At some point in my life I’ve read The Hobbit, The Lord of The Rings (6 books, sold as three books), the Simarillion, and 5 volumes of additional works culled from Tolkien’s notes and sketches by his oldest son, Christopher. (Btw, Christopher is not on the Movie bandwagon and will probably avoid the premier.) So to say I’m anxiously awaiting the debut of this movie is a slight understatement.

If you’re looking for a great read that will put you in the realm of Middle-Earth before seeing the movie I recommend checking out the Simarillion. It is like Edith Hamilton’s ‘Mythology’ for the backstory of Tolkien’s writings. Attempting to digest LOTR, FOTR in the time remaining before the movie debuts might be too much.

Indigo’s career move

Alright, I’ve been working since Sept 10th trying to sell advertising to a market that isn’t quite ready to believe there is a light at the end of this economic slowdown of a tunnel. Needless to say, I’ve made very few sales. Now, I think we’ve got a great product, a good team behind us, and that there is value in advertising with us. So eventually it will turn around.

In the meantime, I’m switching gears to selling web sites. The same company that produces the magazine has a web site hosting and design firm called ATWHost.com. Their prices are very reasonable and they don’t try and nickel and dime you to death for every feature you want. Most are built into the original package.

So, if you’re looking for a new place to host your web site, or design (or redesign) your web site, give me a call.

I may have told you about one of my latest fun side projects.... or I may have forgotten to mention it. In any event. My first two projects are completed and I hope you will check them out.

Well, we're off to Portland for a holiday feast or two. Really looking forward to this for sometime. We've packed all our winter clothes at it looks to be Stormy, so Stacey's mom will get a good introduction to the pacific northwest. I'll report back with how she likes the slow pace of coastal living.

Have a happy turkey day everyone.

***This is a nice story***

There was a little boy with a bad temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, to hammer a nail in the back fence.

The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Then it gradually dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence.

Finally the day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper.

The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone. The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He said, "You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. It won't matter how many times you say I'm sorry, the wound is still there. A verbal wound is just as bad as a physical one. Friends are a very rare jewel, indeed. They make you smile and encourage you to succeed. They lend an ear, they share a word of praise, and they always want to open their hearts to us.

Show your friends how much you care.

The Power of Ten

I didn't realize it has been so long since I last posted. Mea Cupla. Don't have much to say today... just that I noticed some disturbing use of technology by TNT cable station. Remember last year when NBC got in trouble for posting their logo onto of other corporate logos in Times Square during live news broadcasts. The companies that had paid to have their billboards erected in Times Square precisely because it is broadcast world wide a couple times a year, were irate. Rightly so, IMHO. I have seen some good uses of that technology, particularly during auto races when the names and photos of drivers are pasted digitally onto the surface of the track or pit areas. Well, now TNT (owned by NBC, I believe) is using that Technology to digitally insert their logo into trailers for movies. This is not unusual in itself, except that they are planting their logo on the surface of some prop or scenic device so that it looks like it was there during the original version of the movie. Two examples of this include the ad for Rush Hour where the TNT logo was inserted on the long red banner that Jackie Chan slides down and during the ad for the Matrix where Neo is dodging bullets on the roof, they digitally inserted the logo underneath his feet. The first ad I noticed it in was the Rush Hour ad and I thought I had mis-seen something. Thinking, 'wow it's amazing how close that design on the red banner is to the TNT logo'. But then it was much more noticeable in the Matrix ad. I guess this is much like seeing the Fnords. Once you're initiated the rest start popping out everywhere. But it is further evidence how careful we as consumers of visual stimulus have to be when dealing with 'the real world' as mediated through any technology.

Does anyone else have other examples of this?

This is either a hoax on the scale of War of the Worlds, or it's very frightening how well thought out these 'messages' are. What do you think?

In the catagory of things I don't need for Christmas, but would have to wonder about if I got one.

In the interest of hearing all sides I've been listening to Ollie North and Rush Limbaugh off and on since the 11th. It is not difficult to pick out their alarmist right wing slant on news stories and the opinions of 'dittohead' followers that reflect minority opinions. However, I have found them to be good sources of non-alarmist information regarding the true facts of what we are facing here. So, ad to that list Andrew Sullivan. He has a personal website with a great list of interesting stories that, once you've factored in his conservative bent, are very enlightening.

I'm soooo happy the weekend is here. Worked long and hard at AllThatWork.com and made no $$$, worked for a bit on LaughingPlace.com and scored a 5 month committment that is at least a few hundred coming in steadily. Now, I just need 9 more of those a month. Oy! At least some companies out there aren't afraid to advertise.

Now, I'm ready to relax, do a little writing, perhaps some pumpkin carving, and try and earn some more dough.

As I surf around I'm still finding stories of peoples experiences on 911. Here's a moving one from the editor of TheModernWorld.com.

An interesting article by Umberto Eco in The Guardian. It goes to how we 'the forces allied against terrorism' know we're in the right. What gives us the right to persue these actions. What sort of preconceptions are we bringing with us in this action.

Some are saying this is a fight against Islam Fundamentalists and the ideals of the west. Eco posits that it is really part of a long string of battles between Pluralism and those who are intolarant of other ideas. WWII was fought along these same lines. Only this time the forces of the fundamentalist followers of extreme islam, have acted prematurely. Hitler waited until he had a force that could quite possibly bring down the allies, the Taliban and bin Laden have acted before they even had the infrastructure in place to build a force.

Instead, they will have to rely on terrorist activities. In the end, this will turn the masses who follow less extreme flavors of Islam against them. As has happened in Ireland and is happening in Palestine. There will never be an army of a billion muslims fighting the west. Only a few criminals who had dreams of world domination.

Some of you may recall that last halloween I carved a giant pumpkin for the first time. It was great fun and I look forward to carving more pumpkins in the future (the pumpkins might not be so happy). I've found a website with the most astounding carved giant pumpkin I've seen. You have to see this thing. Also, I was surprised to find a Giant Pumpkin Carving webring. But given the nature of the Internet, I guess I shouldn't have been surprised at all.

Hey Howdy.

Ever listen to Rush Limbaugh? I never did. But in Las Vegas, the city with no 24hr news radio, sometimes you're forced to listen to him to gleam a bit of news. This has been especially true for me in the last few days since 9-11. Alas, that too may be coming to an end. Rush appears to have lost his hearing. This is sad, I don't wish this sort of thing on anybody. I wonder if he'll be able to continue on without the use of his hearing. Longtime listeners have written and said they've noticed his voice has changed, which he says is probably due to the fact that he can't hear himself anymore. He certainly won't be able to have heated discussions or in-studio guests. Seems like his options are limited.

Not that I'd put him in the same catagory, but Rush now shares the fate of one of my favorite people in American History-- Thomas Alva Edison.

Good friend Chuck is spending a few relaxing days with us right now. As it happens Good friend Terri is also in town, so what better cause than to go get some good food at Hush Puppy. It's near Rainbow on Charlston and has been there for 34 years. It's operating hours are 5pm to 10pm, and there are lines out the door that whole time, which tells you they must have something good going.

Had a great time story swapping and eating catfish and hushpuppies. I'd recommend it to anyone.

Also of note, I picked up a 25 pound block of WED clay and am now looking forward to sculpting it. My 3D skills are better than my 2D skills, so I'll try and document my process and keep you updated.

At work we have Wednesday sales meetings at 4:30. Usually they're in the office, but from time to time they like to go out to a bar and have a few drinks while discussing events of the week. This is great fun, but there is so much smoke in the air by the time I leave an hour later my throat is sore and I'm feeling wheezy. So, do I ask them to move these meetings to non-smoking areas? In Las Vegas, that generally means to a non-bar location. It also means that my boss won't be able to smoke during the meeting.

major grrr! Even with the accessibility of the internet, cableTV has become my window to the world following the horrible events of September 11th. And, as of right now, the cable is down. So I did the sensible thing, I called COX communications to find out what the deal-e-o was. Alas, they are even less informed and capable to do anything than the phone company is. Although they knew the system was down, and techs had been dispatched, they couldn't give me an ETA or even a phone call when my service came back up. They couldn't even verify for me that techs were actually on scene and not just planning to show up at some later point. These monopoly's should have mandated levels of customer service or be forced to refund a portion of their bills.

Last night we had a couple of visitors over. One brought an Ostrich egg she had done a relief carving of a sunflower on. She says the going market rate for a good egg is $500. I can see why, it was beautiful. She's getting her training at Two Cows studio, right here in Vegas.

Hey... the cable is back on!

Am back from CA with two days of work under my belt. Nothing to show for it, however. Stacey has been busy studying and decorating the house for Halloween. While we were gone one neighbor had decorated their home, so the pressure is on up and down the cul-de-sac to get into the spirit. Christmas decoration is going to get brutal. :-)

One of the e-lists I'm on has a wonderful collection of personalities, historians, political observers, etc.. Today someone posted a link to a story on their website. It has a unique view of the 'recovery' effort in NYC.

Another day another blogger...

The Fiance and I are taking off for a friends wedding in LA. So we'll be on the road in a few minutes. Even with all the great airfare discounts it is still cheaper to drive than to fly and rent a car. Not that I'm afraid of flying. If I had the dough, I'd be in the air to WDW or NYC right now. We still have our Tix to PDX in November and we plan to go.

The lack of tourists and, more so here, business travelers has hurt the travel and tourism industry. I don't know if Vegas will ever completely recover. This really sucks for me as I was days away from an interview at a strip property, and now they're not hiring at all.

Star Trek Enterprise
New show, with old plots, sounds good
First show a good start.

Saw the two hour pilot for ST:E last night. It's going to take some time to get used to the new faces and their personal story lines. I can barely remember the captain's name... Archer, I think. But, the plot was good. I'm just a little worried that it had too many in jokes for trekkers to see and not enough explanation for the new viewers (like all of today's youth). I was also impressed with the special effects. I'd like to see a few episodes shot in HD Widescreen (like ER has been doing). s

But mostly, I'm happy the show won't conflict with The West Wing. =)

Everyone has been saying how the Taliban has installed such a different world view in their people that there is no chance of reaching peace between us. In this interview a spokesman claims that in American supported countries "If someone follows the path of Islam, the government arrests him, tortures him or kills him." Well, this is true if the brand of Islam they follow calls for the murder of Americans and other innocents. This is true if it strips people of their basic human rights. But it is obviously not true if you follow the true peaceful path of Islam as there are millions of followers of Islam here in the USA. None of whom are tortured. None of whom are killed, unless convicted by a court of law.

Btw, I forgot to mention that I made my first sale for "Around Your Home" magazine yesterday. If you're inclined to give Premere Images Jewelry any business please tell them you saw their ad in "Around Your Home" magazine.

'Twas an uninteresting day. Called about 100 locations and only got one interview. Very few nibbles in todays market, let alone any one wanting to place ads in our magazine. Working totally on commission sucks. Hopefully it will start paying dividends soon.

Stacey made some more cupcakes. She's been a baking mood and I've gained 5 pounds over the last couple months. But I'm trying to eat better these days, not eat anything within a few hours of going to bed, and walking at least a couple hours a week. Eventually I'll start bike riding again. Who knows, next time you see me I could be skinny as I was in HS again, which is to say slightly plump. =)

I've been trying to write more these days as well. I am, however, not happy with what I'm producing. It's missing something: description, motivation, what have you... but maybe I'm one of those people who can't read his own work without being too critical of it. If you'd like to read what I'm writing email me and I'll send you some of my recent stuff.

It's Sunday and the official period of mourning is over. Flags should be flying at full staff again and maybe people can get back to living their lives as close to normal as this new world paradigm will allow. On the Val-L reading list I read a post about how this war is very much like a short cut to the unified economic market place that groups like the WTO and G8 have been building toward. Let us hope that along the way the humans that occupy these natural resource rich areas aren't forgotten.

If we follow our forces with a new Marshall plan to rebuild these destroyed parts of the world (many destroyed since long before WWI) then there might be hope.

In my personal life, I am affected in that trying to sell ads in a recession is very difficult... and the position I was hoping to get to provide some cash flow is no longer and that company has now laid off hundreds of people. So people! hurry up and come back to Vegas.

The New York Times is working hard to become the paper of record again (having lost its title to the various news sources on the internet a while ago). This story on Bush's feeling that God has called him to his cause is a good one and will no doubt be quoted time and again in future books about this period in time.

It's a little scary at how Bush might be running on what he feels is his date with destiny, but at the same time it is reassuring that there is someone in charge who is willing to do what it takes to 'bring freedom to the world.' Yes, I've been slowly falling into the Pax Americana camp. I thought we could do it through more peaceful means, but the actions of a few Terrorists have forced us to move quicker to establish encampments of everlasting freedom in every nation across the planet. Either you are for freedom, or your for fear, said Bush. When it comes right down to it, this is truth. Love each other like brothers, or be prepared to be slain like enemies. I'm still developing my thoughts on this issue, but I think we must face this thread now, or face it later.

Nothing brings it home like Liza Minneli singing NewYork-NewYork with a kick line of New York's finest behind her. Nobody does it weirder.

Over the course of the week I've read about 50 weblogs from people in
NYC. This, by far, is the most powerful.

http://partygirl.diaryland.com/index.html

You will have to hit previous a number of times until you get to 9-11
and then read forward in time.

The first story I've read from a firefighter's perspective.

This article draws an interesting parralel between the War of 1812 and our present situation.

I've also heard people discuss the ties between fighting Terrorism and the fight against Pirates that Jefferson led during the early days of our country's history.

Any thoughts from people more familiar with these situations than I?

Why did people jump?

I am not a religous man anymore. Whatever happened on Tuesday was outside the realm of the spiritual or the work of any god. Still, I was raised Catholic and have some familiarity with its words and music. This hymn has always given my comfort in times of tremendous sorrow. I hope it helps you as well.

On Eagle's Wings

You who dwell in the shelter of the Lord,
Who abide in his shadow for life.
Say to the Lord: "My refuge;
My rock, in whom I trust.

And He will raise you up, on eagle's wings;
Bear you on the breath of dawn;
Make you to shine in the sun,
And hold you in the palm of His hand.

You need not fear the terror of the night,
Nor the arrow that flies by day.
Under His wings your refuge;
His faithfulness your shield.

And He will raise you up, on eagle's wings;
Bear you on the breath of dawn;
Make you to shine in the sun,
And hold you in the palm of His hand.

For to His angels He's given a command;
To guard you in all of your ways.
Upon their hands they will bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.

And He will raise you up, on eagle's wings;
Bear you on the breath of dawn;
Make you to shine in the sun,
And hold you in the palm of His hand.

And He will raise you up, on eagle's wings;
Bear you on the breath of dawn;
Make you to shine in the sun,
And hold you. . .
And hold you. . .
And hold you. . .
Hold you in the palm of His hand

My heart goes out to all the victims and rescuers who were killed or injured by this attack.

Ooof. So what does this mean? Are we at war? Who is the enemy? Can we overcome the terror and fear they meant to install and find a measured response to this? Or will this escalate?

All questions waiting to be answered.

Okay. The 4th was my birthday and I made off with some good loot. Mostly dough, which is really appreciated at this time. But also the Disney Monopoly game. It's very cute, I like almost everything but the layout confuses me. None of the properties really go together like the original Monopoly game. btw, I didn't win the first game.

In other news, I landed a job today. It's a commission base position selling advertising for a new, but really good magazine. Check out their website at allthatwork.com.

Don't do this

I know I'm about to commit a sin; never release your ideas for an internet website before you've at least registered the domain name. But here I go. I'm thinking about creating a 'Vegas for Families' web site. It would be updated daily with news stories, reviews, and travel tips for families. I'd like it to have a family rated discussion board feature and a chance for guests to contribute their reviews and ratings for various family activites here in Vegas.

What do you think? Email me!

bowling for tourists

Went bowling with the Pretners tonight. Had a good time, but I hate all that smoke. I can't seem to get my game over the hump of 130 points. It might be because I'm a straight bowler, I've never learned the old spin trick that everyone else uses.

I think Vegas is a city in conflict with itself. There are the hick/country types who openly scoff at all us more cosmopolitan folks. We, on the otherhand, can't wait for them to turn their backs so we can rag on their style and backwards attitudes. Usually these two elements don't interact, but bowling alleys seem to be a common ground. Certainly not Starbucks.

So long and thanks for all the fish...

As you might recall Douglas Adams who penned the Hitchikers Guide to the Universe and the Dirk Gently series (my favorite detective) passed on to the other world recently. However, his handwriting has been saved for all posterity in a font on this page.

A couple of interesting links. First ZZZ online appears to have some interesting stories. Notably, this story on Powerskips. Yes, the same fun bouncy things used in the Eureka parade at DCA. Now, I know what I want for Christmas.

Roommates...

Stacey's cousin, his wife, and their baby are staying with us for just over a month. They've bought a new house, and are renting out their old one. There is a month or so of overlap between occupancy and when the renter needed to move in. So we've got house guests.

It never works out perfectly. They're always just a little too messy, too loud, or have too much stuff, than you'd like. And with family, it's tougher. So we're making the best of it, but as i said, "It's never perfect."

Don't have much to say today... except to say congrats to LaughingPlace.com on its two year anniversary yesterday (okay, so I'm a day late and more than a dollar short). It's been a fun two years and I hope to be around 18 years from now when we're celebrating being Almost Legal like MTV was yesterday. Kinda of a weird birthday to share, don't you think?

Come buy a t-shirt

Do you have yours yet? no... Well, the LaughingPlace.com T-shirt is a must have. Five, count'em five, lovely colors embroidered on a perfectly swell Ash Grey T. Help support the best independant Disney web site and yours truly.

Stacey's friend Trina had a brial shower (read bachelorette party) this weekend. While Stacey played I watched Barrage, for whom I used to have a fan website, perform at Disneyland. When Go.com closed up shop, they also stopped supporting the free websites that Barrage(d) was hosted on. So I'm looking for a host site, but not seriously as I don't have the time to update the HTML code. Not until I get a steady job here...

Anyway, it was great to see them and I hope to see them when they come to Vegas... no word on dates yet. But it should be for an extended stay.

Oh well, back to faxing resumes... email me

Another day in Paradise

Last night at sunset a small thunder cell rolled over the hills behind us. The light, rain, and wind combined to generate one of the truly amazing natural effects I've ever seen. The sky looked to be on fire; rolling waves of rain illuminated in deep reds and purples cascaded down until they shrouded the hills in a burning mist. It was over in a few instants. By the time I thought to run and get my camera, the moment had past and a thin, but long, rainbow had appeared. Was that a sign of hope?

I need some hope right now. The job search feels like it is going no where and August is our drop dead month. Don't know what we'll do when the money runs out.

Oy... where have I been. Well, I've been busy looking for work. Have had quitea few nibbles, but nothing serious that pays anything near what I need to make. There is a serious gap between LA rates and and Vegas pay. Something closer to 50%... I was expecting 70% or so. So that's a big shock. I continue to look

I've also been working hard on LaughingPlace.com. Selling T-shirts and selling ads. Have a few great starts, but no closes yet. I'll keep you updated.

Well. I didn't win the $141 million lotto. So I'm back. =) I had won two $5 prizes with my usual numbers, so there was hope... oh well. back to the job search. Said search is going slowly despite the 4% unemployment level here. So many of the jobs are $8/hr or less than half what I was earning for a similar job. However, I have had a couple of interviews and liked those companies... so who knows.

Meanwhile, I' ve been working hard on selling ads for LaughingPlace.com. I've had some nibbles, but no bites yet. We're also getting ready to sell some LP Gear... So that should bring in some money soon.

Whew. Looks like Disney is getting its ass kicked at the box office. It's a shame really. Both are very entertaining movies that deserve a second, let alone first, viewing by audiences.

Of course, there are other movies coming down the pike this summer that are sure to be big hits. Steven Speilberg's filming of Stanley Kubriak's last project is one. As a matter of fact, "A.I." has already begun to be felt on the internet. Follow this search on google and see what I mean.

Here's a link to a very nice Douglas Adams tribute. Douglas Adams has heavily influenced my sense of humor and through his writings has inspired me to write some of my own material.

Btw, this weekend Stacey and I will be at Disneyland for a friends birthday and a special event.

Went down to LA for the weekend. Saw Disney's Atlantis... was very good. Only had a few week script moments. But loved the animation and the characters. It really is something the whole family can enjoy.

D-Day

Today is the anniversary of D-Day. Seeing as how I just watched 'Saving Private Ryan' I thought I'd watch 'The Longest Day' -- The other seminal D-Day flick. While the pure horror of war as brought to you through SPR was much more graphic, TLD had is fair share of horrifying moments as well. TLD definately was more of a patriotic rally the troops kind of fare. Made me want to bleed Red White and Blue. In the end, SPR was a story about how important it is to live your life the best you can everyday of your life.

I'd hate to see any warfare on the epic scale that was brought to us in WWI and WWII. But on the otherhand evil on the scale of Hitler and Japanese agresssion has to be stopped. For America to sit idly by for as long as it did probably resulted in millions of extra deaths. But you can't armchair quarter back these sorts of things. The best you can do is just learn your lessons and move on. Then hopefully you will be better at preventing these sorts of outbreaks of oppression and what-not in the future.

Which brings me to a tragedy that is ongoing in the world right now. The Taliban in Afganistan. As of late, they've taken to making anyone who isn't a strict follower of islam wear an identifying tag or color of clothes. Sound familiar? I don't think enough attention has been paid to this corner of the world... I really fear that before I die the conflict will grow to such horrendous proportions that D-Day and Pearl Harbor will be made to look like simple foreshadowing.

I hope I'm wrong.

Shrek!

I seem to have turned into a Movie review site... Hmmm. Stacey and I went to see Shrek a second time. See if there were more in jokes and parodies we might have missed. There were... in fact, there were so many, one really needs to get the DVD (which I hope is packed with kewl features) and pause the frame at the interesting spots.

Another thing we've noticed here in Lost Wages, the audiences are less sophisticated when it comes to movie humor than your typical Los Angeles audience. Many times Stacey and I are laughing at completely different places than the locals out here. I wonder if that will change once a few movie studios open up out here (they're in the works) and the industry moves a little east.

Pearl Harbor

Go see it. At least once. It's a good film despite what the critics say. It is not, however, a classic for the ages. Which is too bad, because the directors work so hard to make it so. What it is is a good love triangle story, albeit a bit predictable, and some incredible special effects. Together they combine to really drive home the horror of what happened at Pearl Harbor.

Not much news on this front. Been working hard on things for LaughingPlace.com. Got another contact for selling ads, been sending out surveys like crazy. But am still less than 10% done on that.

the other major event is doing inventory on all our collectibles. What I need now is a copy of filemaker pro for the PC. I have to make a database to track our inventory and print it out for insurance purposes.

I'm back!!!!

Went to Sam's Town Hotel and Casino last night. The also have some bowling lanes there. Stacey and I gave them a try. But I don't think we'll be going back anytime soon. The approach is way to hard, Both of us had problems sliding even an inch after planting our foot. Not good on the old legs... I think we'll try Texas Station next.

I've also been working on some stuff for LaughingPlace.com. Ordered T-shirts to sell. There has been a demand for LP merchandise, so it's about time we answered it. Now I have to hope the demand is large enough to make this effort worthwhile.

Stacey and I also had the pleasure of entertaining Ammy and Rick this last saturday. We met them at Mon Ami Gabi at the Paris Hotel and Casino. Good food and nice atmosphere, but I didn't enjoy the service at all. After that we traversed the newest hotels on the strip and wore out the soles of our shoes. But it was nice seeing them again.

Am amazed at how much work goes into getting a house in order. We need to do so much, but only have so many minutes in a day. It's frustrating at times. Gotta call the landscape people, the flooring people, the display people, the bank people. Etc... Homes really need to come with a full-time assistant as part of the mortgage cost. An end to unemployment.

Well.

Finally.

The phone line is in. Now to order DSL. Oh, and get serious about my job hunt. Start bringing some dough in instead of merely continuing the outflow. We should be returning to regularly scheduled iURL updates soon. So email me and let me know what you want to see.

Ack!... still no phone line to our house. So updates will be sporadic until then... but expect a full update soon there after.

Everything is great, however.

It's been a while since my last confession... and I must confess it may be a while more. The big move is in full swing and we really don't have much time to slow down and take care of the little stuff. I promise to write more once we're settled.

The carpenter always hammers twice

Oy. They've finally fixed my lateral file so I can rescue those last few personal files from the cabinet. Which means by the end of today all traces of John Frost should be gone from this cubby. (Well, maybe I'll leave a hidden mickey or two.)

Tomorrow is the last hurrah before a lightning drive through the cajon pass hopefully while the sun still shines. I can look out my window and see snow still falling on the pass right now. Should be interesting.

The Last Friday

It's the last Friday. The last weekend primer that I spend downtown walking around exploring nooks and crannies. Side stepping panhandlers and avoiding the eyes of those who look to hustle me for money.

It's also the last friday I eat at my favorite downtown lunch restaurant, California Pizza Kitchen, and am served by my favorite waitress -- Billie F. Gave her 100% tip today, no explanation why. Maybe she'll figure it out eventually. What's nice is that she took the trouble to learn the names of her best customers. I always left her a little more because of that.

So now, I'm packing up my desk in advance of my final three days. What do I leave behind, what do I throw away, what do I take. Hopefully I leave behind a deparmtment that is better off for my being her. More organized, better trained, better equipped.

Life changes like this are never easy.

Changing jobs and moving at the same time is a bit overwhelming. It's nice that I already have a couple of irons in the fire, but it is still very stressful. For those of you keeping track, we do our walk-through a week from today, then sign mortgage papers that afternoon. After that we can get our keys on the 8th.

I've also been working on selling Ad space on LaughingPlace.com. We're now listed in the major media selling directories. Next step is developing a media kit (online and dead tree versions).

Pop goes the weasel

Why do they call it 'popping the question'? I suppose because it is supposed to come as a surprise to the intended. In my line of thinking one's future wife should never not expect you to ask her hand in marriage.

Stacey has known from before we started dating that I wanted to marry her (but that's a story for another time). In fact, she did all of the leg work on the rings, as she wanted them to fit her exacting specifications. So the challenge for me was to make the time and place of the actual event a surprise for her.

We had talked about doing it at Disneyana on Main Street at Disneyland. We met there while standing in line for a merchandise event. I even conspired with a few Cast Members there about how I might go about doing it. But as it turns out that was just a ruse.

I think most people expected us to get engaged on Valentine's Day. I expected us to as well. I had tried to arrange a nice dinner and movie sort of thing, and then I'd ask her before dessert. But that failed as we didn't get to dessert until 11:30pm that night. (I'm sorry if you lost your bet, James).

I had even bought a disposable camera and planned to ask the waiter to snap a few shots of the moment. Stacey found the camera and I think she expected the question that night, so that kept me from asking her too.

The date I really wanted to propose was Feb 17th. I wanted to do it at Disneyland, but as it turns out we were scheduled to be in Las Vegas that day to meet my Dad and stepmom, Rosemary.

So, I thought, I'll do it at the house. We made a special detour to the property under the thin guise that we might meet more neighbors. And we did. However, we also discovered that our house was locked. We'd visited the day before and found it open, but not on the 17th. Oh well. I quickly thought up a backup plan.

One of the things Dad and Rosemary wanted to do was walk the strip and check out the pirates show at Treasure Island, the volcano at Mirage, and the new casinos like Paris and Bellagio. I knew Stacey loves the Bellagio water show, so things were starting to fall into place.

Eventually we ended up at the Bellagio water show at 4pm. The music was 'One' from 'A Chorus Line' which played into my hands. I started formulating a speech in my head and warming up the flash in that disposable camera I'd been carrying around since Valentine's Day.

After the water show, I handed my Dad the camera and asked him to take a picture of Stacey and I. After the first picture I got down on one knee and it quickly became apparent what was going on. He snapped away as I worked through my simple speech.

"Stacey, I wanted to do this at Disneyland, however, we're going to build a new life here in Las Vegas, so this seems appropriate ... You are my one. Will you be my one? Will you marry me?"

Thankfully, she said, "I will."

Afterwards, a small group of tourists that had gathered applauded. But there was no confetti.

I am glad my Dad got to see the moment. He really was tickled pink (as he promised he would be). I wish Stacey's Dad could have been there, I know he's watching us from above.

Thank you to everyone for the well wishes and congratulations. Stacey and I look forward to seeing you all.

-Indigo (John)

An AP Glut or Parking Famine

You may have heard that Disneyland stopped selling Annual Passes. They claim to have sold to capacity and selling anymore would endanger the experiences of the non-AP guest. They say 'if all the APs showed up on the same day, where would the ticketed guests go?' Gee, it's nice that they care about us APs. Even worse, this announcement was made on the same day AP previews were being offered for the new California Adventure theme park. While inviting us in to sample the merchandise, they were at the same time not allowing us to buy it long term. Or something like that.

And now... the new themepark and Disneyland are both experiencing incredible drops in attendence... coincidence?

So far 35,000 APs that allow entrance into DCA have been sold. The number of total APs for Disneyland alone is close to 400,000. Which leads me to this speculation... they must be worried about more than just how many APs will show up at the gate on a single day. Otherwise, they wouldn't have sold APs that total 5 times the capacity (70K is conservative) of Disneyland. What if all 400,000 showed up on a single day, what would they do then. That logic doesn't make sense. By that logic they would be able to sell 150,000 DCA APs. Before being worried about having to close the gates.

What does make sense is the parking situation. In fact, the opening of the Anahiem Stadium... er ... Edison Field parking lot on busy weekends, lends credence to the lack of parking theory. I have yet to hear any concrete numbers on the soonest they could fix this major blunder... but until then I imagine the numbers for both parks will remain low. Just the usual 70,000 day summer and holiday crowds, but split between the two parks.

I really think the number crunchers were planning on a lot more hotels being built. Instead, just a few new hotel rooms have been added... figure about 3500 rooms, less than the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. That means an extra 7000 to 15000 people in the Anaheim Resort area. Not all visiting DL or DCA on every day. Not enough to populate DCA.

Instead the DLR will continue to survive, thrive, or die on the local visitor. At least until more hotels are built and the resort is 'firmly' established as a multi-day destination. So Disney execs... why not treat these local visitors better, after all, we're your profit margin.

Happy VD

Ikea can kill your relationship.

The future is now...

I am about to do what I once said I never would stand for... sell ad space on the net. Way back in 1991 when I first joined the FutureCulture elist the internet existed without the cyberspace we now call the web. It was pretty much free of the .com domains withonly a few research oriented groups owning those domains. Then in 1994, one year after the debut of the WWW, everything changed... WIRED magazine online added banner advertising to their website.

There was much moanin' and groanin' at the time about the commercialization of the net. I did it myself. People saw themselves being squeezed out of the private playspace that had been theirs alone. But, much like Hong Kong Disneyland, when more space was needed, it was just dredged up with new technologies and added on. No one was squeezed out we just made room for more.

Even better... all those college nerds who spent hours mudding, coding scripts, writing software, etc... are now raking in the big bucks at the fore front of the 'new economy'. I don't hear nearly as much complaining now.

So it is that spirit that I have taken on the mantle of 'Sales and Marketing Manager' for LaughingPlace.com. I hope that I can make some money doing what I love, and in the same breath help thousands of Disney fans, like myself, partake in their obsession. Money will help LaughingPlace.com grow and provide new resources to bolster the Yahoo! and USAtoday acclaimed best 'Disney' site on the net.

No where else can you find a more complete Disney website directory--it's searchable, rated, and free to list. No where else can you find family friendly, PG-13, and active community discussion boards to talk about your favorite Disney topic. Only LaughingPlace.com provides daily news updates that cover the whole spectrum of Disney news and information. LaughingPlace.com also provides detailed travel guides for your themepark vacation needs.

And there's more.... LaughingPlace.com has games, trivia, respected columnists, themepark updates, balanced news coverage, event coverage, merchandise updates, and more stuff added all the time. Put it all together and you have the Number One Site for Disney News and Information on the web.

Now... can you think of a better place to buy ad space?

ssshhh---noooooo!

Drove through heavy heavy snow in the Cajon Pass last night. If we had waited perhaps 30 minutes longer to leave Jean, Nevada we would quite possibably still be in Victorville right now. Now Los Angeles County is under 'storm watch' and streets are flooding, lunch crowds will be down, and outside my window is one generally gray mess. It's difficult to see the building across the street through the low clouds.

The house in Henderson, NV is coming along quite well. As soon as we can get this mortgage approved they can start putting in the flooring and then working out the final touches. Looks like March 10th or so for a move in date. This last weekend we found a couch we love and put a deposit down on it, we found a fridge that is almost perfect and for 25% off (Wards is going out of business in case you didn't know) was more than 'good enough' and bought it, and we looked at area rugs and such for those dining areas. Now we just need a kitchen table set to give us someplace to eat until we can afford to furnish the rest of the house.

Speaking of Jobs. I'm looking for one in the Vegas area. I have a commission based opportunity to sell Ad space on LaughingPlace.com, and I'm excited about the potential there, but having some steady income to back it up would be nice as well. In any event, if you know anything about Ad sales, talk to me.

Now I've done it!

Last Friday I gave notice at work. So now I can announce that Stacey and I are moving to Henderson Nevada, about 12 miles from the strip. Soon, I hope to have some pictures up of the house and the assorted things we've been doing. Just gotta find some time somehow.

Right now life is really busy. California Adventure is about to open, LaughingPlace.com is really taking off, the move, looking for a new job, plus all the little life maintenance things... it's all taking up a lot of time.

Speaking of time, I just finished a good book by Gregory Benford entitled Timescape. Benford's writing is often very detailed, but never in an overbearing scientific manner. It explores some intriguing quirks of quantum physics... and it was written in 1972. More food for thought.

Well, it's Groundhog day.

It is curious how the meaning of Groundhog day has taken on new facets in the last few years. Where the focus used to be on a particular rodent's ability to predict the weather, people are now speaking of this event with odd references to deja vu. I heard it on NPR this morning, and have heard it over and over again since 1994. I think it is one of those rare instances where a movie has an affect on culture.

The movie in question is the 1994 release, Groundhog Day starring Bill Murray. In it, Murray plays a weatherman who has the unique opportunity to relive one day, Groundhog Day, over and over again until he gets it right, turns his life around, and gets the leading lady.

It's hopeful message, that we all can succeed at getting things right, has struck home with the American public, and slowly the term 'Groundhog Day' has come to mean 'having chance to do it all over again' and is often used in place of 'Deja Vu' in regular conversation.

So on this Groundhog Day here's to hoping we all get things right the first time, but if we don't, be comforted in the fact that you can always have a second chance.

Well, it's Groundhog day.

It is curious how the meaning of Groundhog day has taken on new nuances in the last few years. Where the focus used to be on a particular rodent's ability to predict the future, people are now speaking of this event with odd references to deja vu. I heard it on NPR this morning, and have heard it over and over again since 1994. I think it is one of those rare instances where a movie has an affect on culture.

The movie in question is the 1994 release, Groundhog Day starring Bill Murray. In it, Bill plays a weatherman who has the unique opportunity to relive one day, Groundhog Day, over and over again until he gets it right, turns his life around, and gets the leading lady.

It's hopeful message, that we all can succeed at getting things right, has struck home with the American public, and slowly the term 'Groundhog Day' has come to mean 'having chance to do it all over again' and is often used in place of 'Deja Vu' in regular conversation.

So on this Groundhog Day here's to getting things right the first time, but if you don't, be comforted in the fact that you can always have a second chance.

Zoology 101

Working in Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) has given me a little insight as to what it must be like to live as an animal in a zoo. Each day a couple tourist busses drive by or even stop and let out the gawkers camera's in hand. Ostensibly they're here to look at the skyscrapers and art spaces that make DTLA so remarkable. However, inevitably they can't resist a quick look at the more interesting members of the menagerie. That being the hapless office worker.

Just walking across the street I can feel their gaze on my back. I imagine the tour guide describing the scene, "There goes one of the most populous cubicle herd. Notice the way he holds the coffee cup firmly around the middle. The heat providing some of the only stimulation he'll receive today. See how he repeatedly presses the walk-signal button as if to hurry up the walk sign even though it only means he'll be returned that much sooner to the cage his cubicle provides. If you look real close you can see the furrow in his brow as he considers the solution to whatever problem is awaiting him back at his desk."

YKISW -- part II

...when you're out registering at Crate and Barrel. It was nice to find out that we have very similar tastes in design. We like it simple or disney. If it's both, that's a big plus. :-)

Bye Bye Birdie

As you may have heard go.com (Disney's web portal) has been directed to close up shop. The profitable stuff, such as ESPN.com and Disney.com will continue on, but the unprofitable, such as the old Infoseek group, will be laid off and sold for scrap where possible. This leaves me wondering what to do with my two pages that are hosted on the homepages section of Go.com. If they do close the homepages section I will need somewhere I can get a free 50 or so megs of space and a reasonalby priced domain name, I'd like to move my Barraged site there. The Laker's Victory Parade page can be moved to yahoo.geocities without much of a problem. But if I'm going to move Barraged, I only want to do it once and with a domain name so it's always easy to find.

You know it's serious when

You know it's serious when you're looking down at two good sized rocks and your girlfriend is trying on ring molds to see how they look. But I survived with only a minimum of perspiration. The ring should be ready soon. Better put my plan into action.

Embarrassment time!

It's that time again. Time for another round of Birthday well wishes, remembrances, e-cards, and silly jokes. Are you ready? It seems like just yesterday that he was running around in his diapers with our dog Sugarbear nipping at his butt. Ahhh, I remember it well. Or maybe that time when he broke his wrist playing soccer. How about that day at Grant Park when he rolled his skateboard in front of my bike and I flipped over the handle bars onto the cinder track ... ouch! We both wish we still had some of those star wars toys we blew up too.

All that was at least 15 years ago. Are you feeling old yet? I'm sure my brother is. Today is his Birthday. He's 27 and just going back to school for his Masters in Philosophy. What do you do with that, I hear you cry. I don't know either.

In other news Cnet news has implemented a new advertising plan. Instead of the banner advertisements you see across the top and bottom of the screen on many pages, Cnet has moved the ad to take up rougly 1/5 of the page in the browser (much like a picture or graphic for a story). This is supposed to induce more people to 'click through' and make advertising online more attractive. I suspect that I'll be able to ignore these ads just as well as I have been banner ads. For whether online or offline I only look at ads that pertain to my life at that moment. Even if the ads are targeted at me as a reader (for instance, if I'm on Cnet in the Mac area, I probably want to see ads for Mac products, not mouthwash or ISP services), I still won't click through unless I am actually shopping for Mac products at the time, and an ad for a product I need shows up. On the otherhand, if there is a sponsorship in addition to the ad, and I enjoy the website and want to support its owners, then it's is very likely I'll return to that site and click through to the sponser's site so the original site gets credit for the referral. I do this on LaughingPlace.com all the time. In fact, I wouldn't mind it if the website came right out and said "please support our sponsors. it's the best way for us to make a living and support this website."

Happy New Year

Well, Happy Chinese New Year anyway. If the weather outside wasn't so gloomy, I'd consider a quick bus ride to chinatown for lunch today. But instead, So Cal has been hit by another 'stormwatch' and by another rash of people who can't drive in the rain. So today's commute took an extra 45 minutes this morning. Twice the normal time makes for an extra grumpy Indigo.

I've been meaing to write about California Adventure but I just haven't had the time. So you'll have to wait. Sorry. In the meantime, check out Ammy's account of her recent visit.

Wow

Sometimes life can pass by in the blink of an eye. For instance, I can't believe the last time I wrote here was on Jan 12th. It's already Jan 23rd. My Brother's birthday is coming up, Stacey is in Las Vegas again, and I've already visited California Adventure 4 times. Where has the time gone?

I received a 'travel journal' from Nathan Heidt last week. He's one of my cousins in Oregon. I can't believe he's now in 5th grade. I'm supposed to fill up a few pages with history and stuff from around my State (being California) and then pass it on to someone in a state the book has not yet visited. So... if you don't live in California, New York, or Washington, and think you can whip out a few pages of interesting factoids for Nathan, let me know and I'll send the travel journal to you next. Otherwise, I'll send it randomly to someone on my list. Who knows, it might be you.

I try and post more later tonight after I make an attempt at cleaning up my room. If I don't make some headway tonight, things could get ugly.

where there's smoke...

We just had a building fire a few blocks away from us downtown. Saw flames and lots of smoke from my window on the 51st floor. They had to close the air intake valves on our building or the smoke would have clogged up our system. Haven't heard if anyone was hurt. A lovely way to start a weekend though.

Monday and Tuesday next week Stacey and I will be attending the first real public days for Disney's California Adventure. That's the new themepark they built in the old Disneyland parking lot. So far the reviews have been fair to good. I haven't heard any really negative reviews at all. I'm taking that as a good sign.

Today marks the official opening of Downtown Disney -- a shopertainment (oooh, neologism) center that occupies the space between the two parks and the hotel complex. We've been there a few times already for pre-opening days and plan to enjoy a movie or two at the new AMC theatres this weekend (hey, that's a good idea for tonight). Come on down and join us... parking is free for 3 hours and 5 hours with validation. Enough for dinner, a movie, and some shopping.

Stormwatch 2001

Ugh. Rain. Southern California has been hit and so traffic has been really bad, waves have been crashing high, and power outages have struck downtown... not here, of course. But just a few streets away. It would have been interesting to see what sort of emergency procedure we put into action if the power had gone out. Would we work out of our homes? West LA? Comdisco? inquiring minds want to know.

Speaking of power... it looks like the Feds might shut off the power flow to california sometime later this week. Both the big utilities are in horribly over their heads in the rip-tide created by their recommended deregulation of the energy system. Somebody is getting rich off this and I suspect it will be the powerplant owners and somebody is going to have to pay to keep the lights on and I suspect it will be the tax payers. Should be interesting to see how this plays out over the next couple days.

I must be getting old. If I don't get 8 hours of sleep these days I'm a total wreck for the rest of the day. Last night was one of those nights with noisy roommates, police sirens, creaky bones, where it all added up to a fitful night of (un) rest. I hate'em.

Stacey and I walked over to Barnes and Nobles last night with a $25 gift certificate from her mom burning a hole in my pocket. After much enjoyable browsing I ended up with a copy of the 2001 Writer's Market. I'm hoping to expand some of my writing for LaughingPlace.com and send it off to some travel magazines (for pay, I hope). The first article I'm hoping to sell is my Grand Californian Review. If anyone out there would like to send me a critique of the article I'd be very happy.

Had a good weekend that ended with an allergy attack on Monday. Missed work, but got lots of extra sleep. You figure out that score.

Went to Lost Wages to see Stacey's new cousin Max. He's a real cutey at 24 days old. Not very fussy or noisy, he mostly sleeps and feeds. Had dinner at one of the famous LV Buffets, this one at Main Street Station Casino downtown. Afterwards we walked over to Fremont Street to experience the Experience. Unfortunately all those bright lights in quickly changing colors hurt Stacey's eyes. So we ducked into a casino (Binion's Horseshoe) for some single deck Blackjack. We both plopped down $20 at a $2 minimum table and then held on for a very fun and profitable 1.5 hours. By the end of the night we were each up more than twice our initial chips (Stacey more like 5 times)... we also played a really fun slot game based on Yahtzee. I won big there. So we'd basically paid for food and gas for the trip in one night. Woo Hoo!

We returned to So Cal and made a stop at the Disneyland resort (it's hard to resist) to see what changes had occured over the weekend. Ate lunch at ESPNZone. Good food at resort prices (had a 8 ounze turkey burger that was wonderful) -- kinda funky setting. We ate on the Studio grill side which boasts a live set for filming ESPN's UPClose show. With filming in progress it was busy, but pleasant. The otherside seemed too dark, and too much like a sports book from a Vegas casino to me. Upstairs was the biggest disappointment, however. They have a huge game area upstairs, but the prices are so inflated it's just not fun. Since I heard the restaurant was opening up I've been looking forward to a game of Air Hockey (Disneyland removed their tables over two years ago). At ESPNZone each Air Hockey game is $2.50... games at Disneyland used to be $0.75. I'd pay a $1.00 a game... but $2.50 is just unreasonable. Looks like I'll have to wait even longer to get my air hockey fix.

Smokin'

Only took 20 minutes to get into work today. Took my little Saturn in to get some repairs and was able to take advantage of the carpool lane. Boy-o-boy, I'm thinking of making Stacey drive me to work everymorning. Sorry Hon.

I'll be in Lost Wages this weekend scoping the place out. So no updates for a few days. We're trying the new Sunset Station, the flagship of the station casino's and also the closest to Stacey's cousins. Looking forward to a few days of getting away.

So y'all have a great weekend and I'll see you on the b-side.

Thursday Thoughts

Driving in to work this morning I caught myself getting mad
at this driver cutting ahead of traffic. Then I got upset at
myself for getting angry. I'm trying to take the art of
driving less seriously and not get so upset if someone else
just has to be a selfish asshole and abuse the rules of the
road. There is nothing I'm going to do that will change these
abusers minds or make them stop taking advantage of those who
are following the driving rules, so why worry about it. But I
still can't help getting a little pissed at them.

This morning's instance has a slightly different moral. It
occurred right by the parking garage I use downtown. It's a
place where two lanes merge into one that has to make a
right hand turn. Typically those who use the right lane only
use it to enter the parking garage Before
the right hand turn. Those who need to go around the building
wait patiently in the left hand lane leaving the right side
open for those who need to get into the first garage. But it
is still technically within the rules of the road to zoom on
ahead in the right hand lane and then merge at the last
minute before making the right hand turn. Keeping it open is
just a nicety we drivers extend to each other during the
morning drive.

So this morning I see someone take advantage of this nicety
and zoom up the right hand lane to cut in. At first it upsets
me. I wonder what gives them the right. But then I catch
myself and admit she's still following the rules of the road.
All she's really doing is cancelling out our nicety which she
is not obliged to obey at all.

Still, I can't help wish that more people would offer up
these little moments of niceness. They make the day so much
more pleasant.

My latest Dispatch is up on LaughingPlace.com. At the bottom of it is a link to a photo of Walt Disney and my grandfather, Vic Greene. Vic was an Imagineer, and although I have no memories of him, I do have stories, and feel closer to him and his works through being at Disneyland. Weird huh!

Disneyland Resort opened their latest hotel The Grand Californian last night and I was there. There are some photos Doobie and I took.... I suspect a review I wrote will be up later this week. I'm looking forward to spending many days and nights at the new hotel, it's simply marvelous.

Hey. I also updated Barraged -- A fansite today. It has new pics of the Euro and Canadian casts, some additional links to fan sites, and a few links to top selling books on Fiddling on Amazon.

Oy. A new year already. I'm still digesting the old one. The question is will this be a dessert course or another entree.

2001 seems destined to have more drama and intensity than a Stanley Kubrick film. There are some major life changes in store for me (and for Stacey if my plan comes together *wink*). Disneyland is opening another themepark. We get a new party in power in DC. We have an economy that is getting testy. We have new census data and a new face of america that is more mullato than any single genre. We still have the media, the entertainment cartels, the drug war, the pollution, the crime (although that has gotten better), the world crisis du jour, and enough apathy to fill a black hole. Very interesting ingredients which are sure to create some interesting flavors when stirred up.

Enough prognosticating. I had a very wonderful new years eve, I hope you did too. Stacey and I spent it with friends at Disneyland (although a good friend wasn't feeling well and couldn't join us as I had hoped). Then we slept a little and went right back to the resort for a first look at Downtown Disney, a shopping, dining, entertainment area that just opened up between the Disneyland Hotel and the entrance to the park.

Must say my initial review of Downtown Disney is very positive. As you can see from the pictures on LaughingPlace.com they have really out done themselves on the decor for The World of Disney. Inside and outside the place looks great. Sure, a lot of the merchandise is just repeats of stuff you can get elsewhere in the resort. However, there are a number of sections in the store with downtown disney exclusive and other unique articles. Of note is the 'Disney Presents' line that is entended as a double entendre ... most of the products work good as a gift (present) to someone. The product line ranges from executive products to gift items. There is also a new line of baby stuff that is to die for.

The staff was a different matter. There were lots of first day adjustments going on and some cast members that needed additional training. But I'm confident they'll work that out. Hopefully, they'll keep the opening day level of staffing too.

We ate at three locations yesterday. Rainforest Cafe for dinner (which surpassed my very low expectations... but is more touristy than resort food), Brennen's Creole Cafe -- the takeout part of Brennen's Jazz Kitchen (which was good, but again the recipes have been adjusted to meet the pallate of the lowest common denominator), and Hagen Daz (which was good as always). I look forward to more locations opening up soon!!!

Walking and Eating at Downtown Disney led us to the conclusion that Disneyland has finally become a world class resort destination. (Well, minus a world class spa and hot springs... but other than that :-) ) It feels nice to have it all finally coming together.

See you all there.