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Saturday, December 06, 2008
Reflections of the Smoke and Mirrors
It's been raining out all day but it's okay as I still have a little Vegas on me. All the lights are on in the apartment and it's only 3:30 in the afternoon. Tonight's Santa Parade in New Westminster promises to be a little soggy. It's okay, I still have Vegas on me.
I think I'm going to make a three or four day, annual break to Las Vegas mandatory. There's nothing I can put my finger on, exactly. I don't gamble at all. I'm too cheap to pay for a lot of the best things the city has to offer. Maybe that's the thing which I like about it. The city offers a glimmer of celebrity living for ordinary Janes and Joes. Although millions of people call it home, most of the people one rubs shoulders with are there on a vacation. Where are you from become the most asked question. Yet, really nobody gives a crap about what station of life you're from; it all boils down to the money, honey.
I love Vegas because it really shouldn't physically exist at all. Were it not for cheap power and water made available by engineering, nothing could exist there. Drive a few miles to the corner of the valley and cactus can't even survive. It is a testament to the quest for the fulfillment of human desire. It's the real America without all the Puritan pretense. It's no hold barred and go for broke. It's about greed, thrills, and instant gratification.
I love all that it stands for.
Friday, December 05, 2008
In the Air
We're winging our way North so soon? Getting back was super easy as all went as planned. Flying in the US surely isn't very convenient nowadays. I doubt there's any chance of Homeland Security being dismantled. It sure looks like a job creation project. Don't tell me the walk-though detector couldn't be made to check shoes. Not one airport has a place for elderly or infirm to sit to put back on belts and boots. It undoubtedly wouldn't be politically expedient to suggest that they provide more irritation than actual safety. The staff with the cards for the secure doors are some of the lowest paid at the airport. Go figure. And a terrorist asks, "Could you make sure these materials get onto the plane for this $10,000 for me?"
Still once past the checkpoint, at least at the Vegas airport, everyone has one more chance of throwing away any cash that's still left.
Thursday, December 04, 2008
Around Town
This was the last day here. As slot machines now only take bills, I've boycotted them. I miss the sound of quarters hitting people's buckets. Still, gambling is not even a consideration when coming to Vegas; simply watching others lose their money can be fun. It can be exciting to go into each and nearly every of the big hotels. There are many free things to see such as the Bellagio fountains, the fire and action of the Siren show in front of TI, or even watching the lions in the MGM.
We did some pay for fun too. We bought tickets to the 7:30 showing of Mama Mia! at the Mandalay Bay.
Labels: Las Vegas, musical theatre, Q4_2008
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
At the Dam
Today, I had booked a rental car to go out to Hoover Dam and around. It's easy on a short trip to Vegas to never leave the Strip. It was nicer to get out from the tourist-trod path. We ate breakfast at our hotel and picked up the car directly from there too. Hoover Dam is less than 40 miles away, but we drove around a bit. Actually we drove enough to fit $5.00 of gas in rental Dodge Caliber.
After leaving the gloom of the Lower Mainland, it was nice to get out in the sun and dramatically blue sky. I can see why people have made this one of the fastest growing parts of the US.
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
On the Strip
We really didn't get into the city until this date. Allegiant Airlines really screwed up last night trying to get us here. There are three daily flights from Bellingham. We were booked on the 4:25 one. It never came although the passengers were told several times it was almost arriving. The late flight had extra room so after mayhem and confusion, we ended up on it. We flew with only carry on luggage which is one reason we made it on board. Others were promised luggage might arrive after two or three days. Way to go! At around 9:10 we eventually left the tarmac and arrived in Las Vegas at about quarter to midnight. That was about four and a half hours later than scheduled but, hey, Las Vegas is open 24 hours a day. Bus 180 was an easy trip up to Riviera along Paradise Road. We checked into Circus Circus well past midnight.
We got up late but walked to the Sahara for a breakfast buffet that sort of morphed into lunch while we were there. We spent the day traversing the Strip and trying to note all the changes during six years of absence. The city does a good job of reinventing itself every six months, so there were lots of changes.
We also ended up downtown for several of the Fremont Street shows. I might consider staying in the old heart of the city on the next stay. The Duece, double-decker bus plying Las Vegas Boulevard is easy. It cost $5 for unlimited travel for 24 continuous hours.
Monday, December 01, 2008
It's Literally Off the Strip Now
I wasn't going to just paste in another photo today. We have a few hours before we have to drive across the US border to the airport in Bellingham, WA. I was going to write something breezy and topical. Instead, I'll post another picture. I just finished uploading the original to Flickr.
This relates well to yesterday's entry where I mentioned the importance of backing up old digital debris. I looked on my external J drive. I have a bunch of folders which contain images taken with my first digital camera. I knew that I should have a few 'cooped up' there that might be better shared. The photograph above was taken in 2002. At the time, we stayed in the Boardwalk. It's no more. Google Earth shows the area as a huge construction zone now. I guess we can take a look with our own eyes tonight.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Storing Youth
I'm a little too practical to be poetic; however, one doesn't need to write artsy verses in order to be creative. There are many other avenues. I think I may have been born too early though. I'd have made a great digital kid.
Nothing was digital nor easy forty or fifty years ago. In grade school, I used to mix caustic chemicals in my room. They allowed me to expose grainy negatives on rolls of B&W Kodak stock. Now children can easily take hundreds of digital pictures. Additionally, one of my favourite toys as a small child was a reel-to-reel tape recorder. I'd run around capturing sounds. In 1969, I sat on the floor in front of the TV around my tenth birthday recording the audio from lunar landing. Now kids can save sound clips in numerous ways. In my very early teens, I would often try to piece together Super8 movie reels and sync them up with cassette audio tapes. Now, there are kiddie camcorders for sale.
How much easier these things would be today! The difference with digital is that files are not only easy to make and share, but easy to save as well. Storage space is cheap enough to keep a lasting record of all the sound, pictures, and video of one's early years. I hope kids today commit to backing up their digital junk, so when they're my age they'll still have some of the artifacts.
Labels: analog, camcorder, digital camera, feelings, Q4_2008
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