I totally ganked this from etcet. But I felt the need to answer.

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As any of you still using this, and have moved on to other social media sites like FB and Twitter, are aware that I have ditched facebook and have become more or less a recluse. For those of you who are aware of my current social status, it contributed to the decision to leave facebook. I will not discuss either on this forum again. If you want to know, find a way to contact me. I still might not tell you. That's how I roll these days.

Twitter is a maybe. Don't get your hopes up.

I will be at Critus' Christmas Eve party.

I need the name of a church in Pinellas that you folks go to, or have at least heard good things about. I need Christmas Eve services.

I am getting rid of the cat today. No, it is not going to be slaughtered. It is going to live out its days with an old woman who adopts old cats.

Current Mood: discontent

In an effort to prove that it is really me, I will tell you what i have spent the last few hours doing.

Getting a Win 98 SE machine up to speed. I love sites that have old drivers for newish wireless PCI adapters. Critical updates are installing now.

Tomorrow? Maybe I will get the 3.11 machine off its ass.

For work related purposes, I installed IE 7 on one of my computers tonight.

I apologized to it beforehand, i am apologizing to it now, and I will continue to apologize to it.

If you have not installed IE 7, do yourself a favor and use Netscape 4.75 instead. At least the layout of the menu items will be familiar.

If you have installed IE7, I am sorry.

And the first person I hear make a comment about how novel the new IE7 tabs are will get smacked. That person may get smacked more than once. If I am near a security or police person, I will borrow their subdual device to smack this person again. And with each smack they will hear me say, "Firefox, dumb fucker...no more internet for you."

One of our clients seems to think that there is a problem with the software because a page will not display properly. I had 5 or 6 comments for the issue all typed up that I had to modify. I did stick with "It's probably the browser, not the software." In reality, it is probably the browser and the bad coding.

I am sorry, my poor nearly 5 year old computer. It was not my idea. And I had to install it on you because IE 7 requires a software verification check, and the other PC will not pass it, even though it is a valid copy of Windows. I have M$ to thank for that, since I got that copy as part of the USF-M$ union, and we got batch copies of the software with shared serial numbers.

Last night was critus' birthday dinner at Crazy Buffet. There were about 15 of us, all wearing black. I am fairly certain that was making the folks seated around us nervous. Nah, that was probably just me.

We all sat in the back, filling up two large tables and the feasting began. I tried, without much success, to get Alex into eating sushi. To his credit he did try a few pieces. He gave it a "7."

Then xany_hellion and etcet both got up at the same time, looking devious.

"Where are ya heading?" I asked.

"We are going to mix the mystery tempura sushi with the chocolate fountain," was their reply.

"Hang on, I'm coming," I said.

So up we went, trying to figure out what sort of sushi was hiding under the tempura. Then we chocolate dipped it and, with much fanefare to the rest of our dinner party, ate the sushi.

We still could not identify what it was, exactly. The chocolate and the tempura overpowered whatever was under the tempura. So, it was a bit of a non-event.

critus, xany_hellion, and etcet were all in their kilts. At one point I was surrounded.

"So, when are you getting one?" critusasked.

Good question.

Overall, Vegas was pretty impressive. The people are insufferably rude, but the food and sights make up for them. Oddly, the ones with the most social graces seemed to be the geeks and dorks at the Star Trek Experience. What does that tell you about a city when the Trekkies are the benchmark of politeness? I had such a good time there that some of my friends and I are planning a return visit in March 2008. It gives me enough time to lose some weight and get a cool uniform. Oh yeah, I'd go in character. Maybe I'll get some LARPing tips from critus' son.

We went and toured the Hoover Dam. Impressive does not begin to cover it. Awe-inspiring is a lot closer. Enough concrete to make a two lane highway from San Francisco to New York City. Lake Mead is all man-made, a result of the dam. It pays for itself, and paid for itself early on in its existence. The people there all joke openly that the federal government will never do a project like this again, because it finished ahead of schedule, under cost, and is not a drag on federal funds. It's sad that, as a country, the perception of our government is that it would never repeat a success.

Blue Man Group was, as I mentioned before, amazing.

We also went and saw a topless show at the Luxor called Fantasy. The show was really more of a dance revue. Without a cohesive plot, it was kind of difficult to really get into it. And it was not just me. The whole crowd, I think, was waiting for something more. Since we did not pay anywhere near full price for the tickets, I was content with the show. Full-price would have made me demand a refund though. We did not bring the camera, so we did not stay to take pics afterwards. One of the best parts of the show was the comedian who said it was good to see all of the women he saw in the audience, but for those women to know right now that the men were NOT going with them to see Chippendales. Too true.

Walking in Vegas is a chore. I think the thing that let me down the most about Vegas was the fact that it just seemed to be run down. For as much foot traffic as there is, the Vegans have put in pedestrian overpasses at many of the busier corners. All of them have escalators and elevators. However, the escalators seem to always be breaking down. After a walk from the MGM to the Luxor, no big deal to climb the stairs. After a walk from the Bellagio to the Luxor, HUGE deal to have to walk the stairs. We didn't, of course - we took the elevator. But still. They seemed to be broken down far too often.

The monorail was a nice ride. However, the service industry in Vegas once again raised its ugly head. Through my own ineptitude, I misplace my all day ride pass for the monorail. Now, still having the receipt and the other pass, and clearly showing that we bought two to begin with, we were told by the monorail attendant that he could not help us. Why give us the fucking receipt if it does not mean a thing to have it? This was not a ticket to a $100 Chicago show (highway robbery), this was a $30 pass to ride the fucking monorail.

SO. We are home now. Tonight is critus' birthday dinner, which we are both looking forward to.

I know I have more to talk about, but it all escapes me at the moment.

I am 5'10". I weigh about 250 pounds. I have broad shoulders and strong legs. And I am tired of looking out for other people when I walk.

Therefore, I hereby declare that I am no longer "walking defensively." If you step in front of me, I will no longer stop short. If you stop short in front of me, without trying to get to a wall or at least out of the middle of the walkway, I will bowl you ass over. I wll mock people who give me grief and dirty looks. I will leave the bodies of the fallen where they lie. No longer will I turn the other cheek; rather, I will throw an elbow. Maybe the other elbow, too.

Most of the people around me are smaller than I am. It would seem that they are depending on the big person to watch out for them while they scurry about on missions known only to Satan.  No longer will that be solely my responsibility. 

I expect to be treated as I treat people. If I stop short, I expect to hear about it. I know I do it; the difference is that I feel badly when i do. I hate to be an inconvenience to other people. And I hate people who do not seem bothered when they are inconveniencing other people.

Well, they may not be bothered. But they will be picking themselves up off the floor.

Current Mood: fuck rude people

Today is the one year wedding anniversary for princessloki and I. Hard to believe it has ben a year already. I am sure it is because this year has just been that damn good.

Here's to us, baby, and to our first year together. I know there will be many more.

Love you.

Current Mood: loved

I have been here a week. The people who live and work here seem OK. The visitors, however, fucking blow.

As a rule, they are rude, self-absorbed, and just overall irritating. The fact that smoking is allowed from the age of learning to walk is not helpful.

I found the inhabitants of NYC to be less abrasive, and even Disney patrons are not this bad. New Yorkers can smoke if they want outside, but inside seems limited. And Disney, well, it IS limited.

The city seems OK. WAY too much construction going on. The smoking thing ruins a lot of it though. Maybe Nevadans will realize it kills people soon and make some changes. Maybe that is when I will come back.

Current Mood: jesus it is dry out here

princessloki and I went to see Blue Man Group tonight. I had a brief introduction to them Tuesday morning, so Iw as understandably excited about seeing the whole show.

Like a lot of people, I realized who the Blue Man Group was thanks to a series of Intel commercials some years back. I liked the music enough to Napster their album (back when Napster was free, hint hint) and I considered seeing them when they were in Tampa a few years back. When I learned that we were going to Vegas, and that we were going to stay in the same hotel that the Blue Man Theater is located in, I knew we had to go see them.

And I am more than glad we did.

I do not want to go into specifics, on the off chance that any of my loyal readers get a chance to see the show for themselves. But I will make some generalizations.

They do not speak. They get an awful lot across for three guys who do not say a word.

The audience participation is hilarious.

The back up band was not the best part of the show. But they were a very, very close second.

We got pics with all three Blue Men, the band, and we got out ticket stubs "autographed." (One of the Blue Men kissed them with blue paint. He did this to several women as well when posing for pictures.)

I have now seen one Vegas show. I'd see it again, too. From the splash seats.

Current Mood: pleased