Mandalay Bay aquarium rocks!

So James, Jimmy, and I had a day to burn yesterday while we were waiting for Gabby (Gabe) to fly in from Los Angeles later in the day.  We spent part of the afternoon ate the Shark Reef Aqaurium at Mandalay Bay, partly because I had heard good things about it and wanted to go and partly because we wanted to stay indoors as much as possible.  Geesh, the one place hotter than fucking Fresno and we have to pick it for some vacation time…in the summer!  Lol.  Anyway, I absolutley loved the exhibit.  It’s very well done, very educational, and costs less than $20…even if you are not a local.  So if you are ever in Vegas and want to something fun to do, that’s economical, and a good way to escape the heat and the blackjack table…then check this out!

http://mandalaybay.com/entertainment/sharkreef.aspx

I’m in Vegas baby!!!

So I flew into Vegas last night to hang out with some of my (straight) friends from college and let me tell you I’m already enjoying myself.  It’s hard to believe it’s been 5 years since I’ve seen any of them, well I saw them at a wedding a couple years back, but it was 2003 since the last Vegas trip.  We all met in the Communication departmentI at Fresno State and have remained friends ever since.  I’m very excited to see all of them and get caught up.  Unfortunately Clay won’t be joining us this year because of his newborn baby (and recently moving to Atlanta) but 4 out of the 5 won’e be bad for our first “get this thing going again” trip to Vegas. Besides, no one really likes Clay anyway.  Lol.   Jimmy and I flew in last night, and Gabe will be joining us tonight.  I don’t know how much of the trip I will be able to share with all of you but I’ll try and give you a tidbit every day.  You know what they say, “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas!” 

From left to right in photo:  Clay Ipsen, Gabe Trevino, Me, the chinless wonder James McCoy, and Jimmy Thompson.

My dear friend Mitzi

While I was traveling back from Los Angeles back in May I had the opportunity to drive up the California coast line and stop by the Santa Maria and San Luis Obispo areas.  It was like a mini homecoming for me because the Central Coast was in my area when I was a District Trainer with FedEx Kinko’s.  I was actully planing on spending an afternoon there and having coffee with an old dear friend, Mitzi.  As it turned out my Jeep broke down and due to ordering a part from the East Coast and waiting for it I actually spent two nights in Santa Maria.  As a result, I had the opportunity to reconnect with one of the sweetest souls I know.  Isn’t it funny how the Universe works sometimes?  Mitzi is sweet, loving, and someone I’m proud to call my friend.  Her and husband opened up their home to me and I felt so welcome it warmed my heart.  Even after all this time it was like we never fell out of contact.  I even convinced her to try blogging one one of our sites.  Stay tuned for more on that!  I found her new found faith in Buddhism very intriquing and we had some great long talks about faith and love and life.  She and her husband will soon be relocating to Utah for his job and I’m hopeful to see them once more before they leave.  No worries though because I’ll be sure to stop by Mormonville and pay them a visit after they get settled.  Love ya Mitz…muah! 

Two free tacos day!

Check this out!  If you bring any gas receipt to Jack in the Box this Thursday, June 26th, you’ll get two free tacos!

http://www.jackinthebox/twofreetacosday

 

Universal Studios Hollywood update

So, as many of you know, there was a fire at the backlot of Universal Studios in Hollywood several weeks ago.  The fire was pretty much contained to one section and the fire department was able to minimized the damage pretty well.  I’m going to be in L.A. in August so I was searching their website to see just how much damage was done or whether it was worth visiting the entertainment theme park while I was there.  I couldn’t find any information at www.UniversalStudiosHollywood.com so I sent them an inquiry via email.  Click the link below to read their response.  Yes, the rumors are true, the King Kong exhibit was completely destroyed…

The TION test

A very good friend of mine gave me some good dating advice once.  He said that before you get involved with a guy he had to pass the TION (pronounced “shun”) test.  He said that a guy had to have 3 of the 4 TIONS (shuns) in order to be considered dateable.  The four TIONS are:

1.  OccupaTION
2.  HabitaTION
3.  TransportaTION
4.  EducaTION

You see, if a guy has a job, has his own place, and his own car, you can deal with him having no formal education, or even being a high school drop out.  If a guy has his education, a car, and his own place, you can deal with him having no job because it’s probably temporary if he has all of those other things.  You can date a guy who is going to school full time, might be living at home, if he has a job and his own car.  A guy who has his own place, his own car, and is going to school full-time might not have a job and be living off financial aid and that’s ok too.  So remember, 3 out of 4 TIONS means you might have a winner, anything less and you’re probably going to want to stay away from getting involved…

No Country For Old Men

I watched this film a couple days ago on DVD..and I give the movie a B.  B for BLEK that is.  This wannabe Fargo look-a-like was long, boring, and didn’t effectively communicate the story that was buried somewhere amidst the scene after scene violence for violence sake.  The psychopath’s performance was compelling, for crazed murderers anyway, and Tommy Lee Jones was convincing as always but it wasn’t enough to save this flick.  Blek!  If you’re going to waste two hours of your life on watching this movie the please do so on DVD rental, don’t bother buying it.  I mean after all, there is only so much White People Shit one can take in one movie. 

The best sushi joint in WeHo

So when I was in L.A. last (which was about a month ago) I ate at THE best sushi place I’ve ever been to.  The place is called Omi Sushi and it’s located  at 8163 Santa Monica Blvd. in West Hollywood, California.  The rolls and sushi were delicious and tasted great.  The servings were definitely worth the price, which wasn’t too high at all, even for WeHo.  The best thing about the whole experience was that the service was outstanding; friendly, polite, and fast.  I was really impressed.  It’s been a long time since I got service like that anywhere.  In fact, I was there with a certain young man from Dallas, Texas (who shall remain nameless because I think I talk about him entirely too much) and they sooooo treated us like we were a couple and on a date and it really helped make the night great.  So if you are ever in WeHo and find yourself craving some sushi, check out Omi Sushi.  It’s a little off the beat and path from the heart of the gay district but it’s definitely worth the extra 5 minutes travel. 

Google map of Omi Sushi!

Apparently you need to go to Canada to get the real news

A very good friend of mine, Mr. Travis Acreman, posted this in a MySpace bulletin earlier this week and I just had to repost it here…

Compare these stories:

The American, Time magazine/CNN version -
http://www. time. com/time/health/article/0,8599,1815538,00. html?cnn=yes

A lovely story. Really. Goes a long way to say that homosexuality is biological. Great. Gay men’s brains are more like straight women’s, and gay women’s brains are more like straight men’s.

But then, look at this, the Toronto Star version of the same story -
http://www. thestar. com/article/444461

“important new proof that people are born gay”
“So in fact there’s a (genetic) predisposition”
“should erode the moral judgments”
“rebut any argument that it is a mere lifestyle choice”

Why was there absolutely no mention of this in the Time piece? We’ve known since the early 90s that gay brains are structured differently, that they work differently. Cons have always argued that they’re made that way by constantly repeated “devious” choices. The fact that this study blows that to pieces is the truly groundbreaking, game-altering news.  How the hell could the American press just forget to mention that?

Spotted Dick