Beautiful strangers

When I came into work on Tuesday, this photo was in my inbox.




There's a lot that occurs to me as I look at this photo.

I actually remember posing for it. It was summer 1999, and we were on our senior trip.

All of us would start college the following semester. Four of us would graduate.

I miss various people in this photo for various reasons.

The girl on the left I miss because we at one point were best friends. She still lives in town, but I never see her. In fact, it's eerie how much I don't see her. You know how you'll be at Walmart or at a bar or something and run into someone from a million years ago? Never ever happens with her. Happens with her parents and her sister. But never her. May be just as well. I don't really have anything to say to her.

I miss the girl second from the end, sometimes, because she lives out of town and I just don't get to see her much. But we're still friends.

The next two still live relatively nearby, and I get to see them more often. I did briefly miss the girl third from the left when she moved to Florida, but she returned eventually. Now I just miss her because she's often busy with a daughter. Which is still weird to me. I don't feel old enough to have kids. She shouldn't, either. Neither should the girl second from the left, who is expecting her first.

The second from the right is me. I want to go kick my 18-year-old self's ass for ever being embarrassed about my body. I would try to get her to take that "Freshman Fifteen" seriously, but she wouldn't, because 1. She was as stubborn then as she is now, and 2. Her metabolism knew no bounds, so she had no reason to believe in it.

Two of us were already with our eventual spouses at the time this photo was taken. Three of the six of us are married now.

The four who had their arms linked had been friends the longest. Three of the four of them are still friends.

I went snorkeling for the first time the day this was taken.

The song "Beautiful Stranger" makes me think of this trip, and vice versa. I bought the "Austin Powers" soundtrack while we were there.

Several of us have lost grandparents. One of us has lost a parent. All of us lost the girl on the right nine years ago. NINE. It will be 10 in April. I can't believe it. We all miss her.

At least one of us still has the bathing suit they are pictured in here.

Our plane tickets cost $125. Round trip.

BOOYAH.

So. My awesome platforms that were stolen from my car last month and can be found NOWHERE? Yeah, I totes just bid on them on ebay. Also, these ones (yes, these ones) are actually my size instead of a size too large. AND for the same price I paid at TJ Maxx, plus shipping. BOOYAH.

Speaking of heels: I've never really written about this before, but...

Yes, I'm tall. Yes, I've spent most of my life lusting after shoes I thought I couldn't wear because I was "too" tall.

Maybe it's the derby girl in me now, but to hell with that noise.

For starters, I can't hide that I'm tall. I'm tall when I'm flat-footed. People have always commented anyway, so what's another 3-4-5 inches?

Second, I'm a grown-ass woman and will do what I want.

Third, if it makes you uncomfortable, that's your problem, not mine. Don't like it? Don't stand next to me.

ETA: Won the auction. They are in transit to my house as I type.

Missing

I dropped a crapton of money at Sephora today. Why? I'll esplain.Friday I grabbed my beloved Smashbox palette, my heels, and my makeup bag, stuck it all in my giant Rollercon go-to bag, and headed out. I wanted to be prepared for the evening because I was going out for dinner and drinks with friends. Not wanting to get all gussied up for work, I figured I'd just leave it all in the car and do my hair and makeup after work.This plan was successful, and I had a good night, even though I had to switch shoes halfway through.


The next day, I got up, went to work, grabbed dinner, came home, went to a friend's house. Through all that, I seem to remember the bag riding shotgun.

Sunday morning, we got up, met the friends from Friday night for breakfast, then went to the shooting range. Trace doesn't remember moving the bag, but it's at this point that I'm certain it was no longer in my passenger seat.

The only possibilities are that 1. It was stolen, or 2. I took it in the house and apparently hid it.I mean, I have looked everywhere.

The odd thing is that if someone stole it, why didn't they also steal the other shoes that were in my backseat? Or my iPod adapter? Or anything else that was in my car? Why a bag that they would have had to have gone through to know what was in it? And when did they have the opportunity?

And if I did, in fact, take it in the house, where the HECK IS IT??? I've dug through the laundry hamper, under my bed, in rooms I haven't been in lately...it's like it just vanished.

I'm totally baffled.

I'm leaving the big Sephora replacement palette in the box until I am positive my other one's not coming back. I'm super bummed. And I haven't even quite replaced everything. :-(ETA: I ended up returning the giant palette. Just wasn't the same.ALSO, my brown trench coat is missing. Sad panda.

Other things I saved from MySpace

I made this slide show after one of our Vegas trips, though it incorporates several trips' photos.

I love this version of "Let It Be" because of a very small change in the lyrics. It's only in this video, not on any album.
And this is from "Swingers." Good advice.

Jan. 23, 2009: Meanderings

So if you'll scroll down a bit, you'll see a photo of a black-and-red 1958 Corvette available for rent in Las Vegas. Well... I SAW it! In person! Just sitting at the rental place as we were driving back to the airport Thursday. It was beautimus.


Also, a while back I wrote a blog about the Bush administration cutting off funding to some international family planning groups. This is a follow-up. Emphasis toward the end is mine because it backs up my argument from the previous blog.

Obama Lifts Global Abortion 'Gag Rule'
By Rob Stein and Michael Shear
Washington Post Staff Writers
Friday, January 23, 2009; 5:04 PM

President Barack Obama today signed an executive order lifting a ban on U.S. funding for international family planning groups that perform abortions or provide counseling about the procedure.

The order rescinds the Mexico City Policy, also known as the "gag rule," which President Ronald Reagan originally instituted in 1984 and President Bill Clinton rescinded and President George W. Bush revived in 2001.

The decision had been eagerly expected by family planning groups, women's health advocates and others, who hoped it would restore millions of dollars of funding to programs providing health care, contraceptive services, HIV prevention and other care around the world.

"For eight long years the global gag rule has been used by the Bush administration to play politics with the lives of poor women across the world," said Gill Greer of the International Planned Parenthood Federation in London. "In rescinding this disastrous and unjust policy, President Obama has returned the United States to the international consensus on women's health."

The decision, which came one day after thousands of antiabortion activists participated in a March for Life on the Mall to protest the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion in the United States, was condemned by conservative groups.

"Yesterday, President Obama issued executive orders banning the torture of terrorists but today signed an order that exports the torture of unborn children around the world," said Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council.

"At a debate last year at Rick Warren's Saddleback Church, then-candidate Barack Obama vowed to find 'common ground' on the issue of abortion and that he, as president, would work to 'reduce the number of abortions,' " Perkins said. "His action today flies in the face of that vow and probably sets a record as the most quickly broken campaign promise ever, leaving the question, how many more broken promises to families lie ahead?"

But abortion rights advocates hoped the decision would be the first in a series of moves by the new administration to reverse Bush administration policies related to abortion. They are pushing to increase funding for reproductive health programs, cut funding for sex education programs that focus on abstinence, and reverse a recently implemented Health and Human Services regulation that protects health-care workers who object to providing any care they consider objectionable, including abortion.

"We look forward to working with President Obama on common-sense policies such as reversing Bush's midnight HHS rule, funding comprehensive sex education to keep our teens healthy, and increasing access to affordable family planning that help prevent unintended and teen pregnancies and lead to healthy outcomes for women," said Cecile Richards, president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America.

The lifting of the Mexico City Policy does not permit U.S. funding to be used to provide abortions but allows funding to resume to groups that provide other services, including counseling and referrals for abortions. Critics argued the policy resulted in more abortions by denying women access to contraceptives.

"We know from available evidence that voluntary access to contraception is the best way to reduce the number of abortions in the developing world," said Dana Hovig of Marie Stopes International, a London-based group that provides reproductive health care in 43 countries and was denied U.S. funding under the policy. "We now have an opportunity to demonstrate this fact once and for all."

The International Planned Parenthood Federation estimates it lost about $100 million in U.S. funding in the past eight years, which it estimates could have prevented 36 million pregnancies and 15 million abortions. That does not include funding that was cut off to its affiliates, such as programs in Kenya and Ghana.

"This is the true legacy of the global gag rule," Greer said.

Dec. 19, 2008: It's crap like THIS that GRINDS MY GEARS!

So, just saw this on the news: An American bulldog is being quarantined because it bit a 4-year-old. Bad, right? I agree.

EXCEPT... THE STUPID FREAKING BRAT had been HITTING THE DOG with a STICK! I'd have bitten the little shit, too! And the DOG is being punished? WTF? I say, maybe the kid learned the lesson that he shouldn't go around hitting dogs with sticks.

The dog owner said the dog knows not to bite, but that dogs also don't really have any other defense than their bite. (The dog was tied up outside at the time of the incident.)

Brat's mom said she doesn't think a bulldog is a family pet, anyway, and made no mention that Junior knows better than to hit a dog with a stick.

So, now, I ask you: Who has better sense, the dog or the kid? My money's on the dog. And always will be.

Dec. 5, 2008: No place else to put this, so it's going here

This is my very favorite car ever. It's a 1958 Corvette. I'd always thought that if I could have it in any color, I'd want it light blue with white detail. But this is pretty sweet.

Sadly, this is not my car, nor will it probably ever be. It's not even my photo. I came across it while I was looking for something else. I love the internet.

AND not only is it my very favorite car ever, it is also an automatic (so I could conceivably drive it) and has a 350 V8 engine, AND... wait for it.... lives in VEGAS and is AVAILABLE FOR RENT!!! (We won't discuss the rate. However, I'd charge that much, too. And it would ALMOST be worth it. *sigh*)

Nov. 27, 2008: Giving thanks

Please don't laugh at me for this. It's going to be cheesy. I did it for myself more than you who are reading this. I'm in a sucky mood. I'm frustrated and angry at the moment. I decided the way to try to help alleviate that was to list what I am thankful for this year. It sometimes it helps me to actually list things. There really is a lot, I guess. I just don't always think of it this way. In no particular order (except that first one...):

I am thankful for Trace.
I am thankful for Blackjack and Jubilee.
I am thankful for my friends.
I am thankful to be working Thanksgiving.
I am thankful my grandpa has people to look out for him.
I am thankful my mom isn't hurting anymore.
I am thankful to be headed to New Madrid for Thanksgiving breakfast.
I am thankful Paul's situation is improving.
I am thankful for answered prayers, and especially for the one who answers them.
I am thankful to finally be getting over this cold.
I am thankful I have no children.
I am thankful for people who listen.
I am thankful for my job.
I am thankful for reaching my weight-loss goal.
I am thankful for my dreams (as in the kind that happen when you sleep, not as in goals).
I am thankful for Sunday evenings.
I am thankful for reconnecting with family I hadn't been in touch with and thankful I don't have to be in contact with those I don't WANT to be in touch with.
I am thankful my vacation was so wonderful this year.
I am thankful I already have a vacation planned for next year.
I am thankful my car accident wasn't worse than it was, and thankful it wasn't my fault.

Nov. 2, 2008: You're not supposed to be here

Disclose.tv - Ghosthunters Live 2008 Halloween Video

Oct. 30, 2008: Obamaboarding

Spoiler: Election venting rant from a third-party voter

So I'm at work being forced to listen (thank goodness my desk faces away from the TV) to Barack Obama's half-hour commercial.

He's just finished talking about how his mom died of cancer when she was young, and someone else just said how he was SO much like his mom. Way to use your dead mother to get votes, jackass. I can't WAIT to hear about how his dead puppy inspired him to win the school spelling bee. Or how his dead goldfish inspired him to graduate.

Meanwhile, I'm STILL waiting for him (or McCain for that matter) to say something we haven't heard before. I've never heard two people say so much while saying so little. Drivel. Pure drivel. I can't wait until this is over. At the same time I'm scared of what's going to happen to the country in the hands of either of these guys. Oh, well. Guess we'll find out soon enough.

And I wish to GOD they'd quit talking about how they want to do all this for "our grandchildren." Please. They want to do it because they want to be the president of the United States. End of discussion. If they wanted to do something for future generations, they would not be politicians, they'd be teachers or medical researchers, or something of that nature. You know, a profession where they'd be serving someone other than themselves.

OK. Off soapbox now.

Oct. 23, 2008: But wait...Won't this just lead to more of what they're trying to avoid?

Came across this today. I understand they're doing this out of principle, but this is just stupid.
U.S. cuts off family planning group in Africa
By MATTHEW LEE
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Bush administration has taken action against an international charity in Africa over work it does in China, a step the group says is politically motivated and dangerous for poor African women and girls.
The State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development denied the charges but said Thursday that they had told six African governments to stop giving U.S.-donated contraceptives to the British-based Marie Stopes International family planning organization for distribution to their needy populations.
The move affects Ghana, Malawi, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe and follows a determination by USAID that the organization is a major player in a U.N. program in China that the administration says promotes coerced abortion and sterilization.
"Given these circumstances, USAID made the policy decision to inform governments in these countries that it does not want USAID-funded commodities to be provided to Marie Stopes International," the State Department, which oversees USAID, said in a statement.
The United States does not give any direct assistance to the group but it is a leading family planning health provider and one of several distributors of U.S.-donated "contraceptive commodities" — including condoms and intrauterine devices — in some of Africa's least developed countries.
Under U.S. law, the government must withhold assistance to agencies and groups found to support or participate in management of family planning programs abroad that involve abortion and coerced sterilization.
Marie Stopes International, one of the world's largest family planning organizations, complained bitterly about the step, which it said was "purely political" and "dangerous" because it could result in more abortions, maternal deaths and health problems for poor African women and girls.
"Only the Bush administration could find logic in the idea that they can somehow reduce abortion and promote choice for women in China by causing more abortion and gutting choice for women in Africa," it said. "This senseless decision is likely to have only one clear consequence: the death of African women and girls."
The State Department and USAID denied the charge, noting that the same amount of U.S.-donated contraceptive supplies would be sent to the countries in question and that they "will do everything possible," to make sure the contraceptives are distributed in the same countries by other groups.
"Any assertion that the USAID decision ... will likely increase abortions and maternal deaths is false," they said. "USAID is working with governments in the affected countries to ensure that our commodities reach the women and men who need them."
Since 2002 the Bush administration has refused to release $34 million in annual funding to the U.N. Population Fund because of its activities in China despite protests that the programs do not promote abortion or forced sterilization.
Only Republican administrations have enforced the Reagan-era Kemp-Kasten amendment and it has been a political hot potato in Congress for years, pitting abortion rights advocates against abortion foes. But it has not thus far been an issue in this year's presidential race.
 
Now, I could never get an abortion myself. And I don't believe anyone should be forced into it. But taking away contraception is only going to INCREASE the amount of coercion going on. I fail to see the logic in what they are doing. Especially when you factor in things like AIDS. Better to die of AIDS or during unwanted childbirth than to wear a condom -- WHAT??? Can anyone shed any light on this? What am I missing here?

Oct. 19, 2008: She can't take much more of this, Captain.

Thank God I've only got 2 more hours left until my weekend.

And 213 days until Mexico.

That is all.

Aug. 13, 2008: Warren Commission Tattler

Dork. Conspiracy theorist. Whatever. I found this interesting.

Ford told FBI about panel's doubts on JFK murder
By MICHAEL J. SNIFFEN
WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Ford secretly advised the FBI that two of his fellow members on the Warren Commission doubted the FBI's conclusion that John F. Kennedy was shot from the sixth floor of the Texas Book Depository in Dallas, according to newly released records from Ford's FBI files.
Ford, still a congressman at the time, also told a senior FBI official about internal panel disputes over hiring staff, Chief Justice Earl Warren's timetable for completing the final report on the assassination and what panel members said about the FBI.
In turn, Assistant FBI Director Cartha "Deke" DeLoach confidentially advised Ford of FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover's position on panel disputes; discussed where leaks were coming from; and, with Hoover's personal approval, loaned him a bureau briefcase with a lock so he could securely take the FBI report on the 1963 assassination with him on a ski trip.
The new details were included in 500 pages of the FBI's large file on Ford, released in part this past week in response to requests under the Freedom of Information Act that The Associated Press and others made on the day Ford died in December 2006. The FBI intends to release additional documents about Ford in several batches, all with parts censored for law enforcement and privacy reasons.
That Ford served as the FBI's eyes and ears inside the commission has been known for years. Long ago, the government released a 1963 FBI memo that said Ford, then a Republican congressman from Michigan, had volunteered to keep the FBI informed about the panel's private deliberations, but only if that relationship remained confidential. The bureau agreed.
It was also well-known Ford was an outspoken proponent of the bureau's conclusion that Lee Harvey Oswald killed Kennedy acting alone.
A newly released memorandum provides more details about Ford's role as the FBI's informant. DeLoach wrote on Dec. 17, 1963, to outline what Ford told him in the congressman's office about the commission meeting the day before.
"Two members of the commission brought up the fact that they still were not convinced that the President had been shot from the sixth floor window of the Texas Book Depository," DeLoach wrote. "These members failed to understand the trajectory of the slugs that killed the President. He stated he felt this point would be discussed further but, of course, would represent no problem."
There was no explanation of what Ford meant by "no problem."
Warren Commission records released in 1997 revealed that in the final report Ford changed the staff's original description of one of Kennedy's wounds. Ford said then he only made the description more precise. Skeptics said Ford's wording falsely made the wound seem higher on the body to make the panel's conclusion that one bullet hit both Kennedy and Texas Gov. John Connally more plausible.
DeLoach also wrote that Ford wanted to take the FBI's confidential assassination report on a ski vacation but had no way to do so "in complete safety." DeLoach recommended lending Ford a bureau briefcase with a lock. The bottom of the memo contains a handwritten "OK" over Hoover's distinctive initial "H," which he regularly used in commenting on memos.
Most of the newly disclosed documents describe the relationship between the FBI under Hoover and influential members of Congress or the judiciary once Hoover was convinced that they were allies.
Hoover rewarded Ford with personal notes that congratulated him on re-election and on awards, thanked Ford for publicly defending the bureau and expressed sympathy over the death of Ford's mother. In turn, Ford responded with private and public praise for Hoover and the FBI.
Like other friendly officials, Ford was granted favors. Some Ford sought: a photo of Hoover, background checks on a maid the Fords wanted to hire and on a man with a Swedish accent seeking public office in Ford's district but who had not answered all his neighbors' questions about his personal background. Others were surprise gifts, such as a signed copy of Hoover's book on communism.
Ford was elected to Congress in 1948. Hoover first congratulated him on his re-election in 1952 and thereafter. An internal FBI memo in 1965 said that, "though we did experience some difficulty with all the members of the Warren Commission, Ford was of considerable help to the Bureau."
Many of the newly released records describe the bureau's controversial surveillance of anti-war and civil rights protesters as the FBI reported on plans for protest demonstrations at Ford's public appearances as a congressman, vice president and president.
Two documents provide a rare glimpse of the depth of security fears during the Cold War:
_A memo from Nov. 9, 1965, said the FBI performed a security check at Ford's request of telephones at his home in Virginia, his line at the phone company's central office and all points between. The FBI found no bugs, but a foreman said installation of new touch-tone dialing equipment in the area may have caused "some inadvertent noise on Mr. Ford's line."
_A memo from Dec. 2, 1959, showed the Navy was considering inviting Ford to a strategy conference at the Naval War College and asked the FBI — fully 11 years after Ford was first elected to Congress — whether Ford had any "subversive nature." The famously tightlipped FBI had amassed a large file on Ford, but replied only that when Ford had applied to work for the FBI in 1942 its background investigation "revealed no pertinent derogatory information."

July 10, 2008: SOCK PUPPETS! Go ahead, click. You know you wanna.

Review of "Hancock" by Southeast Missourian staffers gettin crazy wit da sock puppets a la Sifl and Olly.

http://www.semissourian.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?category=castfireshow&showid=16209&fileid=pepehancock_2008-07-02-183138&channel=video


Does anyone besides me remember Sifl and Olly?

June 26, 2008: River of slime

Ever seen Ghostbusters 2? Where the all the hate in New York condenses into that pink slime that runs in a river under the city?

I'm now convinced that all the evil in Cape Girardeau culminates at 2 p.m. Wednesday afternoons at the Cape Wal-Mart.

And if you're one of those people who sits and waits on someone to move from a spot just because it's closer (even in good weather), STOP IT. You don't save any time and you cost the people behind you time, as well. Waiting for a closer spot in the rain is one thing, but on a sunny day there's no excuse in my opinon. So knock it off.

June 10, 2008: Gearing up

Hotel decision made.
Spa package reserved.
Club passes purchased.
Dinner reservations made.
Show tickets purchased.
Dog sitter lined up.
Travel toiletries purchased.
Pre-packing has begun.


T-18.


Life is good.


:-)

June 4, 2008: Troy's bucket

It's OVER! FINALLY!

Primary season, that is.

Barack had this to say: "America, this is our moment ... This is our time. Our time to turn the page on the policies of the past."

For some reason, this reminded me of the "Our Time" speech delivered so beautifully by Sean Astin's Mikey in the 1985 classic "The Goonies": "Our parents, they want the best of stuff for us. But right now, they got to do what's right for them. Because it's their time. Their time... up there. Down here, it's our time. It's our time down here. That's all over the second we ride up Troy's bucket."

May 30, 2008: Opening night

My contribution to the "Sex and the City" festivities...

May 21, 2008: I made this!

Made this at work last night based on the comment of a coworker. Yeah. I get bored at work sometimes.

April 19, 2008: Bit of a rant, sorry. OK, it's a BIG rant.

So most of you know that children and I just don't get along. I've said since I was about 10 years old that I didn't want kids, and I have been lucky enough to find a husband that is like-minded. Some people were made for parenthood, and I am happy for those people when they finally have the kids they've been wanting; I am simply not one of those people. And then there are the people who are parents, just not good ones. But that particular thing is not really what this is about.

Trace and I were in the mall the other day, and there was a kid (a little girl, I believe) in the play area screaming just as high-pitched and loudly as her little lungs could. We couldn't even hear each other talk. So finally, as we were walking into the store where we were headed, and the girl let out another bloodcurdling peal, Trace finally snapped and yelled "Shut up!" at no one in particular. He didn't yell it at the girl or the girl's parents (who I assume were there, just not controlling their offspring).

I kind of said, "SHH!" but I'll admit, I was laughing just because I was taken aback by his outburst. (He later told me "Sorry. I kind of snapped." But I'll come back to that.) Anyway, this woman who was in the store of course heard us and was kind of laughing, too. Trace or I (not sure anymore who) made some comment, I think about how an otherwise quiet wing of the mall, next to a restaurant, was a silly place to have a playland.

Now, here's my main complaint: This woman, who neither of us knew, goes, "Oh, just wait till you have kids."

She and Trace said a few more things (I won't go into details), and we went on our way. Yes, he snapped. But after I thought about it, I decided it was right that he snapped. How did this woman know that we didn't already have children? For all she knew, we weren't ABLE to have children. She didn't know. That's the problem. I have defended Trace's and my decision to not have kids to dozens of people. Most of them more than once, sadly. To people at church, work, home, some friends, even, people who INSIST that once we're in our 30s we'll change our minds....Truthfully, it gets exhausting. And this woman just assumes that we'll have kids just because we're married. HELL, I don't even think she knew we WERE married. Yet she assumed. Because that's what people do. Boys and girls are supposed to grow up, settle down, get married, and have kids. Well, what the heck's wrong with just settling down, getting married, and stopping???

I hate that I live in a place (world, town, society, whatever) where everyone assumes that everyone wants the same things. I LOVE my life. I LOVE it. Yes, we've gone through some tough things, and yes, things don't always go as planned. But why "fix" with what's not broken? Why is it SO horrible that I'm satsified and HAPPY without having kids? Why is this such a tragedy? If a Catholic priest can give us the OK and marry us with the knowledge that we never intend to have a baby, everyone else ought to be able to handle it.

OK, if you are still reading, I'm not sure why. I know that this was really long. Just had to get it out of my system. Back to work!

April 15, 2008: Can you finish this sentence?

Trace, please don't answer this one.

I ran into someone who had no idea what I was talking about when I mentioned this, so I want to see if anyone else knows. This is just an experiment. Message me or post a reply, please!

What comes next:

"Circle, circle, dot, dot...."

April 4, 2008: Transpotation Security Assholes

Okay, I hate to do TSA blogs back to back, but I’m gonna.

The AP had this story today. The TSA has something called the SPOT program. Agents look for behaviors that signal a person might be a terrorist (problem No. 1, in my opinion; I mean, what constitutes terroristlike behavior? Other than having a bomb strapped to your chest, I mean. Or trying to bring your own liquids on a plane.).

"In the four years since the program was launched, the TSA has yet to encounter any would-be suicide bombers. The most common catches have been people carrying fake IDs.
Of the more than 104,000 air travelers who were plucked out of security lines and subjected to a more intense level of screening because of something suspicious in their demeanor, fewer than 700 were ultimately arrested, officials said.

Many more — about 9,300 — revealed something during the screening process that caused the TSA to call in law enforcement for a more thorough investigation.


About half of those passengers weren’t suspected of any particular crime, but behaved suspiciously enough that screeners thought police should be called anyway. More than half of the other referrals involved people carrying fraudulent documents, the TSA said.


Dubbed the SPOT program, for Screening Passengers by Observation Techniques, the effort is shrouded in some secrecy that makes it difficult to evaluate its worth."


Here’s what’s great (emphasis is mine):
"TSA officials refuse to say exactly what sort of behavior can make them suspicious, but part of the effort relies on watching for FLEETING FACIAL EXPRESSIONS THAT INDIDCATE A PERSON IS UNDER STRESS and has something to hide. Behavior agents also casually question people about where they are headed and look for clues in their responses."

Right. Because I’m NEVER under stress when I travel. Are you?

Granted, many people are coming from / going on vacations and aren’t stressed. But business travelers? Holiday travelers? People whose flights have been delayed six times because of airliner inspections? Talk about stress!

Guess we’ll all just have to wear face masks so we don’t show emotion.

But then they’ll KNOW we’re hiding something...

Maybe pre-flight botox....

March 25, 2008: A Good Day to Work in a Newsroom (or, Planning My Vacation)

From TSA.gov’s prohibited/allowed items section: [Emphasis is mine]

"To ensure the health and welfare of certain air travelers, in the absence of suspicious activity or items, GREATER THAN 3 OUNCES of the following liquids, gels and aerosols are permitted through the security checkpoint in reasonable quantities for the duration of your itinerary (all exceptions must be presented to the security officer in front of the checkpoint):

Baby formula, breast milk, and juice
All prescription and over-the-counter medications (liquids, gels, and aerosols) including KY JELLY , eye drops, and saline solution for medical purposes;

Liquids including water, juice, or liquid nutrition or gels for passengers with a disability or medical condition;Liquids including water, juice, or liquid nutrition or gels for passengers with a disability or medical condition;

Life-support and life-sustaining liquids such as bone marrow, blood products, and transplant organs;

Items used to augment the body for medical or cosmetic reasons such as mastectomy products, prosthetic breasts, bras or shells containing gels, saline solution, or other liquids; and,

Gels or frozen liquids needed to cool disability or medically related items used by persons with disabilities or medical conditions.


You are allowed reasonable amounts over 3 ounces of the items above in your carry-on baggage, but you will need to perform the following:

Separate these items from the liquids, gels, and aerosols in your quart-size and zip-top bag.
Declare you have the items to one of our Security Officers at the security checkpoint.
Present these items for additional inspection once reaching the X-ray. These items are subject to additional screening.


What the hell? I can’t take a full-size tube of toothpaste, but any Mile-High Member wannabe can take... um.... something to make the job easier in one of those tiny bathrooms?


And does KY REALLY belong in the same category with bone marrow and transplant organs???? (Insert joke here. Uh, and here, I guess.)
I think I’m gonna buy, like, the most giant bottle (maybe one from Sam’s Club?) and just see if they’ll try to stop me. I’ll be all like, "I’m goin’ ta Vegas, baby!" Maybe see if that’s a viable excuse....

March 12, 2008: Bout damn time!

Sunny with a high of 68? No snow in the foreseeable future? Finally a day worth getting out of bed! It actually SMELLS different outside today.

Feb. 23, 2008: "I coulda been a contender."

I cannot express my horror at this work week.

I feel as if I've been run down by a Mac truck that then dragged me across every issue of this newspaper I have ever worked on. And all the while, people are staring and pointing and laughing.

And I have 8 more hours.

It's not even anything major that has happened. Just lots of little piddly bullshit that has come together to make me want to scream.

I love what I do, honestly. But I could've done without this week. It's like I know that when I leave this building tonight, it will be like hitting a reset button.

I guess everyone feels that way from time to time.

Thank God I have a 3-day weekend next week.

P.S. — I know this won't make sense to anyone (well, most of you anyway), but it's gotta be said:

Smug bastard.

Feb. 6, 2008: Accidental death

So sad...





Cause of Heath Ledger's Death Ruled Accidental Overdose
By VOA News
06 February 2008

The New York City medical examiner's office says the death of actor Heath Ledger was an accident caused by a mix of prescription drugs.

A statement released by the medical examiner's office Wednesday said Ledger died from the combined effects of six prescription drugs, which included pain killers, sleeping pills and anti-anxiety medications (oxycodone, hydrocodone, diazepam, temazepam, alprazolam and doxylamine).

The 28-year-old Australian-born actor was found dead near several medication bottles in his Manhattan apartment on January 22.

Ledger was nominated for an Academy Award for his role in the 2005 movie Brokeback Mountain.

He will appear as the Joker in the latest Batman movie, the Dark Knight, which is due out later this year.

Ledger has a daughter, Matilda, 2, from his relationship with actress Michelle Williams, who played his wife in Brokeback Mountain. The couple broke up in September.

Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.

Feb. 1, 2008: Across the universe

Thursday, Jan. 31 2008
NASA and The Beatles Celebrate Anniversaries by Beaming Song "Across The Universe" Into Deep Space


WASHINGTON, Jan 31, 2008 /PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX/ -- For the first time ever, NASA will beam a song -- The Beatles' "Across the Universe" -- directly into deep space at 7 p.m. EST on Feb. 4.

The transmission over NASA's Deep Space Network will commemorate the 40th anniversary of the day The Beatles recorded the song, as well as the 50th anniversary of NASA's founding and the group's beginnings. Two other anniversaries also are being honored: The launch 50 years ago this week of Explorer 1, the first U.S. satellite, and the founding 45 years ago of the Deep Space Network, an international network of antennas that supports missions to explore the universe.

The transmission is being aimed at the North Star, Polaris, which is located 431 light years away from Earth. The song will travel across the universe at a speed of 186,000 miles per second. Former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney expressed excitement that the tune, which was principally written by fellow Beatle John Lennon, was being beamed into the cosmos.

"Amazing! Well done, NASA!" McCartney said in a message to the space agency. "Send my love to the aliens. All the best, Paul."

Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono, characterized the song's transmission as a significant event.

"I see that this is the beginning of the new age in which we will communicate with billions of planets across the universe," she said.

It is not the first time Beatles music has been used by NASA; in November 2005,

McCartney performed the song "Good Day Sunshine" during a concert that was transmitted to the International Space Station. "Here Comes the Sun," "Ticket to Ride" and "A Hard Day's Night" are among other Beatles' songs that have been played to wake astronaut crews in orbit.

Feb. 4 has been declared "Across The Universe Day" by Beatles fans to commemorate the anniversaries. As part of the celebration, the public around the world has been invited to participate in the event by simultaneously playing the song at the same time it is transmitted by NASA. Many of the senior NASA scientists and engineers involved in the effort are among the group's biggest fans.

"I've been a Beatles fan for 45 years -- as long as the Deep Space Network has been around," said Dr. Barry Geldzahler, the network's program executive at NASA Headquarters, Washington. "What a joy, especially considering that 'Across the Universe' is my personal favorite Beatles song."

Jan. 29, 2008: Well spoken, Joel McHale

Jan. 25, 2008: Las Vegas on fire

Monte Carlo Fire in Las Vegas Forces Guests to Flee
By Ryan Flinn

Jan. 25 (Bloomberg) -- A fire billowing black smoke broke out at the top of MGM Mirage's 32-story Monte Carlo Resort & Casino on the Las Vegas Strip today, forcing the evacuation of its 3,002 rooms and gaming hall. No injuries were reported.

``Our firefighters had to hang out of the windows'' to put out the blaze, Steven Smith, Clark County fire chief, said in a televised interview. The fire was mostly confined to the exterior of the building, he said.

The fire raised memories of the 1980 blaze at the MGM Grand Hotel, which killed 87 people and led to new safety measures for hotels in the U.S.

Today's fire affected the roof of the Monte Carlo and at least two floors below, Gordon Absher, a spokesman for MGM, said in an interview. He said he didn't know how many people were staying at the hotel today. The Monte Carlo has 3,015 employees, and the casino has more than 102,100 square feet of gaming space, according to its Web site.

MGM, the world's second-largest casino company, fell $2.25, or 3.1 percent, to $70.80 in New York Stock Exchange composite trading today. The shares were down prior to the first reports of the fire. The company's shares climbed 47 percent last year.

The Monte Carlo, which sits on the Las Vegas Strip adjacent to MGM's $7.8 billion CityCenter project, opened in 1996 and was renovated in 2004. It was built by Mandalay Resort Group, which MGM bought in 2005.

It is one of more than two dozen casinos on the strip, and is the 13th largest by casino floor space and 11th by rooms. The casino won $160 million from gamblers in 2006, according to Jefferies & Co. estimates, the seventh-highest amount among Las Vegas Strip casinos.

The top floor features personalized concierge service for guests who stay in one of 45 deluxe rooms, seven suites or eight one- or two-bedroom penthouses, according to the hotel's Web site.

The Nevada Public Safety Department shut down some exit ramps from Interstate 15 in Las Vegas and some nearby roads as traffic began to back up while motorists slowed to look at the fire, department spokesman Kevin Honea said in a telephone interview.

``I can't tell you exactly how far it's backed up,'' Honea said. ``I-15 traffic is still flowing. It looks like it normally does at 4 p.m., and it's noon.''

The MGM Grand blaze on Nov. 21, 1980, flashed through the casino at a rate of 19 feet per second, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. An investigation determined that a sprinkler system could have averted the disaster; legal settlements totaled more than $223 million, the newspaper said. The hotel is now Bally's.

Jan. 6, 2008: Les pigeons succèdent le monde.

This has been around for a while, but it makes me laugh every time...

http://angryalien.com/0504/pigeonkam.html

It's almost time for me to leave work, and I'm getting a bit slap happy.

Dec. 19, 2007: Kocked Up (a review)

May contain spoilers. Smileys are added for effect.
So, a friend brought over "Knocked Up" to watch last night. At the end, I was in shock, and my friend didn't get why I didn't think it was funny. Now, I will say there were some very funny moments. Mostly having to do with the psycho wife supporting character and her husband (played by Paul Rudd, who I love), and the jokes made at the expense of the guy with the beard.
This was clearly a guy movie. About pregnancy. I don't know how they did it, but they did. There were WAY too many naked breasts for it to be anything else. I'm not against guy movies in general. There are some classic guy movies that are very funny: Animal House and Porky's come to mind first. This one -- not in the same league.
Also, I believe this movie could have been about 45 minutes shorter and gotten the job done. Two hours, ten minutes is way too long for this type of film.
Now, let's get down to the real problem. My friend just didn't understand why I didn't like it. This friend knows I don't want kids, and all they had to say was "It's just a movie" and "It doesn't mean YOU have to have a kid." These two statements are correct. But understand: This was the scariest movie I may have ever seen. This girl actually lived my nightmare, and I had to watch her go through it. Talk about unsettling. Nothing, but nothing, terrifies me like the prospect of getting pregnant. Nothing. Not death, heights, taxes, the dentist, spiders (and y'all know how I feel about spiders)... Nothing. I mean no disrespect to my friend, but this movie was everything I expected it to be, which is why I had skipped it in the first place.

Nov. 16, 2007: Hi, my name is Katherine, and I'm an X-Files geek.

I know some of you out there will remember the episode of The X-Files titled "War of the Coprophages" (from Season 3), in which Mulder discovers a town being plagued by cockroaches and comes to the conclusion that some of them may be robotic. Well, I'm not sure who influenced whom, but check this out:

Robotic 'cockroaches' can influence pest behaviours
From our ANI Correspondent

London, Nov 16: Scientists have found a novel way to discover how groups of cockroaches make collective decisions - by creating a robotic cockroach that can mix with a social group of cockroaches and influence their behaviour.


Scientist say that similar robots will help them to unravel the decision-making processes in other sociable species that carry out 'collective behaviours' such as deciding where to rest or selecting food sources.

Lead researcher José Halloy, a theoretical biologist at the Free University of Brussels, Belgium, reported last year that when cockroaches have a choice of two or more shelters under which to settle, their decision is influenced by the number of cockroaches already there.

"While this kind of behaviour has been seen in groups of living animals ranging from insects to vertebrates, this study shows that autonomous robots can be used to study and control group behaviour," Nature quoted Halloy, as saying.

To investigate the balance between cooperation and competition in group decision-making, Halloy commissioned colleagues at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, Switzerland to build a series of robotic cockroaches, which didn't actually look like cockroaches, although they were roughly cockroach-sized.

More importantly, they were made to smell like cockroaches with a coating of a cocktail of chemical compounds that are similar to those on the surface of the cockroach's body.

As the robots were accepted into the group, they began to join in the group decision-making process and were able to control it. For example, cockroaches are nocturnal, and, if given a choice between two shelters, they'll generally decide on the darker one. But, the Roach-bots, which had been programmed by the researchers, were able to persuade the group to choose a lighter shelter over a dark one in 60 percent of the trials.

The scientists hope that this research and other studies with animal-like robots will help us understand how animals behave and make decisions in groups.

"These experimental results show the possibility of shared and controlled collective actions between machines and animals," they report.

However, Halloy cautions that robotic technologies are not advanced enough to make such real-world applications possible in the foreseeable future.

The study is published in Science 1.


Copyright Dailyindia.com/ANI

Weird, huh?

Nov. 13, 2007: "Cold beer, dirty girls"

Nov. 13, 2007
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

New Frontier imploded

The New Frontier's 16-story Atrium Tower was reduced to a four-story high pile of concrete, steel and glass in 18 seconds early Tuesday morning with the implosion of one of the most troubled casino properties to ever have a Strip address.

From Meg Bertini's eagle-eye vantage point, it was quite a show.

"We had a great view from the balcony," said Bertini, after watching her first implosion from her 35th-floor condominium at Sky Las Vegas nearly a mile south. "It was amazing. You could hear what sounded like the floors coming down before the outside imploded in."

A series of detonations moved through the building north to south followed six seconds later by a louder series of explosions that brought the building down in a large dust cloud.

Hotel Last Frontier opened in 1942 with 105 rooms; the Atrium tower was added in 1990.

The hotel-casino was the second one to be built on what has become the world-famous Strip, but its history has been a mixed one.

Originally built with partially mob-backed funds, it was also the site of Elvis Presley's unsuccessful Las Vegas debut in 1956 and of a nasty 2,325-day strike by Culinary union workers. Eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes also once owned the property.

Nov. 8, 2007: Strategerie (or, the Quote of the Day)

From the AP...



President Bush to President Musharraf: "You can't be the president and the head of the military at the same time."

Clearly.

Ding. Your fries are done, Mr. President.

Sept. 21, 2007: I hate doctors.

I thought this might be quicker than how I did it before. For those of you I sent individual messages to earlier this year regarding an illness in my family, we could use the prayers again. You guys helped a lot before and we got through it, so I know with your help we can do it again. Feel free to message me for more info. It's a long story. Thanks in advance; you guys are the best!

Sept. 17, 2007: Coo Coo Cachoo

Somebody tried mashed potatoes for the first time...

Sept. 5, 2007: Guess whose eyes are open!

Aug. 28, 2007: Doubling down

Here's our guy. He about doubled in size over the week. Sometime toward the end of this week he should be opening his eyes.

Aug. 21, 2007: Blackjack

This is Blackjack. He was born at 1:10 a.m. on Aug. 20. He will be coming to live with us as soon as he is able to leave his mommy.

July 13, 2007: Trip report: Vegas Day Four

Out of the room by 8 again. Went to the Big Kitchen buffet. We were there earlier than usual, so no shrimp coctail for breakfast. Only a minor setback, though. The rest was very good, and back to the room we went to pack. We packed up everything except what we were going to wear home and our swimsuits. I got done packing first, so I went ahead and changed into my suit and sat down to watch some of the good ole Las Vegas Tourism channel. As I was sitting there in my suit (the one I just bought before this trip and the one I had worn for the first time two days ago for an hour), I felt something at my back crack. I sat up a bit straighter, and the whole clasp broke and fell out from under the shirt I had on over the suit. Great, I thought. So much for lounging at the pool all morning. Determined that this would not suck the joy out of my last 3 hours in Vegas, DH and I experimented with different ways to rig the suit. First he tried tying it. No good. Then we tried using the U-shaped part of the clasp that was still intact. That seemed to be working, or at least I thought it would as long as I didn't actually try to swim. So down to the pool we went. On the way, DH suggested we stop at the store by the pool to see if there was anything we could use to fix it better. The only thing I could find was safety pins. We bought those and assured the cashier that it was OK to want to have fun at your job (apparently she'd had some problems with management), and went to find a chair. The pool wasn't crowded, so we found chairs quickly and DH set about trying to fix my suit. As soon as he touched it, the half a clasp that had been holding it decided that was it's cue to move, and the back came open. Luckily, I had forseen this and was holding the top in place. No harm done and dignity intact! YES! After a bit more trial and error, the safety pin held, and off DH went to get a pool floatie. I offered several times to let him take a turn with it, since he had gotten it for both of us, but he declined each time. I think he was too engrossed in a conversation with a guy about blackjack strategy. Spent a wonderful couple of hours at the pool, then it was time to get ready to leave. Changed clothes, checked out after reviewing our charges and having them remove the charge from the safe we never used (no medieval conniption involved, no matter what the other half may say), got outside and... by the numbers: 0 cabs, 12 people in line, 2 hours before flight departure. We waited about 30 mintues and finally off we went, learning along the way some sketchy details about the shooting at NYNY. Through security and off we went to our gate. To kill what time we had left over, DH checked every bookstore for a particular book he'd been looking for and I did something I never do: I fed the greedy little Pat Sajak and Vanna White-wielding WOF machines. This has to be some form of masochism, because I know those machines never pay out. But the guy sitting across from me at the gate had been winning, so I figured, what the heck? Plane departed on time, and we landed home in the ridiculous humidity several hours later. Interesting side note: When we reached our stopover at DFW, were hungry, but nothing looked good. We walked until we finally settled on pizza at this little place. We walked around to their seating area, and they were playing nothing but Dean Martin music. It was kind of like one more little good-bye from Vegas. Stupid, I know. But we had fun.

July 11, 2007: Trip report: Vegas Day Three

Day Three -- 116 degrees? Could've fooled us!

Once again, up by 7, out by 8. Down to Paris buffet for breakfast. DH seemed to like the crepes, but honestly, I had trouble finding things here that I wanted to eat. I'm not much of a crepe eater. It wasn't bad food, but it was just OK. Coffee tasted sort of odd to me at first, but DH said it tasted fine to him. OJ had pulp (yuck!). Anyway, from there we headed out. We had a lot to get done since this was our last full day in Vegas.

Our next stop was the New Frontier. I always like to visit places I know will not be there next time I come through. The place has definitely seen better days, but we had fun. Although there was this smell.... Anyway, DH played craps for a while and did pretty well. I'm not big on craps (maybe that was the smell...) so I looked around until I found one of the nifty nickel roulette machines. Fun! But I lost about $20. I wanted a couple of pics of the sign out front, so we got a few and then walked across to the Wynn. This place was very nice. Smelled a little like money. We stoppped at a gift shop for much-needed water and my deck of cards. DH bought a Monty Python killer rabbit puppet for his little brother. As I was paying for my cards, I realized I had forgotten to get my New Frontier deck. So back across the street we went. As a side note, while we were walking, some guys in a car had their stereo turned up really loud and were singing along to some Backstreet Boys or Nsync song, hanging out the windows trying to serenade some poor girl walking down the sidewalk minding her own business. It reminded me of that song No Scrubs: "Hangin' out the passenger side of his best friend's ride tryin' to holla at me..."

We get to New Frontier and discover all their logo merchandise is 50% off, so I ended up getting 2 decks for the price of one (that sort of sounds like something you'd see on one of the porn slappers' cards. OH! Speaking of which -- the heat must be getting to them. We noticed that they've started wearing these hats with little umbrellas on them for shade! Pretty funny stuff. Anywho...).

We had never been to TI, so we walked up the strip to take a look around. I bought some nail clippers in a gift shop there because I was (and still am, really) having the worst hangnail problem in memory. Rested there for a few and then took the tram to the Mirage to pick up or will call tickets for LOVE! Knowing I would love the show, I bought a T-shirt for myself and one for my younger sister, who also likes the Beatles. She didn't ask for one; I got it because she helped take care of our house while we were gone. DH and I took lots of pics in the lobby, and we were glad we did it then because when we returned later, the place was PACKED!

From here we took a cab to the In-n-Out on Tropicana (which cabbie described as the second most popular destination in Vegas after the casinos) so DH could get his fix. The cabbie took us the back way and told us a fun story about Steve Wynn and a tiny apartment building behind the Mirage. Apparently this one property owner wouldn't sell, so they built the Mirage and everything around it. The building looks a bit run down, but I think it would be so cool to live there. Caught up with a taxi driver who had gotten lunch there, too, and he drove us back to Bally's, where DH changed shirts because he'd made a mess of himself at lunch.

Our feet were ridiculously sore by then, so we took the monorail (yay, 24-hour pass!) up to the Flamingo stop and walked to O'Shea's, where DH was finally able to get the chip for our friend. We then walked back to Bally's and took a cab to the Welcome sign. This was the first time in 4 trips we'd actually gone there with the intent of getting a photo. We'd only driven past it before. So the cabbie pulls over, takes our picture, and then drops us off at the Mandalay Bay Shark Reef entrance.

The reef was cool. Not my favorite part of the trip. Don't laugh, but it was really hot in there! I guess they have to keep it humid for all the wildlife. It was stifiling. And the people in line in front of us couldn't get their kid to quiet down. Luckily, we had the little handheld listening devices, so that helped block some of the noise. I think he either evenutally settled down or they removed him, becuase eventually I couldn't hear him anymore. DH bought a shark tooth at the gift shop and then we walked through MB, I bought a deck of cards, and we went back to Bally's to get ready for dinner at Andre's and Love.

We got dressed up and went to Andre's at the Monte Carlo. This place.... Okay. The food was outstanding. Service was excellent. Music, very good. Decor, beautiful. But it was a tad on the overwhelming side. I know which forks to use and everyhthing, but this place was just a little too... much. I don't know how else to say it. I guess that's what everyone was talking about when they said the atmosphere was better downtown. Is it more relaxed? We had a restaurant.com certificate which covered the tip nicely, but I sort of felt bad using it in a classy joint like that. But use it we did.
DH was feeling a bit uncomfortable, so we went back to the room, changed into something a bit more casual and set out for the Mirage to see Love.

This is one of the most amazing shows I've ever seen. If you are any kind of Beatles fan, I highly recommend it. If you aren't familiar with their music, however, or if you are expecting mostly acrobatics like most Cirque shows, I can see how it could be hard to follow or you wouldn't like it. It was like an hour-and-a-half-long music video. People were singing along and crying and the experience was really moving. As we walked out I told DH that I wanted to see it again. To my surprise, he agreed. I bought the soundtrack the day after we got home, and have been listening to it nearly constantly. Word to the wise: Don't try to drink a whole 32-oz pina colada during the show. That's all I'm going to say about that.

On the way out of the theater, we were given free passes to the revolution lounge, but DH had changed into shorts, so we weren't allowed in. Very un-Beatleslike, if you ask me.

We happened to be passing by the volcano at the Mirage when it erupted, so we stopped to watch. On the same little strip of sidewalk, 4 guys were sitting on the curb in handcuffs, with bike cops standing around them. Not sure what this was about, but apparently at about that same time, the dude was shooting up the casino at NYNY. The things we miss....

Anyway, we walked back to our hotel, stopping to gamble a bit at Bill's along the way. Don't really remember how we did there. We considered going to Ellis Island but didn't think it looked like a safe walk at 1 in the morning, so we soaked our feet, took one last LONG look at our incredible north strip view, and went to bed so we could be fresh for our last half a day in Vegas.

July 10, 2007: Trip report: Day One in Vegas

FYI: "DH" = "Dear Husband"

This was our 4th trip to Vegas. We were scheduled to fly out of St. Louis at 8 a.m. on July 3 (Tuesday). Got to the airport early to get through security. This went fairly smoothly until I realized I had forgotten to take my carefully packed quart-sized Ziploc bag with all the liquids in it out of my luggage. So that stopped us for a few minutes, but we still got through with lots of time to spare. We stopped at a bar and I had two double bloody marys while DH had 2 double coffees with Bailey's. Plane took off on time. Most relaxed flight I've ever had. I passed most of the 3 hours watching Ocean's 11 (the more recent one) on my Creative player.

Landed in Vegas at 9:30 a.m. local time. We had only taken carry-ons, so didn't need to stop at the luggage carousel. We took a cab to Bally's and checked in with no problems. We upgraded to a large room in the south tower with a sunken bathtub and an absolutely spectacular view. Of course, the room wasn't ready yet, so we decided to head to Hash House a Go Go to use one of our restaurant.com certificates. If only it had been that easy…

We gave our bags to the bell captain and took off for the monorail station. We got the $8 24-hour pass and headed up to Sahara to catch a cab to Hash House, which is a straight shot down Sahara. We were going to take the cab from there to save a little money since we had planned on getting the monorail pass anyway. Cheap, I know. Anyway…..

We get off at Sahara, and DH realizes our certificate is still in one of the bags we'd left at the bell desk. Sigh. At least we hadn't gotten all the way to the restaurant yet. Okay. Back on the monorail!

By this time it's closer to lunch than breakfast, so we decided just to walk on over to Spice Market and go to Hash House tomorrow. The buffet was good, but not as good as it is at dinner. Not quite as big a selection and not quite as fresh. Still pretty good, though.

While we were at Planet Hollywood, I decided to sign up for their player's card. I did a lot of that this trip. Anyway, they had a promotion going where they scanned your card and you got a free slot pull for a prize, and you also got free entry into a daily slot tournament. I did pretty well in the tournament. No cash prize, but I did win two free tickets to Stomp Out Loud. DH won a keychain. We got the tickets for that night and headed out again.

At this point we went to see if the room was ready, which it was not. They told us to come back in 30 minutes. So we went and played some video poker and got a drink for a while. Checked back, and the room was ready. Unpacked some and then went to the pool for an hour or so.

After the pool, we took the monorail to Quark's at the Hilton. Having heard that restaurant.com certificates were not good on alcohol regardless of what the restrictions said, we called ahead and were told that if we wanted, we could use it on nothing BUT alcohol. This was good news. But we did decide to have a little dinner with our drinks. Pretty good food, but my drink (the Death Ray) was not mixed as well as last trip when I had three. I believe it was at this time that DH won about $40 on a Star Wars video poker machine. After taking the monorail back to Bally's, we realize we only have about 20 minutes to get to Stomp. We practically ran and got there just in time.

The show was good, but they must still be working out some bugs in the theater… It was stifling. There was NO circulation and the place was packed, and between that and the rhythms from the show and being up since 5 a.m. St. Louis time and not sleeping well the night before…. Well, it wasn't pretty. We were both starting to nod. I think if there was better air circulation, it wouldn't have been so bad. But the performance itself was excellent. After the show, we went back to the casino at Bally's, where I won about $60 on a penny slot machine. Go me!

Ended the evening by soaking in our nice big sunken bathtub. Slept better that night than I had in a long time!

Coming tomorrow: July 4th -- anniversary day! Rio, Palms, Little Buddha, and fireworks!

July 10, 2007: Trip report: St. Louis day

Hey, guys! I'm writing a trip report for a travel forum and thought maybe you all would like to read it, too. It's broken up by day so as not to be too long. Enjoy!
St. Louis Day: Got up in Cape, ran some errands, got me some new sunglasses because I had broken mine the day before in a freak acetone incident, had lunch at My Daddy's Cheesecake, and were off for St. Louis! Due to my work schedule and our previous track record of being too tired for anything our first night in Vegas, we stayed up all night Sunday night. Needless to say, we were both suffering some pretty bad highway hypnosis on the way to St. Louis. We switched off driving a few times, though, and were OK. We were supposed to meet Nikki and Chris for dinner that night, so we were looking forward to that.

About a month or two before, we had made reservations at the Doubletree Inn at Westport through (I think) stayandpark.com so we could leave our car there and take their shuttle to the airport. That was the plan, anyway. We arrived at the hotel at about 2:30 or so, only to discover they didn't have our reservation. The guy tried convincing us we were at the wrong hotel. So we produced the printout of our confirmation. We weren't in their system, but they did honor our rate. We got up the room and it was very nice. I called Nikki to let her know we were there and got directions to the restaurant she had chosen; sadly, Chris couldn't make it. I hung up the phone we had just started getting unpacked and settled when the desk phone rang. It was the reservations manager telling us that they were going to be doing some work on the water system on that floor, and they could move us because it was going to be noisy. For our inconvenience, they'd give us free breakfast. I thought this was fine, but as it turned out, breakfast didn't begin until after our shuttle left in the morning. So they said they'd give us $15 each dining credit for tonight. OK, then!

The reservations manager came upstairs with new keys and we went to our new room. As soon as we opened the door, we could tell the room had been smoked in. It was not a smoking room, but you could tell that the last person didn't care. Trace has allergies, so this wasn't going to work. We called the front desk and they told us to come back down. When we got there, they said, "Oh, so-and-so just went up to try to catch you guys. Oh, well, here are your dining certificates and new room keys." We got upstairs just in time to see a woman coming out of the room. She tells us that she's going to have to get us a different room because the AC was broken in that one. What the? Off she goes. But she did give us two more $15 dining certificates. I call Nikki to tell her plans may be changing. The woman comes back up with new keys and finally we were able to settle into a fully-functioning nonsmoking room. Ahhhhhhhh……

Called Nikki, and due to time and geography, decided to skip dinner with her. Used our $60 for the first room service of both of our lives, and had a really good dinner. Trace got steak and a beer and I got pork tenderloin and a glass of white wine. The portions were huge! I thought we were about to fall into a deep sleep, but boy was I wrong. It was a little hot in the room, until I finally got up and turned down the air. I didn't realize that was the problem, though, because I'm usually freezing at night. Couldn't get the sleep timer on the radio to work, so I set the one on the TV instead and it woke me up when it turned off. Little noises kept me awake: people talking in the hallway, etc. Couldn't really complain because we'd gone to bed really early, so it's not like it was late. We had a wake-up call at 5 a.m. At about 3:30 I got up to go to the bathroom, only to discover the toilet wouldn't flush. Thinking maybe something was wrong with the chain, I tried to fix it and only broke it further. That'll teach me to do amateur plumbing at 3:30 a.m.! However, in the morning, it was flushable again. The chain was still broken, but they must have been doing work on the whole hotel's water system or something. Good to know. Next up: Day One in Vegas!

May 23, 2007: What's next, cheeseburgers @ McDonalds?

1. International omelet at IHOP.
2. Caribbean jerk pork tenderloin at Hard Rock Cafe.
3. Southwest chicken omelet at Bob Evans.
4. Southwest chicken wrap at Arby's.
5. Breakfast burrito at IHOP.
6. Walhalla pasta at Outback.
7. Coke at El Torero.
8. French fries at Arby's.
There are other examples, but this will suffice for now. Examples of what, you ask? Well, let me enlighten you. Last night I discovered that Arby's no longer sells regular homestyle french fries. They have curly fries and potato cakes, neither of which are that great, and they didn't replace the fries with anything. They're just gone. Much like everything else on this list that I used to order. Gone. I must be the only person in the world who likes what I like, because restaurants keep getting rid of only the things I eat. But I mean, french fries??? At a fast food restaurant? Whatever.
Before you start, yes, I know they aren't healthy. But I had barely had anything to eat yesterday, and it was midnight. And I was getting a turkey sandwich on wheat, not roast beef. But still, I was lowered to ordering potato cakes (sorry, Trace, I know you like them) with my combo. Makes me mad.

May 5, 2007: Musings

I had a bad night at work last night. So today, I am giving myself a pep talk. Here are 10 happy thoughts for today:
10. There's a Girls Next Door marathon on today while I'm at work, but I've seen the ones they're showing, so I won't be missing anything.
9. Trace is gettng off work early today. This is good because he worked REALLY late earlier this week.
8. My sister looked really cute for prom last night. I hope she had fun.
7. Balance transfers are a good thing. This really has nothing to do with today specifically, but still relevant to this week, and still true.
6. I got a decent night's sleep last night.
5. My utility bill was much lower than expected.
4. I got my gift for my sister's gratuation today. It's cool. (Obviously I can't say what it is...)
3. I've lost 1 1/2 pounds since May 1. Well on my way...
2. The asshole neighbors have "For Sale" sign in their yard.
And the number-one happy thought for today:
1. I have 58 days until vacation!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That's one less than yesterday!!!!!!!!!

April 20, 2007: I've been a bad girl, Mr. Officer

Well, I can manage to travel to Las Vegas once a year and not get into trouble with the law, but apparently I can't manage that same feat at my own home.

Let me preface this by saying that it's really no secret that I don't like kids (those of you reading this that have kids, please don't take that personally. Most of you are good parents, which can make all the difference), but I don't go out of my way to harm them. That's just foolish. I usually try to just keep away from them altogether, and everyone is happy.

Trace called me at about 8 p.m. Thursday night to inform me that a police officer came to our house looking for "the female in the green car." That would be me, but I was at work. Apparently, our good-for-nothing neighbors complained the our fine men in blue that I "speed past their children." As in, more than once. Well, here's the thing. Or things.

1. It's virtually impossible for me to actually be breaking the speed limit upon entering or exiting my driveway/garage because of the uphill angle. I could probably gun the engine and do it, but my car is 10 years old this year, and that might kill it.

1a. How can I be "speeding past their children" if they aren't in the street where they don't belong???

2. Their children are about 3 and 4. They drive their hotwheels cars, etc. down the middle of the street on a damn near daily basis. Granted, ONE of the streets they ride on doesn't connect yet, but it is not a dead end. People live and drive on these streets. The kids' parents (one of whom graduated from my high school a year after me) amble around, following the kids down the middle of the road like it's their own private driveway. They also have been known to drive what looks like some sort of dune buggy on these same roads. It's noisy.

3. The husband works on his truck in his driveway and on the side of the road, and this also makes a lot of noise, not only due to the 'work' being done on it, but the stereo blasting the HIGHLY OBNOXIOUS and VERY COUNTRY 'music.'

4. They made NO attempt to talk to us first. No stopping us when we were outside, no note under our door, NOTHING. Just straight to the cops, who, frankly, have better things to do.

5. The people who live next door to them are trying to sell their house. They are a nice lesbian couple who keep to themselves except to say hi and talk about the weather. I wish they were staying. We have no hope of getting rid of the obnoxious neighbors. The wife's mom is the real estate agent responsible for ALL the undeveloped land in our half-built subdivision, and I believe the husband's father is a contractor. So. That's that. Of course, every time the lesbians have an open house on Sundays, the ridiculous activity in question doesn't go on until AFTER the open house is over. I hope they are warning people about the neighbors. But then, they are TRYING to sell the house. I don't guess that sort of disclosure would help that.

6. Toys and crap (including the hotwheels) is left everywhere. The day it winds up on my property, it's mine.

7. They have a yippy little mutt that runs loose behind them down the street.

It's amazing the number of times that Trace and I have actually discussed calling the cops on them for their various activities. He even told the cop that the police can expect to start hearing from us now whenever the people are doing something we don't believe to be legal. I believe we are also going to start videotaping them.

I haven't been this angry in a LONG time.

April 12, 2007: Truth

I cut the side of my second toe getting out of the shower today.

It hurts like a biatch.

That is all.

March 13, 2007: Now mostly just dust

The Stardust was imploded early this morning. This is one of the coolest Vegas demolitions I have ever seen. It looks like the Fourth of July.

Dec. 8, 2006: Cancer merchant!

As I was reading another friend's blog, I was reminded of my "Clerks" experience. I'm sure any of you who have worked with the public have had them, and feel free to post them here. I think it would be a fun read. Anyway, since mine is holiday-themed, I thought this would be a good time to share. Some of you may have already heard this, but it's one of my favorite theater stories. I believe it also evidence of, or perhaps even part of the reason for the generation gap.
In 2003 the movie "Elf" with Will Ferrell came out. It's a happy little feel-good Christmas movie. Basically the plot is that there's not enough Christmas cheer in the world anymore, and since Santa's sleigh runs on Christmas cheer, it won't fly except by artifical means now. This is all good and well, until it is broken beyond repair on....could it be? Christmas Eve! So they have to try to drum up Christmas cheer to get the sleigh into the air. It's actually a pretty funny movie. There's a narwhal. Anyway...
So I'm minding my own business, standing behind concession, trying to look like I'm doing something important. I think I was checking between-set counts. Anyway, the film gets out, and there are suddenly a TON of people in the lobby, most of them looking like they were about 14 or 15 (I was 23 at the time), standing around looking like they are waiting on their parents to come pick them up. I think it may have been snowing. Some of the kids are standing near concession because the lobby is small, and frankly, they don't have a choice. So this teenage girl walks up to me to get her soda refilled. As I'm refilling, she says something along the lines of:
"Are you excited for Santa to come to your house?"
Me: "Not really. Santa hasn't been to my house in a long time."
Girl: "But you still believe in him, don't you?"
Me: "Are you serious?"
Girl: "Yes." (Keep in mind, she's maybe 14-15 years old.)
Me: "No, not really."
Girl: Turns to her group of friends, points at me, and says "That girl doesn't believe in Santa!"
Group: A mixed chorus of "What? You don't believe in Santa? How could you not believe in Santa?"
Girl: "You should see 'Elf.' It will change your mind."
Me: "I've seen it."
Girl: "And you STILL don't believe?"
Me: "Sorry."
Girl: (Glaring a little, or maybe it was a look of pity...) "You know, it's people like YOU that make the SLEIGH NOT FLY." Then she turned on her heel and walked off.
I stood there dumbfounded for a minute or two. In that moment, I understood Dante's plight in "Clerks." I felt like I had been pelted with cigarettes. I would like to think she was just messing with me, but she didn't crack a smile the whole time, except when reassuring me that if I saw "Elf," I'd go back to believing in Santa. Can a 14-year-old mess with someone for that long and not crack up?

Dec. 1, 2006: Baby, it's cold outside

But where the hell is all this "winter weather"? Wasn't there supposed to be snow and ice and sleet? There's nothing on the ground. Not that I'm complaining or anything, because personally, I can't get far enough away from the stuff. But they made such a huge deal out of it. It was the top story in the paper today. But the streets are dry, man! And only a few big, puffy white clouds in the sky! Some kids are having a snow day today! There's no snow! I just want to know what happened. The weather channel website's radar is totally clear now. Like I said though, I'm happy. Yeah. Cause we don't have a shovel. Or salt...

Nov. 21, 2006: It's funnier if you picture Chandler saying it...

Current mood:lethargic

Every so often, I use the "Browse" link to see if anyone i know (or used to know) has signed up for Myspace recently, and going through them all just a minute ago, I have to wonder:
Could there BE any more porn? 
There were dozens of girls calling themselves things like 'wetpuss4u' and 'deeplove' accompanied by headless pics of girls in corsets and thongs. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure there is quite a market for this.  But does it have to be on Myspace?  It seems like there are ten times as many as there were a month or so ago. Can't Tom or whoever is in charge get rid of some of it? Because it's not like they are serious profiles. Here's the thing: If they were all new and different and creative, that would be one thing.  But there were only about four different pics total used on the dozens of profiles.
Sorry for the rant.  For those of you looking for adult entertainment, if you click the browse link, there's plenty to be had right here in the tristate area.
Peace out.
P.S. On a related note, as I was watching late-night TV the other night (really the only kind I see anymore), there was the typical myriad date-by-phone ads.  You know the ones I mean. ("The girls are local, and it's totally cheap!" No joke.) But there was a new one!  It was for (and I'm being totally serious here) sugardaddyforme.com.  Just as the url promises, it's for older men looking for young women.  One man was relieved he found the site because he felt good that he had someone to take care of (Yeah. That's why he feels good.) One of the girls was happy because in the past, she had to take care of her loser boyfriends--even financially. Hilarity ensues. God bless America.

Nov. 15, 2006: Finally

Current mood:accomplished

After a 3-month hiatus due to an injury, I started my workout again today.  Just got done.  Feeling good about it.  I'm excited because I didn't irritate the injury again.  The last time or two I tried to start back up, I was too sore to finish.  Diet starts again Tuesday (I know, I know, it's almost a week away, but I can't go grocery shopping until Sunday or Monday).  Now if only I could quit watching Top Chef.  That show's a bad influence...

Nov. 8, 2006: A blog NOT about the election

I don't really know what I want to say, but I'm sick of talking about the you-know-what, so...
We have centipedes. At leat I think that's what they are. They come to our kitchen, I guess because it's the only door into the house that is at ground level. I assume they do this because it's warmer inside now than it is outside (which sucks, but that's for another blog). But here's the weird part. They crawl around for a few hours and then die.  They curl up in little squiggles and die. I've watched it happen.  I can't figure this out.  They don't try to get into the pantry or anything where the food is. And it's not like all kinds of bugs are getting in. Just centipedes.  It's a weird phenomenon. We sweep them up, and when we come home at night or get up in the morning, there are three or four more.
There. Now you can go back to talking about the you-know-what.

Oct. 1, 2006: So, how's THIS for weird?

Current mood:contemplative

"You're traveling through another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind. A journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination. That's the signpost up ahead - your next stop, the Twilight Zone!"
Thursday. September 28, 2006. An ordinary day in the life of a copyeditor.  Or it should have been.
Did ya ever have one of those weeks?
It's sort of a long story, but on Thursday, my aunt (who works at the paper with me), came over to my desk and told me that my dad had called her because he was having trouble getting ahold of my mom (he lives in Springfield), and he ALLEGEDLY had just learned of her illness (even though she emailed him in August) and was worried when her phone was constantly busy. Nothing was wrong, of course.  People were online at the house.  So anyway, he called my aunt.
As we were talking, one of my fellow copy deskers came in after being off for two days and happened to overhear our conversation.  I didn't really mind, because we are friends (we went with her to see Clapton).  She mentioned that she overheard a name and was wondering who we were talking about because she once dated a man by the same name.  I didn't figure it was possible at first, but after much discussion, it turns out that she actually dated him AT THE SAME TIME as he was dating my mom!
And it gets BETTER!  A few years ago, this coworker was doing some freelance work for a printing company here in town where my mother happened to work at the time.  They actually met there, and discussed my dad AND ME!  Of course, I was about 10 at the time.  This coworker is about a year and a half younger than my mom.  I, of course, was burning with curiosity about all this, so, naturally, I called my mother. I asked her when she met my dad, and immediately she asked where I was going with this.  But she told me, and once we had established a timeline, I asked if she remembered the lady at the printing company who had also dated him.  She DID remember, and she even remembered the woman's first name.  I told her about our discovery, and we all got a big laugh out of it.  But I was weirded out the rest of the day.  Why?  Well...
For those of you who know me personally and are reading this, how many of you have ever met my dad?
That's what I thought.
I run into people all the time who know my mom from school or work or church or whatever.  Not ONCE have I just happened to run into someone who knew or knows my dad.  Much less end up sitting RIGHT NEXT to someone who DATED him.  I mean, think of all the stuff that had to happen in our lives so that we'd meet up that way.  Mind boggling, really.  I mean, she's worked all over the place, and has worked at the paper for a long time, but has only been a copy editor for a while.  I had intended to be a journalism major, but decided I didn't like it, so I majored in something else instead, but still ended up working in a similar field. And even then, it was like 2 years after I graduated that I found a job in the field. And my dad would NEVER normally call my aunt.  So the fact we were discussing him at work at all is odd.  But we were, and at just the right time for my coworker to overhear us. Just all kinds of crap like that.  I hate it when the universe doubles over on itself like that...  Ugh... Thursday was a long day.

Sept. 20, 2006: As I walked out, felt my own need just beginning

Current mood:quixotic

So.  I saw Eric Clapton at the not-the-Savvis Center.  I think it's called the Scottrade Center, whenever THAT happened.  Anyway, yeah.  For a guy who sang "Cocaine," this concert about tied with Celine for the "most low-key" award. Trace fell asleep during the opening act (Robert Cray).  Clapton was excellent; I kind of wished they'd have just put him up on stage with his guitar and let him go to it. I knew 6 of the 16 songs he did.  And he didn't do White Room, which is one of my favorites.  Layla kicked ass, though, as did Cocaine.  However, he gave each of his backup guys about 3 solos each, and THEN invited Cray back out to play with them again AND for the encore of all things.  Anyway, there were quite a few of his songs that I like more than just his blues stuff (which made up the bulk of the show) that he didn't do.  No Tears in Heaven.  Trace didn't get to hear Knockin on Heaven's Door.  No My Father's Eyes.  No Change the World.  But Layla kicked ass.  That song kind of made the drive and the ticket worth it.