The future is today

Great Scott! It's been 30 years since we first went back in time with Marty and the Doc in a DeLorean. But more importantly, today, October 21, 2015, marks the exact day that Marty traveled into the future. Back then the year 2015 seemed so far away. It was also easy to believe there would be flying cars, hover boards, and the Cubs in the World Series. However, the sad reality is that cars don't fly, skateboards don't hover and the Cubs, well, I'm a Mets fan so....

This past summer I got to see the DeLorean and other assorted Back To The Future items when one of our local libraries had them on display. Being such huge fans of the movie, naturally we had to go. (The "we" in this refers mainly to me and my kid. Bill is a fan but not nearly as ridiculously obsessive as we are. And by ridiculously obsessive I mean we quote from it often and watch it whenever it's on TV, even though I own all three of the movies.)

 

Sadly, they wouldn't even let me sit in it to pose for a pic. With all the buttons and dials in that time machine  Bill might say that it's for the best, especially considering my penchant for pushing every button until I find the one that works. With my luck, if I were Marty, the DeLorean would stall. Then I'd do the obligatory banging of my fist against the flux capacitor, turning the key in the ignition 57 times and pressing all buttons. This would probably lead to me ending up in some other dimension. Or, quite possibly destroying the space-time continuum.



It's weird to think that after today, Back To The Future II will  technically be taking place in the past. Marty and the Doc will be traveling into their future, which would now be our past. I know, this is heavy.

Take a left on Wicked Way

Last weekend we took a quick drive through this affluent community nearby. When I say affluent I'm talking - gated community with armed guards and your name has to be on the list to gain entry. Luckily Bill's co-worker lives there and put our name on "the list".

Anyway, it's a very large, very pretty and nicely maintained neighborhood. I wouldn't mind living there if I had a bajillion dollars. The only curious thing was the street names. There was no Main Street. No Third Ave. But there was Putting Green Drive. Granted, the area has a huge golf course, but still. There was also Ruff Skies Road and Dog Leg Street. Yeah, I'm not making this up.

Naturally I made fun of them all. Then I saw this:

Something wicked this way comes

Now there's a street I can live on. Of course, I had to take a picture and I'm sure the guy who was across the street puttering around in his garage thought I was probably casing the area in order to pull off a job. I guess that would be one way to afford to live there.

Too bad they had to add the wedge in there. Wicked Way would have been way cool. Also, notice the adjoining street name? "Even Par Drive". See what I mean? The developers are either huge golf fans or just non-creative.

Down the road from where I live now is a small community with street names like Van Halen Lane and Fogarty Drive and a few others so those developers must have been a bunch of cool rock 'n rollers.

Anyone else see unusual street names?

Summer doings

I apologize for my lack of posting recently. Not that I've always been such a stellar blogger but I've been even more of a slacker and the reason is we've been busy enjoying the summer.

We spent a few days in Laughlin, Nevada which was nice. While there, we took a riverboat cruise so I got to cross that off my bucket list. Yahoo!

Apparently camping or RV-ing is a big thing there because each hotel had a section for RVs. This of course prompted us to quote Cousin Eddie from Christmas Vacation. "That there Clark, is an RV."

On our way out of Laughlin we stopped at a newer hotel/casino built by Indians. It was pretty and way out in the middle of nowhere, which can be cool if you're one to totally get away from it all, or if you're on the lam. Anyway, we passed some farmland and bales of hay prompting Bill to yell "Hay! (Hey)." Hilarious, I know, but it amused our kid. Okay, it amused me, too. I wanted to get out and take a picture of one of the bales but thought it would look weird or arouse suspicion from the guys nearby in the big farm machinery thing they were driving especially if the crops they were tending were non-legalized marijuana. Don't worry, guys, I'm from NJ; I didn't see nothin'.  

I've still got some other pics to upload for future posts and I need to sort my thoughts out so I can write more coherently (yeah, right). In the meantime, hope you are enjoying your summer!

  

Follow the Exit signs, if you can find them

We were swimming at a local hotel this past Sunday. It was a beautiful day and the water in the pool was perfect but that's not what this post is about.

As we were leaving the room my brother had stayed in for the weekend (a mini staycation of sorts) and walking down the hall to the elevator I saw some exit signs. Nothing unusual, right? Well, these were on their sides and on the bottom of the wall.

Way to go Exit Sign installer.

This struck me as both weird and curious. What the hell with these Exit signs, I thought out loud. Then Bill said, It's so the drunk people when they fall down on the floor, they can find the exits easier. Hmm, seems logical. And considerate, too. Nicely done, Hotel.

I've never been to Paris but my hair feels like it has. Sort of.

I love getting packages in the mail. I even do a little happy dance, much to my son's eye-rolling and head-shaking dismay. A few weeks ago I received a box of samples of the L'oreal Paris Ultimate Straight haircare, which included shampoo, pre-conditioner, conditioner and balm.

I don't usually put that much effort into my hair and I don't use a lot of product but I thought I would  give this a try. Living out here in the desert can take its toll on my hair, especially in the brutal heat of summer. Between the sun, the dry heat and the chlorine in the pools (Gotta keep cool!) my hair can get dry and icky.

The first thing I noticed when I tried these L'oreal products is that they smell amazing. I'm not talking some Yankee Candle fragrance, just this clean, pleasant aroma. The shampoo lathers really well. I just use a little in the palm of my hand. The conditioner and pre-conditioner come out like bottled silk. Also, they don't leave behind any sticky residue like some conditioners. The balm helps lock in the straightening and works similar to a mousse.

Basically you just shampoo, and rinse, then pre-condition and condition and rinse. Apply the balm to towel dried hair and then use a hair dryer. It's that simple. And I do love simple, uncomplicated things.

After using the L'oreal haircare system my hair is shinier and healthier and makes me want to toss my head and whip my tresses in a Gee-your-hair-smells-terrific kind of way. My hair is already straight but more on the unruly side and that's where the straightening part helps. These products give me that sleek straightness without feeling weighted down and cruddy from too much hair goop.




Disclosure: These products were received complimentary of Influenster for testing purposes. All opinions are my own.

Love that stormy weather

There's been quite a few thunderstorms around here lately. This makes me so happy and also somewhat of an oddity because it seems most people don't like or, fear lightning. I find those people weird but that's me.

Sadly though these storms don't last long and are a bit weak by New Jersey standards. I'm used to lightning that lights up a dark room like a disco globe and thunder that literally shakes the house.  However, the scenery here is better. Watching lightning bolts and flashes with the mountain as a backdrop is beautiful and awe-inspiring. 

Anyway, I don't mind the rain so long as there's thunder and lightning.  I mean, if I'm going to get wet then I want to at least be entertained.

Letter (of thanks and explanation) to the car insurance rep

Edited to change James' location. This morning while blow drying my hair I realized that I made a mistake. James is from Arizona and I should have remembered that considering we briefly talked about Lake Havasu and Phoenix and his proximity to both. Why it came to me at that moment I have no clue. At least I didn't recall my error while I was on the toilet because how embarrassing would that have been? Although I have gotten some good ideas while seated there. Anyway, the supervisor on call who I spoke with to praise James and his great service (And who's name I sadly don't remember) was from the Midwest. 



Dear James, Otherwise Known As, The Poor, Unfortunate Insurance Sales Rep Who Took My Call When I Was Purchasing A New Vehicle,


Let me start by saying that I am not a raving lunatic. I know I mentioned that during the course of our conversation but I just wanted to reaffirm that and get it out of the way.

Thank you for all of your help, your patience and courteousness. And for putting up with my unusual level of chattiness. When I'm nervous or stressed out I tend to talk a lot and let's face it buying a new car can be a bit stressful. But you handled my endless ranting so well and even humored me as I asked you several many questions.

In addition to my Chatty Cathy persona under duress, I also sometimes slip back into reporter mode and ask a lot of questions. I might say it's an old occupational hazard, but really I'm just deflecting my nervousness. That and I'm just plain nosy.

I hope you made some progress working on your car. It was certainly a nice weekend for it, even though you were in the Midwest somewhere especially with you being next door in Arizona. Your work hours are brutal but after doing them for the past 7 months you must be used to it. I'm a self-confessed night owl and even I think working the 5pm-midnight shift is icky.

Anyway, I appreciate how quickly you were able to get my paperwork together and faxed over to the dealership, despite how distracting our phone conversation was. Also, I'm glad to have brightened your night and made you laugh and probably given you something to gossip around the  water-cooler about. I had this one lady call to switch her policy to a new car and boy! did she talk my ear off. She was funny and just this side of crazy.

Now that I think about it, I could have had a couple of drinks to take the edge off but even here in permissive Las Vegas, it's considered inappropriate to buy a new car while intoxicated. Go figure. Still, the phone conversation would have been far more amusing.The ride home, not so much.

Thanks again!

Sincerely,

Sandy, the Jabber Jaw

Feeling the earth move under our feet

Friday we had a small earthquake. So small that many people didn't even know it happened until asked, Did you feel the earthquake? I googled it for confirmation and lo and behold, at 11:47 AM the earth shook in Las Vegas. I thought I felt some rumbling but I chalked it up to hunger. Or a side effect of the previous night's dinner.

Whatever, it's been the talk of the town this weekend. Some people say they felt it. Or they know someone who did. I didn't feel it but my cousin's sister's friend's hair stylist did. Bill was disappointed because he wanted to experience it. I told him that next time he's asleep I'll jump up and down on the bed and that should satisfy his curiosity.

I got to experience an earthquake once when me and my bestie were on vacation in California. I remember we were on the bed watching TV and all of a sudden everything started violently shaking. We were so clueless; we had no idea what was happening. We thought maybe something had hit the building. Then the breaking news came on to announce the quake.

Anyway, you know that scene in the movie Twister, when Bill, Jo and Bill's annoying fiance are in his truck and get side-swiped by two tornadoes, and after the initial fear and panic and tornadoes are gone, Bill and Jo look at each other and laugh and have this mini celebration?

Yeah well, me and my bff were a bit like that except with less hugging but equal excitement. This was many years ago so you can see, I was always a bit weird. Hey, it's not just the little things that make me happy. (Found a dollar in my pocket. Score!) It's the big, scary stuff, too, like living through Mother Nature's wrath. Bill and I love the above part in the movie and swear we would react the same way. And I've always thought there should be a ride modeled after this scene. Universal Studios, I'm lookin' at you.

If you ask me a question, be prepared for an unusual reply

I might have mentioned that there has been a lot of construction and new home building going on in my area. Yay for progress! But sometimes the added traffic really blows. However, that's not what this post is about. I have a curious mind. A little twisted but still quite curious and so with all of this building I want to know if any bodies have been unearthed?

I admit at first it seems like a morbid and odd question. But, if you know me, you know that it's not that odd. Allow me to explain my reason for asking. Back in the day when only the Vegas Strip and downtown areas were inhabited, where I live was nothing but desert. And in those days the Mob ran things and probably traveled out here to dispose of their enemies, never thinking that one day people might be living here. I can't be the only one to think of this.

So with that in mind, a contractor could have dug up a body or two. Maybe a torso or a skull. I haven't heard anything yet and I check the news almost daily. Unless someone did find something and they're keeping it hushed up so as not to alarm potential buyers. I don't know why, though. I would consider it a selling point. But that's just me.

My only concern would be that they remove the body before building on it because no one wants to have a Poltergeist situation on their hands. While it might be cool to turn around and find your kitchen chairs stacked on your kitchen table in pyramid formation or to go sliding down the kitchen floor, I draw the line at monster trees and your kid being held captive in some demon dimension.

My mom and I were discussing all the construction going on. She wants to know if they plan to build any new schools to accommodate all the families with kids moving in. Good question. She asked what I thought and I replied with my question about finding any bodies. Then she gave me a look that was a cross between How can I be sure there wasn't a mix-up in the hospital when you were born and Lord, where did I go wrong?  She's never not sorry that she asks these questions. In my defense, she really should know better by now.

Anyway, I decided that the next time Bill and I go check out some newly built houses (Because we're nosy Josies, not that we're looking to move) and the sales rep asks if we have any questions I'm going to reply, Have your contractors found any bodies? It's a valid question. And I'm sure it's one they haven't been asked before. I anticipate a similar look to the one my mother gave me.

Road signs and their concerns and questions

Is it me or does something look different around here? Oh yeah, I changed the background color, some fonts and made a few other modifications. Call it Spring Cleaning. Or boredom. Now on to today's post. Yes, another blog entry so close to the last one. It's like the old days when I actually had more than 4 posts in a month. I'm almost giddy with excitement over this. Almost.
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A week ago we went to Mt. Charleston for the day. Chris was on Spring Break so we took advantage of the beautiful day. It was also about 20 degrees cooler, too. We even saw patches of snow and Chris was able to make a sloppy snowball and throw it at his dad. That made his day. The snow playing, not the snowball throwing. Anyway, the views were amazing and the air was clear.

While driving around I saw some signs that made me laugh and so I had Bill pull over so I could take a picture of one. I'm not sure what to make of this.

I'm more concerned with this sign.

Who's concerned? And why? I saw no water around to be concerned about. Unless they mean the water being supplied to the people who live here. But that would be more of a plumbing issue I think. Then again, I don't live here so it doesn't really concern me.


There was also a sign that said one mile with an arrow and a question mark. I couldn't get a picture of that sign without making Bill pull over precariously close to the edge of a 20 ft drop but it made me laugh nonetheless. Here's a crude reproduction I drew but you get the general idea.

I mean if they don't know what's up ahead then by all means let's just drive along and be surprised. It'll be an adventure!

We plan on visiting there again (the mountain, not the sign), maybe when there's more snow for Chris to play in. Hopefully the questions and concerns are diminished by then.

Disappointing pizza and darn good burgers

I'm not a foodie blogger and I don't pretend to be one either. However, I'd like to make a few foodie mentions. These are just mine (and the husband's) opinions and observations so take it with a grain of salt. Or pepper. Or cumin.

I'm not a fan of Papa John's Pizza but the husband is. He recently tried the bacon cheeseburger pizza that they've been advertising. And he was so disappointed. We had to take out the microscope to look for the bacon and meat. You know how in the commercial the little boy keeps saying Are you kidding me? Yeah, Bill said the same thing. He contacted the company to tell them his bacon cheeseburger pizza lacked the bacon and burger and they said someone would be in touch to follow up. That was more than a week ago. He's still waiting.

We're not the types to complain about every little thing but sometimes we let companies know if we're unhappy with something. And we do it in a nice way not like assholes who make a stink and expect something free to make up for it. By the same token we praise businesses if their services and products are great.

Saturday night we went to 5 Guys Burgers. This place makes the most amazing burgers I've ever eaten. I tried to eat my cheeseburger slow enough to enjoy it but basically inhaled the thing like an animal. So good. Even my picky son said he was blown away by their hot dogs. Then Chris and I wrote on their Appreciation Board. He drew a pic of a brain exploding and wrote Mind Blown under it.

It's funny because everyone is so excited that White Castle has finally come to Vegas and I was like White Who? Seriously.

The owner handed me a card and asked if I would contact their representative and give my thoughts on our dinner. So I called and basically told the woman who answered that this place is the Mt. Olympus of burgers.

I hope the company rep lets that particular store know that someone gave them rave reviews. I mean if I had called complaining that they forget the mayo on my bun they would probably let the owner know immediately. Complaints are so easy to give, pass on and believe. It should be the same with praise and recognition.

I freely admit that I'm a scaredy cat

Yesterday while I was out running errands I came across this:

Step right in, past the razor sharp teeth.

This is one of three Haunted Houses being set-up near where I live. So, naturally, I got out of my car and took a pic which I posted to Facebook specifically for one of my friends who has a fear of clowns. (Just so you know, I did this in jest and she took it as such. I'm not a complete meanie.)

I remember seeing the flyers advertising this huge Halloween attraction and so I did some googling research. Two of the houses are your run-of-the-mill spooky haunts. People in ripped/bloody/scary clothes acting out all kinds of horror shows. The above is called "Circus of Horrors"and the other is called "Castle Vampyre".

The husband is all over this shit. Me? No. Hell, no. Read on.

Then there's the third Haunted House called, "The Gates of Hell". Of course with a name like that, how could I resist?  (That's sarcasm, there). But wait, it gets better. The sub-heading is called, "The Victim Experience II" because last year's "Victim Experience I" was such a huge hit with all the scare lovers!

Now, let's take a closer look at this and see exactly why, even if I wasn't such a Scaredy McFraidypants I will NOT be going. GoH is rated R for mature audiences. (Who you callin' mature??) And, there's a list of rules and regulations. The big one is that in buying the tickets and entering you are allowing the actors to not only violate your personal space but to get handsy because you are after all, the Victim. There's even a safe word! So, thanks, but no thanks. The closest I get to any of this is reading about it from the safety of my own weird little home.

Considering how de-sensitized to violence our society has become, this really does sound brilliant. Not enough to make me go, but still.

I've always thought it would be cool to be an actor in a haunted house. I know, this makes no sense because I'm not a fan of them as a 'guest' but I think actually doing the scaring is a different matter. I know this makes me a loser in that whole 'you can dish it out but you can't take it' way. However, to be fair, I have gone to my share of haunted houses in the past. I always got picked on, too, despite the brave "you can't scare me" face I put on. Maybe because I was the shortest?

When it comes to candy, that's a different matter. On Halloween I go right up to the front door no matter how spooky the houses are decorated. I won't let a little scare keep me from my sweets, I mean, keep my kid from his treats.

In New Jersey, there was a house around the corner from where we lived that went all out one Halloween. They would "plant" actors to stand on line with you (yes, there was a line it was that popular) as you waited to get candy. Then the other characters would periodically drag these actors away seemingly against their will. It was scary and cool at the same time.


Who out there is skeered of haunted houses and who loves to get the crap scared outta them?

Start spreading the news but use a chalkboard

A week ago Little Man and I went to New York New York casino because I thought it would be fun. For a Friday afternoon. On the Strip. I'm ridiculous that way. Normally we try to avoid the Strip on weekends like the plague because it's full of tourists and while I am grateful of their visit because it pays our taxes they sometimes annoy me  provoke me to a murderous rage get on my nerves. Anyway,  NYNY has this huge arcade called Coney Island so I loaded us up with quarters and dollars and off we went.

After playing for a while he eventually got bored so we wandered around inside and then took a brief walk out on the faux Brooklyn Bridge. Outside the casino on a side wall they have a big blackboard with chalk for visitors to write stuff.

Spreading the news

I know it's not very original, however, in my defense, I was with my kid or else I might have written something inappropriate. Then again, when has that ever stopped me?

If we can make it here...

Another view. We may not be A number one but we were top of the list, or at the very least, top of the chalkboard. Anyway,  we had a good time. We wanted to be a part of it New York, New York. And we were.

[Forgive the lyrical references to the song, "New York, New York" but I was trying to be clever. Note the word "trying".]

Hump Day Confessional

It's Hump Day so hump along with me. You know you want to.

I guess my first confession should be that I got a new job. Details to come since I'm just officially starting today.  I admit that I hate this part of it, the beginning. I've got first day jitters and all. I wish I could fast-forward six months so I would be settled into the job but then I'd miss the summer and it would be Christmas and I'm not about to rush things when Christmas already seems to start the day after Halloween these days.

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It's been windy as all hell here in Sin City lately. I mean hang-on-to-your-wigs windy. I am so over it. Seriously, I moved here for the warm weather, I didn't sign up for this. If I wanted to live in a windy clime I'd have located us to Chicago.

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This blog needs to start earning its keep. I sent some pitch letters and have been interacting with other blogs  and I've been thinking that maybe I should offer baked goods as a way to lure potential sponsors/advertisers for my blog. Hey, I'm not above a little bribery if that's what it takes. Brownie, anyone?

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That's all I got for ya. I'm gonna sit here and eat some cookies while I read others' confessions.

I confess these 3 things

In which I bare my soul or share the obvious (depending on whether you're a newbie or a regular). In either case, hello! For my very first "confessions" post I thought I would share some random  3 things.


3 things my blog is noted for:
Funny stories
Pop Culture references (lots of them)
Diabetes

3 things I can't live without:
My family (except when they make me nuts)
Water
My TV (but only on Tuesday nights because I'm addicted to "Justified".)

3 things I love about living in Las Vegas:
Warm weather
Excellent JDRF chapter
90% of the year there is sunshine (does this fall under the warm weather answer? aww nuts to this!)

3 things I miss about New Jersey:
My friends
The food! (Fellow Jerseyans reading this please send me pizza. And some bagels. Thx!)
The Jersey Shore (not the show, but the actual beach and boardwalk)

3 reasons you should totally read/follow my blog:
I'm funny!
I'm delusional (see answer #1 to this question)
I'll give you freshly made chocolate chip cookies.


Thanks for reading!

Vampires and the MOB: Signs I saw around town

In my medical travels these past couple weeks, I ran across the following signs. The first one was written and displayed by the phlebotomist where I had to get blood work done. I sat down, looked up, and giggled when I saw it because I always refer to these professionals as such. I asked him if his name was Jason, just to make sure, and he said yes. I did not ask him the other thing.
In case it's hard to read, the sign says: "Hi my name is Jason and I'll be your Vampire."

Truth in advertising?

 

At the endocrinologist with Chris, I saw this sign in the parking lot. Naturally my mind read this in the literal sense and not as an acronym for Medical Office Building. Should I park here when I want to hear them make me an offer I can't refuse?

Apparently organized crime has so many visitors it needs its own parking lot.

These things make mine the hap-hap-happiest Christmas since Bing Crosby tap-danced with Danny effin Kaye

There are certain traditions that I uphold every year for Christmas. much to the amusement (or misery depending on how you look at it) to my husband. These simple little repeated customs make me happy. And that's a good thing. So, in the spirit of the season, I'm going to share a few of the things I look forward to every Christmas without fail.

It doesn't matter how old I get, watching A Charlie Brown Christmas is a must. And Chris watches it with me which makes it even better. By that same token I watch Christmas Vacation every year as well. At least several times during the season. I know it by heart but that doesn't matter because it never gets old. Is it wrong that my kid loves this movie as much as I do?

Hearing the Waitresses sing Christmas Wrapping is a must. Sure some people love traditional songs like White Christmas or Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire and I enjoy them, too, but this song is just fun. And maybe I love it because it's non-traditional to others. Here, give it a listen.

Ever since moving out here we started the tradition of going to the Bellagio hotel & casino to see their conservatory all decorated in a Christmas theme with tons of flowers. They change the look for each holiday/season but the Christmas one is truly beautiful. It's a monster tourist trap but I endure the mobs of people (thank you for paying our taxes!) because I love it. For the first two years here we had Chris pose among some of the displays and used the pic for our annual Christmas card.

A few days before Christmas we drive around and look at the lights and decorations on people's houses. We play music and drive aimlessly throughout the neighborhood, which admittedly looks very stalkerish or at the very least like we're casing out the joint for future burglary but so far no one has called Metro to report us so we'll continue with it this year.

All these things mean Christmas to me. Without them the holiday would be like poorly lit Christmas lights. Clark, the little lights aren't twinkling.

Hurray for cold weather or, why those in colder climes will hate me

It's 40-something degrees out and this morning there were snow flurries. In the desert!! I know, pretty wild.

Now, I'm a big fan of summer and I love the hot weather, which makes sense considering I live in the middle of a desert that averages warm temps 9 months out of the year. However, this cold front makes me happy.

Why? Because I'm one of those weird believers that you need cold winter weather for it to feel Christmassy. Having grown up in northern New Jersey for most of my life where cold and Christmas go hand-in-hand like, well, like a hand in a glove, this is nice.

I think I'm the only one who feels this way in the Vegas Valley. I was smiling in my heavy jacket and boots as I walked from my car to the store this afternoon. It was cool and it was windy and I didn't care.

My mom, who was wearing a sweater and turning up the heat in her house as she sipped hot tea said, "It's going to be cold like this for the next few days." My reply was, "I know! Isn't it great?" To which she gave me that familiar you can't be my child look as she shook her head.

I know it won't last and soon it'll warm up to at least the 50s. And I'm sure all those living way up North or in the snowy Mid-west who are freezing their rump roasts off and have already had to dig themselves out of a snowy mess may want to lynch me but still. Call me old-fashioned (or an idiot) but I'd rather see Santa in his warm, red suit flying his sleigh than in his shorts and flip flops delivering toys in his dune buggy.

Vegas-styled Halloween costumes

Here's something I wrote up last year and hoped to publish somewhere but I never quite got around to it. 

Where else can you walk down the street and see Spiderman standing next to a Darth Vader, who’s talking to Woody the Toy Story cowboy? Las Vegas of course! And that’s not even on Halloween.

Seriously, if you do plan to get your fright on this Halloween but you don’t want to do the zombie thing like everyone else, you can kick it old school Sin City style with these 6 Vegas-themed costume ideas. You may even want to go hang out on the Strip, although your costume might seem normal by comparison.

1. Showgirl – All you need is high heels and a sequined outfit. Don’t forget the huge feathery headdress or you might be mistaken for a club-going tourist. Or a member of “Jersey Shore”.

2. Elvis – Gold jacket, leather outfit or white jumpsuit. Because Elvis and Vegas go together like bacon and eggs. Just remember, you aren’t authorized to marry anyone. Walking a drunken bride down the aisle is acceptable.

3. Any member of the Rat Pack – All you need is a suit and a cigarette. And a hat if you want to be Ol Blue Eyes. Or a tumbler filled with liquor for those dressing up as Dino.

4. Old style mob figure – Another costume where just a natty suit is needed. And maybe a fake gun or two. You can also get creative and make it look like you took a few bullets. Two gunshots in the head and you could say you were Bugsy Siegel.

5. Siegfried & Roy – Flamboyant outfits and a serious tan are all that’s needed with this. Since it is Halloween, you could make your neck all bloody looking and go as Roy when he was attacked. A tiger completes the outfit, however, you may want to consider a plush toy in lieu of the real thing because we all know how that turned out. 

6. Wayne Newton – Slick your dark hair back, get a spray on tan, grab a microphone and you’re all set. Just watch out for financial creditors while crooning “Danke Schoen”.

5 things I love about Summer

Summer's here and the living is easy. I do love this time of year and for many reasons. So I decided to write down the top 5 things I love about Summer:

5. The deliciousness of it all.
Fruits, ice cream, and cold glasses of iced tea. It's all yummy goodness especially in the heat. And it's good for you! Bet you never thought I'd talk about healthy eating here. (Maybe the heat's getting to me.)

4. Longer days.
I remember being a kid and getting to play from morning till late evenings. I still love that it gets dark much later. I may not run around chasing fireflies or playing tag at night like I used to but I do enjoy sitting out on the patio, just chillin'.

3. Water fun.
Swimming pools and water parks. There's nothing better than sitting in a pool with blue skies above and the mountains all around. 

2. Easy does it.
People always seem to go at a slower and easier pace in the summertime. Maybe it's because of the heat but I like that there's no hurrying. (Unless I'm in the car and need to get somewhere and the car in front of me is going at a snail's pace. Then I become a road lunatic.)

1. Hot! Hot! Hot!
Anyone who knows me knows I'm not a fan of cold weather. That being said I do love living in Vegas where the weather is noticeably and preferably(to me) warmer. We do get our cold winter spells but they usually last only two months or so. Summer's here are hot and I looooove it!

Vegas summers usually last from late April to mid-October (which the natives call Groundhog Summer). I don't mind this at all.