Monday, June 30, 2008

Month End

June was an interesting month to say the least. There were problems at work, there was my memorable 4 nights in Vegas and there was my birthday yet again. There are personal matters at home, and there are other things too. I'm glad to see three days off, hopefully I can put them to good use.

Saturday, June 28, 2008

Dork

There's nothing like driving 35km to work for your 4am shift on Saturday and then discover that there was a change and that you were instead suppose to be at work 1:30pm.

Thursday, June 26, 2008

News of the Day

Tell me Barack Obama isn't exchanging emails with Scarlett Johansson.

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

The Love Guru

I decided to enjoy a comedy with Syama and John today. This new vehicle for Mike Myers was better than I'd expected with some unexpected laughs. Of course it's a suspension of disbelief that the Toronto Maple Leafs would be battling for the Stanley Cup but Jessica Alba definitely didn't look too bad on film. Justin Timberlake was hilarious as the Los Angeles Kings goalie.

P.S. Good luck to Big John at the WSOP. See you on TV!

Monday, June 23, 2008

Congratulations, Danny!

Tonight we had a dinner for one of the staff members who is retiring after a long time. It was wonderful to meet a lot of people that I hadn't seen since the closing of the HIB. It was like a little reunion. I wonder when my time will be, hopefully soon. Perhaps I will win Wednesday's 6/49 jackpot of $30 million.

Saturday, June 21, 2008

My Vegas Trip - Chapter 5: The Accommodations

Thanks to Albert and Mei, I was lucky enough to get 3 free nights at the MGM Grand (hence my decision to go to Vegas). The room was very nice, with two king beds, two TV's and a sofa. The cleaning service was exemplary. I also got a chance to see Albert's amazing suite at the Palazzo (an addition to the Venetian), which featured three TV's and a dreamy view of the Venetian pool. The hotels in Vegas are so amazing; the size is just crazy.

Friday, June 20, 2008

My Vegas Trip - Chapter 4: The Gambling

Normally if I were to blog about a trip to Vegas I would be writing a lot about bad beats in poker and bad players on Blackjack. This time I kept my gambling to a minimum, of which I am quite proud of. Sure I still lost but I managed to take some time to do OTHER things (seeing shows for example).

I came across some interesting new table games (Ultimate Texas Hold'Em, Crazy 4 Card Poker) which were a nice pastime. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that I would like to take a short 3 or 4-day trip to Vegas and NOT gamble at all. Joe and I have talked about taking such a trip and seeing how many shows we can catch.

All in all, this trip was wonderful. I did end up spending a lot of money, but at least it wasn't all on the tables. I can't wait to go back.

My Vegas Trip - Chapter 3: The Food

I managed to treat myself to a wide variety of food in Vegas. When we landed in Vegas and put our bags into the room it was close to midnight, but we knew of one place that was definitely open.... FATBURGER! For those who haven't been to one, you can guess what they serve. There were sizes from the BabyFat to the Double King. I managed to finish a couple of Double Kings during my trip to Vegas.

We went to the MGM Buffet which was wonderful (and filling). We also went to some smaller restaurants and cafes, and on the last night (after the Elton concert), Joe and I went to a seafood place called The Rosewood Grille...to eat steak! It was divine. I can't decide if it was better than the ones I've had at Gotham here in town, but it's pretty close.

We'd also walked buy a restaurant that served Kobe Beef, which we were going to go to originally (after Elton) but couldn't get back in time. That would have been a $58 meal but we also came across a restaurant that was serving some other kind of beef (can't remember the name) at an astounding $240 for 8 ounces. Wow. Maybe next time.

My Vegas Trip - Chapter 2: The Shows

In my four previous visits to Vegas, I have NEVER had to opportunity to see a show. I'd always gone with diehard gamblers who always preferred to gamble over seeing a show. But on this trip I'd promised myself that I would try to see a show or two. Luckily for me, one of my travelling companions was Joe, who shared my interest in Vegas shows. He managed to catch three himself, while I was more than satisfied with my selection of two shows. There were four or five other shows that I would have loved to have watched; maybe next time.

On Tuesday night I caught the newer Cirque de Soleil show, Ka, at the MGM Theatre. The theater itself was magnificent, and the show itself pays homage to the Cirque de Soleil type of show. Perhaps the only reservation I had was the storyline, which was a bit hard to follow at times. But the acrobatic feats and effects were breathtaking.

On Wednesday night, thanks to Joe, I was able to catch Elton John in concert at the theater at Caesars that had been vacated by one Celine Dion. Seeing Sir Elton had been one of my "goals in life", knowing his reputation as a performer. And Sir Elton did not disappoint, with a wonderful show that lasted just short of two hours. While it is impossible to fill the show with all of his hits, he had a great selection of past and present hits and a wonderful video display at the back. The defining moment of my trip was when I saw the image of Marilyn Monroe and I knew what song was coming up. You can call me a wuss or a wimp or worse (I really don't care) but at this point my eyes started moisten and I started to cry. While he sang Candle in the Wind, I was treated to a sad but beautiful montage of Marilyn Monroe pictures. She was such a beautiful woman and the song was so haunting when partnered with this wonderful video.

After the video Joe and I went to eat (see chapter on Food) and by then it was close to midnight so we decided to see....a movie. The Incredible Hulk was showing at 12:25am so we thought why not, one more show in Vegas! The movie was OK, nothing special considering all the Marvel movies I've seen.

My Vegas Trip - Chapter 1: The Sights

Las Vegas is one of those cities that never ceases to amaze me no matter how many times I visit there. I hadn't been back for three or four years but as the plane was circling the city I fell in love again.

Vegas reminds me a lot about those model cars I used to build when I was young. Everything is in detail but the actual size is much bigger. The inside joke going among my friends was "Hey we can see the hotel from here, it's not that far". You don't realize how far hotels are until you start walking and realize you've barely gotten closer.

How do I describe visually what Vegas is all about? From the lion at the MGM to the pyramid at Luxor to the grand majestic site known as the Bellagio Hotel and Casino, there is just so much to take in. For those of you who have never had the opportunity to visit, well, everybody has to go to Vegas once in their life.

Boredom

I returned last night from one of the relaxing holidays in a long time. Yes, I was actually able to relax in Vegas. My writeup will be forthcoming, in separate chapters too depending on what part of my trip you wish to read about.

Friday, June 13, 2008

RIP Tim Russert

Tim Russert was truly one of the greats in the political reporting arena. He was also a prolific author but was of course known for hosting Meet the Press. All day CNN (and other stations) have been pouring out their thoughts, from Wolf Blitzer and Larry King to even the presidential candidates. He was only 58, another life lost too early.

I Know My Kid's a Star

Is this show for real? These so-called mothers of future child stars are sorry excuses for human beings. They swear, they pressure their kids, and they are generally a bunch of bitches. Unfortunately it looks like Dina Lohan and Lynn Spears aren't the worse parents in Hollywood.

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Soon

My holiday begins in three days and I can't wait to get away from the pressures of work. So much has been happening as of late and I guess I'll have to try not to think about things when I'm off in Vegas. Elton John, Ka, and hopefully another show awaits. The M&M and Coke Museums, my friend Dale at the Rampart Casino, and of course my pilgrimmage to the Gambler's Bookstore will take up a lot of my time that I just might not be gambling at all. But I'll try to make some time.

Kung Fu Panda

Jackie really wanted to watch this cartoon and I'm glad we saw it, because it was hilarious! What a concept, a cartoon with a great storyline...and awesome fight scenes? It was also fun to try to guess the voices. I knew about some of them but was surprised at some of the other ones.

Monday, June 09, 2008

What Happens in Vegas....

There are only 7 days before my long-awaited holiday to the City of Sin. A couple of dealers have joined in on the festivities so it should be a lot of fun. For me, I look forward to meeting my friend Dale who is a manager at the Rampart Casino, as well as The Wizard of Odds, Michael Shackleford. There are a number of shows I'd like to watch too, so we'll see how I manage my time. I can't wait.

Sunday, June 08, 2008

Syphon

Last night I noticed gas was $1.41/liter. My tank was almost empty but I decided to delay filling up in case prices went down. Today gas is $1.46/liter. Yuk.

Busy?

It was nice to see the casino fairly busy today and even later on just before I left. Poor Tommy didn't stop working on roulette for his entire 8-hour shift. Way to go Tommy! It was unusually busy for a Saturday, so I hope the numbers keep up. I get to take a short little nap before going back to work at 8:30am.

In other news, only 7 days until Vegas with Albert, Mei, Edwin, and now Joe!

Tuesday, June 03, 2008

Bad TV

So after what has seemed like an eternity, the Democratic primary "season" is over. This was the most boring TV series of all time. How long did it take to decide nothing? Maybe the Americans can take a page from the Canadian political system. One day and it's over.

Season 2 is the actual presidential election. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Monday, June 02, 2008

Thinking Cap

I wish I had more marketing experience that I could think of something to do with the situation at work with the lack of table game players in Cloverdale. How do we get the demographic of mostly retired people to play blackjack? As strange as it sounds I may end up doing work when I go to Vegas, seeing if I can learn anything from the way things are run over there.

Speaking of Vegas, it's been interesting watching the fares fluctuate for my trip from June 15-19 (or 16-19). The one-way fares have gone from $21 to $128 but is currently at $88. This is like watching gas prices.