Do The Things You Cannot Do: A Lesson

I thought it was a good idea to start off 2007 by doing something new, something I didn't think I would or could do — just to prove that I could do something I didn't think I would or could.

So tonight, for the first time in my life... I ate sushi. A maki roll, to be specific, or so rintrahroars tells me.

And much to my continuing surprise, I DIDN'T DIE.

Even more bewildering, it actually wasn't too bad. I had more of a problem with the giant stick of carrot in the maki roll than I did from the slab of raw tuna. I did have a bit of a psychological block when I started eating the roll, I think — "Dude, don't you even think about swallowing that thing," the part of my brain that keeps me safe by not letting me try new things told my mouth, but I just kept chewing and got it down. And I didn't collapse into a frothing, convulsing heap onto the table, which I was pretty damn convinced I was going to do.

I don't think I'm quite ready to become a sushi-eatin' fiend just yet, but I haven't ruled out the possibility of trying it again someday, and that's not nothin'. Even a little progress is still progress, right?