Re-Connect.... testing... testing... testicle...

Hey Folks!  

You don't know this, but you almost lost me there.  I had decided to put his blog on the back burner to start dedicating my time to pursuing other, more serious creative writing projects.  Maybe something that could one day make me some money, like writing a book or something.  But alas, too many friends have told me not to stop writing the blog, that they were reading and enjoying my writings, so I will continue.  Thanks for letting me know and keeping me motivated.  I do appreciate the little nudges.

I am going to change my tact a bit and open up the field to include all kinds of funny stories I've written over the years, not just my Vegas experiences.  I can only write so much about rocks and the desert and the money pits of the strip.  I'm starting to bore me.  So I have to branch out to keep this entertaining for us both.  We're still having lots of new Vegas experiences which I would like to share.  

I finally got to the strippers here!  Cheetah's was pretty expensive and amazing!  I know you don't want the details on that one but trust me, it was well worth it ;)

We've been to a few UNLV Rebels football games which are a lot of fun.  Two weeks ago the game was against our arch rivals the U'of Hawaii Rainbow Warriors and their fans were very well represented in the 30,000+ stadium.  We were about to leave early when the Rebels blew a 19 point lead in the last 6 minutes of the game which lit up the opposing bleachers.  The Rebels clawed their way back and it all came down to the final second of the game, a 45 yard field goal to secure a 39-37 victory for us.  Exciting, but way too close.  We've been getting into the College and NFL football this year too, absorbing the american culture.  Tanya was the one who actually initiated it, so we've adopted our teams and have started paying attention.  16 years in and we're still finding new levels to connect on.  Pretty cool!

We also got to see an exhibition NHL game between the LA Kings and Colorado Avalanche at the MGM Grande Arena.  It was awesome to be in the midst of all those Kings fans, a good rowdy bunch!  It was definitely a Kings' home game.  The most surprising thing at that game was all of the Quebec Nordiques' jerseys and hats.  Colorado fans never forgot where their franchise came from and still represent Quebec's legacy.  The Sakic and Forseberg jerseys really brought me back.  What a team they inherited!  It made me think of Eric Lindros refusing to go play in Quebec as their #1 draft choice in 1991.  He sat out an entire season to stick to his guns and was then traded to the Flyers.  Quebec acquired a few powerhouses in the deal.  The franchise then moved to Colorado in 1995-96 and in that first year, the Avalanche acquired Patrick Roy from the Montreal Canadiens and went on to win their first Stanley Cup.  Lindros must have regretted that decision.  Roy is now coaching the Avalanche, so I am now a dedicated anti-Avalanche fan.   

We also had our 10 year anniversary dinner at Picasso, an intimate poolside restaurant on a balcony overlooking the Bellagio fountains, which was an amazing experience but... I had a really, really hard time digesting that bill.  I bought a car for less back in the day.  Tanya said it was a dream date for her, so we'll stick with her story and I'll try to forget mine.  I've learned this about me, that I am not one for fancy dining.  I've had some very expensive bad meals, and I have yet to find a restaurant that doesn't RUIN fish with all the crap they dress it up with.  But the meal at Picasso was truly amazing, and so was our date night.  Easily a 10 out of 10.  Each of the 5 courses were introduced and touted with an explanation as they set it in front of us, and each course had its own wine paring with the sommelier introducing and explaining the wines.  At one point the server placed a bowl in front of me with three pumpkin seeds in the bottom and starting introducing the soup as... and I just started laughing like an idiot because, THERE WAS NO SOUP... seconds before another server came by with a trolley and ladled a layer of creamy soup into the bowl.  It truly was excellent, but spending that much money on a meal makes me ill, angry, and guilt stricken.  I don't see the value in it like Tanya does.  I know, its one of those once in a lifetime sorta things and it makes her happy, but I have to numb myself to it in order to keep my mouth shut and be happy.  At least I clean up well and can play the part, a raving mad desert dog in cufflinks and a smile.  

So to keep this blog fun and entertaining for myself I am going to start drawing from this big, foggy memory bank of mine to tell you some stories from the archives of the Mountain Man.  I've wanted to share my stories for years, so I will deviate a bit from the Las Vegas experiences and let 'er rip!

Stay tuned folks!  Thanks for reading!

TRJ