Summing up my Vacation.

This one was a bit different than the one I took at the end of March. The purpose of this vacation was to rest, and relax. To get away from Wal-mart and all the things that are slowly killing me. To do things for me. All was definitely accomplished. Here is a quick rundown:

Saturday: Jesus Christ on a pogo stick. It took 6 hours for me to get here. When booking my flight with Southwest, I didn't realize that I would need a change of clothes to get from Lubbock to Las Vegas. What I hadn't realized was that the flight Flew from Lubbock to El Paso, then to Phoenix. In Phoenix I changed planes, and flew from there to Vegas. UGH So by the time I got to the hotel I was wiped out and starving. Thank God for room service.

Green Chili Bacon Cheeseburger with Frys and a really good Side Salad. Major yum.

So after that it was a lil wandering around, a beer and cigar (blogged earlier in that rambling post), then bed.

Sunday: The hotel I was staying at, Ballys, does a fancy Sunday Brunch called the Sterling Brunch hosted at their swank steak house. I had read about it on the internet, and had to go. It was expensive, but wow. I ate and ate and ate and drank free champagne, and ate, and drank mimosas, and finally, ate some more. Almost anything you could want and more was available. It was incredible. And some of the best coffee I have ever had. (BTW, the following pics are just for you Cindy...Enjoy!!!)

First course: Omelet w/Lobster and Brie Cheese, Crab Salad, Boiled Shrimp, Bacon and Sausage

Second Course: Buttery Croisant, Crepes with Banana's Foster, Mini Pecan Waffles with Butter and Syrup, New York Strip Steak, and a "Country Eggs Benedict"-Sausage Biscuit with Gravy with a Poached egg on top.

Dessert Course: toasted Bagel with Cream Cheese and Lockes, Assorted Cheeses, Vanilla Bean Ice Cream with a Chocolate Covered Strawberry.

Add to that about a gallon of coffee and 3 Mimosas....total Gluttony.

Sunday was also show day. In a fit of brilliance I bought my show tickets for both of the shows I was seeing for the same night. The only thing saving me was that they were hours apart. The first was Phantom of the Opera at the Venetian. I love this play, and saw it like a million years ago in New York with the original cast of Sarah Brightmen (then Mrs. Andrew LLoydd Weber), and Michael Crawford. The first CD I ever bought was the soundtrack to Phantom, So I was totally pumped to see this and was not disappointed. The theater was built for this production, and the interiors looks like an old Parisian Opera house. This production also is about a half hour shorter, which I think helps tremendously. The truly sad thing is that as soon as they started singing the first song, I knew all the words and could sing along with all of it. Ya ya, I am a theatre geek.



The next show of the night was the new Cirque du Soleil show Love at the Mirage. Its a show all based on the songs of the Beatles, with the total blessing of the remaining boys. The best way to describe it was moments of absolute grace and beauty surrounded by prodigious amounts of pretentious bullshit. But, then again, that's a good way to describe the Beatles. Basically its interpretation the songs through dance, high flying acrobats, and dudes on roller blades. Sometimes it totally works, like with "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" where light strips had been slowly lowered down above the audience, and the lit up to look like we were in the middle of stars. Sometimes, it was a real "What the hell?!?!?" as with the inclusion of "Octopus's Garden" by Ringo star. Dancing Sea Cucumbers. That's all I will say about that. Overall I totally enjoyed it. Especially the usher dressed like this:

All the girls were dressed like bobbies in these very cute outfits. What I didn't get was the knee socks and patent leather shoes. Yum.

Monday: Got up and took the Monorail up to the Hilton were I ate lunch at Quark's, the Star Trek Themed Hotel at the Hilton.

Me and my new business partner.

Then I went down to the Sahara, where GM has set up a thing called "The Drive". Here, for 10 bucks, you get to drive their kewlest cars around either a high performance track, or, for Hummers, a specially designed off road track. I did both. Sheesh, it was freaken awesome!!!! I neeed an H2. Its truly more of a real SUV than you would think. It can climb a foot curb, take 45 degree turns, and climb 60 degree incline hills without even trying. A rep drives with you the entire time, and the guy who was with me in the H2 used to be in the military. He said at first he was very suspicious of the H2 cause it seemed only soccer moms had them. Then he drove one and was blown away on how truly awesome it was. Not a Poser SUV at all.



Then it was off to see Superman Returns in Imax 3d. Remember my earlier post about Supes? Take that and multiply it by 20. HOLY FRELL. Lets just start off at with the fact that its projected on a screen 70 Ft high. Add to that 3d. Now not all of it was in 3d, thank Xenu or I would be dead from a headache, but key scenes were, like the Shuttle Rescue. WOW. If you can, go see it like this.

Tuesday: Lunch at my favorite Buffet (Balleys), some souvenir shopping, then off to see "The Price is Right". Its a live stage show version of the TV show that was suprisingly fun. I didn't win nothen, darn it, but one of the models was smoken ass hot. Meg was her name, brunette, 5'6", 34c, and very nice in a bikini. Tried to get a picture of her, but the lighting in the theater did not allow. Sigh.....

Then I hung around and waited until the sun went down cause it was only 156 degrees outside. After dark, I took the elevator to the top of the Eiffel Tower at the Paris. I had been there before during the day, but never at night. Totally different view of Vegas, and even prettier I think. Watched the Bellagio fountains from above, and realized that its the only way to watch them. From the street, you miss much of whats going on.

Then I came home. UGH.

Random Thoughts in Vegas.....

Just some quick thoughts as I stand outside the Paris, watching the Bellagio Fountains while enjoying a fine cigar and a Guiness....
1. The absolute plethora of attractive women you see is mind boggling. Whatever your 'type'' you can find her walking up and down the Strip. Now many of these fine specimens are marred by outfits that even Goodwill would return, but still. And don't get me started on the hideous shoes.....
2. The Strip truly is the American Dream made true. Here it is 12:10 AM on a Saturday night, and thousands of people are wandering about without any fear of being harmed. The mega casinos are capitalism in its purest form, allowing all people of all creeds, religions, races, and sexes to come together in peace. None of the artificial boundary's we put up between people matter here. Here, we are all God's chillens.
3. This truly is my fave place to people watch here. It also is home to one of my favorite games: Can they take the Picture Before the Asian couple Walks in Front Of You? Where I stand is a replica of the famous fountains of Paris, and it seems you cannot come to Vegas without taking a picture of your loved one in front of them. The trick is to get your picture off before the crowd of people populating the strip comes between you and your subject. A picture of Aunt Marge now becomes one of a troop of drunken party girls...ah memory's....
4. Alright, lets tackle the shoe thing while I am cigar/beer buzzen. As you stand and take in the wonders that is Vegas, you will often see an attractive, and sometimes even hot, young lady saunter by. Her ensemble is perfect, and eye catching....until your eye travels down to her feet and you realize she is wearing flip flops. Not attractive, cute ones either, but some that look like they came straight from the Rollback section of Wal-Mart. Or even worse, these six inch cork healed sandal's that were in fashion when Hippies roamed the Earth. Look...I understand that you need a comfortable shoe to march up and down the Strip, but I know they make some that are not an affront to all peace loven people. Sheesh...this is what is destroying America, let me tell ya.

Some images from Bellagio's Conservatory

The Bellagio has a magnificent indoor conservatory. When Wynn built the place, his vision of it was a place that included the beauty of nature along with an idealized fantasy of Europe. When I was here in March, the conservatory was nice, with all these topariry creatures in it. Since then, they have done this celebration of America all over the hotel, and updated the conservatory with these mini recreations of famous, and iconic, sites.

Starting with a recreation of the Bellagio itself. It even has working fountains!! Very sweet. It even has lil tourists...very kewl.

One of the kewlest things is the Jefferson Memorial, with a lil statue of Jefferson in it.

More pictures later...

Goen back To Vegas...

Well, I am already there. Got here this afternoon for 4 days of just hangen out and not doen much. I needed a vacation bad, but couldn't figure out where. Then evil Bally's sends me an email saying they have these ridiculously low rates if I booked then, and add to that that I had a 100 travel voucher from Cattlecar Airlines from last trip when they lost my luggage, and it seemed to be predenstined. This trip will be even less mobile than the last, let me tell ya. Hardly any sightseeing this time, just being lazy and not doen much. Oh, I am going to go see Love, the new Cirque show based on Beatles songs, and Phantom of the Opera, but that's pretty much it. The dumb thing I did is when I bought my tickets, I was an idiot and bought them for the same night!!! What saves me from being an absolute idiot is that Phantom is at 7, and Love at 10:30, so making both will not be a problem.

Couple of other kewl things as well, such as going to "Drive", and thing at the Sahara where for 10 bucks you get 2 laps around this race track with either a high end SUV (can ya say H2?), or high performence car (CORVETTE). That will be kewl, then I am going to go see Superman in IMAX 3D!! Megasweet.

Anyways, I will let ya know if something kewl happens, and post pics, of course.

Be good!!

I AM..........SUPERMAN!!!

This is a big fat hairy duh:


Your results:
You are Superman

Superman 75% Robin 70% Green Lantern 70% Spider-Man 65% The Flash 65% Iron Man 65% Supergirl 50% Hulk 50% Batman 50% Wonder Woman 40% Catwoman 35%

You are mild-mannered, good, strong and you love to help others.

Click here to take the Superhero Personality Quiz

Superman

Alright, alright...so its been awhile. I get...lazy, and don't blog. I apologize profusely.

But...let me tell you about the best movie I have seen in some time. One disclaimer before I start in on this wonderful movie. Yes, it is about Superman (****),and yes, I am a huuuuuuge Superman Freak. The first comic I ever bought with my own money was a Superman comic when I was 6 years old. He is my hero. But, that being said, if this movie had suxed, I would have torn it a new one because of my love for Supes. Just cause I love him does not mean I love all things with his name on it.

Flash back to 1987. We get the abortion known as Superman and the Search for Peace(-100000 stars). Basically its about Superman destroying all the nuclear weapons, and in the process creating his arch nemisis, Glowy Gold Guy. I think thats what his name was, I don't remember, as the trauma of the movie made me forget. It was poorly written, poorly acted, was edited by a dylexic drunk monkey (actually, that would have been better), and killed Superman as a franchise for years to come. This movie so so bad, ITS NOT AVAILIBLE ON DVD. I think its what actually killed Christ Reeve and made Margot Kidder Crazy. UGH UGH UGH.

19 years later, we are redeemed. Superman Returns is the direct sequal to Superman II (***). After fighting Zod, Supes travels into space to see if he can find any remnants of his home planet Krypton. He returns five years later to an earth that has moved on. Lois Lane (played glowingly by Kate Bosworth), his love, has moved on and had has a son with another man. He struggles to find his place in this world, and wonders if he even has one.

Something that hasn't changed is his Arch Rival, Lex Luthor (magnificently done by Kevin Spacey). Lex has weasled his way out of prison and stolen an old womans fortune to finally get his dream...Lexland. To do this, he travels to the north and steals the crystals from Supes' Fortress of Solitude, and creates a plot to grow a new continent that will be all his. Parker Posey plays Lex's....um...well girlfriend would mean he had feelings for her...so...female henchwoman? And is totally underused, but when she is, its wonderful.

Beyond that, this one of the best shot movies I have seen in some time. Incredible action sequences with Superman saving the shuttle kept me on the edge of my seat. In 1977 when the first one came out, the tag was "You will believe a man can fly"...here, you not only believe can fly, but you wish you could as well. All through the movie are homages to the original movies, from the same font used in the opening credits, to the use of dialouge directly from the movies. Most importanly, the Superman theme created by the genius that is John Williams is here, and added to. Without that, it would not have worked. Bryan Singer, who redeemed comic book heros with his Xmen and Xmen 2, knows what he is doing, and does it very very well here. I was in love with this movie from the start.

What I cannot wait for is to see it in Imax 3d, which I will when i go to Vegas Next week. YES!!!

My advice on the Movies

I used to do this all the time, then things got complicated. I went to back to school for a year, and all the things with my Dad got in the way. So, as part of my new founded blogging, I will give you my 2 cents on whats currently in the theatres. I've seen everything important, as I go to the movies for work. It also give my Mom a couple of hours when she doesn have to remember whats goen on in her life.

There are three categories: See It Now, Rent It Later, and Avoid at all Costs.

See It Now:
Over the Hedge (***.5) One of the single funniest movies I have seen in a long, long time. Great voice acting by Bruce Willis and Gary Shandling, and some amazing animation. Almost Pixar level. Definately not just for kids.

Prairie Home Companion (****) Just one of the warmest, nicest movies i have ever seen. Great music, lots of laughs, and a good movie with wonderful characters. A wonderful ensamble cast that lets everyone shine.

Cars (***.5) I love love love Pixar movies, and i am soooooo glad that Disney bought them. This is another great movie from them. It is beautiful, making you almost think that it was computers, but actual cars. Wonderful story, that doesn't exactly end like you thought it would. The best thing about Pixar movies is that they are for all ages, not just kids. Those of us older than 10 definately get something out of it. And, make sure you stay all the way throught the credits, as well as read the credits. Some very kewl stuff here.

XMen: The Last Stand (***) A good ending to this trilogy of films. I liked the second one the best, but this focuses more on the characters than the others. The best part is that it does not follow any of the comics, but builds a new story for these characters. Now, I need the Wolverine movie, soon.

Mission: Impossible III (***.5) Much, much better than the second one, but then again I ain't much of a fan of John Woo. Way to dramatic for my tastes. Instead JJ Abrams, of Lost and Alias fame, gives a good story with some great action sequences. Don't get me wrong, Tom Cruise is a certifiable crazy man, but I could put that aside to enjoy this movie. And it certainly does not hurt to have a great bad guy in Phillip Seymour Hoffman. Way creepy dude.

United 93 (****) A powerful movie that everyone should see. I did not want to at first, but i am very glad that I did. A moving portrayel of the passengers of that flight that rose up and stopped those madmen from using their flight as a weapon. What was suprising about the movie was the portrayels of those on the ground, the unsung heros in the flight control booths that tried to bring order to the madness that was happening around them. The actual Flight Control agents on duty that day portray themselves, which brings a resonance to the movie. This is the ONLY 9/11 movie that has had 100 % support of the families involved, as the producers of the movie went to these people and got their permision to make this film. See it.


Rent it Later:

The Da Vinci Code (***) Well, it was better than the book. I think Tom Hanks and Ron Howard tried to do what they could with this less that steller material, but in the end its kinda blah. And, in my humble opinion, the only reason it made a gagillion dollers so far is because idiots, who haven't seen the movie, are protesting it. The moment you do that, you pretty sure can bet whatever is being protested will be huge.

Poseidon (**) Well...it has some really great special effects. And some awesome action sequences. But the problem is I don't care if these people die or not. You never get to know them well enough to actually like or dislike them. But, it is worth watching for the wave sequence alone.


Avoid at all Costs:

The Break up (*) I go to the movies to get away from reality, not to watch it. This is the single most uncomfortable movie I have tried to watch in some time. Its not funny enough to endure, nor sad enough to emote with. UGH.


But This...This is what we are waiting for:

Its not my fault

Blogspot was down last night, so I couldn't blog like I said I would, so sue me.

So, whats up with the world? Hell if I know. People are rude, people are inconsiderate. They allow their child to scream, run rampant, and just destroy everything. They step in front of you, and then look at you like "What? I'm walking here!!"

Okay, so I spend far to much time in Wal-Mart. Not what you would call the best place for classy people, but why do people have to live up to stereotypes?

Anyway, its Friday, and I am glad I get to spend 2 days away from there. Tomorrow I'm going out of town to go to dinner and see "Prairie Home Companion". I'll let ya know what I think.

I'm trying to get into the swing of blogging everyday

John Franklin Germany 1944-2006

But life keeps intervening. Most who have read this blog know that I lost my father on April 8. He was in the hospital while I was on vacation, which is why I never got around to finishing it. The fun of it was just sucked out as I was worrying about what was going on at home. He lasted a week after I got back, but slipped away from us at 3:30 on Saturday morning.

Since then its just been trying to maintain some kind of normality. Making the arraignments, dealing with all the family and friends, and then the service itself. We had him cremated, as was his wish, so we had a small memorial service instead. I gave the eulogy at it, again as he wished. He always hated those eulogies where the minister got up there and went on and on about how wonderful the deceased was, but had never met them. That's one reason I have always hated funerals, feeling they were a waste of time and money cause of the uselessness of them. So I did what my father wanted, and gave a final goodbye to him in a way that truly summed up his life. Or so I tried. I have gotten rave reviews on it, and I am happy everyone liked it. I just tried to do my father proud.

Since then, I have just tried to get by. To go through each day without killing someone. There are days when I just do not want to get out of bed. Days when it seems that life is just not fun anymore. The worse is when my Mom breaks down because something reminds her he's not here. The other day it was a lady in the store commenting on how wonderful this Father's day card was, and it reminded her we won't be celebrating that this year. So I do everything in my power to make sure those episodes are far and few between. I hate that I can't do more, that she is suffering so much.

The reality is that we have been preparing for this for over 5 years. My dad's health has never been that robust since he had full heart valve replacement surgery in 1990, but he really fell apart the last few years. One thing after another just stopped working. He got a pacemaker about 3 years ago, which seemed to solve many of his problems, but another valve on his heart gave out and had to be replaced. His cardiology, a very kind man, told my mom about how sorry he was that he couldn't save pop this last time. We reminded him that he had given us another year and a half with him by doing that last surgery. Without it, we wouldn't have had another Birthday, or Father's day, or Thanksgiving, or Christmas.

Anyways.... The real reason I started this blog was to get back in the habit of writing. Like anything, you have to keep doing it or you get flabby, and I am kinda flabby intellectually right now. So, every night before I go to bed, I am going to take a few minutes to write my thoughts for the day. If anyone reads it, sweet. If not, then this is what it is, a way for me to express myself. I will review movies again, and I will do it in a timely manner. Or as timely as a lazy bastard as me can be. LOL

And my other Dark Lord....

Who is, I think, much cooler than his Large Loud Friend. He was part of a way kewl documetary on Houdini that was out at Halloween Last year. 

Me and My Dark Lords

Finally got these pics developed. Out of 27 pictures...these 2 only came out well, and I couldn't be happier. The first is with my Dark Lord, Penn.

Finally, hot Muppet Sex. And a Rainy Tuesday.

I know I know, I've only been promising this for like 3 days, but hey, its Vegas...

So, Monday, I went up to The Wynn, the single ugliest hotel in the history of man. Wow...It took 2 billion dollars to create this ugly ass place. Even my auntie, who has a history of tacky (she had gold velvet wallpaper for pete's sake), would go "Damn..this is ugly".

But I had hear great things about the buffet, so I decided to try it out. After having to wait 30 minutes, I finally got seated. Here's the pic:



What did I tell ya? Freaken ugly..... But the food was great. Lamb chops, Prime Rib, Blackened Tuna, Jamaican Jerk Chicken for the first course, followed by Pasta Alfredo with Sweet Italian sausage. It was the desserts, however, that made it sweet. Creme Bruile, Caramel Brulle, Cheesecake with blueberrys..all bite size so ya don't realize that you are eating something with 2000 calories. That's just what I had, tons of other desserts, including candied apples!!

Then off to Avenue Q. This one the Tony in 2004 for best musical, and it was hilarious!! The best to describe it as Sesame Street for Adults, in that the main characters are puppets, and it is formatted like a kid's show. Its about a new graduated who gets his first apartment, and how he becomes friends with the menagerie around him. And his super is Gary Coleman. Ya...that Gary Coleman. As played by a short black woman. Dude...lol.

Midway through you totally stop noticing the guys running the puppets and focus on them. Well....except for the smoken hot girlie running Kate Monster, Terry Stewart. Wow...very saucy...I was in love. LOL My favorite songs from it are "Everyone is a Little Bit Racist" or "The Internet is for Porn". Oh, and full frontal Muppet sex accomponied by the song "Its okay to be a Little Bit Loud When Making Love" Hightly enjoyable, with a great theatre that is like a one of the theatre's with stadium seating.

Nothing to report for Tuesday. It rained, was cloudy, and just a quiet day. Some lunch, wandered the hotel, and read. Dinner was the highlight, at a place called "Ellis Island", which is right off the strip behind Ballys. Way old school kinda Vegas place. It has been here forever. After waiting 45 minutes, I finally got seated. They have an awesome 5 dollar steak dinner that includes a Salad, Baked Potato, Green Beans, and a 10 ounce Carlin. YUM. On top of that, they are a microbrewery. So with my fabo dinner I had an Ale, and a Lager. And the best Root Beer (yes, root beer), I have ever had. All of this was for 10 dollars. Couldn't beat it with a stick. The thing is that as I was walking back to the hotel it started to mist, then sprinkle, then POUR. Just as I got back to the hotel, it started raining like it was going out of style. Wow. It rains in Vegas...

Tomorrow... Sir Elton John.

Some more Vacations pics.

I thought I would just post a bunch of pics that I have taken. This way, there is not much of that horrible reading thing goen on. Here we go!


Some dancer's at the Paris. Did like 2 or three dances at the entrance to the Casino to songs like "All that Jazz". Corny, but really hot girls.


A really bad pic of the fountains outside Caesars' Palace. On Wendsday, I see ELTON JOHN there.



Outside the Jimmy Buffett Restraunt, Margaritaville. Really good food, plus my other Gawd's music playing continuously. Has a full airplane hanging inside. Of course, when I went, I had a Cheeseburger In Paradise...





The Arc De Triumph outside the Paris. Man do I love this hotel. Which is a paradox seeing how much I hate the french. hmmmmm........

The only way to Sightsee.

So I decided to do a bit more sightseeing today. I decided to go the opposite way, that is north up the strip. I started at Ballys, where they have this kewl sliding walkway that takes you to the strip. Next to it is this very beautiful topariary.


So, up the street I go. Last time I was there, this walk was pure torture. 110 degrees is no fun. This time, it was like 68 with a nice breeze. So it was actually fun. Lots of freaken people however. How can you not see me!??! I am the size of a car. Yet people walk into..Or just stop. WTF. Sheesh.

So when I got to the Venetian, I popped in to look around. Look at this beautiful bar:


I think the Venetian is one of the most classy, wonderful place on the strip. Then we get to the Anti-Venetian: The Wynn. Dude...This place is the ugliest thing I have ever seen.




It looks like an office building on the outside, with this ginourmous forest bordering it. The waterfall wasn't working, but I don't think this will actually help. Then these huge stone lions outside the front entrance....Like he hired 8 different designers, and only took their tackiest ideas. The inside however....Whoa. More on that later.

Now like an Idiot I kept walking...and walking...and walking.....until I realized that I was an idiot. So I crossed the street and waited for the bus. Vegas has the really kewl double decker busses that go up and down the strip. Its 2 dollars a ride or 5 bucks for 24 hours. What a bargain. So I rode back the way I came in air conditioned comfort.

I wish the sign had come out better. It says that Gilly's offers... Bikini Bull Riding. Dude. I would watch that show. Oh, and mud wrestling. How 1980's can ya get?

Across from the Wynn is the Fashion Mall. Freaken ginourmous, with a wicked kewl Apple store in it. And some other stuff, but like I care. APPLE STORE. I played with this 32" monitor with a G5 connected to a cable modem....ssssswwweeeeettttt.


Loook!!! A church!!! Dude...I wonder how the slots are there.


Went past Treasure Island, where they have nightly Pirate Battles. I watched a bit of it on the way back from seeing Avenue Q. Very kewl, I just wished I could have gotten closer to it, but it was very kewl. Not as big an area as you would think. And a kewl Skull Rock. Wow!



At the Mirage, they have giant Idols to Sigmund and Roy, the 2 that made that hotel a success. Tragically, as most everyone knows, one of them (I have no idea which) was almost eaten by one of their famous white tigers. All that's left is their Dolphin Garden and these giant bronze statues that are worshipped by Japanese visitors.


So I finally got back to my hotel. It took the same amount of time for me to ride back to the hotel as it took me to walk it. I, again, am an idiot.

Alrighty, that's enough for now....Next...Hot Muppett SEX

Penn and Teller

Are my new gawds. Really. Funny that ardent atheists would inspire a religion, but what can ya do?

Seriously, I am huge fans of theirs for years now, and was very jazzed about seeing them this year. I missed seeing them last year because my flight was delayed 8 hours, and I got in way late. This time I knew I would get in in plenty of time, so I went ahead and got tickets for Sunday night.
Kewl thing is that Balleys and the Rio, the hotel that Penn and Teller (from now on PNT cause it takes forever to type the other) perform at, are owned by the same megacorperation. So they offer a shuttle service between the hotels. Very sweet, as walking to the Rio is really dangerous as they are across the interstate from where I am staying. So, rode over, got my tickets, but had like an hours wait even before they opened the doors. So a couple of vodka martinis and a nice cigar kept me company.

My seats were front row center. SWEET. After getting seated, part of the PNT show is that they allow the audience to come on stage before the show starts and touch and observe some props that they plan on using in the show. This time it was a large wooden box, and a bulletin board with today's date and a sealed envelope on it. We were asked to come up and sign the envelope, which I did, and examine the box, which I did not. They did the same thing with the boxes when I was here a couple of years ago, so I know the trick with it.

So the show starts and I am just grooving on it. The good thing about seeing it more than once is that they change the show often, so new stuff is added all the time, and old stuff taken out. This time there were several new bits I had never seen, like one involving different sizes of Animal Traps, such as they used to capture animals for their pelts, and Teller risking life and limb to snatch the bait off them to make a sammich. One bit left in was the only one where Teller speaks in it. The thing is he has a wood chipper on stage with him, running very loudly, so you never hear what he says.

This is a card trick where he has an audience member choose a card, tears off the corner and gives it to that participant, then replaces the card in the deck and throws the deck in the woodchipper. As the pieces of cards flys out, he catches the car that was chosen. And who did he pick to help him with this? Why that would be me. YES!!! WOOO HOOO it was so freaken cool. After the trick was over he let me keep the card, which I got signed by him and Penn after the show was over. One of the amazing things is that they will stay after the show in the lobby and sign tons of autographs. Very kewl guys.

I floated home, so happy about what happened. I could almost have come home after that, it made my whole trip.

Well, almost...But of course I didn't. LOL

No pics, cause the lighting in the theater didn't agree with my digital. Its very light sensitive, and will be blinded by light sometime. I did take pics with my disposable, so after I get them developed, I will post them.

More tomorrow....Sightseeing, and Avenue Q.

Luncheon and Sightseeing

And boy did I luncheon. Most places I can make a buffet rue my precence. Here, I am there bitch. Sheesh the amount of food and the varieties of food....The Bally's buffett when I went had Chinese food, all their breakfast foods plus an omelate maker, tons of meat dishes, lots of vegies, pasta, Crab Legs, and...Prime Rib. Holy mother...Prime Rib. I loves me some Prime Rib. I had a huge end piece with herb cooked red potatos and mashed sweet Potatos. And for dessert:



Bread Pudding, Eclaires (OH MY GOSH good), Banana's Foster, and this cream cake that just melted in my mouth. Dude...I have to double up on my diabetes meds...lol

Then I went sightseeing. I went south from my hotel towards the MGM grand. Since Balleys and the Paris are pretty much one hotel, I started there. I love the Paris. One of the nicest hotels on the strip, in my opinion. The interiour is set up like a street in Paris, and the cieling is painted to look like either early morning or late evening. Its just so freaken cool.


Along the way I passed the Alladin

Which is very sweet looken, but has a ton of work going on there.



This is mega sweet.





And they had all these awesome bikes parked outside. It was very kewl.

Finally, I got to the MGM.

Now, what I didn't take pictures of was the strip malls between these things. Its amazing. Billion Doller Hotel followed by rinky dink Strip Mall selling t-shirts or scooter rides and other junk. Imagine how much that property is worth!!! Wow.

Anyways, at the MGM they have a big part of the hotel that is dedicated to Viacom: i.e. CBS, Nickelodeon, and so on. They have this program where you sign up, and watch one of their shows, then fill out a survey about the show. Last year I did it, and saw a preview of that Chris Rock show on UPN "Everyone Hates Chris", wich I now Tivo every week. This time? UGH... A show called "Sell This House". I am ssssssssoooooo over these makeover shows. I've seen it, cause my parents love the show. Me? again, UGH. But, it was an hour in air conditioning sitting down, and they give you some sweet coupons.

Then I got back, got ready, and took the shuttle over to the Rio to see Penn and Teller. That will be a whole post on its own....

Well I got here...

And, actually, had a great Southwest flight getting here. I know I know...Your thinken that I must be on crack. How can Cattlecar of the Sky's actually produce an excellent flight? By only being half full. Don't ask me how it happened, but it sure did. Since 9/11, I haven't been on a flight that was so full they were duct taping people to the roof to get them in. This flight? I had the entire last 4 rows to myself. I won't bore you with why I sit in the back, just call it paranoia and move on.

This trip actually started yesterday. I traveled to Lubbock, about 100 miles away, and spent the night to catch my flight. Living in the boonies definitely has its drawbacks, and that is one of them. We have to go 2 hours to the nearest airport, and then most of the time its not a direct flight. You instead have to fly to Dallas or Houston to connect to another plane. Major hassle. The only direct flights are on Southwest, which I usually avoid like I avoid Broccoli. This time, however, the flight was just to damn cheap not to take advantage of.

A funny coincidence is that another rep for my company that usually would be covering for me on this trip is on vacation herself. To Vegas. And left on the same flight I did. It was too funny. Now she got a package deal and is staying at the Mandalay. I'm at Ballys, which is fine by me. She's on her 25th Wedding anniversary trip with her hubby, the first they have taken in years.

Here's Diane and her Policeman Hubbie.

My room is very nice. Not the Pimp Room I had last year, but a very nice room. Large, with a couch, a killer desk and Chair that I want to figure out how to get in my luggage.


The only bump so far has been the taxi ride, cause I was an idiot and allowed the driver to take the tunnel. Look, if you come out here and take a taxi, and the dude says he will take you "the fastest way", Say "Sure, as long as it ain't the Tunnel". The Airport tunnel leads to the interstate, which is faster, BUT TWICE AS LONG which means it costs twice as much. DOH!! I new this!! Man...what a tourist...but, its Vegas...

Right now, I am starving. So I think a trip to the Bally's buffet is in order. Great buffet, for a good price, with a wonderful view of the strip. Then some sightseeing. Tonight I am off to the Rio to see my hero's Penn and Teller. I saw them when my buddies and I went out here a couple of years a go, and was blown away. I am a huge fan of theirs, especially their Showtime show Bullshit, where they go after all the pretensios bastards in the world, like Conspiracy Theorists or Life Coaches, or, my fave, Bottle water drinkers. Dude...its water...

More later.

Vacation blogging and the miracle of Zicam.

When i created this lovely site, I wanted to get back into the swing of writing. Lke anything, writing needs to be practiced. I am terribly out of practice, and need to flex those muscles again. So, I plan on blogging bout my upcoming vacation. Its a way for me to share the experience with my friends and family without having to type this thing like 20 times. Alright, 2...but thats alot.

Anyways, I leave on Sunday for my vacation, and have been fighting off a cold. I am here sing the praises of a wonder drug called Zicam. Zicam advertises that it will not only shorten the length of your cold, but the severity of your symptoms. Now, I am Mr. Suspicisous when it comes to the whole homeopathic crap. Its just a drug, whether its made out of St John's Wart or chemicals. Both affect the body, both are injested. Just because one is advertised as "natural" doesn't mean nothen. Arsenic is natural, but I don't want to injest it. Lead is natural, but who wants to eat more than a few pain chips?

This crap works. Zicam comes is different forms, from a jell you shoot up your nose, to these fast dissolving pills I used that you just put in your mouth and let melt away.... I started them a week ago when i got my first sore throat. A week later, besides a little cough, I have had no real symptoms. Usually by now i would be congested, wishing god wold take me home. I still wish to go home, but not because of how bad I feel. Take this stuff...in whateever form doesn't skeeve you out.

Anyways, check back for more about my trip.