BOOK REVIEWS

In the past 2 weeks I have read 3 books which I thought I would share with you.
During our outing to Pasadena last week, Melissa and I looked for Waiter Rant the book by "The Waiter". We stopped through a couple of stores and none had it. Eventually I find the one and only copy of it at a Barnes and Noble on Fairfax. Excellent description of what happens in the restaurant industry from the view of a waiter. I used to be a waiter once and can relate to most everything in the book. Entertaining.
The second book I picked up just because I was bored and ready for more reading. John Grisham's The Broker.
It is a quick and fast paced story, much similar to all his stories about lawyers and courtrooms. It keeps you interested in the on goings of an attorney who's being "hidden" by the CIA only with the purpose of getting him assassinated by other spies, etc. The setting is in Bologna, so you get a detailed description of this Italian City through the writer's own experience. Quick read in two days.
While we were in L.A. Melissa also picked up, The Art of Racing in the Rain by, Garth Stein. This novel tugs at your heart with each page as it tells a story through a dog's eyes who thinks of himself almost human. The dog, Enzo, is witness to the trials and tribulations of a young race car driver as he struggles with his career, then marriage 'till his whole life is in complete turmoil and hits bottom.
It is a story that personally hits too close to home and definitely recommend the book to anyone.

Let me know if you read them.

It's the economy stupid!

It's the economy stupid

That was the slogan in 1991 when Clinton was running against George Bush senior. That should be the slogan that Obama should be running against McCain. If you have not felt the rumblings of a spiraling economy, consider yourself lucky. I know it's been around for the last couple of years. However, it finally hit home.

Things began to go south a few months ago when there was a series of layoffs in town. The layoffs have continued from casino to casino and now, "big" construction projects that you never thought they would stop, have come to a halt because of lack of financing. I am talking about billion dollar projects I have never been afraid to lose my job until now. restaurants are closing, some are reducing hours of operation and some are doing everything to attract and keep customers who are looking to save every Penney they can.
There are people who are still making a good living, but they are just as nervous. As nervous as I am.
I can only hope that our place continues to do somewhat better than our competition. Actually, my job is to make sure that we continue to do better than the competition but it is so hard when you do not feel appreciated by your upper management.
I like what I do and I would like to do it somewhere else but in the current economic situation, it would be stupid to try and change right now.
I'll just have to ride it out and as I am fond of saying, "Go with the flow." Whatever happens is going to happen, no matter what you do.
You just have to do everything better than the next person.
I wish Clinton was here to tell me, "I feel your pain"

SUMMER FUN

Olivia jumping into the pool on a hot day

Pablo and Hilda at their "altar" with Vida (Pablo's dog) admiring them.

This is what summer is all about: friends, family, hot weather, pools, good food, wine, beer, tequila and even a BONG! Actually a hookah! (If that is how it is spelled.

This weekend was full of fun. despite coming home really late from work (about 4 in the morning). I was up early on Sunday and did not do much but relax after a long week at work. On Monday, I finished cleaning up the mess I made when I ripped out the grass in my front yard. At about 11:AM I got a call from "Pablo" reminding me that we had a barbecue at his house that afternoon with a couple of other people from work.
I had completely forgotten that a few nights ago, Pablo, Hector and I stopped by a local's bar close to where we work and had some beer while playing pool. This was supposed to be "a beer" before we headed home. well it wasn't until 4:00 in the morning when we finally left and we did discuss getting together for a barbecue, though I did not realize it was that soon.
We had a lot of fun. ate a lot, drank some and we got home around midnight. Here are some pictures of the weekend.

Kipper showing off. He is big dog now and still growing
Melissa, Pablo and Hilda
This is how flames are fanned in Argentina (According to Pablo)
Hector and Melissa
Smoking the hookah!
Puppies visiting the house. 4 dogs in the House!!

NO TITLE

For a review of the last leg of our trip, please read: Melissa of course you may have to scroll down.
This is the busiest I have been at work and not just working a lot but an average of 12 hours a day. On the weekends it is about 14 hours a day. If I was working an hourly job, that would be the equivalent of having 2 jobs and of course getting paid for 2. My reality is different, no matter how many hours I put, I earn the same amount. I am a salaried manager.
I am not complaining. I know the kind of job that I chose. I like what I do and perhaps I could find something else to do further in my career but in the meantime I am where I need to be. I hear and read stories about people who have a job like: card dealing or waiting tables and during these troubling economic times, their income has fallen and continue to decrease. Again, a matter of choice. When things are good, these jobs provide a good amount of money in tips.
The one thing I do not worry about is that. My paycheck is always the same no matter what, so as long as I stay employed and as busy as I am at work, I should not worry about the "economic situation"
It's been rough here in town, probably not as bad as some other areas of the country. Here, we've had layoffs, reduction of hours, closing of businesses, etc. At work, I knew about 4 people who got laid off a couple of months ago. It has not just been hourly staff, these have been managers who have been with the company a few years. Just yesterday I heard off another director who got the ax. Probably because of the large amount of money she was making and now someone else with perhaps a bit of less experience will take over her job at half the salary.
Economics, that is what is all about.
Things will get better, perhaps not soon enough, but eventually they will.

PROFILING

A funny thing happened on the way to Napa.
After we left Half Moon Bay
We drove into San Francisco to get to the Golden Gate and on to Napa. Melissa however was hungry for breakfast. Rather than eat at the hotel, we opted for something quick like IHOP or something similar. Once we got on the freeway (101 North) it was difficult to see any signs of Denny's or IHOP, so slowly and through traffic, we entered into San Francisco. We slowly made our way towards the Gold Gate and eventually we pulled over in an area where there were plenty of restaurants. Melissa went into the restaurant while I placed some quarters in the meter. I went inside the restaurant while Melissa went to wash her hands.
This is when it got interesting.
As I'm walking to the table assigned to us, an older lady turns around and says:

"Excuse me, can I please have an extra napkin?"
I turned around to see who she was talking to but there was no one around. As I turned back around, I see that she was still glancing at me as if waiting for me to meet her request.
I just grabbed a napkin from another table, just placing the silverware aside and handed it to her.
At least she said thank you and proceeded with her conversation with her family.
I just kind of giggled and sat down. I looked at the staff in the restaurant who were wearing a Hawaiian kind of shirt and jeans. Me, I was wearing a pair of beige shorts and a baby blue polo shirt. Hardly the kind of "uniform" you would find in cold San Francisco, more like something you would find in Palm Springs or Florida.
If you know me, you will clearly know that I am Latino or Mexican or someone from a Latin American country, I have even been asked if I am Filipino.
Maybe this lady didn't care about that. All she saw was a brown skinned man in a restaurant where most staff were of the same color.
Are you one of those people? I hope not.
It is not the first time that this happens to me. it happened recently about a month ago when a manager where I work asked me if I could "send someone to mop the floor on station 8". Her assumption was because I was brown skinned even though I was wearing a shirt and tie and there was another manager, who happens to be white, also wearing the same outfit, that I was somehow in charge of the dishwashers, who happen to be mostly brown skinned. I kind of looked perplexed because I was not clear as to what she was asking of me. The other manager saw this and explained to the one making the request that I was just there to help briefly and that I would not know where station 8 was.
At this, the requesting manager apologized and turned beet red. Again I just giggled and brushed it off.
It also reminded me of a time years ago when I was coming out of a restaurant with a group of friends in L.A. As we were waiting for our car, a guy pulls up and hands me his keys and I instinctively just took them.
I just tossed them back to him and said. "I don't work here". All he said was, "sorry" and waited for the valet guy.
I cannot get mad at people's ignorance and prejudices. It isn't me. I am sure if it happened to someone else, they might not react as I do.

After I told Melissa what had happened, she said she wished she had been there 'cause she would have given them not just a napkin but a piece of her mind. Those people were completely oblivious to the situation. They all just went back to eating and talking.
At least it gave us a good story to chuckle at while we continued on our way to Napa and Sonoma. We forgot all about over 2 days of wine tasting and being buzzed.

Till next time.

LAST WEEK

The problem with traveling with a lap top is finding wi-fi signal that is free or accessible. Also, the time to blog is superseded by the time to have fun.
When we were in Pasadena last week, the hotel offered free wireless connection, however, Melissa was the only one that got to blog about our first day of vacation. After that, it was just impossible because either we were busy driving or when we checked into our third hotel, the fee to connect was about $20.00 for 24 hours.

Well, after close to 1750 miles and paying gas from $4.29 in Las Vegas to $5.25 a gallon, we finally made it back.
Here is a re-cap... though not the entire trip....

The first three days of the trip were the most relaxing. I did surprise Melissa with a stay at the old Ritz in Pasadena and also at the Ritz in Half Moon Bay. All along I had her thinking that we did not have any reservations except for the hotel in Sonoma. The next leg of the trip was through Wine country and then the drive to Mammoth mountains for camping and a meet with family (Olivia and Anthony were already there). The last leg of the trip was back to Las Vegas. We were not sure which way we were going to return yet.
Day 1
Read Read Melissa's

Day 2
Pasadena to Half Moon Bay

We got up early enough to have breakfast in Old Town Pasadena. There are still quite a few of the old places where you can have a decent breakfast without waiting forever, it was still early enough. After breakfast we got on the 134 freeway towards the valley where we eventually got on the 101 to Ventura. The final destination (which Melissa did not know) was Half moon Bay. For someone who enjoys driving, this has always been a great drive for me. Once you leave the traffic of the city and climb up towards Ventura it is a joy to drive. We stopped quickly in Santa Barbara for gas and a bathroom break, from there it was up the 101 to San Luis Obispo where we would get on the PCH (1).
Once you get on the 1, as it is known in CA. the road winds alongside the coast where you can stop and walk on the beach or look at sea lions. There are plenty of spots worth sopping at just for pictures. The road quickly climbs up and the road is high with steep turns, where if you are prone to motion sickness, good luck! Luckily Melissa managed to take a nap after damning me for taking her on this road. Because of the meandering and risk of falling rocks, one must be careful when driving on the 1.
PCH (California 1)

On the way up, we saw this guy sprawled on the road. He was being assisted by some other drivers while he was on the ground, apparently he was either going too fast or he crashed into a car. He looked like he was conscious since he was moving his arms and such. Further up the road, we saw about three ambulances headed in that direction. Of course by the time an ambulance or any kind of help arrives on a road like the PCH, you better hope it isn't too serious.

We arrived into Monterrey and from then on to Half Moon Bay. One way of getting there is to drive to San Jose and drive up the 101, then turn left towards the coast when you get to San Mateo. This would have been to obvious, so I stayed on the PCH north where we eventually arrived to Half Moon Bay.
Again, she was surprised when we pulled into the driveway of the Ritz at Half Moon Bay. I had told her I wanted to check it out since we had plans of going there on another trip. The hotel also has a public parking for those who wanted to go to the beach area so she suggested to use that as an excuse to check out the grounds. There is a security booth that you have to stop at and announce yourself. At this point I told the guard we were checking in. Melissa still thought I was just saying that t o get in. Once we got into the parking area, instead of pulling in, I went into the driveway where I stopped and got our luggage out. She was surprised....Again.

Looking out our window

The marble bathroom

By the fire outside on a cold afternoon
Air Surfing

Cuddling

The hotel at night

FINALLY!

Two days to go!
L.A. Napa, Mammoth here we come!
It is a well deserved week off, though I am dreading the gas bill at the end of the trip. We'll probably be driving about 1300 miles by the time the trip is over. at an average of $4.50 a gallon for gas, it will be about six hundred dollars worth of gas. $600.00! enough for airplane tickets but since we are going to different places it only makes sense to drive. No wonder oil companies are making such huge profits while we get deeper and deeper in debt. All for a bit of fun and relaxation.
I will keep you posted of our whereabouts and progress.

KIPPER THE DOG

Where is the time going and how much more is there of it.

Kids are out of school though ours have been out since last weekend. They are scheduled to return today from California and boy do I have a surprise for them!
This past Monday I adopted a dog from the local animal shelter, actually through a friend from work who "fosters" animals then helps with their adoption. She had been telling me about the dogs since she got a family of 6 puppies and their mom to take care of. By the time I picked up my puppy, she only had 1 more to adopt out. The mom (A Chow) was picked up the same day I picked up mine and Julie (friend from work) got to keep the last one. Not even Melissa knew about the dog. I had told her that I had a meeting at work (which I did) and I would go by her office after my meeting. I had planned on getting the dog that same day, which I did not tell her until I showed up at her office with the dog in tow.
We decided to name it Kipper, he seems to be of a Chow and lab mix.
He has a very gentle disposition though he is big and is only going to get bigger. He is already the size of Lulu.



Work has been just crazy with lots of drama to go around which I really don't want to get into cause it will just bore you or make you sigh at the familiar work events, sometimes I feel like I am in a bad episode of The Office.
In a few days I finally will be taking some well deserved time off and Melissa and I are planning to have a great time, then in August, work is slow so we are closing for about 12 days. At that time I am probably going to be enjoying some more time off, luckily the kids are out of school still.
I hope summer will be good for all of you.

OBAMA - PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE

After a grueling campaign against the other Democrat, Senator Clinton, and after a series of Superdelegate switching their votes back and forth for a few days, Senator Obama was finally declared the righteous representative for the Democratic ticket. On the other side of the political spectrum, McCain and fellow republicans were salivating at the prospect of running against an "unknown" candidate.

The following question was posed to Senator Obama after his official nomination.

American Electorate: Senator, now that you've won the nomination for your party, what are you going to do next?

Obama: I am going to Disneyland!

American Electorate: Wrong answer Senator.

The answer is, You are going into every house that you ever lived in, every hotel that you ever stayed at, every tape of your kids and or family that you recorded.
You are also going to dig into every taped box that you have in storage, go through every old school record, make copies of every prescription given by a doctor or other and make everything public, beginning today.

Why you ask?.

Because these are the things that the Republican machinery and their unofficial "associates" are going to do and they will dig and dig for every morsel of information that will give you a bad name.
Imagine a bombshell, say a girl"friend" in the past or a night spent at a "friend's" house due to some issues at home. How would it read to the American electorate?.

"I should have known he was lying and covering up, maybe I should have voted for Hillary"

That is how it is going to read.
I hope you were paying attention during the trial and impeachment of Bill Clinton, because that is what you are going up against.
Reverend Wright and his "sermons" will look like small potatoes once the Republicans find a juicy tidbit about you or someone even close to you.
Did you ever have a housekeeper? did they have papers?
Who mows your lawn?, who washes your car?

SO, do you still want to go to Disneyland?

CITIZEN'S ARREST

What makes a young guy homeless? Why do they stand on street medians holding signs asking for money? I see it a lot more often. These are not teenagers or runaway kids, maybe they were a few years ago. These are guys, (I have not seen a mid-20's woman on a side street holding a sign) who seem at first sight well capable of lifting something or able to do something to make a few bucks so they can eat.
Then there's the other way of making a living, by defrauding a business, which can land them in jail for a couple of days.
A couple of weeks ago, this strange looking guy came into one of our restaurants. I was walking by his table when he motioned me over to tell me how great the food was and much he liked it. I didn't make much of it until the server came to Tell me that the guy had skipped on the check. He had told her to order a cocktail and he'd be "right back" because he was going to the bathroom. Usually that is a sign for most servers that he intends to not pay. which is what happened then.
Lo and behold, same guy walks into another one of our restaurants. I was also walking by his table and he looked familiar. As I approach his table he tels me that, "The steak is so wonderful, he'd like to buy the chef a shot". All kinds of bell rang in my head at this comment. I quickly approached the server, whom at the time had already deduced that the guy had no money.
I called our security and they showed up quickly after I told them of the situation. In the meantime our "friend" continued to eat, have dessert, pretend to go to the bathroom a few times, I am quite sure while planning his escape which at this time was futile because all staff was on to him as well as a couple of security guards conspicuously posted outside.
It took him about 45 minutes before he realized he had no way out. When he was presented the check and asked for the table since, "We needed it for another large party", he replied that he was just "waiting for some Friend coming from the pool," even though the pool closed about an hour earlier. It wasn't long enough before he asked to speak to a a manager. I gladly accepted his request.
Once I was with him, all he said was, "You can call security, I have no money and I am homeless".
I asked him to walk with me outside where security was waiting for him. He was taken to the security office where he was later picked up by The Metro Police. Not before I was required to officially do a "Citizen's arrest" for defrauding an in-keeper.
In other times, or other country, He would have been beaten up or put to wash floors, dishes or other kind of hard labor that would make someone think twice about trying to get a free meal out of a restaurant.

FORECLOSURES HITING CLOSE TO HOME

It has been well over a month since I wrote anything. As you can see from my last post, not much has changed in politics.
Work on the other hand has kept me really busy. Since my last post I've been working long hours, six days a week or more, but when you are trying to "impress" your bosses, you do what is in your power to let them know you are a team player. Even though that hurts the family unit since most of the day is spent at work.
I was put in charge of staffing and training another area in our division. All this while at the same time, holding my responsibilities in my current job. So my day begins at about 10 in the morning and ends at about 8:00pm and sometimes even longer. So I get home and of course lovely Melissa has dinner ready and all I want to do is sleep. Of course laundry is also ready, sometime shirts are ironed and still all I want to do is sleep.
This weekend I was able to have two days off though, yesterday Melissa and I went shopping, finally bought a new stove which won't be installed for another 3 to 4 weeks and we still managed to squeeze some love before the day was over.
Did I tell you both houses next to us were foreclosed on by banks?.. This is in addition to a third one that was finally sold last month.
Kids are busy with school. I think Olivia is ready to give up ballet and wants to take on Soccer, so I have to check the AYSO and see about a girls league here at home. Anthony is still in cub scouts but I don't think he's really that much into it.
A lot happens in one month and now you are up to date.

UNITED STATES OF ARIZONA

I guess McCain eventually wants to secede from the union. In a speech this morning in San Antonio Texas, he named all the Arizonians who have run for the White House but have failed to reach it. He then thanked the crowd for helping him clinch the nomination for "The United States of Arizona".
That is quite all right. He can go back and be the President of Arizona, where he is bound to get probably about 90% of the vote. The other 10% being those who still have a mind of their own.
Then again, I believe that he will continue with the trend of Arizonians failing to reach the White House. Let that be an omen..

FRIENDS

Chloe wrote something about a friend who she had and through time, she lost and did not see till years later.

I have a friend whom I am losing touch with. It is a matter of distance and indiference. Last time we spoke was when I was in Detroit. I gave her a call to say hello, left her a message and we have not spoken since. Ever since I left L.A. and moved to Vegas, we'd talk a few times, but it was always I who initiated the call. She never caaled me. her rule that it was always "guys" who must call the girls. friends or other. She left L.A. and moved to Vermont, so really the "distance" excuse is really mute and with LA as close to Vegas, we could have been in touch a lot more often.
I have been OK with her rule with regards to our friendship but I refuse to call anymore. There could be a lot of reasons why she has not called, illness, busy with work or what not, but I know it does not take an act of congress to pick up a phone and call your best friend. I am guilty of that as well but that is another story with regards to my own family.
But getting back to Chloe's point.
At what point do we make the concious decision/choice to not call someone?. Or does it happen gradually and we become lazy and just decide not to call. We've known each other now for about 20 years. Hopefully one of these days she'll call or I will call her.I would not want to conciously give up on our friendship, maybe that's just the nature of it.

VALENTINES

Happy Valentine's

Melissa and I went to Sedona AZ this past weekend. It was a relaxing trip despite all the little "mishaps" with the area and people. It used to be a place where you could get a good meal and when it was not so crowded with t-shirt selling stores. It has now become another touristic spot just like any other. The allure of the red rocks is not there anymore. Most of the area is now populated and full of condos and quasi-resorts selling time shares to the innocent. The service levels are probably the worst. Most people act as though they are doing yo a favor by providing you good service, so they rather not do you the favour.
There was this front desk agent with a bad cold who had probably not blown her nose in a half hour, then there was the gum chewing bartender who could hold conversations while showing you all sides and sights of his gum. Then there was the food at a place called Oaxaca. The menu consisted of 3 items prepared in several ways. Enchiladas, Burritos and something else. I had a caesar salad with grilled shrimp. The salad was not a caesar and the shrimp was not grilled but sauteed. and there was about 2 lbs. of it in the salad.
Aside from all that, it was a relaxing weekend beacuse we did what we wanted when we wanted it. The place we stayed at was not the best, then again at an average rate of $135.00 what can you expect? The other option was to pay $250.00+ in one of the better resorts, where you could be pampered at a high cost while keeping you away from the main drag.
The high-light of the trip was a hike through the "West Fork" canyon. A good hike through snow and frozen streams. It took us close to 3 hours to go up and down.
Beautifull place with high walls around and lots of snow everywhere due to the fact that the sun hardly shines inside it.
From there, we drove up towards Flagstaff and then home.
Great Weekend for Valentine's

WEEKLY UPDATE

I guess that's what it's turning out to be. A weekly update.
Giants of course beat the New England Patriots, it was a good day for our business, lots of crazy football fans, luckily most made reservations except for those who still showed up at half time wanting a table right by the TV or right at The Bar, as if we would be saving seats for people without reservations.... Funny.

Today of course is "Super Tuesday". My prediction is that when its all done and over, McCain and Hillary will be the contenders for their respective parties. My fear is that MacCain is very electable. I know we've had a rough 8 years with the currrent Republican presidency, but the candidacy of Hillary can be scary for a lot of people who fear another Clinton presidency. At the same time, there are those who think that a woman just cannot be president and thus lean towards McCain. Obama would be on the same boat as Hillary. Running agains people afraid of women and or a black president, though both are very well qualified for the position, they are running against fear. We must vote for change. Sadly, I do not think that McCain is the answer though. So my Vote is going to Hillary. Not because she is a woman, but because her experience in and with government goes back even further than her marriage to Bill. Her healhcare project, when she was the first lady got derailed by politics at a time when she was neither in power nor well liked. This time it will be different.
It is still a long time before the general election and a lot can happen still.

Kennedy Endorsement

So the Kennedys have endorsed Obama as their candidate. Is this an indicator that we should all rush to vote for Obama just because the "princes'" of Camelot have shown their predilection?. What if they had selected Hillary instead of Obama?.
Frankly who they support or wish they had as president is irrelevant. Voters who support and admire the Kennedy's have already made up their minds since last year. Actually, they still will be voting probably for the second Clinton because they are closer to the Clinton generation than to the Kennedy generation.
The undecideds are still wavering between candidates considering all and no one at the same time. Their minds change based on whatever a candidate might be saying at any given time. Hillary coming second in South Carolina isn't a surprise. If Hillary had won South Carolina, that would not have been the end of Obama.
Also, lurking in the background and waiting for the right opportunity, Edwards will sprint back into the action to really put the Democratic ticket into a spin like we have not seen in years. That will definitely give us the time an opportunity to support the best candidate- Not the best of 3 evils.
The republicans on the other hand are deciding between McCain and Romney. Huckabee is slowing down and Guliani's friends have been a "No call-No show." The question after that will be, can the Democratic candidate defeat either one of the Republicans?

In Between work, caucuses and reduction of interest rates, Melissa has been cooking up some really good meals. I am not talking meat and potatoes or chicken over pasta with tomato sauce. I mean real "gourmet" type of food and she makes it seem so easy and quick to make.
Beginning with last Christmas/NY Eve, she made tamales that were so good you would have thought she's made them a hundred times before.
Last night she made this wonderful soup with turnips, apples, yams and watercress. Last week she made this delicious chicken with onions, plums and a red balsamic sauce. To top it off, there was a side of Brussel sprouts (YES!_ Brussel sprouts) they were tender, full of flavor and the kids ate them and wanted more.
The point here is that Melissa has surpassed my cooking abilities. I used to think that I was good in the kitchen but now... forget it. There is a new chef, correction, there has been a new chef in the kitchen for a long time now.

ELECTIONS

Obama, Hillary, Edwards.

The lesser of 3 evils

MaCain, Romney, Huckabee

The lesser of 3 evils.

But they are not evil.
They are just like you and me. Only they get influenced by people with deep pockets and even deeper influences to the point that regardless of what they promise during their campaigns, they are "forced" to go into war even against public opinion.
For the last 3 weeks we get calls at home every night from their campaigns. I am sure some of you have heard Hillary leaving a message on your answering system as well.
As the horse race heats up, we'll see how they all deal with the mounting pressure of the campaign, perhaps there are still a few skeletons buried deep in closets that have yet to surface and all it takes is for one meaningless skeleton to pop out and derail someone's train. Sometimes at the expense of the American electorate.
Do we really care if they did drugs in their youth?, do we really care if they had 2 wives and then switched to a younger girlfriend?

Does that dictate the kind of president they are going to be?.
Or does that decide how you are going to vote?...
I have not made up my mind yet.

CES in Las Vegas

CES- A giant "toy convention" for adults-
IT is all about the latest computer/electronics gadgets that will go on sale in the next few months. There are people from all over the world attending this convention. They all look happy and giddy at the fact that it is an "invitation" only type of thing. You must have registered through your company prior to attending. I am sure at a pricey entrance fee that only computer, electronic companies can afford.
This post is not about CES or the convention itself. It is about the morons who "knowing" that they are in a town with thousands and thousands of people, forget to make a reservation at a restaurant and end up showing up at your door, "demanding" a table for 2, for 6, for 10.
"Oh, is there anything you can do?" "we will eat quick", "We will tip good". On and on they come. They will even point out to you that, "Look at all those empty tables over there, can't you just seat us?". Maybe in your world buddy. Those are reserved for people that bothered to make reservations.
Sometimes you are able to accommodate them (Of course we need the revenue) Some other times they just are pathetic. It is not just this group, there have been others in the past, particularly for concerts.
You know the drill.
You got a show to go to, you want to eat and drink before the show and just have a good time.
DOOM!!!! You forgot to make reservations and like Mary and Joseph, you go from restaurant to restaurant begging for a table only to be turned away or told that you have to wait 59 minutes for a table, of course by then it is 7:00PM and the show starts at 8:00PM, so you settle for standing in line to get a "Happy Meal" at MacDonald's or other fast food joint. All this aggravation just because you did not make reservations.
Next time, no matter where you go, make reservations even if it is in a couple of places. That way you will guarantee yourself a table.
We hate people that make reservations at 2, 3 or 4 places. That is why we also overbook our reservations, because we know there are some that will not show up. Thank goodness for those who call and cancel their reservation, it allows for those who don't have one to get a table.
PEACE!

THE LAST WEEKEND

I have been sleeping through the last couple of days. Normally I am up by 7:00 in the morning and these days I cannot even get out of bed. Only thing that gets me up is I have to go to the bathroom by then no sense in getting back into bed. Work was busy with concerts, nightclub business, me staying out late with friends (though not drinking). It's been a while since I felt a kinship or friendship with co-workers. This is true with a couple of the managers that I work with. It has to be because we all (3) speak Spanish and also because we are in the same business. So there is a lot to talk about, though not necessarily about work but about where we've been, where we're going, etc. I would not necessarily call them friends at this point but I guess that is how friendships begin.
So the horse race begins with Obama and Huckabee leading the pack. Next comes New Hampshire and after, the stragglers will begin to drop. Not like tired old horse but like flies, dead and no wings left. Despite all their money, popularity and bull shit, even the likes of Gulliani and Romney will drop as well soon after if they do not do well in the next primaries and caucuses. Would Obama ask Hillary to be a VP?... That might me an interesting ticket.