While the cat's away the mouse will play

My dear hubby went out of town this weekend with his dad.  His uncle was holding a Kenpo (karate) seminar and asked Jeff and his dad to come down.  Jeff invited me to come with them, kindly reminded me that I would likely get bored, but that he'd love to have me there anyways.  I declined.  I love my hubby and hate not go with him on trips, but on kenpo trips I really do get bored sitting to the side and watching.  And considering my laptop is on its deathbed, I wouldn't be able to work on anything during the trip.  So at home I stayed. 

All week I thought to myself how great it would be to have the house to myself for a few days, with some quiet time to catch up. But then the morning of his departure I found myself wanting him to stay.  It didn't help that we were bickering like little children.  I blame the car rental. 

Normally we always take our Mazda on any/all road trips because its newer, is still under warranty, gets amazing gas mileage, and is comfortable. However, we realized that our remaining warranty is fading away, and while everyone else pitches in for gas, we end up with the wear and tear on the car.  And so Jeff decided to book a car from Enterprise. We went to pick up the car and they informed us that if jeff wanted to drive the car it would be an extra $60.  Why?  Because Jeff isn't 25.  He's 24 and many months (his birthday is in June).  Because the car company pays additional liability when younger drivers rent cars, they pass the cost along to their customers.  {I think its ridiculous.. I know lots of drivers who are over 25 who drive like maniacs and lots of drivers under 24 who are great drivers... and to me it would make a lot more sense to pull up someone's driving record and base the additional fee on that rather than their age.}

Anyway, so we said, no thanks, Jeff's dad can drive the whole trip and we won't have to pay the $60.  But they require a huge deposit if you aren't using a credit card, and whoever is the driver has to pay the deposit (again, ridiculous... ).  And so they ended up charging Jeff the $60, so he could pay the deposit.  Then after signing all the paperwork the clerk asks if we want to buy auto insurance.  { First... why are you asking us after we sign the paperwork and give you the deposit??  Second, if we are responsible for the car, and we either buy insurance or risk it, where does the $60 liability charge comes from if Enterprise won't be responsible for the car in an accident anyways??}

At this point all three of us are in sour moods, we walk outside and it is not a Corolla like they said it would be, but instead some morphed vehicle: part funeral herst, part truck, part car combination.  At this point, I'm trying to convince Jeff to just take our car.  The morph vehicle looks like it gets horrible gas mileage, its not covered by insurance, we have to pay an extra $60 just to rent the car, all on top of already paying to rent the car and pay for gas!  But Jeff calmed me down, called our insurance provided, who assured us the rental car is covered under our normal insurance, and told me everything would be all right.  He gave me a long hug and then had me follow him to his dad's house.  There he gave me another big hug, some encouragement, and then sent me on home.

I'd had plenty of excitement that morning and didn't feel up to jumping right into my list of tasks.  And instead I spent the rest of Friday, and all of Saturday being sub-par productive.  Over the last couple days I may or may not have:

• Watched an entire season of Drop Dead Diva in one day. (darn you netflix) 13 episodes is a lot of tv, but watching tv while doing something else is multitasking, right?? {and in my defense, the show is way more interesting than the title gives off}
• Ate a few too many girl scout cookies
• Sewed two pillow cases to match the duvet cover I finished almost completed a few months ago (its still missing a zipper)
• Lunch + dinner = delicious chicken sausage, sauteed onion & bellpepper sandwiches with homemade spicy german mustard (from my mom's cousin), plus a few more cookies
• Made some apple cinnamon oatmeal bars (in hopes to lay off the cookies)
• Ate more girl scout cookies along with the oatmeal bars
• Caught up on a little photo editing
• Dinner = mac n cheese
• Watched Alice in Wonderland
• Nap
• More girl scout cookies

In short, my weekend revolved around food, the couch, the computer, and the TV.  All I can say in my defense is that sometimes we need a weekend to be less productive that we have to.  Plus the house was already clean because our landlord came over to look at our warped bathroom floor, and I had already cleaned, folded, and put away all our laundry.

And as I sit on the couch waiting for my dear hubby to get home so we can eat some Taco Salad and snuggle, I'm revising my weekend task list for Monday.

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Vegas Reflection June 2010

I was digging through some pictures and found these shots I took when I was in Vegas this past June for a conference. I thought they'd be fun to share! Seanna (my coworker from my office job) and her husband Steve had a fantastic view of the Vegas strip... (while I got stuck with a view of the parking garage ...yay *sarcasm*) and asked if I'd take a quick portrait of them. ;] Of course I said yes!

Lazy Las Vegas

This weekend my husband and I (and my father-in-law) drove to Las Vegas for a Karate Championship. I really wasn't looking forward to it. I'm not a Vegas person. I think it's dirty and full of people trying to live the Vegas motto "what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas" to the limit. ...but as a loving wife, I went and it was nice to have a short get away from our daily routine.

The trip started off with my mother-in-law freaking out about our hotel. When we picked up Jeff's dad we told them where Jeff and I would be staying... the El Cortez hotel... which was followed by a few minutes of extreme warnings about the quality of our hotel choice... which according to her was in the worst part of town, frequented by druggies and whores, and complimented by an extremely unsafe parking garage. Jeff and I had read tons of reviews on tons of hotels and for the price, the reviews could not be beat. But we're much more inclined to trust the opinion of people we know... And so we started to worry. (We've had bad hotel experiences before... In March we went to San Diego and got a grey deal on America's Best Value Inn.. Which turned out to have no value, and instead was a dirty dingy tiny room with puke on the stairs and blood on the floor... But that's a whole different story).

The drive was long and it was intermittently spent worrying about our hotel. Our worrying was only made worse when we made it to Jeff's uncle's house, where Uncle Greg confirmed the impression left by Jeff's mom.

The pitstop bathrooms were either horrible... no toilet paper, dirty floors, walls, mirrors, & counters or fantastic, clean, and tidy.

We didn't get to the hotel until after 10pm. And we were very relieved. It was much nicer than expected. The El Cortez was owned by Bugsy Siegel (Las Vegas mobster) back in the day, and we stayed in a vintage queen room that was one of the original rooms from Bugsy's time. The room was smaller, but had been tastefully redecorated recently. It was clean and comfortable (although the floor creaked slightly) and even had little toiletries (which earns a hotel major points in my book ;] ). To make it even cooler there was a traditional barber on the floor of our rooms (right above the casino) and jeff got his haircut from him!

The parking garage was well lit, safe, and overlooked a crazy art piece that lit up at night!


Friday we spent most of the day hanging out and watching the Karate seminars. I mostly don't understand it so I took some pictures, played on my phone, read a couple magazines, and lost myself in rabbit trails of thoughts. By the end of the day I felt pretty lazy, like I hadn't done anything (which was partially true, but at the same time I was being a loving and supportive wife so I suppose that counters some of the laziness feeling).

We ate dinner at the best sushi place ever. If you're ever in Vegas go to Wayne's Sushi Bar (inside Shilla Korean BBQ, near the Palace Station). The place is run by Wayne (a Mr. Miyagi look-alike from Hawaii) and his wife. They make amazing sushi and their conversation makes you feel like you've web good friend for years. To make it even better they take turns singing you karaoke (and they can really sing) and then offer the karaoke mic to the customers.

Saturday Jeff and I had breakfast at Blueberry Hill. Normally Jeff gets the man breakfast and I get the sweet & frilly breakfast, but for whatever reason I was craving ham and eggs and Jeff went for blueberry crepes. Everything was delicious, and neither of us could finish everything on our plates.


We did a little shopping (I got jeans on clearance for $6 and a shirt for $5!!!!!) and then headed to Uncle Greg's to meet up for some karate time. Karate time turned into 3 hrs of discussion on conspiracy theories (and I didn't have my computer to work on something else while they were busy, :/ ).

After dinner we raced go-karts at the Las Vegas Mini Grand Prix. I kicked butt and had a blast the first time, but got stuck with a really crappy cart the second time. When I got back to our room I had exhaust ash all over my face!!! (ew!)


Later that night Jeff and I walked down Fremony street to the Fremont street experience.. A huge outdoor mall covered with a huge LCD screen thingy that plays various art/video/music compilations. It was crowded, but we walked around and even saw a ton of look alike actors and Elvis!


Sunday the guys did some Kenpo and visited Jeff Speakman's studio and then we headed home, through the wide open Nevada landscape and on-off rain.


Overall, there were lots of fun parts, but I'm just not a Vegas person. I don't really care for the sights and sounds and scene... so I'm really glad to be home, in my own bed, in my quiet little town. ;]

Viva Las Vegas

Hola from sunny and sweltering Las Vegas. I’m in town for the RESNA conference – two days of meetings, and two days of conference/exhibit as well as my very own poster presentation.



Yesterday morning I woke up early to fly down wth my boss. He has his own little plane, and so he, his wife, daughter, and stacked up our luggage and hopped in. It was a beautiful 2 hour flight. Everything looks so different from an airplane viewpoint. Rivers and mountains become swirling and branching patterns. Houses, cars, and swimming pools look like miniature replicas like a model train set. Clouds are no longer floating above you, but soaring past your windows or below you – like a blanket of white cotton.



We landed at the N. Las Vegas airport and were welcomed by a thick wave of heat. The airport was almost empty, so I took advantage of the lack of inquiring eyes to take a couple pictures.

Our hotel was off in the distance, a good 15-25 minute drive from the strip. But it was still enormous and beautiful. The perimeter was loaded with palm trees and exotic fountains and fire displays. Inside the hotel, it was just as fancy. They had gigantic chandeliers, shiny tile, large art pieces, double arching staircases, and rich red velvet enclosing a lounge area. We checked our luggage, grabbed some food, and headed out to valet to collect the car to go exploring.

It was too hot outside so I flipped around to head back inside to wait outside of the heat. As I did, a woman exiting the hotel caught my eye. I stopped dead in my tracks, did a double take and shouted “Bianca?!” She glanced over and froze. We both stood there for a few seconds, dumbfounded before coming to our senses. Bianca and I lived a few blocks apart during elementary school in Lake Tahoe. She and I were best friends – we danced together, had sleepovers and playdates, etc. etc. We were “bonk bonk” and “harm harm.” Both her family and mine had moved from Tahoe to Carson, within a few months or years of each other. Then a few years later her family moved to Las Vegas, and I hadn’t seen her since. We found each other on facebook a few years back, but hadn’t really kept in touch.

So to my surprise, of all the hotels in Vegas, of all the people at that hotel, of all the moments in time to get the car… it was that moment that she had stopped by to grab a coffee and I had decided it was too hot – we bumped into each other. We caught up shortly while my group waited for the car, exchanged numbers and then went on our ways. We’ll catch up more when we grab lunch or coffee before I leave.

The rest of the afternoon was long and tiring – too many places, hot hot heat, and not-so-great-for-walking shoes. When we finally returned to the hotel (9:30p) I was worn out and cranky and couldn’t help but think to myself that my afternoon had been a exhausting waste of time. But then I remembered that if I had decided to stay at the hotel and not go out and about, I never would have run into Bianca… and so it was all worth it.

Plus I got to see the street characters – you know the people that dress up like famous people or characters and work based on tips. I saw an awesome Jack Sparrow, Iron Man, Batman, Elvis, and a couple Michael Jacksons. If I were going to be a street character I’d either be a robot like character – like Transformers or Iron Man, or a pirate.

My hotel room is gorgeous. If it had a kitchen, I’d move in permanently. The bedroom area is spacious, beautiful colors, a large flat screen tv, bose radio system, desk, beds, chaise lounge, and benches. The bed is incredible. Super soft down pillows, incredibly high thread count white sheets, and a pillow-top or down topped mattress. I felt like a princess. The bathroom is probably my favorite part. Two sinks, bathtub with tv mounted to the wall, hidden toilet, and tiled shower. Plus they gave me shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, lotion, facial soap, oatmeal soap, sewing kit, and a few other odds and ends. [I don’t know about all of you, but one of my favorite parts of staying in hotels is the little toiletries you get to use and can take home… I love them so much, I hide each day’s in my bag so they’ll give me more! Ssshhh don’t tell, k?]

By the time I went to bed last night I was thoroughly exhausted. I sunk down into the deep pillows and fell asleep in an instant, and didn’t wake up until my AM alarm [despite a band playing at a pool party outside and down 15 floors].

Today was completely booked with meetings, a short lunch break, and some diner. I drank a ton of water, and iced tea. I was up and down visiting the little girl’s room. And although I probably consumed a gallon or two of water, it’s hot down here, so it’s okay. For dinner we went to Hatchi, an Asian restaurant. The architecture and design was absolutely stunning. An original Takashi Murakami large wall piece was along one wall. The opposite wall had huge framed prints of cherry blossoms. There were glass flowers hanging from the ceiling, and fun textures and shapes all around the walls. I ordered a couple sushi rolls. My food came out last, but it was worth the wait. It was the best sushi I’ve ever eaten. Jeff and I love to go to Ming’s in Carson. But this sushi made Ming’s sushi look like it was store bought junk. Incredible. I think I might go back there for dinner another night before I head out [if I can… and I really hope I can].

Tomorrow morning will be another day of meetings - I’m so bummed I can’t play hooky and go to church :(

Anyway.. I can’t believe how quickly my time down here is flying by. I’m staying for nights, and tonight is already my second night! [ that means 2 more days of free toiletries! ;) ]