Business Traveller

Last night, I turned on the news, and saw a report about some big fires raging through California at the moment. They then focused specifically on a large fire that is raging in the Bay Area, and interviewed some residents.

One resident stood out – with his name given as “Mike Litoris” (say it out loud if you don’t get it straight away). Good on the guy for slipping that through, and shame on the editor for not getting it! Bart would be proud!

Update: – You can see the actual report here

This may not make any sense at all, but Vegas is terrible – and Vegas is fantastic.

It’s dirty, greedy, amoral, lustful, and everything that is wrong in this world. It’s also fucking awesome!

First, my big disappointment – I didn’t see one Elvis impersonator. Not one! Not even a dude with a retro Elvissy hairstyle walking around. What’s happened to this world when you can go to Vegas and not see a single Elvis impersonator? I even asked people. They told me that there are always a bunch at the MGM Grand. I got there, but no. Then they told me to go to the South End of the strip. Nothing. Not even a hint of a white jumpsuit…

Now for the good stuff. I might be slightly odd for a man, in that I yearn for the days when you could just go to a good old fashioned strip show. There would be a girl on the stage getting her kit off, and you could appreciate without participating. These days it’s all lap-dancing, which – while being nice and all – is just too in-your-face for me. Queue Vegas shows. They have taken strip shows, and turned them into massive productions. Awesome.

On to the people. I’ve often wondered why so many of the people I have spoken to here in California have told me that they have never left the state – except to go to Vegas. I think I understand it now. Most Americans spend most of their lives trying to live this white-bread purer than pure life. They don’t drink, don’t smoke, don’t swear, and go to church (which-ever one it happens to be). Vegas is a place where it’s OK to be the opposite. They have this saying – “What happens in Vegas – stays in Vegas”, and people very politely don’t ask about details of what you did there – because they know…

Tomorrow morning, I drop the puppies off at Camp 4 Paws, where they will be spending the weekend playing like mad things with other dogs, and a bunch of people that genuinely love the dogs that they babysit. Then it’s off to the airport, and Vegas baby!

While there, I will do a wee bit of gambling, a whole lot of partying, and at least one lap dance…

Anybody with any suggestions of other things to do, please feel free to add them here (although the first person to reccommend seeing Celene Dione gets bitch-slapped)

I spent the 4th of July weekend in Carmel (Clint Eastwood’s hometown), and the weather was shitty.

One really cool thing, though – in amongst the Porsches, Ferraris, Mazeratis and other assorted sportscars that were parked or driving around the streets of Carmel was a guy driving the Batmobile. I shit you not. It was the one from the first batman movie with Michael Keaton.

Poor guy was having a terrible time trying to steer it through the little streets in Carmel, but hey, if you’re driving the batmobile, who cares!

I tried to get a photo, but by the time I got my camera out, he was gone…