Composition 9-6-77

If I could be any vegetable, I would probably be a stalk of corn. Corn is a tall, superior vegetable over the others in a garden. Corn reigns tall and high like the king of the vegetables. (Pardon the printing, I forgot!)
All the vegetables would look up to me. I would be like the army commander over the crop. "Okay tomatoes and lettuce, at ease!," I would say. Yes, corn would see the sunrise and sunset long before the carrots and onions. Yessiree! The plant I would like to be is corn, King of the crop!

{End of composition}

Yeah, that's right. VIP, Beyotch!

This was quite a fun weekend for us.
Through the generosity of a few student's parents, and some lucky good timing, we were able to have what amounted to an eight hundred dollar evening last night, and all it cost us was the tip at dinner time.
We started out by going to the Bellagio to pick up some VIP tickets to go and see "O." The show wasn't until 7:30, but we had to pick up the tickets by 6:00, so we arrived there at around 5:40. The will call line was about a block long, but after a brief trip to the Bellagio's VIP office, we returned to the ticket booth for the theater where we got to completely skip the line everyone else was in by standing in the VIP line. We literally had no one in front of us, though we had to wait for about five minutes. All in all, it was not a bad trade.
Now, normally I hate all things labeled VIP, and the VIP label is a total tourist scam here in Vegas, where it means nothing more than paying extra for no benefit whatsoever. This concept is so asenine that I won't even get into it here. Seriously, read this article about how one couple got scammed, and you'll at first feel sorry for them, but will then say screw 'em for trying to be elitist in the first place.
That said, there IS a real VIP world where people don't wait in lines and where you really do get treated well, and where you don't pay up front. And let me tell you, it's a nice place to visit!
To continue, for those of you who don't know, "O" is the flagship of Cirque du Soliel shows. It's the most expensive, the most intricate, and the longest of the Vegas Cirque shows, and it really is the best. We picked up our 6th row front-and-center seats, the best in the house, and then headed to dinner.
Dinner was at Joe's Stone Crab in the Forum Shops at Caesar's Palace. Between Nick, Erin and me, we had quite a feast. We started with some Pellegrino, and for appetizers we had 6 stone crab claws, fried tomatoes covered in spinach and cheese, and the Best oysters Rockafeller EVER!
The stone crab claws came pre-cracked, so all we had to do was pick away at the shells. Erin was non-plussed though, as she thinks crab is too bland. I thought it was great, and I love the story behind the stone crabs. The short version is that they harvest the crabs in the Gulf of Mexico by cutting off their claws (which grow back) and then tossing them back in the sea, presumably to regrow their claws so they can be harvested again.



This appeals to both my sense of sustainability as well as my sense of pity; I can just imagine some crab being grateful to escape with his life, who, after the umpteenth time of being plucked from the water to have his claw YET AGAIN striped away by some pesky bipeds, is about fed up with the whole situation. It was amusing to ponder the moral dilemma between sustaining a natural resource and being generally opposed to animal cruelty.
After the appetizers, we had our entrees. Erin had Dover Sole prepared God-only-knows how; Nick had Seafood Marinara with lobster, crab, shrip and mussels; and I had a $55 dollar bone-in NY strip steak, which, I'm happy to say, is the first steak I have had in many, many years which was so good it required no doctoring.
For dessert we had coffee and shared a sweet potato pecan pie, which was better than the sum of it's parts, and which Erin is obsessed with finding a recipe to duplicate. According to Nick, "Dinner's so good I'd be happy even if we didn't get to see the show," which of course a moot point, as we were going to see it in approximately 10 minutes!
We left our waiter a hefty tip (since the food was free) and made our way from Caesars to the Bellagio with a few minutes to spare. We got to our seats, and enjoyed the most engaging show I've ever seen.

As far as "O" goes, it's something you just have to see.



I'm a huge Cirque fan, and Mystere has for years been my favorite show, but I really think "O" topped it. It was just plain outstanding. After the show, we came home and just sort of basked in the afterglow of an evening WAY beyond our pay grade. It was fun.
Last night, as we were enjoying a few of the finer things Vegas has to offer, my thoughts kept drifting to my dad. He was a truly talented cook, and he took great pleasure in great food. My dad was also a huge Cirque fan, and I had planned to take him and Nancy (my step-mother) to see "O" when they visited, but sadly my dad died a week before their trip was scheduled. I kept thinking last night while watching the show how much he would have enjoyed it, and it was comforting to know that in spite of our differences, he and I shared at least a few things, including a love of great food and an appreciation of the wonderful thing that is the human body when the creativity of the human spirit is expressed through it, as it so magnificently is in Cirque performances.
So though our night as rock-stars is over, the memory lingers, and in some strange way, last night has made it a little easier to think about my dad, which I haven't yet been able to do at any length.

Terrifica, Fantastico and The Wet Blanket!

I was poking around online, looking for pics of the super-villain The Wet Blanket. He's a character from the Graphic novel series Empowered. Empowered (Emp for short) is a "D" list super-chica with a fat ass and self esteem issues, whose super-powers come from a latex-like skin tight suit. The only problem? When her fragile suit gets torn, she loses her powers and often winds up in bondage, waiting for her fellow super-homeys to come rescue her.
Anyway, among the cast of characters we have on the hero side Ninjette, Thug-Boy (a former witless minion) and the alliterative Caged Demonwolf. On the villian side, among others,we have the Wet Blanket, whose power is to render others powerless when in his presence (kind of like the black guy on"Heroes.")
I couldn't find any pictures of him, so here's one I took w/ my camera:




So as I was looking for this guy I got distracted when I came across the true-life caped heroine "Terrifica!" and her arch Nemesis "Fantastico." Rather than tell you about them, you can click here to read their story, or just do a google search; the two are quite famous.

From there, I got caught up in the phenomenon of real life superheroes. Yes, they do exist. From the generic, to the boring, to the just-plain-sad, they run the gamut of stereotypes. However, one man stands among them, a TRUE hero, dedicated with single-minded purpose to his cause and living out his code. And that man is the enigmatically named Angle-grinder man!



This guy is a true hero, fighting the good fight, using the tools of Justice to rage against the machine of a cruel and unforgiving Big Brother. You go, Angle-grinder Man! Go go go !!!

Is Patience is a Virtue When you're Waiting on Vice?

The author of my all-time favorite piece of fiction is George RR Martin. Aside from the fact that he is in a class by himself when it comes to the craft of storytelling, one of the reasons I like him so much is that on his blog, THIS video was posted,



with a comment on how very, very different advertising tactics have become in the last 38 years.
Also on his blog is a story of how his house was recently burgled (oK, burglarized) and that the only thing of consequence that was taken was a cool sword a fan had given him. I like a guy whose real treasure is, well... treasure. AND he had the presence of mind enough to mention to we, his faithful readers, that the manuscript for his next book is safe and sound. However, it's a bit late, and in my next post, I'll tell you about the tragedy of catching on to a great series at the wrong time in its publishing cycle.

I'm just going to sexually anthropomorphize the holidays

I know that Erin and I are HUGE cheerleaders when it comes to Ryan North and his totally bitchen Dinosaur Comics, But I can't help it. Again today it made me laugh outloud and so I give kudos to him. It's a good thing for me he lives in Canada because his way with words has given Erin a little more than just an internet crush on the guy. The best part of today's comic is of course the mouse-over, so visit this link right here and see for yourself.
Friggin' Zeitgeists indeed.

Hotter than Georgia asphalt

I just re-watched Wild At Heart tonight on IFC. I haven't seen the move since somewhere 'round 1991, and I had forgotten how much I like it then. Laura Dern was just too super-sexy in that movie, and Nicholas Cage was actually an actor I liked back then. It's sad to see him reduced to things like Ghost Rider and Bankok Dangerous. Anyway, as good as they were, the best scene in the movie involves one of the creepiest bad-guys in all cinema history as far as I'm concerned. Warning for those of you who haven't seen it: spoiler ahead.
Willem Defoe's portrayal as Bobby Perdue is just plain amazing. I can't even think of an adjective to describe him adequately in the scene when he sexually assaults Lulu. Think slimey and then tag an exponent to it; it was sheer brilliance.
Anyway, E's away for the week visiting her sister, and Nick and I are being bachelors for the week. Not much else interesting happening.
Oh, and I thought I'd mention that you sorry lot out there have left exactly 1 comment on my last 5 posts. Am I boring you all to death, or what?
I intend to find some way of getting people to acknowledge my existence again, even if it means resorting to something extreme, like posting soft-core pictures of myself in the mirror with my cellphone cam all Myspace style, or maybe reviving Audience Participation Mondays.

Thanks to Popo

My friend Michael rips off a lot of good posts. In his latest acquisition, there is a link to the ironically titled American Thinker.
Aside from the broad definition of thinking as simply brain activity, this site and especially its commentators, are severely lacking in what could be considered reasoned thought.
As I was browsing the comments and shaking my head, I decided I had to have some merchandise from this site, like a shirt or a hat. What I found instead is perhaps the greatest example of dramatic irony ever demonstrated on accident.
Sure, dramatic irony's a common literary device, but to find it unintentionally is a treat for those of us who like such things. Therefore, if you're interested, first read the post and comments, then check out the bumperstickers this guy peddles...just scroll down about half-way; it's nothing less than pure gold!

Hallah-FRIGGIN'-Lujah!

And AMEN!!

Um, maybe he needs professional help?

Wow.
In doing my civic duty (which involves the tedious looking-up of the candidates running for judge in several districts (22 to be exact!)who are all listed as non-partisan, I came across this video of a judge, who by all accounts is conservative leaning. I was impressed, though, by her dedication to the defendant, and have decided to give her my vote, because it is all too rare a thing to see someone stick to what is difficult and right in the face of doing what is easy or politically expedient.

Giddy

I am looking forward with great anticipation to casting my 5th presidential vote tomorrow. As much as politics can be exacerbating, depressing and/or annoying, our political process is really a wonderful and beautiful thing. And no matter who wins, it will be a step forward toward repairing the damage George Bush has done to our country and the cause of democracy in the last 8 years.
Here's to a brighter future for ALL of us!