List Monday - Vegas Vacancies

Top 5 Places I've stayed in LV:

1. Palazzo (Best upscale suites, good restaurants/nightlife, poker room, and shopping).
2. Cosmopolitan (very funky and swanky, manageable casino, although no poker).
3. Bellagio (classy, though a little carnivally...good restaurants; probably, better off at newer properties Wynn(good deli)/Encore, now)
4. The Hotel at Mandalay Bay (very cool at the time, possibly getting dated...great restaurants, best pool).
5. PH (W-like)

Bottom 5 places I've regretfully stayed at:

1. Excalibur (cheapest room I could find at the time)
2. Luxor (nobody stays at the Luxor)
3. Bally's (old school)
4. Rio (farther than it looks)
5. Caesar's (really, old school)

Oscars in AZ

Weekend getaway to Phoenix- nice suite.

Good RummyQ with the P's, where I won 2 out of 3

Yummy room service while watching the awards.

Kirk Douglas - pretty funny for a beyond old guy.

Some voice on that Anne Hathaway

Best line so far: Dad said I'd be a late bloomer.

Hope springs eternal...

...if eternity only lasted 2.5 innings. Made the requisite pilgrimage to the Sonoran desert to catch the infancy of another sweet season of baseball. Although the weather was brisk, we saw the inaugural match at Salt Creek Field at Talking Stick: D'backs v Rockies. So modern; so clean. We also saw the Flubbies jump out to a 4-0 lead, only to lose 15-7 to the freakin A's. Cubs missed out big time by deciding to stay in Mesa and not get new digs. Maybe they die each fall because each spring they train across the street from a graveyard. Kids pretty much ate (crap) their way through 18 innings.

Bringing home the bacon....mmm, bacon

Congratulations to the lovely bride who survived her first day at a brand new gig.  Very proud, indeed.

Tooth Fairy strikes again...

List Monday

Today,  I am feeling listless...

A model weekend

All weekends should be 3 days long.  Of course, I can't wait to get back to work.

Me and the boy child spent the morning re-creating the USS Chicago.  Good father/son bonding, like when me and my old man did the same.  Josh wanted to know if this actual set was from the olden times.  I learned that my fingers have gotten fat.

Well, after working out for a week (5 out of 7 days), I have actually gained 2 pounds.  Is it the muscle weight?  Or is it the tasty buffet breakfast we had in Vegas?  Not sure, but all this exercise is making me hungry.

Two more days of chillaxing.  Yeah.

Waking up in Vegas

Here's to a great, spontaneous trip to LV to see our former neighbors (and to take advantage of a complimentary offer from the new, swanky Cosmopolitan).  Nice drive.  Great buffet.  Tres cool pool.  Lovely dinner at my old friend Mon Ami Gabi.  Positive gaming outcome (thanks to the gifted, lucky bride).  And the slimy Circus Circus Adventuredome for the kiddo's.  Highlights included Jilly beating out 13 people at a carni skee-ball game to win herself a giraffe.  And Joshie going on the "Disco" ride two times in a row and not puking.  I miss you already Vegas.

Vegas Baby

View from our balcony at the Cosmo

VD Recap

List Monday - Top 10 Yiddish Words to Keep Alive

1. Ish kabibble - Ish was actually an old time comedian/cornet player.  It was his stage name, based on a mock yiddish term, roughly meaning "no worries".  It is probably derived from the yiddish "nisht gefidlt," which mean "it doesn't matter to me".  Anyway, I always thought it described a state of being, as in:  I don't feel great, but not too bad.  Or something slightly off.
2. Kaynahorah -  Here's another interesting one.  I always took it to mean something of substance, like "look at the kaynahorah house (mansion)".  But, it really is a word used to ward off the evil eye (spirits), especially when referring to one's health.  Kind of like knock on wood.
3. Bupkis -  refers to nothingness, but literally is translated as beans.  And beans are something, not nothing.  Who knew?
4. Chazzerai - pig slop or garbage.
5. Pupik - bellybutton.  Other important body parts:  punim, keppe, poulkie, toockiss, etc.
6. Chutzpah - a lot of nerve
7. Ibbergerblibbernis - leftovers. "What's for dinner? Ibbergerblibbernis!" (If you have leftover blintzes, I guess that would be "ibbergeblibberneblintzes."-stole that line).  Just learned this one!
8. Kockamayme - mishuggenah
9. Potchki - I always thought it meant to go to great measures, but it really means to tinker with or mess around.
10. Schmiel/Shimazel -  A schmiel is someone who spills his soup.  A shimazel is someone who gets soup spilled on him (stole that line, too).

honorable mentions:  schmatta, nosh, shmeggegie, Tchatzkah

p.s.  Jilly was quite amused when I explained the ancient Yiddish curse:  zoll vaksen tsibillis en zein pupik (may onions grow in your bellybutton).

Now, gay shluffen.

France in California

Today, me and missus had a lovely breakfast at Antoine's Cafe - a cool cafe run by the mother of the guy who runs Cafe Mimosa.  They also run the Red Fox Lounge - a real old school bar, which we'll be visiting shortly and often.  Thank you restaurant.com.  We're starting to become true Clementinians, frequenting some cool, hipster hangouts.

Herb Albert - not Mexican - who knew?

Day two at the gym.  Check.  Feeling a little tighter.  Is it bad if the machine gives me an "excessive heart rate" warning?  Nah.  Just walked it off.

Went to library for Josh's project.  Josh at sailing; forgot shoes.  Jilly play date.  Wife and Cub at Fashion Island.  Fozzie chilling.  Me...contemplating hammock.  How I miss him.

And finally, the four best words in the English language:  Pitchers and catchers report.

Mexico in California

Nothing like driving 50 miles for bueno Mexican food in sunny San Diego (where a cabbie drove into a crowd and injured 25 people).  Nothing like eating fish tacos and chicken enchilada - and then going to work out.  That's right, people - the gym is now open.  I will try to update my progress periodically through the blaugh.  As for now, I'm weighing in at about 174 pounds with a big ol' gut (how's that for an exact measurement).  Did some light weights today (benching, curling, and triceps) and about 11 minutes on the eliptical and 3 more on the treadmill.  Starting out slowly - don't want to strain or pull a hammy, whatever that is.  The gym is weigh nice with all this new-fangled equipment and tv's/internets in the cardio machines.  Plus, got to work out with the wifey-poo.  Keep you posted.

Meet the new car; same as the old car

Letter to Jill's Class for Star Of The Week

Hi Class!

Dear Jillian

You are a great daughter, friend and sister. You are funny, warm and friendly. Every day you bring your unique and funny sense of humor to our day. You get such a joy out of life. Some of her favorite things to do are to watch Cupcake Wars with her mom, gymnastics and play Club Penguin on the computer. 

She also likes to tell jokes about sheep, bees and cows. Ask her to tell you one. We love to travel with Jillian. She is likes to go to Cabo, Chicago, Atlantis and Arizona. One time on a trip to Oregon, she threw up in the car. It was gross. We had to find a place to get new clothes before we went to a cheese factory. Another time in Cabo, she fell asleep at the table eating her lunch. She was only around 3 years old. It was so cute!! Her favorite foods are ribs, baked potato, steak and hamburgers but only if they are Mom Burgers. She has two dogs she loves so much named Cubby and Fozzie

Jillian loves the Chicago Cubs. One time she was on WGN before a game getting an autographed signed during spring break. Jillian has only lost three teeth but two more are loose. We are so proud of our star of the week. To us, Jillian is the star of the year at our home. We love you, Jillian.

Love

Mom, Dad and Josh, your brother who is in 5^th grade.

Random thoughts

• Josh home sick today :(
• Well, I finally hit level 1000 in Mafia Wars.....and have decided to quit.  Cold turkey.  Not sure if I'll (or my mafia) will survive.
• That Michelle on The Bachelor is craaaazy
• Works been craaaaappy.  Might go back to paper trading for a few days.
• Looking forward to upcoming trip to spring training.  Need some relaxation and Cubbies.
• Wife car's servicing might warrant new Wife car...hmmm
• Jillie doing the Brownie thing.  Proud of all the cookies she sold.  Because she's such a sweet cookie.

Stupid Bowl Sunday

• welcome to my second annual streaming of consciousness blogging
• still very much p.o.'d that it's the cheese heads in the big game and not my Hester-rific Bears
• so....rooting for the Steelers, which lets me where my ol' #75 jersery.  Go Mean Joe!
• my kind of couch lounging day....gonna have to get a tv for the hammock
• woke up and watched SNL, very nostalgic with Dana Carvey hosting
• read the sunday papers while the old man show was on
• had lunch with girl child, who couldn't have been more excited to watch Puppy Bowl VII on Animal Planet.  Very cute.
• kick-off at 3:30...seems like a random time for a kick-off
• keep thinking about Ronald Reagan's 100th birthday today.  He might have been controversial (Iran/Contra, PATCO), but man was he inspirational ("Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.").  His inner strength and optimism cured the country of Watergate and the Carter malaise (Iran hostages).
• just paid AZ property taxes.  Ouch.
• Joshiepoo feeling a little under the weather.  No sailing for him today.  Rather have him hangout and watch the game (i.e. commercials) with me today anyway.
• per request, I changed the autoplay on the mixpod.  So, if you want music, click it manually.
• I thought O'reilley was pretty rude to the president - cutting him off mid-sentence.
• Enjoying chips, wings, skins, and 4 different dips.  (SuperCub just tried to snatch a wing...that could've been bad).
• The whole show's been kinda m'eh, so far.
• Lea Michelle's arrangement was overdrawn; Christina sounded good - until she blew the lines of the SSB
• BEP, take em or leave em, but they put on quite a spectacle - although the sound mix was awful.  Fergie not looking so good; Slash couldn't have been less interested/interesting.  Does anyone miss Up With People?
• Commercials have been weak.
• Josh actually fell asleep for about 7 minutes.
• My conscious isn't really streaming today.
• Steelers just might make a game out of it in the second half.
• Maybe not.

Cheeburger, noburger

Today, we went in search of a meal in Carmel Valley (just north of San Diego).  First, we took the canines to a nice dog park in Torrey Pines - next to the nicest high school ever.  The restaurant was low on staff and then, the grill went down.  57 miles and no burger.  Luckily, there was a BBQ Republic next door that was tres bien.  Nice day for a drive thru socal.

新年快樂

My favorite holiday

Happy day of the marmota monax.  Today we celebrate the land beaver.  Tonight, we feast on ground hog.  It's like we just had this holiday a year ago.

Btw, the li'l varmint didn't see his shadow - which means the vernal equinox is right around the proverbial corner.  Tell that to the survivors of this week's Snowpocolypse 2011.