so, last weekend i flew out to las vegas for a lighting conference. ii had already heard from some people that they would or wouldn't be there, so i was excited about catching up with some people. i was also to meet up with people from work and walk around the show floor to check out different technologies and such, things that might be useful to us in the future. . . oh, yeah. . . and hang out in las vegas BABY!. . .

first night i met up with trevor. . . he set up a great place for us at the orleans hotel. . . . i didn't actually take a picture of it. . but the outside was themed to look a little like buildings from a new orleans street.

the first night, trevor and i decided to catch a shuttle to downtown and walk around as many casinos as possible. . . we only got about half as far as we wanted and had to hit the other side later. . . but it is kinda like disney for adults. all the different themes and such. we stopped a ghiradelli for some treats and witnessed a lame outdoor concert. . . . the only thing fun about it was a drunk couple dancing. . . and not that part so much, but the part when the man hoisted the woman up and as she slid down her short jean skirt slid up revealing that she had decided to go commando that evening. . . well done!

this is trevor and me at the venetian. . .

we were about to head back toward the shuttle after walking through the venetian a bit when low and behold, i ran into my college roommate, and her new husband on their honeymoon! i had kinda thought, as i was getting on my plane, that she had mentioned they were honeymooning in vegas sometime in october. . . . but it was totally great running into her on a whim. we made plans that evening to meet up for lunch a little later in the weekend. . .

here's us after dinner outside paradise island. . .

friday day, trevor and i walked the show floor and i ran into a bunch of people from emerson, brian fehd, brian pratt, dave marcucci (who i hadn't seen since he left school my freshman year). . . then the santa fe opera group showed up. oh, and i got a call from matt filmeck (from kent who now lives and works in the vegas area) to meet up for lunch. so matt picked trevor and me up for dinner, then we headed out to see if we could catch a show of penn and teller. . . . we made it, and it was fantastic! half the time they debunk magic and make fun of all the shows in vegas, and the rest of the time they amaze you with their own magic. teller does this trick. . . so wonderful, with the shadow of a flower in a vase projected. as he cuts at the shadow of the flower, the bits he slices at on the real flower just downstage of him actually fall off. . . . so simple in a way, and so bewildering. . .

after the show matt drove us out to the freemont st. experience. . . .

i was a little disappointed that they only do one show a night that is just loud music and swirly shapes and colors. . . . they've moved to doing small movies instead, as you can see. . . this one was about alien abduction. . . lame. . .

here are trevor and matt watching the canapy. . .

and here are me and matt. . . don't know why i'm so compelled to take these self portrait type shots, when i'm contantly looking in the wrong direction and half cut out of the picture. . . . but oh well. . .

so, that was friday. saturday i met with jen and scott for lunch and we chatted a bit. . . then i was scheduled to meet with the santa fe opera people and we were all going to walk around and check out different booths and such. it was a long afternoon, but there is such a difference walking into a booth and asking for a demostration when you have a world famous lighting designer, duane schuler, walking in with you. suddenly the people there want to show you every little thing and allow you to touch and check out a few more things than when you are without said designer. even fehd, who i caught up with half way through asked if i knew the man in the black sport coat in the group i was standing with. . . and i said, 'yeah, that's duane, i work with him at the opera'. . . and brian was impressed. . . . :) i wish i had taken a couple of pictures of the other people there. . . but it was kind of a work environment, and it felt tacky/ desparate to do so. . . even with the camera phone.

saturday night, trevor and i went to see blueman group. . .yeah, i saw the show. . . AGAIN. . . and still LOVED it. and as an added extra. . . . at the top of the show, when they scroll through people's names and make you say happy birthday and such to different audience members. . . my name scrolled across. . . well, i was laughing so hard that i missed that i had been announced as an olympic gold medal winner. . . i don't even know what event. the entire audience congratulated me, and the woman next to me asked if i was really a gold member winner. . . i had to tell her no. . . (i should've said it was only a silver!)

yeah, show was incredible, as usual. and trevor and i walked around a few more casinos. i actually didn't put one single coin in a slot, or do ANY gambling. . . just not in me i guess. but here's a shot of a sunset with part of the venetian statuary in the foreground. . . .



we also stopped at aladdins, where we got some drinks and dessert. dave, my santa fe opera boss, told me that there was a dessert there that would make me blush. actually, i think it was the wild turkey liqueor that the bartender suggested that did the blushing. . .but the creole bread pudding suffle was very good. . . . then we walked through that casino and watched an indoor rainstorm. . . slighly unimpressive compared to the water fountain at the bellagio. . . but the inside of the casino was pretty. . .


anyway, we went back to the hotel with enough time to catch a quick nap, pack, shower and get to our planes. . . it was a great weekend. and this week i've caught a cold, or something, i'm a little worried that it will turn into bronchitis. . . bleh!

anyway, all from here, for now. . .


"don't give me songs, give me something to sing about"
Buffy, from the musical episode

so, there's more coming this weekend about my trip to vegas with pictures. . . but till then, i found this and thought it was rather amusing . . . check it out if you get a chance. just another sting at the president. . . and the one sided media we get to see about him . . .

http://onesimplequestion.blogspot.com/

and this had some interesting news about a former 'for bush' group. . . .

http://bushesagainstbush.com/mt/

all for now. . . till latah!

so, i've been trying to clean up this blog. . since on this computer at least, all the posts are after all the crap in the side bar. is this happening to everyone, or just me. i think it's lame.

well. . . not too sure why, but i am soooooo AWAKE today. could be anticipation for travelling away for the weekend. . . could be empathy excitement from the call i got from my friend who i'm meeting in las vegas- who was WAY excited about going to the conference. . . . or maybe it's my latest acupuncture treatment really going to work for my body. . . not too sure, but i'm digging it, and i hope it keeps up.

so yeah. i gotta do some packing tonight. . . make sure that none of my daily carried work tools, which are commonly mistaken for terrorists weapons, will set off detectors and such. it's actually a long process since so many of the bags i like to carry have LOTS of pockets- and i like to fill them with the 'just in case' items. .. so i gotta rummage through all of that, then actually pick and pack clothes, toiletries and such. perhaps my room will be cleaned a little in the process- only to be destroyed when i get back and throw down everything i travelled with onto my bedroom floor. . . . eh, i'll just leave it messy. i have my ipod for listening pleasure, and a new book that i'm looking forward to. even though the flights are short. . . maybe i'll get to read a decent part, especially if i'm still THIS awake.

whoo-hoo. . . .

"don't give me songs, give me something to sing about."
(can you name this quote?)

i can't think of anything interesting or noteworthy to blog here. i finished a book that a friend loaned me. . and no, it wasn't the cryptimonicon. . . which i still haven't finished. . . too heady for me still. this one was by the same author as sex and the city. i expected to find the characters amusing though i can't relate to them. . .like sex and the city. . . but the main character. . .i couldn't stand her, so i guess more than anything, i'm surprised that i was able to finish it. 'trading up'. . .that's the title. yeah. . . not one i'll buy for myself.

i did pick up 'mirror, mirror' the newer one by gregory mcguire, who wrote 'wicked'. this one is supposed to be an alternative look at 'snow white'. it'll be nice for the plane. oh yeah. i'm attending LDI in las vegas (conference for us people into lighting and stage technology) this upcoming weekend. i hope to see a number of friends, walk around the show floor, and maybe get lost in the whole adult disney world thing. i'm such a sucker for all the fake places like paris and such.

yeah. . . not much happening. . .

ipod there for i am. . . .

irip, i-import, iburn, isynch, icreate fun playlists. . . . ilove my ipod.

so i had some cd's in my car. . . and yes, there were exposed to heat and sunlight, but i don't think directly. . and yes they were exposed to water. . . since i decided to pack a cooler and i kinda let the extra ice melt onto the floor of my car. .. so also, moisture, indirectly. and i should preempt this by saying that before i went on my little trip all the discs were fine. . . two and a half weeks later, this is what i pulled out of the cd holder. . .



crazy huh. . . . completely ruined.

the day after we went to the balloon fiesta. . . there was an accident. smokey the bear got caught on a radio tower. 600 feet up and the driver and two youngsters had to climb down the tower. . .

you can see it here. . ..

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/10/11/earlyshow/living/parenting/main648582.shtml

(copy and paste)

well, it was that time of year again. . . BALLOON FIESTA. and jared and i decided to sleep an extra hour and got stuck in tons of traffic because of it. something to keep in mind next time. . . get there EARLY. . . . it's better. anyway, after some really annoyingly diverted traffic, we got there in time to see the last hundred or so launch, including some great special shapes.

here was our ascent onto the field. . .

you can kinda see the profile of the bees. . . my favorites. . . blowing up.

then there was a shaped supposedly based on findings that the incan civilization may have launched balloons. . .

one of the better ones. . and most clever ideas. . . a space shutter balloon. . actually larger than the real thing. . .

old mac donald's barn. . .

the brazillians apparently had a several new special shapes entries.. . and here was one. . . a squirrel. . .

here you can see one of the bees and the squirrel as they float out to catch up with all the rest. the two bees launch in perfect synch, turning and moving upwards like a set of olympic synchro swimmers. . . i got a movie, but don't know how to launch it here. . .

here's a little pirate boy with cat in a barrel. . .

a scarecrow. . .

chilli peppers. . . no new mexico event would be complete without some!. . .

a single manned swing balloon thing. . .

and this is one for my brother. . .i'm pretty sure it is his favorite beer. . .

and finally. . . someone who seems to have attended MANY of these. . .

so even though we were late. . . it was again. . TOTALLY worth it!

Monday, September 20th, 2004
Put Away Your Hankies...a message from Michael Moore

9/20/04

Dear Friends,

Enough of the handwringing! Enough of the doomsaying! Do I have to come there and personally calm you down? Stop with all the defeatism, OK? Bush IS a goner -- IF we all just quit our whining and bellyaching and stop shaking like a bunch of nervous ninnies. Geez, this is embarrassing! The Republicans are laughing at us. Do you ever see them cry, "Oh, it's all over! We are finished! Bush can't win! Waaaaaa!"

Hell no. It's never over for them until the last ballot is shredded. They are never finished -- they just keeping moving forward like sharks that never sleep, always pushing, pulling, kicking, blocking, lying.

They are relentless and that is why we secretly admire them -- they just simply never, ever give up. Only 30% of the country calls itself "Republican," yet the Republicans own it all -- the White House, both houses of Congress, the Supreme Court and the majority of the governorships. How do you think they've been able to pull that off considering they are a minority? It's because they eat you and me and every other liberal for breakfast and then spend the rest of the day wreaking havoc on the planet.

Look at us -- what a bunch of crybabies. Bush gets a bounce after his convention and you would have thought the Germans had run through Poland again. The Bushies are coming, the Bushies are coming! Yes, they caught Kerry asleep on the Swift Boat thing. Yes, they found the frequency in Dan Rather and ran with it. Suddenly it's like, "THE END IS NEAR! THE SKY IS FALLING!"

No, it is not. If I hear one more person tell me how lousy a candidate Kerry is and how he can't win... Dammit, of COURSE he's a lousy candidate -- he's a Democrat, for heavens sake! That party is so pathetic, they even lose the elections they win! What were you expecting, Bruce Springsteen heading up the ticket? Bruce would make a helluva president, but guys like him don't run -- and neither do you or I. People like Kerry run.

Yes, OF COURSE any of us would have run a better, smarter, kick-ass campaign. Of course we would have smacked each and every one of those phony swifty boaty bastards down. But WE are not running for president -- Kerry is. So quit complaining and work with what we have. Oprah just gave 300 women a... Pontiac! Did you see any of them frowning and moaning and screaming, "Oh God, NOT a friggin' Pontiac!" Of course not, they were happy. The Pontiacs all had four wheels, an engine and a gas pedal. You want more than that, well, I can't help you. I had a Pontiac once and it lasted a good year. And it was a VERY good year.

My friends, it is time for a reality check.

1. The polls are wrong. They are all over the map like diarrhea. On Friday, one poll had Bush 13 points ahead -- and another poll had them both tied. There are three reasons why the polls are b.s.: One, they are polling "likely voters." "Likely" means those who have consistently voted in the past few elections. So that cuts out young people who are voting for the first time and a ton of non-voters who are definitely going to vote in THIS election. Second, they are not polling people who use their cell phone as their primary phone. Again, that means they are not talking to young people. Finally, most of the polls are weighted with too many Republicans, as pollster John Zogby revealed last week. You are being snookered if you believe any of these polls.

2. Kerry has brought in the Clinton A-team. Instead of shunning Clinton (as Gore did), Kerry has decided to not make that mistake.

3. Traveling around the country, as I've been doing, I gotta tell ya, there is a hell of a lot of unrest out there. Much of it is not being captured by the mainstream press. But it is simmering and it is real. Do not let those well-produced Bush rallies of angry white people scare you. Turn off the TV! (Except Jon Stewart and Bill Moyers -- everything else is just a sugar-coated lie).

4. Conventional wisdom says if the election is decided on "9/11" (the fear of terrorism), Bush wins. But if it is decided on the job we are doing in Iraq, then Bush loses. And folks, that "job," you might have noticed, has descended into the third level of a hell we used to call Vietnam. There is no way out. It is a full-blown mess of a quagmire and the body bags will sadly only mount higher. Regardless of what Kerry meant by his original war vote, he ain't the one who sent those kids to their deaths -- and Mr. and Mrs. Middle America knows it. Had Bush bothered to show up when he was in the "service" he might have somewhat of a clue as to how to recognize an immoral war that cannot be "won." All he has delivered to Iraq was that plasticized turkey last Thanksgiving. It is this failure of monumental proportions that is going to cook his goose come this November.

So, do not despair. All is not over. Far from it. The Bush people need you to believe that it is over. They need you to slump back into your easy chair and feel that sick pain in your gut as you contemplate another four years of George W. Bush. They need you to wish we had a candidate who didn't windsurf and who was just as smart as we were when WE knew Bush was lying about WMD and Saddam planning 9/11. It's like Karl Rove is hypnotizing you -- "Kerry voted for the war...Kerry voted for the war...Kerrrrrryyy vooootted fooooor theeee warrrrrrrrrr..."

Yes...Yes...Yesssss....He did! HE DID! No sense in fighting now...what I need is sleep...sleeep...sleeeeeeppppp...

WAKE UP! The majority are with us! More than half of all Americans are pro-choice, want stronger environmental laws, are appalled that assault weapons are back on the street -- and 54% now believe the war is wrong. YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE TO CONVINCE THEM OF ANY OF THIS -- YOU JUST HAVE TO GIVE THEM A RAY OF HOPE AND A RIDE TO THE POLLS. CAN YOU DO THAT? WILL YOU DO THAT?

Just for me, please? Buck up. The country is almost back in our hands. Not another negative word until Nov. 3rd! Then you can bitch all you want about how you wish Kerry was still that long-haired kid who once had the courage to stand up for something. Personally, I think that kid is still inside him. Instead of the wailing and gnashing of your teeth, why not hold out a hand to him and help the inner soldier/protester come out and defeat the forces of evil we now so desperately face. Do we have any other choice?

Yours,

Michael Moore