Need I say more?

I think it’s safe to say I’ve had my fill of Las Vegas for a while and definitely don’t plan on heading back anytime in the foreseeable future. Every time I visit, I always feels like I’ve been taken advantage of, and each time I paid a hefty premium for the pleasure of it. The price for food, drinks, accommodations and transportation are all inflated. Everyone’s got their hand in your pocket and they’re not ashamed to admit it - What did you expect? It’s Vegas.

You have to go in knowing you’re going to be spending a lot. If you plan on gambling, you have to set aside an amount you expect to loose. Because you will. Sure, there’s the off chance you might win, but I wager the amount you spent trying to win will surpass your actual winnings.

It’s actually quite sad when you come to think about it - every preconceived cliché you have about the people you’ll find in a casino is absolutely true. Rows upon rows of older, overweight, rough looking people sitting in front of hundreds of slot machines, with a cigarette in their mouth and an overflowing ashtray by their side, hoping the next spin will be the Big One®. You don’t even have to pull the leaver if you don’t want to… just push the button and watch the wheels spin.

It’s actually quite amazing how quickly you loose track of time in Vegas. All of the hotel/casino’s are designed to keep you inside. It’s quite possible to check into your hotel and never actually go outside for the duration of your stay. Restaurants, buffets, shopping malls, theaters, arcades, clubs, bars, slots, cards, aquariums, spas… you name it, it’s accessible within the confines of your hotel. And if you do go outside, it’s usually to grab a taxi so you can be shuttled to another hotel where you’ll quickly shuffle back inside.

We did end up catching a show while we were there. We saw Cirque du Soleil’s O, which was quite interesting to see… if not completely random. I’ve never seen a Cirque show before, but I’d love to know how they come up with some of that shit. There’s people running around, contorting their bodies in ways I didn’t think were humanly possible. “Ok, you in the green unitard. Sit in that chair and set yourself on fire. You in the red unitard. Dance around him for a few seconds and then dive into the water.” I’m sure there was a deeper meaning to it all… perhaps multiple viewings will reveal what I missed.

Anyway, that was Vegas. It was great to see Jaimie and Josh. Dinner was great (thanks again!), but I think I’m all Vegas’d out.

I’m going to assume everyone saw this coming… I mean, it was a foregone conclusion, right? I’ve wanted a motorcycle for years, I purchased a helmet 2 years ago (because I got a killer deal and I knew that I’d ride someday), I wrote the M1 test in Ontario and I just got my full license here in California. So shouldn’t come as a big surprise to anyone, but I’ve gone and purchased a motorcycle.

The bike I purchased is a used ‘98 Triumph Speed Triple. It has 17K miles on it, and as far as I can tell (and the mechanic I had inspect it before purchase), it’s in impeccable condition. The reason for the purchase is pretty simple - it was cheaper than getting a second car. I have a pretty short commute to work (about 15 min or so), where I travel along the coast from Dana Point into Laguna Beach. What better way to enjoy that drive than on a motorcycle, right? Beyond that, it gets just shy of 50 miles to the gallon, so the fuel economy is a plus as well.

The Speed Triple is considered a “naked” bike - that is, the seating position is very upright (you’re not hunched over the tank while riding) and it doesn’t have any fairings (those plastic pieces that wrap around the front of most sports bikes). I personally don’t like the look of most sports bikes, nor am I a fan of most cruisers either - but I love the look of a naked bike. With this bike, I particularly love the single sided swing-arm on the rear tire, the rear intakes, and the bug-eye headlights.

The pervious owner had made a few modifications to it, and had he not done them himself, I would have soon after I took possession. As you can see from the photos, the exhaust, rear tire hugger and chain cover have all been replaced with carbon fiber alternatives. The mirrors have been changed, a tank protector was added, and all of the badging (except the 2 tank logos) have been removed.

The rear cowl is removable and I can put a rear seat on if Jess ever wants to ride on the back. She’s made a few comments about wanting to go, but we need to get her a helmet first. I personally don’t think she’ll like it, but maybe I’ll be wrong.

Ah the memories…. It seems like only yesterday that I had almost lost my voice from screaming at the craps tables and found myself wondering around at 3am looking for food to soften the hangover that was soon to follow. Oh, those were the day… and I may be up for a repeat as Jess and I are heading to Vegas this evening for the US long weekend.

We’ve been invited by Jaimie and Josh to join them in Vegas while Jaimie attends a trade show (the name of which escapes me at the moment) and we’ll be staying at Mandalay Bay while we’re there. I haven’t been to Mandalay yet, so I’m excited to see what all the hype is amount - my guess is that it’ll be a lavish hotel atop a massive casino. I could be wrong, but judging from the other hotels I visited there, I don’t think I’m far off.

I don’t believe any dinner reservations have been made as of yet, nor do we have tickets for any shows, so I’m not quite sure what all we’ll be doing (beyond the expected drinking and occasional gambling). What I do know is that that we’ll be having one hell of a time!

I’m going to bring my camera with me again, only this time I think I’ll actually use it. Look for some photos when we return.

There’s currently a huge wildfire burning not that far from where we live - Apparently caused by a combination of the Santa Ana winds and a “controlled burn” that, well, got out of control.

I had planned on grabbing my camera and heading out to take some actual photos of the blaze, but quickly realized that I really didn’t want to head towards something that everyone else was running from. So I hit up google for photos instead.

There’s no immediate danger of it actually reaching our house, but you can clearly see the smoke billowing in the sky during the day, and at night there is a faint orange glow in the distance. I’ve never seen anything quite like it, but what’s even crazier is that there is ash raining down like snow. Not much accumulation, but there is a chance of flurries in the late afternoon.

Thank You.