My Day at the Bellagio

Slept in way late, then finally dragged my lazy buttocks off to get something to eat. This was done at the Paris Buffet. A fine buffet, but I sorely miss the Ballys buffet. It was the best on the strip, but for budget reasons was shut down.

Here i am outside the Paris. Great Nostrils, huh.

On to the Bellagio and Check out their Conservatory. The theme right now for is Spring, and truthfully I wasn't looking forward to it. I had been here last year and their Spring Conservatory was all butterflys. What I didn't know was while the themes stay the same, the exhibits change.

Side Views of the Bellagio Lake from there walk way.

Awesome mural on the walkway to the Bellagio.

The conservatory at the Bellagio is the huge open area right next to the check in area that changes out 6 times a year. I've seen all of the different themes except the Christmas one, and always is it something to see. I've seen "Spring" more than any other because, well, thats usually when I am here. While the themes stay the same, the exhibits they have change every year. This years, I have to say, is my favorite of all the Spring's I have seen. Sometimes it gets very claustophobic in there because they pack so much into the area. This time was just the opposite. Very open, clean, and just very relaxing. Four areas this time: A Zen Garden, Water Globes, A hothouse with butterflys they always have, and a fountain with a broken statue.

First The Zen Garden:





In the center was this wonderful area with lovely flowers and the awesome water blobes. It smelled heavenly.

The biggest area was this awesome simple fountain that was a basin with this broken head in it and water falling around it. Very Meditative, and reminded me of something you would see in an Buddhist Temple.

Just some other shots of the garden. Again, it was so much nicer than any other Spring Theme I had seen because it wasn't all cluttered.

Here is a link to my pictures from 2008 that shows last years theme. Pretty, but compared to this all junked up.

Vegas This Time

Welp here I am off to Vegas again. Lovely, wonderful, gaudy, Vegas. Been planning it forever, got a huge discount on both my room rate and my airfare. So here are some quick thoughts so far:

Got dropped off at the airport by my Bro and Mum, and had about a 2 hour wait. It was made very bearable by this:



Those are the chairs in the waiting area for Southwest. Free Wifi, comfy chairs with electircal plugs, and my fave Russian Energy drink in the vending machine. Sweet!!

Gotta say the flight was the emptiest I have been on in years. Had the entire safety row all to myself. Watched Swing Vote (***) on the flight on my I Touch. Not a bad movie, but it just frustrates me that in a movie like that, the person given the extraordinary opportunity is such a dumbass. It is always like that. Why is it never given to someone who can actually use it?

Got this pic as we landed.



Very sweet view of the Stratosphere as the sun went down.

Now, why is the cab ride from the airport to my hotel is $15 while the to the airport from my hotel is $12? Same distance, same amount of time. WTF Anywhoo, got checked in, cleaned up and went looken for dinner. Found this:



Hot Roast Beef with Swiss Cheese and Carmalized Onions on French Bread, with a great side of Red Skin Potato Salad. Total yum.

Ate, then wandered around a bit, then crashed. Was a long day. Now, Monday brings me Love . I saw it three years ago and loved it. Here's the weird thing: When I went to buy my tickets this time, you put in what level of ticket you want, and then it randomly chooses a seat in that price level. It chose the exact same seat I got when I went 3 years ago! WTF! How weird is that?

Anyways, more to come.

How I feel about "Twilight"

TA DA!

UPDATE:
Okay, it the realm of total disclosure, as most of you know I work in Wal-mart as a vendor. My company does the CD's, Music, DVD's, and, well, the books. Twilight, and the 3 other books in the series, have made me quite a bit of money lately. I have been selling them like they have crack in them ever since right before the movie came out. I would fill up my book table with them on Friday, and come back on Monday and find them all gone. This causes me a moral quandary. On one hand, I'm all about maken the monies. I would sell a book by Satan written by Sadam Hussein, and proudly display it...if it sold. The minute it doesn't, I'd pull it faster than you can say "Satan Focker".

On the other hand, while I did enjoy the books, I really don't get this whole "Vampires are Tragic Figures" genre that has sprung up in the past few years. Stephanie Myers tapped into 2 markets that are pretty much money makers right now: Tween Girls and Vampires. There are some really good Vampire books out there. Two of my favorites are the Laurell K. Hamilton and her Anita Blake series (kinda an Adult Buffie Series) and Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse books (a hit HBO Series that is nowhere as good as the books).

I blame all this on Anne Rice and her crappy Lestat books. I really hate them. They are boring, and just stoopid. "Ahh my life is terrible because I am hot and live forever...aahhh pooorrr me" Puhleeze. Bite me, and I mean that literally. It is very simple. Vampires are predators. They live off feeding from us. We are, in the words of Spike, "Walking Happy Meals" to them. This whole idea that they are honorable, tragic beings is just psudosexual bullshit. Its projecting their wishes of living forever as a hot rock star on something that sees them as their next meal. It would be like Chic-fil-a Sammichs writing books about me.

Now if you love them, good for ya. If you think Edward is the sexiest thing to walk the Earth, you go girl. I just don't get it. I think there are much worst things to be obsessed with, like Hello Kitty, or those Fake Dolls that look like real Babys. Those are seriously focked up.

Double Update:
Well the movie has come out, and man am I whoring it good. It came out on a Friday, and I had to go in after the store closed to make sure it came out when the store opened. Came back in on Monday, and was sold out of both the books and the movie. Again, I am torn. Monies vs. Taste. Guess which wins? HMMMMMMM

What I really want for Christmas

From My Pictures

Me and my elves Jennifer Love Hewitt, Breanna McGregor,and Tiffany Fallon at play.

My Christmas Card for this Year

From My Pictures

Elven Dance of Joy

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Thank god the election is over.

The major reason I haven't been blogging much this year is my vow when I started this blog not to blog on politics. I don't talk politics with people cause it never ends well. And I wanted this blog to be about kewl stuff, and my opinions on things that just don't matter: i.e. me. So, for the last few months I swore off posting just because I knew if I did, I would slip up and start ranting about how we are getting shivved by our elected officials, and how both of the candidates make a Crap Sandwich and a Giant Douche seem like good choices. This is the first year I didn't even review the summer blockbusters because of this. So, quickly, here are my reviews:

Iron Man (****) Fracken Rocked.

Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull (**) Right there with ya until the last 15 minutes, the it was all WTF?!?!

The Hulk (***) So much better than the first one, and has Iron Man in it!!

The Dark Knight (*****) Dude. Just focken awesome. Dude.

Wall-e (****) Its hard now to say what my favorite Pixar Movie is, but now its a 3 way tie between Wall-E, The Incredibles, and Toy Story 2. Prettiest. Movie. Ever.

Speed Racer (**) How da fock can you make a movie with such kewl racing sequances be so fracken boring? HOW?

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
(****) I wasn't sure they could top the first one, but wow did the ever. I wanna live in Narnia, but thats not news to anyone who knows me.

Kung Fu Panda (***.5) Wow, a Jack Black movie I don't' want to commit suicide in the middle of.

Get Smart (***) Wow, a Steve Correl movie I don't want to commit suicide in the middle of. And has my future Ex Wife Anne Hathaway.

Wanted (**.5) Would have liked it better if I didn't hate the lead character so much as such a winy lil bitch.

Hancock (***)See previous comment, but does redeem himself in the end.

Hellboy 2 (***.5) I didn't like it as much as the first, but still really a good time all the way around.

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (***) Um...what I just said. But, I did like that they acknowledged there are other kinds of Mummy's besides Egyptian. And had no ex-Mrs. Germany Rachel Weis.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars(***) I thought I was supposed to hate this. Hmmm. Maybe cause I am old and remember the dark times when we had no Star Wars besides the gawd awful Holiday Special.

You will notice the absence of some big movies, such as Zohan, Love Guru, and most especially, The Happening. That was because I didn't see those steeking piles of poop. I have sworn off M. Night's movies ever since that abortion Lady in the Water. I gave him some leeway with The Village (but how da fock does a blind girl get into and out of the forest without help?) but that bloated waste of time made me totally sign off on him. The Airbender movie he is working on now better cure cancer for me to see it.

Why my posting has gone way down.

Well one reason. Will blog again soon.

I didn't realize they video my dreams....

Update: Gosh darnit, they took this vid down. One of the greatest geek moments in forever. Its bound to be on Youtube somewhere,but a quick search could not find it.

Kicken preschool ass

33

Oh those bitches are goen down....

Las Vegas Time Again

Making my annual pilgramage to my other Home: Las Vegas. Got here
fine, breezed through security without trouble for once (it helps to
have a current drivers liscence). 3 stops on my ''nonstop'' fight,
one in Phoenix. I was waiting in line for the bathroom there,
chatting w the flight attendant, when grabbed the mike and began to
page ''Christian Germany. please push the call button....'' bout that
point he saw my upraised hand 3 ft from him. Seems they wanted to
make sure I was still on the plane before they blew up my seemingly
unattended carryon. Crisis averted.
Got here in time for the magnificent Brunch: of course I ate way to
much, but did not drink to much as my room was not ready and me laying
down in the middle of the casino would not be welcomed.
Goen to see Penn and T tonight. I'm wearing my ''Vote for Penn and
Kim'' shirt. Remember, Dancing W/ Da Stars is cheese, but its high
quality cheese-with scantily clad hot babes.
--
""...a lot of real joy has been born out of petulance." Penn Gillette
www.ubusopinions.blogspot.com
Its Just my opinion, but....

Getting Motivated

Over at Despair.com you can make your own motivational posters. You know, those horribly sappy posters that employers put up in a vain attempt to try and mask the fact that you have a crap job and make no money at this crap job. Enjoy

My Xmas Card 2007

How I spent my weekend...

And damn its been awhile since I posted. The reality is that its just been a really focked up time for me. Work has just been nonstop, and some personal things have gotten in the way to where I just don't want to do anything. Ya, thats me: Mr. Closed In.

Anyways, the past 3 weekends I have done Santa Claus at the Wallyworld here. Gotta say, I really groove on it. Its just so much fun interacting with these chillens as this larger than life mythical figure. Its amazing how much they absolutely believe in what they are seeing. Now, some kiddos love Santa from 10 feet away, but at 2 feet he's a large red monster. They'll wave and say high, but as soon as they get close they go off like a fire alarm.



Not this lil dude. He came dressed for the occasion. Everyone said that he was my Good Twin though...


This is Santa and the family. Mom is looken really good as she has lost over 90 pounds in the last year because of her Gastric Bypass surgery last year...on my birthday none the less.


Santa and my Boss. She told my mom that it really helped her with her Christmas mood as she is having a real hard time this year as her mom is very sick. Not to sound to self aggrandizing, its one of the reasons why I do is to help with my own "Bah Humbugness".


This is the daughter of my part-time help Shawn Lee, whom I named "Unicorn Baby" because in the first sonogram of her their is a clear horn on her forehead. Now, Shawn Lee deny's this, and says I was just making things up. Ya. Right. Denile, just ain't a river in Egypt. Anyways, she's a pretty baby, and didn't cry once. And now, if I ate her, I would feel a bit guilty cause her mom works for me.

Happy Holidays!!!!

Just in time for the Simpsons Movie, here is how I would look as a denizon of Springfield:





And here I am hanging with my Buds at Moes...and yes, i am the designated driver. Damn that rock!!! Why are you always beaten by Paper!!!!

The Summer of Contradiction

It was supposed to be the single greatest summer for movies ever!!! I mean, each week we were supposed to get one movie after another that just blew our socks off. Life changing, emotional, magnificent pieces of cinema that would make strong men weep, and women swoon.

Well...its been....kinda boring. Pirates was just more boring than exciting, Spider-Man 3 just was lots of sound and fury, and not much else. And lets not mention Shrek 3 ever again, K?

Fortunately, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (***) actually was very fun, with great effects, and was better than the original. And Ocean's Thirteen (***) was just 2 hours of total fun. This is the movie they should have made rather than that looooooooooongg boring thing they did for the second movie. They looked like they were having fun, and wanted us to come along for the ride.

Then came the shining stars of the summer.



Live Free or Die Hard(****) blew my friggen socks off. I have a serious man crush on Bruce Willis as it is, but this movie took that to full love. Fun, exciting, with magnificent stunt work and a story that just hooks ya from the beginning. Kevin Smith's cameo as a Jedi Hacker totally rocked. Not a dull moment in the whole darn movie. Mary Elizabeth Winstead is McClain's ass kicking daughter, and gets in some great licks. My only complaint is that the bad guy, Tom Olyphant, is just not as charismatic as Alan Rickman, but then who is?





Transformers(****)is my secret shame. When I heard they were doing a live action movie based on toys I just do not get (I mean, why the heck do alien robots from space come all this way to look like a truck?) I was beyond skeptical. Then I saw the trailer, and had that feeling in the pit of my stomach I might be eating some crow. Now that I have seen it? Nope, not some crow, a whole friggen murder of crow. This movie, from beginning to end, was spectacular. I loved the characters, the story, the effects, and that freaken awesome sound they make when they transform is now my ring tone. Shia LaBouf carries this movie, and should be given a huge round of applause. Before this he was only in some tween Disney Comedies, but here really shines. If we don't like his character, we just don't by this movie, and he not only like him, but root for him. Megan Fox, his love interest, is so hot she seems almost like she is made from CGI, but is also is a well rounded character in her own right. Now I know that the robots are all CGI, but WOW. The T-rex in Jurassic Park seems like a child's crayon drawing compared to these guys.

I know your thinking "Hey Christian, what about Ratatouille(**)? You are a Pixar freak, so you loved this, right?" Nope. This movie disappointed me more than any other movie I have seen this summer. I freely admit my huge love of all Pixar movies, and had very high hopes for this movie. All the adds, every trailer I saw made me want to not only see this movie, but want to buy it. The reality is there is just not much here. The characters never develop, and the story, what little their is of it, meanders around with no purpose. It is, however, the most beautiful animated movie I have ever seen. Beyond photo realistic, it makes me want to go to Paris, even though we hate the French and the closest we want to get is the Eiffel Tower in Las Vegas. And, lets be honest, the whole notion of a rat cooking just skeeves me out.

Well, we still have The Simpson's Movie

A Pirate and an Ogre

Now all 3 of the big movies for the summer have opened, and I have sat through all 8 hours of fun. You want the quick review of the other 2? Rent Shrek and See Pirates.

Thanks!!


Alright, fine. I guess I should be a tad more verbose about those flicks. So, lets start with Shrek the Third (***).

I liked the first one, and really liked the second one. But this one....well...the jokes are just a tad retread. Watching this one, you feel as if you've already seen it. By only seeing the trailers, and the endless advertisements on TV, you can pretty much see the whole movie. The theme of this one? Quick guess....some people don't fit in. That it is what is on the inside that counts. Its just so been there, done that. Part of the problem is that Prince Charming is just not what you would call a quality villain. For these kinds of movies to work, the bad guy has to be at least competent with a plan that has a chance of working. None of that here. So, rent it when it comes out.


Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (***) is the weakest of the trilogy, but still is fun, exciting, with wonderful fight scenes, magnificent sets, great characters, and scenery. The last 45 minutes alone is worth the price of admission. The magnificent battle between The Flying Dutchmen and The Black Pearl is a masterpiece of CG and is an epic battle we haven't seen since the Lord of the Rings. A magnificent battle full of sword fights, a marriage, an unexpected death, and, even more stunning, Captain Jack does the right thing.

The biggest problem is that this movie is just to darn long. They could have cut at least 45 minutes out of this movie and it would have just been fine. The biggest complaint I have read on the Internet has been that ya just can't keep up with the plot. That it just to complex. If they had trimmed 45 minutes off of it, I think that this would have been easily solved. The acting is stellar, and the effects are magnificent, but the damn thing is just to long!

So, now we have Fantastic Four 2, Live Free or Die Hard, and, what may be the best of all,



But we shall see....

Spider-Man 3 ***

When you have a movie as perfect, and as wonderful as Spider-Man 2 (****), it is next to impossible to make a movie that is just as good as it, or, the impossible, to top it. I know the makers of Spidey 3 just wanted to make a good movie and were not thinking this, but come on... That thought has to be on their mind from the first script draft, all they way up the last edit. Its like that older brother who's the star athlete, valedictorian of his high school class-your parents still love you, but always seem like they wonder why you can't be like Chet.

All I can say is that Spidey 3 is no Chet.

But, gosh darnit, it sure does try. The problem is there is just to much here. To many villains, to many twists, to much angst. The better movie would be one that had been much slimmer; one villain, one story. Instead we get 3 villains. First, Harry Osborne comes gunning for Spidey to avenge his father's death, even though everyone in the world but Harry knows that his dad killed himself trying to kill Pete. Then we see the birth of The Sandman. Gotta say, Thomas Hayden Church looks eggzacly like the Flint Marlow from the comics. And the character, when in sand form, is very visually stunning. The problem is that the whole character really is superfluous. Nothing he does advances the plot, and other than giving us a kewl fight sequence at the end with Harry teaming up with Peter, really does nothing for the movie as a whole.

The third villain, Venom, played very well by Topher Grace, seems like he's tacked on. The black suit symbiont that attaches himself to Peter and turns him not really evil, just more of an ass, is never really explained. Its just...there. We see a meteor, then it splotches around until it covers Pete up, making him a new costume. Then he splotches onto Topher, and becomes this large teethed, evil eyed thing. This is the villain that should have taken up all the time that Sandman had. Truthfully, he's on screen maybe 15 minutes total, and it would have been much more dramatic if their had been a tad more buildup.

The great part is that its still just as a beautiful movie as the first one. Its been 4 years since we first beheld the wonder that is Spidey swinging from rooftop to rooftop, and it still kicks as much ass as it did then. As a matter of fact, in this movie, he does moves in the air that just defy logic. One sequence has him jumping from one piece of falling rubble to another trying to swing down and catch a falling Gwen Stacy. Totally wow.

Overall, we have a very enjoyable movie that is visually exciting, with characters we love to see. Great fight scenes, frenetic action, and best of all...Bruce Campbell once again almost steals the whole movie.

Spider-Man 3 gets *** out of 5.

THE GREATEST TRAILER OF ALL TIME

HAPPY ST. PADDY'S DAY!!

 

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Happy St. Pats Day!!! May the Road always rise to meet you, and may ya be in Heaven 2 days before the Devil knows your dead!!