Never forgotten. I can't believe it's been five years.
I will always remember the things you tried to teach us through your actions.
I'm thankful for my friends and family not as a result of you having to leave us early, but because you've shown me the impact a friendly word and a smile, as well as doing whatever it takes to make sure everyone has a good time, has on those around you.
Kenneth Tsang
11/10/80-3/28/04
Miss you, buddy.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Thursday, March 26, 2009
My one real fear
Often times I grow ferciously scared when I think about death. I know I'm young to be thinking about this, but it scares the living shit out of me when I ponder about what happens after we die.
Tonight while I was brushing my teeth, I was thinking about it and a fear that hit directly down to the bottom of my stomach gripped me. It was fucking horrible. Common sense simply cannot dictate that there is an afterlife. How is that possible? With so many religions that are obviously man made, how could there be an afterlife? Are we to believe that people are filtered into different places based on what they believe? It's very difficult for me to believe that.
What if after we die we simply don't exist? And you can't think about what it would be like to not exist because you will have no brain or thought to see what it's like. There is no way to avoid this.
I hate it when I think about shit like this. It scares the living shit out of me. It makes me feel extremely cold and alone. I fucking hate it.
Fuck.
Tonight while I was brushing my teeth, I was thinking about it and a fear that hit directly down to the bottom of my stomach gripped me. It was fucking horrible. Common sense simply cannot dictate that there is an afterlife. How is that possible? With so many religions that are obviously man made, how could there be an afterlife? Are we to believe that people are filtered into different places based on what they believe? It's very difficult for me to believe that.
What if after we die we simply don't exist? And you can't think about what it would be like to not exist because you will have no brain or thought to see what it's like. There is no way to avoid this.
I hate it when I think about shit like this. It scares the living shit out of me. It makes me feel extremely cold and alone. I fucking hate it.
Fuck.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
I will die alone
I'm set myself up for a unfavorable situation, but a basic reality nonetheless.
I will die alone.
For those of you that don't know, I'm quoting Triumph from Late Night with Conan O'brien, when he went to the Star Wars opening. He was talking to some nerd guy and the guy said some kind of trivia knowledge and Triumph got in his face and said "YOU WILL DIE ALONE". Hilarious!
So I say this in jest. This is not a black hooded, hair over one eye post. "Why did this happen to meeeeeee...made a mistakeeeeee".
But yes, I will die alone.
Why? Let me break it down for you, one time.
-I went to college in SD. That means all of the friends from down there are still in the so cal area. that means my larger network is down south.
-ALL the people I keep in touch with only know people who are in the couple format. Put another way, NONE OF MY FRIENDS KNOW ANYONE SINGLE. Isn't that crazy?? They say that the best way to meet people is through your friends. Well, what if your friends only know people that are taken? How is this possible, you ask? Welcome to the bay fucking area, or rather, welcome to the west fucking coast. (okay, I decided to be a bit more scientific and looked up another graph, but do check out "Santa Clara county" and "San Francisco county"...yessssssss)
-Everyone at my work is old old old and lacks social skills.
-I lack hobbies
-The groups that exist that serve to allow people to meet new people seem so forced and fake, and usually are a collection of people who are old and pathetic and/or people who I wouldn't want to go out with.
Okay, so we've established that my options are dead. So issue here is there are people who are in my boat who have come back from college and don't really have a social group of people to really kick it with. But you don't have that feeling of desperation, so it feels weird to go to "meet new people" and/or "singles events". That's not my thing. It just feels too manufactured and forced.
Okay moving on:
-I wouldn't say I'm ugly. But I'm not super model material either. Maybe just model material. HA! HA HA HA AH HA! Okay, I'm average. I'm extremely average. I ooze plantonic friendship aura. I'm the guy that girls won't be attracted to because I'm just so much better as a friend. I'm the kind of guy where if I start to like a girl, the girl sees it more as an annoyance...not thatI'm annoying, but that it becomes a task that she has to deal with to figure out a way to let it be known that she ain't feeling it. What i am NOT though, is a "nice guy". Everyone should know by now how much I dispise that term and how chicken shit guys use as an excuse for being a bona fide pussy. But let's real. Real real? Real real. Real talk. I ain't super fly or good looking. I ain't tall. I'm over weight. My hair is falling out. But this is me. I ain't complaining. What's the point in tripping over things I can't control? (Okay, I'm working on the weight, but I can't do nothing bout my other physical shortcomings....(ooo not a good word. Get it? lol?)). But yeah. That's just how it is, and I'm fine with that. The point is, living in an area where there are more girls than guys, if you ain't the cream of the crop, then you're gonna be like the dude that gets the "Good participation" ribbon. Thanks for trying, but no dice.
-I'm too damn picky!!! I have a very ideal image in my head of what I want in the opposite sex. I will not write that list here because it's hard to put into words and the ones that can will make me sound like a pig.
Does this sound like a pity rant? Nigga please** (<- that means to go to where the two asteriks are)
**Having been out of a relationship for so long that I don't even remember what it's like to actually feel like you're in love, and having forgotten what it feels like to hold someone's hand, but also having forgotten what it feels like to have obligations and have to make sure it's okay with the other person if you do things and go places -- feels AIGHT. I mean, again, real talk. I have to look at both sides:
-I think one of the most pathetic things is when someone HAS to be in a relationship. Straight up. There is a big difference between loving someone and needing someone. If someone HAS to be in a relationship, then there's obviously some shit going on under the hood (*cough* insecurities *cough*). I made the decision a long time ago that I would not get into a relationship until I knew that I had changed enough that I didn't even have a SMIDGE of needed someone in order to be happy. Of course that is beside the point due to the stuff I said above, but YEH. I'm not trying to be a dick, but I'm just saying that if you need to be HALF of something in order to feel WHOLE, then damn that ain't good.
-I can go where ever I want, whenever I want. This is actually quite fucking cool. And for those of you in relationships who say "I can do the same fucking thing". WRONG.
-Four words: SAVE MONEY. NO DRAMA.
-I've finally learned to trust myself. When you're by yourself, you're forced to do a lot of things. Your actions affect only you. You have to learn to trust yourself, you're forced to take a good hard look at your self-esteem, what you perceive your self worth to be. No one's going to break your fall because no one gives a fuck. Don't get it twisted - your friends care about you -- but only to a point. At the end of the day, you're the one who has to live with your successes and your failures.
Simply put, being single has forced me to grow up. I know it's different for everyone. But that's how it is. Yeah there are days when I feel that being with someone would feel nice, but complaining without doing anything is the WORST.
Which brings me to my final point:
-With no motivation to really change things, nothing is going to happen. Yeah, i knock on these single events and online dating and all that bullshit, but honestly, I have to give these people props for at least making the effort. Being comfortable, not having finding someone a priority in my life right now, not wanting to fail, etc. -- whatever the reason, I'm not making the effort. And as long as I don't make the effort and expect shit to fall into my lap, I will certain be on the track to die alone.*** This is not to say that I WANT to die alone, and if/when opportunities present themselves, I'll definitely take it. I'm not going to look for failure just to be emo. But yeah. There you go. If I do end up dying alone, at least that's a lot of vegas trips, and hey, I can be the cool bachelor guy who's like a pseudo-uncle to all my friend's kids. It'll be like a cool sitcom.
***But at least I'm not pulling any shady shit to get my significant other or get laid. Yeah I said it.
So the point of this blog? You can lead a horse to water, but too many cooks kill the molehill mountain by the watched pond that doesn't boil.
I will die alone.
For those of you that don't know, I'm quoting Triumph from Late Night with Conan O'brien, when he went to the Star Wars opening. He was talking to some nerd guy and the guy said some kind of trivia knowledge and Triumph got in his face and said "YOU WILL DIE ALONE". Hilarious!
So I say this in jest. This is not a black hooded, hair over one eye post. "Why did this happen to meeeeeee...made a mistakeeeeee".
But yes, I will die alone.
Why? Let me break it down for you, one time.
-I went to college in SD. That means all of the friends from down there are still in the so cal area. that means my larger network is down south.
-ALL the people I keep in touch with only know people who are in the couple format. Put another way, NONE OF MY FRIENDS KNOW ANYONE SINGLE. Isn't that crazy?? They say that the best way to meet people is through your friends. Well, what if your friends only know people that are taken? How is this possible, you ask? Welcome to the bay fucking area, or rather, welcome to the west fucking coast. (okay, I decided to be a bit more scientific and looked up another graph, but do check out "Santa Clara county" and "San Francisco county"...yessssssss)
-Everyone at my work is old old old and lacks social skills.
-I lack hobbies
-The groups that exist that serve to allow people to meet new people seem so forced and fake, and usually are a collection of people who are old and pathetic and/or people who I wouldn't want to go out with.
Okay, so we've established that my options are dead. So issue here is there are people who are in my boat who have come back from college and don't really have a social group of people to really kick it with. But you don't have that feeling of desperation, so it feels weird to go to "meet new people" and/or "singles events". That's not my thing. It just feels too manufactured and forced.
Okay moving on:
-I wouldn't say I'm ugly. But I'm not super model material either. Maybe just model material. HA! HA HA HA AH HA! Okay, I'm average. I'm extremely average. I ooze plantonic friendship aura. I'm the guy that girls won't be attracted to because I'm just so much better as a friend. I'm the kind of guy where if I start to like a girl, the girl sees it more as an annoyance...not thatI'm annoying, but that it becomes a task that she has to deal with to figure out a way to let it be known that she ain't feeling it. What i am NOT though, is a "nice guy". Everyone should know by now how much I dispise that term and how chicken shit guys use as an excuse for being a bona fide pussy. But let's real. Real real? Real real. Real talk. I ain't super fly or good looking. I ain't tall. I'm over weight. My hair is falling out. But this is me. I ain't complaining. What's the point in tripping over things I can't control? (Okay, I'm working on the weight, but I can't do nothing bout my other physical shortcomings....(ooo not a good word. Get it? lol?)). But yeah. That's just how it is, and I'm fine with that. The point is, living in an area where there are more girls than guys, if you ain't the cream of the crop, then you're gonna be like the dude that gets the "Good participation" ribbon. Thanks for trying, but no dice.
-I'm too damn picky!!! I have a very ideal image in my head of what I want in the opposite sex. I will not write that list here because it's hard to put into words and the ones that can will make me sound like a pig.
Does this sound like a pity rant? Nigga please** (<- that means to go to where the two asteriks are)
**Having been out of a relationship for so long that I don't even remember what it's like to actually feel like you're in love, and having forgotten what it feels like to hold someone's hand, but also having forgotten what it feels like to have obligations and have to make sure it's okay with the other person if you do things and go places -- feels AIGHT. I mean, again, real talk. I have to look at both sides:
-I think one of the most pathetic things is when someone HAS to be in a relationship. Straight up. There is a big difference between loving someone and needing someone. If someone HAS to be in a relationship, then there's obviously some shit going on under the hood (*cough* insecurities *cough*). I made the decision a long time ago that I would not get into a relationship until I knew that I had changed enough that I didn't even have a SMIDGE of needed someone in order to be happy. Of course that is beside the point due to the stuff I said above, but YEH. I'm not trying to be a dick, but I'm just saying that if you need to be HALF of something in order to feel WHOLE, then damn that ain't good.
-I can go where ever I want, whenever I want. This is actually quite fucking cool. And for those of you in relationships who say "I can do the same fucking thing". WRONG.
-Four words: SAVE MONEY. NO DRAMA.
-I've finally learned to trust myself. When you're by yourself, you're forced to do a lot of things. Your actions affect only you. You have to learn to trust yourself, you're forced to take a good hard look at your self-esteem, what you perceive your self worth to be. No one's going to break your fall because no one gives a fuck. Don't get it twisted - your friends care about you -- but only to a point. At the end of the day, you're the one who has to live with your successes and your failures.
Simply put, being single has forced me to grow up. I know it's different for everyone. But that's how it is. Yeah there are days when I feel that being with someone would feel nice, but complaining without doing anything is the WORST.
Which brings me to my final point:
-With no motivation to really change things, nothing is going to happen. Yeah, i knock on these single events and online dating and all that bullshit, but honestly, I have to give these people props for at least making the effort. Being comfortable, not having finding someone a priority in my life right now, not wanting to fail, etc. -- whatever the reason, I'm not making the effort. And as long as I don't make the effort and expect shit to fall into my lap, I will certain be on the track to die alone.*** This is not to say that I WANT to die alone, and if/when opportunities present themselves, I'll definitely take it. I'm not going to look for failure just to be emo. But yeah. There you go. If I do end up dying alone, at least that's a lot of vegas trips, and hey, I can be the cool bachelor guy who's like a pseudo-uncle to all my friend's kids. It'll be like a cool sitcom.
***But at least I'm not pulling any shady shit to get my significant other or get laid. Yeah I said it.
So the point of this blog? You can lead a horse to water, but too many cooks kill the molehill mountain by the watched pond that doesn't boil.
Costa Mesa.
So I'm back from Costa Mesa. The work was okay. The people were really chill down there, though they still don't really understand what my position does.
I stayed a motel (La Quinta Inn) that was literally right next to the 405. It was so close I could have thrown a rock from my room door and hit the freeway. That means nonstop car noise the entire time. The hotel shares the same plaza as the local hooters. Keep it classy, La Quinta. (Good happy hour though).
Hooters has always been a point of confusion to me. The food sucks major ass, and their claim to revenue is hiring girls with big chests. And yet, I think this is a good business practice. Think about it -- Hooters is picking up the guys who would feel too guilty or dirty going to a strip joint. So instead they can go to Hooters, stare all they want (nonchalant or not), and try to make small talk with waitresses who will sit down at your table when they are talking to you. Then you add shitty food and beer because they guys will have another reason to come (pun!), and you got yourself a damn good business model. Apparently sex and shitty wings sells.
Anyways, on Thursday, I got to chill with my good buddy Alex (from high school), his gf Cherise, and their friend (I apologize; I forgot her name). I gotta say: GOOD TIMES with real cool cats. They took me to this awesome japanese restaurant (where they make their own udon noodles; top notch btw). The conversation was fucking awesome. Seriously. Fucking awesome conversation. Afterwards, Alex suggested we go to the UCI pub, where we conversed some more and drained a couple beers (Black Butte Porter, I believe). Good times, even though I almost fell asleep in the car. It's too bad they all live down south.
Friday I chilled with Helen. First we went shopping at South Coast Plaza. Got a coach wallet (Who would have ever seen the fucking day when I, of all people, would buy a fucking coatch wallet!!) I was pissed because j.crew was closed. She also took me a BOMB ass Japanese restaurant Honda-ya. This place is about as legit as they come. Everybody working there is Japanese. They have kimpira on the menu. The onigiri was fucking awesome and served with tsukemono on the side. LEGIT, son. She then gave me a ride to Minh and Cz's, where I crashed.
Sat morning I slept in for some much needed sleep as minh and cz went to the ER (Don't worry, nothing serious). When they got back, Cz ran into their bedroom because she didn't want to be seen with a balloon stuck up her nose. It must have been miserable. Anyways, so I tagged along with Minh to get Cz's car and medicine. We stopped to get some food at this viet place. Pretty good. I was entertained by Cz's method of getting Minh's attention:
Eating food at their table --
Minh: So yeah, then this guy went --
*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*
Minh: Was that the door?
Me: I think someone is knocking on your wall? Cz?
Minh (turns toward wall): Czrena???
*knock*
(she was hungry)
It must be hard to yell "Minh" really loud when you're tired and you have a balloon up your nose. But yeah, after eating we played video games until I took off. Good times again. (Don't feel bad about it, Cz, sleeping in and playing video games is my idea of a good Saturday indeed.)
So I'm back. Hooray.
I stayed a motel (La Quinta Inn) that was literally right next to the 405. It was so close I could have thrown a rock from my room door and hit the freeway. That means nonstop car noise the entire time. The hotel shares the same plaza as the local hooters. Keep it classy, La Quinta. (Good happy hour though).
Hooters has always been a point of confusion to me. The food sucks major ass, and their claim to revenue is hiring girls with big chests. And yet, I think this is a good business practice. Think about it -- Hooters is picking up the guys who would feel too guilty or dirty going to a strip joint. So instead they can go to Hooters, stare all they want (nonchalant or not), and try to make small talk with waitresses who will sit down at your table when they are talking to you. Then you add shitty food and beer because they guys will have another reason to come (pun!), and you got yourself a damn good business model. Apparently sex and shitty wings sells.
Anyways, on Thursday, I got to chill with my good buddy Alex (from high school), his gf Cherise, and their friend (I apologize; I forgot her name). I gotta say: GOOD TIMES with real cool cats. They took me to this awesome japanese restaurant (where they make their own udon noodles; top notch btw). The conversation was fucking awesome. Seriously. Fucking awesome conversation. Afterwards, Alex suggested we go to the UCI pub, where we conversed some more and drained a couple beers (Black Butte Porter, I believe). Good times, even though I almost fell asleep in the car. It's too bad they all live down south.
Friday I chilled with Helen. First we went shopping at South Coast Plaza. Got a coach wallet (Who would have ever seen the fucking day when I, of all people, would buy a fucking coatch wallet!!) I was pissed because j.crew was closed. She also took me a BOMB ass Japanese restaurant Honda-ya. This place is about as legit as they come. Everybody working there is Japanese. They have kimpira on the menu. The onigiri was fucking awesome and served with tsukemono on the side. LEGIT, son. She then gave me a ride to Minh and Cz's, where I crashed.
Sat morning I slept in for some much needed sleep as minh and cz went to the ER (Don't worry, nothing serious). When they got back, Cz ran into their bedroom because she didn't want to be seen with a balloon stuck up her nose. It must have been miserable. Anyways, so I tagged along with Minh to get Cz's car and medicine. We stopped to get some food at this viet place. Pretty good. I was entertained by Cz's method of getting Minh's attention:
Eating food at their table --
Minh: So yeah, then this guy went --
*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*
Minh: Was that the door?
Me: I think someone is knocking on your wall? Cz?
Minh (turns toward wall): Czrena???
*knock*
(she was hungry)
It must be hard to yell "Minh" really loud when you're tired and you have a balloon up your nose. But yeah, after eating we played video games until I took off. Good times again. (Don't feel bad about it, Cz, sleeping in and playing video games is my idea of a good Saturday indeed.)
So I'm back. Hooray.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Ah yes. Vegas.
I'm back and i'm still not fully recovered sleep-wise. The trip was fun and needed. A good time was had by all, hopefully. I had a great time. In fact, I want to go back asap. Here's what went down:
Friday
Got into vegas on different flights. I chatted it up with this cool cat on the flight over. We were talking bout vegas - good restaurants, what games we played, etc. He even offered to give me a ride to my hotel in his limo (he was a high roller), but we had to wait for Brendan, so I politely declined. Real cool guy tho. Anyways, met up with Brendan and we checked in at the Signature...oh my fucking god how I missed that place. So clean and nice and awesome. The beds are awesome. If I was rich I would so buy a place here.
Didn't gamble...just chilled out and then went to Bradley Ogden at Caesar's Palace. We ate in the lounge. They have a set menu for only 28 bucks!! It includes a salad (regular or caesar), entree (fish and chips or the best hamburger ever), and dessert. We also got hummus (VERY good, served with a shitload of warm soft pita bread). Service was awesome. Definitely, definitely would go back.
After finishing up, Mel met up with us. Mel is not good with directions. Here's how the conversation went:
Phone rings
"Hey it's Mel. Where are you guys?"
"We're at this place in Caesar's Palace. I left a key for you in the lobby"
"okay great. I'll change and then I'll take a cab over"
"cool"
Phone rings
"Hey I'm here. where are you guys?"
"Okay we're at a restaurant called Bradley Ogden. Are at the front?"
"I'm in front of Pure"
"okay great. Just keep heading away from the entrance and it'll be on your left. You can't miss it"
"Okay. Cool"
Phone rings
"Are you guys in Mesa Grill? I went in Mesa Grill and I didn't see you guys"
"Mesa...? No. We're in Bradley Ogden"
"Where's that?"
"It's on the left"
"By Mesa Grill?"
"Keep going. It's on the left."
"I don't..."
"IT'S ON THE LEFT"
Anyways, so Mel finally met up with us and then got lost for another 20 minutes trying to manuever her way around the tables to get to ours. Anyways, we then met up with Julia and her sister. (her sister took off for 5 minutes and was not seen again for the rest of the trip...guess we made an extremely bad impression in a ridiculously short amount of time with no words). We then moved over another part of the lounge where I alone had a drink. After said drink, we moved on to the Japonais Lounge at Mirage. The cool people then had a drink, while the losers did not. lol. I DON'T kid. After that Julia left (was not seen again for the rest of the trip. Bad friend) and we all headed back to the Signature. Note: still haven't gambled at all.
Saturday
Wake up at 10 in order to be at brunch reservations of 1130. We went to Tableau at The Wynn. I had the huckleberry pancakes which looked good, but were pretty fail. Everyone else had Kobe beef with eggs on top, which was apparently bomb. Lame. One point for everyone else, zero points for me. The cool thing was Scott, Melo, and Mike met up with us. I forgot to tell scott that it was business casual, so he came in his Saturday best, aka tshirt and jeans. Points for everyone else, zero points for Scott. With two groups of friends meeting for the first time, it was a bit tricky trying to get everyone to talk, so I shared my long story about Troi-Beau. Well, at least Scott and I laughed. Anyways, it was a good meal.
I finally got to gambling when Scott and I hit the craps tables at Wynn. Got jacked. Left the table down. Met a potential future date (HA!). We then went to the mall so Jon could get some clothes, went to Palazzo and lost 100 bucks in roughly 1 minutes to the Blackjack table, then headed back to the hotel to meet up with Danielle.
After meeting with Danielle, I went to the gym. The gym at the MGM signature is the SHIT. If my crappy ass work gym was somehow, someway like the gym at this hotel, I would go every day several times. Free headphones to use, plenty of clean towels, free water, free antibacterial wipes (individually packaged), TV/radio for every cardio machine, damp rolled terry cloth towels in a steel bowl placed in ice. Amazing.
I then got ready for dinner while the others talked in the dark, and then we headed off Envy Steakhouse. I got the bone in prime rib, and shared black truffle mashed potatoes, creamed corn, and three cheese mac and cheese. I had a glass of wine called "ball buster". Pretty damn good. Had the same server as last time, who was knowledgeable and fast. Used a coupon I bought off of restaurants.com to soften the blow on the wallet.
After that we headed back to the hotel to drop off food and then went to the palazzo to meet up with scott, melo, and mike again. Brendan had to crash out early due to sickness (non-alcohol related..just basic cold). We hit up a bar/lounge first, had some drinks, and had some hella good conversation. Hella good. We then went to Lavo (lounge portion only) for some drinks and hookah (some of us). Just like old times.
Mel and Danielle took off early (Mel had to take off early), while the rest of us went to Luxor to try and get some nachos but the FUCKING 24 HOUR CAFE IS NOT 24 ANYMORE. WTF. NO MORE WORLDS BEST NACHOS. LAME. We gambled some more (craps) and then took off. I got back to the hotel, ate some steak (still good), chatted a little with Jon, then crashed.
Sunday
Woke up early again for brunch at Wynn, this time the Country Club. I had the eggs and potates with spicy chicken sausage. I also decided to splurge and get a shrimp cocktail. The damn thing cost 19 bucks, and came with three - yes, THREE - shrimp. Prawns is a better word tho, because those mother fuckers were HUGE. I think that was a one time thing splurge though. After eating and some more good conversation, we went to check out the scenery around the Country Club for a bit. Very nice place. I think next time I go there I'd like to eat outside.
After that, we went back to the hotel to recharge. Aka, nap. Seriously, we all needed it. I was still slightly hungover, tired as fuck, and we were going to go clubbing that night. So I caught some Z's, woke up and got ready for dinner.
For dinner we went to the Wynn buffet. Everything was good, but it wasn't mind blowing. I think I'm kinda over buffets. I don't need to stuff myself for money's sake anymore; it ain't college no more. I'd rather pay the same amount for a good meal. The best part was the shrimp though. And the desserts. Hella good desserts. Goddamn.
After dinner, and after some walking and some bathroom breaks, we headed over to XS at Encore and met up with Scott's group. Someone from Scott's group got us all on the guest list, so even though we had more girls than guys we got in for FREE.
XS is fucking awesome. The club is huge. Half of it is outside (no doors, just all open). Every fucking girl that works there is SMOKING hot. (To the asian waitress with short hair, if you're reading this, marry me and I'll sign a prenup that says you can have 100% of all my wealth if we get divorced). There aren't any bottlenecks in the club..that was really nice. In other words, if you want to get somewhere, there's like two or three ways to get there. The one bad thing about the club was the music. Good GOD the music was fucking horrible. Seriously. HORRIBLE. However, halfway through the night we met up and chilled with Scott's entire group and it was really fun. Because..and here's the thing. I'm not trying to knock anyone here. Seriously. But when you're with people who want to drink and dance, it's way more fun. It almost makes you not care about what the music is because everyone is having a good time. I'm not saying that people need to drink and dance in order to have a good time at a club, but lemme put it this way. Let's say you went to a batting cage with your friends. Everybody pays the entry fee and goes inside. But then a few people in the group just stand there and don't want to hit any balls. Now, they say they're having fun, but it kinda takes away from the fun the rest of the group is having.
However, it should be said that I've realized that no one is as into vegas as I am. And that is not a brag and not a boast. In fact, maybe it's a bit sad. But yeah.
Anyways, after XS, buzzed as hell, I went to go gamble. We played some paigow, but the dealer was getting CRAZY good hands while we got crap. This always gets me suspicious. I mean, the dealer has an equal chance of getting a good hand as all the players. So when all the players, who are usually the majority, get crap, and the dealer gets pure seven card awesomeness, I cry foul. So I moved over the baccarat table. Fun.
Scott calls me up after an hour or so. SUPER drunk. Earlier I had gotten a text from him saying that he had had about 15 shots and was quite drunk but wanted to gamble.
"HEY man. where you aaaattt? I'm onnna come gamble wit you mannnnnn"
"Aight that's cool. Are you sure you should? I mean you're pretty drunk"
"NAH nah nah. I'll be there soon"
I get a call from Mike next. "Yeah, I dunno if scott's gonna make it"
I get a final call from Melodie "Yeah, scott just passed out" Scott (in the background): "Nah I wanna GAMBLE!"
Hilarious.
We then go play some more craps. We lost a good amount of money initially. So we all start betting don't pass. It was a weird sight. Imagine walking by a craps table where all the players are yelling "COME ON..SEVEN OUT!! SEVEN OUT!!!!!". Money gone, but good times. After that, we played some roulette, where we had the pleasure of being across from a girl with the most annoying voice ever. Roulette is fun. I always play the same 5 or 6 numbers, so it's pretty easy for me. I just put the chips down and then hope and pray.
After that I started getting pretty damn tired. But Jon and Brendan wanted to play Let it Ride, so they played and I/D headed back to the hotel. Passed out IMMEDIATELY. I have never fallen asleep that fast in life. I would find out later that Jon had hit quad jacks and gotten some money back. Unfortunately, much like when I hit a full house in let it ride, he didn't have a buck chip to do the bonus bet. But shiet. Who cares. Quads! Awesome.
Monday
So we all got our snooze on, then headed to the airport. That's it.
And now here I am. At home. And I want to go back already. LOL.
I'm back and i'm still not fully recovered sleep-wise. The trip was fun and needed. A good time was had by all, hopefully. I had a great time. In fact, I want to go back asap. Here's what went down:
Friday
Got into vegas on different flights. I chatted it up with this cool cat on the flight over. We were talking bout vegas - good restaurants, what games we played, etc. He even offered to give me a ride to my hotel in his limo (he was a high roller), but we had to wait for Brendan, so I politely declined. Real cool guy tho. Anyways, met up with Brendan and we checked in at the Signature...oh my fucking god how I missed that place. So clean and nice and awesome. The beds are awesome. If I was rich I would so buy a place here.
Didn't gamble...just chilled out and then went to Bradley Ogden at Caesar's Palace. We ate in the lounge. They have a set menu for only 28 bucks!! It includes a salad (regular or caesar), entree (fish and chips or the best hamburger ever), and dessert. We also got hummus (VERY good, served with a shitload of warm soft pita bread). Service was awesome. Definitely, definitely would go back.
After finishing up, Mel met up with us. Mel is not good with directions. Here's how the conversation went:
Phone rings
"Hey it's Mel. Where are you guys?"
"We're at this place in Caesar's Palace. I left a key for you in the lobby"
"okay great. I'll change and then I'll take a cab over"
"cool"
Phone rings
"Hey I'm here. where are you guys?"
"Okay we're at a restaurant called Bradley Ogden. Are at the front?"
"I'm in front of Pure"
"okay great. Just keep heading away from the entrance and it'll be on your left. You can't miss it"
"Okay. Cool"
Phone rings
"Are you guys in Mesa Grill? I went in Mesa Grill and I didn't see you guys"
"Mesa...? No. We're in Bradley Ogden"
"Where's that?"
"It's on the left"
"By Mesa Grill?"
"Keep going. It's on the left."
"I don't..."
"IT'S ON THE LEFT"
Anyways, so Mel finally met up with us and then got lost for another 20 minutes trying to manuever her way around the tables to get to ours. Anyways, we then met up with Julia and her sister. (her sister took off for 5 minutes and was not seen again for the rest of the trip...guess we made an extremely bad impression in a ridiculously short amount of time with no words). We then moved over another part of the lounge where I alone had a drink. After said drink, we moved on to the Japonais Lounge at Mirage. The cool people then had a drink, while the losers did not. lol. I DON'T kid. After that Julia left (was not seen again for the rest of the trip. Bad friend) and we all headed back to the Signature. Note: still haven't gambled at all.
Saturday
Wake up at 10 in order to be at brunch reservations of 1130. We went to Tableau at The Wynn. I had the huckleberry pancakes which looked good, but were pretty fail. Everyone else had Kobe beef with eggs on top, which was apparently bomb. Lame. One point for everyone else, zero points for me. The cool thing was Scott, Melo, and Mike met up with us. I forgot to tell scott that it was business casual, so he came in his Saturday best, aka tshirt and jeans. Points for everyone else, zero points for Scott. With two groups of friends meeting for the first time, it was a bit tricky trying to get everyone to talk, so I shared my long story about Troi-Beau. Well, at least Scott and I laughed. Anyways, it was a good meal.
I finally got to gambling when Scott and I hit the craps tables at Wynn. Got jacked. Left the table down. Met a potential future date (HA!). We then went to the mall so Jon could get some clothes, went to Palazzo and lost 100 bucks in roughly 1 minutes to the Blackjack table, then headed back to the hotel to meet up with Danielle.
After meeting with Danielle, I went to the gym. The gym at the MGM signature is the SHIT. If my crappy ass work gym was somehow, someway like the gym at this hotel, I would go every day several times. Free headphones to use, plenty of clean towels, free water, free antibacterial wipes (individually packaged), TV/radio for every cardio machine, damp rolled terry cloth towels in a steel bowl placed in ice. Amazing.
I then got ready for dinner while the others talked in the dark, and then we headed off Envy Steakhouse. I got the bone in prime rib, and shared black truffle mashed potatoes, creamed corn, and three cheese mac and cheese. I had a glass of wine called "ball buster". Pretty damn good. Had the same server as last time, who was knowledgeable and fast. Used a coupon I bought off of restaurants.com to soften the blow on the wallet.
After that we headed back to the hotel to drop off food and then went to the palazzo to meet up with scott, melo, and mike again. Brendan had to crash out early due to sickness (non-alcohol related..just basic cold). We hit up a bar/lounge first, had some drinks, and had some hella good conversation. Hella good. We then went to Lavo (lounge portion only) for some drinks and hookah (some of us). Just like old times.
Mel and Danielle took off early (Mel had to take off early), while the rest of us went to Luxor to try and get some nachos but the FUCKING 24 HOUR CAFE IS NOT 24 ANYMORE. WTF. NO MORE WORLDS BEST NACHOS. LAME. We gambled some more (craps) and then took off. I got back to the hotel, ate some steak (still good), chatted a little with Jon, then crashed.
Sunday
Woke up early again for brunch at Wynn, this time the Country Club. I had the eggs and potates with spicy chicken sausage. I also decided to splurge and get a shrimp cocktail. The damn thing cost 19 bucks, and came with three - yes, THREE - shrimp. Prawns is a better word tho, because those mother fuckers were HUGE. I think that was a one time thing splurge though. After eating and some more good conversation, we went to check out the scenery around the Country Club for a bit. Very nice place. I think next time I go there I'd like to eat outside.
After that, we went back to the hotel to recharge. Aka, nap. Seriously, we all needed it. I was still slightly hungover, tired as fuck, and we were going to go clubbing that night. So I caught some Z's, woke up and got ready for dinner.
For dinner we went to the Wynn buffet. Everything was good, but it wasn't mind blowing. I think I'm kinda over buffets. I don't need to stuff myself for money's sake anymore; it ain't college no more. I'd rather pay the same amount for a good meal. The best part was the shrimp though. And the desserts. Hella good desserts. Goddamn.
After dinner, and after some walking and some bathroom breaks, we headed over to XS at Encore and met up with Scott's group. Someone from Scott's group got us all on the guest list, so even though we had more girls than guys we got in for FREE.
XS is fucking awesome. The club is huge. Half of it is outside (no doors, just all open). Every fucking girl that works there is SMOKING hot. (To the asian waitress with short hair, if you're reading this, marry me and I'll sign a prenup that says you can have 100% of all my wealth if we get divorced). There aren't any bottlenecks in the club..that was really nice. In other words, if you want to get somewhere, there's like two or three ways to get there. The one bad thing about the club was the music. Good GOD the music was fucking horrible. Seriously. HORRIBLE. However, halfway through the night we met up and chilled with Scott's entire group and it was really fun. Because..and here's the thing. I'm not trying to knock anyone here. Seriously. But when you're with people who want to drink and dance, it's way more fun. It almost makes you not care about what the music is because everyone is having a good time. I'm not saying that people need to drink and dance in order to have a good time at a club, but lemme put it this way. Let's say you went to a batting cage with your friends. Everybody pays the entry fee and goes inside. But then a few people in the group just stand there and don't want to hit any balls. Now, they say they're having fun, but it kinda takes away from the fun the rest of the group is having.
However, it should be said that I've realized that no one is as into vegas as I am. And that is not a brag and not a boast. In fact, maybe it's a bit sad. But yeah.
Anyways, after XS, buzzed as hell, I went to go gamble. We played some paigow, but the dealer was getting CRAZY good hands while we got crap. This always gets me suspicious. I mean, the dealer has an equal chance of getting a good hand as all the players. So when all the players, who are usually the majority, get crap, and the dealer gets pure seven card awesomeness, I cry foul. So I moved over the baccarat table. Fun.
Scott calls me up after an hour or so. SUPER drunk. Earlier I had gotten a text from him saying that he had had about 15 shots and was quite drunk but wanted to gamble.
"HEY man. where you aaaattt? I'm onnna come gamble wit you mannnnnn"
"Aight that's cool. Are you sure you should? I mean you're pretty drunk"
"NAH nah nah. I'll be there soon"
I get a call from Mike next. "Yeah, I dunno if scott's gonna make it"
I get a final call from Melodie "Yeah, scott just passed out" Scott (in the background): "Nah I wanna GAMBLE!"
Hilarious.
We then go play some more craps. We lost a good amount of money initially. So we all start betting don't pass. It was a weird sight. Imagine walking by a craps table where all the players are yelling "COME ON..SEVEN OUT!! SEVEN OUT!!!!!". Money gone, but good times. After that, we played some roulette, where we had the pleasure of being across from a girl with the most annoying voice ever. Roulette is fun. I always play the same 5 or 6 numbers, so it's pretty easy for me. I just put the chips down and then hope and pray.
After that I started getting pretty damn tired. But Jon and Brendan wanted to play Let it Ride, so they played and I/D headed back to the hotel. Passed out IMMEDIATELY. I have never fallen asleep that fast in life. I would find out later that Jon had hit quad jacks and gotten some money back. Unfortunately, much like when I hit a full house in let it ride, he didn't have a buck chip to do the bonus bet. But shiet. Who cares. Quads! Awesome.
Monday
So we all got our snooze on, then headed to the airport. That's it.
And now here I am. At home. And I want to go back already. LOL.
back from vegas.
found a good brunch place.
Craps. love-hate relationship.
Baccarat. I love this game. You never let me down.
Roulette. I only win when playing with Brendan. wtf.
Blackjack. I hate you. And Rita.
XS is awesome. Will definitely come back. Even though the music sucked the fattest and sweatiest donkey balls this side of the galaxy.
Party people wanted.
BTW, this is just to remind me what I really want to write. Longer blog tomorrow.
found a good brunch place.
Craps. love-hate relationship.
Baccarat. I love this game. You never let me down.
Roulette. I only win when playing with Brendan. wtf.
Blackjack. I hate you. And Rita.
XS is awesome. Will definitely come back. Even though the music sucked the fattest and sweatiest donkey balls this side of the galaxy.
Party people wanted.
BTW, this is just to remind me what I really want to write. Longer blog tomorrow.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
With the internet being so large and so (relatively) free, as well as having no quality police (good thing; this blog would be shut down immediately), everyone and their mom's mom are free to create webcomics. There are so many webcomics out there on the web. One site I ready said there were about 18,000 that you could easily count, and that it would be more realistic to double that number. 36k webcomics. Now I've probably seen maybe 50 of them, and that is not a very good sample of the population, but I feel like I can make the following commentary: Most of them suck. Some people who create webcomics can actually draw. Some can write. Some, rarely, can do both. I don't think it takes away from the quality of work when you have one person writing and one person drawing. But what's the problem? Why do I dislike so many comics?? Well...
1) Art and storyline/writing stinks. If someone excels in one, then it COULD make up for the other (i.e. excellent art making up for shitty writing), but most often that is not the case. And besides...
2) Sense of humor stinks. Some of the humor in these webcomics are horrible! I'm talking like overly cute, corny bullshit that might make a gay pony chuckle, but that's it. I'm talking like really geeky, nerdy humor that has no sarcasm or wit.
3) Too much writing/concepts way too deep. Some of these webcomics have WAY too much writing. So much text that the humor is lost in the fact that you spend 2 minutes reading one panel of text. Fact: People want to read a comic, not a book. Fact #2: If you overexplain a joke, humor gone. Fact #3: If your art sucks, and you stuff your comic full of text, you better pray that EVERY single panel you put out is hilarious. The other part of this is that some webcomics, in the massive amounts of text, try to go WAY too deep. I read this one webcomic that was WAY TOO DEEP - they were making comments/jokes about philosophers that I have never even heard of, and puns on mathematical laws, etc. Horrible.
4) Never pushing the envelope or invoking the whole "omg, I SO get that" feeling. By always staying safe and bland, people will lose interest. I'm not saying to go into areas that are controversal, but rather that a webcomic with no edgy, dirty jokes for example, will not last long in this ocean of cookie cutter plain oatmeal.
5) Storylines so long that I can't just jump in. It's okay to have storylines. But then they span across so much time that I can't just jump in and read the comic, then I'm navigating elsewhere on the internets. There's this one comic that the guy has been updating for YEARS. And it's necessary to read the comic to understand what's going on. Yeah. Peace out.
6) Bland. No background? No color? Same shit every day? Same kind of jokes, same kind of routine? ZZZZZZZZ.
That being said, here are a few that I actually enjoy due to their originality or humor or writing:
-Achewood. I have yet to see a comic with such excellent writing. The art is okay, but the jokes and the characters are absolute solid gold. The writing is refreshing, witty. 100% gravy. The guy even made blogs that each of his characters contribute to!!
-The Least I Could Do. The writer is from my generation, so a lot of his jokes I can understand (jokes incorporate transformers, goonies, ton of stuff from the 80s, etc.) Sometimes it gets a bit corny, but those strips are very few and far between. Plus the guys update every day of the week, which is impressive. It's usually hit or miss, but the constant updates are definitely nice.
-I Love Stupid. Okay, I'm bias here because my friend Jon makes this webcomic (just started really), but it would only make sense that I find a good majority of his strips funny. It's getting better with every strip, and unlike the other comic artists, it's nice to know that if I think a strip sucks, I can just tell him. With punches and kicks.
-Three Panel Soul. Been reading this comic on and off since the artist was drawing MacHall. This one too is hit or miss, but lately it's been more hits than misses. The art is solid, with ever changing styles.
-Order of the stick. Strangely good. Good storyline, good characters, nerdy but without the lame humor that usually accompanies nerdy comics. The author's sense of humor is actually pretty good considering.
and that's pretty much it! Isn't that sad? Now ask yourself, am I just super picky? Or do the majority of webcomics just suck ass?
1) Art and storyline/writing stinks. If someone excels in one, then it COULD make up for the other (i.e. excellent art making up for shitty writing), but most often that is not the case. And besides...
2) Sense of humor stinks. Some of the humor in these webcomics are horrible! I'm talking like overly cute, corny bullshit that might make a gay pony chuckle, but that's it. I'm talking like really geeky, nerdy humor that has no sarcasm or wit.
3) Too much writing/concepts way too deep. Some of these webcomics have WAY too much writing. So much text that the humor is lost in the fact that you spend 2 minutes reading one panel of text. Fact: People want to read a comic, not a book. Fact #2: If you overexplain a joke, humor gone. Fact #3: If your art sucks, and you stuff your comic full of text, you better pray that EVERY single panel you put out is hilarious. The other part of this is that some webcomics, in the massive amounts of text, try to go WAY too deep. I read this one webcomic that was WAY TOO DEEP - they were making comments/jokes about philosophers that I have never even heard of, and puns on mathematical laws, etc. Horrible.
4) Never pushing the envelope or invoking the whole "omg, I SO get that" feeling. By always staying safe and bland, people will lose interest. I'm not saying to go into areas that are controversal, but rather that a webcomic with no edgy, dirty jokes for example, will not last long in this ocean of cookie cutter plain oatmeal.
5) Storylines so long that I can't just jump in. It's okay to have storylines. But then they span across so much time that I can't just jump in and read the comic, then I'm navigating elsewhere on the internets. There's this one comic that the guy has been updating for YEARS. And it's necessary to read the comic to understand what's going on. Yeah. Peace out.
6) Bland. No background? No color? Same shit every day? Same kind of jokes, same kind of routine? ZZZZZZZZ.
That being said, here are a few that I actually enjoy due to their originality or humor or writing:
-Achewood. I have yet to see a comic with such excellent writing. The art is okay, but the jokes and the characters are absolute solid gold. The writing is refreshing, witty. 100% gravy. The guy even made blogs that each of his characters contribute to!!
-The Least I Could Do. The writer is from my generation, so a lot of his jokes I can understand (jokes incorporate transformers, goonies, ton of stuff from the 80s, etc.) Sometimes it gets a bit corny, but those strips are very few and far between. Plus the guys update every day of the week, which is impressive. It's usually hit or miss, but the constant updates are definitely nice.
-I Love Stupid. Okay, I'm bias here because my friend Jon makes this webcomic (just started really), but it would only make sense that I find a good majority of his strips funny. It's getting better with every strip, and unlike the other comic artists, it's nice to know that if I think a strip sucks, I can just tell him. With punches and kicks.
-Three Panel Soul. Been reading this comic on and off since the artist was drawing MacHall. This one too is hit or miss, but lately it's been more hits than misses. The art is solid, with ever changing styles.
-Order of the stick. Strangely good. Good storyline, good characters, nerdy but without the lame humor that usually accompanies nerdy comics. The author's sense of humor is actually pretty good considering.
and that's pretty much it! Isn't that sad? Now ask yourself, am I just super picky? Or do the majority of webcomics just suck ass?
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