So . . .

I was in Las Vegas last weekend and I got a bit carried away with the photoblogging. Instead, I should have done a "Friday Five" Las Vegas edition, but I wasn't really suited for that at the time. So, here's one now:

Five Things I've Learned In Las Vegas (THE HARDWAY):

1. The super-exclusive adult pool club will waive the day bed fee, but will charge you a $250 food/drink minimum. It isn't as easy to make the food/drink minimum as you might think.
2. You think you can start at the Tropicana and walk all the way to the Stratosphere and have a drink in every casino along the way. And you can. The problem is getting back. (This was back in the 90s, however, and I'm not certain this little Monopoly board game can still be done. You might have to limit yourself to one side of the street.)
3. You don't need an active room key to get into most pools. Just a quick mind.
4. It's easier to drink at the Forum Shops than most slot machines/card tables.
5. The hotel you stay at will determine the course and nature of your trip.

This weekend I'm running the Disneyland Half Marathon. (That's right all you Neff readers - be jealous. The race starts in Disneyland, you run through the park, out around Anaheim, and then finish in California Adventure.)

Here are 5 songs I put on my Shuffle for this race:

1. Where the Streets Have No Name, U2
2. Weekend in New England, Barry Manilow
3. We Made It, Busta Rhymes and Linkin Park
4. You're The Best, Joe Esposito (from Karate Kid)
5. I Can't Hold Back, Survivor

And finally, 5 things I plan to do this weekend:

1. Finally try an In N Out double double (I've always just had the single)
2. Wear my Pooh ears
3. Carbo load at Wahoos
4. Fight the beach crowds at Crescent Bay
5. Buy Ava a birthday present (Incidentally, she announced that for Halloween this year she wants to be a "drag queen." That's how you know your 7 year old is watching too much Bravo.)

And that's all for today. Have a great Labor Day weekend everyone. (Is summer really coming to an end?!)

Today's Song: California, Phantom Planet

This and that.

So while watching Stella get all emotional over Jeff Tweedy at the Wilco concert last night, I got to wondering if there were any bands I could see at Red Butte that could cause me to (a) tear up; (b) bury my head in a blanket; and (c) get in fetal position to calm myself down. These are the acts I came up with:

1. Counting Crows
2. Peter Gabriel
3. Christopher Cross (shut it; no laughing)
4. Simon & Garfunkel
5. Mary Chapin Carpenter

I'm sure there are more, but that's all I could come up with.

My stitches are out. Whew. Let the healing begin.

I went to a party on Saturday night. A fraternity reunion of sorts. I left my iPod. I miss it very, very much. Also my dignity. I think I left that behind as well. Don't get me started. My suit coat too. With sunglasses in the pocket. What are the chances I'll get all those things back? Good, I hope.

Look, I'm fully aware that it isn't the best grammar to respond to the question of "How are you?" with "I'm good." But, I find it more offensive when people make a distinct point of saying "I'm well" after you say you're "good."

Today's Song: Jesus, Etc., Wilco

Wilco

Is there a better venue than Red Butte? I doubt it.

So, did you know

that you can rent a tube in Lava Hot Springs and tube the Portneuf River? And did you know that there are slight cliffs and white water rapids and loads of rocks in the Portneuf River? And did you know that if you aren't careful, it's very easy to fall off your tube and encounter the rocks in the river? I know all that now, and so do you. So . . .

Today's Song: It's Not True, William Fitzsimmons

The Before. NSFW.

10 stitches.

In Lava Hot Springs.

Todays Song: Summertime, NKOTB.

Thank God Stella isn't here.

I always forget

just how blue Bear Lake is.

Todays Song: Whatever it Takes, Lifehouse

Lydia says:

What do you call a Mormon gynecologist?

A box Elder.

Todays Song: Right Down the Line, Gerry Rafferty

Time to Update.

Growing up in the 80s, I watched alot of Cheers. Many of my friends were not allowed to watch Cheers because (a) it was set in a bar; (b) it's themes were very adult; and (c) they were lame. However, I probably saw every episode (well, until late in the series run).

So last month, when I made my first trip to Boston, one of the things I was anxious to do was see the exterior of the Bull & Finch pub on Beacon Street. However, by the last day of my trip, I had yet to see this sight.

On that last day of my trip, Stella and I took the Duck Tour. (Quack, quack.) The tour took us down Beacon Street and our guide pointed out the Bull & Finch. (He also noted that the interior of the Bull & Finch looks nothing like the interior of Cheers, however a pub near Faneuil Hall does have an interior replicating the interior of Cheers.) So having seen the exterior of "Cheers", I got to cross an important item off my "must see" list.

As I passed by the Bull & Finch, I decided I needed to go back and watch some old episodes of Cheers. Having now visited Boston, maybe I'd have a better appreciation for the setting of Cheers. When I got home, I set a series recording on the DVR for Cheers. The other night, I finally watched an episode.

The episode originally aired in 1984. In this episode, one of the minor plot lines involves a betting pool wherein the Cheers staff and patrons bet on NFL games. Diane participates and chooses her teams by (a) the color of the teams uniforms (red beats blue, blue beats yellow, yellow beats mauve); (b) whether the NFL team's city has a foreign born symphony conductor; and (c) the NFL team's state flower. As you might expect, Diane keeps winning the betting pool much to Sam's chagrin. Now, here's the thing: Sam is going crazy that Diane keeps winning because her betting system is so screwy. She asks him the last time he won the betting pool, and he says, "1974, it's been a rough decade." And then I did some math.

That show aired in 1984. It's 2008. That episode is 24 YEARS OLD! Do you know the tv shows that were 24 years old when that Cheers episode aired? I'll tell you. In 1984, Gunsmoke, Dennis the Menace, and The Flintsones were OLD tv shows.

Cheers is officially classic tv - i.e. for the elderly. Like me.

Today's Song: I'm Sorry, But I'm Beginnin to Hate Your Face, Eagle Seagull

Friday Five

I don't know what my deal is, but as of late I've been completely unable to finish a book. (Exception: I raced through David Sedaris's When You Are Engulfed in Flames.) I've got five books on my nightstand; all of which I've started, but none of which I've completed. And they are:

1. Look Me In the Eye (My Life with Asperger's) , John Elder Robison

2. Babbitt, Sinclair Lewis (Confession: In 11th grade honors English I wrote a term paper on this book, but I didn't actually read it. I guess that makes me a sort of Babbitt character. I did commit to myself that I would actually read it as a sort of pennance, but thus far my pennance is still due.)

3. Cary Grant, A Biography, Marc Eliot (I looked at the pictures.)

4. 740 Park: The Story of the World's Richest Apartment Building, Michael Gross (I've been working on this one for over two years, I think.)

5. Montgomery Clift: A Biography, Patricia Bosworth (This was a new arrival.)

Today's Song: Small Town Saturday Night, Hal Ketchum (In concert tomorrow in Sandy.)