Back From Vegas

I spent the 20th thru the 26th in Las Vegas, playing slots at some of the better casinos on the southern strip. A few comments:

Don't stay at Harrah's. It's not a fleabag, but the rooms lack coffee makers (not that I drink the swill, but Linda does). The climate control was a joke. The hoydens in the next room were too loud. Okay, the latter could have happened anywhere, but thicker walls would have helped. The TV in the room was of low quality, too.

If you can walk along the strip for more than ten feet without some pimp trying to press a flyer for escorts in your hand, you beat my record.

If the street pimps aren't enough, the ones waiting in all the shopping areas and hotels add to one's annoyance. These aren't selling escorts, but show tickets or some other crap I didn't want.

It was hot. In the neighborhood of 106 every day.

Everyone lies. Every deal has fine print. The hotel's alleged airport shuttle doesn't exist.

The braised pork and eggplant I had at Ming's had less meat than a can of Campbell's pork and beans. Not a bad meal, but the menu was misleading. Linda's chicken dish had no chicken meat.

The buffet at Harrah's was mediocre.

Prices were high for most things. The only deals I got were from my rewards card, which made lunch at Toby Keith's just $15 and Ming's under $7.00, for two.

I had my first encounter with an airport body scanner leaving LV. You have to remove everything from your pockets--front and back--and hold them over your head while they flash you. Okay, not so bad. But then you have to go to another TSA idiot who looks through the items you had in your hand.

The art show at the Bellagio was a dissappointment. Small, and with a lot of artists I'd never heard of. Not that I keep up with artists, but all I knew were Monet (one small painting), and one Lichtenstein (IIRC. The guy who does op art with dots)

On the up side:

The toilet at Harrah's was great. It sucked overthing away in the blink of an eye.

Some of the casinos were works of art. Caesar's Palace, The Venetian, The Bellagio, and The MGM Grand were nice to visit.

The dancing water show at the Bellagio's pool was neat.

The lions at the MGM Grand were great.

The foot-long hot dog was tasty.

I hit some nice wins on the slots.

We got Lorna Doones on the airplane.

3-D Printing

This is incredible.

New Documentary News

Go here for a cause near to my heart and one that ought to interest anyone who believes in freedom. It's not political and you don't have to pony up any money despite the pitch at the end. Make sure you play the video. I am NOT trying to rope you into a cult. Just the opposite; I want to warn you about the evils of one.

Happy Fourth of July

On the third day of action at Gettysburg, as Pickett's division attacked the federal center, confederate cavalry swept around the federal's right flank. Had they been successful they would have won the battle and we'd all be eating grits for Thanksgiving and whipping our slaves in America today. The charge was stopped by General George Armstrong Custer, although heavily outnumbered. By this day, the 4th, Marse Robert was heading back to Virginia in bitter defeat.

Molly the Cat Burglar

I said I wouldn't have another Molly posting, but here's her latest trick.

Burning Question of the Day

What do the following phrases have in common?

Chomping at the bit.

Congressional Medal of Honor.

Over and out.

Less calories.

I could care less.




The answer is--they're all incorrect. Horses CHAMP at the bit. The word Congressional is not part of the MoH or its citation. In radio transmissions you say either over or out, never both. It's FEWER calories. If you could care less then you might care a lot. To show ultimate contempt or disinterest you should say I COULDN'T care less.

Now that you are armed with this knowledge I want you all to spread it throughout the world.

There's one other that drives me up a wall. In a Vonage commercial some over-excited twit says, "It's the white elephant in the room." Obviously the fools who wrote that line don't know what a white elephant is. And I'll bet they were high fiving each other mercilously when they came up with it.

On a positive note, the photo of the pretty girl is Doreen of the original Mouseketeers.

Bambi Attacks

Yesterday, my wife told me there was a deer in our cul-de-sac. I walked outside and found a buck across the court, near the entry. He saw me but showed no fear. I talked quietly to him. He ambled onto the grassy area in the center of the cul-de-sac, into the yard of the house at the 12 o'clock position, and then to the yard of the house next to that. He nibbbled a few leafs and ambled towards the backyard of that place. As he was browsing in the grass my daughter drove up and I pointed him out. She pulled out her phone/camera/Swiss Army Knife and shot the accompanying photo. Around here we have blacktail deer, smaller than whitetails and muleys. This fellow had short antlers still wrapped in summer velvet.
My house is to the left of the brown one in the photo.

June 25, 1876: Custer's Last Stand

Yes, troopers, it's that day again when we pay homage to the brave men of the 7th Cavalry who fell on the field of honor on this date 135 years ago. And their foes who did them in, of course, the mainly Sioux and Cheyenne warriors who won the day but sealed their fate in doing so.

Molly Again

This will be the final Molly posting until she changes color. These were taken last Sunday at her obedience class graduation.

More from 1982

Another couple of pix from the post-Bouchercon gathering at Art Scott's. I see I was wearing contact lenses. Oh, to have thick hair and a thin waist as I did then, rather than the other way around.

The top photo shows (l-r): me, Steve Stilwell, Bill Crider.

The lower photo shows (l-r): Ron Harris, me, Steve Stilwell.

Goofing on Bill Crider

Photo taken at Art Scott's house after the 1982 Bouchercon. That's me giving Bill the horns.

Is it just me or has the world gone insane?

At the store earlier. At the egg display case. Saw a sign on one of the cartons: VEGETARIAN FED HENS.

When Monsters Attack

Go here to see what my typical day looks like.

Molly Update

Molly is now four months old. The bundle of fuzz we brought home looks like a miniature German shepherd these days. She's 30 pounds of playful energy and a joy to watch grow. If you wondered where I've been lately, I've been watching her. She'll chew anything in the house--including the house--if we don't watch her constantly. I had her here in my office a couple of times but had to stop that when I found her with a paperback in her mouth. Luckily, I stopped her before she damaged it. But I'll be along soon and play catch up. Hasta lumbago!

Good Golly, Miss Molly!

Meet Molly, who entered our family on Friday. She's an energetic bundle of fuzz who would chew the couch into a wad of leather and padding if you give her half a chance. Toby and the cat hate her and are showing no signs of relenting, though we remain hopeful. She's a full-blooded German shepherd about 9 weeks old. I tried to find a dog through two rescue organizations and the Humane Society. The latter was helpful but bogged down in ridiculous regulations. The rescue groups are useless cookie eaters who constantly beg for donations but don't seem to have any interest in actually placing a dog into a home, in my opinion. Just as well; we love the little devil dog and wouldn't trade her for a carload of Rin Tin Tins.

This and That

I had some KFC yesterday. I don't have it very often because I think it's overpriced. I also think, thanks to yesterday's sample, that the quality has tanked. I recall plump pieces of chicken so tasty I was tempted to eat the bones. Now, the scraggly road kill they offer is barely palatable. And the biscuits are garbage compared to the wonderful rolls they used to sell. The Colonel must be rotating in his grave like a chicken on a spit.

I was waylaid by some Girl Scouts outside Albertson's today and forced to buy a box of Thin Mints, easily the best cookie made. But $4.00 a box? Larceny. Are they training these kids to be good citizens when they grow up or thousand-dollar-a-night call girls?

My hot streak at the casino continues. Five straight winning visits for a total of about $750. Two progressive jackpot wins ($233 and $143). I may buy another box of Girl Scout cookies if this keeps up.

Who writes ad copy for TV commercials these days? I keep hearing "less" used when "fewer" would be correct.

Tomorrow is Daylight Savings. Spring ahead. I always thought that if I died before the Fall Back date I'd be ahead of the game. Not looking to do it any time soon, though.

Have a nice weekend.

Need a Laugh?

One of my daily must-visit blogs is Ken Levine's. His varied career includes writing for hit TV shows M*A*S*H, FRASIER, MARY TYLER MOORE, CHEERS), baseball announcer, director, playwright, and bon vivant. He's published a book about his travels called WHERE THE HELL AM I? Each short chapter, and there are scores of them, recounts a trip he's taken to somewhere, either for business or pleasure. His pithy, witty observations are guaranteed to have you laughing out loud.

You can buy the Kindle version on Amazon. Other formats are also available.

Remember the Alamo

On this day in 1836 the final assault on the Alamo resulted in the death of all the defending Texians. It was a costly victory for Santa Anna (estimated 800 casualties), and the 13 days he spent in the siege allowed Sam Houston to assemble an army and ultimately defeat the Mexican army at San Jacinto. The deaths at the Alamo were not in vain. Revisionists now say that Davy Crockett surrendered and was executed. I don't buy that. Right after the battle one of the non-combatant survivors, Susanna Dickinson, saw Crockett's body in the area of the chapel, surrounded by dead Mexican soldiers. He and his Tennesseans were assigned the defense of the low palisade, an open area between the chapel and high wall in which a makeshift defensive position was fashioned from wagons, boxes, sacks, etc. That's on the lower right on the accompanying map (#14), on the slant.

Sling Free

I officially got permission to stop using my sling today. That's the one for my right arm. My butt will undoubtedly be in a sling forever. Unofficially, I stopped using it two days ago. Good riddance. Now, if I wanted a Singapore Sling I'd wish to share it with a vintage Anna May Wong. Speaking of her, I've seen some people spell her middle name Mae. I have a feeling both spellings were used over the years.

AMC Ticks Me Off Again

It was bad enough when AMC started inserting long commercial breaks into their movies, usually at inapropriate moments, but now they've gone and sicced their PC Police on a revered John Wayne movie. Yesterday I managed to catch EL DORADO from the beginning while channel surfing so I decided to watch it. This, you may know, is a remake of RIO BRAVO, but with Robert Mitchum in the Dean Martin/drunken sheriff role, James Caan instead of Ricky Nelson, and Arthur Hunnicutt taking over for Walter Brennan. Charlene Holt in the Angie Dickinson role is no slouch, either. Anyway, in one scene Caan, Mitchum, and Hunnicutt are trying to sneak into the back door of a saloon, but find it guarded by a bad guy. What happens in the unexpurgated film is Caan disguises himself as a Chinaman, missing no stereotype, until he can get close enough to the thug to knock him out. In the AMC snipfest, Caan says, "Wait, I have an idea." The next thing you know he's slugging the owlhoot. I don't know about you, but I don't need some clown at AMC censoring my movies for me. What's this world coming to?