The next chapter in Sin City

I'm sitting here half watching Charlie's Angels.  No,  I take that back. It only took a minute for me to figure out it was just another show with pretty people, big boobs, no manners, and technology at their fingertips to solve all crime everywhere.  Boring.  I'm taping the comedies on NBC tonight and will watch them later without commercials.  Or...if they're especially stupid, they'll get forwarded to the end.  Some of our technology today is good.

I had The X Factor on last night. Total waste of air time.  Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul are wearing thin.  Their "new" show is just the same old stuff.  And why did they think it necessary to feature a guy showing his private parts on stage?  Getting kind of desperate for attention I'd say.  It was enough to turn me off. It's gone to the list of shows that don't get turned on in my house---like Judge Judy, Dr. Phil, Maury Povich, Nancy Grace, The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, Big Brother, Biggest Loser, Survivor,Jersey Shore, Extreme Makeover... oh, the list is endless.

Back to Vegas.....

The first morning we ate breakfast at New York casino.  Good food and interesting decor.  The ceiling had a huge 3-D map of the US and each state had 3-D decorations on it that had to do with their state.  You viewed it upside down and it was great.  People took pictures and videos freely everywhere.  Seems like they used to frown on letting people use cameras but not now. Probably just too many people with access to them on phones and such.

The Imperial Palace (one of our favorites) had blackjack dealers dressed like famous singers.
James Brown, Madonna, Wynona, and others.  A Tina Turner impersonator performed on a small stage right above the blackjack tables.  She was terrific.



We went to the MGM and almost got to sit and review an upcoming TV show.  It was going to take 90 minutes but we would both get paid $20, allowing us to get into the CSI museum for $5. At the last minute, their equipment broke down and they wanted us to wait another half hour. I was already exhausted from the walk there so I opted to go back to the room. Jenni went exploring at other places and eventually went back to CSI. You have to follow clues and solve the crime. If you're successful, you get a certificate showing you graduated from CSI.  (she got one)

The Excalibur had an arcade downstairs and we played horse racing. We were the only racers and I won.

We also took in three short 3-D movie experiences. We sat in these metal seats in a row, the room was made dark, and we put on 3-D glasses and watched things coming at us.  It was a hoot. Spongebob was first and we laughed and laughed.  Besides the 3-D, you had water misted on your face and once they had rats crawling towards you and they had a hairy brush  rub against your feet and legs.  I had shorts on and about wet my pants.

We went to the Tournament of Kings at the Excalibur one night.  They put on quite a show with horses and sword fighting, etc.  They serve you dinner but no silverware so you have to eat it with your hands. Baked potatoes, broccoli, biscuit, and a whole cornish game hen. Also a piece of pie afterwards.  Each section of the audience is a different country and they encourage the people in each section to throw insults at the other sections.  Our tickets had us sitting in Russia. It was shortened to Russ and at first Jenni didn't realize it was Russia and she was yelling "RUSS!  RUSS!  RUSS!"  We laughed our heads off when we realized what it really was. The guys across the way (in the dragon section) yelled:  YOU AREN'T EVEN A COUNTRY!  It was noisy and kind of cheesy but entertaining too.

Jenni wanted to go to this place called 'Dick's Last Resort.'  It's noted online for the rude waiters and atmosphere. You can read a ton of reviews people have made about the place. 
Like this:

Dick’s is like that place you stopped at while traveling across the country, you remember the place, the food was decent but the wait staff was hilarious. Imagine the rude, outrageous and very close to vulgar things that make you laugh and you’ll find them at Dick’s last resort. You get big laughs and large portions served by some very rude, outrageous and close to vulgar people. This place is a blast!


Beware of the hats that they make for people. At my table the hats read, “please call child protective services” on my son, my wife’s hat read “they are real and my boyfriend paid for them” and my slogan was borderline of what can be printed on these pages. Rude behavior, shocking statements and genuine nastiness is exactly what you'll get and you'll love it. You’ll have plenty of fun at Dick’s at the Excalibur.

I can’t remember exactly what beer it was because it was selected for me after taking too long to order. If you’re not into greasy you might have a problem with this place because it is about enjoying yourself. Sometimes having fun includes eliminating the need to count calories.
This is the loudest place in Las Vegas to have a burger and a beer. If you sit at the bar, the entire restaurant will seem like it is about to explode.

Jenni LOVED this place.  I would have liked a quieter corner to eat.  As soon as we sat down at the bar, the waiter said:  I'll need to see your ID.  Then he turns to me and says:  Well, not you. Just her.  ha ha ha ha
 
The waiters wore shirts that said things like:  They have Hooters, We have Dicks.
 
 

 
Our favorite eating place was Hash House A GO-GO.  We had to wait over a half hour for a table and the people streamed through constantly.  The walls were covered with framed pictures of stars who have eaten there. The portions were gigantic!  I had breakfast and Jenni had a burger. Our waitress was the spitting image of actress Debi Mazar. I asked her if people mention that to her and she rolled her eyes and said: ALL THE TIME. AND I HATE THAT ACTRESS!  Wish I'd taken her picture.
 

We went to see The Lion King on our last night there.  Jenni was near tears when it first started and I'm glad we made the effort to get seats.  I'd seen it before in NY but that was 8 years ago.

Fabulous show!

Afterwards I managed to find a fun slot machine near the theatre entrance so I sat down to play while Jenni took off to see new places. I won $200 and cashed it in right away.  All in all, though, came home without money ahead.  Big surprise.

Well, I'm tired so guess I'll call it a night. Have to share a picture of the cool birthday present Jenni and the twins gave me this morning. Solar lights for the yard.  I put them in the raised flower bed in the backyard because I didn't want anyone to steal them if they were in the front. Besides, I can see them better from my recliner when they're in the back.  Course my camera doesn't take good night pictures.  At least I haven't figured out how to do it yet.

Last Plane to Vegas

I had a pretty restful day--especially compared to the previous four.  Vacations are fun but they can also wear you out.  I made new memories in Nevada and enjoyed being alone with my daughter. It isn't often we get to spend so much time together with no interruptions from kids, phones, work, the dog, and life in general.

I'm fairly confident in saying, however, that I won't visit Vegas again.  Parts of it were fun but parts of it ABOUT KILLED ME!  Mainly the heat, the crowds, the prices, and my body parts that were fighting me every step of the way.  I knew when I made my reservations that it was going to be a challenge getting around because of my ongoing foot ailment, my sciatica, and my sore hips, knees, and back that act up whenever I try to convince them to kick it up a notch.

Jenni and I discussed ahead of time that she'd understand if I had to sit down and rest or go back to the room or not participate in everything she wanted to do. Thank God she's the type who is perfectly fine with exploring on her own and finding her own adventures.  She's just like Mary in the way she talks easily to strangers.  Everywhere we went, she was chatting people up and laughing with them.  I used to be that way a little bit. Perhaps because I drank more then.

I knew right off the bat that we were going to have a good time.  We drove to Mary's on Friday night so she could take us to the airport the following morning.  Jenni didn't get off work as early as she'd hoped so it was close to 8 pm before we got underway.  As we're cruising down the highway she says:  "I want you to remember to tie a hankie to the doorknob if you pick up somebody and decide to do the nasty."   We laughed for miles over that one.  hee hee

As we sat at Sea-Tac waiting for our plane, the lady next to me pulled out her cell phone to call her husband.  Since I wasn't doing anything except people-watching, I decided to listen. I probably wouldn't have paid any attention but we were right next to each other and if people are going to talk that freely on cells, they have to expect other people to hear what they're saying.  My ears perked right up when she mentioned Port Townsend.

Apparently, she'd gone sightseeing with friends and she proceeded to tell her husband all about it.  She described the place as similar to tourist towns in California. Sailboats on the water, people sitting on the sidewalk to eat, shops catering to tourists, etc.  I chuckled quietly as she lambasted the town for not having restrooms for people to use.  She couldn't get over the fact that they definitely favored tourists but unless you ate at a specific restaurant, you couldn't find a place to pee!

Her friends thought the food prices were high but she didn't. She said you'd pay that just about everywhere you went. She also talked about some woman she met who told her about glass beach and how you could find sea glass all over the shore.  She said:  "But you'd have to walk 90 minutes one way just to get there! I'm too old to spend that much time walking."  I identified with that remark.

Southwest Airlines doesn't assign seats.  You're put in category A-B-C depending on when you show up to check in.  The A people get to board first and so on down the line.  We were in the C's both coming and going and while we were lucky enough to find seats together in the back on the way to Vegas, we didn't have the same luck coming home and we had to sit apart.

On the way down, our seat partner was a guy from Nashville. Graduated in '63 I think he said. Anyhow, we talked country music a bit. His kids went to school with Johnny Cash's kids. He said Nashville has changed completely from the old days.  He used to see the stars in the grocery stores but nowadays it's just young people singing bad rock and roll.  Ha ha

On the way home, I sat with a couple from Indiana. They were going to Silverdale to attend his navy ship reunion.  He was on the USS Joseph Strauss stationed out of Pearl Harbor and they had all kinds of neat activities and tours planned.  I told him I'd go to the ships website and see the details.

When we landed in Vegas, it was hot and hotter. We hired a shuttle bus to take us to the Excalibur.  Unfortunately, we ended up staying on that dang blasted bus for well over an hour. Some guy took Jenni's suitcase in error.  Luckily, her cell phone number was on the tag. He called and the bus driver had to finish delivering all the other riders before going back to retrieve Jenni's bag and take the guy his. 

The driver was a rude little thing and never once said Sorry.  We were in the middle of rush hour and the traffic lights took forever on every single corner.  When we finally got to the hotel, the check-in lines were long.  Once we got our room, we discovered the elevators for our floor were a long hike from our room.  And the ice and pop machines were even further away.

I always take a picture from my room and the Luxor is what we looked out on this time. I think that's my favorite building down there although I love New York too.

For some reason, I didn't take a whole lot of pictures this trip. I guess I was too busy doing other things. Here are some views I did shoot, though.

 The Excalibur where we stayed.

This Statue of Liberty is filled with thousands of jelly beans.

Well, I've still got a ton of stuff to yak about but I'll save it for tomorrow and the next day. All my life I've been fascinated with bums.  I'm not sure why but I know I've found their existence interesting even when I was a kid.  Las Vegas has some good ones too.  One guy (kind of a young man really) had a sign that read: PLEASE HELP!  Apes have stolen my girl friend and I need money for bananas!

This guy just sat there dozing. You'd think they'd try to find a cooler spot. This was on a very busy walkway connecting Excalibur and New York New York, right over the highway.  Poor guy.

My last minutes in Vegas

Tomorrow I'll begin my Vegas saga and share pictures and stories.  Tonight I'm too tired but do want to express an opinion about how the powers that be in this country have managed to lose a great deal of common sense in their misguided theory of what needs to be done to keep us safe.

I'm all for airport security and the steps passengers have to put up with because of the idiots that roam this world and think they need to kill as many people as they can.  There comes a point, though, when it sometimes gets hard to figure out just who the idiots are.

I had an episode this morning which at first amused me. I thought:  Oh good, something interesting to share on my blog.  (You think along these lines when your life runs in the slow lane most of the time)  Anyhow, here's how I looked as I checked out of our hotel this morning and was sitting outside waiting for the shuttle bus to deliver us to the airport.

Tell me...does this look like a person who would try to blow up a plane?

Well, apparently I look like that to airport security.  They obviously have these little games they play to make their day more entertaining.  I had on no jewelry, no shoes, went through the x-ray machine, and then when they rubbed a little blue pad on my hands---I was pulled out of the line to undergo a more extensive pat down.

Jenni immediately got on the phone to call her sister so they could laugh their heads off.  And I was kind of laughing too.  I was taken by two ladies to this telephone booth size box off to the left.  It had windows but you couldn't see through them.  Inside, the women put on gloves again, made me stand with my legs apart, and proceeded to pat me  up one side and down the other. And then they went over the breasts and along the crotch.  Then my hands and clothes were rubbed with a blue pad again and the security officer had her hands put under the fancy wancy light as well.  Apparently they had to check and see if the stuff on my hands was dangerous chemicals designed to bring down a plane. 

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!"

Snot-nosed punks!  Who do they think they are pushing old fat ladies around?!  I think it's a form of bullying.  I wasn't intimidated in the least but I can bet if they have a habit of pulling elderly women (or men) out of the line for this inspection, sooner or later they're gonna get somebody who is scared and frail and could be caused emotional anxiety.

And you know what the "alarm" was that made them decide I was a threat?  My hand lotion. Their little blue pads couldn't detect what perfume it was.  Hell!  It was probably something I picked up at Wal-Mart for crying out loud!

Jenni and I laughed about it afterwards but as I dealt with long lines that moved like molasses, airplane seats that weren't comfortable, stale pretzels for a snack, four babies that cried nonstop through the flight, and cramped legs when I tried to get up....all of a sudden, I wasn't amused anymore.  I was pissed off!

No wonder a lot of the people around the world don't like us.  We've got a multitude of dingbats at the top making rules that are just plain dumb!!  We  have a lot of things right in this country but we sure as hell don't get an A for common sense.  Last week I saw a news story on TV about how they were going to stop searching little kids.   Who are these people who think we needed to scan kids in the first place?  Have they never spent time at an airport and people watched? 

And if this rant puts me on "a special secret list" of those citizens who need to be watched....SO BE IT!  I can live with that.

Waiting....

I'm all packed and ready to go.  Have been for hours.  I should have taken a nap.  I'm soooo tired.  And cold too!  Actually had to put a sweater on this morning.  I'm not turning on the heat, though. Not yet.

I put fresh sheets on  my bed, did dishes, washed a load of laundry, and then sat down to write my next Town Kid blog.  I'll post it when I get back.  Kids are gonna' feed the fish and keep an eye on things.  Wish I felt better.  Still dealing with a touch of come and go nausea.  Maybe it is morning sickness.  Ha!  Silly me.  I'm probably just constipated. Story of my life.

Got two cool pictures from Barbara McCleary Church who lives in Wenatchee.  Put them on the alumni blog too as I think they're worth sharing.  Her dad, George, was a photographer in Port Townsend in the old days.  I bet she has some terrific photos in her collection.  You can see the roof of the Lincoln Bldg behind the junior high shot.

Next time I post on here, I'll probably have trouble seeing my monitor because of the stacks and stacks of money that will be sitting all over this computer desk.

It's mid-September already

Maybe it's the change of seasons coming but I'm definitely feeling more tired than usual this week.  I woke up with a stiff neck, a stuffed up nose, cloudy eyes, an upset stomach, and of course, the usual sore foot and stiff leg.  I should probably just be taken out and shot.  I went back to sleep this morning so I didn't hear Jenni bring the dog by.

We have a system where if my blind is down, the dog is put in the back yard and I'm allowed to keep sleeping.  Works out okay but then I don't use it much. Today I needed to but Sammy had other plans.  He didn't bark; he just sat outside my bedroom window and whimpered.  That was all it took to wake me up out of this very interesting dream I was in the middle of.  There were a lot of people from my class in it. We must have been at some kind of reunion.

Dave Marriott was there but then he shows up in my dreams every now and again. I've never quite figured out why.  We laugh about it.  Also saw Jim Pedersen, who died in the 80's, and several girl friends.

I've only got two chores to take care of today.  I need to do a little ironing (stuff for my trip) and I have a bowl of green beans to prepare for the freezer. (the last of my little crop)  Just noticed that the rains have started. Fine with me. I won't need to turn the sprinkler on.

I've made a quick check of tv shows that I might miss while in Vegas and I think I only need to tape two things--Breaking Bad and the Emmys.

A few days ago (when my body was moving a lot better than it has lately) I decided to redecorate parts of the back and front yard.  I took down the hummingbird feeders and replaced them with two bird feeders that were in a corner of the back yard.  Figured I'd be more likely to see birds feeding if they were right outside my computer window.  Well, I don't know what kind of birds came calling. Probably crows. 

I filled the feeders with seeds (they were empty) and the next morning, I found one of the feeders empty and seed scattered on the ground.  I suppose it could have been deer but the only time they bothered my feeders was when I had sunflower seeds set out. What a waste of money.

I've got four birthdays on my calendar this week. One for tomorrow and three for today.....

 Shirley Aragon, my old pal from Kirkland days from 1968-1973, still lives in the same house up the street.  I miss her. Sure is hard to believe it's been 38 years!

Bobby Comas, who lives in Texas, is pictured here in the red shirt with his wife, Isabella, and Sharon Sofie. I "think" this is 2005 but I'm not positive. Bobby's mother and mine shared a hospital room back in 1943. He turns 68 today.

My first cousin, Ann Evans, pictured in blue, lives in Tacoma, and she's 78 today.

And here's my little brother, Dana, who is 61 today.  My God, can that be possible? Here he's pictured with Marcella and Dad on his wedding day in 1975.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALL!

A joke I received from Les Walden today that I thought was funny......

A hooded robber burst into a Texas bank and forced the tellers to load a sack full of cash. On his way out the door a brave Texas customer grabbed the hood and pulled it off, revealing the robber's face. The robber summarily shot the customer without a moment's hesitation.

He then looked around the bank and noticed one of the tellers looking straight at him, whereupon the robber instantly shot him also. By now everyone else was very scared and looking intently down at the floor in silence. The robber yelled, "Well, did anybody else see my face?"

There were a few moments of utter silence during which everyone was clearly afraid to speak. Finally one old man tentatively raised his hand and said, "My wife got a pretty good look at you."

Good video

Got this from Les Walden.  It's had millions of hits and I can see why.

Riding in the car with twins

Most of the time riding in the car with my grandkids is entertaining.  Not always. Somedays I want to stop and kick them out on the spot.  Yesterday, though, was entertaining.  Maddie needed to be taken over to her house to retrieve her uniform and equipment for a soccer game at 7 pm. Then I had to drive them to a school where their mom was signing them up for band. She needed to pick up Maddie's clarinet which she's renting for $27 a month because they can't find one to buy that isn't too expensive.  Hunter needs a sax. Anyhow....

A block from their house, I realized I didn't have their house key. Had to turn around and go back. Luckily, it's not that far but I was still irritated. I'm always irritated these days.  I'm blaming it on my foot. (and the fact that I'm old and crabby)  We picked up the needed clothes and ball and then I got confused at exactly where Jefferson School was.  I thought it was across town but as I started to turn the wrong way, they told me:

"No, it's by Albertson's. You know that. Gees, Gramma!"

 (I was headed for Roosevelt--there's five elementary schools in this town and I can't keep them straight!)

On the way, Maddie says:
"Guess what I'm gonna be on halloween this year Gramma?"

"Lady Gaga?"

"What?! Gag me! Why would I be her?!"

Hunter says:  "Yeah Gramma, that would be like being a homeless person."

"What do you mean?"
"You know..A bum."

"A bum? Well, I kinda like Lady Gaga."
"What? You like her? You're weird."

"Oh. I suppose you like Justin Beiber."

"Argh" (from both of them)  NO WAY!
(this kind of pleased me 'cause I think little Justin is a twerp. Reminded me of how they never liked Miley Cyrus either. Another indication that they weren't buying the hype. So proud of them)

I thought I was on a roll so I proceeded with "And I don't like Taylor Swift much either."
This was met with silence.
"Oh, she's okay. I like some of her songs."

Then Maddie proceeded to tell me all these other guys she liked. I'd never heard of any of them.  I thought about bringing Merle Haggard, Waylon Jennings, or Conway Twitty into the conversation but I knew they'd be bored to tears.

Well, I've been on the computer for about three hours this morning doing this and that and the other.  Am determined to use self control today and occupy myself in other rooms.  Like at the sewing machine.

Woke up with a little nausea. Hope it's not morning sickness.  ha ha ha ha
But more than that, I hope it's not the flu. I've got plans this weekend and don't relish going on an airplane with a tummyache.  But I will.  I'll board with a barf bag if I have to!