In order to better track my various cultural experiences (e.g., movies, TV shows, books, restaurants), I’ve created the Cultural Diet. Think of it as my own personal Goodreads, Letterboxd, and Yelp, all rolled into one (more info here). Every month, I recap everything that I watched, read, etc., in the previous month.
- 3.5 out of 5 stars
Satoshi Kon: The Illusionist
Not sure if this gave me a lot of new insight into Kon’s films, but it was neat to see how respected he was by other filmmakers. We lost someone truly special when he died. 
3.5 out of 5 starsCibola Burn by James S. A. Corey (The Expanse, Book Four)
My least favorite Expanse novel to date. But even a “bad” Expanse novel is still pretty good.- Direct-to-video martial arts action comedies from the mid-to-late ’90s don’t get much better than this. (Read my review)
- 3.5 out of 5 stars
Cheaper by the Dozen
- 3.5 out of 5 stars
Dark Horse by Gregg Hurwitz (Orphan X, Book Seven)
Read this in under 24 hours. Hurwitz knows how to write a pageturner, but it’s 100% style over substance. I appreciated the effort to make more nuanced and thoughtful bad guys, but I would’ve liked more mindless action and less existential philosophizing re. marriage, parenting, etc. - Didn’t like this as much as season one. Some promising new story ideas were introduced but none of them were developed in a satisfying way. This season felt rushed and truncated, which wasn’t helped by the fact that it only had seven episodes compared to the first season’s ten.
- 4 out of 5 stars
High Peak Asian Restaurant
Their mango chicken on jasmine rice is solid, but the skillet shrimp appetizer is where it’s at. - 4 out of 5 stars
Hyperspace by Edward Packard (Choose Your Own Adventure, #21)
For a “Choose Your Own Adventure” book geared towards grade schoolers, Hyperspace is pretty trippy and meta. - 3.5 out of 5 stars
Space Patrol by Julius Goodman (Choose Your Own Adventure, #22)
- 4 out of 5 stars
Your Code Name Is Jonah by Edward Packard (Choose Your Own Adventure, #6)
Loved the Cold War, 007-esque espionage angle on this one. - 2.5 out of 5 stars
Space and Beyond by R. A. Montgomery (Choose Your Own Adventure, #4)
- 3.5 out of 5 stars
The Cave of Time by Edward Packard (Choose Your Own Adventure, #1)
- 4 out of 5 stars
Euro Bistro
This restaurant in Mead, NE (of all places) was a delightful surprise. Their wood-fired pizzas are delicious and they even make a solid cheesesteak. - 5 out of 5 stars
Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum
As a military aviation buff, I could spend hours here. IIRC, you could climb into some of the planes when I was a kid, but no longer. Still, I get chills every time I see the B-47 Stratojet up close. - 5 out of 5 stars
Sweet Magnolias Bake Shop
You haven’t truly lived until you’ve had one of their caramel cinnamon rolls. - 5 out of 5 stars
Ahmad’s Persian Cuisine
Arguably my favorite restaurant in Omaha. I was bummed to see that the Jujeh Kabob wasn’t available on their dinner menu, but not enough to not give them five stars. My wife had the Soltani Kabob and it was amazing. - 4 out of 5 stars
Hollywood Candy
If you have a sweet tooth like mine, then this place is a must-see. Huge assortment of candies from all over the world, including Japanese Kit Kats. - I used to go to this baked sub shop all the time, but now it’s only in Omaha. Their beef sandwich was just as delicious as I remembered (though I should’ve ordered it with extra cheese).
- 4.5 out of 5 stars
The Durham Museum
One of our favorite Omaha museums. The train exhibits are endlessly fascinating (and make me want to ride the rails) and they currently have an excellent Nelson Mandela exhibit. - And yes, I’ve had “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” going through my head ever since.
- 2 out of 5 stars
Cheeseburgers
You’d think that a joint named “Cheeseburgers” would, y’know, make a good cheeseburger. We would’ve been better off just going to Runza. - 4 out of 5 stars
Baby Blue Sushi Sake Grill
I’m not a huge fan of maki rolls, but the tempura coating on their Hawaiian roll was *chef’s kiss*. The Itchy Salmon is also excellent. Added bonus: My kids loved it. - 5 out of 5 stars
The Henry Doorly Zoo
There’s a reason why this is considered one of the world’s best zoos. Highlights include the aquarium and the “Asian Highlands” exhibit (complete with red pandas and snow leopard). - 3 out of 5 stars
Zio’s Pizzeria
I know Zio’s makes good pizza, but it doesn’t really travel well for takeout. Plus, they got our order wrong this time. - 3.5 out of 5 stars
Radiant Black, Volume One
I liked this volume OK, but more importantly, it got me hyped for volume two. - 3.5 out of 5 stars
The Adam Project
Is there such a thing as a too-sarcastic Ryan Reynolds? This might be it. - 3.5 out of 5 stars
Turning Red
4 out of 5 starsHalo Infinite
My second time through the campaign. Enjoyed it even more, especially the gorgeous art design. I’m left wanting more, in both good and bad ways. (Read my review)
4 out of 5 starsAbaddon’s Gate by James S. A. Corey (The Expanse, Book Three)
- 3 out of 5 stars
Police Story 2
It pains me to rate a Jackie Chan movie so low, but compared to the first Police Story, this one feels underwhelming. The cafe and playground brawls are still topnotch Jackie action, though. - I was honestly surprised by how much I enjoyed this. Sometimes, you just want to watch a beefy protagonist who has no qualms smashing bad guys’ heads in while dropping one-liners. This more than fills that bill. Bring on season two!
For more, check out the full cultural diet.
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