
Self-Portrait @ Pinball Hall of Fame
As a photographer, I had a field day at the Pinball Hall of Fame, arguably one of Vegas’s best secrets. Here is the first of many images and videos.

Self-Portrait @ Pinball Hall of Fame
As a photographer, I had a field day at the Pinball Hall of Fame, arguably one of Vegas’s best secrets. Here is the first of many images and videos.
→ 3 CommentsCategories: Las Vegas
Tagged: pinball hall of fame, random vegas photo

Staring Down the Ghost of Clubbing Past w/ Aaron Goodwin of Ghost Adventure
One of my many favorite things about Vegas is that you never know who will turn up at a nightclub. Last night I hit up Vanity at the Hard Rock with the girls of the LV Weekly Team Hangover crew. And who did I run into but the cast of the Travel Channel’s show “Ghost Adventure.” Aaron told me that he indeed believes in ghosts. I do not, but I didn’t hassle him about it because I imagine he has a vested interest in that belief. And while I don’t believe in ghosts, I do believe in ghost HUNTERS. All in all, a fun time at the hippest, hoppest, coolest new club in town. (Just don’t tell the other new clubs I said so.)
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Tagged: aaron goodwin, clubbing, ghost adventures, hard rock casino, Las Vegas, travel channel, vanity nightclub
Though it’s embarrassing, I’ve realized that I really do want to become a rich and famous authoress. In order to help facilitate that dream, I’m going to make myself more visible on this blog. Incidentally, I also recently discovered iMovie on my Mac. So when I was trying out this awesome new restaurant called Sage at the new casino Aria at City Center, I filmed the absinthe service. I hope that you will find this film to be as fun as educational as I did. Oh and vote for me for prom queen. (just kidding on that last part.)
→ 4 CommentsCategories: Food & Drink · Las Vegas
Tagged: absinthe, aria, city center, drinking, Las Vegas, restaurant, sage
For the record, it took a year and a half of living in Las Vegas for me to pawn off my own sex appeal as a way to push my journalism.

My legs as They Wait for Valet at Aria
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Tagged: aria, city center, Las Vegas, lighted words, thigh highs, valet

Self Portrait: Kissing 2009 Goodbye

Big smiles, but no kisses at midnight
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I could conquer the world, if I could just get around to it. I hate that I procrastinate. This time, I procrastinated with Christmas gifts. I had this awesome plan to put together a book for my family about the family ranch. I would combine my grandfather’s short stories about the ranch with family photos and use one of those nifty and fairly priced websites to create a “professional” book. I came up with this idea at Thanksgiving.
And from Thanksgiving until today, I avoided it. I let it creep around in the back of my mind like a rat infestation. But I did nothing to fix the problem. This makes me a bad person and I know it. (In my defense, I am trying to make a living writing & teaching & noveling, which takes up lots o time.)
Nonetheless, I valiantly tried to find a place that could make me a photo book by Christmas. This is America, damnit! The land of Capitalism and Opportunity. A mere photo book by Xmas should be more than possible. Let me give you my money! …Somebody? …Anybody? Is there anybody out there with a printer and a cash register?
After a day of searching, the answer is apparently not. So I changed strategies. Who needs the Internet to make a book, anyway? I could make one myself. Using paper. And thread. Or something.
A quick Internet search on “easy bookbinding” found the above instructional video. The dinky music and 5-year-old instructor fit both my situation and skill level. But the question is, will my family (any family?) appreciate a book bound by ribbon as a gift from an adult?
So the real question is this: Do I give a place holder gift and order the book now (Thus inviting derision but delivering superior quality)? Or do I try to hand bind 10 books with ribbon or some other YouTube concoction?
PS. The word count on my novel is 48,507. I need to get a move on that as well.
→ Leave a CommentCategories: Books · This Writer's Life
Tagged: book binding, christmas, gift books, procrastination

Bellagio Christmas Conservatory Under Construction
I’ve always dreamed of finding some really cool and funny Las Vegas-themed Christmas cards. But until that day, I’ll have to make do with the Bellagio’s Christmas display in their Conservatory. According to Robin Leach, my colleague at Greenspun Media, the Christmas Display starts today. (Click Here to see his photo gallery.) But last week, I caught photos of it as a work in progress.

Bellagio Lobby at Christmas
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Tagged: bellagio, christmas, conservatory, lobby, photos

Cirque de Soleil's KOOZA in Santa Monica
The key to living in Las Vegas without losing your mind is to leave it often. I generally fail at this task, preferring to be swept away by a comforting womb of neon. But this past weekend, I escaped the Vegas madness for madness of a different kind. With my friend M. in tow, I drove all the way to the ocean last Friday. When that wasn’t far enough West, we got out of our cars and walked to the end of the Santa Monica pier. The sound of nature was disorienting. (Nature being ocean waves and seagulls). Even though I believe in my own personal Manifest Destiny, LA is a big, scary city. And without the comforting sound of slot machines, I was feeling uneasy. But then we saw something that made us feel right at home: the Cirque de Soleil big top. My relief was palpable and after the Cirque sighting, we had a fabulous trip.
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Tagged: cirque de soleil, escape vegas, kooza, santa monica, Travel