Once again, its been over a month since I posted anything as you can see from the date bellow. Scrolling to my right at the other blogs I read, I find that the same is true for just about everyone else. Not many are blogging as much as before, few stay true to their blogs and continue with updates and what not. I believe that Facebook is taking most blogers away from their pages for quick interactions with friends or other readers (blogers). At least that's the case with me. I am not sure I'm ready to give it all up. It serves as a good record of what is happening at the moment with feelings, moods, happenings (Like the MJ and Farrah deaths). I will continue however to read your blogs and try and catch up with whatever is going on with you.
I have been a fan of some of the survivor shows and seen probably 2 of them in their entirety. The one I remember watching was Micronesia I believe where Parvati won it against former Survivor winners.
Yes, that Parvati, the conniving, bitch who would do anything to win. At least that was the impression I got from watching the show. That was not the impression I got when I met her at our restaurant. She stopped in with some friends after being out at the pool. Of course they did not have a reservation (On a concert night- with a full restaurant). That wasn't the worse of it, one of the guys did not have a shirt,so of course they could not come in and eat. As they were standing outside the restaurant attempting to get a table, I noticed one of them and she looked very familiar. her was wet from being at the pool and I though it was probably one of our employees (Cocktail server or something similar). Her smile was what gave her away as familiar. She noticed me and asked me if they could get a table in the restaurant to which I asked if they had inquired with the hostess at the door. Of course they had and received a negative answer which I confirmed again. As we continued on idle conversation, I asked her where I had seen or met her. The answer came not from her, but from her friend. She asked if I had seen any of the survivor shows. After saying yes, she asked if I remember Parvati. That was enough for me to place her face. Indeed it was the "Parvati" from Survivor.
I ended up giving them a table after I gave the other guy a shirt to put on. Sometimes when you are a celebrity, even if it is from a reality show, you can get a table at a completely booked restaurant (As long as you are not a bitch).
By the time Mother's day arrives, It is going to be cloe to 100 degrees in Vegas. A bit too hot too soon. It's been great here for the las 3 month with complete spring wheather and a couple of hot days in between, not too hot. Normally you don't get 100 degree days till June, but we knew they were coming. We expect to have a hot summer where you go for weeks with 100+ everyday. Wheather because of global warming or other nature twist, our whether pattern has chnaged,, twice during December it snowed, just a couple of weeks ago we still had snow flurries here in Summerlin (In April!) Oh yeah! where have I been? Facebook - it makes it easier and immedate to blogg about anything.
This is Spring break in Las Vegas. Olivia is in Kansas City with her grand mother and aunt. Anthony is in California (Disneyland) with Melissa. Me, chilling at home with 2 dogs, a lizard and a cat(Charlie).
Of course there is always work. Work is so interesting and crazy from day to day. One day all is calm, everything goes according to plans; everyone shows up for work, every employee minds their own business, all customers are in their best behavior. And then there are days like yesterday. Someone did not show up for work, another servers is minding everyone else's business but hers, I cannot get another bartender because the beverage department does "not have anyone" available. (How many people are without a job right now?). I am sure one of them has bar tending experience. Then you get the people who show up at the door and demand a table before going to their show and of course they do not have a reservation and they get irate when told to wait about 10 minutes for a table. Of course they are "going to take their business" somewhere else, right to another restaurant that is busy with all the same crowd going to see the same show. Next time may I recommend making reservations ahead of time (particularly when you have a group larger than 6) All of a sudden, as if the storm has passed and the sky clears and you see nothing but sunlight and a calm breeze. Everything stops. The concert crowd leaves, we are left with empty and dirty tables, an empty bar while everyone behaves better, including me. Yes, I admit it, everyone was getting on my nerves and it showed, though I think sometimes they need to see that side of me. The side that says, I am not going to take your shit and just do your damn job and do it right. The storm has passed, there will be more to come and for now I am breathing easier. I am enjoying my spring break.
Today is the first performance of High School Musical at my daughter's school. It is for students and teachers and open to everyone in general. The next 3 shows require tickets, etc. I will be posting some footage on you tube later on.
AIG is getting bailed out and their top people still got their bonuses. Maybe when the company I work for declares bankruptcy, I'll get my bonus which I did not get this year and perhaps even a fat raise. I consider myself a "key" employee and thus should receive a few thousands dollars of tax payer money. I am not asking for 1 million or more, just a few thousand. Yeah Right! The company I work for, though private like AIG, will not affect the national economy if it goes bankrupt. It will also not receive a bail out from the Fed or even our state government. Imagine the uproar if we were to receive money from Uncle Sam so we can continue to build and run our gambling palaces like before. That might not be such a good idea, imagine the return on the government's investment (last year one of the big companies in town racked up 1.B in profit, just in the third quarter, though this year it was not as lucky. I think it's wrong to bail out all these companies out of the troubles they placed themselves in. This did not happen overnight and someone should have seen this coming. Obama is not the reason this country is delving into socialism. You can't even call it socialism because we have yet to see medical care socialized. Should it be called selected socialism? I can understand that many people may suffer if one of these "biggies" go down. the big question is, how many are already suffering because of the economic instability, myself included. Should I sell the house and save for what may come? or stay in it and wait for what may come without any savings to account for?. Right now we just are sitting ducks waiting for the guns to fire.
Olivia got the lead part(Gabrielle?) for High School Musical at her school. Not bad for a 5th grader. She is quite excited and she says that if the play was tomorrow, she's ready. Performances (3) are at the end of March.
This is Olivia singing El Shadai at church.
Anthony seems to be doing better at school. There have not been calls from her teacher wigging out! We both were sick last week, so we kind of paled around going out to breakfast, getting haircuts and such. Oh yeah!. watching lots of movies- All 3 of the Lord of the Rings -one per day. best movies when you are bed ridden. You start watching, then you take a long nap, wake up and movie is still on.
Melissa started on the South Beach diet again, that is very good, because it changes her whole personality and attitude. I remember the last time she tried it, it worked for her.
I have not been on the Wii for a while. Aside from sickness last week, I've just been tired from work, but I think things are getting back to "normal" which in this case is "slow" at work. I have not even been to take pictures or biking. Tonight Melissa and I are going out to a nice dinner to celebrate Valentines.
I have now been in Las Vegas for 10 years. We moved here back in January of '99. Olivia was not even a year old, not even walking yet. We lived at the Durango apartments on Peace way. This was while we were looking to buy a house. I already had the job at Mandalay Bay, which I got without even an interview with the Room Service manager, my future boss at the time. I was just there for my initial interview with him and went to the trailers where they were doing all the processing. When I got there, of course he was not there, but rather inside the hotel doing a walk through of the Room Service area. When they called him to remind him about the appointment, the message relayed was, "Just go ahead and get him processed." So I went through processing and by the time I walked out of there, I had a job and an ID without even a face to face interview. I though to myself, Wow! am I that good that I didn't even know it?" Of course this nagged at me so when I got home, I called him back to find out what that was all about. Of course he was freaked out about it, then he remembered that he also had another appointment with another "Francisco" and since he had already interviewed him, etc. He was ready to hire him. Of course he hired the wrong Francisco for the wrong position. I think to save face, he decided to hire me anyways so he took me to his VP's office for a follow up interview, not before instructing me to not say anything about being already processed and hired. The VP asked me a few standard questions, getting the standard answers and then he asked my future boss in front of me. "Are you happy with him" to which he answered in the affirmative. That is how I got my first job in Vegas. Actually my first job was with the Four Seasons in the same building at the "Veranda Cafe". I had also been already hired - after the proper interviews, including one with the then General Manager of the hotel, and was ready to start. However, MB came up with a better offer ($$$) and so my career began at Mandalay Bay.
It was also during this time that Barb was diagnosed with A.L.L.
We are having great weather in Vegas with rain, snow in the mountains and still a bit of cold in the air. Yet, we've been very busy at work (thank goodness) that I have not had much time to get out biking or running. Aside from my last foray into Blue Diamond where I scraped my knees and a return trip last week into a new trail, I have not been outdoors much. This is really the best time to get out there and probably once it warms out a bit, before temperatures reach 100+. We did have another tequila tasting in our restaurant last week prior to Valentine's weekend and we've been busy since that I practically left Melissa out of Valentine's celebration, not that I celebrated anything or anywhere else.
I'm sorry I missed it. I know you like to celebrate Valentine's and other holidays that sometimes I do not even remember, sorry for that again. My schedule has been all over the place as well that there have not been time for planning an outing or so, but I have an idea where I'd like to take you to celebrate our love. It won't be biking or running,though I would like you to go next time, maybe running. HAPPY VALENTINES anyways. Love you on February 14Th and every day.
Today it was a 22 mile ride View Larger Map through Lake Mead area. A good series of ups and downs-mostly down at first all the way into the Lake Mead Camping site from Lake Las Vegas area. Great road with no autos and not as many cyclists. The pictures tell the story.
This is our departing point. Looking West towards Lake Las Vegas
Going down after a few downhills
Curvy road with no one around
The long road ahead
Looking north towards the main road (bridge)
Our destination in the distance - Lake Mead Camping Site
Pepe - on the way back
Yes. this is the 11 mile mark - now its back with nothing but uphill!
When Wii Fit came out I was very skeptical thinking, "Who needs a platform or wii game to lose weight or be fit?". What happened to just running or going to the gym?. Well boy was wrong! I love Wii fit. the games of balance, yoga exercises and others are amazing. Why? It really is like having a trainer in front of you while you see "immediate" results right in front of you. If someone looks at you they cannot tell whether you are putting more pressure on one leg over the other. However, the Wii, while you are standing on the board, measures every inch of pressure you are putting on each foot and that is what I mean when I say you see immediate results. It is also a scale, though not very accurate at times. but regardless, it shows progress and there is good direction and instructions for exercises, of course you could cheat but why bother. You Will get as much out of it as you put into it. If you don't have one, Get it. By the way that was a gift to our kids, who do not need to be or stay fit, so I am wondering if it was actually "for us"... No matter, great gift!
