Thursday, May 03, 2007

CRAZY WEEKS







I am alive and kicking though a bit in pain.
Wor4k has been good-busy. On my last post I mentioned my training which is still on-going. In between we had a crowd of 16,000 people for a hughe conference, so that kept everyone busy at work.
Olivia's play turned out great. All the kids did wonderfull with their parts in Annie. I will be posting a video as well as pictures of the play. I also decided to take it upon myself and lay tile down on the upstairs bathroom/hallway while I had three days off over the last weekend. Today is Thursday and I am still not done, more about that later....

Friday, April 20, 2007

PEELING POBLANO PEPPERS IN THE KITCHEN


As part of my "Cross-training" at work, Yesterday I spent the better part of the day working in the kitchen.
Having been in the restaurant business for a long time, I have seen, heard and experienced everything that there is to experience about a working restaurant, except the kitchen part of it. I have never been a cook, a prep cook, a grill man or nothing like it, not even in my previous job, where I supervised a whole kitchen crew.
Until yesterday.
I spent at least two hours peeling Poblano peppers, which are used for Chile Rellenos. You stand at this one spot and your back aches, your fingers burn, your throat burns and you are constantly coughing, because of everything that gets released when you are peeling and de-veining peppers. I am sure that people that do this day in and day out get used to it, but what a chore. My next "assignment" was to fry 3 huge bags of tortilla chips. Sounds simple right?, just throw the chips in the hot oil and fry them, yeah, right!
The chips get hot and steamy and "heavy" with the oil they are being fried on. You have to stir them with a large slotted tool, so they don't stick, break and burn. You have to get the right crisp in them and when you are turning them, they are heavy, then you fish them out of the oil carefully
your wrists, begin to hurt, your shoulders ache from the turning and lifting. After filling about 12 large pans, I was done with my assignment and my arms were just hanging my sides limp and in pain.
Kitchen workers are hard working people.
Next week I will be working at the bar, that should be fun, untill the tickets start spewing lots of tickets with all kinds of different complicated drinks..

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

First Day at Work

Yesterday was my official first day at my new job.
There were plenty of faces I've seen over the past year and some new. I am still looked at as someone who is new and therefore, like an alien out of space, some keep their distance and some are not shy to introduce themselves. It is a job that I have done before so the whole thing is not new to me. Everyone is curious as to what I have done before, where I came from etc. The questions seem funny because as I had said before, I have worked with the company for over a year and a half and I have seen most of them, but they do not remember me.
That is an advantage I suppose.
Not a bad day, only a long one and they are bound to get longer because of the weekends being so much busier. The place turns into a night club after it closes for dinner.
Till then..

Saturday, April 14, 2007

WEEKEND OFF!!

So this is what it feels like to be off on the weekends. Calm, relaxed and with plenty of time for a nap (Not that I've taken one, but Melissa did). We went to get lunch at a great Mexican place here in town, Lindo Michoacan a place that has been around for more than a decade in Vegas. Funny to walk into the restaurant and run into Senator Chris Dodd, from Connecticut. Here in Vegas?.. Of course here in Vegas,
Lately we have seen lots of politicians make their way into our state.
Over the big weekend of Cinco de Mayo during a big event in town, the likes of John McCain and other "heavy weights" of politics will be here.
Anyways, I was saying how nice it was to be off on the weekends, I just came back from getting a haircut and later, or soon, we'll be going bowling...
And we still have Sunday...
Maybe we'll go to the Logandale Fair tomorrow.
It is good to be off on the weekends!-Though I think this might be my last one...

Thursday, April 12, 2007

NEW JOB

So this Monday I start my new job, same company different department. Lateral move with a small raise, not bad after only being with the company for about a year and a half.
My last day at my current place will be this Saturday.
Busy busy busy, no wonder I haven't posted for over a week. Family had fun during their trip to L.A. and San Diego over Easter. While they were away, I got to work and work and do some house cleaning...
Till next time.

Monday, April 02, 2007

A Picture from the past


The year was 1992.
Gorbachev was already out of power and was traveling the world to raise money for his foundation. There was one held were I used to work and was attended by the likes of; Oliver Stone, Barbara Streissand and some other Hollywood types. We were asked to line up in the lobby to "receive" the dignatary. It was actually quite an emotional moment to be shaking the hand of someone who held so much power during his time as Premier of the former USSR (Soviet Union) and who also steered the world into a different direction by his actions.
On the picture there is another current "celebrity chef"-Thomas Keller of
French Laundry and Per Se. At the time he was the Executive chef at the restaurant that I worked at in L.A. 14 Years ago....
How time flies...

Monday, March 19, 2007

WORK!


Yes, lots of work and not much play time the last couple of weeks. I have been working average of 10 to 12 hours per day. A lot going on, so I have to stay longer hours. It is a sign of spring and the upcoming summer months. I remember last year our heavy business began in March and did not let up 'till late in the fall. Of course there has been a lot going on the last few weeks.
The White house can't get a break, but I guess when you are full of secrecy and in shit up to your knees, it is hard to extricate yourself once you're in it. Next Victim-U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez.
Speaking of somewhat nicer wildlife, we have an iguana pet that has a nasty personality, even though now it enjoys an outdoor cage complete with a built in pool (Plastic container) and plenty of room to climb around, it still refuses to be friendly. Might just have to fatten it and have it for a barbecue next year.
Olivia is getting ready for her performance as "Annie" at our church. Last year she played one of the daughters in Fiddler on the Roof, so this year she auditioned and got the Annie part.
I am in the process of waiting for a "promotion"- One that I am not sure what it entails yet but beginning this week or next, I get to train my replacement.
Aside form that, just busy and busy as I am sure most everyone in Bloggworld is.

Wednesday, March 07, 2007

POLITICS


Scooter Libby gets found guilty of "obstruction of justice" so the White House can breathe easier for a little while now. The "Buck" stopped with Libby and it did not go higher. What a difference of Character between the current administration and another one years back that was caught with their hands in the cookie jar(Iran-Contra). At least Reagan looked into the camera and said, "The buck stops with me." End of story. Oliver North and John Poindexter were the scapegoats back then nonetheless, they found very lucrative jobs after giving their testimony to Congress. While we all just went "wow"
Once again we say "wow"
No one in this administration takes responsibility for anything. They would much rather throw the expendable "career politicians" into the fire. People like Libby or Army Maj. Gen. George W. Weightman who know when to throw in the towel and be rewarded afterwards with a great job with Haliburton or other company friendly with Bush and Co.
So, Cheney and Bush can relax for now since they will more than likely pardon Libby. His conviction may also be thrown out in appeal as it happened with Poindexter and Oliver North years ago and we are left saying, "wow"

Friday, March 02, 2007

VACATION


Yes, I need a new vacation and it is only the beginning of the year. I know I just went to L.A. a couple of weeks ago, so that should count as a vacation. I think I need more than just 4 days though. I need something like 2 weeks or so. Now, Melissa and I are thinking along the same lines because while she is planning a "Valentine's vacation" for next year, I was thinking that it would be great to go to Europe next year with the kids. They are at an age that they can appreciate a trip like that. Melissa though just wants it to be the two of us while I want it to be all 4. We'll see what that turns out to be.
Her trip involves some mystery. She does not want to tell me where she is planning on going, but rather is leaving me clues in her blog.

I like mysteries......

I like vacations better.

Saturday, February 24, 2007

IF WOMEN WERE MEN

I got this via Chica Regia,

35 reasons why it would be wonderful if women were men:

1. You have the same attitude all month long.
2. Mechanics do not rip you off.
3. You don't have to carry around a bag full of crap.
4. You don't get ripped off at the salon.
5. You don't give a shit whether anyone notices your new hair cut.
6. In a job interview, your a.. "body" is not a factor
7. When your work is "reviewed", you don't think, "everyone is out to get you".
8. No one from work can make you cry, because whoever pisses you off, you just kick their ass.
9. Your underwear is only 10.00 for a pack of 3.
10. 3 pairs of shoes is more than enough.
11. The wedding arrangements will take care of themselves.
12. Wedding dress, $3,000.00. Rented tux $100.00
13. You can forget a date or screw up and flowers fix everything.
14. You can sit with your legs open while you fart without care.
15. you can go to the rest room alone.
16. Lines at the restrooms are short by 80%.
17. You don't have to "go to the next gas station" because, "this one is too dirty"
18. You can admire Bruce Willis without starving to look like him.
19. Luis Miguel, Ricky Martin, Tom Cruise, Bradd Pitt and everyone else do not exist in your universe, besides they are ass holes and you don't give a shit about them
20. You don't have to clean your place each time someone comes over.
21. You know 20 ways of opening a beer.
22. You can fix everything with the phrase, "Fuck it"
23. You don't care about your friend's sex lives.
24. You can visit a friend without bringing a present.
25. Phone conversations with your friends last less than 60 seconds.
26. If you don't call a friend when you said you would, he's not going to tell your friends that "you've changed"
27. You can watch TV for hours without saying a word without thinking "Is he mad at me?"
28. If someone forgets to invite you to an event, you are still friends.
29. If you arrive at a party and someone is wearing the same sweater as you, you think it's cool.
30. If you are 34 and single, your friends don't care, they even congratulate you.
31. To your old friends, they don't care whether you've gained or lost weight.
32. You don't give a shit if one of your friends is talking behind your back.
33. You don't have to settle for the last bits of dessert from everyone else.
34. you can scratch your balls at any time of the day.
35. If it's hot, you can unbutton your shirt without care.

Monday, February 19, 2007

Blue Dog


Blue Dog
Originally uploaded by Ciscokid1.
Unveliebable that someone would put a dough through this. Poor Dog was shaking. I wonder if it was from cold or from the humilliation.

DEBRA-Everybody Loves Raymond


What is it about this image or picture of Patricia Heaton that everyone is searching for?. I have clicks from Turkey, England and a few other places where that is the image or picture they are searching for.

On another Note.
The NBA All Stars event was a fiasco.
Half Hour to an hour wait for cabs at the Thomas and Mack (Where the main game was).
Traffic Jams all throughout the Strip.
Employees also waiting a long time to leave their places of employment.
Metro (Police) Really busy with gang activity around town. A couple of shootings around town and not as much $$$$$$$$ for the casinos as expected.
So we may never get our NBA team after all.

Friday, February 16, 2007

NBA ALL STARS IN LAS VEGAS


Yes, it is going to be a very busy weekend here in Las Vegas.
Lady Liberty(New York Casino) and the Golden Lion(MGM Grand) are sporting East and West Conference T-shirts respectively to welcome fans into town.
There are so many events happening around the big Big Game on Sunday; private parties at the major night clubs, charity events hosted by the "Wives of the NBA" and much more that is happening at Mandalay Bay and The Palms.
The Palms owners (The Maloof Brothers) are also the owners of The Sacramento Kings. They were a major force behind getting the NBA to come to Las Vegas. The NBA's previous stance on gambling, which was never to allow a basketball team (pro) in a gambling town has recently softened and now there is talk that maybe the town will get its own NBA team.
It won't be easy, we have such a transient crowd and I am note sure that the average Joe is going to be shelling out hundreds of dollars a night to take a family to see the game, unless the tickets are being "comped" by the hotel or casino.
Also, who is going to build an arena, big and flashy enough for a an NBA team? I doubt the State or local tax payers will foot the bill.
Until then, we'll just watch from the sidelines and think of a name.
Las Vegas.....(Any suggestions?

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

LOS ANGELES

The trip to L.A. was great.
We stayed close to Pasadena again. The first night we could not get reservations at the usual place (Sheraton), so we ended up staying in Eagle Rock, not bad. The next day we went to Venice Beach for breakfast, walked around observing the strangeness of it all and from there we headed to the Tar Pits and Museum on La Brea. We drove a lot throughout the day and visited several restaurants.
Having lived there for about 14 years makes it easier to get back and appreciate the city for all that it has to offer. You don't have to be from out of town to go into other neighborhoods and act like a tourist.
Traffic is just as bad as before, so when I sit in traffic here in Vegas, I laugh at those who complain about "traffic"
Melissa truly enjoys the experience of being out of Las Vegas. She is like a little girl in a candy store. For her, it was painful to leave, then again L.A. is just a mere 3.5 hour drive.
RESTAURANT REVIEW:
If you like and love sushi, do not go to Tokyo Wako on Paseo Colorado. The food indeed is Waky and nasty. Rolls that come apart when you pick them up, thick unshaped slabs of fish for sushi. Not a very good place for sushi, maybe Teppan but it seemed to cater to the masses.
Jakes Billiard an Pub is still there, that was highlight of the trip.
Q's billiard is no longer there, it was replaced by Boston Beanery...typical sports bar.
Pictures to be posted later.

Wednesday, February 07, 2007

NO NEWS

Or not the right kind of news.
Astronaut wanted to kill her "rival"
What are you willing to do for the "love of your life"?
I think this story tops the Jeniffer "Wilbananas" story of last year, the Run Away Bride. My grand father would have said "Crazy Biatches."

Also- The Mars Candi company is not ging to play the Men Kissing commercial that they played during the Superbowl. Come on people, It's a commercial and it is funny!
The priorities of some people....... Makes me think.

Priest beats woman, then runs away only to be caught by police later. When is the Catholic Church (Vatican) going to see the light?

That is some of what is happening here in the States. What is happening in other parts of the world, you know already. The worse being, Iraq. As we say in Mexico, "Del Sarten, al Fuego". "From the pan and into the fire." The carnage will not stop until Bush is out of office, or Congress forces him to get the troops home. It is possible.

Melissa and I are going to L.A. for the weekend. We needed to get out of town. It's been work and work for the last few months. Aside from time with family during the holidays, it is time for just the two of us. We are going to play "tourists" in L.A. I lived there for a long time so it will be easy to get around. Looking forward to a weekend of fun.
See you in L.A.!

Monday, January 29, 2007

ENGLISH/SPANISH TRAVELING LESSONS

I got this from one of my links below. As her own post indicates it is somewhat crass and rude. Funny though.

The First part is for those who speak Spanish and would like to "speak" Slang/English.
The Second part is for those who speak English and would like to communicate in "Mexican-Spanish"

Clases de Inglés. Spanish Classes

Some one sent me this email with this Spanish/English lessons. Very very funny stuff.... Be careful, it is somewhat rude...

CURSO DE ESPAÑOL /INGLÉS Y DE INGLÉS /ESPAÑOL

1.Si quiere una COCA COLA diga GUIMI A COUC.
2.Si quiere un cafe y una dona diga COFIANDONA.
3.Si quiere unos huevos con jamón diga YAMANEGS.
4.Si se agarra un dedo con la puerta del Taxi diga FOC.
5. Si algo le parece muy costoso diga FOC.
6. Si se cae en el metro diga FOC.
7. Si lo asaltan en el Bronx diga FOC.
8. Si se encuentra con una mujer de esas de película diga UANA FOC !.
9. Si alguien le grita algo que contenga FOC responda FOQUIU TU.
10.Si pierde el pasaporte, detenga un policia y diga AI LOST MAI FOQUIN PEIPERS.
11.Si se pierde en la ciudad, grite AI AM FOQUIN LOST.
12.Cuando se refiera a un tercero diga DE FOQUIN GAI OVER-DER.
13.Si quiere acostarse con una morenaza dígale AI UANA FOC UIZ YU.
14.Si quiere acostarse con una rubia dígale JALOU, CAN AI FOQUIU?.
15.Si no sabe donde tomar un Taxi diga JAO TU GET A FOQUIN CAB?.
16.Si esta muy enojado NO diga REFOC, solo diga FOC varias veces(FOC, FOC, FOC,...)
17.Si le quieren tomar el pelo pregunte AR YU FOQUIN MI?.
18.Y si estas instrucciones no le sirven de mucho...." Uat da foc YU uant?"

SPANISH FOR GRINGOS (Para que los Gringos aprendan castellano)…
There's always something to learn or to try, many times you need to say some phrase in Spanish, but you don't know how to say it, don't worry, your problems have finished, if your are a gringo and you don't know speak
We took from it some common phrases, just try and you're gonna see the difference and how easy is to speak Spanish.
(Léanlo en voz alta en inglés, está genial!)
1.Boy as n r = Voy a cenar = I'm gonna have a dinner
2.N L C John = en el sillón = on the armchair
3.Be a hope and son = Viejo panzón = fat old man
4.Who and see to seek ago = Juancito se cagó = Little John is a chickenshit.
5.S toy tree stone = estoy tristón = I'm kind a sad.
6.Lost trap eat toss = los trapitos = the little rag.
7. Desk can saw = descanso = (you) rest.
8. As say toon as = aceitunas = olives.
9. The head the star mall less stan dough = deje de estar molestando = stop bugging me.
10.See eye = si hay = yes we have
11. T n s free o ? = tienes frío = are you cold?
12. T N S L P P B N T S O = Tienes el pipi bien tieso = you have an erection.
13. Tell o boy ah in cruise tar = Te lo voy a incrustar = I'm going to insert it in you

Saturday, January 27, 2007

WEBLOG AWARDS

This is actually a great link not just to vote for your favorite blogs, but also to check out some really good blogs. You might actually find some that you read on a regular basis. I did, Post Secret, Wonkette, Waiter Rant, etc.
Most other countries where bloging seems to be taken seriuosly, have these type of awards. They actually have "conferences" on bloging or bloger "get togethers".
Enjoy the list.

Saturday, January 20, 2007

LOST IN DEATH VALLEY


I owe you this story from last year.
This happened on our way back home from San Francisco after Thanksgiving.
Melissa , Anthony and I left Yosemite park that morning after breakfast. We drove up and over the pass towards Bishop.
Bishop is this small town where you can stay if you cannot afford the rooms at Mammoth. From there we were supposed to go down towards Palmdale and eventually into Barstow on our way home.
However, I decided that it was still early and we could take the "long" road through Death Valley, which we had done before.(Here's the Map) So we veered off East into the dessert. Not far from where we turned, we came into another road. The road on the left would take us into Beatty, NV. The one on the right said, "Death Valley". That should have been a "sign" (It was a sign and it also said- Unpaved Road)As far as I could see, the road had plenty of pavement on it. SO we decided to take that road. I know what you're thinking. "BAD MOVE"
So it was.

The road was paved for a good 15 to 20 miles into the Hills as we were cruising at a decent speed-20-30 mph.
All of a sudden as we were climbing, the road ended. The paved road that is,
now it was just a dirt road in the dessert. We stayed on this road for a good half hour until we happened to hit another stretch of paved road.
I thought our luck was changing when we hit another sign that said. North Entrance to Death Valley National Park and another that pointed south and said. "Sand Dunes" Not wanting to go to the Sand Dunes, even though Melissa suggested we go that way, I proceeded to go the opposite way which was paved but just for another couple of miles.
That was the last stretch of pavement I saw for a few hours.
The fact that we did not see other cars or people, or even buzzards in the sky, should have told me I was heading into the wrong way.
We kept climbing up and over hills. At times there was only space for one vehicle, luckily there were no large vehicles in sight. Eventually we spotted two trucks. One with a camper on it and another was one of those small conversion van type.
It helps when you get to the top of a hill or mountain, because it shows you very clearly that you are indeed lost, when all you see is more rocks, gravel and not a paved road in sight, but rather more of the same.
The picture shows a road traveling from left to right (N to S) The road we were on, eventually took us into that road. Again, more unpaved road. At this point, Anthony had fallen asleep and Melissa and I kept on chugging along "enjoying" the scenery while listening to The Beatles.
An hour later we were still on that road and still no side of anything. Bad thoughts began to creep into our minds.
My car is well kept, I had just gotten new tires the week before, so there was no danger of anything, like a busted tire. I also always have a spare in the trunk an I am able to change them. The bad thought was about something wrong happening to the engine or a broken axle, since the road was so rough.

At some other point we were speculating about murderers or such here in the middle of nowhere and without cell phone reception or anything like that.
Right after the conversation about "the murderer", as we were coming up over a small hill and on our way down, what do we see if not "something" that looks like a person ahead in the distance coming up in our direction.
My heart jumped when the adrenaline began to pump.
In the middle of nowhere and here was this person headed towards us. My first thought was, "I can run him over" or something like that. As we got closer to each other, I noticed that it was a female jogger.
This was perhaps a sign that civilization was near, or the sign of a crazy woman.
not ten minutes passed when we got to the end of that road. Finally a paved road and one that would get us home.
Not before passing by places like this.

Thursday, January 18, 2007

JUSTICE!

Since I am an avid reader, I decided to take this quiz. Now, I have never heard ofthis book but I might pick it up just to see.....
I wonder who comes up with all these little quizes that tell you what kind of muffin, smurf, tree, animal or rock you are, simply by answering a few silly questions?




You're A Theory of Justice!

by John Rawls

In the beginning, you lived in a town. The town had many problems!
Rather than moving, you decided to come up with the idea for the best town ever. Going
all the way back to the original position, you created the idea for the best town ever!
Lo and behold, the best town ever looked almost identical to the town you lived in. You
decided to stay in the town. Now you resent people mistaking your refined thought
experiments for "the wall of stupidity" in high school debate
rounds.



Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

NEWS



The snow never materialized but it was very cold for a good two weeks straight. Winter weather is coming back to normal here in Vegas.
More news.
My mom went back to Mexico last week. It was good having her visit since this was the longest she's been out of Mexico. At least she's back to her own home and her own things. Unfortunately, my little brother, who lives with her, made a mess of things while she was here. I'm sure she'll take care of him.
Everyone knows that no matter where you go or how comfortable and pampered you are, you can't wait to get home to your own things. I noticed she was getting anxious to leave. She was at my brother's throughout her stay and she was getting annoyed at some of the happenings there (Mother in Law-Daughter in Law issues). Then again, if she had stayed with me, she would have found something to have an opinion about.
She says she'll come back. Probably to visit for a week or two, rather than the six months that she was here. I'll be looking forward to her coming back maybe this time she'll stay with us.
Anthony will be turning 8 Next week.
Olivia and Melissa are going to see High School Musical.
and me?.
Work, work and work.

Friday, January 12, 2007

SNOW IN LAS VEGAS

So everyone in town is looking forward to snow in the valley.
Weather warnings were issued from 2:00PM through 10:00PM tonight because of snow. Of course its a lot colder than usual, probably the coldest all year. However, I don't think that snow is going to materialize. Maybe a little bit in the surrounding high areas. (Forecasters spoke of 2-3 inches in the valley-That means; Snow on The Strip.) If it does, the kids will be happy and I will be posting pictures...

This was my yard back in 2003 when we got a good snow storm overnight...
'Till then.

Tuesday, January 09, 2007

20,000 BUSH'S MAGIC NUMBER


So, Bush is going to announce that he needs 20,000 more troops to go to Iraq and finally "suppress" the insurgency and lend support to the Iraqi government in their efforts to put down the "insurgency."
He is also going to ask for more funds to spend on infrastructure to create more jobs for Iraqis, thus reducing the number or those joining the insurgents.

Isn't this what should have happened the moment we went into Iraq?.
Why 3 years later with "more of the same" attitudes. "throw more soldiers and money into the problem and that should take care of it".
It's too bad that The president still does not have a realistic plan for Iraq. I don't think anybody has a real idea as to what to do with the War there. I am aware that we cannot just pull all our troops out of there all at once, but to continue on the same path is to continue with the same problems.
Why are we not pursuing or pressuring other Mid-East neighboring countries to help find a solution?
Inevitably I believe, that is what is going to happen. It is a regional problem that involves all surrounding countries. The Saudis have already experienced terrorist attacks, Lebanon is a shaky "democracy", Egypt has also had acts of terrorism on its soil. So if they want to stop them from happening as much as we in the U.S. do, then they need to be involved in the solution to bring an end to the conflict, not just in Iraq, but all throughout the region.

My own humble opinion.

Friday, January 05, 2007

WINDY NIGHT


It's two in the morning and bad dreams have startled me out of bed. Outside the wind howls as it tries to rip the tiles of the roof. At least it sounds that way. A light rain makes everything glitter as if all the stars had fallen from the sky.
It's two in the morning and everyone sleeps peacefully in spite of the angry wind.
Bad dreams have woken me up and tossed me into the night. There is no one outside but shadows and flickering lights.
It's later in the morning and time to wake up.

Tuesday, January 02, 2007

2007

Already January 2.
College Football is over, aside from the National Championship game coming up, Christmas is over, Garbage truck picked up all the empty boxes and torn up wrapping paper. Recycling bins are full of empty bottles from the New Year's bash. All gifts put away and things seem to be back to normal.
People have gone home, people are returning.
Parking lots at the airport are clearing and now the lots will sit empty for another whole year.
Now what!
A new Year, a blank slate, a new sheet of paper.
We get older, kids get and grow much faster and older.
Do you have a list?

Friday, December 29, 2006

HAPPY NEW YEAR!



Hope you have some bubbly beverage.
Apple cider should be OK for the kids.
Andre (Yuk!), Cooks (No way), Anything else but those two is good to celebrate this new year's eve.
My Favorite List

J- Jordan
Schramsberg
Iron Horse
Louis Roederer-California (Not the French stuff) Too expensive and over rated.
Perrier Jouet- Fleur du Champagne. Not bad if you can find it cheap.
Krug if you have plenty of money
Billecart De Salmon-"Pink" champagne. worth a "C" note.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Saturday, December 23, 2006

MERRY CHRISTMAS!



Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all of you. May all your dreams and wishes coem true or at least somehow you get a glimpse of them.

Paz en el mundo tambien.

Friday, December 22, 2006

TRADE IN!

The following is an estimate that Olympuswants to give me for my digital camera. The deal is; you buy a new camera and send your old camera with the receipt and Bam! they send you a "rebate check". I know my camera has seen better days and with its (now) low 3.5 megapixels it still takes great pictures as you can see on previous posts or on my flickr account.



No, I am not trading. I might get more if I pawn it (which I will also not do).

Trade-In Estimate
Point & Shoot Olympus 3.0 to 3.9 Megapixel
CAMERA CONDITION: WORKING BUT WITH SCRATCHES OR DENTS
OPTICAL ZOOM OR DIGITAL ZOOM: 3X Optical
CAMERA FOCUS TYPE: AUTO FOCUS
EXTERNAL MEDIA INCLUDED WITH CAMERA: No External Memory Card
FLASH: BUILT-IN FLASH
LCD DISPLAY BUILT IN: YES
ORIGINAL SOFTWARE INCLUDED: NO
BATTERY TYPE REQUIRED: Uses Standard AA or AAA Alakline Battery(s) - Not included
AC ADAPTER / CHARGER: NOT INCLUDED
INSTRUCTIONS / OWNERS MANUAL: NOT INCLUDED
ORIGINAL CABLES AND/OR DOCK: SOME OF THE ORIGINAL CABLES ARE INCLUDED (not ALL)
PC CONNECTIVITY: USB and/or FIREWIRE
BLUETOOTH CAPABLE: NO
EXTERNAL TELEPHOTO CONVERTERS / LENSES: NONE
Estimated Trade-in Value:
(includes a Prepaid shipping label) $3.72
+$20.00 Bonus Cash
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
$23.72 Total Trade-in Estimate

Monday, December 18, 2006

TO BLOGG OR NOT TO BLOGG


Over the last year of blogging, I have seen blogs disappear and some that write about stopping just to come back a few weeks or months later.
I think the reason given is usually lack of time.
Of course a blog should probably be the last priority when it comes to family, work and other social activities that prohibit you from writing. So why do people blog?. A recent survey found that the majority of people blog "for Themselves" as a record or story of their own personal lives. There are other more specific blogs that deal with a particular subject such as; politics, national news or current events. there are others that are about cooking, religious, or other etc, etc.
Mine falls under the average category. I see it more as a "picture" of my state of mind at any given point in time. I cover just about anything that happens around me as well as my family, as long as it is not too revealing. There are a lot of things that the Internet should not know and does not need to know about me.
Readership is also a funny subject. I can count on one hand the people that visit my blog. They may not necessarily comment on every post but sometimes they leave a note. (Thank you)
Some other times there are no comments. It does not bother me and as long as this interesting tool that Blogger provides free of charge, I will continue using it for my own entertainment purposes. Though I am thinking of getting an account with Wordpress and start a new blog with a "single" particular subject.
Any thoughts?

Tuesday, December 12, 2006

NY PICTURES

I said I was going to post pictures and here they are. It's been a good two days here. Traveling like any Ney Yorker through the "train" or subway has been fun. It reminds me of my childoohd in Mexico where to get just about anywhere, all you needed was a ticket in. Not about the same but similar. I have decided against using my Ipod to shut the noise out. It is "soothing" to hear thousands of feet as they shuffle along moving through the tunnels, or the NY noise of cars stuck in traffic or sirens blaring in the middle of the night. I couldn't do this everyday, su to me it's a novelty which will eventually wear off. Now it's off to work, but first I gotta grab a cup of coffee.
Here are the pictures.







Sunday, December 10, 2006

ANOTHER TRIP - NEW YORK

I got to New York City this morning and it isn't as cold as I though it would be. This is a solo trip (work related) so it isn't much fun without company. Lasttime I was here, was with melissa for Valentine's. That was a really good trip. Next time she'll have to come along.
I have walked through the southern part of Manhattan throughout the day. I have also taken quite a few pictures which I will post as soon as I get a chance. The streets are full of Christmas shoppers. The Soho area was a zoo of people walking all over the place. I guess for lack of a traditional mall, like those on the west coast, you go to Soho. I got a couple of more days here, though the next two will be mostly about work. 'till then..

Friday, December 08, 2006

HOLIDAY TRIP


Once we left the town of Hanford, we headed towards the I-5 which takes you North towards San Francisco or south to Los Angeles. It was tempting to head south and just go hang out in Old Town Pasadena, but we had already commited to the family get together in San Francisco. The road continues East from Hanford, first through a small stretch of freeway then to a two lane road along cotton fields, acres and acres of fruit trees, all lined up in perfect sequence and at times, nothing but empty fields. Harvest season had just passed so there were quite a few acres of nothing but dirt. At other times there were huge rectangular mounds of cotton ready to be loaded onto trucks.
Once we got onto the I-5 it was a straight drive. There were a lot of cars on the road so the speed at times was slow. a couple of hours later we veered East to drive into Gilroy, Garlic capital of the world. It is a quick drive over the hills, with a view of large lake/reservoir and typical California landscape, bare hills with patches of trees here and there. We drove into Gilroy without much traffic and from there to San Jose and then Redwood city. When we arrived at Bill and Debbie's, they were cooking already so we dipped into the finger goods while we watched the required football game. I believe the Dolphins were beating some other team. The night progressed with good food, conversation, pomegranate martinis, wine and later in the night a good game of Texas Hold'em. The following day turned out to be a "trip into the city" for Melissa Anthony and me. Aside form the crowd at the mall and the half hour drive into "the parking lot", it was a good outing. We met everyone else at the movie theater where we saw, Happy Feet. I guess I could have taken a nap but I was waiting for something quite exciting to happen in the movie. A disapointing movie.
The next morning we hit the road to head back to Las Vegas. However, this was not going to be an easy drive. I had asked Melissa if she wanted to drive through Yosemite park since she had never been there. She is always up for an adventure so she said yes and off we went.
Cold In Yosemite, Lost on the dessert and a drive in the darkness to get home.
That will be for the next post.

Monday, December 04, 2006

MADAGASCAR DREAM

So, I had this dream that my brother and I were in the island of Madagascar to take a class, once a week and for an hour. When we got there, we went to the classrooms (2001 and 1010) we thought we were supposed to be in and the professor asked us to go to administration and find out where exactly we were supposed to be. He spoke in some strange language and we could not understand a word he was saying so, some of our classmates offered to take us. When we got there, the "officer" explained to us, that we needed to show our receipt along with our class schedule (which somehow had been left at home--Mexico?, US?) and without those receipts or other documents, he could not give us our class schedule. In my dream, I wondered how it was that we were supposed to live while attending class for one hour and once a week in somewhere so far off. i figured that since we were there specifically for "school", that everything else would fit into place. To get off the Island to go back and retrieve our documents, this is what we had to do. There was a very shallow part of the ocean where people were walking on to get to the mainland. So, we just followed the same path, water was dirty and it was not an even bottom, it had lots of big rocks or boulders. I was wearing a blue coat with lots of buttons down the center and white pants.
When we went over the water and ended up on a busy street with lots of people waiting for a bus. At this point, we ran into a friend form our childhood, who was wearing some old and raggedy clothes. He looked happy.
Later, I found myself in a hotel/resort-Still in Madagascar with some strangers. We were waiting for a cab to get us to the airport, where I ended up cutting off everyone while driving the cab, exited the cab, got my bags and apologized to everyone for cutting them off.

and you- What did you dream about?

Saturday, December 02, 2006

UCLA WON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



It is official.
The 7 year itch is Over!
UCLA beat USC-- by 4 points. A win is a win and the spell has been broken. The bell goes back to Westwood and hopefully a sign of things to come. USC in the meantime will have to wait to see where it is going to play. A lot of Trojan fans will have to cancell their tickets and resevations to AZ. Too bad. Then again, they may not have to travel at all and play in the Rose Bowl-----Again.
Fight Fight Fight

Thursday, November 30, 2006

HOLIDAYS-3 STORIES IN ONE

Yes, it is that time of the year.
I spent thanksgiving at Bill and Debbie's in San Francisco with family and friends. It had been a few years since I had been up there because of work but, it is time to continue with the tradition.
FIRST STORY - DRIVE UP.
Not a bad drive from Vegas, but it is a bit boring when you go from Vegas to Barstow on your way to L.A. as often as we do. Since we were going further North, we took the road that Goes from Barstow and to Bakersfield. Probably as boring if you drove it more than three times a year, but not for me. It is a road that traverses the high desert and goes over a mountain pass but, not before passing by an airplane graveyard. There is a lot of 18 wheelers on this two lane road which makes it a bit dangerous. It is not even a major road, since it curves and dips like waves. Of course you also want to fill up your tank before you venture into any of these roads. Gas prices are steep in small desolate towns. You also don't want to get into an accident-we saw a bad one on our way up there-cops, paramedics or fire trucks take a long while to get there from the closest town.
Next stretch of road is over the Tehachapi Mountains and down into Bakersfield. The town of Tehachapi is quite picturesque. It sits atop the pass of the same name. mostly farmers. There was this huge building all lit up at night. Not quite sure what it was. It looked like a huge power plant, probably the biggest structure up there. It doesn't take away from the beauty up there.
Once you get into Bakersfield, it is more of the same, particularly if you are driving on highway 99. Nothing but farmland and huge complexes that deal with anything that is is vegetable and edible and can be canned or boxed and shipped to major grocery stores.
We stayed in Hanford at a Best Western. Not a bad place except that there are a few trains going through blaring their horns "throughout" the night. The hotel just happened to be by a freeway and about half a mile from the train tracks. Next morning we drove from Hanford over to the "I-5" and up into San Jose. Passing through Gilroy and more California Landscape, quite unique I may add.

STORY 2-- LATER

Monday, November 20, 2006

FOX CORP HAS BIGGER COJONES!

OK.
I think I am overusing the word, "cojones" hopefully you know what it means and I promise it was the last time I typed or used it.
HOWEVER!!!!
Unbelievable but true. They are pulling out of the Murderer's plot. Now why is that?
Answer the following survey....

News media does have a:
a. heart.
b. fear of the American TV Viewer.
c. something else will come up where we can make a gazillion dollars from.
d. fear of the American TV Viewer.

If you picked b,c or d, you may be taking way too many on-line surveys. If you picked a.

You are wrong.

Thursday, November 16, 2006

OJ SIMPSON


This guy has some big cojones!
If you didn't already know, he is telling you how he would have done it
Unbelievable that someone would agree to "publish" a so called story.
Unbelievable that Fox would agree to air his interview. What is he going to write or say that we don't already know? I wonder if all the people that cheered and applauded when he was declared -Not Guilty- will be buying his book. As far as I am concerned, I consider it worse than National Enquirer or anything like it and I do not even read those. Will I be watching the interview?.. Hell No!
I have to see if there is a re-run of "The Worst Movie Ever" or something bad before I watch his interview.

Tuesday, November 07, 2006

US ELECTIONS

By the looks of it, the Democrats got their wish. As of right now, they seem to have won the house of representatives while the senate still seems to be up for grabs. Though the Republicans may very well keep control of the senate for more "Divided Government."
Now what!
If you remember when the Republicans took controll of Congress in 1994, they were put into ofiice by an electorate that was leaning a bit to the right and fairly conservative. They basically supported Gingrich and his "Republican Revolution" based on an actual belief that the party they were voting in, espoused and believed in the same issues.
This time though, aside from the Iraq issue, the Democrats really have no base to stand on or to lead from. That is the sad part. This was an election or a vote "Against" the Republican administration as opposed to a vote "for" the Democrats.
This is truly another historical point in American politics as big as when the Republicans came to power in 1994. I believe that this is the turning point in the Iraq quagmire. There will be more pressure on the White House to come to its senses and end this mess.
There are still a couple more years left for Bush to stand his ground against a Democratic house. It will not be much more different from the previous years, since much of his Republican support in Congress and throughout the country has diminished, again due to to the Iraq issue. However, with a House of Representatives controlled by the Democrats, many skelletons will be dragged out of closets and it will be interesting to see how far they are willing to take the fight and really show that they have a back bone and a real plan for leading this country into a better place than it is right now. The Gingrich Revolution is over and lets see if the Democrats can be as revolutionary.

Monday, November 06, 2006

ELECTION

Over the weekend Olivia and I attended a "Hispanic Day Parade" that my employer and its "Diversity Council" supported.
I guess this parade was supposed to happen last month (Columbus Day, etc) but due to bad weather, the parade was re-scheduled. Of course most of the majority attending the parade were; Latin American, Hispanic or however you may refer to anyone south of the border. The parade was well intentioned becuase the theme was to celebrate "diversity."
This was quickly taken advantage of by some of the candidates running for office here in Southern Nevada. Of course, if you were a candidate for office, you would use any and every available gathering of people to get your face and name out.
The main culprit here was Jim Gibbons. He showed up in a big blue mobile home with a large entourage of his staff. They were also part of the parade and were lined up behind us.
It was funny to hear them cheering in Spanish with a "Viva Gibbons" chant. I say funny because of the stance of the candidate on immigration and the English language as the "official language of the U.S. (Nothing wrong with that) etc. It was obvious that they were just there pandering to the public. Shelley Berkley was there as well though I am also a bit surprised that none of the other candidates were not there as well. Particularly the Democratic candidates, you would have thought they would be there to show that they are concerned and wanting to be part of the "diverse" crowd. I gotta hand it to Gibbons for at least being there.

Monday, October 30, 2006

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!!!!


Happy Halloween everyone.
Last year I asked how you celebrate this season, since in many other parts of the world people celebrate differently.
Tomorrow, I will get out of work early and make it home to scare the wits of some kids who come to my door "trick or treating".
Olivia and Anthony will go around the neighborhood and get lots of candy. It was only a few years ago that Olivia would not go to the door because she would be frightened by the kids in disguise coming for candy. Now, she has become a pro. Olivia is going to be Cleopatra and Anthony will be Captain "Jack Sparrow". I had originally told them I was going to be "The invisible Man", since I was going to be at work all day. Now I may just be "The visible Daddy"..
It will be a good Halloween.

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

BOA---Bank of Africa

I've been seeing some of these e-mails in other bloggs, so here is my contibution:
In case you are interested, email me and I will go 50-50 with you.....

FROM MR.ERIC KOSHY
AUDITING AND ACCOUNTING SECTION OF
BANK OF AFRICA
(BOA)
EMAIL;(benprivate1@myway.com)

Dear friend,
I am ERIC KOSHY the
director in charge of auditing and accounting
section of Bank Of Africa
(BOA)with due respect and regard. I have
decided to contact you on a
business transaction that will be very
beneficial to both of us at the
end of the transaction During our
investigation and auditing in this
bank,my department came across a
very huge sum of money belonging to a
deceased person who died on
October 31st 2000 in a plane crash and the
fund has been dormant in
his account with this Bank without any claim
of the fund in our
custody either from his family or relation before
our discovery to
this development.The said amount was U.S $11.5M
(Eleven million Five
hundred Thousand United States dollars).

Meanwhile all the whole arrangement to put claim over this fund as the
confide next of kin to the deceased, to get the required approval and
transfer this money to a foreign account has been put in place and
directives and needed information will be relayed to you as soon as
you
indicate your interest and willingness to assist us and also
benefit
your self to this great business opportunity.In fact I could
have done
this deal alone but because of my position in this country
as a civil
servant(A Banker),we are not allowed to operate a foreign
account and
would eventually raise an eye brow on my side during the
time of
transfer because I work in this bank.This is the actual reason
why it
will require a second party or fellow who will forward claims
as the
next of kin with affidavit of trust of oath to the Bank and
also
present a foreign account where he will need the money to be
re-
transferred into on his request as it may be after due verification
and
clarification by the correspondent branch of the bank where the
whole
money will be remitted from to your own designation bank account.

I
will not fail to inform you that this transaction is 100% risk
free.On
smooth conclusion of this transaction,you will be entitled to
30% of
the total sum as gratification, while 5% will be set aside to
take care
of expenses that may arise during the time of transfer and
also
telephone bills,20% will be set aside for the poor and the needy
after
we have received the money, while 45% will be for me. Please,
you have
been advised to keep "top secret" as I am still in
service and intend
to retire from service after we conclude this deal with
you.I will be
monitoring the whole situation here in this bank until
you confirm the
money in your account and ask me to come down to your
country for
subsequent sharing of the fund according to percentages
previously
indicated and further investment, either in your country or
any country
you advice us to invest in.All other necessary vital
information will
be sent to you when I hear from you.

I look forward to receive your
reply as the urgency implies.

Yours faithfully,


MR.ERIC KOSHY
BANK OF
AFRICA(BOA)

Monday, October 23, 2006

ELECTIONS

Elections are upon us and TV ads are all over the place that is hard to pinpoint who's running for what or what they stand for from one day to the next. Just today I received a "Employee Voter's Guide" from my employer. You would have thought they send you a straightforward guide with no biases. However, after reading through a few pages, I noticed boxes next to some candidates already checked. This was the "employer's recomendations". Granted, all recomendations were from both major parties. Though I disagree with this type of guides, If I am a business with thousands of employees, that would be the most direct way of affecting an election to my favor. Another advantage to the employer, is not only the passiveness of average voters, but also the diverse pool of employees. Most of these new citizens have never voted in their own countries. So, now they find a guide in their mail box that tells them exactly the way to vote.
Hopefully these new voters will read through the fine print and vote according to their beliefs. There is much at stake, as with any election, but this is the only way to send a message to the Bush administration that it's time to re-think and put an end to the Iraq fiasco. Does it matter that this implies to vote along and with Democratic candidates?. Not if you put your own self interests ahead of everyone else's, much like companies do when they send pre-checked "voter guides"
Happy Voting!

Monday, October 16, 2006

NEWS

Yes. it's been a while since I posted, aside form the one earlier today.
Been busy at work, much too busy. I also attended a 3 day seminar on "Diversity".. Somewhat of a life changing experience seminar. Based on the principals espoused by "The 7 habits of highly effective people" as well as the "8th habit". Plenty of exercises that make you look inward as well outwards towards your support systems. At the same time it allow me to not worry too much about work, however, when I got there, all hell had broke loose. Oh well, I guess it is time to put in practice what I learned.
Till next time..

Shopping for a worthy cause

Why not.

Product Red



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Thursday, October 05, 2006

KEVIN'S WEDDING

Anhtony overlooking the pond.

The wedding was great.
Kevin is a friend I've known for about 15 years now. Kristal is someone whom he's known since elementary school, not that they've been together that long. Everyone had a great time, Olivia was in her element. This was her third time as a flower girl, though she does not want to be a flower girl anymore, now she wants to be a "junior bride's-maid" By the looks of it, she may not be a bride's maid or other for a lot of years.......
This is Anthony "break dancing"

Melissa ---- Happy.
"The Boys" playing a joke on Kevin...Their last one

Indeed, it was a great wedding.
I have more pictures in flickr for those interested in seeing them.