16 years old to whatever. Afterwards we all agreed that it was very fun, but that we were woefully out of shape and that the constant "stabilizing" required for moving on the ice without falling is really tough on your groin muscles and hip flexors. So there's a downside. Also ice is very hard and falling on it with little to no warning can be painful. Luckily no one was killed.

Broomball matches in Oakland are the 2nd Friday of February and March. I recommend it if you havn't done it before. Get some friends together and try it. You might even inquire at the neighborhood rink if you aren't here. This is a relatively common thing at ice rinks, evidently. Crap, CCM even makes special equipment!

And here's a video of people who are way more intense than we were. (buncha' MB .mpg)