Good Bye Ruby Tuesday's

1) Well, damned if my passport w/ visa didn't arrive today, as promised. The only thing remaining on their end is the e-ticket to Incheon, scheduled to arrive one week in advance. I don't have time to talk about what needs doing on this end, much less actually do it.

2) I forgot to mention one of the "discoveries" I made in packing, a $25 gift certificate to Ruby Tuesday's--not a card, it's so old it's a piece of paper. But it didn't have an expiration date, so I took it to town today. (I found a Rich's card, too, but they don't even exist anymore.)

I chose a rib eye steak, more of that American beef. Well, the crazy cow might not kill me, but the sodium content was damn near lethal. It was perfectly cooked to medium rare, but the strong saltiness of the seasoning accumulated until it was practically inedible. Amazing.

I will admit to being salt-sensitive--I almost never add salt to foods. One exception would be fresh corn-on-the-cob. Yes, the Montreal seasoning I love has plenty of salt in it, but loads of other flavor-enhancers, too. The broccoli was completely unadulterated (not even a smidge of butter) and the mashed potatoes were very good. But I'm not "paying" for potatoes.

3) If it weren't bad enough that some US cartographer inadvertently placed an extinct volcano called the Lioncourt Rocks under Japanese control, A Chinese government website is now trying to swipe an insignificant coral atoll named Ieodo or Suyan Rock--the Koreans have demanded that they email it back: Korea Herald.