As you prepare for Christmas and all the holiday traditions, take a moment to reflect on the true meaning of the season. And nowhere is that more present than in Vegas -- Bethlehem with slots. Here's my holiday travelogue from a few Decembers ago. Gather up the whole family and enjoy.Deb and I just got back from a brief weekend in Las Vegas, or, as I like to call it, "Three Card Monty for the Red States". Many big attractions there this holiday weekend. The annual rodeo, the Anti-Aging conference, the Jose Luis Castillo/Joel Casamayer title bout. But we were there to see Linda Eder. Ms. Eder is a spectacular singer -- Barbra Streisand but at affordable prices and you never have to suffer through "Evergreen". We've become friends with her manager, Dave, who graciously invited us to join him for her concert. Since we likely would have gone to Vegas for Christmas anyway, we gladly accepted.
Stayed at the Mandalay Bay. Dave is also a VP of something for the House of Blues (who knows more about the blues than the Jews?) and arranged for us to get a room on the "House of Blues" floor. It had the two things Debby and I require in a hotel room -- a fabulous view and voodoo decor.
I'm not joking about the annual Anti-Aging conference. But am I the only one who finds it odd to hold an Anti-Aging conference in the one place where people stay up all hours drinking, gorging, smoking, and enduring the enormous stress of losing their money? I guess it's held there out of respect for Joan Rivers. My feeling is if the President of the Anti-Aging organization isn't 117 then it's a sham.
Had dinner Friday night at Rumjungle in the hotel. Very classy. Girls dance in cages above your head. To me that is classy. To Vegas it's positively elegant.
Interesting crowd at the hotel because of all the special events. A lot of shitkickers (I assume for either the rodeo or "Mamma Mia") and the prizefight attracted several hundred Ruben Studdards decked out in jewelry and Oakland Raider sweatsuits. Rode in an elevator with one -- a mean looking dude in black sunglasses. He said, "you here for the fuckin' fight, man?" I sheepishly had to say "No, the Linda Eder concert". I'm lucky I'm still alive.
This week a boxing title match, next week an ice spectacular featuring American Idol loser Diana DeGarmo.
The headliner at the hotel was Larry the Cable Guy. If Shecky Green were dead he'd be rolling in his grave.
And as I said, a full Broadway production of "Mamma Mia", not to mention a separate "Mamma Mia" STORE. Someone had a great line about Abba. It's like being hit in the head with Ikea furniture. You appreciate the craftmanship but it hurts.
I won $20 in blackjack. Debby lost $.55 in the slots. I doubt if we'll be comped the next trip.
I think there were Christmas lights and decorations up all over town. Who could tell?
The waitresses were all attractive with massive chests. If there was a flood on the casino floor they would float to the surface.
The most beautiful girl I saw there was a parking valet attendant bundled in a heavy coat. If she got a boob job I'm sure she could get an inside job. Maybe Santa will be good to her.
Next day we hit the beach. Yes, Mandalay Bay has it's own beach. Unfortunately, the ocean was turned off. No waves. But Debby and I took a long walk along the grid that serves as the shore and gazed out at the horizon to see the Lance Burton Magician billboard on Las Vegas Avenue.
From there we hotel hopped. Had to stop in at the Excalibur -- a casino in Sleeping Beauty's castle. This is home to the black socks, shorts, and wife beater shirt crowd. You know you're in trouble when they have a special parking lot just for motorhomes. Handing a pair of dice to one of these idiots is like handing a gun to a monkey.
Then on to the Bellagio, where Debby and I checked out the Monet exhibit at their fine arts gallery. (How can you go to Vegas and not stop in a museum??) I imagine when most of the tourists saw the ad for the exhibit they said, "Hey, they spelled money wrong!" The paintings were glorious and it was just nice to be in the only room in Las Vegas where everybody voted for Kerry. I can only imagine the paintings Monet himself would have made had he been to Las Vegas. "The Imperial Palace as seen from the Luxor".
The highlight of the trip was the Linda Eder concert. It's the third time I've seen her. I realize that if I see her one more time I'm officially gay. But I don't care. That will happen in March when she performs in Northridge. The only problem was that her concert hall was impossible to find. It's somewhere on the UNLV campus -- the Jerry Tarkanian Music Hall, or something like that -- and even cab drivers have no idea where this is. Dave and I set out for the sound check. The venue is five minutes from our hotel but we wound up somewhere near the Mustang Ranch. The only map on how to get there was on the ticket envelope you pick up at the box office. But we ultimately found it and the concert was wonderful. Celine Dion can't carry her Chloraseptic.
Headed home early this morning. McLaren airport is the worst in the country re security checks. You actually DO have to allow two hours. It's bad enough you have to remove your shoes, but the spurs must come off too and that takes some time.
And now we're home, shopping for voodoo wallpaper.
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!
If you're not on my Facebook or Twitter - leave me a message with your username on either service and I'll add you to it. I'll likely post here every once in awhile, but if you want to keep more up to date with me that's how to do it.
For Christmas, my beloved Tia gave me the money to turn on the Boost Mobile phone I just bought from an awesome person who reads my blog. So yay! I'll be able to talk and text again! At least for a month. I'm very excited.
Speaking of my beloved Tia! She needs your help! She's going to be reading a book a week for all of 2010 and needs some suggestions! She wants a wide range of books but prefers YA and classics. So leave some ideas in the comments!! Pretty please?
Now, I rarely stand up and tell people they’re going to have one of those “smack yourself in the forehead” moments. I know everyone’s tastes are different. Far be in from me to tell someone that they’re going to regret anything.
But those folks who gave up on Dollhouse after a couple episodes of Season 1 — you’re gonna have that moment if you choose to watch it later. These past 6 episodes (the double header December ones) have brought it.. and brought it hard.
And I know the feeling, I had a horrible, “why didn’t I watch this show when it was on the air” feeling when I finished Firefly. I know many of you had the same. Yet, I could chalk it up to never knowing the show existed (my family watched every crazy scifi show out there during that time — and we totally missed it would even be on).
Yet, I wasn’t that way when I started watching Firefly. Don’t shoot me but I thought the pilot (yes, the real one.. Serenity) was boring. I couldn’t see why my friend was raving and raving about it. Couldn’t grasp why he kept looking at me with those big huge “isn’t this the best thing you ever watched” eyes. In fact, it was a lot of months before I watched another episode of Firefly, because I didn’t get hooked.
Same thing with Buffy, I watched it after that first episode of Firefly… but merely out of sheer boredom. I didn’t have cable. My boyfriend at the time loved Sarah Michelle Geller and I needed to know why.
And now, of course, I get it. Yes, I’m an unabashed Joss Whedon fan. Yes, if he put out a video called “Joss Whedon’s Lets Watch Paint Dry” I would probably watch it and write fanfic about it. But this, this is something more.
Dollhouse is gone after these next few episodes. I have accepted that, I have mourned that, I have moved on from that. But after seeing last night’s episodes I can’t believe there are some of my fellow fans who did not strap in for the entire ride. Not because I’m mad at them, I get it – there’s lots of great TV out there to keep you occupied. But this? This wasn’t just great TV… this was art. This was taking people and characters and turning them inside out and then back side in. It was a social, political, people commentary without the blatantly obvious plot lines and blue folks (sorry James Cameron.. but I get it….. you don’t need to preach at me).
This show was magic. I have already declared that Enver Gjokaj (Victor) is quite possibly the best actor on the planet. I’m going to remove the possibly and say he is. So if you’re not watching I am sorry. Sorry you missed the payoff, sorry you missed the seasons that might have been. ‘Cuz Dollhouse just stole my heart and it was awesome.
I've exhausted all the big chains in the area, and I'm going to check one more small, local grocer tomorrow. If they don't have it, then I'll just have to substitute a different kind of blue cheese. My question is, what kind should I use? Anyone have any suggestions? Roquefort has such a distinct flavor, the switch is going to be noticeable.
ETA: Apparently, the disappearance of Roquefort is George Bush's fault.
( Recipe under the cut, for anyone interested. )
- Mood:
curious
When Finn is alone, he doesn't do much. But with Eowyn, they have a whole day full of dog business to do. Most of it is incomprehensible to me, and as far as I can tell it involves:
- intense but brief barkings at mysterious intruders coming in at various points around the fence
- finding small objects inside to relocate outside, such as socks, gloves, baby toys, tissues
- finding not-so-small objects outside to jostle for the privilege of chewing on, such as large pieces of decorative driftwood, piles of dried beanstalks (meant to harvest the pods, never did), large sticks, pinecones, dog toys so filthy they aren't really recognizable
- flouncing about with tails in the air. Much of this.
- intently sniffing spots in the yard together
- sleeping. Much, much of this.
- attempts to rip each others' throats out and take each other out at the knees, which seems to be enjoyable to all
Congress has been working hard for months to shape health insurance reform legislation that will bring down costs, expand coverage, increase accountability for insurers, and attack our mounting deficit. We got good news today on all those fronts, as fresh statements of support from the Small Business Majority, the American Cancer Society, and the American Diabetes Association amongst others make clear.
We learned today from the Congressional Budget Office that this bill will reduce the deficit by $132 billion over the first decade, and more than $1 trillion in the decade after that. That makes it the biggest deficit-reduction effort in over a decade. All while expanding coverage to 30 million more Americans.
But bringing down the deficit and expanding coverage are only part of what insurance reform will do. And today the Senate introduced a package of changes to their bill that will make critical progress in ensuring competition, providing affordable choices, and holding the insurance companies accountable. These improvements were bundled together in what’s called a manager’s amendment – and here are some of the highlights:
Penalizing insurers for unfair rate hikes. If insurers who arbitrarily jack up rates before the exchanges come online, they won’t be allowed to participate in them – they’ll miss the opportunity to compete for millions of new customers. That creates a strong incentive to keep premiums low before the exchanges are up and running in 2014. Making sure your money goes toward care, not administrative costs. Insurers will be required to spend a greater portion of your premium on the care you receive, rather than administrative costs or salaries. And if they don’t, they’ll have to pay you a rebate. Ending discrimination based on pre-existing conditions. Once the exchanges are open in 2014, insurance companies will no longer be able to deny you coverage because you have a pre-existing condition. In the meantime, the legislation immediately creates a high-risk pool where adults with pre-existing conditions can purchase affordable coverage. And for families with kids, the news is even better: insurers will immediately be prohibited from denying coverage to kids with pre-existing conditions. Period. Protecting your access to care. Lifetime limits on benefits will be banned right away. Annual limits will also be banned once the exchanges are up and running. The manager’s amendment ensures that in the meantime, the use of annual limits will be tightly restricted until we can do away with this unfair practice entirely. More help for small business. The bill now includes additional help for small businesses. The health insurance tax credit for small businesses will now start in 2010, eligibility for the credit will be expanded, and small businesses will see improved purchasing power to make sure employees are getting good coverage at a good value. Choice and competition. Insurers will now offer multi-state plans under the supervision of the Office of Personnel Management. That means more choice and more competition in your state. Focusing on quality, not quantity. Health care providers will be reimbursed by Medicare for the quality of care, not just the quantity of tests and treatments. Shifting the way we reimburse for care is one of the most important things we can do to rein in spiraling health care costs – and it means a renewed focus on what’s best for the patient.All told, it’s been a landmark day in the health insurance reform effort. There’s a lot more hard work to be done, and we’re confident that the Senate and House will continue to work hard to get this bill across the finish line and to the President’s desk. For the millions of Americans who don’t have coverage, for those who are struggling with costs or being mistreated by their insurance company, every day counts. It’s time for us to deliver.
UPDATE: The statements of support continue to roll in, here's a sample:
American Diabetes Association (ADA): “The Bill Makes Health Care More Accessible And Affordable…We Urge You To Advance The Patient Protection And Affordable Care Act...” In a letter to U.S. Senators, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) wrote, “On behalf of the nearly 24 million Americans with diabetes and the 57 million more with pre-diabetes, we thank you for your tireless commitment to reforming our nation’s health system. We understand the tremendous amount work that has gone into H.R. 3590, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and are grateful for your efforts. The progress that has been made thus far has brought us closer than ever to achieving the goals of health reform. Specifically, the bill makes health care more accessible and affordable to the millions of Americans who are currently uninsured and underinsured, including those with diabetes who have been denied coverage or charged exorbitant amounts due to their preexisting condition. The bill also includes many important provisions in terms of prevention, insurance reform, and the delivery of quality and affordable health care. These are but a few of the long overdue improvements to our broken healthcare system…We urge you to advance the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and look forward to working with you and members of the House of Representatives in Conference to make certain that our country receives a final Health care package that will make a real and positive difference in the lives of people with diabetes. [American Diabetes Association Letter to U.S. Senate, 12/19/09]
American Cancer Society (ACS): Health Reform Bill’s Provisions Banning Coverage Limits Would “Afford Patients With Serious Health Conditions The Strong Financial Protections They Deserve…We Thank The White House And Senate Leaders For Hearings [Our] Concerns.” In a statement, the American Cancer Society (ACS) said, "We are enormously pleased that the manager's amendment bans annual coverage limits after 2014 and ensures that any annual limits in plans issued before then are set high enough to cover essential health benefits for patients. That language, coupled with the amendment's immediate ban on lifetime coverage limits, would afford patients with serious health conditions the strong financial protections they deserve in the face of major medical expenses. We thank the White House and Senate leaders for hearing the concerns of cancer patients and strongly strengthening these important provisions." [American Cancer Society Statement, 12/19/09]
Small Business Majority: “It’s Clear That [Senators] Have Heard The Voices Of Small Business Owners…Many Of The Recently Proposed Amendments Contribute To An Overall Bill That Will Be Even More Helpful To Small Business Owners And The Self-Employed.” In a letter to Senate Majority Leader Reid, Small Business Majority CEO John Arensmeyer wrote, “We appreciate the tremendous amount of work that you and your colleagues in the Senate have put into crafting the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act so that it will both meet its original goals and gain enough support for passage. Although the necessary compromises have been disappointing and frustrating for some, it’s clear that you and your fellow senators have heard the voices of small business owners, who so desperately need relief from an unfair, overly expensive health insurance system. Many of the recently proposed amendments contribute to an overall bill that will be even more helpful to small business owners and the self-employed. Small Business Majority will continue to support the effort to bring this measure to the Senate floor for a final vote and passage…Again, thank you for your continuing hard work on this vital issue. You can count on Small Business Majority to work to get this bill to conference committee and ensure that final legislation is passed that meets the needs of America’s small businesses and the economy.” [Small Business Majority Letter to Senate Majority Leader Reid, 12/19/09]
Doctors For America: “We Wish To Express Our Support For Senate Passage Of The Patient Protection And Affordable Care Act…[It] Represents A Historic Step Toward Improving The Health Care System For Us And Our Patients.” In a letter to Senate Majority Leader Reid, Doctors For America President Vivek Murphy wrote, “On behalf of Doctors for America and its 16,000 physician and medical student members across all 50 states who are committed to building a better health care system for our patients, we wish to express our support for Senate passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. This landmark piece of legislation provides increased access to affordable health coverage, implements market reforms to protect our patients, invests in the primary care physician workforce and public health system, and begins to reform the payment and delivery systems so doctors can focus on providing high quality care for our patients…As doctors and medical students, we see the urgent need to fix our broken health care system first hand every day – which is why a majority of physicians support health reform this year. We are fighting to ensure that all Americans receive access to high quality care - the kind of care that we, as physicians, want for our patients. While we know that this legislation will not fix all the problems of our broken health care system, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act represents a historic step toward improving the health care system for us and our patients.” [Doctors For America Letter to U.S. Senate, 12/19/09]
Community Catalyst: “We Strongly Encourage Passage Of The Bill Because We Believe It Will Positively Impact The Lives Of Millions Of Americans.” In a statement, Community Catalyst said, “Today, the U.S. Senate has brought us even closer to the finish line of passing landmark health reform legislation that will improve access to quality affordable health care for millions of Americans. As a national advocacy organization actively working in more than 40 states to ensure consumers have a strong voice in improving America’s health care system, we are very pleased 60 Senators from states where we have focused our efforts have pledged their support for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. We thank these Senators for hearing the concerns of consumers across the country and allowing this important process to move forward. The Manager’s amendment released today builds on the strengths of the bill through critical consumer protections such as programs to contain health costs and make insurance policies more affordable, greater accountability from health insurance companies, improved choice and competition, and better access to quality affordable health care for vulnerable populations. We strongly encourage passage of the bill because we believe it will positively impact the lives of millions of Americans. As the only national consumer organization that has on-the-ground experience implementing comprehensive health reform at the state level, Community Catalyst understands the benefits of this bill and the important ongoing role consumer advocates will need to play to ensure its success. We encourage the Senate to pass this critical legislation, and to continue to work with the House to ensure that all Americans have access to quality health-care they can afford.” [Community Catalyst Press Releaee, 12/19/09]
National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO): “We Applaud [The Senate’s] Recognition Of The Importance Of Preserving Quality, Compassionate And Cost-Efficient End-Of-Life Care.” In a letter, the National Hospice And Palliative Care Organization (NHPC) wrote, “On behalf of hospice and palliative care providers and the more than 1.5 million patients, and their families, served by hospice each year, the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) would like to express our strong support for the national effort to enact health care reform. We acknowledge the enormity and complexity of the task facing Congress, and we applaud your recognition of the importance of preserving quality, compassionate and cost efficient end-of-life care as a critical component to the nation’s health infrastructure.” [National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization letter, 12/19/09]
Nancy-Ann DeParle is the Director of the White House Office of Health Reform.
*Or "snowpocalypse" as Suri has been calling it.
- Mood:
concerned
I fear that my dog is going soft. I’m thinking of countering the pink collar and bandana by renaming her ‘Thugnificent’. ;-)
http://pifeedback.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/6
As expected.
Worse than last week, it averaged a 0.7 18-49 and 2.10 million viewers.
For your amusement:
I'm sure the movie will be wonderful...but the poster design, not so much.
The gaming industry, like the voiceover industry or the genre fiction industry is not very big, when you really get down to it. In fact, among creators, the overlap between "industry" and "community" makes almost a perfect circle. Everyone pretty much knows everyone else, and good news travels as quickly as bad.
Yesterday, one of the truly great people in the gaming industry, who I think we all believed had reached maximum character level, surprised us all and leveled up a little bit more:
John Kovalic's Dork Tower joins WIRED's GeekDad.
If you know of Dork Tower, then you’re already squee-ing in excitement right alongside us. If you don’t know what Dork Tower is, then either you’re about to add a new layer of happiness to the Photoshop composite of your life, or you’re slowly beginning to realize you didn’t click through to the Monkey Bites blog.
Dork Tower has, in its decade of life, existed as a standalone comic book, a featured comic in Dragon, Scrye and Games magazines, and one of the earliest regular webcomics online. Its creator, John Kovalic, is also the illustrator and co-creator of world-renown games Munchkin and Apples to Apples. But perhaps his greatest creation is his new daughter, whose existence has transformed him from a simple, Bruce Banner–like comics and game illustrator, into a hulking green(bay) GeekDad. Which is where we come in.
This is kind of like my favorite indie television show getting picked up by a major network. It's such a perfect match, I can't believe nobody ever thought of it before. You know those people who are so delighted to be a parent, they sort of jingle and glow and levitate off the ground with joy when they talk about their kids? That's John. You know those guys who you know you can speak to in the most obscure geek dialect, secure in the knowledge that they'll grok you? That's John.
Congratulations to John and GeekDad, and to all their individual readers who are about to discover an awesome new level of the dungeon to explore.
There is nothing in this world I want more than for my mom's hospital bed to be big enough for me to crawl into, curl up in a ball next to her, put my head on her shoulder, and tell her everything's going to be alright. But instead I have to settle for holding her hand, stroking her hair, and promising her it's all okay.
- 11:51 Writer, director & "Return of the Living Dead" creator Dan O'Brian died. #
- 11:56 Misspelled Dan's name. It's O'Bannon. Not advisable to type and read an obituary at the same time I guess. #
- 12:43 Watched new Clash of the Titans trailer. Zeus is wearing gothic-styled armor? He's a god for crying out loud. WHY DOES HE NEED ARMOR?! #
- 13:24 The Xmas tree just vomited a barrel full of monkeys... and a bottle of vodka. #
- 14:17 Apparently Zeus is to the Dos Equis "Most Interesting Man in the World" what Batman is to Bruce Wayne. This obviously explains so much. #
- 18:21 It's going to be a.... SNOWPOCALYPSE! #
- 23:46 NBC 10's weather guy Glenn "Hurricane" Schwartz looked like he was issuing a warning for the zombie apocalypse. #
- 00:13 Burger King is now serving funnel cake. For the majority of their customers that's like a cop handing over a shotgun to a suicidal teen. #
Page Summary
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kenlevine : Christmas in Las Vegas [+0] ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif)
blh120 : #7! [+0] - stellabambino : I've Moved! [+0]
- thesugarmonster : YA & Classic Book Suggestions, Please! [+12]
- quadruplez : Why Some Folks Are Gonna Kick Themselves for Not Watching Dollhouse [+0]
- seachanges : (no subject) [+9]
- sl_podcast : Why Some Folks Are Gonna Kick Themselves For Not Watching Dollhouse [+4]
- thefreak : zombie aid [+2]
- jendaviswilson : Dog business [+0]
- jwz : fixed with. [+4]
- cyranocyrano : Whew! [+1]
- barakblog : Making a Good Bill Even Better [+0]
- grubbybastard : Xmas ornament cupcakes [+4]
- seachanges : (no subject) [+8]
- finalbossform : thug puppy.
I fear that my dog is going soft. I’m thinking... [+0]
- whedonesque : Last night's Dollhouse ratings. [+0]
- thefreak : Battlefield Avatar [+0]
- wilwheaton : In which my friend @Muskrat_John is congratulated by me, @wilw. [+0]
- thesugarmonster : (no subject) [+8]
- grendelsden : Just Twittering In A Corner [+0]