I've been meaning to post about my most recent trip to Vegas, but I've been back a week now, and still haven't. But no time like the present...

I left for Vegas Friday afternoon, and had an uneventful drive, making pretty good time for a Friday. My sister and brother-in-law were flying in, so I had a few hours by myself to check in to the hotel and gamble. I was staying at Bally's, and hoped to get a room upgrade upon check-in. This seemed to confuse the clerk for some reason (I would think that happens quite often), but she was helpful and got me a junior suite. Not really a suite, in my view, just a larger room, with a few extra amenities (the refrigerator came in handy), including a nice chaise lounge. But it was a nice room, with a nice view. Being in the north tower, any view of the strip will be obstructed by the other tower, but we had a nice view, right between Paris and the south tower of Bally's, of the Eiffel Tower, which was quite sharp around sunset. The bathroom was a bit small, and the walls seemed a bit thin (I've never noticed this at Bally's before), but overall I was happy with the room. A nice plus, the room wasn't ready when I checked in, so I gambled a bit while I waited for housekeeping to put a rush on it, and won a nice chunk of change. So the upgrade actually made me money.

I was on my own for dinner, so I walked down to O'Shaes to eat at the Subway. My credit card was declined, which was a bit embarassing (fraud hold due to suspicious activity), but the food was fine. I ate half there and was bringing the other half back to my room, when I heard an announcement coming from within Barbary Coast announcing that Big Elvis was taking the stage. I had heard very glowing reviews of his show, though it sounded a bit odd to me, but figured I would duck in and watch a few minutes of the preeminent morbidly obese Elvis impersonator/illegitimate child in all of Vegas. I ended up watching the entire show, and had a blast. He doesn't dance much, but compensates with lots of audience interaction, and even invites people to rush the stage mid-show to get their picture taken with him. He takes requests, and does sound a lot like Elvis. And this show is completely free. I think he could become a new Vegas tradition for me (the old tradition was shrimp cocktail at the Golden Gate as I listened to the piano, but I haven't done that in at least six trips).

Michelle and Eric arrived around 9, and met me at Bally's, where I was playing blackjack (and winning a bit). They wanted to walk the strip, so we went down to the Venetian. The tables were too full, so I played nickle slots with them. I hit one for about $250, then played it down to about $200 on some nearby video poker. They didn't fare as well. I'd been in the Venetian before, but never really walked around it, and was impressed by how nice it is. The blackjack game seemed fair, as well (I always thought their double-deck tables had perpetual $100 minimums, but I saw a packed $25 minimum table). I felt a bit out of place amid the well-dressed Europeans, but I could see playing here again sometime. Michelle and Eric decided to play a bit at O'Shaes, so I walked back to Bally's and played there and at Paris until the wee hours, winning a very nice sum of money before going to bed.

The next day, Michelle and Eric were going to a wedding, so I had most of the day to myself. But we did have breakfast together, at the Paris buffet. I had a comp for all three of us, which usually means we don't have to wait in line. But the hostess said that, unless we had a line pass, we did. So Michelle and Eric got in line while I went to seek out a line pass from a pit boss. While I did that, the hostess reported that the wait was over 45 minutes, at it would no longer be breakfast by the time we were seated. Fortunately, I got a line pass with no difficulties, so we didn't have to wait. My sister said a highlight of the trip was cutting to the front of the line and looking at the dirty looks we received (I avoid eye contact, but was told the guy behind me was livid to have a kid in a dirty T-shirt cut in front of him). So that saved us a lot of time, and meant we were seated before the switch from breakfast to lunch, so we could sample from both. I wasn't very hungry, but had plenty of food nonetheless. The waffles were quite good. They both enjoyed the crepes, but the line was long and I wasn't hungry enough to down one. Enjoyed the lox and bagels, and the bouillabase from the lunch menu. Dessert, as always, was the big disappointment, but for a breakfast buffet, that's understandable.

While Michelle and Eric were at the wedding, my project was to go to the half-price ticket places and see if I could get them tickets to Star Trek: The Experience (I've done it twice in the last two years or so, and decided to sit this one out--though it is great fun). The one closest to Bally's had tickets, so I waited in a reasonable line there and got two tickets. The half-price places are great, especially if there isn't one particular show you want to see. They had a great selection on a Saturday, including tickets for O, Celine Dion, and some other high-profile shows at 10% off (not half-price, but a great deal for shows that often sell out weeks in advance).

So I gambled for the rest of the day, and played at the Hilton while my siblings enjoyed the Star Trek attraction. My luck turned sour, but I managed to stay up slightly for the trip. I even managed a stop at the Spa at Bally's to use their fitness facility. $12 to run on a crappy treadmill for 20 minutes. I had enough on my player's card to cover it, but still. I was very underwhelmed...I guess they didn't want you to confuse them with Bally's Total Fitness. But I was proud of myself for trying to exercise, though with the poor diet and unhospitable climate of a Vegas vacation, I was not performing my best. The next morning, we had lunch at Paris, and JJ's Boulangerie. Their lunch specials are fantastic and really reasonably priced. $5.99 got me a stuffed croissant with soup and a soda. Again and again, I am really impressed with the food values at Paris, especially compared to other casual dining options on the strip.

Michelle and Eric found a friend who was going to the airport at the same time as them, so around noon Sunday I was on my own. I was spending two more nights in town, staying at the Las Vegas Hilton for the first time. But first, I stopped by the Stardust, for my injection of Vegas class. Now that the Horseshoe has been ruined and gambling downtown has actually gotten worse than the strip (except for the lower limits, and I suppose looser comps for low-rollers, I don't see what downtown has going for it anymore), the Stardust, for the time being, is the best source of Vegas nostalgia around. I fear for the future--rumors abound of major changes at the Stardust once the Wynn Casino opens across the street. I had a great streak at the blackjack table, and had lunch at their coffee shop (not bad...good onion rings). It was raining a bit when I got there, but must have really came down hard while I was gambling, because when I came out, the parking lot was flooded. Of course, this is the time I forget where I parked, so I had to wander in the rain, my feet getting soaking wet (the problem with wearing old running shoes is the venilation of the shoe allows the rain right in), before finally finding my car and debating if I could drive out of the lot. My brakes got wet , but I made it through the puddle, with a newfound respect for the danger of flash flooding in Vegas, even right on the strip. It wasn't raining too hard, but I decided it was worth it to use the valet at the Hilton, to be right by the front desk, the sooner to get out of my wet socks.

My room was in, if memory serves, the east tower, the farthest from the front desk. I was on the 17th floor, in a room right by the elevator. The room was adequate in its layout, a bit on the small side. The bathroom in particular felt cramped, though that was mostly due to the oversized bathtub. The bathroom floor was wet when I checked in, which vexed me, as did a piece of garbage sitting on the counter. The beds (I requested a single but they only had doubles) were comfortable, and the rooms had a sort of bay window, though the curtains didn't open far enough to take advantage of it. So I had a view of both the Stratosphere and, if I forced the curtain opened, the mountains (the curtains don't open all the way for your own protection, I assume, from the prying eyes of your neighbor at their bay window). I wasn't blown away by the room, and would later grow more and more disgusted by it, starting with the first time the elevator chimed, and I realized how thin the walls were. The elevator, the ice machine, and conversations in the adjoining room could all be heard in my room as though they were eminating from the bed next to mine. And then there was the squeal that would periodically emit from somewhere. I thought it was the air conditioning at first, but I eventually decided it was most likely a plumbing issue (to be fair, the air conditioning was actually quite quiet, and set at a reasonable temperature...which might be the problem; maybe other hotels have the same thin walls, but the blast of the air conditioner drones it out). I very nearly demanded a new room, but I don't like to make waves, and rightly concluded that I wouldn't be spending much time in the room.

The Hilton has some good games, but you wouldn't know it from my luck there this trip. One night, I was down a lot, and was down to my last chip, when I proceded to win about 20 hands in a row, for a spectacular comeback, which only served to keep my losses only slightly disturbing. So while I could have left Sunday and been a small winner, I ended up a pretty big loser, thanks mostly to the Hilton. But they still offer a good game, and I'll probably be back, the crappy room I had there being the one wildcard. I lost enough there that my host picked up all my expenses, so I'm hoping I'll get some good offers in the mail from them (I hear they're pretty good about sending out concert tickets to big losers such as myself).

In another effort to get good mail offers, I drove out to Lake Las Vegas, where Casino Montelago has been known to send out real good deals for the Ritz-Carlton out there, and I would enjoy the opportunity to stay at a 5-Diamond resort sometime, especially if I could do it for under $100. So when the weather cleared up on Monday, I decided to drive out and see the sights. It took me over an hour to get there, mainly because I didn't really know the best way to get there from the Hilton; if I'd taken the Boulder Highway instead of surface streets, it would have saved me a lot of time. It was really quite beautiful out there, and I would relish the chance to stay there sometime and take advantage of the hiking trails and stargazing and other programs the Ritz-Carlton puts on. And I put in a good deal of action at the casino, so I should get some good mail from them (I don't believe they comp the Ritz, but they have been known to send out $99/night deals). Too bad I didn't win anything. The table games stink, but the video poker was good.

But mostly I spent my time at the Hilton, losing my shirt at the tables, and enjoying some decent grub. The buffet was quite good, not a whole lot of variety, but what they had was first-rate. I had hoped to have sushi one night, but the sushi place was dark Mondays (even though it is part of Benihana's, which was open). Breakfast at the coffee shop was okay, though the lox and scrambled eggs had too much onion. Again, my only complaint with the Hilton was with the room. Which is a shame, because I had hoped to make the Hilton my new home, once Bally's and Paris get taken over by Harrah's. Guess I'll stick to Green Valley Ranch, or maybe see how the new Planet-Hollywood-owned Alladin turns out.

So to recap: Lost a lot in Vegas this time around, but got to act like a high roller in front of my kin, and saw Big Elvis for the first time. And next time I'm at the Hilton, I'll ask for a room away from the elevator.

Damn it. Well, at least Bush has to take the blame for the next four years. But I really thought Kerry would take Ohio.

Well, I had planned to stop off at the store on my way home from work, pick up a bottle of vodka to get through the night, but now I'm beginning to wonder if I need it. Feeling a bit giddy, reading the exit polls. And the stories of two-hour+ waits to vote, that's inspiring. Too soon to say, of course, just how this will play out in the end, but what I've heard all points in the right direction.

I voted this morning on my way to work. It was the first time I've ever had to wait in a line longer than maybe two people. There were about eight people ahead of me, and all the polling stations were full. I hope that's a good sign.

Bankrate.com has an interesting feature where you can check the financial security of your bank or credit union.

I finally got Pink Martini's new CD in the mail yesterday (Deep Discount CD has good prices and is ultimately reliable, but it takes forever to get the product, at least here in California), only to discover now that I could have already heard the full album from Pink Martini's web site. I haven't really had time to take it all in, but it's a good album. It's not quite up to the standards of Sympathique, but could that really have been possible. Maybe I'll say more about it later, but for now I'll just urge you to go to their web site and judge for yourself.

I got my new computer some time back...it actually arrived the day after it shipped, so I'm glad I didn't pay extra for overnight shipping. It works great, everything loads super-fast. I was watching a bit of the Arrested Development DVD I got for my birthday on it, and the DVD software is awful, but I rarely watch DVDs on the computer. And the CD drive is a bit loud. But a very nice computer. So I can't blame lack of computer availability for not posting here. Nor can I blame it for anything else I haven't gotten done lately. I have just become so, so lazy. I blame some of it on election fatigue, and just wanting to know the outcome. But mostly I'm just a lazy sack of shit.

Though in my defense, I have made progress in getting back into my exercise routine. My foot finally feels better, so that is no longer a barrier. My overall leg strength and cardio fitness has gone way downhill, and I'm having to start out slowly to regain my strength without a new injury. But I've been getting in my goal of four workouts a week, and have even been getting some strength training in at the gym. I've been doing two runs a week at the gym on a treadmill, and spending 30 minutes or so lifting weights. I hate treadmills, but it takes a little stress off my legs, and makes it easier to allot the time for the weights. I ran one 5K recently, the Chancellor's Challenge, and came in at 25:30, barely an improvement from when I first ran the same race two years ago (though I suppose it is now my PR, since my race times were all lost with the old computer). Started out too fast, and walked much of the last mile. But no worries, I was just happy to take part. And it does help my mental outlook a bit to be active again, but the fact remains, I've really been overwhelmed by my own inertia lately. Though at least my laziness has enabled me to advance a bit in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (the new one looks pretty good, but I'll probably wait for the price to come down).

My computer finally died. Having lots of problems with it ever since it got infested with spyware awhile back, so I think that might be to blame. But one way or another, I seem to have either gotten a virus or the system just got royally messed up, to the point where I couldn't do anything...the language setting was changed or something, so I couldn't read any file names or on-screen error messages; the start menu is inaccesible; I can't re-boot in safe mode; I can't re-install windows, and I can't even reformat the hard drive. So I figured it was time to buy a new computer. I can't cut-and-paste or copy files, but some applications still work, so I can open some files (like text files) and save them to a floppy, but I think I lost quite a few files. I'm still working on saving some things while I wait for the new computer to arrive. But I probably lost some things, and I am without a computer at home for about a week. You don't miss it until it's gone, and suddenly you need to look things up on the internet constantly. But I got a pretty nice new computer for about $700, incluing Microsoft Office but not including a monitor or printer.

The lesson in all this? I'm not sure how my computer got infected, but I am never using Internet Explorer again. Viva FireFox!

A Jon Stewart/Tucker Carlson feud has erupted. Stewart had some amusing things to say about it on Monday's Daily Show. Actually, Tucker Carlson is one of the less annoying right-leaning pundits, and at least he can be amusing at times. His profile of Al Sharpton in Africa in GQ (or maybe it was Esquire), for instance.

I was poking around the website for the Series of Unfortunate Events movie, and while it was hard to tell at first because of the wig, I was glad to see that Catherine O'Hara is in the movie, as Judge Strauss.

So school is underway, and going relatively well. My classes are rather on the dull side, but bearable. It is unfortunate that the week school begins, I recieve America: The Book (which I just heard is a NY Times #1 best-seller), The Grim Grotto, and The Complete Peanuts, Vol. 2. So much to read, so little time. I am plodding thorugh the Series of Unfortunate Events books in my spare time, so I will soon be ready to tackle the latest volume. And the Peanuts collection and the Daily Show book are both good bathroom reading, so no need to neglect my studies for them.

Tonight American Casino aired the episode dealing with the death of Michael Tata. I thought it was a well-done episode, classy and in keeping with the series. He always bugged me on the show, but watching his co-workers grieve, I felt a little emotional. Not since the fireman who won the prize on that reality-show-cum-murder-mystery died on 9/11 has a reality-show death been so powerfully felt.

I haven't written here much lately, but can't think of much to say. Except for a fun little family spat, but I don't feel like going into that; we decided that our branch of the family is just washing our hands of the matter. Right now my attention is focused on school, and I have also resumed my running schedule, not without some foot pain, but not nearly as bad or as persistent as before, so I hope not to be sidelined again. The Chancellor's Challenge is coming up this month. Last year, I missed a chance to beat the Chancellor (now UC President) because I had a cold; this year I might not be in shape enough to beat the new Chancellor (or the old one, who will return for the event), but I'll try my best.

It's Peter Lorre month on Turner Classic Movies. I've never seen The Beast With Five Fingers, nor Mad Love, so I guess I know what I'll be doing Oct. 29th.

I have had a canker sore all week. I would have said I had a cold sore, but I just learned that canker sores and cold sores are not the same thing. Cold sores occur outside the mouth, canker sores inside the mouth. And canker sores are not contagious. So that's good to know; thinking I had a virus of the same family as genital herpes ravaging my body was unsettling. I was actually doing some stock research to avoid studying, and found out that a company I was considering manufactures a cold/canker sore product, which led me to this realization. The company, Closure Medical Corporation (CLSR), looks promising, but is a bit richly valued, so I intend to purchase their canker sore product and make my decision based on it's efficacy. Unfortunately, my cold sore is almost healed, but I should get an idea (and I'll have the product handy the next time a canker inflammation strikes).

An interview with David "Mr. McFeely" Newell.

I'm back from Vegas. Actually, I got back Wednesday. Had a pretty good time. Lost a little money, but not too much. Was winning until the last night, when I just got hammered. A miracle comeback Wednesday morning, before I headed out of town, helped make my loss more manageable.

I left for Vegas Monday morning. As I mentioned, I got my oil changed over the weekend, so that my car would be prepared for the drive. When I stopped in Temecula for gas, I figured I should check the oil, make sure they filled it up all the way. I open the hood, when I discover they failed to replace the oil cap. Oil was all over the engine and the underside of the hood. So I had to find a Kragen and buy a new oil cap. So that pissed me off; I guess I won't be going back to Evans Tire after all. Other than that, the drive was plesant enough; I listened to Peggy Lee, Johnny Cash, and the Urinetown soundtrack on the way to Vegas.

Checked in to Green Valley Ranch around 2:45, and found my room about as nice as I remembered them being. Unfortunatley, construction of the new wing of the hotel blocked my view. But I still consider Green Valley Ranch the nicest hotel I've stayed in. Big room, big bathroom, very comfortable bed. A comfortable plush chair by the window (maybe they could improve on this, with a small couch or something in the king-size rooms). Coffee maker, robes in the room, iron and ironing board, all that jazz. Very nice place to stay. For free, how can I complain?

Well, turns out free isn't exactly free. I've stayed here several times in comped rooms, and this trip, for the first time, was charged a $5.99 resort fee for each night. They've been charging this fee to guests for some time, but apparently they just changed their policy and now charge guests in comped rooms the fee, as well as paying guests. So that pissed me off. Not so much the six bucks, but the fact that I only found out about the fee when I checked my room charges on the television, and saw the fee charged there. If it had been revealed when I made my reservation, I wouldn't have cared ($6 total charge for a room as nice as Green Valley Ranch's is a pretty sweet deal), but to have it sprung on me was aggravating, and will discourage me from staying there again. I filled out a comment card with stern comments about the new fee policy, I'm sure that will make a difference.

But allow me to stop complaining about the fee for a moment; I shouldn't really bitch about that when they did give me a $100 resort credit. Since I didn't feel like getting a facial at the spa, I saved the credit for dining during my stay. Had their buffet for dinner the first night. Didn't care for it; maybe if you're more of a meat and potatoes guy than myself, you'd like it (it's reasonably priced), but it didn't have anything I particularly enjoyed. Ribs were okay. But when the only food really of note in the buffet is the spaghetti squash, that can't be a good sign. The Italian restaurant, Il Fornaio, was much better. I had it for lunch the next day, and really enjoyed the tuna salad appetizer, easily the best thing I ate all trip. The pasta wasn't as exciting, but was still pretty good. I've found that whenever I eat at fancy Italian restaurants, the appetizers are always more exciting than the main pasta dishes. But I was very happy with the food and the service, and the total bill before tip only came to about $20, not too bad a deal for up-scale Italian. I had China Spice for dinner; not bad, but not particularly stand-out. The crab rangoon wasn't bad, and the lemon chicken wasn't bad; a bit bland, but I prefer that to the overly sweet lemon chicken you usually find. I had tempura bananas for dessert, a nice way to finish off a meal. Again, fairly reasonably priced, compared to other slightly up-scale Chinese restaurants in Vegas, but I prefer the cheap Chinese food back home; I would recommend you go for the sushi place next door instead. Expensive, but pretty good. I would have eaten there, but wanted to try as many new restaurants as I could. The Original Pancake House was pretty good, a bit expensive for breakfast. I had the blueberry pancakes; I was disappointed by the meager amount of blueberry compote served with them, but since there was no way I could finish all the pancakes anyway, the point was moot. Anyway, I managed to eat pretty good this trip, and all it cost me was the $5.99 resort fee. So I shouldn't complain.

Gambling-wise, the trip went okay. I won a fair amount right away, then got creamed the last night. Was playing with a delightful woman, drunk on grasshoppers, losing an obscene amount of money. Once stood pat on a total of 6; I'm sure the casino loves her. But she was really annoying me, so I should have just left, but instead I kept playing, and got creamed. I drove out to the Las Vegas Hilton late at night and tried to win it back, but they also cleaned my clock. Fortunately, I had some good luck the next morning, and won most of my original investment back. Got a pair of treys, split them, ended up spliting to four hands, and doubling down on one of those hands, with a substantial bet out, and the dealer bust. So that was pretty sweet. I was very close to getting back into the black, but had to hit the road. The drive back wasn't too bad, I was in the desert still at five, so I missed rush hour, more or less, and only had to contend with fairly light traffic once I got to around Escondido. Pink Martini, Magnetic Fields, and Randy Newman accomanied the drive home. And so now I've been home a day or two, and I'm already chomping at the bit to go back (though it looks like I won't be back until November). I actually found an invitation to go back to Green Valley Ranch on my birthday, for the Halloween weekend. They invited me for a slot tournament, and they are also having a costume contest for $5,000. Unfortunately I don't have enough lead time (and don't think I'd be able to go to Vegas that weekend, anyway), because I think I could win with my costume of Evel Knievel from an alternate universe where he didn't make it over the fountain at Caesar's Palace--just get a jumpsuit like Evel's, and have part of the fountain sticking out of your stomach. I think it's a real winner. Maybe next year.

I got a coupon from the blood bank for a free oil change from Evans Tire. So I figured I'd give them a try. Last time I took it in to the dealer, they tried to sell me their deluxe package, where I get spark plugs and a new air filter for the rock bottom price of $250. So I figured I'd get a tune-up today, since I wasn't paying anything for the oil change. And the guy at the store actually talked me out of it, saying that since I have platinum plugs, I don't need a tune-up until 60,000. So not only did they not sell me crap, they talked me out of buying more crap. So I think I'll use their services again (even if it was a three-hour wait for an oil change).

Having been watching the U.S. Open this week, I realize my dog is not a sports fan. I don't watch sports very often, and Tanner doesn't understand that when I'm yelling at the TV, I'm not yelling at him. So it's been stressful on him, especially with all the great matches. Watching Roddick go down last night was a hoot, though I was sad to see my favorite, Davenport, fall today. It looks like Capriati will go to the finals, if she holds this last serve, but the way this match has gone, who knows?

Of course, about 45 seconds after I type that, Dementieva has a double-break point opportunity. So I guess I should stop jinxing the poor players. A good match, however you look at it, though.

Another piece of the Las Vegas Monorail falls off; monorail again out of service. Yet again The Simpsons looks like the most prescient show on TV. I'm just waiting for the next headline: "Family of Possums Attacks Monorail Riders." "I call the big one bitey."

Of course, none of this will most likely influence my willingness to ride the monorail. I will be very reluctant to drive underneath it in the future, however. So I guess this could actually be good for their ridership.

Since I know you turn to this site for the latest and greatest tennis news, I should follow-up on my previous post to say Capriati was able to follow-through and win the match. A Capriati/Davenport final would be a good match.

I ran yesterday for the first time in about two months. I ran on a treadmill, because it would be easier on my foot, but mainly because it's just been too hot out to run. My foot hasn't really felt that good since I took the splint off, and so I was concerned how it would hold up. It's a little sore, but enough that I'm going to try to run on it again soon. Unfortunately, I'm coming down with something, so it might not be for a few days.

I did enjoy watching the U.S. Open while at the gym. I got on the treadmill when Davenport was serving for match point, set the timer for twenty minutes. The match almost took that long to conclude, with I believe 9 deuces. Really good game, though. I'm watching right now as Capriati tries to carry out a remarkable comeback, serving for match now, also. I'm not a huge Capriati fan, but still it's an amazing thing to watch.

Another Las Vegas Monorail accident shuts down the entire system. Reading about these incidents, all due to employee incompetence, does not make me particularly eager to ride it again on my next trip. Though I've had no problems the times I've riden it (and it sounds like this time, the only people in danger were those walking beneath the track).

I just learned that Pink Martini's new CD, Hang on Little Tomato, will be released October 19th. Very exciting; I absolutely loved Sympathique, and was starting to think a new album would never come. I see they will be playing in Los Angeles, at Walt Disney Concert Hall, for New Year's. I'd love to go see them, and see the much-discussed venue, but don't feel like driving home from L.A. with the drunks on New Year's. So I think I'll miss that, but a new album should provide more than enough satisfaction.

Jesus Christ seems to be on quite a tear; The Passion of the Christ, South Park: The Passion of the Jew, and Jesus Christ Superstar all come out on DVD today. Of the three, Superstar is the only one I could see some day owning; I like the musical, but the movie version was a tad too hippie-freaky for my tastes. Also coming out today is The Alfred Hitchcock Collection. I was a bit concerned when I first saw it, because it is anchored by Strangers on a Train, which isn't one of my favorite Hitchcock films, and I already have North By Northwest on DVD (the new DVD version has an isolated score, which would be awesome to have, but as great as Herrmaan is, I'm not buying it twice just for that). So I was pleased to see the individual movies are also being sold seperately (and reasonably priced, Amazon has them for pre-order at under $14 a pop). Suspicion is the most exciting one of the lot, but there's lots of good stuff here.

I had thought I had a Criterion DVD of Suspicioin, so I went to their website to confirm this (turns out I was thinking of Notorious--confused Ingrid Bergman with a cup of coffee for Joan Fontaine with a glass of milk). While there, I noticed The Bank Dick is going out of print. DVD Empire has it for about $20, the cheapest price I could find from a merchant listing it as in stock. Free shipping if you order 3 or more DVDs, so check out their $8.99 Universal DVDs sale.

And while I'm on the subject of DVDs, I should mention I finally got around to watching Bubba Ho-Tep last night. The movie was just okay, not up to all the hype, but the audio commentary by "Elvis" heightened the experience ten-fold. Very funny stuff.

I unbandaged my foot this evening. It feels pretty good. No pain to report yet. I go in Monday for an exam, and some pointers on resuming a running routine. He doesn't seem to be pushing for orthotics, so if he doesn't think I need them, I won't press the issue. Save a few hundred bucks if I don't need them.

I booked a room in Vegas for just a few weeks away. Staying at Green Valley Ranch. A little miffed about my treatment by my host last visit, but my up-front comps should cover all my needs this trip, so no worries about needing to speak to my host. In the past, when I've stayed at Green Valley Ranch I've barely left the casino, but this trip, I think I'll venture forth a little bit, maybe stop by the Hilton and play there and the Strip (via the monorail...just hoping this doesn't happen to me).

Speaking of gambling, I'd planned to go play poker this evening, but I got busy doing stuff, and decided it was too late. Long drive, and then a long wait for a seat on a Friday night. So now I'm bored. Lots of reading piling up, Summer is almost over, but I don't feel like reading any more tonight.

I was discussing Freaks with someone the other day, when they called my attention to this charming story. Nice to see such progress is being made. Like someone observed in the Freaks DVD, one of the actors gets a drink thrown in his face; in that actor's final film, Mad Max 2, he gets a bucket of pig excrement thrown at him. Such progress.

Not as much fun as watching the Trampoline, but the Men's High-Bar was pretty exciting. At least Japan came up to the plate and clearly earned their gold, if Hamm had gotten the gold, it could've been ugly, and rightfully so. I have to wonder, every time I hear an American on T.V. arguing that the gold medal controversy is just like a referee blowing a call in a game, and there's nothing you can do about it, what the '74 U.S. Basketball team thinks. (I think our team this year is praying for a blown call to pin their failure on)

I've been enjoying the new Freaks DVD that came out last week. I love that movie. Plenty of reviews are out singing its praises, so I won't bother writing another. But the film, and the special features on the DVD, are both awesome. It's a little disappointing that the alternate ending footage doesn't include the cut footage of Hercules and Cleopatra meeting their fates, but I guess that footage has been lost to history. But maybe it's better to use our imagination. Gooble-gobble.

Anyone been watching the Olympics? I enjoyed watching the trampoline, had no idea it was an Olympic sport. The first two athletes I saw fell off the trampoline. The second one, the favorite, hit the mat and just fell flat, right back onto the trampoline. Could I do better? Of course not. But it seems like, if you're good enough to reach the Olympics, you should be able to stay on the trampoline for the compulsory ten bounces.

I worked Sunday, and missed the Women's Marathon. A shame about Radcliffe, but at least she has her world record to fall back on.

I returned from Vegas yesterday, tired but satisfied. It was a losing trip, but I lost less than I won last time I was in town, and got plenty of comps to ease the pain. And had a pretty good time, even though I had a friend in tow, rather then the sweet freedom of solitude in Vegas I so enjoy.

The drive to Vegas went quite well. No real traffic to speak of, and even with two stops, made it in right about five hours. Listened to Shakira and Bob Newhart, an odd combination, I will admit. A cold front was moving in, so it wasn't even that unbearably hot, for those mountain passes where they advise turning off one's a/c. Checked in at Paris, and found our room on the 21st floor. Not much of a view, looked out at some timeshares, with the mountains on the side. Hoped maybe I'd get to watch a thunderstorm in the mountains sometime during the trip, but never saw any. Certainly a very nice room, but I still think I prefer Bally's. The room was big enough, but on the small side for a luxury resort. The armoire was a nice touch. Nicer bathroom than Bally's, with separate tub and shower. No separate water closet, but the toilet was set back in a slightly recessed nook, intended I suppose to give the illusion of privacy. Yet it wasn't set back nearly far enough, so that when one sat on the toilet, one couldn't help but watch oneself crapping in the full-length mirror on the door. Not an attractive sight. But they give you bath gel as well as the standard toiletries, the beds were comfortable, and housekeeping kept things tidy. Water pressure is usually the final arbiter for me in judging a room, but since my foot is bandaged and I don't feel like dealing with garbage bags, I've been taking baths. But the tub was spacious, and reasonably easy to enter and exit without dampening my left foot. So all in all, a good room, but considering it is newer and more expensive than Bally's, I think Bally's wins in the comparison (to be fair, I've only had queen beds at Paris, and king beds at Bally's, so maybe it is somewhat an apples-to-oranges comparison).

Overall, the service at Paris is pretty good. I did have one complaint with how the marketing department took care of me and my comped show tickets. The offer I was staying on was for two free nights in the hotel and two tickets to see We Will Rock You, their new musical based on the songs of Queen. First, when I called a few months ago and made the reservations, they tried to book me on some other offer I'd received, and I had to practically argue with the woman on the phone that I'd rather have two show tickets valued at $200+ rather than some food credit or whatever she was pushing. But I got it straightened out with her eventually, and reserved two tickets for the second night I was there. When I checked in, nothing was said about the tickets until I asked, and the front desk directed me to a line at the ticket office. I wait in line, and they have no record of the tickets. After fumbling with the computer awhile, she figures out that it was a comp offer from a room package, and tells me those tickets aren't available until the day of the show, so I should come back around noon the next day. So I do, no line this time, but still no show tickets. The clerk I spoke to this time was quite helpful, telling me that I need to actually call marketing from the hotel and tell them I want to get the tickets that were reserved for me. Seemed odd, but I was glad that the third person I talked to knew what to do. So I called marketing, she said I had tickets reserved for the 7:00 show, and she'd put them right in, and to check the ticket booth a half-hour later. I check about twenty minutes later, and they aren't there yet. Which is okay, so I leave and come back a few hours later, a bit of a line-up again, and again no tickets. The manager comes out, calls marketing, and goes in the back, and comes out again with my tickets. It seems that marketing never got me my tickets until the ticket office called them. It was all a minor inconvenience, but just seems odd, in that I assume most of the people staying in Paris on comps who play at my level or above received the same and similar offers, and how hard should it be to redeem it? Was the marketing person about to put it in the computer, when she spotted a bee in her office, and had to spend the rest of the afternoon trying to shoo it out a window? That's my theory. What stinks about the matter, though, is that I had rather bad seats, and I think if they had gotten my tickets in at the proper time, I would have had much better seats, since I think they lock up good seats for VIPs until the afternoon of the show. So all in all, I was a little annoyed. I was going to complain, but I would be complaining to the ticket booth staff, who did everything they could to help me, and not marketing that dropped the ball. So I just let it go. Like I said, the tickets cost over $100 with the entertainment tax, so I shouldn't bitch about having to jump through a few hoops for two tickets.

So I got my tickets and saw the 7:00 show of We Will Rock You on Wednesday. The show opened on Monday, so I was one of the first to see it, which is exciting. I was looking forward to it, though also nervous, whether it would be a travesty or a loving tribute. I must say I was disappointed in it, but still felt it had a lot going for it, and certainly by no means hated it. For the first half-hour or so, I did think it was awful, but it improved markedly in the second half. I knew very little about the plot, and was a bit chagrined that the story blatantly ripped off from the classic Aerosmith video game Revolution X, though with less blood. It's the future, and real rock has been replaced by computer-programmed pop pablum called, of course, GaGa. And our hero is Galileo Figaro ("Bohemian Rhapsody" surfaces in fragments as a sacred texts of the inevitable rebellion), a dreamer who channels snippets of rock lyrics (apparently with no filters--everything from "Who put the bob in the bop-shu-bop" to "Who let the dogs out?") and therefore in the only one who can revive rock and roll. The musical, in other words, postulates the novel notion that rock and roll, as it were, will never die. Or die and then come back, like Jesus.

We Will Rock You uses this message of the primacy of rock to attack pop culture, in particular American Idol, which makes it unfortunate that some of the more over-produced numbers sound exactly like a Queen cover on American Idol. It criticizes pop culture, yet jumps at any opportunity to appropriate it for a hackneyed joke. I'll avoid a minor spoiler, and just say one joke that actually was amusing, stemming from the fragments of our culture that made it to the future without context, was unfortunately repeated about a dozen times until the humor was long gone.

But perhaps I'm being too harsh. Musically, the production was pretty good, if a bit over-produced at times. The band was good, as were the on-stage talent. A few numbers involving the whole company were a bit muddled, "Radio GaGa" in particular (which was almost a blessing, as I nearly missed the fact that they changed the lyrics to insert a lame reference to the internet). But "It's a Kind of Magic" just really came together well, early in the show, and was the first hint the show might have some life in it. Unfortunately, the staging of this one, with dancers in some lame "futuristic" uniform, and with the Killer Queen and Khashoggi twirling slowly on some platform, gesticulating wildly as if their spinning was supposed to be a thrilling sight. Sorry, but twirling does not a spectacle make. And it closes strongly, with "We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions" ending the show. "Bohemian Rhapsody" is tacked on to the end, which is odd, since they seemed to be building to it, then decide that "We Are the Champions" is a more logical closer. But I suppose it's better to throw "Rhapsody" in as a sort of encore then to stretch the story even more to accommodate it.

Let's see, what else to complain about. "Under Pressure" is tacked on in a truncated version, just to advance the plot a little and bring the two love interests together, and seemed a bit too perky. They used, I believe, "No One But You" for a moving musical tribute to musicians who died young. A good choice, and of course it's vital to acknowledge Mercury's passing somewhere in the show, but the decision to also acknowledge practically every other musician who ever died made it feel more calculated and manipulative, offering something for everyone. The musical's casual equating of Freddie Mercury and Elvis is also questionable, no offense to Mr. Mercury. On the plus side, "Crazy Little Thing Called Love," "I Want it All," and "Seven Seas of Rhye" were all well-done, and the unnecessary references to the Paris Casino thrown into the show didn't do much damage. To summarize, there were lots of problems I had with the show, but musically it was fairly sound, and hopefully will improve with time (it opened on Monday, though I understand this is the London cast, at least in the major roles, so I don't know if that's an excuse). If I paid $100 for a seat, I'd be very disappointed, but for free, it's worth seeing.

Most of my time on the Strip, I never left the Paris/Bally's complex (both because of my foot, and because I like to gamble there). So I ate there a lot. The buffet at Paris was good as usual. I had it for breakfast my last morning at Paris, and wasn't very hungry, but after eating one plateful of food, already felt I'd justified the price. The crepes later were just icing on the cake. It is also the first time I ever saw Nutella at a buffet. But the best meal I had was at the Paris coffee shop, Le Café Île St. Louis. I'd often heard it described as over-priced, and after seeing how over-priced Bally's coffee shop was, I had concerns. But for the quality, I found it remarkably reasonable. Sandwiches for about eight dollars, with generous portions, and plenty of both American and French entrees at under fifteen dollars. Chad had the French Dip (I suppose that marginally fits the casino theme), and could barely eat half. I had Coquilles St. Jacques, and it was wonderful. I'd never had it before, and thought the potatoes were a garnish, but it was actually served on top like a pot pie crust, sort of. But it was delicious, and more then made up for skipping the Paris buffet for dinner and never getting their delicious bouillabaisse. I had a banana split for dessert, which was quite big and good, though it only had chocolate sauce, and no fruit toppings, save the banana. The service was great, and though it was a bit noisy being right by the casino, it had a nice atmosphere. I made fun of what they call outdoor seating, which is seating underneath the canopy painted on the ceiling of the casino, but it actually did have some of the charm of actually eating al fresco. I'd highly recommend it, though the wait for a table can be long (I had a line pass, fortunately).

I spent two nights there, then spent one night at the Fremont. I believe the last time I stayed there, I said I would never stay their again, but this time, I mean it. Unlike last time, there was nothing horribly wrong with my room, it was just small and cramped, and the air conditioning was noisy. I was on the tenth floor, with a view of a parking garage. I only stayed there because my friend wanted to stay downtown. I gambled about a half-hour before I decided I'd had enough of that and drove back to the strip. Downtown is okay for low-rollers, but I think even those with a modest budget can get some good treatment on the strip. I was surprised by how many comps my friend got, just playing Pai Gow and some slots for fairly reasonable stakes. Downtown has some old-school charm, but a lot of it just stinks. I do regret that I never got around to watching the new Fremont Street Experience light show, or getting a $0.99 shrimp cocktail at the Golden Gate, but I don't think Downtown has much to offer me anymore.

I won't bore you with all the details of my gambling. I'll just say I lost money, but not an unreasonable amount. I lost a ton my last night at Paris, when I gambled until 4 AM, just digging the hole deeper and deeper. That session is the reason why I didn't leave a winner, and so I learned a lesson, not to throw good money after bad, and accept a modest loss rather then going broke. But the Stardust was very good to me, as was the Las Vegas Hilton. It was the second time I gambled at the Hilton, and I enjoyed it, and found comps reasonable to get. I didn't consciously gamble there with this in mind, but I realized later it could be good to get in their good graces; if Harrah's merger with Caesars goes through, and they ruin Caesars properties as I'm sure they will, I'll need a new place to gamble. I hear good things about the Las Vegas Hilton, and the new owners seem to be doing a good job of improving the place. There were some real characters gambling there. And the monorail makes it a much more convenient location than it used to be. I could certainly do worse.

So all-in-all, it was a good trip. I lost money, but I saw a show, ate some fine meals, came to realize that Downtown blows, and realized that as long as the other members of your party understand that you came to gamble, going to Vegas with someone isn't too bad. I'm going back in November, though I'd love to work out a quick trip before that.

My foot feels better, the splint seems to be doing the trick. Stopped by the office and got the bandages replaced, so it would hold up okay on my vacation.

I leave for Vegas in the morning. Two nights at Paris, one night downtown at the Fremont. Hope my room at the Fremont isn't as shitty as last time, but hey, free is free. This is my third trip in about as many months, and hopefully I can keep the winning streak going. And I have tickets to see We Will Rock You, which has the potential to be either great or awful, either, as it were, the champion or a big disgrace. This is the first time I've been to Vegas with someone in awhile, which kind of sucks. I don't really enjoy having someone cramping my style while I'm at my real job. Not to mention someone else draining my comp balance at the casinos with their pesky demands for food and stuff. And the need to find mutually-agreeable music for the desert drive. I figure Shakira is pretty crowd-pleasing, as is my Bob Newhart compilation CD. But regardless, I'll be in Vegas in less than 24 hours, so I can't complain about anything.

I was kicking myself last night, when I realized I forgot about Freddy Fender's free concert at the Golden Acorn Casino. But after bitching about it last night, I got a phone call this morning pointing out that the concert is actually tonight. So I'll soon be driving out to Campo. A bit of a drive, but well worth it, considering how disappointed I was when I had to miss him at 4th and B a few months back. He's performing with a comedian and with Highway 101, whom I'm not familiar with, but looking forward to hearing. And I think I have enough in my player's club account to eat free (unless they've deleted me, I haven't been in about a year). Should be a fun night.

I finally got a chance to watch a few documentaries I'd been meaning to see. First there was Off the Charts: The Song-Poem Story, a gentle look at the song-poem industry and the people who submit their poetry to be transformed into something resembling music. It's a gentle movie, for better and for worse, allowing you to laugh at the people who wrote some truly embarassing lyrics, without feeling that you're being mean-spirited; the film is equally gentle to those who take their money, trying to avoid the issue of whether these people are serving a market, or are con artists. In fact, after watching the documentary, it's hard to fret over the ridiculous claims of royalties galore in their ads, when it becomes obvious no one sending in their songs really believe they're going to get rich; their actual motive, in absence of financial incentive, isn't always clear, but by-and-large you can see a universal desire to find one's voice at work. And yes, the freak factor here is high (and not just on the submitters side), lots of songs are featured (ranging from the horrid to the hilarious to the absolutely transcendent), and some nice bonus features are included on the DVD. Highly recommended.

Even more highly recommended is How's Your News? I'd heard nothing but good things about this, and I figured it was something I had to see, but I had my qualms. Can sending a group of retarded people cross-country to do man-on-the-street interviews possibly be in good taste? An "as seen on Howard Stern" sticker on the package was hardly comforting. But once you've seen it, questions of it's tastefulness seems to evaporate. Watching the film, one can clearly see the evolution of this project, from films made at Camp Jabberwocky for their personal enjoyment, to a short film shuttled around film festivals, to the finished product. Even with a somewhat larger budget (meaning they got an RV instead of a Volkswagon bus), it still feels like a home movie, and watching it feels, not like an act of voyeurism, but like being admitted into an extended family. I was made uncomfortable at times, when the members of the How's Your News team with the most difficulty communicating vocally are put into awkward interview positions (and it's supposed to make you feel a bit uncomfortable at times, as the liner notes note, "confusion, awkward moments and humor are important parts of living with a disability"). But ultimately, it's clear that they are getting as much enjoyment from the How's Your News experience as anyone, and as Larry takes in the vista of the Grand Canyon or enjoys the dancing of passers-by at Venice Beach, one can't argue this isn't a valuable experience for him.

Ultimately, it's hard to explain what this movie is. But it isn't exploitation, and at the same time, it isn't the Pollyanna-ish, disabled-people-are-just-like-you-and-me message Hollywood likes to package, just in time for Oscar season. As one blogger notes about Camp Jabberwocky, "No one pretends that the campers are just like the rest of us. The campers are who they are. But for much of their lives, they've been treated as less than what they are...." And this film, like the camp, lets them be exactly who they are. And you really, really need to see this film.

I went to the podiatrist this morning. I was dreading it a bit, but it went pretty well. He put a splint on my foot, so I've got a bit of a limp now, and I'll be hobbling around Vegas next week. And I have another appointment after I get back from my vacation to get fitted for an orthotic. They're submitting an insurance claim to see if Blue Cross will pick up some of the expense, but I doubt it. So I'll be out three or four hundred, which is no chump change, but a small price to pay for the precious gift of the ability to walk. But the doctor seemed to think my case wasn't very severe, so I'm confident a few weeks witht the splint will help. The splint is interesting, it's not like a splint that would hold a broken bone, with a board and all, it's just athletic tape, run over the base of the foot, and pulled up with more tape, so that my arch is held tightly up. Puts a notable kink in my walking, but seems to serve it's purpose in keeping the tendon in place.

"My philosophy is that one shall not resort to violence unless one is resolved to become the subject of violence at any time:" The Onion's Takeshi Kitano interview.

Where are you now, when we need you most, Rage Against the Machine?

I just saw Oscar Goodman on CNBC. What a jackass. Facing questions about how seriously he treated the matter of terrorism, he just went off on the reporter, refusing to answer questions, claiming it was a pack of lies, and just basically showing off the skills he no doubt utilized as a mob lawyer. He even denied that liability issues had ever been raised by anyone as a possible reason for Goodman ignoring possible terrorist threats, just about thirty seconds after a clip was shown of that exact allegation being made by a federal prosecutor (albeit the one who apparently muddled the Buffalo terror prosecution). I'll admit I wasn't a fan of the man before this, but I thought it was probably one of the most damaging things I've seen on T.V. for Las Vegas' reputation (which is saying something).

So I again find myself in a bit of a funk. No big news there. I'm sure part of it has to do with my reverting back to my sedimentary lifestyle. I have an appointment to see a podiatrist on Friday, something I should have done at least a month ago. I imagine he'll tell me I can't run for a little while, but at least it will be a step back in the direction of running again, since I always seem to have a better outlook when I'm mobile. I suppose my funk is also partly due to a bit of malaise, not really having anything to do this week. Of course, I'll be in Vegas next week, so I have that going for me. I'm also in a funk due to an odd conversation I had today. One of those things that seems funny at the time, and then in the cold reflection of solitude, seems oddly tragic. Just one more thing to lump into the "wish that had stayed buried" file. But I won't bore you with my troubles. Who am I to complain, after all. I just started Johnny Cash's autobiography, and at least I didn't have a brother eviscerated by a table saw at the age of 14. And at least I'm not Fay Ray; I'd like to think that my obitiuary will not be met by a nation exclaiming, "You mean he didn't die decades ago?"

If you have previously had trouble viewing the photos I put up recently, I should mention that I fixed the problem with the 2004 Comic-Con photos. So enjoy!

I finished reading Armadillo by William Boyd last night. A noir-ish dark comedy, with a very British feel. Like Double Indemnity meets Dickens. Lorimer Black is a loss adjuster for an insurance company, whose job is to get his company out of paying large claims. When the book opens, he arrives at an appointment to find the claimant has hung himself. But that ultimately just seems to be for atmosphere, as soon enough he's on the main case, an over-insured hotel striken by fire. The ensuing web of inexplicable conspiracy could be called Kafkaesque, if it didn't seem so petty. More an example of the office drone viewing his workplace antics as Kafkaesque. It isn't really enough to carry the novel, and the sub-plots aren't quite enough to jazz it up (one involves a pop singer, named David Watts, who suffered a mental breakdown right before a world tour; some critics suggest Boyd misunderstood the Kinks song from which the David Watts pseudonym was taken, but it seems to me the point was that the newly-named David Watts is the one who missed the point). The conspiracy takes a more menacing turn near the end, as the story races to a conclusion a bit hastily, leaving lots of loose ends. And Boyd's symbolism (changed names, collecting armor, lucid dreams) is a bit heavy-handed. But I enjoyed the little touches in the depiction of London life, and the gently satirical humor of the novel was enjoyable enough to carry it when the plot wouldn't.

So much to read this summer, and I haven't gotten through nearly as much as I hoped. And now I got it in my head to read Don Quixote, which will be rather time-consuming, so I'm trying to get through a few essential reads before that. And I hope to re-read the Series of Unfortunate Events books before the new one comes out. And, as ever, the stack of magazines in my room now requires its own sherpa.

It's been about two weeks since I got back from Vegas, and I won't be in Vegas again for about two more weeks (I remember planning a non-Vegas vacation for sometime this Summer, whatever happened to that?), so of course I was deep in the grips of withdrawal this evening, and for a chance of pace, I decided to feed the need at Sycuan. Unfortunately, I unwittingly chose to do this the same night Crystal Gayle was performing. I'm not sure if she had any trouble with air marshals on her way to the gig, but she seemed to have brought in a good number of people. And if you've ever seen the Sycuan parking lot, you understand why this might be a problem. I briefly considered valet as an alternative to their lot, which never really advanced from the temporary lot back when Sycuan, a typical Indian casino, was basically some trailers. But I don't think I would trust any employee of Sycuan with the keys to my car. So I drove out to the far end of the lot and picked a row. I drove about half-way down the row, not finding a space, when I came upon one of many twists in the road accommodating a tree (I suppose it is nice that they apparently built their lot around the foliage). Thanks to some big trucks parked a bit too close to the tree, it didn't look like I could fit through, and backing up would have required maneuvering a twisting path for about 350 feet. So I seemed to be stuck. I stopped for about two minutes, thinking the conundrum over, finally deciding to go forward. I thought I was going to have to drive right into the planter with the tree, but all that ended up being required was driving up onto the curb a bit. A very tight fit, but I made it. I found a space not much further down, and enjoyed the walk to the casino, observing the broken glass littering every third space or so. Gotta love El Cajon.

It is stunning the dramatic drop in class in the clientele of Sycuan versus the other casinos in town. We're not talking about Western-level clientele, but some real freaks are easily found. Unlike previous visits, no one tried to sell me anything (I always enjoy trying to decide if they need money to gamble or need money for meth), so maybe they're classing up the joint. Played blackjack for an hour or so, won a small amount of cash, just enough to make it worth my time. They do have an okay blackjack game, not the best in town, but good enough. If they did something about the parking, it might be worth the occasional visit, but as things stand now...I guess it depends if they send me some good offers in the mail or not.

Interesting side note to the previous post: An egg cream contains neither eggs nor cream. Discuss. Actually, it might have cream, but I think it was just milk.

Traffic was awful coming home yesterday. Tried several alternate routes, all of which were backed up, so I ended up just stopping for dinner. Ate at the Studio Diner, which opened a year or two back next to Stu Segal's studio. Sadly, I did not run into Lorenzo Lamas or any of the major talent that works there. Bud I did have an egg cream. Can't say I cared for it, exactly, but I could see how some might. Maybe the problem was that ordered it for dessert, while it, being significantly lighter than a milkshake, is more suited to enjoy with a meal.

I finally uploaded pictures from Comic-Con. Nothing too exciting, but you will want to check out the photo with me and Xena, pretty sweet.

Robert Smigel interviewed in The Onion's A.V. Club. The Best of Triumph DVD comes out next week, I think. I also enjoyed Smigel's characterization of Adam West: "You always wonder 'Is he a genius?' when you see this performance, or is it just his voice, and somebody manipulated him like a marionette, and edited around his bad takes? I don't know. I can't figure it out, even after having worked with him. When you meet him, he's this very odd combination of literate Renaissance man and oafish uncle who says embarrassing things that you wish your girlfriend hadn't heard."

Deadbeat Dads March on Las Vegas

If Henny Youngman had played Hamlet.

Played poker at Viejas last night. Was up $140 pretty early on, and managed to lose it all, and then some. I had three eights, and ran into three aces, which hurt a bit. But I came back near the end, and left with a whopping $10 profit. And had the special for dinner, fish burritos, which were actually pretty good.

Finally made it to SDSU Wednesday, to see the Edward Gorey exhibit during its final week. It is billed as the largest public exhibition of Gorey's works, though just in terms of size, it's not particuarly overwhelming. But there is a lot of content here; books from Gorey's own collection, rough sketches for some of his works, examples of Gorey's stage design. I particulary enjoyed seeing the complete drawings for The Pious Infant. Unfortunately, I went late in the afternoon, and by the time we tried to access the portion of the exhibit in the Special Collections room, that portion of the library had closed. But I believe there was relatively little there (I intended to go back today to see it, but I'm just too lazy). This is the final weekend for the exhibit, so if you have time this weekend, check it out.

My brother-in-law has been wanting to see Legoland for some time, so we skipped Comic-Con on Sunday to go up to Legoland instead. I wasn't really looking forward to it, but actally had an okay time. Smaller than I thought it was, and more ride-oriented. The lego creations are fun to look at, and while they didn't have as many as I thought they would, what they had was impressive. New Orleans, San Francisco, Cape Canavral, all were well-done. The rides, of course, are aimed at kids, which has an advantage, in that I could go on the scariest ride there without fear. Unfortunately, none of the rides are particularly designed for people over six feet tall. But I managed okay.

The most excitement of the day came on the dullest ride I rode. Some sort of bicycle cart thing, that we waited an hour to ride, and which really sucked. But during the long line-up, this five-year-old kid was running amock, bugging various people in line the whole time. The mother was just watching this and smirking. Which is particularly galling because they actually have a play area where kids can build with legos while the parents wait in line nearby. Eventually, the kid stars hitting my sister, she tells him to stop. He sticks his head under her arm and looks up at her, and she yells at him to stop and stop bugging her. That shut him up a little bit. We get on the ride. When we get off, she is just finishing arguing with the ride operators, who would not let her ride with her infant (the dozen or so "Must be 48" to ride" signs apparantly don't mean much if you're illiterate). As we're leaving, Michelle in the back, the woman starts talking to her, which I can't at first make out. Turns out she's arguing with her for talking to her child. When Michelle repeatedly points out the terror her son was raising, she doesn't deny it, just keeps saying, "You shouldn't talk to a child like that." After she repeats that three or four times, I say, "Maybe you should control your child." She didn't like to hear that. She goes off on me, How dare I and such. She's shouting at me, picking a fight, while holding her infant child in her arms. Now that's responsible parenting. So I'm yelling at her to stop ruining the park for everyone else, being careful to remember I'm in a children's amusement park, and as such should not use profanity. I also am careful not to physically touch her. So I'm arguing, she's being nasty, and her kids get off the ride, and her 12- or 13-year-old daughter runs up, "Get away from my Mom!" So I roll my eyes, but stand my ground, when the mother asks, "Why the Hell are you even here? You don't even have kids with you!" So that pisses me off even more, and I tell her that we have every right to be there, and she responds, "Hey, I'm 29 years old, I have an excuse!" Which surprises me, and I puzzle over what she means, when she adds, "You're in your 40s and you're here." At which point I have no choice but to ask, "Are you retarded?" In retrospect, I realize I should have just kicked her ass, the police would be looking for a white male in his mid-40s. But I digress. This actually diffused the situation a bit, since now I realize she's a moron, who apparently cranked out her first kid at 16 and decided two more bundles of joy could only improve her life, and the humor of the situation was a little more apparent. We exchanged a few more choice words, and went our seperate ways, where she would no doubt find other ways to endanger the life of her infant child. The more I thought about it, the more disturbed I was by the callousness with which she treated her baby. She even egged me on at one point, encouraging me to hit her so she can call 911. But, whatever, fuck her. One less person I need to brake for crossing the street. I just hope I put her in as nasty a mood as she did me.

But as for Legoland itself, I must again say it wasn't as dull as I thought it would be. Obviously a place for kids, but adults with the right attitude might enjoy themselves (though at full price, its questionable).

So that was my week. It's Wednesday now, and I'm still a bit worn out. My foot is bothering me now, so looks like I was a tad premature saying that was better. Maybe this week I'll find myself a sports podiatrist, and make an appointment. Seeing the Edward Gorey exhibit this afternoon, at last! Just booked a room in Vegas for November. My sister is going for a wedding, so I'm meeting them there. Works out good; there's a convention in town, rooms are hard to find and very pricy, but I was able to get two free nights at Bally's (hoping to upgrade to a suite when I get there). My sister has challenged me to a ride on the mechanical bull at the New Frontier...I thought the web would have lots of tips on how to ride one, but the closest I've come are ads for mechanical bull classes. But then the point of riding a mechanical bull is looking like a jackass, so I guess ignorance is bliss in this situation.

Sorry if there are any formatting problems with the previous post, having some issues with Blogger's new post editor. So if any links don't work, I appologize.

So Comic-Con 2004 is now a part of history.  Plenty of headlines were made, though the announcement of the title of Star Wars: Episode Three seems to have eclipsed the far more disturbing news that Sir Lawrence Olivier will be digitally inserted into Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow.  I must admit part of me is glad it's over.  I'm still pretty tired.  And I did pretty much nothing today.  But I'm so glad I went, it's such an amazing event.  I'm sure I'll forget to mention lots of stuff, but I'll try to touch on the major events.

I got in from Vegas Wednesday, so there was no going to preview day for me.  But I was there bright and early Thursday, with my sister and brother-in-law.  Parking wasn't too hard to find, though it was $15.  We had a bit of a walk to the convention center, and no sooner than we had lined up to pick up our passes then they opened the doors to go upstairs and check-in.  Advanced registration pick-up was quite efficient, and in less than five minutes we had our badges on and were waiting for the doors to open at 9.  Despite the crowd, things went very smoothly.  And no sooner had I entered the main hall, then I saw Keith Knight's booth, right by the rear entrance.  So I bought his collection of (Th)Ink strips, making my first purchase less than a minute after entering Comic-Con.  I decided to walk to the North end and make my way back, but on the way saw the Unshelved booth, where they were selling the "Mad About Reading Cow" T-shirts, which I knew I had to have.  Got a shirt, talked for a minute with cartoonist Bill Barnes, and got snookered into buying some books, too.  I see on the web site that the T-shirts at Comic-Con are going to be rarities; on the main run of the shirt, the Cow's book, "Cud: A Love Story," is changed to "Clover: A Love Story."  No accounting for tastes.  I spent most of that morning on the floor of the convention center, shopping, and bought a fair amount of stuff.  I got a real good deal on The Comic Art of George Herriman, which was exciting both because the book is awesome, and because co-author and Mutts cartoonist Patrick McDonnell would be signing later.  I spent a fair amount of time at the booths selling animation cels, hoping to find a good Simpsons cel to pick up with my Vegas winnings.  But I never saw one I liked enough to justify the hefty price.  I did take an immediate liking to the Futurama pulp fiction covers, limited editions based on season one episodes.  Really cool, and as an added bonus, a lot cheaper than an animation cel.  I knew I wanted one, but picking which one would take several days.  I did a good deal of shopping, hoping to get as much done on Thursday as I could, because I had to keep a tighter schedule the other days.  But I did go to two panels Thursday; one was on general DVD releases coming up, and the other one, a real highlight of Comic-Con, was the Freaks & Geeks panel.  They screened "Discos and Dragons," talked a bit, and took questions.  Paul Feig was there, as was John "Sam" Daley, Samm "Neal" Levine, Martin "Bill" Starr, Steve "Kowchevski" Bannos, and Natasha "Cindy Sanders" Melnick.  When Melnick chose to speak, it was a bit painful, but overall a great experience.  After the panel, I hurried to the autograph area, but by the time I got there, the line was already pretty bad.  They warned us at the time we weren't guaranteed an autograph, but after a wait of just over an hour, I got them all to sign my yearbook.  So that was exciting.  After that, we had dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory before heading back for the evening festivities.  My sister and brother-in-law attended the Star Wars Fan Films Awards, while I planned to watch Bubba Ho-Tep.   I watched Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back to kill time, and went to the bathroom between movies.  While heading back to see the movie, I peeked in another room, and quickly got sucked in by a bizarre Kung-Fu movie.  It took me some time to figure out what I was watching, but what I mistook for a remnant of '80s USA Up All Night-style film was actually a new independent film seeking distribution, All Babes Want to Kill Me.  I hesitate to say it was good, exactly, but I enjoyed watching it.  Really poorly edited, it seems to me, with huge gaping holes and contradictions in the plot, but does it really matter.  The cast and director were there, and were very nice, and signed autographs afterwards.   Worth seeing if you get a chance (they are apparently near a deal for theatrical distribution).  A good way to end the day.

Friday we decided to take the trolley, because the web site said the special green line, which services the stadium during Padres games, would be running.  But turns out it was not.  So it was a minor ordeal taking the trolly, waiting about 40 minutes for a train, and then having to transfer.  So I was late, and missed the Bongo Comics panel.  But I did more shopping, bought one of the aforementioned Futurama pulp fiction covers, among other things, got things signed at the Peanuts booth, and in the afternoon attended some panels.  The two panels that warrent mention include "Why We Love Peanuts," where Jean Schulz, the Hernandez brothers and Chip Kidd, as well as the head of Fantagraphics, discussed Sparky's legacy.  That was immediately followed, in the same room, by an interview of Patrick "Mutts" McDonnell, who was asked questions by novelist Glen David Gold and the audience, showed some slides, and drew some of his characters for us.  We left soon after that; nothing much going on that evening, so we had dinner with Mom.

I knew Saturday was going to be a busy day, and there were lots of conflicting things to do at the same time.  Unfortunately, by Saturday I was truly exhausted, and not quite up to the task before me.  But I got the most important things done.  I had seen the day before that Ruben Bolling of Tom The Dancing Bug would be signing at 10, so I was very disappointed when I didn't get there until about 10:10, and dreaded the long line.  Turns out there was no one there, and he hadn't sold a book yet.  Seemed happy to see me, and was very kind and funny, and it was one of the more comfortable autograph sessions of the day (I always feel weird getting someone's autograph, and never know what to say).  Bought two of his books (paid $10 each, later looked on-line and saw that they go for far more than that, being out-of-print), and pre-ordered his new book coming out this fall.  If you don't read his strip religiously, you should.  Then I met up with an internet friend and got her to buy some books from him, as well.  Then we lined up for the Patrick McDonnell autograph session.  The line wasn't bad at all when we got in it, but got pretty long soon afterwards.  Once he started signing, the wait was probably less than twenty minutes, and he was very nice, signing two books and a poster for me.  Then I headed to the Simpsons panel, which was underwhelming.  A montage of clips, basically extended cuts of things that have already aired, followed by a French laundry detergent commercial, in which you could see Bart's penis (still quite small, even on the big screen)...what Matt Groening said was a real Comic-Con exclusive.  Some nice little snippets of information on what to expect this season (I won't reveal any of the surprises).  I left not long after the Q&A portion started, to get to the second Peanuts panel, but turns out I had the wrong time, and was 30 minutes early.  So I went back to the floor, looked around a bit, and headed back to the Peanuts panel, only to find such a line to get in, I decided to skip it (I knew from the previous days the room it was in was small, and I doubt everyone fit, comfortably, at least.  So back to the floor I was.   As I mentioned, I was very tired, and found myself getting a bit punchy.  Just basically walking with no destination.  Which, while not the most productive way to see Comic-Con, is not necessarily a bad thing.  I found lots of interesting things I missed the first few times.  Even stumbled upon Billy West's booth, and bought his CD.  Headed up to get Matt Groening's autograph at 3, but the line was just too long, and I knew there was no chance of getting an autograph, especially since I had a panel at 4.  That panel, with voice-over goddess June Foray, was a suprise highlight of Comic-Con.  I figured it would be good, but it really was great to hear her stories, see clips of her wide range of work (I never realized she was the voice of Talking Tina on The Twilight Zone).  And when she did Rocky, she sounded exactly as she did on the show.  They even brought in some other voice-over actors to re-enact an episode of Rocky and Bullwinkle, including a Fractured Fairy Tale.  Fun times.  Of course, my camera's batteries died right as I tried to record part of the script reading, so I have no clip of that to bring you.  But trust me, it was great.  That was immediately followed, in the same room, by the Adult Swim panel.  I of course had to attend, but I must say the audience the Adult Swim panels draws disturbs me.  Lots of bros.  Lots of people hooting a lot and asking really, really dumb questions.  The clips of coming programming, though, is what you come for, and even that was troubling.  The clips for existing shows were pretty awesome.  The Aqua Teen Hunger Force clip lambasting standards and practices (it's strange; Cartoon Networks lets them get away with a lot, yet even gentle blaspheme--i.e., the quote from Futurama, "Sweet Zombie Jesus!"--is excised) was possibly the single funniest thing I saw at Comic-Con.  But they showed new shows, as well.  And while I will withhold judgement on Squidbillies, I must say that Stroker and Hoop looks absolutely awful.  I didn't care for the pilot of Venture Brothers, but the clips they showed looked interesting enough to give it another chance.  And as I already suggested, the Q&A portion was painful (thank god M.C. Chris was there to keep things fun).  Q&A at Comic-Con is always a bit painful, at least at anything that attracts a wide audience.  Lots of questions that aren't questions at all, for instance.  Just like last year, I'm happy to report the worst question I heard came from the Adult Swim panel.  A young man complained about the departure of Captain Murphy from Sealab 2021, and asked how they could commit such blaspheme.  The crowd groaned, and Kate Miller, the voice of Debbie, explained as gently as she could that the actor who portrayed Captain Murphy, Harry Goz, died.  He explained that he did not know that, and then asked a follow-up question that was almost as painful.  Really bad to claim to be a fan of that show, a big enough fan to go to Comic-Con and ask that question, and not know he died (to be fair, it was the same week Johnny Cash and Warren Zevon died).  They gave out decks of cards after the panel, I managed to get two.  So that was pretty sweet.  And that's how Comic-Con ended for me.  We didn't go Sunday; Eric wanted to see Legoland.  But that story will have to wait for tomorrow.

That's Comic-Con, in broad strokes.  Should have documented it better as it happened, but as I mentioned, I was wore out.  A week with a pretty bad flu, a trip to Vegas, and then Comic-Con was a bit too much.  Lots of walking.  Next year, I hope to be more rested and ready.  One plus, I was on my feet and walking a lot, and my foot doesn't hurt.  So maybe I'm ready to resume running.  Pictures of Comic-Con won't be up tonight, just posting this took longer than I thought.  A lot of my pictures didn't turn out, but those that did are pretty cool.  And I have a good Legoland story, maybe I'll have time to post that at work tomorrow.

Well, I guess it's time I sat down and wrote about last week.  To pick it up from the beginning, I left for Vegas Monday morning.  The drive seemed more aggravating than usual, even though the traffic wasn't that terribly bad.  I think I was probably in a negative mindset, still shaking the last remnants of the flu.  And a few absolute morons on the road didn't help.  Listened to Randy Newman most of the way there (the boxed set), but also some Dusty Springfield.  Arrived at Bally's around 3:30, and the line for check-in was rather heinous.  Or maybe it just seemed bad to me.  Usually, there is an invited guest check-in line, so I don't have to wait in line.  But not that day.  Due to construction, they only had about half the check-in windows open (they did have every space available during the construction open).  So I had to wait in line for about 30 to 40 minutes to check-in.  No big deal, and I had fun watching other people freak out about the wait, as though it was the worst injustice in American history.  One Hank Hill-esque figure chose to get out of line to accost a manager about the matter.  But the line moved reasonably briskly.  The one thing I can never understand is, when I check in, it takes about three minutes at the counter.  What are the other people doing, that take 15 to 20 minutes to check in?  There is always someone checking in when I arrive who is still there when I leave for my room.  Occasionally the problem is obvious (credit card declined, lost reservation), but in general it seems that things are going okay, they just are never done with their transaction.  I don't get it.

But soon enough I was in my room.  This was my second time staying at Bally's,  and the second time I was impressed.  The room, 15th floor in the North Tower, was quite large.  King bed and a very nice sofa, glass coffee table and marble desk still left plenty of room.  A large, fake plant in the corner added a little color, and was a nice touch.  Color scheme was a little odd, but not as bad as the Flamingo.  Nice bathroom, lots of marble.  No separate tub and shower, but the toilet was sort of offset in a semi-WC, and was certainly adequate for my needs.  The view had a lot of potential.  I faced the strip, and looked out directly onto Bellagio.  The one problem was, the South Tower was between me and Bellagio.  (The South Tower has the nice views, but is a real pain to get in and out of, and the rooms are smaller, I hear).  I could still see the sides of the property, and when the Fountains of Bellagio went off, I could see a bit of the show.  The one thing that always aggravates me is the $3/day charge to use the in-room safe.  "For your convenience, you can make sure we don't steal from you, and it only costs $3!"  Considering the casino cage offers the same service for free, it's a real rip.  I was going to use my safe anyways (convenient, and I can always pay the fee with my comp dollars), but mine was out of order.  So I figured I'd save $6 rather than complain, and just did without this trip.  Of course, my room was free, but I see some good bargains for Bally's during slow times, and considering its location and quality, seems an excellent value for those who pay for their rooms in Las Vegas (I used to say the same about Treasure Island, before they ruined it). 

After resting, I took to the tables at Bally's, where I had a total of $200 in match play coupons (i.e., bet $25, if you win, you win $50).  The offer I was staying on offered $100 in match play, but if I went on particular days (i.e., last week), they would double the offer.  They gave me $25 coupons, which were doubled to be worth $50.  Lost the first two hands, but won the rest, including a blackjack on the last one (my bet was paid at 3:2, the coupon only pays even money, $50).  So I was immediately up.  And that never changed this trip.  I won't go into great detail about the gambling, becuase it wasn't particularly interesting.  I won, I won again, I lost occasionally, but mostly I won.  Bally's was good to me, Paris was (appropriately) indifferent , Stardust was berry berry good to me.  I entered the New Frontier for the first time in my life.  I'm not sure why I'd never been there before, but I was walking to the Stardust from Caesar's Palace, and the heat was finally getting to me, and I had to get into the New Frontier and the A/C.  It was nothing special, like a little bit of downtown on the strip.  Gotta wonder about any Strip casino where the entertainment is based around the mechanical bull in the bar.  I played a little bit, lost a fair amount, won it all back, and left up just a bit.  Not a bad place, but I don't see anything it has going over the Stardust (a very slightly better location, perhaps, but not by much).

One exciting development since my trip in June was the opening, at last, of the Las Vegas Monorail.  I bought a 24-hour pass, and ended up riding the thing only twice.  It runs smoothly and conveniently, with trains every five minutes in each direction.  Depending on where you are and your destination, it can be very convenient.  But it didn't really help me out.  I took it from Bally's to the Flamingo, and probably had to walk more getting to and from the monorail stations than I would have had I simply walked to the Flamingo.  But I knew that would be the case, I just wanted to check it out.  $3 one-way, $5.50 round trip, $10 for a one-day pass.  Not unreasonable.  Makes the Las Vegas Hilton much more accessible.  If it succeeds and is expanded to downtown, it will be a real boon.  I took it later in the day from Harrah's to the MGM Grand.  That was a time-saver.  Of course, I had no business at the MGM Grand, just wanted to see that end of the strip (I don't make it down that way often).  But I enjoyed the sights, and stopped off at the M&M Museum while heading back to Bally's (on foot).  I had to pay $2 (I think) for the 3-D movie last time; now it's free.  Unfortunately, they replaced one of the live actors with a video.  So the Al Roker-esque character who sang "The Candyman" last time I was there, was gone.  Last time I was there, an audience member asked me, "Is this in 3-D?  Because I paid for a 3-D movie."  I responded, "Really?  Becuase I paid to watch this jackass sing and dance."  I learned later in the show that the guy I was talking to was a plant, part of the show.  So I was a little embarassed.  It was still fun, though, in a really, really cheesy way.  For free, it's hard not to recommend, though now that it's free, it's a lot more crowded (five people last time I did it, close to 100 this time).  So that was my tourist moment this trip.  Though I also watched the Bellagio fountain a few times.  And though I didn't see it, I did here them using the soundtrack from The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly again, so despite no mention on their website, that appears to be in the rotation, hopefully for good (it's awesome).

One nice thing about my hotel offer this trip was that, in addition to the free room and match play coupons, I received a $100 dining credit.  Being alone this trip, I thought that would be more than enough.  Bally's dining, however, is on the pricy side.  The credit was good at both Bally's and Paris, so I had the Paris buffet, my favorite in town, the first night.  It has its flaws, I must admit.  But what is good there is absolutely fantabulous.  For instance, desserts, in general, are a disappointment.  No real ice cream (only soft-serve), the bananas foster not made to order (and this at one of the more expensive buffets in town), and the pie and pastry selection paltry for a french-themed buffet.  But how can you dwell on that while eating a blueberry crepe with raspberry sauce from the crepe cooking station.  Lots of seafood.  People were lining up for the crab legs, cut vertically so you don't have to deal with the shells, but I passed them by to get the smoked salmon.  Some sort of cold scallops salad with cous-cous was really good, as was the hot cous-cous.  Too many good foods to mention.  The bouillabaisse was a bit disappointing, since its the most memorable part of the buffet from the first time I had it, with my dad, but it was still pretty good.  I highly recommend it, if you aren't too put off by the price (which it's worth).  I had breakfast at Bally's coffee shop twice (I intended to have their buffet my last morning there, but it was closed for maintenance).  Good, but way, way over-priced.  If I wasn't trying to use up the credit they gave me, I would not have eaten there.  But I have no complaints with the quality.  The scrambled eggs with smoked salmon was particularly good.  I did order what the menu described as "mixed seasonal berries," so I was surprised when there was nothing but strawberries.  But there were a lot of them, and they were of a high quality.  I hear the Paris cafe is much better, but the line was always long, and I never would remember to ask the pit boss for a line pass when I was playing (I did get to cut an absolutely heinous line at the Paris buffet, though).  So I didn't try it this trip.  I did have some pretty good sushi at Hyakumi at Caesar's Palace (are you picking up on my fondness for seafood?).  A good choice if you're already there, but I prefer Sushi + Sake (which, though no bargain itself, is cheaper) at Green Valley Ranch.  Managed to make a big dent in my food credit there, I thought, until I later learned, that while I had room charging privledges at all the Caesar's properties, the food credit was only good at Bally's and Paris.  So I had to use my remaining comp balance for the sushi.  But that left more money for my most expensive meal of the trip, at Al Dente at Bally's.  I'd hoped to eat at Chang's, but it was closed Tuesdays.  Al Dente was nice.  I dressed up for dinner, but found I forgot to pack shoes, so I was highly self-conscious in my sneakers.  Turns out everyone else was in jeans and T-shirts and the like, so I needn't have dressed up at all.  But it was a nice looking place, not as dark as it seemed from the bar.  The pasta disappointed, I must admit, but the appetizers (baked mussels, keeping to the trend) and dessert (tiramisu) were phenomenal.  And the pasta was reasonably priced.  I believe my meal was just under $40 (with water to drink).  Not a bargain, but if you're at Bally's and looking for a swank but reasonable dining experience, you could do worse. 

So I've probably gone on far too long about the boring details of the trip.  Thing is, looking back, I don't remember any great funny stories or anything to tell.  It was a boring trip, somewhat.  I had a good enough time, and I won more than I could spend at Comic-Con, so I'm glad I went, but it's the sort of trip you forget quickly enough.  One thing just came to me, though.  The awful woman at Legoland (that story later) made me forget this rude dealer.  As I mentioned, I had a coupon for $100 in match play, and they doubled it to $200.  I used mine at Bally's, but later in the trip, I was playing at Paris, and someone had the same coupon (only his was $50 doubled to $100).  He used the first coupon, lost, and the dealer took both the match play coupon and the doubling coupon, and tried to drop both.  Now I knew from my experience at Bally's that they were unfamiliar with the doubling coupon, so I corrected the dealer, who rudely informed me I was wrong, and before I or the other player could say anything, dropped the coupon down the slot into the Vegas box, effectively indicating debate was over.  I let the player know he was being ripped off, but I figured it was his fight, and he seemed to not want to fight it, so that's his problem.  But it always makes me mad to see someone getting ripped off in Vegas.  The casino's have a high enough edge with most players, why burn them even worse?  So that annoyed me.  Gave me something to grouse over on the drive home, stuck in traffic at least half-way.  Johnny Cash, Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, and Meat Loaf provided the soundtrack for that drive.

So was this the greatest trip to Vegas I ever had.  No.  Am I sorry I went?  Hell, no!  Even a mediocre trip to Vegas is pretty sweet!  And this trip funded my shopping frenzy at Comic-Con!  I'll post that story soon (probably tonight).

So very, very tired.  Maybe I'll get some Comic-Con photos up tonight, but probably not until tomorrow or Monday. 

Union-Tribune on Comic-Con. Had fun yesterday, Vegas was productive, reports to come soon.

I'm off to Vegas in the morning.  Bally's or bust.  Take advantage of those generous Caesar's comps, before Harrah's ruins it.  Then it's back home, just in time for Comic-Con.  Going over the schedule, I was shocked to see the cast of Freaks and Geeks will be there Thursday.  On top of all the panels I was already excited about, this is fantastic news.  I missed out on the signing they did in L.A. awhile back, but now I'll get my chance (though there are fewer people this time).  So look for a report/pictures on Comic-Con 2004 soon!

Harrah's to buy Caesars. This sucks ass. The MGM/Mandalay merger is bad enough, but I rarely gamble at any of their properties. I recently adopted Bally's (and to a lesser degree Paris) as my home-base strip casino, a good location, quality rooms, good comps. Harrah's offers nothing but crappy games and chintzy comps, and I can only imagine, after they shit over the reputation of the Horseshoe (to be fair, at least they're better than Becky), they will have no qualms about running Bally's and Paris and the rest into the ground. It will be awhile, of course, before anything actually changes, and anti-trust matters might still intervene, but looks like I might be looking elsewhere for my Vegas vacations (maybe give Green Valley Ranch another chance, or try staying at the Stardust (I enjoy gambling there, but I've never been a guest in the hotel). Or make my triumphant return downtown (the new owner seems to be doing exciting things with the Plaza).

So I've been laid up with flu-like symptoms recently. Sunday and Monday were pretty lousy, but Tuesday I was feeling good enough to get my traffic school exam out of the way at Kinko's. I'm still a little blah, probably just because I haven't been eating, but just bummed to have wasted even more of my summer vacation. I had plans to see the Edward Gorey exhibit at SDSU on Monday, but that had to be postponed, and next week is already chocked-full-of-fun. Just seems like there's so much to do, not enough time, and yet I'm not doing anything.

Brendon Small, voice of the same-named character on Home Movies, has a web site, with some delightful songs from the show, and news that a DVD of the series is in the works (due Nov. 16, apparently).

New Lemony Snickett book available Sep. 21st.

Green Valley Ranch executive found dead.

Users switching to Mozilla from Internet Explorer. My system was recently over-run with spyware (again), apparently due to some java-related vulnerability which I thought I removed the last time I was infected. Don't think that's related to the most recent vulnerability mentioned, but I'll be switching over nevertheless.

Considering school is out and, outside of work, there aren't many demands made of my time, I've been remiss is posting here, I see. I'm sure the internet will somehow survive.

I just got home from a rousing evening of shuffleboard. I again held my own, winning two games out of three. As usual, I fell apart in my last game (I tend to break down after two games), and was trailing by fifty points before finally getting my stuff together and rallying. We were playing to 100 points, and I had come up to about 85, when Cecily just needed to score to win. She landed her last puck in the seven-point quadrant, so I had to knock her out to have a chance (a fairly good chance, especially if I could get in the seven-point quadrant myself) to win. And I connected squarely, got the points myself, and send her flying. Then I heard a mighty metallic thud, from her puck hitting the poles that adorn the shuffleboard court in Balboa Park (they at one time supported an awning, or at least that's what I think they were fore). And the puck ricocheted back, coming to a rest squarely within the seven-point region, giving her the game. So that hurt a bit. Followed that up with a viewing, finally, of Kill Bill, Vol. 1. Was surprised by how little an impression it made either way. Interested me enough to want to see Vol. 2, so I guess it has something going for it. Just figured my time would be better spent watching some of the films that influenced Tarantino than the film itself. Guess I just don't find profusions of arterial blood every five minutes either gleefully fun or horrifically shocking.

Went to Viejas yesterday. A sudden change of plans left me with some free time, and so I decided it had been far too long since I'd played poker. Took an Omaha seat while I waited for them to start a 3-6 Stud game. Lost about $50, mostly because I played a few too many hands (tough to throw away a suited connector when the bad beat jackpot for Omaha was at about $80,000. Then I got a stud seat, and for awhile things followed the same pattern. But things soon turned around, winning quite a few hands; scopping pots where I was going low, when one pair would hold up. I lost one or two big pots that could have really made me some money. I also had a dark moment with a near-miss of the low jackpot. For the jackpot, you need a 6-4 beat by a wheel, and I had a wheel, when I got into a raising war with another player. We all discussed how nice it would be to hit the jackpot, but instead of turning over a 6-4, the other player also had a wheel. So no jackpot. I still won half the pot, and made a small profit, though (the same situation had occured to me once before, but that time another player had a flush, so I only got 1/4 of the pot and actually lost money--you'd think I was playing Omaha). But I walked away with a tidy sum to take to Vegas with me in a few weeks. And I had enough on my player's card to cover my dinner. And I saw the usual suspects who have been playing stud there for some time, who claim to have missed me in the time I've been gone (I probably hadn't played poker in almost six months).

Devious rabbit tricks Bush into signing gun ban.

George W. Bush is not a chimp.

Details on the Imperial Palace fire. Sure enough, any fire at a major hotel-casino is treated as a three-alarm fire.

A three-alarm fire broke out at the Imperial Palace this evening. Of course, I think every fire at a strip hotel is treated as a three-alarm fire, ever since the MGM Grand disaster. This one doesn't seem to be a big deal, though. When I stayed there a few weeks ago, I did make a note of where my room was vis-a-vis the emergency exits, and thought it wasn't a place I'd want to be in a disaster. Seeing all the construction they were doing in the back, I figured there were lots of opportunities for an accident. Guess it's one more reason not to stay there (not that I really needed one). Though to be fair, I'm never really that nervous in a Vegas hotel; the casinos might control every other regulatory force in Nevada, but thanks to the deaths of 85 people at the MGM Grand in 1980, the building codes and fire inspectors have some teeth to them. I remember I was staying at, I think, the Horseshoe when the fire marshall rained on the Aladdin's parade during their planned opening (they were able to open the casino, if memory serves, but not one tower of the fully-booked hotel).

Stock-picking monkey trouncing the market.

I was looking at the web site for Bellagio's fountain, and was interested to see that they make no mention of the use of an Ennio Morricone composition from The Good, the Bad and the Ugly for a recent performance. They had a big tent set up in front of the fountain, and played the song three times in about 30 minutes, so I think maybe it was for some sort of special event (Clint Eastwood hanging out?). Or maybe it was just a trial run, soon to be added to the rotation. I hope so, it was pretty sweet.

I see on the Hot Club of Cowtown's website that they are touring several of our nation's ballparks, with Willie Nelson and Bob Dylan. Pretty sweet...unfortunately, Petco Park didn't make the cut.

Marlon Brando dead at 80.

Things Patton Oswald would vote for over George W.