Viva Las Vegas

2010-09-24T17:59:00.000-07:00

I'm moving! Thus, a new blog has emerged: http://colleenchronicles.blogspot.com Please check it out if you are still interested in my adventures :)

2010-08-09T21:51:00.000-07:00

Hello blog. It has been awhile and I really need you right now. I need to get something off my chest that has been bugging me and that's what you're really here for, right? My best friend from elementary school recently broke up with her boyfriend of about 5 years and it was pretty hard for her to deal with. I was trying to be the best friend that I could be for her and listen and offer support. However, now that she is in single-mode, she wants me to be her wingman. My boyfriend isn't too thrilled with that and it puts me in quite a situation on trying to be there for everybody. I also don't have that much money to go out and drink and eat and whatever other shenanigans could arise. I feel that because I can't be her wingman all the time that she doesn't want to hang out with me anymore. Anytime I try to see if she wants to grab coffee and catch up, she always has something planned. I tell her to let me know when she has time and she never gets back to me. She told me one time that she was my wingman when I was single and she went out while she had a boyfriend. I didn't feel that it was right to throw in her face that her boyfriend wasn't very trusting while we were out and would call and text her all the time while we were out. I'm starting to feel better already and think I can go to bed and sleep a little bit tonight after writing this down. I don't know if I should say something to her or maybe I am blowing things out of proportion. Should I just let it go and hope that she gets over it soon and meets somebody? Thanks blog for being there.

2010-02-08T18:21:00.001-08:00

I had jaw surgery a little over a year and a half ago. I had to be at the hospital at the ungodly hour of 5am. There was really no point in getting dressed for the day and having to change into those thin little ridiculous gowns that they make you wear. Instead, I decided to wear my Fleece Red Adult Footed Pajamas from Big Feet Pajama Company http://www.bigfeetpjs.com/pajamas-sleepwear/onesies/fleece-footed-pajamas/red-fleece-adult-footed-pjs.php Let's just say that I was the envy of all those lined up and waiting for their surgery that morning! I even left the hospital the following day in my footy pajamas and although it might not looked like I was smiling due to the bandages around my face, these footie pajamas were making me smile on the inside. I guarantee that these will brighten someone's day if they are feeling down or if they are scared to go to the hospital for a major surgery. Order some today from http://www.BigFeetPjs.com They are even having a Valentine's Day special right now where you can save 15% on your order until 2/14/2010 by entering code "sweetie" at checkout!

2010-02-08T18:04:00.000-08:00

Who wouldn't want to win a free pair of footie pajamas by simply blogging about it! Here are the rules from Big Feet Pajama Co.: http://www.bigfeetpjs.com/blog/footed-pajama-blog-contest/ Check out what potential footy pajamas you could win at http://www.bigfeetpjs.com/

Cutest Dog Competition

2009-08-30T16:33:00.001-07:00

2009-08-27T13:59:00.001-07:00

WOW! So much has happened in a month. EJ and I packed up the condo and moved from Las Vegas to Westchester, CA. We're staying at my mom's house for a couple of months and then moving in to a house that my Dad owns in El Segundo, CA. It was definitely stressful and still is a little stressful at times but it will be worth it in 2010! It was sad to say goodbye to my pj job and to my boss but I am still working for the company doing their social media so I am not completely out of the loop. I was able to find a pastry job as soon as I moved back which made me feel like that this move was the right thing to do! I'm working full-time at SusieCakes in Manhattan Beach. Check out www.susiecakesla.com to see what it is all about or perhaps stop by and say hi sometime if you are in the area!

2009-07-20T08:18:00.000-07:00

The First Annual El Segundo Grilled Cheese Invitational took place last weekend and I was invited to be a guest judge because I've been professionally trained in culinary school (very flattering and if that lets me eat as many grilled cheese as I want, then by all means!) This was hosted at my brother's house most commonly referred to as OAK. The first grilled cheese to hit our palates was a flaming hot cheeto encrusted buffalo chicken blue cheese filled grilled cheese sandwhich. By far this was the most unique entry of the night and was actually quite delicious. I wish it would have been a little crispier but overall it was a winner in my eyes but we still had many more entries to go. Ultimately, the winner ended up being a grilled cheese with apple on a croissant. Not necessarily my choice but I was apparently biased since my boyfriend entered the competition as well!

2009-07-17T09:53:00.000-07:00

I recently attended my friend Nicole's wedding on July 4th. Ironic, I know, with the whole independence day but getting married idea. She asked me to make her wedding cake :) I made a wedding cake for my other friend and it was a little stressful but I felt that it was a great learning experience and that this time around it would be a little easier. By a little easier I truly mean a LITTLE easier. The bottom layer was carrot cake, the middle layer was going to by styrofoam (delicious!) and then the top layer was going to be carrot cake. There was a separate sheet cake that was white cake with chocolate buttercream frosting. Despite blowing out my tire on the way from Vegas to LA, I thought I was off to a good start.Baking the cakes was the easy part. Only a slight mishap where I didn't put enough eggs in and therefore the cake came out dense but delicious. The frosting was what killed me. My buttercream did not want to come together. I finally had to call it quits for the night and start fresh in the morning. After sleeping for a couple of hours I felt like I was off to a good start. We had to pick up the cake display (an entirely different ordeal in itself) only to discover that it hadn't been polished in ages. My wonderful boyfriend polished it while I finished the cake. We ran off to the wedding ceremony and then back to the house to put the finishing touches on the cake before transporting it to the reception. Once at the reception, we added the flowers and a little bit of sparkle and it was out of my hands. Then I had to wait for the reviews: EXCELLENT! Phew. Glad that it is over now and that it all turned out well. Most importantly, that the bride and groom were happy with it.

2009-07-16T11:10:00.000-07:00

I've started this new diet based on your blood type from the book "Eat Right 4 Your Type: The Individualized Diet Solution to Staying Healthy, Living Longer & Achieving Your Ideal Weight" by Peter J. D'Adamo. I started it mainly to be healthier and see if it would improve my energy. Here is the Amazon.com Review: "If you've ever wondered why the latest fad diet doesn't work for you... well, there are lots of reasons, mostly the fact that it's a fad diet. But it could also be that you're the wrong blood type for the kinds of foods the diet recommends. Peter D'Adamo makes a persuasive argument that your blood type is an evolutionary marker that tells you which foods you'll process best, and which will be useless calories. He covers the entire range for each of the four blood types, from entrées to condiments and seasonings, and also makes type-specific exercise and lifestyle recommendations." My blood type is B+ and there were definitely some interesting suggestions for me. Foods that I should avoid are: Bacon, Ham, and oddly enough CHICKEN. Although chicken is lean and generally good for most people, it creates potential problems for those that have type B blood. Foods that are beneficial are: lean meat, venison, and lamb. It also advises that I should avoid tomato in all its glorious forms at all cost. Corn, wheat and lentils are weight gainers for type B because they inhibit the metabolic process. Shellfish is a no no because it blocks the production of insulin which leads to hypoglycemia and being lethargic. Dairy is really good for type B to eat but if you start to feel bloated, eating pineapple puts acid in your stomach to help with the bloating. There is more technical wording in the book but this is just the basic summary as I understand it. I am on day #2 of the diet and I'm feeling pretty good (AND I also made it to the gym yesterday too which helped a lot I think). The hardest part of this diet will be to avoid avocado! My dad has an avocado tree in his backyard which has spoiled me with delicious tasty goodness all my life. But I can make the sacrifice if it will make me feel and look better. I'll keep you posted!

2009-07-08T19:04:00.001-07:00

My grandpa is kind of a big deal!

Jerry Huben's 68-year career in aviation comes in for a landing - Los Angeles Times

Posted using ShareThis

2009-05-21T08:08:00.001-07:00

I've been watching American Idol all season....and apparently ordering Dominos Pizza a lot too. They have this program called "House Party" which has different themes and you submit an application to be a host. If chosen, they hook you up with a prize pack of party favors for your event. I was chosen to host an American Idol party. Unfortunately, not too many people showed up (this town has such a crazy schedule) except for Stefanie and her baby Taylor. So now I have all this extra swag leftover: mainly Ford products since they are the ones that sponsor AI. I've got pens, pads of paper, drawstring backpacks, etc. Anybody want one?! On another note, I really wish I would've placed a bet on Kris to win because I'm sure his odds were outrageous and I might've actually made some money gambling for once!

2009-05-15T14:04:00.001-07:00

For all the foodies out there: my newest favorite sandwich shop is "Munch A Sub" located in the corner of Cameron and Hacienda in a little shopping complex. It is a little pricey but the portions are extremely generous so you definitely get your money's worth. It is a mom and pop joint and they are all very friendly. When you leave you feel pretty good that you are supporting a local business and not just a chain giant. Their address is: 5320 Cameron St # 1 Las Vegas, NV 89118 (702) 221-1643‎ They have over 50 selections to choose from on their menu which often makes a quick lunch a difficult decision. I suggest the meatball sub, turkey sandwich, and tuna (just a few that I have tried so far!) There are some bad reviews out there on the internet but that was before they changed owners. Give this place a shot if you are on that side of town over by The Orleans Casino and let me know what you think!

2009-05-11T16:57:00.000-07:00

So we made a cardinal sin: we got another pup! Her name is Holly and she is a beagle (same as Hank). They both get along really well and she is a little spit fire. Look how cute she is when she hides under her dog bed! Try and tell me that you could've had the will power to say no to THAT face :) She has a little case of kennel cough right now but we took her to the vet and she got a shot of antibiotics and some cough medicine. It seems to be helping her a lot and hopefully she will stop hacking like she has been a chain smoker her whole life!

2009-04-19T22:22:00.000-07:00

I left an hour early for the TV Land Awards due to being located near the beach and having to drive inland to Universal Studios. I made it there in 20 minutes...go figure. Didn't hit one lick of traffic on a Sunday morning. After speaking to several uninformed employees that didn't seem to know that there was a gift lounge as well as actually calling the gift lounge coordinator who didn't seem to know how to get where they were, I arrived and unloaded my car. Out of all the days to hold the award show, today was by far the hottest. We were located in a tent on black asphalt that did not allow for any ventilation and probably reached temperatures of 100 degrees. Anyway, it was somewhat of a disappointment because the major stars we were looking forward to gifting (NPH, Tom Selleck, Charlie Sheen) didn't come in at all. However, I did score this sweet picture with Al Bundy!

2009-04-18T22:45:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I drove from Las Vegas to Los Angeles. I hit traffic for 2 hours which bummed me out because I was making such good time. Apparently there was a truck that had rolled over and was on fire. However, there was a ton of slowing and I NEVER saw a truck and then the traffic magically started flowing again. Welcome to California. I stopped by my Dad's house and had a good chat with him. Then I went to my mom's house where I proceeded to make some carrot cake cupcakes and white cake cupcakes for my friend Nicole and her fiance Dan for their wedding. After chatting with my mom for awhile, I went to bed and had the most solid sleep I've had in a long time. For some reason, sleeping in the bed I grew up in is always so comforting. This morning I got up and went and grabbed coffee with my mom at a new cafe/pizza joint in our quiet neighborhood. They bake the majority of their pastries in house and I selected a strawberry delight that unfortunately was not as good as it looked. Sigh. Just more proof that I need to get my but back to Westchester and open up my own bakery. Side note: El Segundo bakery (the only other local potential competition for my future bakery) has closed and is for sale. Where is my monopoly money tree when I need it?! My mom and I went to the Apple store where she so graciously purchased a MacBook for me. I haven't blogged in awhile due to my Dell PC deciding to die and take the AC adaptor along with it (good think I had backed up the majority of important stuff to an external hard drive already!) I then went with my friend Jen to a Thai/Swedish massage that she had scheduled for us (a belated Christmas present because Spa Week was this week where locations across the U.S. were offering spa deals for $50...what a steal!) That was the quickest hour and half but it was so relaxing. I had never had a Thai massage before but I recommend it if you need a chiropractic adjustment as well as the soothing effects of a massage! I then met my mom and dad for a manicure and pedicure (yes, I've got my Dad hooked on pampering himself now! He deserves it!) I then went back home and made the frosting for the cupcakes and Nicole and Dan came over to taste test them...they were exactly what they wanted! Then I went with my mom to pick up dinner from a local Italian restaurant, Alejos, and had dinner over at my Grandma and Grandpa's house. Then it was off to Tower of Pizza to hang out with my brother for a little bit. Of course I had to connect my new laptop to the internet at home and blog before I could go to bed! Tomorrow's adventure: TV Land Awards at the Gibson Ampitheater at Universal Studios. Big Feet Pjs is going to be featured in the gift lounge. I can't wait to blog about all the celebrities that I will have met and hopefully have some pictures to post :)

2009-04-10T09:32:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I made a pilgrimage to Retro Bakery off of 95 and Durango. I forget how I originally came across this bakery...probably while I was looking for ideas for my own bakery on the internet. It had been on my list of places to go check out for awhile and now I'm kicking myself for waiting for so long! I was disappointed at first that I had gotten there so late in the day and the display case was almost empty. However, the very nice man behind the counter informed me to tell him whatever flavors I wanted and they would frost one in the back for me really quick. The cupcakes were $2.50 a piece or $27 for a dozen. I went for the dozen because there were too many interesting flavors that I wanted to try. I headed out of there and back home (shockingly without hitting any traffic!) and sat down at the table to begin the taste test. I took a bite of each cupcake making sure to cleanse my pallet in between each taste.
Here are the notable flavor combos that I would highly suggest if you make a visit:
1. Glazed Donut: Vanilla Cake drenched in donut glaze
2. Cookies and Cream: Chocolate cake topped with crushed Oreo cookies in vanilla buttercream
3. Peanut Butter Cup: Chocolate cake topped with peanut butter buttercream and dark chocolate shavings
4. Milk & Cookies: Chocolate chop cake topped with vanilla buttercream and a scratch-made chocolate chip cookie

There were many other flavors that I wanted to try but my dilema was that I had hit the dozen cupcake mark. I guess I will have to make another pilgrimage soon. If you want to check out their website it's www. RetroBakeryLV.com

2009-04-07T19:52:00.000-07:00

I'm on day 2 of my 2 week detox that I picked up from the Vitamin Shoppe. I have to admit...I'm feeling pretty good. I don't know if it is all mental but I actually think that my little belly is starting to flatten...a little bit. The best part is that I don't wake up totally exhausted in the morning and I'm actually sleeping better through the night. If this is how I feel on day 2, I can't wait until the 2nd week! Also, I've been going to yoga again (well today would be the second day in a row!) and I don't feel as stressed and I'm happy to finally be doing something for ME. On another random side note, the YMCA finally called my references but have yet to call me to offer me the job. They sure do like to keep you in suspense. I guess that's why they say that patience is a virtue. Maybe this is giving me time to get myself right before delving back into the world of working two jobs again. More importantly, the Dodgers won on opening day! I'm ready for them to go to the World Series this year...we got so close last year :)

2009-04-05T16:36:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been thinking about doing a detox. I've been feeling tired all the time (no, I'm not pregnant!) and just not motivated to do much. Partially I think because I've been a little depressed with not having a second job for the first time in the 2 1/2 years that I've been out here pretty much. I interviewed at the YMCA on Monday and it seemed to go really well. They said that they would notify us by the end of the week either way so that they don't waste anybody's time. Well Friday at 4:15 rolled around and I called and left a polite voicemail asking if they needed any additional information and if they might have made any decisions. I shockingly received a call back and they said that they would be calling my references. They must be waiting until Monday to call because they certainly have not called any of them. This is very frustrating. I just need to not stress about it and just know that everything happens for a reason and to be patient. This is perhaps one of the reasons that I went to church this morning (besides it being Palm Sunday and typically being only a holiday Catholic!). I felt that I needed some sort of calming and guiding force to be with me today and give it all up to Him and have my burdens lifted. I know this is sort of a rambling rant of a blog right now but I guess that's what happens when you don't blog daily and you let it all bottle up. P.S. if I was still in my college psychology class I would totally write a paper on how blogging is the new therapist. On a random side note, I would ask for prayers and thoughts for my best friend's nephew that has Horner's Syndrom which is a lesion in the eye and can be caused by a tumor or genetics or can be spontaneous. His older brother had the same syndrome and it was a tumor and has caused him to have one of his eyes removed and over 30 surgeries and he is only 15 years old. Thomas is not even 2 and we hope and pray that the doctors can fix it before it gets worse. Thank you all and God bless.

2009-03-21T17:04:00.000-07:00

Because I haven't blogged in a while and I stole this from Berly's blog....

14. A picture of you with your oldest friend

Melinda and I have been best friends since Kindergarden. This picture was taken one night in San Diego when I went to visit her in college.

15. A picture you had no idea was being taken

For my birthday one year all I wanted to do was wear fake mustaches, go to a Dodger game, and sit in the all-you-can eat section and attempt to eat a Dodger dog and a beer an inning.

16. A picture of yourself that you like

I had short hair and it was red and it was sassy!

17. A picture of yourself that you hate

My hair was too dark, the bangs were hideous, and I was extremely pale.

18. A picture of you with someone you love

19. A picture of how you'd like the world to see you

Hopefully the owner of my own bakery some day :)

20. A picture that describes how you'd like to spend every day.

Being at Dodger stadium and singing along to "I Love LA"

21. A picture of a time when everything was changing.

2009-01-22T19:56:00.000-08:00

Oh 2009. Of course we had to start out with drama. My Grossmutter passed away on Friday morning at the ripe age of 92. This was my dad's mom (Grossmutter is German for grandma). She had fallen and broken her hip in November and we all knew that there was no recovering fully this time around. Right after the New Year she started sleeping more and more which was good because then she wasn't in pain and wasn't complaining. We knew the end was near and my dad was prepared to have everything ready (he has some experience since my grandpa passed away 2 years ago and my uncle followed 3 months after that). I randomly was driving to LA for this past weekend and my parents waited to tell me until I got home so I wouldn't worry driving. There were tears of sadness but mostly of peace of mind knowing that this is what she wanted and that she was finally at rest. I will be flying back home tomorrow for the wake and then the funeral on Saturday. God willing, there won't be any rain on Saturday. Please keep my Grossmutter and family in your thoughts and prayers and I hope all is well with you my reader.

2008-12-24T22:12:00.000-08:00

December has been a pretty hectic month for me working both jobs. My pajama boss has told me all month long (and all year long) how much she appreciates me and all of my hard work. I've always been a hard worker. That's how my Dad raised me. She kept telling me that I was going to get a great Christmas bonus this year. Last year I got a check for $700 which I thought was pretty amazing. Yesterday we got our Christmas cards and I opened mine up in the car...and started to cry. She had written that $5,000 would be added to my next paycheck! This is more than I could ever ask for or even imagine ever receiving. I feel absolutely blessed to have such an amazing boss and job but yet I am torn. My boyfriend wants to go to film school in LA which gives me an excuse to finally move back to LA and get things rolling. How do I break this information to my boss? Maybe I can keep working for her and take care of business from a remote location that doesn't have to be on site in Vegas? I don't want her to feel abandoned or that I am ungrateful. Any suggestions?

2008-12-23T20:01:00.000-08:00

Today I was on the Fox 5 News to promote Big Feet Pjs. I thought you all might get a kick out of the segment. Enjoy!

http://www.fox5vegas.com/video/18347182/index.html

2008-12-21T21:32:00.000-08:00

I forgot to mention the funniest part of my roadtrip on my earlier post. The not so funny setup: my grandma fell and broke her hip (again) earlier this month and has been in and out of the hospital. On my trip home, EJ, my mom and I went to visit her. EJ waited outside for a little bit while I was talking to my grandma. Here is the most memorable quote which almost made me lose it: "You've been a good girl for so long. It's finally time for you to be naughty!" Did I just hallucinate that or did my grandma really just tell me to be naughty? Maybe it was the drugs she was on or maybe as you get older you just say it how it is or perhaps it was a mixture of both. Either way, it was pretty hilarious. Grandmother approval to be naughty. And my year is now complete, thank you!

2008-12-17T18:47:00.000-08:00

This past weekend the boyfriend and I took a roadtrip to LA where I introduced him to my Dad and my brother. Everything went really well. EJ wanted to check out the LA Film School and fell in love with it. He wants to move to LA! This totally excites me because I finally have the kick in the seat of the pants that I need to get back to LA and start my bakery. Funny how life works out like that :) Randomly on Sunday we were driving around and I was showing him the neighborhood I grew up in (Westchester) and we started going to open houses. I sort of have this thing where I find things that I want and fall in love with them and am relentless in finding a way to have it. It happened with my car, my puppy, and of course now...a house. The kitchen is super important to me and I stepped inside this house with a white picket fence and instantly had a connection with the house. The kitchen was newly remodeled with tons of counter space and storage. The master bed room was super spacious with a fantastic bathroom (also very important!) The backyard would be perfect for Hank to run around in too. I really hope the price goes down on the house a bit and that my parents can help me out with a down payment. Everything seems to be moving so fast but it all feels so right. Luckily, most of my friends and family have been super supportive and encouraging and most importantly HAPPY for me because I'm happy. So there's the update kiddos! Here's the link to my dream home...let me know what you think!http://www.coldwellbanker.com/servlet/PropertyListing?action=detail&ComColdwellbankerDataProperty_id=14684050&page=property&brand=CB

2008-12-08T22:02:00.001-08:00

The internet finally works again at the chocolate shop! It has been down for the past 2 weeks and has made blogging a little difficult to get around to. Here are some updates:

1. I can finally chew real food again! I was supposed to wait until the Monday after Thanksgiving but I couldn't resist all the goodies on Thanksgiving and gave in...I think most people would've broken down earlier than the 5 1/2 weeks I made it through. I lost 15lbs (mostly muscle) and had to buy new pants. It really just gave me an excuse to shop...twist my arm ;)

2. Things are still going well with the boyfriend :)

3. Big Feet Pajama Co. has been boomin with the approaching Christmas season! If you need a pair of footie pajamas go to http://www.bigfeetpjs.com/ and check them out.

4. I never thought that I would be that dog owner that dressed her dog up but I couldn't resist to take Christmas pictures with Hank. He is so handsome!

2008-11-05T15:22:00.000-08:00

I'm alive! It has been 3 weeks since my surgery and I am feeling fantastic. I kept ice on religiously and never bruised. Last week I had my first day where I could swallow mashed potatoes and it was sooooooooo satisfying! Halloween came and passed. I went to my brother's house for a party and let him choose my costume: Flava Flav! Pretty amusing. In the picture, my cheeks are still a little swollen but is almost completely gone. I also went to my friend's 25th birthday party complete with moon bounce and cheesy kid party games with an adult twist: blind folded marshmallow eating contest anybody?! I got to be the feeder since I can't chew anything. My next checkup is on Tuesday where they will also adjust my braces. Everything is spot on and the doctors can't believe how well I am recovering. Recovery is all a state of mind. Your body recovers naturally but if you have the right mentallity and determination to not let it get you down, it actually isn't that bad. I'm over the hump and ready for this rollercoaster to come to an end and see what the cheesy picture is at the end of the ride that I can pay $20 to purchase! (not that these pictures aren't perfectly cheesy and priceless!)

2008-10-18T21:30:00.000-07:00

In researching information for my Rock 'n Roll Cakery (it's already trademarked so don't try and steal my idea!), I came across this article that I really think is going to help me with the idea behind my cakery. While working in the chocolate shop, there is piped in music that is not really exciting or motivating for employees so why would that make customers want to stay in the store longer and purchase more? I started to notice a trend of an increase in sales when I would plug in my ipod with a mix of classic rock and oldies but goodies. This began my quest to find what research has been done in regard to the correlation of food and music and ultimately sales. Here is the article for you to enjoy:

Seven Ways Music Influences Mood
[Photo by MarS]Good music has direct access to the emotions. As such it's a fantastic tool for tweaking our moods. Saarikallio and Erkkila (2007) investigated the ways people use music to control and improve their mood by interviewing eight adolescents from Finland. The participants may be a small, very specific group, but they actually present a really useful list:
Entertainment - At the most fundamental level music provides stimulation. It lifts the mood before going out, it passes the time while doing the washing up, it accompanies travelling, reading and surfing the web.
Revival - Music revitalises in the morning and calms in the evening.
Strong sensation - Music can provide deep, thrilling emotional experiences, particularly while performing.
Diversion - Music distracts the mind from unpleasant thoughts which can easily fill the silence.
Discharge - Music matching deep moods can release emotions: purging and cleansing.
Mental work - Music encourages daydreaming, sliding into old memories, exploring the past.
Solace - Shared emotion, shared experience, a connection to someone lost.These seven strategies all aim for two goals: controlling and improving mood. One of the beauties of music is it can accomplish more than one goal at a time. Uplifting music can both divert, entertain and revive. Sad, soulful music can provide solace, encourage mental work and discharge emotions. The examples are endless.Many of Saarikallio and Erkkila's findings chime with previous research. For example, distraction is considered one of the most effective strategies for regulating mood. Music has also been strongly connected with reflective states. These tend to allow us greater understanding of our emotions. One of the few negative connections Saarikallio and Erkkila consider is that sad music might promote rumination. Rumination is the constant examination of emotional state which, ironically, can lead to less clarity. On the contrary, however, Saarikallio and Erkkila found that music increased the understanding of feelings, an effect not associated with rumination. http://www.spring.org.uk/2007/03/seven-ways-music-influences-mood.php

2008-10-17T18:35:00.000-07:00

Life has been so hectic lately! Hank and I took a road trip to LA so I could take care of some pre-surgery appointments. I am FINALLY having my jaw surgery on Monday after a year of having braces. Here is some information describing the operation: http://www.healthbase.com/resources/dental-procedures/dental-procedures/mandibular-sagittal-split-osteotomy.html and along with this I am having a Lefort I procedure for my upper jaw. You can come across some pretty narly pictures when you google those terms so beware! I will have a perfect Halloween costume this year with the natural bruising :) Also, in my crazy work life, Big Feet Pajama Co. was featured in the gift lounge for the Andre Agassi 13th Annual Grand Slam for Children charity event that was held at the Wynn in Las Vegas, NV. I got to meet Emeril Lagasse, Ray Romano, Fergie the Duchess of York, Lifehouse, The Killers, and many many more (not to brag!) Here is a picture of me and Donny Osmond for your viewing:

2008-10-06T17:17:00.000-07:00

This Saturday was probably one of the most glorious days of my life! I scored tickets to the third game of the National League Division Series of the Dodgers vs. Cubs. Dodgers were ahead in the series from their two wins in Chicago and this was their first home game. After sitting in traffic for 2 hours and sneaking into a season ticket holder parking spot, we climbed to our seats located on the Reserve level 3. Before actually sitting we purchased the required Dodger dog, nachos, peanuts and beer. If you have never had a Dodger dog, you are missing out. It is truly a fat kid's paradise. We sat down in the 2nd inning and whipped our free rally towels over our heads as each exciting moment came around. The energy in the crowd was absolutely amazing. The thrill of watching the Dodgers sweep the Cubs was something that I will always remember. I can't wait until Thursday when they play their first game for the National League Championship vs. the Phillies in Philadelphia. For all of those that thought that the Dodgers couldn't do it...just watch TBS and see what happens. In case you didn't know this about me: read the Dodger jumbo-tron board below!

2008-10-03T23:11:00.000-07:00

Date #2 Part II: We met up at Al's Garage to have a couple of beers and watch the Dodgers kick the Cubbies in their special no no place! Had a blast chatting and chillin without any pressure. Good deal. I was on my way to work this morning and he called me to ask if I wanted to go to breakfast tomorrow before I head to LA for the weekend. This is a first for me. A guy who actually makes plans and wants to hang out with me...a rare oddity in Vegas for sure. Stay tuned for stories of Saturday shenanigans to include the following: Dodger playoff game in LA and Melinda (my best friend since kindergarden) celebrating her quarter of a century birthday! With pictures to be posted too I promise!

2008-10-01T17:47:00.000-07:00

Meeting/Date #2: EJ. He has a pup that is half lab half pit. We decided to meet at the dogpark. First plus: he was willing to drive to MY side of town to go to MY dogpark. Second plus: we meet and he compliments me on my braces to which I immediately blush and get nervous wondering if this is a deal-breaker....until he revealed that he had braces too :) We stayed at the park for almost 2 hours and had good conversation. After leaving the dogpark I got a text from him: thanks for a great time, had fun. Any time that I go out with someone I usually send them a text saying the same thing. Good to know that we have the same good manors. There will be a dinner date to follow...minus the pups. All in all, a very pleasant experience and I'm excited to see where it goes from here :)

2008-09-29T19:48:00.001-07:00

On a serious note aside from my dating debacles....what do you do when a loved one has a drinking problem?...tough love? extreme measures? uber support? It is hard to have watched one family drink themselves to death over a year ago and to watch another family member do it is heartbreaking. When does the child have to become the parent? I thought this part of life wasn't supposed to come for at least another 30 years. I'm going through so many emotions: anger, sorrow, fear, betrayal, angst, and more descriptors that I could list on and on. I feel like I can write about this but yet ashamed to tell my friends who I know I should be able to lean on at this point in my life. I guess what this is is just a plea to the universe to guide me and give me strength for this situation.

2008-09-28T18:29:00.000-07:00

Date/Meeting #1: Robby. 23 years old (younger than what I usually like to date but claimed to act in his late 20's), and played AAA baseball for the Padres (this last part is what really sold me). I meet up with him for a beer. That should've been my first warning. I arrived and he was already blitzed. However, he was pretty nice and behaved himself and we had a good chit chat. Things seemed to go pretty well (it wasn't an obvious disaster) and he asked me if we wanted to hang out this weekend. Sure, why not? So Thursday I sent him a text message to say hi (side note: text messaging has totally revolutionized if not DESTROYED the art of dating) and he said that he was at work until 9 but could he call me later? Sure, why not? Well...no phone call. I wasn't surprised by this. Anything that boys do doesn't seem to surprise me anymore these days. Friday comes and passes and I go to bed. At 3am he calls. I reject that phone call because no one calls at 3am unless it's an emergency (and we totally were not at that level yet) which means that it only meant one thing: booty call. Not interested buddy. I send him a text later saying "so you're going to be that guy that only texts me at 3am?" to which he replied "only on special days" to which I couldn't even fathom a response and left it at that. Needless to say, I deleted him from myspace (not like he would recognize that one of his 500 friends that were ALL girls) was missing. However, I'm not totally giving up on match.com yet. I still have a couple of more weeks to see what is out there and I've already made a couple of connections. Next step is to meet them in person and go from there. Stay tuned for my next date!

2008-09-21T20:42:00.001-07:00

EHarmony...those commercials have been haunting me for awhile now out here in Vegas. I've tried the match.com thing a couple of times, unsucessfully of course. Oh the horror stories. Here's the cliff note from the one date I went on about a year ago from a "match": I really wanted to go see the Bodies Exhibit at the Tropicana so we went and that apparently got this guy in the mood because he wanted to try and makeout with me right then and there...not exactly my idea of romantic. So here I am again being encouraged to try Match.com again or EHarmony. I figured I would give EHarmony a chance since Match didn't work out so well for me last time. After answering the ridiculous questionnaire and receiving a "report" detailing what people could potentially like and dislike about me (f-that yo!), I was able to see my potential matches. However, what they fail to tell you is that you don't get to see their pictures unless you PAY for the service! I'm sorry if this sounds messed up but if I am not physically attracted to a person, then I most likely don't want to try and start a communication with them online. What if I paid for the subscription and saw the pictures and wasn't attracted to ANYBODY!? What a waste of money that would be, right? This directly lead me back to match where I re-vamped my profile and pictures and released it to the wild for free just to see what was out there. There was one that contacted me and I was interested (and he had a picture that I could SEE thank goodness!) and now here I am....$30.00 and I'm subscribed for a month. I'm sure there will be plenty of more interesting horror date stories to come because I plan on speed dating for a month to get my money's worth!

2008-09-08T17:19:00.000-07:00

I was dreading going into the chocolate shop today. I had a great day at the pajama job earlier but was becoming pissier by the moment thinking about stupid boys and how slow it was going to be tonight since there is a double-header for Monday night football. However, my attitude slightly changed after a shot of espresso and 2 notes: 1 stating that I sold the most "units" for the holiday weekend and that I got a $20 gift card to Starbucks and that I also met individual goal 9 times for the month of August (which was more than anyone else) and in return I get a $50 gas card! Score! That totally makes up for getting my shifts cut last week due to lack of store sales....kind of.

2008-08-30T21:34:00.000-07:00

My 25th Birthday was quite eventful. I figured that since it was a monumental day that I should go do something special. I decided that I wanted to go see the Grand Canyon since I had never been (isn't that something you are supposed to do younger on a vacation with the fam?!) My best friend Melinda and I went the tourist route and took a charter bus to the West Rim. The trip there was a little nauseating due to the 7 miles of unpaved road and a not so personable driver. We finally made it (alive) and went to the first stop: The Skywalk. Heck no we weren't paying extra money to stand on a clear deck that was 4,000 feet above the canyon! We had a great view standing on the solid ground. Next, we went to the stop that had even more gorgeous views. This is where the day takes a turn for the worse. I made the genius decision to eat macaroni salad. Now folks, I don't know if you know this or not, but it was fairly warm that day and mayo isn't meant to be sitting in the heat. Needless to say my stomach started punching me from the inside. We went to the last stop which was the ranch and went horseback riding to the edge of the canyon and back. Absolutely phenomenal. We got back to the tour bus at the time specified (and threatened to be left behind if not on time) only to be delayed in departure 1 hour due to some silly tourists that weren't back yet. We left them after an hour. Too bad suckers. We made it back to the car and had just enough time to shower and get ready for dinner at AJ's Steakhouse at the Hard Rock. I decided that some champagne would help my stomach and downed a glass. About halfway through dinner I wasn't feeling so great and made a couple of trips to the bathroom and had my food put in to-go boxes. I thought I could push through the sick and still enjoy the rest of my birthday. We went to Wasted Space and I tried to have a good time but was encouraged to go home and take it easy. Good call by my friends because I spent the rest of the night wishing I was never born. I was out of commission all the next day too. I would never wish food poisoning upon my worst enemies (that's if I had enemies!) So ultimately, I will have a part II celebration sometime soon and I definitely will never forget my quarter of a century birthday!

2008-08-15T20:16:00.000-07:00

I went to LA for a couple of days for some shenanigans. Every summer there is an art festival in Laguna called the Sawdust Festival where artists of various mediums sell their work. One of my favorites is a jewelry maker named Slowsky that makes glass items. I have a couple of necklaces and a pair of earrings from her and every time I wear them I get major compliments. My aunt bought me another necklace for my birthday to add to my collection. Also, while I was at home, I went to a costume beach volleyball tournament called The Gillis. My friends dressed up as the characters from The Sound of Music...hilarious! (see pics below) My best friend since Kindergarden is in town for two weeks so we've been doing various activites every night as well. We went to the Area 51s baseball game the other night and had a blast. Oh and last but not least, here is a pic of my pup Hank (happy now Ric?!)

2008-08-05T19:55:00.000-07:00

I went to the chiropractor today for a visit and was slightly annoyed when he was running behind and had to wait. There was this little boy in the waiting room...maybe 5 years old or so...and he was playing with some transformers toys. Instantly he gravitated toward me whether it was because he was bored or he thought that I was going to take his toys. Well we get into a whole conversation about transformers, power rangers, the hulk, etc. Then the strangest thing happened...he asked me out. HA! He asked me if I would come over to his house and watch Transformers with him. Pretty freakin cute. I had to politely decline and say that we had only just met and that it was too soon. My humor was lost on him but the rest of the people in the waiting room chuckled. Needless to say that put a smile on my face and I hope it put one on yours too :)

2008-08-02T18:47:00.000-07:00

If anybody has ever been a victim of identity theft, I feel your pain. I first found out that someone had used my social security number in March to file a tax return. As a result, my refund was put on hold until they could figure out for the real slim shady to please stand up. They told me that I should be receiving a letter in the mail to confirm my identity in 4-6 weeks. Well that time came and went and I called again. They said to wait another 4-6 weeks. To make a long and dull story short, it is now 5 months later and I still have not heard from the IRS. I have contacted them multiple times and have only been told to wait and that they were working on it. And this supposed economic stimulus check we all were supposed to receive has also been put on hold due to the fact that my refund hasn't been processed....double whammy. Now the same people are attempting to open up credit cards with my information but luckily I have fraud alerts on my credit file. I had to file police reports and make so many phone calls. It is truly exhausting. I'm hoping I will have a resolution AND my refund by the end of the year. If anyone has any tips or words of encouragement I would greatly appreciate it!

2008-07-26T20:36:00.000-07:00

At work tonight I had a lady rush in and ask me if anyone has ever told me that I have a green aura. I replied not that I could remember. I also happened to be wearing a green shirt. Anyway, she said that I had a veerrrry green aura which meant that I had a lot of energy and that I was a positive person. True story. Then she proceeded to tell me that I had a lot of stress in my life. Also a true story. Had I lost someone recently? Yes, my grandpa and my uncle. I was closest to my grandpa and he was my guardian angel she told me. Next...I had a wall that I put up that I keep letting get in the way of where I'm supposed to be and that I need to break it down. Also, she told me that I need to go ahead and move to like I wanted to. Then she told me to go back to LA and I hadn't even told her that was where I was originally from. It could've been a lucky guess, who knows. Next she told me that I was re-connecting with a boy from my past which I didn't think was true but now reflecting back on it I did try and contact this guy that I use to live with and haven't talked to in a year or so. Then she said that I haven't met my soul mate yet but that I would meet him in September or November and that he would be tall, green eyes, and have black hair with an olive complextion. Sweet. She also said that I would be financially stable later in life and that two big contracts would be coming up for me to sign (possibly for my bakery!?) and to read them over really well first. Good advice because I never read that shit lol. Also, she saw a career for me designing things. I said that I wasn't a designer...but maybe she meant that as designing my cakery?! Ultimately, I had some energy that needed to be permanantly cleansed and I said that a long time ago I had been to a holistic healer and had that done and she said that they must've done a bad job because it only worked for a couple of months and that I should come see her. Part of me wants to believe her and the other part of me is skeptical...which she totally called me out on. She said that this was a bad year for me and that things would get better next year...I certainly hope that she is correct about that part! And maybe the whole soul mate thing too :) I am writing this in my blog because in September or November if I meet my soul mate then I might just actually go visit this lady again and see what else she has to say!

2008-07-14T20:19:00.000-07:00

I feel the need to tell everyone about this fantastic deal I got the other day. I got a Bed Bath & Beyond mailer the other day and was flipping through it when I noticed there was an 11" Chef Pan on sale. It was normally $19.99 and it had a mail in rebate for $10.00. However, there was a coupon on the mailer for $5.00 off of a purchase of $15.00 or more. Let's do the math: $20-$5 coupon- $10 mail in rebate= $5 kick ass pan! I'm stoked! And it is a pretty durable pan. So everyone run to your nearest junk mail stack and pull out that ad and get that pan!

2008-07-12T22:09:00.000-07:00

Recently a good friend of mine asked me when I started listening to country music. I was always the girl that listened to all different types of music but not really country. I told her that I thought it really started about 2 years ago when I moved to Vegas. She thought that was kind of random since Vegas isn't really known for country music but there were definitely other influences other than the city. One of my co-workers listened to country a lot while we were at work and I also found a great website called pandora.com that let me enter in artists that I liked and then they would play artists that had similar music. This is where I first heard of Taylor Swift (waaaaay before she became mega-popular) and went out and bought her cd. Fell in love with it. From there my interest grew. I wouldn't necessarily change the radio station away from the country station and actually listen to the words. They weren't as cliche as I felt they use to be in the past. Perhaps I am getting older and wiser and have more experience and can relate to these songs more. So as I stand here and type at work in my cowboy boots and cowgirl jean skirt I'd like to encourage everyone to try listening to music even if they "like everything BUT country"....you might be surprised that you actually like it :)

2008-07-11T23:24:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I wonder. Well I tend to wonder about a lot of things. While I'm waiting for the last half hour of my shift to end, I began to think "how much longer can I go at this pace?" Kind of an odd question but here is the background story. For about a year now, I've been working two jobs which means working 16 hour days sometimes. It is only destiny that I start to burn myself out and feel exhausted all the time. I'm not eating as well as I should and I LIVE for sugar highs. I guess that is kind of the industry that I am in and surrounded by but that doesn't mean there aren't alternatives. Ric is introducing me to some supplements and protein ideas to incorporate into my lifestyle. I don't want to work 2 jobs for the rest of my life. It just happens to be a vicious cycle that I am in right now. Did you know that Las Vegas is the number 1 city in the nation for credit card debt? For some odd reason I wasn't surprised when I heard that statistic and you probably aren't that surprised by it either (whoever you may be my one reader!) Do I blame this on the fact that in school they never really taught us how to manage our money? or is this something that your parents teach you? My parents did their best to teach me but I guess ultimately it comes down to being an adult and making your own decisions that lead you to your current situation. Here is where I come full circle: I'm getting ready to turn 25 and I want to make some changes in my life. I don't want to be in credit card debt so that I don't have to work 2 jobs. I need to start being more financially responsible. I'm taking baby steps by not going out for drinks as often (not that my work schedule really allows for socializing anymore these days!) and I've been trying not to buy myself things because I feel that I "deserve" them because I've been working hard...that's what got me into this mess in the first place! Anyways, thanks for reading the financial rant. If you have any suggestions, comments, concerns, donations, etc. please feel free to respond! Much love.

2008-07-08T18:59:00.001-07:00

I'm back! Thanks to some inspiration from my friend Ric I have decided to start blogging again :) You lucky readers you! So here is the update since my last blog: I moved out of my apartment and bought a condo. I went through a couple of more jobs and currently work for a company that sells footie pajamas for adults (like the ones you wore as a kid!) and I work in a chocolate shop. I also bought a beagle puppy that I love to death. So pretty much there is the update that you need to know. I still am living in Vegas and have many more adventures since my last post. I promise to blog more often and post scandalous pictures :)

2007-03-08T15:24:00.000-08:00

So here is the Aussie update: the package has had an "exception" according to UPS and is being detained by the government for some unknown reason that they cannot speculate about. FANTASTIC. And there are no guarantees on when the "one day air" package should be here. Here's an idea: it should've been here a day ago asshole. Quit dickin around. Anyways....I also found out that my uncle passed away yesterday which made for a really long day yesterday because I haven't been sleeping well (who would've thought that I would be complaining about having TOO many days off in a row?!) and then I found out about my uncle. I resorted to eating my feelings at a fantastic bbq place that I had never been too and then crying over some ice cream and then laughing at the new Reno 911 movie. Work was a little tedious because all I wanted to do was crash in bed which was what I did when I got home and slept really well. I get to do it all over again tonight. Yay!

2007-03-07T11:10:00.000-08:00

Forgive me father for I have sinned...It has been way too many days since my last blog. Ok I feel better now. Anyways...what have I been up to? Nothing too much other than working the graveyard shift (nothing like work 4 10-hour shifts so that you can have 3 days off in a row!) and going into work when it is dark and coming out when the sun is up. I also got trashed in the middle of the day (actually between the hours of 8am and noon) which has prompted me to procklaim "I never want to drink again!" which will probably be broken very soon so that I can drown my sorrows with my other drama...roommates. Fuck this shit! I'm living by myself the next time I move. I am supposed to have this Aussie moving in and she keeps dickin around and saying that the rent payment is being boggled around by UPS. Needless to say I had to borrow money from moms to cover her supposed portion of rent until it can get here and SHE can get here which supposedly on Saturday. I thought she was supposed to be here last Saturday but I was wrong I guess because there is no Aussie living in my apartment yet. Other than that, I haven't been doing anything exciting. Sorry to disappoint all. I just need to get paid on Friday and maybe my life will be a little bit more exciting such as going back home to Cali on Monday to go to the orthodontist and oral surgeon...that should be fun...and then a potential trip to Disneyland on Tuesday to the "happiest place on earth" to hopefully forget my sorrows for a day and then be thrust back into reality again. Yay...thanks for reading the bitching blog. Have a great day!

2007-02-22T18:58:00.000-08:00

I've succomb to joining myspace again. Apparently it is the only way to keep in contact with people and know what is going on with them. However, I am limiting myself to the amount of time I waste on the site. Work is going well. The executive chef actually talked to me for a little bit yesterday and told me that I'm doing a great job and that they really appreciate me stepping up. The guy that usually is on the graveyard shift once again did a no call no show so I am on the graveyard shift this week which hasn't been too bad so far. I made it to the gym today (woo hoo!) and read 2 of my magazines out of a stack of 20 that has built up over the months. Why not kill two birds with one stone and read AND exercise? Sounds good to me. Here are a couple of pictures from when I was back home and went out with my friends. Enjoy!

2007-02-20T20:14:00.000-08:00

Apparently since I no longer have myspace I have my life back! I no longer spend countless hours online which in turn my blog has suffered. Apologies to my loyal readers. What have I been up to you might ask? A whole lot. I SWEAR pictures will be coming soon when I get paid on Friday and can afford a memory card for my camera so you can see my buns. I know you've been checking daily to see the picture and your patience will pay off. Last time I blogged I was deathly ill and those nazi bastards at the clinic wouldn't give me any drugs. I suffered for a week and finally made the call to the doc back home who immediately called in a prescription for a Z-pack to a pharmacy here. Thank God. The Z-pack is amazing. If you haven't ever had one, next time you're sick, GET ONE! Knocks those bacterial germy muthafuckas right out of your system. Anyways...work has been good. We had the NBA All-Star game here in Vegas which resulted in city-wide madness. Waaaaaaaaaaay too many people but apparently is brought in $26 million for the city for one weekend. Not too shabby. The city has a couple hundred of my money that I've contributed. Our grand opening is officially officially this weekend on Saturday the 24th with our hostess....Carmen Electra. Be jealous bitches. Not that I'll ever see her since I'm in the kitchen and never get to see anything except for when I'm allowed a bathroom break. Oh I also cut my finger on an emersion blender which is something with a very sharp blade. It didn't require stitches but it was pretty gross. I didn't cry though. There's no crying in pastries. I'm sure I've done a whole bunch of other fun crazy stuff like play bingo (I was one away from winning, bastards!) and drinking at the local bar Oceans Eleven (the OE for regulars) and continuing my credit card debt by purchasing plane tickets to visit my friends but that's pretty much a summary of what I've been up to. I'm giving up French Fries for Lent. One might ask "do you really eat that many french fries?" and if you have to ask, then you're no friend of mine! YES I eat that many french fries asshole because they're delicious. No denying it. I promise to blog more and have pics up by this weekend. Yay for payday coming up but boo for graveyard shifts!

2007-02-03T15:53:00.000-08:00

A review of the club came out in one of the local papers and it was fantastic! This resulted in a boom in business for Friday night. I once again was on the graveyard shift and had plenty to do and prep for Superbowl Sunday. However, I started to not feel so well i.e. my throat felt like it was starting to swell shut and my chest was tight. After climbing on top of the combi oven to clean the vents and made sure my station was clean and that the last people had left after 7am I asked to skip out on the rest of the cleaning so I could go to the medical clinic to get checked out. Pretty much the doctor said that I was fine and that nothing was wrong with me and that it COULD get worse but then just to take over the counter cough medicine. No shit sherlock. The whole point of me going there to get checked out was so that it won't get worse and to give me some freakin drugs! Anyways, $25 later and with no drugs in hand I walked out of there. I guess I'll just OD on vitamin C and all that healthy crap to try and beat down the virus. Looks like I'm in for another long night on the graveyard shift...

2007-02-02T17:41:00.000-08:00

There is now an official "grand opening" date for our club: Saturday February 24th. Our host: Carmen Electra! Fantastic! I'm super excited not only for Superbowl Sunday coming up and then being booked solid for NBA Allstar Weekend AND now our grand opening. February is going to be crazy and I love it! Pictures of my "buns" coming soon...

2007-02-01T01:55:00.000-08:00

Someone keeps hacking into my email account and changing my password. Not cool. I didn't do anything to anybody to deserve this. I mind my own business and am probably one of the nicest people you will ever meet and don't understand why this is happening. Anyways, on a happier note...I was making truffles today and weighing them out to 12 grams each and my chef said that he would give me one more chance to weigh it out perfectly so that I could have the night of the DMB concert off...SCORE! I totally did it and was proud of myself. Then he let me go double or nothing so that I could have a Sunday off in April to go to Nashville for a conference/see one of my really good friends. SCORE again! Damn I'm good. Anyways, if anybody has any advice about the hacker or IS the hacker...please let me know. Thanks!

2007-01-30T19:50:00.000-08:00

Stupid myspace. Most people know this already (especially poodonkeys). For what seems like the billionth time myspace has screwed me over. When I was working on the cruise ship I had a problem with people hacking in and deleting my friends. Ultimately, I ended up completely friendless and having people questioning whether I was mad at them and deleted them. After reassuring everyone that I was NOT mad at them and that somebody has no life and hacked into my profile, I managed to regain all my friends. However, now someone has managed to completely DELETE my entire profile. I'm not quite sure how this happens because you have to confirm the option to delete by logging into your email and accepting it. I have neither the time nor the energy to sign back on and search for everyone all over again. I guess it is a blessing in disguise because now I don't have to worry about people snooping on me and I won't be tempted to snoop on anybody else. Thank you myspace for giving me back another hour to my life that I can spend at the gym instead of dealing with this emotional rollercoaster that keeps me in touch with "friends." Fuck that shit. If you're my friend then you have my phone number and I talk to you frequently and you know what is going on in my life and don't need to log onto myspace to see what I'm up to. If you want to see pictures of what's going on then email me or read my blog. I was angry at first but now I feel a sigh of relief like a burden has been lifted off of my shoulders and that I'm moving on in my journey to becoming an adult. woo hoo!

2007-01-29T22:27:00.000-08:00

It has been brought to my attention that the title of my blog was misspelled since October and that I needed to fix it...done. Apologies to those that I might have offended and I am slightly embarassed being an English major. Enough of that...more about this weekend! Friday was redonkulous! The club had an open Grey Goose bar from 6-9 and it was packed....yay for business and for those working the graveyard shift, i.e. ME. Saturday was slllllloooooooooooowww and I worked until 7am Sunday morning and then had to be back to work at 3pm. Exhausting but I somehow mustered the energy to go to Forty Deuce at Mandalay Bay to celebrate Freda's roommate's birthday. By the time I got there they already had bottle service and the girls had started dancing. Holy crap they were hot! It totally made me want to be a dancer. Tasteful and just amazing. I got up on stage and shook my moneymaker and had a great time. Our bill came out to $1600....YIKES! My night ended with me going through the Jack in the Box drive thru at 4 in the morning and having to call Megan to decide for me what I should eat. I then ate my late night snack in bed while drunk myspacing (myspace is one of the few nouns that has crossed over into verb status) and also drunk plane ticket purchasing. I had to triple check that I was booking the right days and times to go back home to L.A> I leave the Monday after SuperBowl Sunday to go to a sugar demo and take care of some other business. Nonetheless, some good blogs should come out of it!

2007-01-26T00:06:00.000-08:00

I don't remember if I've blogged about this already but: I got tickets to see the Dave Matthews Band play here in Vegas in March! I am so excited because my brother and a couple of friends are coming out and it is going to be fantastic. Only problem is that it is on a Saturday night and currently I am scheduled for graveyard shifts that night. I asked my boss in advance if I could have the day off and his challenge was this: at the time I asked him I was weighing out bread dough at 3.5 oz a piece. He said that if the next piece I cut was exactly 3.5 oz that I could have the day off, not a problem. Well I had been cutting a lot of dough and was pretty sure I knew what the right amount was. I went ahead and put it on the scale...3.4 oz muthafuckasummamambitch! I was so darn close. And to boot, I had just cut off apparently a 0.2 oz piece of it right before I put it on the scale. So close yet so far away...and then he told me to go blog about it. So here I am....blogging about it. Can I have the day off now?! Anyways, I have an old roomie coming into town tomorrow and there is a mega-Grey Goose VIP magazine birthday bash tomorrow which should be redonkulous (reference to poodonkeys accepted). 10pm-close tomorrow, 9pm-close on Saturday, and 3pm-11pm Sunday. Expect a blog by Monday to recap the next couple of days. Have a fabulous weekend everybody! :)

2007-01-23T19:12:00.000-08:00

I've decided that I might get more people to read my blog if I posted more pictures. I like pictures. They usually make reading things more interesting so I got a new cell phone with a better camera phone and a memory chip so I can actually put pictures from my phone onto my computer. Welcome to advanced technology I guess. However, I haven't really had too many intersting things to blog about lately because I've been working a boat load and haven't had a chance to go out other than grabbing drinks with co-workers (and we've all seen plenty of pictures of me drinking!) On an interesting side note, I got a letter in the mail today on behalf of former Sportmart employees that there is a class action lawsuit that I can be a part of...who doesn't like free money?

2007-01-22T11:12:00.000-08:00

Graveyard shifts anybody? Oh pick me, pick me! So I experienced my first graveyard shift EVER on Friday night. Everything was fine until it got to 3am and I hit a wall. We ran out of flour (blasphemy in pastries!) and I cleaned for the next 3 hours until I got to leave at 6:30am. Trying to go to sleep was interesting. In fact, it was damn near impossible. I managed a couple of hours and then got back up to go back in at 8pm and do it all over again. Saturday night wasn't too bad. I was actually pretty busy up until 5am (tiramisu for breakfast?) and got out at 7am. Not too shabby. I was able to crash immediately. Fantastic! It was one of those sleeps where I awoke fearing that it was going to be time to go to work again but to my surprise only 2 hours had gone by! It was the equivalent of drunk sleep and it was fantastic. However, having to go back into work at 5pm when you had just left at 7am was pretty shitty. That was a long shift and it was pretty slow. I made it home and passed out only having to wake up to go to the dentist at 8am today (seemed like a good idea at the time). My teeth are clean and my face is now numb due to having a cavity (at least it was only one! I eat sugar for a living people...it could've been a lot worse). Seeing that I have today and tomorrow off I am going to attempt the impossible...getting all of my errands done...muahahahha

2007-01-18T23:13:00.000-08:00

Worst blind date...EVER! Just kidding. It could've been worse I guess. I was supposed to meet him at the Tropicana until he decided that he would just come to wherever I was first which happened to be at Oceans 11 getting tanked with two of my co-workers. Bad idea and slightly awkward. Anyways...we went to ESPN Zone to eat and where the conversation went from worse to worser if possible resulting in me proclaiming myself a bitch for no apparent reason other than to try and end the misery sooner than later. Really though, he was angry that I had plans to hang out with some other friends after our date. Hello!? I was NOT going to sleep with him so I don't see any reason why the date should last longer than midnite and I could go and see my other friends. However, he stuck through it and we walked over to the Tropicana to see the Bodies exhibition which I had really been wanting to see. What a dissappointment. It was kind of interesting other than the fact that this dude kept trying to grope me in front of the muscle-exposed cadavers. I was trying to be educated and learn something but I had to school this guy on me NOT wanting to see him ever again for the fact that I work completely opposite of what he does and that I didn't think that it would work to which he responded with "if you want it to work, we can make it work"...I don't think so buddy. I'm starting to think more and more that my new year's resolution of celibacy is a fantastic idea...it weeds out all the creepys and hopefully will result in a guy that wants to know me first and won't get upset with me hanging out with other guy friends....yay celibacy!

2007-01-16T00:15:00.000-08:00

so here's something to waste your time: what dumb holiday does your birthday fall on? Mine apparently is National Spumoni Day which is kind of fitting since I deal with pastries every day of my life. Hilarious. This is what happens when you sleep all day and decide to not keep sleeping through to the next day and are wide awake at 12:30am. At least I have tomorrow off from work, woo hoo!

2007-01-14T01:31:00.000-08:00

The wait is over! We finally opened up the club today and it was awesome. The kitchen ran really smoothly. At one point there was even a "whoa Bundy!" that let loose. I worked 11 hours...yay! I'm super tired but everything went well and I'm stoked to see what is going to happen in the next couple of weeks. We apparently are booked solid for the NBA All-Star weekend and I get to help design a sugar piece for Valentine's Day (although I'm anti-Valentine's Day so we'll see what I'll come up with). Thanks for all the love and support from everyone and I can't wait for everyone to come out and see the club and eat the great pastries that are coming out of our kitchen (the other food is pretty "kick-ayass" too...the term "kick-ayass" is courtesy of poodonkey) Good night ...or morning I should say...and I'm sure there are more great stories to come. The fun has just begun :)

2007-01-10T18:51:00.000-08:00

It's official...I am a resident of the state of Nevada! I passed my written re-test (apparently in the state of Nevada you can turn left at a red light if you are on a one way street and turning onto a one way street with the traffic moving to the left...crap...exactly what I said!) and got my driver's license and even registered my car and got Nevada license plates. Good bye California license and plates...I'll miss you. The night culminated in bingo playing at South Pointe where Freda's roommate won $50 (take THAT you old bags!) and dollar bowling and dollar beers. I landed in bed at 4am only to be awoken at 8am by my boss telling me to get up and get my sheriff's card stat when I didn't have to be to work until noon. If you don't know me that well (since I only have two readers, poodonkey and Jen, you know me pretty well so it's just semantics really) I DO NOT like being woken up and rushed out of bed. I was extremely cranky and not happy sitting in the fingerprint bureau for 2 hours waiting to get my card saying that I wasn't a criminal. Then I took my coworker's dog to the dogpark to practice my dogwhispering tactics on his 20 week old adorable puppy that is on crack. It was at the dogpark that I saw the smallest dog EVER. It couldn't have weighed more than 1/2 lb and looked like a piece of white cotton candy fluff. Tonight is a new episode of Top Chef so everyone root for Elia to win!

2007-01-07T21:33:00.000-08:00

Just a note to those girls out there that like to wear pants that have something written on the ass for people to look at: If you're going to wear those pants, make the message on your ass brief or at least have an ass that fills out the message. For example, at the gym today there was a very skinny girl that was wearing black pants that said "Hollywood" on the back...however, she was so skinny that it looked more like "HoWoo." I guess not everybody can be blessed to have a booty like mine :)

2007-01-06T17:19:00.000-08:00

2007-01-06T17:13:00.000-08:00

Last night ended up being a pretty good night. I went to the gym and ran and then got a text from one of my friends saying that they had a V.I.P. table at Club Pure that night. I went home and changed and met up with them. It was awesome. I'm not even going to try and lie. We basically were sitting in the Pussycat Dolls' vaginas that's how close our seats were to the stage. Not to mention the evil bottle of vodka (refer to Christmas party and dancing on management incident for evil factor) that was deliciously mixed with pineapple and cranberry juice. Great music in between shows as well. Overall a great experience, minus my roommate breaking up with her boyfriend over the phone and long distance. Needless to say I didn't get much sleep but made it to work just fine. I'm starting to feel more comfortable in the kitchen and feel like I'm getting back into the swing of things. I'm getting dialed in and learning a lot of new things every day. We are supposed to have mock service tomorrow so wish me luck everybody! (and by everybody that's Jen and poodonkey, the only two people who read my blog...except for that jackie girl who insulted my slow running time a couple of blogs ago. Apparently her mom never told her that if you're not going to say anything nice, don't say anything at all!)

2007-01-05T15:18:00.000-08:00

I like how somehow I had a day off of work today but still ended up having to go to work. I had to drop off my roommate in the morning and then I went back home to go back to sleep. I got a call a couple of hours later to come back to work to run an errand for one of the chefs. OK. Since I was out and about, I decided to go to the DMV and register my car only to find out that I didn't have acceptable forms of id. Great. I went home and grabbed what I needed and headed to another DMV. Apparently when you're under 25 you have to take the written test again where I proceeded to fail by 2 points. Lucky me, I get to go back tomorrow and try again. Ugh.

2007-01-04T22:46:00.000-08:00

An 11 hour work day, woo hoo! Man am I tired though. Got into work at 8am and left at 7pm. Fantastic work. We're getting so close to opening and we're doing mock service this weekend to dial in our food and plating. I had to plate up a dessert on the fly and present it to the Executive Chef...almost shit my pants as I showed it to him. Shockingly, it passed! Yay me :) It's just like riding a bike. It's all coming back to me now. I found out that I'll be working 4 days a week, 10 hour shifts and have Sunday, Monday, Tuesday off. Sweet!

2007-01-02T01:37:00.000-08:00

Who DOES that? We went to Margaritaville and sat next to two fine gentlemen and flirted without ever saying anything. They finished their meal before us and we could tell they were writing us something on a napkin...their numbers, right? NO. The note said: "We 'heart' you" and then one guy's signature and then "Keep up the support. Rock and Roll isn't dead" and then the other guy's signature...but NO phone number. Who DOES that? Ugh. Needless to say we attempted to walk up and down the 3.5 mile strip in search of them but were unsuccesful. Mr. David R. Patch if you're reading this...holla!

2007-01-01T19:24:00.000-08:00

We ordered the world's largest pizza the other night...nothing short of amazing.

2007-01-01T12:29:00.000-08:00

Happy fuckin New Year everybody. I don't know why we thought going down to the Strip for New years would be a great idea. It started out ok by paying 20 bucks to park at Lawry's and then walk to the strip. It was kind of crowded but it was manageable. The real problem started when it got close to midnite and the massive amounts of people began pushing each other and 2 fights broke out right next to where we were standing. I seriously almost felt like I was going to die either from being stampeded upon or suffocation. Finally there was a break in the crowd and we were able to find our friends that we had lost. The supposed "fireworks show" was not as impressive as they made it out to be and you could only really see it if you were in the middle of the street and NOT standing on the sidewalk like we were. Then it took us an hour to walk back to our car where some bitch started yelling at me in the middle of the crosswalk to not stop in the middle of the crosswalk. I proceeded to yell back that it was a free country and that I could do whatever the fuck I wanted to do. At this point she threw down her massive mardi gras beads that she had around her neck and charged at me. I'm not stupid... I ran. This bitch was triple my size and there were police everywhere to protect me so why should I get my ass beat for a stupid reason? We made it home safely where I proceeded to mope that noone called me to wish me happy new years. merry 2007 everybody.

2006-12-29T01:02:00.000-08:00

I like Bingo! We went to play bingo tonight and there was a crazy crowd for the 9pm tournament. Luckily we got our cards but...this is not your childhood bingo, folks! After a few mistakes and asking a veteran bingo player what the hell was going on, we got back on track. After a defeating hour we decided to sign up for the frequent player program to score some free money to gamble with. Then we went back to try our luck again at the 11pm bingo. We got free drinks (score!) but unfortunately did not win on any of our bingo cards. The goldfish penny slot machine was my next victim...or I should say I was the victim. I think I ended up losing a couple of bucks and cashed out to avoid any more deterimental blows to my bank account. Thank goodness tomorrow (technically today I guess) is pay day! Time to pay the rent :) Maybe next time I'll have better luck. Oh yes, there will be a next time!

2006-12-27T20:53:00.000-08:00

Yoga=much better than running on a treadmill. Poodonkey introduced me to yoga years ago and I've forgotten how good it is for mind and body. I am in the zone and ready to get into the kitchen with a clear mind. Pray for temporary occupancy tomorrow!

2006-12-26T21:20:00.000-08:00

I ran 2.25 miles today in 30 minutes! woo hoo! 30 minutes is a good time right? Well it felt good and I guess that's all that matters. In other news, the opening for the restaurant has gotten pushed back once again which means...happy freakin new year to me! It has been a couple of years since I've gone buck wild for new years so it is only right that I re-emerge in Vegas and celebrate 2007 in style. Be prepared for a shitty new years blog followed by a recount of what everybody else told me that I did that night. I can't wait!

2006-12-23T23:46:00.000-08:00

Ahhh thanks to poodonkey's "pussy and crack" work was much better! Chef apologized and we had a "knife cut Olympics." Yes, we are aware that cooks are oddballs. Anyways, I fared pretty well but did not win the bottle of vodka at the end (which was fine with me because the thought of voda makes me want to vomit right now!) We didn't have our final building inspection which meant that we didn't have to work Saturday, woo hoo! I also forgot to mention that it snowed here...that was pretty exciting having my roommate bust into my room at the crack of dawn to point this out to me. Flights home were $400 round trip=recockulous. I sucked it up and drove the 4 hours by myself (windy dark roads and all) and made it to home. I'm sneaky and called my brother and found out where he was and told him that I was leaving in the morning only to show up at The Shack and surprise him! Damn I'm good. I surprised my mom this morning by sleeping in my bed (she didn't know I was coming home)...once again, damn I'm good! Today I decided to pamper myself (I deserve it, right?) and got a pedicure and my hair cut and colored. Charge that bitch and worry about it later hahahah. Dinner at Truxton's was delicious. We're kind of a big deal there. My night ended with some overly priced Starbucks drink and an ice cream sandwhich from Didy Reese and good conversation with a great friend.

2006-12-21T20:43:00.000-08:00

Oh man oh man what a crazy night last night. A couple of girls from work threw a Christmas party last night and it was byob which I interpreted as "bring your own belvedere". I proceeded to get tanked in front of the bosses and then did what I do best: dance. I apparently was dancing up against people...mainly boys. This in turn earned me a couple of new nicknames at work today including: rumpshaker, money maker, etc. Nothing like also barfing out the car window on the drive home too. Needless to say, today was a VERY long day at work. I did it to myself so I had to suck it up and attempt to be functional. I also had homework that we had to do the night before which were to practice our knife cuts. I got 2 out of the 3 done because we didn't have any potatoes. The Executive Chef came in like a bat out of hell and threw my bags on the floor because I didn't have the potatoes. Some people didn't even do the cuts and he kicked them out of class. We also got kicked out of class for "not doing our homework." As a result, we now have to do double the homework for tomorrow and obviously I am trying to aviod it as much as possible. We get to sleep in tomorrow a little bit which is nice but should be interesting when we get to class at 2 and get the verdict on our cuts! Send some good vibes my way because I'm going to need it :)

2006-12-16T21:46:00.000-08:00

Woo hoo! I scored tickets to the Dave Matthews Band/The Fray concert at the MGM Grand in March. I'm super excited (until I get my credit card bill!) but I know that it will totally be worth it. Plus, I've been working my little booty (well, it's not so little) off and I think that I deserve a reward :) I got to work at 9am this morning after a late night and thought I would only be working a couple of hours and then go run my lovely Saturday errands that I've been putting off all week. Little did I know that I'd be working until 8pm helping cater a Christmas party. Wowzas do my feet and back hurt...actually...my neck, my back...my neck and my back (yup that was a reference to a fantastic cult classic, can you guess which one?) I am pooped. Part of me wants to go out but the majority of me says GO TO BED which I think is what I'm going to do. Good idea body. Good nite all (and by "all" I mean poodonkey!)

2006-12-16T01:12:00.000-08:00

OK I am a huge fan of Warner Drive officially! They were in town again playing at the Cooler Lounge. It was a nice end to a pretty crappy day of not being able to do anything right in the kitchen today. I doubted myself a couple of times during the day if I was qualified for the job and decided that I might be in a little over my head but I'll get it pretty soon. Hopefully sooner than later actually. Beers, some good rock to listen to, and blogging. A pretty good end to a crappy day. On a side note, myspace has once again thrown a monkey wrench into my life. Trying to argue with someone on why you supposedly deleted their friendship when you really didn't and honestly have no idea what happened is recockulous (sp?) and stupid. I thought myspace was a place for friends...not a place where friendships are destroyed! ugh...why most we have a love/hate relationship myspace, why?

2006-12-11T23:22:00.000-08:00

I just got back from seeing the My Chemical Romance concert at the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay. I managed to win 2 free tickets by sending a text message to a radio station. Awesome! The show was pretty sweet too. Despite all the underage emo kids, the crowd was pretty good. The lead singer getting hit with numerous pairs of undergarments including bras and panties was also highly entertaining. I think I want to join the Black Parade! woo hoo!

2006-12-10T19:09:00.000-08:00

I went to see Warner Drive play at the Double Down Saloon last night. What an awesome show! I drank some Holiday Ass Juice (deliciously sweet despite the name) and had a sip of a bacon martini amongst many many beers. Then we stumbled down the block to The Rainbow Room where we were only going to stay for a beer and then go play beer pong with some co-workers until a guy from the show professed my hottness and bought me more beer. What can I say? I'm a sucker for free drinks since it doesn't happen often. Then we decided to head back to our apartment and were about a block away when the boy called and we flipped a bitch to go to bumfuckegypt to hang out again. We crashed and then woke up to drive back to our apartment and attempt to sleep off the liquor and go to work. I thought I lost my cell phone but it turns out that it was under the seat of my car. I found it tonight and I had 7 missed calls from a restricted number. Asshole. Speaking of ass holes: why tell me that you're "sick" and can't hang out and then I find out that you have another girl over. Asshole. Just tell me straight up how it is and I won't bother wasting my time. Boys suck. Except for you poodonkey :)

2006-12-09T21:02:00.000-08:00

Cell phones. Gotta love 'em but I really hate mine right now. It's not that I hate my cell phone. I hate the person that is calling me at 3am and 4am from a restricted number and then hangs up when I answer it! The simple solution would be just to not answer it, right? Tried that. They still keep calling and never leave a message. So then you might say, why don't you just turn your phone off? Why should I have to turn my phone off and miss potential important phone calls? So I call Verizon and ask them if there is any way to make restricted numbers become unblocked before the call is connected. They claim that they don't have the "technology" to do that. What?! If you can do it from a landline you should be able to do it from a cell phone too. Also, cell phones apparently don't have the beloved *69 option that landlines do as well. So much for calling the asshole back and hanging up in THEIR face and see how they like it. Ugh...I'm open to any suggestions on how to solve this little issue before I have to resort to changing my phone number. We all know what a hassle that would be.

2006-12-08T22:47:00.000-08:00

Yay for 10 hour work days! Bring it! Today was great. It felt so good to finally get back into the kitchen. I was a little slow and rusty at first but in the end I was pretty productive for the day. Good night nurse I'm exhausted!

2006-12-08T03:31:00.000-08:00

I can't sleep. Well, I WAS sleeping...until I could hear the old hag upstairs coughing up a lung or some other vital body part. This is the second night that she has woken me up and now I can't fall back asleep because everytime I'm JUST about to fall asleep...she coughs again. Also, I'm excited like a kid who knows that they're going to Disneyland because I finally get into the kitchen today! Yipee! It is not THE kitchen but it IS a kitchen and I will finally be getting hands on training for this restaurant. I have to be there at 7am and it's now 3:45 am and I think I should probably get another hour and a half of sleep so I'm not a totally zombie and on my A-game. There's only one chance at making a first impression. If there's anybody out there, wish me luck!

2006-12-05T21:48:00.000-08:00

All play and no work makes me a dull girl. Isn't that sad? First, I was working 7 days a week 10 hours a day on the cruise ship. Then, I move to Vegas and I'm in training for a couple of hours a day, 5 days a week. Perfect. Now...just waiting for the restaurant to open leaves me with too much time on my hands. All I do is stay up late watching tv, sleep until 2 in the afternoon, go to the gym, eat dinner, and then repeat the cycle. Last night I decided to cut my own hair and give myself some bangs, get my nose re-pierced, go to the movies and watch Borat, play some Keno, meet up with some friends at a bar and not drink (crazy! not drink?! what?!), go through the In N Out drive through (delicious!), and then watch Crash at home until 4 in the morning. Needless to say, I can't wait to get back to training tomorrow and hopefully for the rest of the week. Who knows what other kinds of crazy things I might do if I have more time on my hands!

2006-12-03T02:25:00.000-08:00

Tonight we went out The Whiskey which is a free dance club at Green Valley Ranch. It has ok music. The dj mixes some interesting songs together but overall it's not too bad. Hey...it's free! The night consisted of a group of about 10 guys who every once in a while would come out of nowhere and mob us and dance up on us. It was hilarious! However, with the funny ones there are the duche bags that you have to deal with. Granted, girls tend to wear "revealing" clothes when they go out but that still gives no guy a valid reason to straight up basically put his face in a girls chest and say "hello". I proceeded to tell him he could just keep on walking by instead of talking to the tits. Asshole. Ya that's really going to make me want to dance with you. In conclusion, not a bad night. Can't do much about guys. After all, it is Vegas!

2006-12-02T00:37:00.000-08:00

It's been a while. I'm sorry (mostly to Poodonkey!) I went "graveyard" bowling at The Orleans the other night for a dollar. When's the last time you were able to do something for a dollar? Even better...beers were a dollar too! What a very very good night :) I think I'm starting to get sick though. Maybe not sick...just allergies acting up I hope. I'm still waiting for the restaurant to open up so I can get back into the kitchen and bake again. Until then...party, party, party!

2006-11-26T01:53:00.000-08:00

Busby. It's a bar in Santa Monica that is full of preppy hipsters trying to be something and care way too much about their appearance. However, I decided to try it out with two of my friends. Being the non preppy hipster that I am, I roll up in my jeans and Uggs. Classic. The night began with french fries and a couple of glasses of wine. I didn't say that I wasn't classy ;) After I had a good buzz going, we proceeded to the dance floor that consisted of a 5x5 piece of wood that was roped off by "velvet" to distinguish it from the regular walk way. Pretty good dj (although he had some questionable mixes). The crowd was pretty pleasant despite the stalker that kept trying to grab my booty to which I replied "You can't touch that for free!"...apparently that was the best comeback that I had at the time. Anyways, dancing was fun and it was good to see a couple of my friends. Note to self: don't wear Uggs dancing ever ever again!

2006-11-21T01:00:00.000-08:00

I'm convinced that nobody reads these but maybe some poor soul will stumble across my blog and it will put a smile on their face? Anyways...so last night. Craziness. A little beer pong action...actually A LOT of beer pong action. 5 rounds in a short amount of time, some delicious pizza from what I recall, and then some special chocolate for dessert. Needless to say, I was pretty useless after that plus the combination of "relaxing" in the jacuzzi resulted in a coma like state. All in all, a great night in Vegas :)

2006-11-19T00:05:00.000-08:00

So I haven't blogged for a while. Shame on me. Things have been busy though. My grandfather passed away and I went home for the funeral. The girls and I went out last night to the Freakin Frog which is a bar that has over 500 beers. You know what that means: TROUBLE! Needless to say good times were had by all. Some flirtation, a lot of drinking, and "Professor Smith" approaching Megan and me saying that it was his friend's birthday and "what other things go on here?"= he thought we were prostitutes! We weren't even dressed like prostitutes! Totally uncalled for. Good times had by all :)

2006-11-06T22:27:00.000-08:00

So I found out that there was a huge GI break out on the Pride of Hawaii this week. I use to work on the Pride of Hawaii cruise ship but ditched that to come to Vegas...and for those of you that don't know what GI is...it's gastrointestinal meaning...the poopies because someone didn't wash their hands before they handled your food. ya...gross! Basically this means hell and everyone gets quarantined, etc. once again...I love VEGAS!

2006-11-02T21:47:00.001-08:00

Halloween in Vegas was amazing! I classily wore a children's red unitard with The Incredibles emblem ironed on the front only to discover that as I squeezed my adult body into this contraption, the transfer started to crack and spread well...look shitty. But who cares! I was wearing a unitard! The night began at Frickin Frog which has over 500 beers and has the largest whiskey collection in the United States. Pretty amazing. Then we sauntered on over to the Hard Rock Cafe where we encountered Super Sperm, The Penis, and The Vagina. One of the girls I was with proceeded to fist the Vagina. It was at this point that I knew the night could only get better. We went to the Rainbow Room and then ended up at Jet Club where, thank goodness, one of the guys knew the bouncer so we didn't have to wait in a ridiculously long line. Inside was the cashier in which people were paying $150 to get into this club. WHAT! Luckily I had a special "ticket" which let me only pay $25 which was still absurd. The club had 2 rooms of techno/house music to which I immediately started to pout and be a party pooper only to find out that there was a hip hop room in the corner. YES! The room was filled with your usual freaks (assless chaps man), skeezers, and wierdos that are usually in clubs but I had a great time dancing and a great Halloween! Once again...Vegas rocks!

2006-10-31T20:24:00.000-08:00

So I've been living in Las Vegas for a little over a week now and ventured out to gamble for the first time last night and it was AWESOME! I hate losing money so I usually stick to the slot machines because I don't really know how to play anything else. However, a friend from the ship was in town and my roommate and I decided to meet up with him and say hi. He had just won $1500 on a slot machine and proceeded to give us each $100 to play with. Sweet sauce. We learned how to play blackjack and I made a $70 profit at O'Shea and then wandered down to Harrah's. We had a hilarious dealer who definitely contributed to me winning $120. In conclusion, I like blackjack and more importantly...I love Las Vegas!