I gamble too much! Or should I say WE gamble too much....
Last time we made reservations at the Palazzo Las Vegas through our casino host For some reason, Dave wanted to wait until the next day to actually reserve the room. He asked the host, "Will there still be rooms available tomorrow?" After looking at our previous play, the host said, "Well, if not we'll build you one." Gee.......thanks!
Then today I called Dave to see if he might be able to get tickets for Jersey Boys, since my parents are going to Vegas with us and they want to see it. He called back a few minutes later after calling our host and she comped us three $160 tickets to the show. She ended the convo with, "Remember we have a limo picking you up at the airport and if there is anything else you need, just let me know."
Now at the old Venetian they would've never done this. It sounds like they are getting a lot less stingy with their comps (or our host is just extra nice). Our rate of play hasn't really changed. Sounds like they are desperately trying to fill the rooms. That's one perk of a sagging economy, I guess. :)
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Dis and Dat
So my ride along last Friday was fun, except for the 4 inches of snow that we were driving around in. I got to the precinct a little before 6:00. I only live a few minutes away, but being that it was snowing like mad I wanted to give myself extra time. The sergeant let me in and told me to have a seat in the meeting room. Doug was late, so I sat around for about 20 minutes and everyone else got ready for roll call. This was the first time that I got to actually sit in on roll call, which was kind of interesting. I picked up tidbits about protocol on when to use lights and sirens for a call, when to initiate a puruit and when to terminate (handy information should I ever find myself being chased by the po-po) ;), and information about their bait car. If you don't know what a bait car is, it's a vehicle that is outfitted with a camera and a system that alerts dispatch if any of the doors are opened. They place all kinds of goodies inside (laptop, XBox, cell phone, tools) in hopes that someone will take the "bait". As soon as someone opens the door, the cops are right on them. One of the bait cars is actually outfitted with remote ignition kill and door locking mechanisms, so they can stall the engine and lock the thief inside should they try to steal the car - pretty funny!
Then Doug had his one-on-one evaluation/meeting with the sergeant and we were on our way.
The night overall was very slow. We went to one domestic disturbance call where a 16 year-old kid was being unruly and tossing things around his dad's apartment. Doug immediatly put the punk in handcuffs and started in on him military style. After the kid was being a tard and talking back, Doug dragged him outside in his socks (he wouldn't put his shoes on). He must have been cold walking through a couple of inches of slush in his socks but the dumbass deserved it. Then James showed up and started at him, too. James also told the dad that he'd been out the apartment once before that day because the kid and his friends stole cigars from the convenience store and came back to the apartment to smoke pot. The neighbors smelled it and called it in. Dumbass!
After hanging out at Starbucks for about an hour (like I said, it was slow) we got another domestic disturbance call and a burglary, which both turned out to be nothing.
There were a lot of accidents and downed trees because of the weather. I'm glad no one had anything life or death urgent because we wouldn't have gotten there very quickly!
We did get a call to the strip club on Hwy 99, but of course 3 other units, including the sergeant, made it there before we did. Doug gave the sergeant a hard time because we didn't hear him on the radio all night and then as soon as there's a call to the strip club, he's right there. He said he wanted to save the $10 admission. LOL!
Doug wanted to leave at 2:00 because he was driving to Pendleton for a poker tourney the next day, so naturally as we were heading back to the precinct around 1:30 we got behind a DUI. Here's a hint - if you've been drinking and you're driving, don't pull out right in front of a cop car, speed up and then swerve all over the road. That will land you in jail! Doug was pissed because, even though Mill Creek PD took the guy to jail, he had to stay and do paperwork - neener, neener, neener!
So, that's about it in a nutshell....no tasing, no shootings, no wild pursuits. Not that I didn't have fun, but maybe next time will be "better".
On a completely different subject, I have a plan - it's a plan that involves my favorite baritone (guess who) and Boeing. Puzzled? I thought so! But I'm not giving any more details yet. I'll just say that Phase 1-A of my plan will be initiated shortly. This will be pretty darn cool if I can pull it off. The good thing is that I actually have all the resources to make it happen!
Phew! I managed to type all this while at work at 10:45 at night. I'm sitting here waiting....waiting....waiting....for stuff to be ready to test for the release. I'm tired, I have awful cramps, my entire body aches and I just want to go to bed.
Then Doug had his one-on-one evaluation/meeting with the sergeant and we were on our way.
The night overall was very slow. We went to one domestic disturbance call where a 16 year-old kid was being unruly and tossing things around his dad's apartment. Doug immediatly put the punk in handcuffs and started in on him military style. After the kid was being a tard and talking back, Doug dragged him outside in his socks (he wouldn't put his shoes on). He must have been cold walking through a couple of inches of slush in his socks but the dumbass deserved it. Then James showed up and started at him, too. James also told the dad that he'd been out the apartment once before that day because the kid and his friends stole cigars from the convenience store and came back to the apartment to smoke pot. The neighbors smelled it and called it in. Dumbass!
After hanging out at Starbucks for about an hour (like I said, it was slow) we got another domestic disturbance call and a burglary, which both turned out to be nothing.
There were a lot of accidents and downed trees because of the weather. I'm glad no one had anything life or death urgent because we wouldn't have gotten there very quickly!
We did get a call to the strip club on Hwy 99, but of course 3 other units, including the sergeant, made it there before we did. Doug gave the sergeant a hard time because we didn't hear him on the radio all night and then as soon as there's a call to the strip club, he's right there. He said he wanted to save the $10 admission. LOL!
Doug wanted to leave at 2:00 because he was driving to Pendleton for a poker tourney the next day, so naturally as we were heading back to the precinct around 1:30 we got behind a DUI. Here's a hint - if you've been drinking and you're driving, don't pull out right in front of a cop car, speed up and then swerve all over the road. That will land you in jail! Doug was pissed because, even though Mill Creek PD took the guy to jail, he had to stay and do paperwork - neener, neener, neener!
So, that's about it in a nutshell....no tasing, no shootings, no wild pursuits. Not that I didn't have fun, but maybe next time will be "better".
On a completely different subject, I have a plan - it's a plan that involves my favorite baritone (guess who) and Boeing. Puzzled? I thought so! But I'm not giving any more details yet. I'll just say that Phase 1-A of my plan will be initiated shortly. This will be pretty darn cool if I can pull it off. The good thing is that I actually have all the resources to make it happen!
Phew! I managed to type all this while at work at 10:45 at night. I'm sitting here waiting....waiting....waiting....for stuff to be ready to test for the release. I'm tired, I have awful cramps, my entire body aches and I just want to go to bed.
Monday, April 14, 2008
Un-freakin' believable!
They're actually saying it might snow here on Friday night. This is insane!!!! That's the night I'm doing my ride along. Note to self: might be chasing bad guys outdoors in the snow - WEAR WARM CLOTHES! I wonder if they give the K-9s snow gear? LOL! Ear, tail and paw warmers might be in order for them!
The Canon camera I was planning on buying this month is now going to be released in June! :( I think Canon must use the same marketing firm as Microsoft and Boeing - oops, date slipped, sorry about that! We were talking about doing a helicopter tour of the Grand Canyon on our next Vegas trip...guess I won't have the camera by then!
Time for dinner!
The Canon camera I was planning on buying this month is now going to be released in June! :( I think Canon must use the same marketing firm as Microsoft and Boeing - oops, date slipped, sorry about that! We were talking about doing a helicopter tour of the Grand Canyon on our next Vegas trip...guess I won't have the camera by then!
Time for dinner!
Sunday, April 13, 2008
This and that and the weekend is over...again!
*sigh*
Well, at least this weekend seemed a little longer than previous ones. The weather was beautiful on Saturday (temps around 76 degrees). It was the warmest day we've had since last October! That was reason enough to clean up the boat and take it out for a spin. I even got sunburned! HOORAY!!! Of course, today it's raining.
I bought tickets for the Ben Heppner recital, which will take place at the opera house (McCaw Hall) on August 14th. I got an email from the opera on Friday, saying that tickets were going on sale Saturday morning on their website. I went on there Friday evening and there was already a BUY TICKETS NOW button, so I clicked on it. Turns out they were already available. I snatched up a couple in row 4. Amazingly, they were only $50/each. Considering I usually pay around $75-$80 for a non-subscription ticket to the opera, that was a very good deal. I am looking forward to seeing Ben again. I just hope he stays healthy for the next few months - no vocal problems, no intestinal infections....we'll have none of that! One of my favorite moments of being a super at the opera was standing a few feet from Ben during the wedding scene in Lohengrin when he belted out his high note as he was confronting Ortrud. The note resonated through my whole body. It gave me chills. I still owe him dinner from the time he took my mom, aunt and I out for dinner in Vienna - wow, was that really 13 years ago???? Looking at the photo from dinner on his website I realize, yes, it really WAS that long ago! Time flies. I'll have to see if he's up for it. He's a judge for the International Wagner Competition a couple of days after his recital, so he'll be in town for a little while.
Meanwhile, the package made it to South Bend. I warned Walt in advance that it was larger than I had intended, but that he could feel free to reassemble the contents in whatever way necessary to make it fit in his luggage. Hopefully he wasn't thinking, "SHIT!" lol! Nah, he's too nice for that.
On the agenda for this week...work...work...work....doctor appt. on Thursday afternoon...and a ride along with my sheriff deputy friend on Friday night. I'm leaving work early that day to go home and nap up, because it's going to be a long night of busting the bad boy scum of Everett....thank goodness for bulletproof vests...pop pop pop!.
Dave is going to Canada for the weekend for a friend's birthday party, so I'll have the house to myself.
Now it's time for cheesecake....white chocolate raspberry....and I'm not sharing!
Well, at least this weekend seemed a little longer than previous ones. The weather was beautiful on Saturday (temps around 76 degrees). It was the warmest day we've had since last October! That was reason enough to clean up the boat and take it out for a spin. I even got sunburned! HOORAY!!! Of course, today it's raining.
I bought tickets for the Ben Heppner recital, which will take place at the opera house (McCaw Hall) on August 14th. I got an email from the opera on Friday, saying that tickets were going on sale Saturday morning on their website. I went on there Friday evening and there was already a BUY TICKETS NOW button, so I clicked on it. Turns out they were already available. I snatched up a couple in row 4. Amazingly, they were only $50/each. Considering I usually pay around $75-$80 for a non-subscription ticket to the opera, that was a very good deal. I am looking forward to seeing Ben again. I just hope he stays healthy for the next few months - no vocal problems, no intestinal infections....we'll have none of that! One of my favorite moments of being a super at the opera was standing a few feet from Ben during the wedding scene in Lohengrin when he belted out his high note as he was confronting Ortrud. The note resonated through my whole body. It gave me chills. I still owe him dinner from the time he took my mom, aunt and I out for dinner in Vienna - wow, was that really 13 years ago???? Looking at the photo from dinner on his website I realize, yes, it really WAS that long ago! Time flies. I'll have to see if he's up for it. He's a judge for the International Wagner Competition a couple of days after his recital, so he'll be in town for a little while.
Meanwhile, the package made it to South Bend. I warned Walt in advance that it was larger than I had intended, but that he could feel free to reassemble the contents in whatever way necessary to make it fit in his luggage. Hopefully he wasn't thinking, "SHIT!" lol! Nah, he's too nice for that.
On the agenda for this week...work...work...work....doctor appt. on Thursday afternoon...and a ride along with my sheriff deputy friend on Friday night. I'm leaving work early that day to go home and nap up, because it's going to be a long night of busting the bad boy scum of Everett....thank goodness for bulletproof vests...pop pop pop!
Dave is going to Canada for the weekend for a friend's birthday party, so I'll have the house to myself.
Now it's time for cheesecake....white chocolate raspberry....and I'm not sharing!
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
More Yummy...
My friend, Susan, sent me this photo of her encounter with Nathan after a performance of The Barber of Seville in Chicago. Thanks, Susan! :)
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
YUMMY!
OK I stole this picture from Joyce DiDonato's blog page. Sorry, Joyce, but it was too cute not to pass up! :)
Sunday, March 30, 2008
First Blog
Wow, it's my first post!
What to write, what to write?
Where did the weekend go? It's already Sunday evening...what happened to Saturday? It seems they just go by way too quickly.
I was listening to the Met broadcast of Ernani with Thomas Hampson yesterday. I had it playing on my computer in our office downstairs. During the first intermission there was an interview with Thomas Hampson and, of course, he started waxing philosophical like he always does. Dave apparently was also listening because he turned to me and asked, "What the hell is he talking about?" It made me laugh because I really couldn't follow it, either. He still has his little accent, too...I guess it's a Midwest/Euro/Austrian twang. I kinda like it. One of the massage therapists at the Canyon Ranch Spa in Vegas was trying to guess where I was from and he thought I was a Midwesterner by the way I talked. I think his accent is rubbing off on me!
On another opera singer related note, I went to the golf shop today to buy Nathan Gunn a little gift. His dad offered to deliver it to him in New York next month. It had to be something small that he could hand carry on the plane. So, I bought him a Nike towel to wipe his sweat-drenched face *gulp*, another towel to clean his golf clubs and a super-cute, cushy penguin golf club cover. I'll have to take a picture of it before I send it off because it's so adorable.
He posted in his journal about his good friend passing away and it reminded me of Garth. Although his friend was ill for quite sometime and Garth passed very suddenly, it's still very difficult to deal with, and I know exactly how he feels. Ironically, Garth was the person who first told me about Nathan. Garth had emailed me when he found out that I was going to be in Florencia and asked if I could get him tickets to see the dress rehearsal because he really wanted to see Nathan Gunn. I was thinking Nathan WHO? But the first time I saw Nathan at rehearsals I knew exactly why Garth was so intrigued by him. :)
On that note, I'm off to soak my weary self in the hot tub.
Ciao!
What to write, what to write?
Where did the weekend go? It's already Sunday evening...what happened to Saturday? It seems they just go by way too quickly.
I was listening to the Met broadcast of Ernani with Thomas Hampson yesterday. I had it playing on my computer in our office downstairs. During the first intermission there was an interview with Thomas Hampson and, of course, he started waxing philosophical like he always does. Dave apparently was also listening because he turned to me and asked, "What the hell is he talking about?" It made me laugh because I really couldn't follow it, either. He still has his little accent, too...I guess it's a Midwest/Euro/Austrian twang. I kinda like it. One of the massage therapists at the Canyon Ranch Spa in Vegas was trying to guess where I was from and he thought I was a Midwesterner by the way I talked. I think his accent is rubbing off on me!
On another opera singer related note, I went to the golf shop today to buy Nathan Gunn a little gift. His dad offered to deliver it to him in New York next month. It had to be something small that he could hand carry on the plane. So, I bought him a Nike towel to wipe his sweat-drenched face *gulp*, another towel to clean his golf clubs and a super-cute, cushy penguin golf club cover. I'll have to take a picture of it before I send it off because it's so adorable.
He posted in his journal about his good friend passing away and it reminded me of Garth. Although his friend was ill for quite sometime and Garth passed very suddenly, it's still very difficult to deal with, and I know exactly how he feels. Ironically, Garth was the person who first told me about Nathan. Garth had emailed me when he found out that I was going to be in Florencia and asked if I could get him tickets to see the dress rehearsal because he really wanted to see Nathan Gunn. I was thinking Nathan WHO? But the first time I saw Nathan at rehearsals I knew exactly why Garth was so intrigued by him. :)
On that note, I'm off to soak my weary self in the hot tub.
Ciao!
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