in love...

Yes, I'm in love. I'm in love with this:

And I haven't even met her yet. I ordered her online like a Russian bride. Except what I ordered is much better. She speaks my language. She'll be delivered next week.

The wait for delivery is killing me. I'm giddy with anticipation. I can't wait to undress unwrap her and run my fingers along her smooth, soft metallic body.

Guys and their technology...there's no love like it in the world. Sorry HotMomma.

random post about weather and a contest

Like my uber-creative title? I know...it sucks. It's Wednesday and I'm already burnt out from my week, so don't make fun of it.

On to the post. Is it me or is the weather getting freaky? Just two days ago it was in the mid-80s here in Las Vegas. Then the winds came again (they've been a pain in the ass this year) and the weather chilled. Today is supposed to only reach 58. Even more shocking was the fact that when I stepped out the door this morning to head to work it was snowing. Seriously...frickin' snowing in Vegas in mid-April. There's something very wrong with that.

Even more surprising is the fact that the weather predictors are forecasting 90-degree temps by the end of the weekend. It's quite a roller coaster ride going from warm to cold to hot all in the span of a few days. Although I'm not a fan of the cold, I'm definitely not looking forward to the hot weather. I'd like a few weeks in the 70s, like in California. We're going to try to hit Disneyland again next weekend. Hopefully the weather will be perfect.

Speaking of California, the folks over at UpTake are having a contest. You can win a Napa Valley spa vacation for you and three friends. Check out the details here. It's actually really easy to enter, so you'd be a fool not to. I would, if I could. HotMomma would love some girl time in Napa Valley.

a swanky new hang out

Living in Las Vegas is great. We're home to world-class resorts, restaurants, night clubs, shopping, etc. It truly is a playground for grown-ups. Not so much for kids though. Which brings me to the point of this post. We have a brand new resort/casino/spa opening up this weekend just a stone's throw away from our home. We've watched its construction from when it was just a desert lot nearly two years ago to now. It's a truly impressive property featuring a lot of great amenities. We can't wait to hang out there.

I wrote an article about it for Uptake.com. Check it out.

travel blog network debuts

Today the folks at UpTake issued a press release officially announcing their Travel Blog Network writing team, which includes me. I can see the paparazzi gathering outside my window. I hope they don't take any unflattering photos.

But seriously, I've had a blast writing for UpTake for the past couple of months under the Vacations category, along with a talented team of writers led by the super blogger Whit. We're writing all about great (and sometimes not-so-great) vacation destinations in this big and diverse country of ours, offering information about where to go, what to do and where to stay from our own perspectives. Because we're writing about the areas in which we live, work and play, our insight is great for folks planning a trip, especially to a destinations they've never been to before. I'm covering the Las Vegas area for obvious reasons. I like to show that there is more to Southern Nevada than casinos, nightclubs, celebretards, hookers and blow. Although we all know that those things are appealing to a lot of people.

Here's some of my posts from the past couple of months. I plan to write many, many more, so subscribe to the RSS feed and enjoy.

Dam Short Film Festival in Boulder City
Family Fun at Lake Mead Recreation Area
Las Vegas - A New Year's Party Destination
Lake Las Vegas Offers Tranquility
Holiday Shopping in Las Vegas
Experience the French Flair of Las Vegas
Boulder City, Nevada - History and Adventure
Las Vegas Aquariums Showcase Exotic Marine Life
Celebrate Veteran's Day at Aviation Nation
Explore the Natural Side of Vegas

For my Vegas friends, if you have any cool, undiscovered vacation ideas I should cover, let me know.

wow...he actually wrote something

I finally found time to do some writing that has nothing to do with my day job. Unfortunately, it's not for this blog, but instead for the other one I write for, Uptake.com .

Actually, I'm excited about the subject of my latest piece. It's about the Dam Short Film Festival in Boulder City. It's coming up in a couple of weeks and will feature 124 short films from indy filmmakers from Nevada and around the world. Check out the article and perhaps you'll want to go.

And on a side note, because I know you'll find it funny, The Deuce peed on my new cell phone last night. It still works, but it has an odor.

not in our 'hood

Yesterday was stormy here in Las Vegas. We got a winter blast, courtesy of Alaska, that brought rain and snow to the area. On the west side of Las Vegas residents were treated to several inches of white powder that actually stuck. On our side (extreme southeast) we weren't as fortunate. And that is despite our high elevation. I was hoping Z-Dub would have a chance to play in the snow.

Regardless, we did wake up to a spectacular view this morning. A ring of white encircles the entire valley. I, unfortunately, did not have an opportunity to capture a picture of it as I rushed off to work. Luckily Gini from the Tao of Gini did. She lives in our area of town. Check out her picture of the west side with the Red Rock Canyon and the Spring Mountains in the background. Incredible!!!

pardon this commercial interruption

Congrats to UpTake.com for becoming the largest travel search engine on the Internets in just six months. For those of you that haven't checked it out, it's a great site for getting information, reviews and opinions about vacations destinations, hotels, motels, camping, beaches, spas, golf courses, attractions and restaurants. It's kind of a one-stop-shop for all things travel.

As many of you are aware, because I keep mentioning it, I've been contributing to UpTake's blog for the past couple of weeks, providing information for family vacations in Las Vegas and the sourrounding region. I'm very excited to have a very, very small part in such a successful venture. I'd have a big part, but I'd probably screw it up. That's why they have the genius of Whit instead.
Feel free to check out the site and/or the posts I've written:

History and Adventure in Boulder City
Las Vegas Aquariums Showcase Exotic Marine Life
Celebrate Veteran's Day Weekend at Aviation Nation
Explore the Natural Side of Las Vegas

jumped the shark?

Not this blog you sillies!

There was an interesting article in the Las Vegas Review-Journal yesterday that basically examined whether Las Vegas has "jumped the shark," essentially losing ground in it's popularity as a trendy playground for everyone from the young and wealthy to famous and even ordinary.

Are people tired of the "what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas" mantra and all the exciting debauchery that's associated with it?

As I read the article, I couldn't help but think that it's true. We're experiencing a regional economic recession, the likes of which we've never been seen here before. Casino revenues are down, visitor numbers are down, the airlines are cutting flights to the city, we lead the nation in foreclosures and our governments are facing unprecedented budget cuts.

If we truly have or are in the process of "jumping the shark,"at least the city may one day reclaim its glory. As the article points out, it's famous for reinventing itself. For example, despite the sagging economy, we're currently in the midst of a remarkable building boom, which includes the massive Project City Center, the largest privately financed development in the United States at the cost of $9.2 billion. Near our home M Resort is under construction.

If not, it's time to choose a new city to move to, because we aren't going to stick around and watch it crumble. Lately Seattle has been on our mind. At least there's plenty of water there.

elections!?!

According to the newspaper, there was very low turn out in yesterday's Primary Elections here in Nevada. I'm an avid voter. It's my right and I exercise it. Except for yesterday though.

Want to know why?

Well, because I didn't even realize yesterday was an election day. Apparently a lot of people didn't know either...or didn't care.

I guess because we held Republican and Democratic Caucuses earlier in the year to select our presidential nominees, though equally important, yesterday's primaries were less exciting. The day came and went with little fanfare.

No "I Voted" sticker for me. I feel so un-American today.

new nephew photos

As I wrote yesterday, my brother and his family welcomed a new addition yesterday. I didn't have any of the stats or photos then, but I have them now.

Their little boy was born at 7:40 a.m. PDT in California. He weighed 7 lbs. and 2 ozs. and was 20 inches long. Here are a couple photos:

Congratulations once again to the happy family of five!

take what you want from it...

The winds of change are upon us. Although we Americans are in denial, we must be prepared to relinquish our position as the world's superpower. At least that's what the keynote speaker said at a conference I recently attended in Chicago.

I won't bore you with all of the details of his fast-paced, straight-forward and informative presentation, because frankly, it was too much information to share. I will tell you though that he scared the shit out of everyone in the room when he talked about our prospects of regaining American's prosperity in the next five to 20 years. Let's just say the world is changing at an extraordinary fast pace and because of mistakes made by our leaders, we're now lagging behind with very little chance in catching up with the rest of the developed and developing world. But at least the presenter was kind enough to offer some advice that will allow us to take action on an individual level to ensure our children will prosper, whether in America or some other country on the globe. I definitely took notes, and here are some highlights I'd like to share with you:

1. We MUST ensure our children are taught in home and throughout their education the importance of personal financial responsibility and security. A good FICO score is becoming increasingly important as employers are now starting to include it in their judging criteria in the hiring process. A low score may prevent them from landing a good, well-paying job.
2. In addition to English, our children MUST be fluent in one of the following languages: Mandarin, Arabic, Hindi and Japanese. Currently, 70 percent of the world's purchasing power is in countries where English is not the primary language and this rate is growing. Did you know that Dubai is poised to become the financial capital world in the next few years? The new mantra in New York and London is "Dubai, Mumbai, Shanghai or goodbye." In our local newspaper today there was an article about how Nevada lost 10,700 jobs to China between 2001 and 2007. America as a whole lost 2.3 million.
3. We should encourage our children to seek career opportunities in industries that are recession-proof, such as healthcare, security, education and energy. On the flipside, the industries most vulnerable to economic instability are manufacturing, finance, retail, technology, airline and luxury goods (we're seeing this now).
4. Our children MUST be taught the Metric System. It is now the global measurement standard with the U.S. as the only major hold out in making the switch. This is ridiculous!

Here's some other interesting things I learned from the presentation as it relates to the Internets and us bloggers (some of this you may already know):

• Every day 100,000 new blogs are created and 1.3 million posts are made.
• Postings intensify around significant events such as the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. This indicates that blogging plays a critical role in debates about the important issues of our time. The impact bloggers have on our cultures and democracies is increasingly dramatic.
• The audience for podcasts in the U.S. will increase to 25 million by the end of this year, and 50 million by 2010.
• By 2010, 70 percent of internet content will be created by individuals as opposed to publishers and brands.
• The Internet is doubling in size every 120 days; more than 80 percent of sites that will exist a year from now, don’t exist today.
  

And finally, as it relates to how much information we must absorb, here's some interesting facts:

• It took approximately 50,000 years for humanity to acquire one unit of knowledge. It took 1,500 years to double that first knowledge base. By the early 1970s mankind was doubling knowledge every 6 years. Human knowledge is expected to be doubling every year by the year 2012.
• In 2006 technical information doubled every two weeks. By 2010 technical information is expected to double every 72 hours.
• By 2015, the power of an off-the-shelf computer will exceed the intelligence of a human being.
• In the year 2025, in a single week we will face the equivalent of all the milestones of the 20th century – world wars, creation of the automobile, sequencing of DNA, rise of the Internet, etc.

The presenter sited many experts when he presented these facts. Some of them seem a little far-fetched, while others seem very likely. Regardless of whether these come true or not, we're going to prepare Z-Dub so he doesn't get left behind in the Brave New World. His ass is going to college for sure!!! Also, I wonder how much an apartment in Dubai cost?

adding it to the list

All this time I've been worried about getting cancer in my naughty bits by carrying my cell phone in my pocket, but according to this news report I need to also be concerned about my brain. It's just one more of thousands of things to worry about I suppose.

Now everytime I get a headache I'm going to wonder. And perhaps cell phone use explains my forgetfulness.

on top again

It's a Monday morning and it's a good one for a change. Mondays generally suck as I head back into the office for another week of relentless work. This morning is different though. I was notified last night that I've been relisted on the Dads list at Alltop.com, which makes me extremely happy.

For those of your who aren't schooled in all things Alltop, the site is awesome. It's somewhat of an online "magazine rack," featuring a collection of the best of the best stories on the Internets. Led by the genius Guy Kawasaki, the folks at Alltop have grouped these collections into a buttload of Alltop sites based on topics such as environment, photography, science, Muslim, celebrity gossip, military, fashion, gaming, sports, politics, automobiles, and Dads, of course, among others. At each Alltop site, they display the headlines of the latest stories from dozens of really cool sites and blogs. My blog is now one of them. Yeah me!

Seriously though, I'd like to extend a very genuine thanks to L.P. "Neenz" Faleafine from getting me relisted. I greatly appreciate it.

Now, I head to the airport for yet another trip. Hopefully it'll be my last for a while. I'm off to Chicago for a conference until Thursday. HotMomma and Z-Dub are off to San Diego for the remainder of the week. They're visiting family rather than staying home alone.

I'll have the computer with me, so posts will be coming. You can also follow me on Twitter. In the meantime, have a great Monday.

appropriate charges?

Each year hundreds of children are killed when they are intentionally or accidentally left unattended inside vehicles. Most of the time this happens during the warmer months when temperatures inside vehicles can reach scorching temperatures resulting in death by hyperthermia. These incidents are shocking and horrible tragedies that can easily be prevented through awareness and education.

A highly publicized case here in Las Vegas that resulted in the death of a four-year-old boy last month is a little more complicated. The child, the youngest of eight, was left inside a family vehicle for 17 hours. The fact that the family cooked and ate dinner, watched movies and went to sleep, despite the fact that the child, who also had some special needs, was noticeably absent is rather disconcerting. He was found dead in the car by one of his teenage siblings the following morning.

Since the incident took place, the parents have gone to the media to spread the message that it wasn't their fault. They claimed to have made an earnest, yet unsuccessful, effort to look for him. They've also shifted from placing blame on their 19-year-old son to blaming the kid himself because of his propensity to seek out sleeping spots behind furniture. When that came up the first questions that came to my mind were do they feed the child? Or bath him? Also, if they were really worried about their missing child wouldn't they have searched until he was found?

Since their little media tour a number of reports since 1988 were released by the Child Protective Services revealing allegations of physical abuse, neglect and sibling sexual abuse. Though none resulted in charges, the fact that 21 reports were made against the parents over a 20-year span is shocking. So when the parents were arrested yesterday for second degree murder as well as other child abuse charges, it was no surprise to me. In fact, I celebrate the fact that the District Attorney has worked so hard to build a case against the couple. Though they are partly responsible for the death of this child for not acting on previous reports, I also appreciate the fact that Child Protective Services finally removed the other minor children from the home and a judge has refused the couple's recent attempts to regain custody of the children.

Of course, the family does have sympathizers, as usual, that believe that their acts were honest mistakes and that the death of their child is punishment enough. They also site the fact that the family has too many kids to keep track of. That's a pathetic excuse if I ever heard one. If you can't handle multiple children, then why have so many. What do you think?

On a side note, HotMomma and I would never, ever go about our routines without considering the whereabouts or safety of Z-Dub or any of our future kids. It's our number one priority 24/7.

random news you can use

Don't you just love the news? The headlines are great, even the serious ones. Surfing the numerous major news Web sites today, I found these gems.

Alligator Eats Teen's Arm During Late-Night Swim. What an idiot! Lessoned learned -- don't go jumping into Florida canals when you've been out drinking with your buds. You may loose a limb.

Student Suspended Over Noogies . I thought students were shooting teachers, not giving them noogies. Lesson learned -- Hands of the teach.

NASA Climate Scientist Says "We're Toast." As in wheat, lightly buttered with a spread of strawberry jam? Lesson learned -- I can stop paying taxes since we're all goners.

Deputies in Reno Think They've Collared "Naked Burglar." So what were those certain physical attributes? Somebody sounds a bit small. Lessoned learned -- naked burglary only leads to embarrassing line ups.

What's the best headline you read today?

note to midwest

The flooding in the midwest is truly devastating. I feel sorry for the thousands of people that have lost their homes to rising waters.

If it's all possible, please feel free to send some of that water our way. We're running out. It's pretty serious.

Seriously, is it possible to build a big pipe across the country? Just thinking out loud.

daddies go digital

Check out this ABCNews story.