At the end of the day at Six Flags Magic Mountain, into the evening in mid-December, I stopped in again at the main souvenir store to see what Superman t-shirts they had. Not any with the logo. I wanted a Superman t-shirt with the Man of Steel himself on it. I wanted to see his face, his power, and wear it proudly.
I first spotted a Superman t-shirt in a heavy duty can. Pop the top off and you find a black t-shirt wrapped tighter than you think a t-shirt could be. It was like a small block in my hand. I liked the image of Superman plowing through the black color of the t-shirt and his name above him in bright yellow letters with red rectangles on top of each letter to simulate speed. Perfect.
Two days after that visit, I unwrapped the t-shirt and found it severely wrinkled, as was to be expected from how it had been packaged. A trip in the washing machine and then the dryer eliminated some of the wrinkles, but not all. At least the shirt smelled clean.
I must have put it in the wash a second time, though I don't remember when, because I found it in the far left stack of t-shirts in my closet and was thinking about wearing it on our food shopping errands earlier this evening. It fit, but the sleeves made it an impossible t-shirt for me. They were so short, nearly reaching my shoulders, and I'm more modest than that. I will never be one who wears a sleeveless t-shirt, and I never liked tank tops either. I wore them when I was younger, but that was it.
So I gave the t-shirt to Meridith, who's excited to have it since she's a huge Superman fan. I am too, but she was first. She easily wears nearly sleeveless t-shirts. I prefer t-shirts with sleeves that end a few inches above the crook of my arm. I never thought about this at length until finding that that shirt didn't fit. It's always been an automatic part of who I am. Fortunately, I have a gray Superman t-shirt with the Six Flags logo on it, and that suits me because the sleeves are more reasonable.
No short shorts for me either. I'm not that brave.
Friday, April 27, 2012
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Tidbits from the Ninth Issue of The Henderson Press
This could not wait to fall in line as the first tidbit: Don Logay has the top story on the front page of the ninth issue of The Henderson Press, Vol. 2, No. 4, dated February 24-March 9, 2011. It's about what went on at the opening of Ravella at Lake Las Vegas, the new hotel in that resort region. His article is so obviously a booster piece, but his quiet enthusiasm for the area always comes through so wonderfully. He cheers, but he doesn't slobber. He overdoes the adjectives this time, such as "wonderfully warm" weather, and "warm and gloriously sunny" day, but considering the area had nearly become a shell after Ritz-Carlton closed the year before in the same location, it's understandable, but only just, since it almost reads like a press release from the resort itself rather than a newspaper article. But when he sticks to the facts, he writes as well as he always has. I still appreciate the article for those facts, for learning what Ravella has, and storing it in my memory. I may not think about it all the time as I do with Nevada overall, but it's there.
And now to the rest of this issue:
- There's a quarter-page ad for Skyline Restaurant & Casino, touting "Loosest Machines," "Most Liberal Comps," and "Friendliest Staff." I want to see what kind of slot machines they have, because even though I won't gamble regularly--and even then it'll be very small--I want to finally pick out a favorite machine. I've got my favorite pinball machines at the Pinball Hall of Fame on East Tropicana Avenue, but I also like the meditative quality of slot machines. Not only do I consider whatever's going on in my life, but I wonder about the machine itself, who came up with the idea, if it was expanded at any meetings, how many iterations it went through before final approval, and the work of making the machine itself.
- Here's another "Only in Las Vegas" thing: Blood donations in Henderson done through United Blood Services throughout February earn donors a voucher for two free tickets to Defending the Caveman, a one-man play performed by Kevin Burke at Harrah's. Makes me even more proud to soon be part of Southern Nevada.
- Jennifer Twitchell's latest "Family Matters" column is really good once again, talking about being three days past her due date, and how she should be more attuned to what's wonderful about parenting. It is for her, but what she thought she was stating as fact, such as "heartburn" and "no sleep," sounded negative to her grandmother. This is her best column thus far, enough to make me ignore her use of "whilst" instead of "while." If she was British, I'd understand the usage.
- Twitchell also has a profile about the "It's a Gas" science exhibit at Galleria at Sunset, which has the twofold purpose of informing and promoting the Henderson Space and Science Center, which its board hopes to open "in about five years." There's exhibits and demonstrations on nitrogen, oxygen, and other gases, on the first floor next to Dillard's. That kind of wonderful incongruity is what makes Galleria at Sunset my kind of mall. This is what Twitchell's best at: Great care for the community and what it offers.
- And Twitchell cares yet again, about the 10th Annual Moms and Muffins benefit at John Dooley Elementary, which puts the money earned back into the school. Those who think Las Vegas, and by extension Henderson and Summerlin, are only about casinos and fast, easy entertainment are very wrong. There are communities here. There are people that care here.
- On page 13, color ad for Baskin-Robbins offers a free single-scoop cone with the purchase of one. Valid only at the location at 510 South Boulder Highway "(and Basic Road)".
- On page 14, the ad for Johnny Mac's offers half-price pizza on Wednesdays and a 1-topping pizza for $10 on Sundays. Above both is "Daily Specials," so I would assume that they offer more than that during the week.
- The Henderson Press, at least in these early issues, are very selective about their "Letters to the Editor" section. One of the criteria seems to be that letters be thoughtful and well-written enough to get their point across clearly, without resorting to ranting and raving. In this issue is a letter to the editor from Ligeia Will of Henderson, headlined "Support Services Often Overlook Single Moms," vividly about her experiences from looking for work to becoming homeless, living in a shelter, and then finally getting housing, apparently below homeless men and Section 8 people in Clark County's priorities. She makes a lot of sobering points, important points that should be considered.
- Under "Corrections" is a long list of one from Gail Rattigan, director of the Dr. Joel and Carol Bower School-Based Health Center. He wrote about vaccines given by the center, and got facts and names very wrong (including spelling wrong the name wrong of one senior nursing student who gives the vaccines, as well as her mother's name). I don't know if that's why his byline is nowhere in this issue, but it is a relief to have a break from him, and the newspaper reads a lot stronger, free from being bogged down by Couzens's wandering articles. I'm sure he'll be back in the next issue, and so I hope his articles are like the article he wrote for the eighth issue about the City of Henderson receiving $6.6 million for flood control. When he concentrates fully on the facts, when he doesn't worry so much about how to write an article, as I suspect he does based on past evidence, he's an informative writer. He gets it.
- All of page 20 is given over to where The Henderson Press can be found, based on zip code. And there's a lot of places, including Barnes & Noble, Lucky Star Chinese Buffet, Hot Rod Grill, Henderson Hobbies, 155 Water Cafe, and so many others. This is as a community newspaper should be. It spreads; it reaches.
- Still no Corollas on offer in the transportation ads.
This was a comfortable issue, well-connected to the community itself. From here, The Henderson Press is starting to find the necessary balance of hard news and an attentive focus on the people who live in Henderson. This works.
And now to the rest of this issue:
- There's a quarter-page ad for Skyline Restaurant & Casino, touting "Loosest Machines," "Most Liberal Comps," and "Friendliest Staff." I want to see what kind of slot machines they have, because even though I won't gamble regularly--and even then it'll be very small--I want to finally pick out a favorite machine. I've got my favorite pinball machines at the Pinball Hall of Fame on East Tropicana Avenue, but I also like the meditative quality of slot machines. Not only do I consider whatever's going on in my life, but I wonder about the machine itself, who came up with the idea, if it was expanded at any meetings, how many iterations it went through before final approval, and the work of making the machine itself.
- Here's another "Only in Las Vegas" thing: Blood donations in Henderson done through United Blood Services throughout February earn donors a voucher for two free tickets to Defending the Caveman, a one-man play performed by Kevin Burke at Harrah's. Makes me even more proud to soon be part of Southern Nevada.
- Jennifer Twitchell's latest "Family Matters" column is really good once again, talking about being three days past her due date, and how she should be more attuned to what's wonderful about parenting. It is for her, but what she thought she was stating as fact, such as "heartburn" and "no sleep," sounded negative to her grandmother. This is her best column thus far, enough to make me ignore her use of "whilst" instead of "while." If she was British, I'd understand the usage.
- Twitchell also has a profile about the "It's a Gas" science exhibit at Galleria at Sunset, which has the twofold purpose of informing and promoting the Henderson Space and Science Center, which its board hopes to open "in about five years." There's exhibits and demonstrations on nitrogen, oxygen, and other gases, on the first floor next to Dillard's. That kind of wonderful incongruity is what makes Galleria at Sunset my kind of mall. This is what Twitchell's best at: Great care for the community and what it offers.
- And Twitchell cares yet again, about the 10th Annual Moms and Muffins benefit at John Dooley Elementary, which puts the money earned back into the school. Those who think Las Vegas, and by extension Henderson and Summerlin, are only about casinos and fast, easy entertainment are very wrong. There are communities here. There are people that care here.
- On page 13, color ad for Baskin-Robbins offers a free single-scoop cone with the purchase of one. Valid only at the location at 510 South Boulder Highway "(and Basic Road)".
- On page 14, the ad for Johnny Mac's offers half-price pizza on Wednesdays and a 1-topping pizza for $10 on Sundays. Above both is "Daily Specials," so I would assume that they offer more than that during the week.
- The Henderson Press, at least in these early issues, are very selective about their "Letters to the Editor" section. One of the criteria seems to be that letters be thoughtful and well-written enough to get their point across clearly, without resorting to ranting and raving. In this issue is a letter to the editor from Ligeia Will of Henderson, headlined "Support Services Often Overlook Single Moms," vividly about her experiences from looking for work to becoming homeless, living in a shelter, and then finally getting housing, apparently below homeless men and Section 8 people in Clark County's priorities. She makes a lot of sobering points, important points that should be considered.
- Under "Corrections" is a long list of one from Gail Rattigan, director of the Dr. Joel and Carol Bower School-Based Health Center. He wrote about vaccines given by the center, and got facts and names very wrong (including spelling wrong the name wrong of one senior nursing student who gives the vaccines, as well as her mother's name). I don't know if that's why his byline is nowhere in this issue, but it is a relief to have a break from him, and the newspaper reads a lot stronger, free from being bogged down by Couzens's wandering articles. I'm sure he'll be back in the next issue, and so I hope his articles are like the article he wrote for the eighth issue about the City of Henderson receiving $6.6 million for flood control. When he concentrates fully on the facts, when he doesn't worry so much about how to write an article, as I suspect he does based on past evidence, he's an informative writer. He gets it.
- All of page 20 is given over to where The Henderson Press can be found, based on zip code. And there's a lot of places, including Barnes & Noble, Lucky Star Chinese Buffet, Hot Rod Grill, Henderson Hobbies, 155 Water Cafe, and so many others. This is as a community newspaper should be. It spreads; it reaches.
- Still no Corollas on offer in the transportation ads.
This was a comfortable issue, well-connected to the community itself. From here, The Henderson Press is starting to find the necessary balance of hard news and an attentive focus on the people who live in Henderson. This works.
New DVD Reviews
Five DVD reviews of mine were posted on Movie Gazette Online since El Bulli: Cooking in Progress. I like single-disc releases such as that one because I can write something right away, whereas with, say, Doc Martin: Series 5, which I'm currently watching for a review, it takes time for a review to form. I'm not in a rush or anything, but sometimes I want to write right away. I've got my novel, so that helps, but to write for readers, I like being immediate. But then, the DVD sets that take time to review can elicit richer writings that explore what's involved in a show, what makes it work, or what doesn't work.
If the DVD set is really good, I don't mind it, and having received the miniseries, Washington: Behind Closed Doors, a fictionalized take on the Nixon administration, I'm going to watch it all because of the presidential aspect. Normally, I don't watch all of a DVD set. I can't, because some reach well over eight hours. For a review that's usually less than 1,000 words, it's not necessary to watch everything. But I love how each DVD review differs, that I watched I, Claudius: 35th Anniversary Edition, and just recently finished Hazel: The Complete Second Season. Yesterday, Rebecca Wright, the head of Movie Gazette Online, forwarded a press release about Tom and Jerry: Around the World, asking if anyone wanted to review it. I do, because I like Tom and Jerry, though my favorite animated character is Popeye. By the time this DVD comes, I'll probably have watched the Carlos Mencia DVD I'm expecting, written a review of Doc Martin: Series 5, and started watching a German film called Young Goethe in Love (owing to my desire to watch more foreign films after seeing We Have a Pope three Fridays ago at The Landmark in Los Angeles). In DVD reviews, there's always something different to watch, and even though that was true of Film Threat, I feel far less pressure now because I don't want to be a full-time film critic anymore. I can have fun with this, and I am.
Here are my new DVD reviews, from earliest to latest:
Patton Oswalt: Finest Hour
I, Claudius: 35th Anniversary Edition
The Getting of Wisdom
Titanic (2012)
Hazel: The Complete Second Season
If the DVD set is really good, I don't mind it, and having received the miniseries, Washington: Behind Closed Doors, a fictionalized take on the Nixon administration, I'm going to watch it all because of the presidential aspect. Normally, I don't watch all of a DVD set. I can't, because some reach well over eight hours. For a review that's usually less than 1,000 words, it's not necessary to watch everything. But I love how each DVD review differs, that I watched I, Claudius: 35th Anniversary Edition, and just recently finished Hazel: The Complete Second Season. Yesterday, Rebecca Wright, the head of Movie Gazette Online, forwarded a press release about Tom and Jerry: Around the World, asking if anyone wanted to review it. I do, because I like Tom and Jerry, though my favorite animated character is Popeye. By the time this DVD comes, I'll probably have watched the Carlos Mencia DVD I'm expecting, written a review of Doc Martin: Series 5, and started watching a German film called Young Goethe in Love (owing to my desire to watch more foreign films after seeing We Have a Pope three Fridays ago at The Landmark in Los Angeles). In DVD reviews, there's always something different to watch, and even though that was true of Film Threat, I feel far less pressure now because I don't want to be a full-time film critic anymore. I can have fun with this, and I am.
Here are my new DVD reviews, from earliest to latest:
Patton Oswalt: Finest Hour
I, Claudius: 35th Anniversary Edition
The Getting of Wisdom
Titanic (2012)
Hazel: The Complete Second Season
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Smooth, Peaceful Evening...in Santa Clarita?
Mom and Meridith wanted to go to Kohl's today to see if the bargains in the ad were truly so. *Insert joke here about how if there's a Kohl's in Germany, it's probably a museum about the former chancellor Helmut Kohl, who served from 1982 to 1998*
It was unusual for a Tuesday since here, we never go out on a Tuesday. We save errands for the weekend. But this was limited, and it couldn't wait.
First was OfficeMax in the back end of Valencia, in the same shopping center as Best Buy, which I now call Bankruptcy in HD. Mom saw in the OfficeMax ad that there was a Toshiba 24-inch Class LED 1080p HDTV for $159.20, down from $199. Naturally, if it's in the OfficeMax ad, our OfficeMax doesn't have it, as we found out. They had a bigger TV if we wanted. We didn't. But I needed more legal notepads, which I find more comfortable to write on and easier to grab than a full-size legal pad if I'm inspired to write. Plus, I jot notes on one while I'm watching a DVD or DVD set for review. I found a 12-pack that'll be enough for a while.
Then Kohl's, across from Whole Foods, that shopping center across from the Valencia Town Center Mall complex. No decent bargains for Mom and Meridith, but for me, I found a black t-shirt with the original Nintendo controller printed on it. All my printed t-shirts are aspects of who I am, and this one is also me, a fond reminder of all the hours and days I spent on the original Nintendo.
After this, dinner time. Chick-Fil-A? Five Guys? The food court at the mall? Lazy Dog Cafe? No. Johnny Rockets, across from Edwards Valencia 12, which we hadn't been to in so long and which offered an extensive shake menu. I had a strawberry Oreo crumble shake, and from my vantage point in our booth, a view of the street that passes that end of the Valencia Town Center Mall complex, and across that street, a few shops, leading into the apartment complex over there. The trees over at that end are wrapped in white string lights. And while waiting for a patty melt with fries, and my sister's chili dog and fries, and Mom and Dad's burgers, with onion rings for her and fries for him, I just stared out that window, amazed that Valencia could exude such peace. It feels so rushed during the day, so frantic, so much to do. Yet here it was, a Tuesday evening, and I understood why some who work in Los Angeles live here. It is calm relief. But what helps is that it feels like a hub, that there are at least a few things to do, fewer than what I find in Las Vegas, but still a few things to do, which is rare elsewhere in the valley. In Saugus, my area, not a damn thing. Down the street from where I live and then across that street, there's two known restaurants, a Papa John's takeout, a CVS, and that's mostly it in that shopping center since the only major activity during the day is a dentist's office and it's long closed by that time of the evening.
That Valencia view reminded me of a conversation we all had today, and the possibility, slight so far, of a development at the foot of the Las Vegas Strip that might suit all of us. It's for 55 and over, but by Nevada law, 18 and over is allowed in those places, so Meridith and I can live there too. I don't mind. I've never had real grandparents, and my maternal great-grandfather died when I was very young (though I knew him a bit), so it'd be nice to be surrounded by those who may have lived in Las Vegas for decades, who know exactly what I want to know about some of the history of it, who lived it! Plus a bookmobile comes by (either once a week or once a month, we're not sure, and we still have a lot more to find out), and there's various classes, and a newsletter (which I want to see if I can be part of, if this is where we choose to live), and bus transportation for residents to go where they need (limited routes though and it's only about two hours during the summer days). Plus, we'll be near the new Smith Center, which is Las Vegas's first cultural center, and I'm not far from the Pinball Hall of Fame.
I told Mom that the Valencia apartment was the best time we had in these eight years because it was located behind a shopping center and there were things to do all around us (including a short walk to the library), the mall was right there, and it felt lively because of all that. While this potential Las Vegas residence is very preliminary, it fits who we are. We visited Walt Disney World so often when I was a tyke that we might as well have lived there. In fact, we wanted to. We wanted to live closer to Disney World than Casselberry allowed us. Dr. Phillips, a suburb in Orlando, would have placed us even closer to Walt Disney World. In our adult lives, Las Vegas is to us now what Walt Disney World was to us then. The same sparks of imagination I felt there, I feel in Las Vegas. Nevertheless, I still want to know everything about Nevada, and that includes Henderson and Boulder City and all of that. I want to explore every inch of Southern Nevada. I'm serious about that. I will finally have roots, and I will make it count.
Tonight's outing reminded me that not everything has to be pushed to the weekend. Every single day of the week should be lived fully. Yeah, I'll hopefully be working as a full-time campus supervisor not long after we've moved, but that time after work is mine. I can go to the Pinball Hall of Fame. I can go to a library. I can go see a movie. I can spend my evening reading. I can drive the Strip. I can watch planes take off and land at McCarran. I can do so much. Life is not meant to only be lived on the weekend. As I told Mom, we need a drastic change in our lives and this could be it. We still have to explore it further, and we'll see what shakes out, but for now, it's a reminder of what we can do, what we can be, more that we can know. I believe I'll be a much better writer after we move, because of all that'll be around me, but I also believe that I'll be living much better. Most importantly, I'll be far happier than I am here. I have books, so I'm set, but place matters too. No doubt Las Vegas, Henderson, Boulder City, Summerlin and the rest of Nevada (Reno too, one day) will provide me with constant inspiration.
Plus, I've found my kind of baseball statistics. I want to memorize the headliners, Broadway-type shows, and other acts that have appeared at casinos on the Las Vegas Strip, how many days, months, years they've appeared there, and how many performances they did, going all the way back to when Las Vegas began offering that. I'll have a lot of fun with that!
Santa Clarita is good for very little, but tonight, it was a kind of peace offering. I've despised it for eight years, but I will not leave bitter. I appreciate what it did tonight, in that reminder of things to come, things to do even during a workweek, but I will not waste more time on it after I leave. I hope this is a sign that we are indeed getting closer. We have to be, but it feels more a lot more serious now, and more comfortable. I'm game for anything.
It was unusual for a Tuesday since here, we never go out on a Tuesday. We save errands for the weekend. But this was limited, and it couldn't wait.
First was OfficeMax in the back end of Valencia, in the same shopping center as Best Buy, which I now call Bankruptcy in HD. Mom saw in the OfficeMax ad that there was a Toshiba 24-inch Class LED 1080p HDTV for $159.20, down from $199. Naturally, if it's in the OfficeMax ad, our OfficeMax doesn't have it, as we found out. They had a bigger TV if we wanted. We didn't. But I needed more legal notepads, which I find more comfortable to write on and easier to grab than a full-size legal pad if I'm inspired to write. Plus, I jot notes on one while I'm watching a DVD or DVD set for review. I found a 12-pack that'll be enough for a while.
Then Kohl's, across from Whole Foods, that shopping center across from the Valencia Town Center Mall complex. No decent bargains for Mom and Meridith, but for me, I found a black t-shirt with the original Nintendo controller printed on it. All my printed t-shirts are aspects of who I am, and this one is also me, a fond reminder of all the hours and days I spent on the original Nintendo.
After this, dinner time. Chick-Fil-A? Five Guys? The food court at the mall? Lazy Dog Cafe? No. Johnny Rockets, across from Edwards Valencia 12, which we hadn't been to in so long and which offered an extensive shake menu. I had a strawberry Oreo crumble shake, and from my vantage point in our booth, a view of the street that passes that end of the Valencia Town Center Mall complex, and across that street, a few shops, leading into the apartment complex over there. The trees over at that end are wrapped in white string lights. And while waiting for a patty melt with fries, and my sister's chili dog and fries, and Mom and Dad's burgers, with onion rings for her and fries for him, I just stared out that window, amazed that Valencia could exude such peace. It feels so rushed during the day, so frantic, so much to do. Yet here it was, a Tuesday evening, and I understood why some who work in Los Angeles live here. It is calm relief. But what helps is that it feels like a hub, that there are at least a few things to do, fewer than what I find in Las Vegas, but still a few things to do, which is rare elsewhere in the valley. In Saugus, my area, not a damn thing. Down the street from where I live and then across that street, there's two known restaurants, a Papa John's takeout, a CVS, and that's mostly it in that shopping center since the only major activity during the day is a dentist's office and it's long closed by that time of the evening.
That Valencia view reminded me of a conversation we all had today, and the possibility, slight so far, of a development at the foot of the Las Vegas Strip that might suit all of us. It's for 55 and over, but by Nevada law, 18 and over is allowed in those places, so Meridith and I can live there too. I don't mind. I've never had real grandparents, and my maternal great-grandfather died when I was very young (though I knew him a bit), so it'd be nice to be surrounded by those who may have lived in Las Vegas for decades, who know exactly what I want to know about some of the history of it, who lived it! Plus a bookmobile comes by (either once a week or once a month, we're not sure, and we still have a lot more to find out), and there's various classes, and a newsletter (which I want to see if I can be part of, if this is where we choose to live), and bus transportation for residents to go where they need (limited routes though and it's only about two hours during the summer days). Plus, we'll be near the new Smith Center, which is Las Vegas's first cultural center, and I'm not far from the Pinball Hall of Fame.
I told Mom that the Valencia apartment was the best time we had in these eight years because it was located behind a shopping center and there were things to do all around us (including a short walk to the library), the mall was right there, and it felt lively because of all that. While this potential Las Vegas residence is very preliminary, it fits who we are. We visited Walt Disney World so often when I was a tyke that we might as well have lived there. In fact, we wanted to. We wanted to live closer to Disney World than Casselberry allowed us. Dr. Phillips, a suburb in Orlando, would have placed us even closer to Walt Disney World. In our adult lives, Las Vegas is to us now what Walt Disney World was to us then. The same sparks of imagination I felt there, I feel in Las Vegas. Nevertheless, I still want to know everything about Nevada, and that includes Henderson and Boulder City and all of that. I want to explore every inch of Southern Nevada. I'm serious about that. I will finally have roots, and I will make it count.
Tonight's outing reminded me that not everything has to be pushed to the weekend. Every single day of the week should be lived fully. Yeah, I'll hopefully be working as a full-time campus supervisor not long after we've moved, but that time after work is mine. I can go to the Pinball Hall of Fame. I can go to a library. I can go see a movie. I can spend my evening reading. I can drive the Strip. I can watch planes take off and land at McCarran. I can do so much. Life is not meant to only be lived on the weekend. As I told Mom, we need a drastic change in our lives and this could be it. We still have to explore it further, and we'll see what shakes out, but for now, it's a reminder of what we can do, what we can be, more that we can know. I believe I'll be a much better writer after we move, because of all that'll be around me, but I also believe that I'll be living much better. Most importantly, I'll be far happier than I am here. I have books, so I'm set, but place matters too. No doubt Las Vegas, Henderson, Boulder City, Summerlin and the rest of Nevada (Reno too, one day) will provide me with constant inspiration.
Plus, I've found my kind of baseball statistics. I want to memorize the headliners, Broadway-type shows, and other acts that have appeared at casinos on the Las Vegas Strip, how many days, months, years they've appeared there, and how many performances they did, going all the way back to when Las Vegas began offering that. I'll have a lot of fun with that!
Santa Clarita is good for very little, but tonight, it was a kind of peace offering. I've despised it for eight years, but I will not leave bitter. I appreciate what it did tonight, in that reminder of things to come, things to do even during a workweek, but I will not waste more time on it after I leave. I hope this is a sign that we are indeed getting closer. We have to be, but it feels more a lot more serious now, and more comfortable. I'm game for anything.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
"Piece by Piece, Only Way to Make a Work of Art..." - Stephen Sondheim
I don't presume to know how my novel will turn out, so I don't embrace that "work of art" part of the lyric by Stephen Sondheim (one of my heroes) entirely, but I fully embrace the meaning. That is the only way to do it. Today, I got a little more insight into my main character, who starts off my novel, specifically his childhood, which is most important, since his father divorced his mother when he was very young. I'm not yet sure why, but I know that's part of what makes him who he is. He didn't know why his father left, but he sensed that he had to step up and help out as best he can, young as he was. He feels like responsibility always weighs heavily on him, but accepts it at the start of this novel because that's all he knows.
Then at Target in Golden Valley--part of yet another long Sunday of errands that I don't mind so much now because I need to look around at the world to gather material for this novel--I found a journal that I'm going to use to keep track of my novel, with character details, places, possible lines for my characters, idle thoughts relating to all of it, and more.
It's a hardcover journal, and the front is a cluster of houses, one with a clock embedded in the triangular roof, and the front house has only the upstairs as a possible residence. Downstairs is a bakery with a "Bakery" sign hanging in front of a window that has a long loaf of bread, and baguettes and french breads in three baskets, and rolls next to that loaf of bread. A long two-seater bicycle sits in front of the shop. Next to, and slightly behind, the bakery is a three-tiered water fountain with dots of sky-blue water shooting out the top. The back cover is a lone blue house, tall, thin, with a red door at its left.
It's such a comfortable scene, and when I saw it, I knew I was going to buy it because it makes me think a lot about where I'm going to put my two main characters. They're going to travel, one ahead of the other, but I'm not sure yet of the route. It won't be by plane. This will be a road trip, but different because each one is solo.
On the inside cover of the journal is three tall houses side by side with the left-side house a dark blue, the middle house with the clock a somber orange, and the right-side house an aqua color. Above the right-side house, slightly diagonal is the sun. Below all three houses is the word "hello" in cursive. It's appropriate since I've only just begun working on and writing this novel five days ago. On the first page after the inside cover are three blank lines, and that two-seater bicycle (which I've just learned from Wikipedia is called a "tandem bicycle") a few inches below it. On those three blank lines, one beneath the other, all equal length, I wrote, "For a journey with two of the most interesting characters I will know."
After finding the journal, I went to the book section, and in the main aisle where the latest books are, I saw a woman in a white dress that had a fruit pattern all over. I don't know yet if my main female character would wear a dress, but I think she would wear a pattern like that. I've also found out that she loves doing paper art, but I'm not sure if she's an origami type. And in Walmart Supercenter after Target, finding copies of the Summer 2012 issue of Flea Market Style, I remembered that I bought a copy at Pavilions out of curiosity, and felt a spark at Walmart from looking at that issue. This is her lifestyle. She loves flea markets. She loves to buy disparate items and fit them into her own kind of pattern. She's not unique for the sake of being unique. She's always been this way. Fearless, but missing something.
It has been a really good day because of all of this. Later I'll flip through Flea Market Style and see if anything in it is part of her life. I want to go back to developing him as well, but it's her turn now.
Then at Target in Golden Valley--part of yet another long Sunday of errands that I don't mind so much now because I need to look around at the world to gather material for this novel--I found a journal that I'm going to use to keep track of my novel, with character details, places, possible lines for my characters, idle thoughts relating to all of it, and more.
It's a hardcover journal, and the front is a cluster of houses, one with a clock embedded in the triangular roof, and the front house has only the upstairs as a possible residence. Downstairs is a bakery with a "Bakery" sign hanging in front of a window that has a long loaf of bread, and baguettes and french breads in three baskets, and rolls next to that loaf of bread. A long two-seater bicycle sits in front of the shop. Next to, and slightly behind, the bakery is a three-tiered water fountain with dots of sky-blue water shooting out the top. The back cover is a lone blue house, tall, thin, with a red door at its left.
It's such a comfortable scene, and when I saw it, I knew I was going to buy it because it makes me think a lot about where I'm going to put my two main characters. They're going to travel, one ahead of the other, but I'm not sure yet of the route. It won't be by plane. This will be a road trip, but different because each one is solo.
On the inside cover of the journal is three tall houses side by side with the left-side house a dark blue, the middle house with the clock a somber orange, and the right-side house an aqua color. Above the right-side house, slightly diagonal is the sun. Below all three houses is the word "hello" in cursive. It's appropriate since I've only just begun working on and writing this novel five days ago. On the first page after the inside cover are three blank lines, and that two-seater bicycle (which I've just learned from Wikipedia is called a "tandem bicycle") a few inches below it. On those three blank lines, one beneath the other, all equal length, I wrote, "For a journey with two of the most interesting characters I will know."
After finding the journal, I went to the book section, and in the main aisle where the latest books are, I saw a woman in a white dress that had a fruit pattern all over. I don't know yet if my main female character would wear a dress, but I think she would wear a pattern like that. I've also found out that she loves doing paper art, but I'm not sure if she's an origami type. And in Walmart Supercenter after Target, finding copies of the Summer 2012 issue of Flea Market Style, I remembered that I bought a copy at Pavilions out of curiosity, and felt a spark at Walmart from looking at that issue. This is her lifestyle. She loves flea markets. She loves to buy disparate items and fit them into her own kind of pattern. She's not unique for the sake of being unique. She's always been this way. Fearless, but missing something.
It has been a really good day because of all of this. Later I'll flip through Flea Market Style and see if anything in it is part of her life. I want to go back to developing him as well, but it's her turn now.
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Tidbits from the Eighth Issue of The Henderson Press
I love yelp.com because of the photos people take of the businesses they review. On Thursday night, while writing about that Las Vegas souvenir DVD that is an historical document to me, I looked up the Fashion Outlets of Las Vegas there, and saw photos of exactly what I remember and I used that to describe the statues that are still there. The Wikipedia entry on the Fashion Outlets says that the car in which Bonnie and Clyde were killed is on display there. I think I saw a car there, but didn't get close enough to see if that was the one. I wouldn't doubt it, though. History of all kinds tends to appear in the strangest places in Southern Nevada.
It being three months since we've been in Henderson, I still remember streets whose names I've somewhat forgotten, but which I will memorize again while here, so I'm fully prepared when we move. I've lost perspective of how truly enormous Henderson actually is, and the review page on yelp.com of the Galleria at Sunset mall reminds me of that with the photos there, the mall I walked through that time and thought to myself that I might have actually had dreams about this mall. Not this mall specifically in those dreams before I truly knew Galleria at Sunset, but that design, that ease, that comfort. I look at those photos of the Galleria and I'm reminded that even though Henderson is huge, it's always comfortable no matter where you go. I look at the photo of the sign of Brooklyn Bagel Deli in the same shopping center as the Smith's where I got my toy flour truck in 2007, and my toy food truck on this most recent trip, and it heartens me to find that the photo of that sign was uploaded on December 29, 2008. Things last in Henderson and Las Vegas. They stay and they grow roots and they become part of their community. That's what I've always wanted.
As I begin to read the eighth issue of The Henderson Press, Vol. 2, No. 3, dated February 10-23, 2011, I remember that before this most recent trip to Henderson and Las Vegas, reading earlier issues, it had been nearly two years since we were there and I thought Henderson was a quaint small town, and that the news covered only that small area. It's not small, but it does have that feeling of being a quaint small town, even as it continues to gradually grow. It'll never be a sprawling metropolis, and I'm grateful for that.
So let's see what my future quaint small town has going on in this issue:
- Recently, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa gave his State of the City speech for Los Angeles at Paramount Studios. The headline on the front page of The Henderson Press is "An Optimistic Address," about Mayor Andy Hafen giving said address at the M Resort, which is in Henderson. That's appropriate. That's supporting a local business. Holding a State of the City address at Paramount Studios throws even more into confusion what's truly real in Los Angeles. You can't live in Henderson and not know the M Resort. You will pass it many times as a resident, even if you never go into it. That's real.
- The article next to Hafen's address is about six people filing to run for the Ward IV seat being vacated by 12-year Councilman Steve Kirk because of term limits, and people filing to run for other Ward seats. Once again, Jeremy Twitchell makes politics interesting, and I hope there's someone currently at The Henderson Press who does it the same way.
- Southern Henderson's traffic congestion spurred on the widening of lanes on Executive Airport Road and Volunteer Boulevard to four, and "two new lanes each way on Via Inspirada and Bicentennial Parkway south of Volunteer Boulevard." Lucky that the names of these streets interest me, which will make memorizing them much easier.
- Fred Couzens's "City to Receive $6.6 Million for Flood Control" article is his first that's actually readable. He's given requisite information in previous articles, but they're frustrating to read because he wanders too much. In this one, because of all the technical information of the four flood control projects, he focuses only on conveying the information. I hope he sticks to this style in future articles. This is a vast improvement.
- In the Police/Fire section is an article about the $29 million expansion of the Henderson Detention Center, which brings the total number of beds from 293 to 543. This is the second half of Mayor Hafen's statement: "The expansion of this facility enables us to accomodate the needs of our current environment, while at the same time helping us plan for the demands of the future." That could be construed as a belief that crime will rise, but then the paragraph after Hafen's quote says that inmates from Boulder City, Clark County, and federal agencies will fill the space. "Henderson has agreements in place with each of those entities to house prisoners for a daily fee; the money generated by housing the prisoners of other jurisdictions will go into Henderson's thinly stretched General Fund." The article has no author, but I still believe it's Don Logay, because these police and fire articles are directly about the situations. Nothing more.
- There's an article about GospelFest at the Black Mountain Recreation Center, which made me wonder about the recreation center. According to the City of Henderson website, it has a fitness center, game room, gymnasium, indoor cycling area, pools, and tennis court, among other features. I want to try this out.
- The article below GospelFest, about a singing and dancing group from Brigham Young University performing at the Henderson Pavilion, made me curious about it. And I've found out that it is the largest outdoor amphitheater in Nevada. The events schedule on hendersonlive.com touts the 1st Annual BBQ & Music Festival on May 25 and 26 with funk, soul, jazz and barbecue. I hope there'll be a 2nd Annual BBQ & Music Festival, because I will definitely be there for it.
- The Cinema Collectors Movie Memorabilia and Gift Shop is at 11 Water Street in Downtown Henderson. A Google search reveals that it's still there, so that's where I'm going.
- The first article Don Logay wrote for The Henderson Press was in the fith issue, about torrential rains raising the water level of Lake Las Vegas. He's back in this issue with an article about Lake Las Vegas celebrating the reopening of the Ravella at Lake Las Vegas hotel. His beat must be Lake Las Vegas then, and probably why I haven't seen him between the fifth issue and this issue. Three weeks ago, I downloaded the most current issue to look at briefly and Logay is still there, maybe still covering Lake Las Vegas (I didn't look for which article was his), so I've still got more of his articles to look forward to. Just like that torrential rains article, this one is equally well-written. Surprisingly, the photo of the resort was taken by Fred Couzens. Questionable writer, but this photo is just as elegant as the hotel sounds.
- On Saturday February 19 from 7 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Silver Springs Recreation Center is a Giant Garage Sale, with "more than 50 garage and yard sales rolled into one big event offer [sic] something for everyone." Makes it worth getting up earlier than I do now. Plus, because of the summers, you do have to get up earlier for whatever you need to do if you're not working, and if you miss out, you have to wait until the evening.
- The full-page ad on the back page is for Skyline Casino, the same ad as in the seventh issue, but always nice to see.
One Logay, a few Twitchells, and it's been a good issue. There's a new writer in Tara Thackeray, who has a good article about $25,000 being donated to the Henderson Libraries for a teen lounge at its Green Valley branch. Nothing notable in the writing. She hasn't yet found the article that will show who she is, a proper introduction. Jill Lufrano, who wrote the front-page article about Mayor Hafen's State of the City address, is also still a mystery. My dream issue of The Henderson Press is nothing but Twitchell and Logay articles, but I know they're only human, so maybe one of these two will soon make the same sizable impression. And I'd like to be able to look forward to Couzens's articles.
It being three months since we've been in Henderson, I still remember streets whose names I've somewhat forgotten, but which I will memorize again while here, so I'm fully prepared when we move. I've lost perspective of how truly enormous Henderson actually is, and the review page on yelp.com of the Galleria at Sunset mall reminds me of that with the photos there, the mall I walked through that time and thought to myself that I might have actually had dreams about this mall. Not this mall specifically in those dreams before I truly knew Galleria at Sunset, but that design, that ease, that comfort. I look at those photos of the Galleria and I'm reminded that even though Henderson is huge, it's always comfortable no matter where you go. I look at the photo of the sign of Brooklyn Bagel Deli in the same shopping center as the Smith's where I got my toy flour truck in 2007, and my toy food truck on this most recent trip, and it heartens me to find that the photo of that sign was uploaded on December 29, 2008. Things last in Henderson and Las Vegas. They stay and they grow roots and they become part of their community. That's what I've always wanted.
As I begin to read the eighth issue of The Henderson Press, Vol. 2, No. 3, dated February 10-23, 2011, I remember that before this most recent trip to Henderson and Las Vegas, reading earlier issues, it had been nearly two years since we were there and I thought Henderson was a quaint small town, and that the news covered only that small area. It's not small, but it does have that feeling of being a quaint small town, even as it continues to gradually grow. It'll never be a sprawling metropolis, and I'm grateful for that.
So let's see what my future quaint small town has going on in this issue:
- Recently, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa gave his State of the City speech for Los Angeles at Paramount Studios. The headline on the front page of The Henderson Press is "An Optimistic Address," about Mayor Andy Hafen giving said address at the M Resort, which is in Henderson. That's appropriate. That's supporting a local business. Holding a State of the City address at Paramount Studios throws even more into confusion what's truly real in Los Angeles. You can't live in Henderson and not know the M Resort. You will pass it many times as a resident, even if you never go into it. That's real.
- The article next to Hafen's address is about six people filing to run for the Ward IV seat being vacated by 12-year Councilman Steve Kirk because of term limits, and people filing to run for other Ward seats. Once again, Jeremy Twitchell makes politics interesting, and I hope there's someone currently at The Henderson Press who does it the same way.
- Southern Henderson's traffic congestion spurred on the widening of lanes on Executive Airport Road and Volunteer Boulevard to four, and "two new lanes each way on Via Inspirada and Bicentennial Parkway south of Volunteer Boulevard." Lucky that the names of these streets interest me, which will make memorizing them much easier.
- Fred Couzens's "City to Receive $6.6 Million for Flood Control" article is his first that's actually readable. He's given requisite information in previous articles, but they're frustrating to read because he wanders too much. In this one, because of all the technical information of the four flood control projects, he focuses only on conveying the information. I hope he sticks to this style in future articles. This is a vast improvement.
- In the Police/Fire section is an article about the $29 million expansion of the Henderson Detention Center, which brings the total number of beds from 293 to 543. This is the second half of Mayor Hafen's statement: "The expansion of this facility enables us to accomodate the needs of our current environment, while at the same time helping us plan for the demands of the future." That could be construed as a belief that crime will rise, but then the paragraph after Hafen's quote says that inmates from Boulder City, Clark County, and federal agencies will fill the space. "Henderson has agreements in place with each of those entities to house prisoners for a daily fee; the money generated by housing the prisoners of other jurisdictions will go into Henderson's thinly stretched General Fund." The article has no author, but I still believe it's Don Logay, because these police and fire articles are directly about the situations. Nothing more.
- There's an article about GospelFest at the Black Mountain Recreation Center, which made me wonder about the recreation center. According to the City of Henderson website, it has a fitness center, game room, gymnasium, indoor cycling area, pools, and tennis court, among other features. I want to try this out.
- The article below GospelFest, about a singing and dancing group from Brigham Young University performing at the Henderson Pavilion, made me curious about it. And I've found out that it is the largest outdoor amphitheater in Nevada. The events schedule on hendersonlive.com touts the 1st Annual BBQ & Music Festival on May 25 and 26 with funk, soul, jazz and barbecue. I hope there'll be a 2nd Annual BBQ & Music Festival, because I will definitely be there for it.
- The Cinema Collectors Movie Memorabilia and Gift Shop is at 11 Water Street in Downtown Henderson. A Google search reveals that it's still there, so that's where I'm going.
- The first article Don Logay wrote for The Henderson Press was in the fith issue, about torrential rains raising the water level of Lake Las Vegas. He's back in this issue with an article about Lake Las Vegas celebrating the reopening of the Ravella at Lake Las Vegas hotel. His beat must be Lake Las Vegas then, and probably why I haven't seen him between the fifth issue and this issue. Three weeks ago, I downloaded the most current issue to look at briefly and Logay is still there, maybe still covering Lake Las Vegas (I didn't look for which article was his), so I've still got more of his articles to look forward to. Just like that torrential rains article, this one is equally well-written. Surprisingly, the photo of the resort was taken by Fred Couzens. Questionable writer, but this photo is just as elegant as the hotel sounds.
- On Saturday February 19 from 7 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Silver Springs Recreation Center is a Giant Garage Sale, with "more than 50 garage and yard sales rolled into one big event offer [sic] something for everyone." Makes it worth getting up earlier than I do now. Plus, because of the summers, you do have to get up earlier for whatever you need to do if you're not working, and if you miss out, you have to wait until the evening.
- The full-page ad on the back page is for Skyline Casino, the same ad as in the seventh issue, but always nice to see.
One Logay, a few Twitchells, and it's been a good issue. There's a new writer in Tara Thackeray, who has a good article about $25,000 being donated to the Henderson Libraries for a teen lounge at its Green Valley branch. Nothing notable in the writing. She hasn't yet found the article that will show who she is, a proper introduction. Jill Lufrano, who wrote the front-page article about Mayor Hafen's State of the City address, is also still a mystery. My dream issue of The Henderson Press is nothing but Twitchell and Logay articles, but I know they're only human, so maybe one of these two will soon make the same sizable impression. And I'd like to be able to look forward to Couzens's articles.
Thursday, April 19, 2012
An Historical Las Vegas Document
On the final evening of our latest visit to Southern Nevada, January 22, we left the Galleria at Sunset mall in Henderson and began to drive to the Nevada/California border. Despite the departure, it was our final evening because it took us a while to get from the mall to the border since there were stops at two Henderson apartment complexes that Mom wanted to see.
Before reaching the border, we stopped at the Fashion Outlets of Las Vegas in Jean. Pedantically, they're not technically the Fashion Outlets of Las Vegas, but without Las Vegas, there would be nothing in Jean, so indeed they are the Fashion Outlets of Las Vegas.
I want to include the Fashion Outlets of Las Vegas in one of my books, the wide-open atmosphere which is nearly no frills. This outlet mall has been quietly designed, with a few globe streetlights on inside the mall. At one of the exits of the mall is a tall model of a woman on the left side holding up a white globe and a tall model of a man on the right side holding up a globe, wearing what looks like a thong bikini. It's my favorite kind of mall, not screaming all available sales at you, no huge signs touting any stores, and not much noise. This is a mall for tourists arriving in and leaving Nevada through California. If you fly into McCarran, you could certainly drive to it if you're curious enough. But it's mainly geared toward the traffic on that road across from it.
On this night, we were there because they have a Williams-Sonoma Marketplace, which means outlet store. Discounts. Meridith wanted to see what they were selling for cheap and I was only looking for mustard, which I found, a dijon imported from France for $3.99. 12-oz. jar, and, as I found out some time later, overly vinegary, and I don't think it's because it sat for a while. It was sealed anyway.
We were also there because there's a souvenir store called Viva Vegas, where I hoped to find a bookmark. They had playing cards, and magnetic poker chips, and shot glasses, and naked lady pens (Turn it upside down and the bathing suit "melts" off), and disappointing Las Vegas t-shirts, mainly ones with "Las Vegas" emblazoned across the front. I know it's to be expected, but I would have preferred one of the Strip in an artist's rendering. And I would have worn it with pride.
Near the register was a small flatscreen TV showing footage from a DVD and Blu-Ray being sold of a half hour tour of Las Vegas. It looked like high-definition filming, and got very close to the fountains at Bellagio, to where you could see the nozzles poking out of the water and then retracting after they were done for the moment. I went back and forth on whether to get it because I know the Strip. I know where every casino is, I know what every casino offers. Why would I need a DVD of what I will soon see all the time?
I nearly changed my mind when I saw the hotel tower side of the Flamingo. They have a large wrap against the windows of the main act currently in their showroom. On the main tower, you'll find Donny & Marie. On the side tower, there's one for magician Nathan Burton. In this footage, there was Toni Braxton, which meant this had been filmed in 2007! I was looking at an historical Las Vegas document. But I didn't think of it as that at the time and left Viva Vegas without buying it.
Over the past two weeks, I've thought about that DVD. I still have space for a few more DVDs in one of my DVD binders, and besides having what I believe is the most realistic modern-day Vegas movie in Lucky You, despite a crappy script (The most realistic Vegas movie from long ago is The Las Vegas Story from 1952, starring Jane Russell, Victor Mature, and Vincent Price. I will not delete it from the Tivo until it's time to move and we have no need for DirecTV anymore), I should have Vegas as it actually was in 2007. Seeing Toni Braxton on the side of the Flamingo shows that they don't film these DVDs often, so there's obviously none for 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011. No yearbook of sorts.
Plus, the footage was excellent, getting that close to the Bellagio fountains and making the Strip look as comfortable as I know. And I would have a piece of Vegas history, including my own, since we first visited Las Vegas in 2007.
I found it on a website called Las Vegas Gift Shop. And on YouTube is apparently Part One of the video. Part Four has some of the Bellagio footage, but sped up. The footage that I saw may be on the DVD or it may not, and if not, I don't feel screwed because I get plenty of Las Vegas to look at, to study, to imagine the stories that were going on while the people walking by were being filmed. It'll be continually useful.
It's not Viva Vegas again, and I'm paying shipping now in addition to the price, but I'll have it in my collection and that's what matters to me. I think I'd still watch it even living near there because there are angles in the footage that can't be seen at ground level, and certainly not that close to the Bellagio fountains.
Before reaching the border, we stopped at the Fashion Outlets of Las Vegas in Jean. Pedantically, they're not technically the Fashion Outlets of Las Vegas, but without Las Vegas, there would be nothing in Jean, so indeed they are the Fashion Outlets of Las Vegas.
I want to include the Fashion Outlets of Las Vegas in one of my books, the wide-open atmosphere which is nearly no frills. This outlet mall has been quietly designed, with a few globe streetlights on inside the mall. At one of the exits of the mall is a tall model of a woman on the left side holding up a white globe and a tall model of a man on the right side holding up a globe, wearing what looks like a thong bikini. It's my favorite kind of mall, not screaming all available sales at you, no huge signs touting any stores, and not much noise. This is a mall for tourists arriving in and leaving Nevada through California. If you fly into McCarran, you could certainly drive to it if you're curious enough. But it's mainly geared toward the traffic on that road across from it.
On this night, we were there because they have a Williams-Sonoma Marketplace, which means outlet store. Discounts. Meridith wanted to see what they were selling for cheap and I was only looking for mustard, which I found, a dijon imported from France for $3.99. 12-oz. jar, and, as I found out some time later, overly vinegary, and I don't think it's because it sat for a while. It was sealed anyway.
We were also there because there's a souvenir store called Viva Vegas, where I hoped to find a bookmark. They had playing cards, and magnetic poker chips, and shot glasses, and naked lady pens (Turn it upside down and the bathing suit "melts" off), and disappointing Las Vegas t-shirts, mainly ones with "Las Vegas" emblazoned across the front. I know it's to be expected, but I would have preferred one of the Strip in an artist's rendering. And I would have worn it with pride.
Near the register was a small flatscreen TV showing footage from a DVD and Blu-Ray being sold of a half hour tour of Las Vegas. It looked like high-definition filming, and got very close to the fountains at Bellagio, to where you could see the nozzles poking out of the water and then retracting after they were done for the moment. I went back and forth on whether to get it because I know the Strip. I know where every casino is, I know what every casino offers. Why would I need a DVD of what I will soon see all the time?
I nearly changed my mind when I saw the hotel tower side of the Flamingo. They have a large wrap against the windows of the main act currently in their showroom. On the main tower, you'll find Donny & Marie. On the side tower, there's one for magician Nathan Burton. In this footage, there was Toni Braxton, which meant this had been filmed in 2007! I was looking at an historical Las Vegas document. But I didn't think of it as that at the time and left Viva Vegas without buying it.
Over the past two weeks, I've thought about that DVD. I still have space for a few more DVDs in one of my DVD binders, and besides having what I believe is the most realistic modern-day Vegas movie in Lucky You, despite a crappy script (The most realistic Vegas movie from long ago is The Las Vegas Story from 1952, starring Jane Russell, Victor Mature, and Vincent Price. I will not delete it from the Tivo until it's time to move and we have no need for DirecTV anymore), I should have Vegas as it actually was in 2007. Seeing Toni Braxton on the side of the Flamingo shows that they don't film these DVDs often, so there's obviously none for 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011. No yearbook of sorts.
Plus, the footage was excellent, getting that close to the Bellagio fountains and making the Strip look as comfortable as I know. And I would have a piece of Vegas history, including my own, since we first visited Las Vegas in 2007.
I found it on a website called Las Vegas Gift Shop. And on YouTube is apparently Part One of the video. Part Four has some of the Bellagio footage, but sped up. The footage that I saw may be on the DVD or it may not, and if not, I don't feel screwed because I get plenty of Las Vegas to look at, to study, to imagine the stories that were going on while the people walking by were being filmed. It'll be continually useful.
It's not Viva Vegas again, and I'm paying shipping now in addition to the price, but I'll have it in my collection and that's what matters to me. I think I'd still watch it even living near there because there are angles in the footage that can't be seen at ground level, and certainly not that close to the Bellagio fountains.
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