Ken & Connie Retirement Blog

Reported From the Desk of Ken and Connie

2011-12-31T07:59:00.000-08:00

Entries for March 2011

NOTE: This month I am again featuring pictures taken during my weekly hikes. You can enlarge any of the pictures below by just double-clicking on them. Then click on your browser's "Back" button to return to the original screen.

Desert Sand Verbina

SUNDAY - 03/20/2011 - I spent most of the morning working on creating postings of my Death Valley pictures for my picture blog. You can check it out here ...Death Valley National Park. After lunch over the "Sunday Morning" show we went to GVR for a little 'play'. Connie won and I lost. Came home and had steamed asparagus with garlic and cheese on toast points for dinner. Watch a movie and some TV shows and went to bed. Click on the flower on the left to view in more detail.

SATURDAY - 03/19/2011 - Got up bright and early this morning and headed to Death Valley National Park with my next door neighbor Marc to see if we could get any 'wildflower' pictures. It was a very disappointing day. Not only was it extremely windy and cold, this turned out to be a very bad year for wildflowers in the park. So after driving for more than 7 hours, we came home with only a handful of wildflower pictures, though I did get some of other scenic stops and points of interest within the park. Connie has been suffering from a bad cold the past couple of days and slept most of the time I was gone.

I cooked up a package of frozen Orange Chicken and rice for dinner which we ate over the movie "Unthinkable" staring Samuel L. Jackson that we had recorded off of a free weekend of Showtime a couple of weeks ago. It is a psychological thriller centered around a black-ops interrogator and an FBI agent who press a suspect terrorist into divulging the location of three nuclear weapons sets to detonate in the U.S. We both thought it was a very good movie. I worked on some pictures for a while and then we watched some more TV shows later in the evening. After Connie headed off to bed, I finished working on cleaning up the days' pictures and started creating some posts for my picture gallery blog.

WEDNESDAY - 03/16/2011 - Connie felt like she was coming down with a cold, so we sat around most of the day doing our normal computer and reading thing. After we finally got showered and dressed, we drove up to the District to have lunch at the Elephant Bar, one of our favorite local restaurants. We split a full rack of the barbecued baby back ribs and a macaroni and cheese side. We then went over to GVR for some free slot play. Connie won, I lost. Came home had a light dinner, watched some TV and went to bed.

TUESDAY - 03/15/2011 - After our normal morning routine we showered and dressed and headed to our clubhouse where they were putting on a 'Welcome Spring' luncheon. They had 1/2 barbecued chickens, Caesar salad, pita bread, baklava, and beverages. It was all quite good and we got to see and talk with some of our neighbors. After lunch we drove up to GVR where Connie had $10 free play. After playing for the entire afternoon, Connie picked up $20 and I won $75 in the poker room. Came home and made salami, avocado, onion and cheese sandwiches for dinner. Had some chocolate cake for dessert over a couple of prerecorded TV shows and went to bed. Today's picture is of a Mallard that I captured at the Wildlife Habitat area while we stayed at the Flamingo Casino on the Strip last week.

MONDAY - 03/14/2011 - Woke up early and worked on the computer cleaning up some photo files and creating some new business cards. I worked on adding some more photo pages to my blog gallery while Connie read. I made us some sandwiches for lunch which we ate over a couple of TV shows. We then drove to GVR and played most of the afternoon. Neither of us had any luck. We had dinner at the Tides Oyster Bar, their signature seafood restaurant. Connie had the Seafood Cobb Salad with Crab, Shrimp, Avocado, Bleu Cheese, Bacon and Eggs and Louie Dressing - always a winner! I had the fresh fried oysters that are always outstanding. Came home watched TV until we headed off to bed.

SUNDAY - 03/13/2011 - Today was another nice day, in the low 70's. I decided to go check on Jim Herring's house over in North Las Vegas. On the way I stopped at the Red Spring at the Calico Basin near Red Rock Canyon to snap a few pictures. When I got home we headed up to GVR for their lunch buffet. Connie got $40 in free slot play and came out a winner. I picked up $85 in the poker room. Came home and watched some TV and then Connie read while I worked on the pictures I took in the morning. Here are a few shots I got of some Petroglyphs ... Petroglyphs. There was a couple having an outdoor Japanese wedding while I was taking pictures at Red Springs. The picture on the right is a shot I took of the bride and groom after the wedding.

SATURDAY - 03/12/2011 - I had a $30 Groupon for the Blvd Bar & Grill opposite the South Point casino, so at noon we headed over there for lunch. Even though we had eaten here once quite a long time ago, we only had a hamburger and forgot that they actually specialize in Italian fare. Today we had the stuffed mushrooms, meat lasagna and eggplant parmigiana. The mushrooms and eggplant were just average, however, the lasagna was outstanding, probably the best since we moved here. Connie had $30 free slot play at South Point, so after lunch we headed over there. From there we drove to the "M" to pick up the gift of the day, a free bottle of Jameson Irish Whiskey. Connie ended up winning for the day, I lost a hundred in the poker room. When we got home I placed some frozen hors d'oeuvres in the toaster oven for dinner. After watching some prerecorded TV shows, Connie headed off to bed and I went into the den to work on adding some photos to my blog.

Mandarin Ducks at the Wildlife Habitat

FRIDAY - 03/11/2011 - Got up early and headed back down to the Flamingo Poker room for the free-roll tournament. There were over 100 people in the tournament and when it got down to a little less than 20, everyone wanted to "chop", rather than play it out. I ended up with $125.00, Not bad for nothing! It was absolutely beautiful out, in the low 80's; so I stopped by the wildlife habitat to take some more pictures. Pairs of Mandarin Ducks, such as those above, are often given a wedding present in China. I then headed home, picked up Connie, and drove to GVR for lunch. We had a 2-1 lunch at the buffet and then played for about three hours before going home. Connie had $10 in free slot play and only ended up loosing $5 for the day. I picked up another $85 playing hold'em in the poker room. When we got home I heated up some 'appetizers' from the freezer and we watched some prerecorded TV shows. After Connie went to bed, I stayed up and worked on the photos I took over the past several days. Pairs of Mandarin Ducks, such as

Chilean Flamingo's at the Wildlife Habitat

THURSDAY - 03/10/2011 - Breakfast was so good at the Victorian Cafe at Bill's Gambling Hall yesterday, that we went there again today. After breakfast we checked out of the room and then played for a couple of hours before picking up the car from valet and heading home. Counting this morning's play, I had enough hours to play in tomorrow morning's $2,500 free-roll tournament in the poker room. Got home, picked up the mail, unpacked, sorted mail, read emails, made chicken salad wraps for dinner and watched several prerecorded TV shows before heading to bed for the evening. It had been quite a busy four days, and having stayed up later than normal a couple of nights, we were rather tired. Besides, I had to be back down at the Flamingo by 8:00 am to play in the free-roll tournament.

Bill's Gambling Hall

WEDNESDAY - 03/09/2011 - We has a late breakfast in the Victorian Room at Bill's Gambling Hall which is located next door to the Flamingo. After a very filling breakfast, we headed back to the Flamingo where we gambled until it was time for dinner. Connie only lost $40 for the entire afternoon, however, I picked up $280 playing poker. Around 5:00 pm went to the room and freshened up an picked up the car at the valet for the drive over to Palace Station or dinner and a show. We had dinner in the Grand Cafe. Connie had and extremely tender prime rib dinner special and I had the NY sirloin. After dinner we had tickets to see the Louie Anderson show, one of our favorite comedians. Louie was everything we expected him to be. We laughed our asses off. After the show we drove to the South Point Casino where I had $15 in free slot play; made a profit of $7 dollars. It was nearly mid-night by the time we drove back to the Flamingo and called it a night.

River in Wildlife Habitat at Flamingo

TUESDAY - 03/08/2011 - After a good night's sleep we went down to the Flamingo's buffet and enjoyed a nice big breakfast. With a $5 off LVA coupon and some poker comps it ended up being half price. I grabbed my camera and we went outside to the Flamingo's Wildlife Habitat. A photographer's haven, the habitat is filled with lush foliage imported from around the world including varieties of pines, palms and magnolia. Strolling alongside streams and waterfalls, or on bridges over lagoons and ponds, you get the chance to see more than 300 birds, including Impeyn and silver pheasants, Gambel's quail, a Crown crane, two ibis, swans, ducks and parrots, and of course, the most notable, the Chilean flamingos. But birds aren't the only wildlife that can be seen in the habitat; there is an abundance of turtles and koi as well. I got some great pictures. After more than an hour of picture taking, we picked the car up from the valet and drove to Bally's to meet with Jim prior to his playing in the tournament. We then went to the Palms where Connie lost at slots and I picked up $85 in the poker room. At 4:00 we were back to the Flamingo to attend the Nathan Burton comedy magic show. Considering the fact that I got these tickets for free, this was a great show. After the show we proceeded to Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville for dinner. Connie had the fried shrimp and I had the Jerk Salmon, which by the way was the best salmon dinner I've had since coming to Vegas. After dinner we headed to O'Shea's Casino to see Dirk Arthur's "Wild Magic" show. The up-close, in-your-face look at his majestic cast of exotic cats was amazing. The Dirk Author theater is quite small and we had center seats in the second row for an in-your-face opportunity to witness a variety of exotic cats including a Liger, Leopards, Bengal Tigers and a pure White Snow Tiger. The magnificent tigers just beautiful. We headed back to our room at the Flamingo after the show, watched a TV show and retired for the evening.

The Flamingo - Our Residence for the next 4 days

MONDAY - 03/07/2011 - Today was the start of our in town 'mini' vacation at the Flamingo Casino on the Strip. After we finished packing we headed to GVR to play Connie's $10 free slot play. We then drove over to the "M" where she had another $5 in free slot play. Used a 2-1 coupon and my poker comps for two free lunch buffets. We then headed over to Jim's new apartment and picked him up to go to the Flamingo to check in for the three free room nights he was letting us have that were part of his Hold'em tournament package. After he registered for Tuesday's Texas Hold'em tournament, I drove him back home and we went to Johnny Rockets back at the Flamingo and had a burger, fries, onion rings and a shake for dinner. I went to the poker room to play and relax a little and Connie played some more slots. At the end of the day, Connie had played several hours of slots in three different casinos and won $20, while I picked up $14 in the poker room at Flamingo. After a long day, we finally headed up to the room and retired for the evening.

Lost Creek Falls

SUNDAY - 03/06/2011 - I spent the first half of the morning catching up on this blog. Then I got out the suitcases and started packing for our upcoming 4-day stay at the Flamingo Casino starting tomorrow night. Next, I then vacuumed the house and washed and waxed the kitchen and bathroom floors while Connie did wash and ironing. We then watched a Netflix movie, Transporter 3, over salami sandwiches that I made for lunch. Even though it was kind of a 'B' movie, it had a ton of action, right up our alley. After the movie we showered, dressed and went to GVR to play Connie's free slot play. Connie lost $25 but I picked up $85 in the poker room. Came home, popped a pizza in the oven for dinner and watched some prerecorded TV shows before calling it a day and retiring for the evening.

Viewscape off Lost Creek Trail in Red Rock Canyon

SATURDAY - 03/05/2011 - I worked on placing pictures on my photo gallery blog while Connie finished her book, Rose in a Storm by John Katz. She liked it som much that she suggested that I add a review of it to our blog. Click the title to read her review. I had enough pictures from this last hike to make three separate pages on my blog. They can all be accessed from the Red Rock Canyon page.

FRIDAY - 03/04/2011 - I started working on yesterday's photos while Connie read. At noon we showered and dressed and drove to the Strip again to pick up some more show tickets for next week. Again using our LVA book we were able to get 2-1 tickets to Dirk Arthur's magic show at O'Sheas Casino. Stopped at GVR and had two free lunch buffets on my poker comps and then played for a short while. After both picking up a few dollars here we headed to the "M" where they were giving away some nice long sleeved anniversary shirts. Unfortunately we both had a loosing session here. Came home and had PB&J sandwiches for diner. Watched a movie on TV and then retired for the evening.

THURSDAY - 03/03/2011 - Today was hike day again with the senior center rock hounds. We went to Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. Even though we have visited this area several times since our move here, each visit promises new and different pictures depending upon the season and time of day. We did visit an area, Red Springs at Calico Basin, that I had not been to in the past. After I got home, we went over to the "M" and had dinner at the Vig Deli.

WEDNESDAY - 03/02/2011 - Today we drove to the Strip to pick up some show tickets for next week's stay at the Flamingo. My ex-neighbor Jim received an offer of three free nights and entry into a Texas Hold'em tournament at the Flamingo and gave the free room offer to us. We got two free tickets to the Nathan Burton at the Flamingo Casino and 2-1 tickets to see comedian Louie Anderson at Palace Station Casino. Using an LVA coupon, we had a huge 2-1 lunch at the Ellis Island Cafe. On the way home we stopped at the Palms where Connie had $20 in free slot play. She ended up wining $20 and I walked away with $130 from the poker room. Came home, watched some TV and headed off to bed.

Corn Creek at Desert National Wildlife Range, NV

TUESDAY - 03/01/2011 - Connie appeared to be in more pain than usual today and even after several drugs and a long shower, still decided not to go out. I still had a 'sick' headache. I finished my photography book while she read on the den couch. I had to go to the water store and the Bass Pro Shop to pick up a vest for this Thursday's hike. Made a salad and heated up the curry chicken and rice leftovers for lunch. Watched a couple of TV shows and then both took an afternoon nap. Made some photo shooting notes on my phone while Connie read. Had PB&J sandwiches for dinner and cut up some fresh pears for dessert. Watched some TV shows and then headed to bed. I created the above picture by playing with the exposure and color saturation in my PaintShop program.

Previous Entries by Month

List of Netflix Movie Reviews - 2011 Index

2011-12-30T22:15:00.000-08:00

Changes for 2011: Because we seem to be going to a theater more often these days to see a movie, it appears that there are less good movies to choose from on Netflix; resulting in the fact that we have less movies to review here. Occasionally we find something that we either missed at the theater or waited until it came out on DVD that surprises us. Even though most of the movies we order are worth watching, I will only be taking the time to provide a full review to those that we feel are in the 5-Star range. These movies will have a hyperlink that you can click on that will take you to a full review and synopsis; all others will be listed here with a simple numerical rating based upon the chart below. If you would like a good site to look for upcoming DVD releases to add to your own movie queue, go to Moviefone.com.

2011 Movies

Home of The Brave [on order]
The Social Network [4.25-Stars]
The Other Guys [1.5-Stars - "we didn't even finish it"]
You Don't Know Jack [4-Stars]
The Thin Red Line [4-Stars]]
The Boondock Saints [3.0-Stars]

2010 Movies

Rescue Dawn [3.5-Stars]
Mr. Brooks [4-Stars]
The Detonator [2.75-Stars]
Memory [2.5-Stars]
The Spy Next Door [2.5-Stars]
Dead Man Running [1.5-Stars]
Lies & Illusions [3.0-Stars]
Harry Brown [2.0-Stars]
Streets of Blood [2.0-Stars]

Push [2.0-Stars]

Angel of Death [2.5-Stars]

The Cooler [3-Stars]

Taxi Driver [5-Stars]

What Dreams May Come [3.25-Stars]

The Lovely Bones [3.75-Stars]
Munich [3-Stars]
People I Know [3-Stars]
Way of War [1.5-Stars]
Last Chance Harvey [3-Stars]
Revolver [2.0-Stars]
Pistol Whipped [2.5-Stars]
Black Book [4-Stars]
Mama Mia! [3.0-Stars]
Reservation Road [3-Stars]
Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans [4.25-Stars]
The Garden [4-Stars]
Conspiracy [3.25-Stars]
The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio [3.25-Stars]
Finding Neverland [4.25 Stars]
Beyond the Sea [3.5-Stars]
Everybody's Fine [2.5-Stars]
Ninja Assassin [1-Star]
Touching The Void [5-Stars]
New Police Story 2 [2.5]
Reservation Road [2.5]
Donnie Brasco [4.5 Stars]
The Ugly Truth [3.0 Stars]
The Punisher [3.5 Stars]
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen [2 Stars]
Star Trek [4.5 Stars]
Lakeview Terrace [2.5-Stars]
Martian Child [3-Stars]
X-Men Origins: Wolverine [3-Stars]
Step Into Liquid - [4-Stars]
Flash of Genius [4-Stars]
The Hurt Locker [5-Stars]
The Human Stain [3-Stars]
Driven to Kill [3-Stars]
Marine 2 [3-1/2-Stars]
Monster In Law [3-Stars]
Must Love Dogs [3-Stars]
North Country [3-1/2-Stars]
Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story [4-Stars]
The International [2.5-Stars]

2009 Movies
We Were Soldiers [5-Stars]
The Contract [3.5-Stars]
Direct Contact
The Haunting in Connecticut [3-Stars]
Zodiac [3.5-Stars]
The Code [3-Stars]
The Soloist [4-Stars]
Miracle at St. Anna [3.5-Stars]
The Maiden Heist [3-Stars]
Race to Witch Mountain [1-Star] Didn't Finish Watching
Taking Chance [4-1/2 Stars]
Civic Duty
Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li [4-Stars]
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
Two Lovers
Five Fingers
The Marine
12 Rounds [4 Stars]
Knowing
Just Cause
Boarder Town
Revolutionary Road
Pavement
Bottle Shock
The Wrestler
Marley & Me [4-Stars]
Slumdog Millionaire [4-Stars]
In the Electric Mist
Recount [5-Stars]
Changling [5-Stars]
The International
Milk [5-Stars]
In the Shadow of the Moon
The Counterfeiters [3-Stars]
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Transsiberian [3-1/2-Stars]
Tropic Thunder [1-1/2-Stars]
Kate & Leopold
Charlie Wilson's War

Mongol
Gone Baby Gone
Birds of America
Oldboy
Priceless

Previous Daily Entries by Month

2011-12-30T13:32:00.000-08:00

Go to the Home Page to read entries for the current month. Click any of the months below to read entries for that particular month.

2011 Daily Diary Notes:

Click here to read all of our Daily Diary Entries for January 2011

Click here to read all of our Daily Diary Entries for February 2011

2010 Daily Diary Notes:

Click here to read all of our Daily Diary Entries for December 2010

Click here to read all of our Daily Diary Entries for November 2010

Click here to read all of our Daily Diary Entries for October 2010

Click here to read all of our Daily Diary Entries for September 2010

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2009 Daily Diary Notes:

Click here to read all of our Daily Diary Entries for December 2009

Click here to read all of our Daily Diary Entries for November 2009

Click here to read all of our Daily Diary Entries for October 2009

Click here to read all of our Daily Diary Entries for September 2009

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Click here to read all of our Daily Diary Entries for March 2009

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2008 Daily Diary Notes:

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Click here to read all of our Daily Diary Entries for November 2008

Click here to read all of our Daily Diary Entries for October 2008

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Movie Reviews - An Index

2011-12-30T13:16:00.000-08:00

Though half of the movies we watch are rentals from Netflix, we do go to the theater to see those that either look promising or we feel might have a better effect on the "big screen." To see Netflix 2009 movie reviews click here 2011 Netflix Reviews.

If you're looking for a great site that shows all past and upcoming releases by month, check out Comingsoon.net/. Then if you need help in deciding what you want to see, go to Moviefone.com . This is an excellent site that provides a synopsis and rates each movie by release date. Below is a list of 2009/2008 movies we have seen at a theater. Click on the movie title to read our review and a brief synopsis.

2011 Movies
The Mechanic - 3-Stars - Posted January 31st, 2011
The King's Speech - 5-Stars - Posted January 23rd, 2011
The Green Hornet - 2 Stars - Posted January 19th, 2011
Black Swan - 4.25 Stars - Posted January 12th, 2011
True Grit - 4.5 Stars - Posted January 7th, 2011

View Our 2010 Movie Reviews
View Our 2009 Movie Reviews
View Our 2008 Movie Reviews
View Our 2007 Movie Reviews

View Our 2010/09 Netflix Movie Reviews
View Our 2008 Netflix Movie Reviews

Netflix Queue as of JAN 02

2011-12-29T08:34:00.000-08:00

A Daily Diary - February 2011

2011-03-01T09:02:00.000-08:00

Entries for February 2011

NOTE: You can enlarge any of the pictures below by just double-clicking on them. Then click on your browser's "Back" button to return to the original screen.

Old Windmill at Wee Thump

MONDAY - 02/28/2011 - The end of just another month, though I must say, spending February in Nevada is much nicer than it was in New England. Some trees and flowers are already beginning to bloom here. My neighbor and I are planning to take a trip to Death Valley in two weeks to see the spring wild flowers. We went to the "M" today to use our last 2-1 buffet coupon for the month. Well. apparently, so did everyone else; there must have been at least 200-300 people in line. We ended up eating at the deli. By dinner time, Connie had broken even on the slots and I picked up $250 in the poker room, which made up for last weeks losses. On the way home we drove to Red Robin for dinner as this was the last day Connie could get her free 'birthday' burger on her Red Robin card.. We shared the burger, fries and an order of onion rings for a total of $5.50. Such a deal! Watched some prerecorded TV shows when we got home and then headed off to bed

Prickly Pear Cactus

SUNDAY - 02/27/2011 - Today was just another lazy sit around and read day. I continued reading The Unofficial Quintessential Guide for my new camera; Connie read a murder mystery. I made turkey wraps for lunch. Got a call from my brother Tommy and mom who were driving back from dropping off his daughter Kristin at the airport. She had been visiting from North Carolina for the past week. His phone kept dropping the call, so we didn't get to talk much. Later in the afternoon we began watching the Oscars. Received a call from my sister Bonnie in Reno. For dinner I cooked up some curry chicken tenders, wild rice and frozen peas. After watching five hours of the Oscars, we headed off to bed. The picture of the Prickly Pear Cactus on the right was taken at the Wee Thump Joshua Tree Wilderness Area on my hike last week with the rock hounds from the Henderson Senior Center. Click here to learn more ... Wee Thump Wilderness Area.

Title - "Veins of Gold"

SATURDAY - 02/26/2011 - Still fighting flu like symptoms, though I don't think it's the flu. Worked on organizing and backing up the past couple of weeks worth of pictures and making changes and updates to this site. Lately I've been having problems with IE8 and decided to download the new IE9 a couple of days ago. Still many of the same problems. So, today I downloaded Chrome, Google's new browser. So far, so good! Some of the problems I was having went away. Now I have to learn how to setup and use another new program - I hate it when that happens. Talked with my now ex-neighbor Jim this morning, who still isn't feeling up to par. At noon I went to the kitchen to prepare us some avocado and Swiss cheese turkey wraps for lunch. After lunch and a movie, I decided to shower for the first time in three days. Afterwards we went to the "M" and played for a couple of hours. Neither of us had any luck. After we got home, my neighbor friend Marc came over for an hour or so to get some pointers on using his new camera. We also made tentative plans for some future photo excursions. After Marc left we watched an old Robert Redford movie (Legal Eagles) that we had recorded off of Showtime. It had been so long since we had seen this movie we had both forgotten how good it was. We both really enjoyed watching it again. Had some pumpkin chocolate chip cookies for dinner over a couple of TV shows and then called it an evening. The picture above shows some crustose lichens that I captured on some rocks along the Joshua Tree Highway, west of Searchlight, Nevada.

Joshua Tree

FRIDAY - 02/25/2011 - Today I awoke with a severe sore throat and an overall flue like feeling. As a result we decided to stay home for the day. I spent the better part of the day working on placing pictures to my photo gallery site while Connie read. Connie made some Ramen soup for lunch. After watching a couple of movies on TV, I went back to working on pictures. You can view the end result here ... Joshua Tree Wilderness Area. Had grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner, watched some more TV and went to bed.

Title - Westward Ho!

THURSDAY - 02/24/2011 - Even though I didn't feel great today, I still got up and drove to the Senior Center for my scheduled hike to the Wee Thump Joshua Tree Wilderness Area, just west of Searchlight, Nevada. There really wasn't too much hiking, mostly easy walking, which, because I wasn't feeling great, was a good thing. When I got home we decided to stay home instead of going out for dinner. I made tuna wraps which we ate over some prerecorded TV shows. I then went into the den and started working on the days' pictures. Even though I didn't take as many pictures today as I normally do, I still came home with almost 200. After deleting the really bad ones, and 'fixing' some of the remaining ones, I ended up with about 30 that I felt were good enough to place on my blog site.

WEDNESDAY - 02/23/2011 - Neither of us felt too strong today, so we stayed home, read and watched TV.

Jumping Cholla Cactus

MONDAY - 02/21/2011 - The temps this morning were in the mid-thirties and there was more snow on all the mountains for the third day in a row. We decided to stay home again today. I added a couple of new categories and pages [ Nevada Mine Samples ][ Jumping Cholla ] to my Photo Gallery blog while Connie read. After lunch, I visited my ex-neighbor Jim at his new apartment. He still hasn't been feeling up to par since I took him to the hospital a couple of weeks ago. I spent some time helping clean up his living room and dining room which were still filled with boxes from the move. On the way home I ran some errands picking up clothes at the cleaners and stopping at Trader Joe's. I cooked a ot roast skillet meal for dinner. We watched some prerecorded TV shows and then both headed off to bed to read.

SUNDAY - 02/20/2011 - I spent a good part of the morning reading the book I purchased on how to better utilize my new camera. Just before noon we had a visit from our ex-neighbor Jim who had been dropping off the keys to his old apartment. After Jim left I made turkey wraps for lunch which we ate over our Netflix movie, 'Home of the Brave'. The movie tells the story's of how four American soldiers returning from their tours of duty in Iraq must face the memories of war and deal with both their physical and psychological injuries as they try and return to civilian life. Even though the script writing could have been better, we still felt this was a powerful film. After the movie we read and played on the computer. Later on we had cherry pie for dinner, watched TV and went to bed.

Cactus in Eldorado Canyon

SATURDAY -02/19/2011 - Connie made French toast for breakfast. I spent most of the morning posting pictures from last Thursday's hike to my Picture Gallery blog site while Connie read. Around noon we made our monthly grocery run to Walmart. After putting everything away, I made us some roast beef sandwiches with baby Swiss cheese and avocado for a late lunch. After a few TV shows, I went over to Marc's to help him order his new camera. He decided to get the same one I bought. When I got home I finished working on my blog site. Check out the new postings here ... http://kensphotogallery.blogspot.com/ We had pie again for dinner over some TV shows before retiring for the evening.

Techatticup Mining Camp in Eldorado Canyon, NV

FRIDAY - 02/18/2011 - It was kind of cool this morning so Connie cooked some hot oatmeal cereal with raisins for breakfast. The rest of the morning I worked on cleaning up pictures from yesterday's hike while she read. We decided to head over to the "M" Casino for lunch at the VIG Deli. We decided to try something new and both ordered the barbecued pulled pork sandwich and were both very pleased. It was excellent. After an hour and a half of play we picked up two free cherry pies and headed over to the South Point casino for popcorn and a movie. We saw the Unknown" with Liam Neeson. It had some pretty good action and we both enjoyed it. Then again we're easy. After we got home, my neighhbor friend Marc came over to discuss cameras. Also in the market for a new camera he had narrowed his search down to two and wanted to get a 'hands on feel' for mine. Came home, had cherry pie for dinner and watched some prerecorded shows before retiring for the evening.

Nelson's Landing, Nevada

THURSDAY - 02/17/2011 - Today was hiking day, up at 5:30 am and over to the Senior Center to catch the van. At 7:00 we headed off to Nelson's Landing. About 40 miles south of Vegas, it is located on the Nevada side of Lake Mohave, about 16 miles north of Cottonwood Cove by water. It is a small boat launch and village located in a steep dry wash along the banks of the Colorado River. The town of Nelson is located way up the wash, away from the flood channels. This is a small town that looks like it came right out of the 1950's. There are also several ghost towns in the area.

MONDAY - 02/14/2011 - VALENTINE'S DAY: After Connie read her Valentine's card we enjoyed a breakfast of banana pancakes over the "Sunday Morning" show that we recorded yesterday. Because I was not happy with the calendar app on my EPIC 4G, I recently downloaded a new app called CalenGoo. Because it is much more detailed that the old one, it took me several hours to learn how to use and customize it. The good news is, I love it! While Connie read her book, I read the new book I received ...

The Unofficial Quintessential Guide (to my new camera) The Panasonic Lumix DMC-G2. Learning all of the many features, settings and menus on this great camera has been a daunting task, and this book is a blessing. Though I'm sure there are parts I will have to read more than once, it is really great on explaing how to get the most out of the cameras' many functions. For lunch we decided to use a coupon to Red Robin. After a nice lunch we stopped for dessert at our apartment's clubhouse on the way home where they provided some special Valentine's Day treats - a chocolate fountain with strawberries, marshmellows, angel food cake and bananas, decorated cupcakes and cookies. After a few TV shows we watched the 2011 Grammys that we had recorded the night before. We were really impressed and thaought it was a great show. Being rather late, we went right to bed afterwards.

The Social Network

SUNDAY - 02/13/2011 - We turned on the Celtics game at 10:00 am and watched them beat the Miami Heat in a close game - 85-82. My neighbor friend Jim, who moved out last Thursday, stopped by for a visit. After he left I made us an Italian lunch of spaghetti, fried eggplant, and cheese stuffed Manicotti. We ate lunch over our latest Netflix movie, The Social Network. We weren't sure if we were going to like this movie, but ended up really enjoying it. After the movie we both read for a couple of hours before watching any more TV shows. After several TV shows, we headed off to bed.

Carp at Lake Mead Marina

SATURDAY - 02/12/2011 - Today was "Valentine" gift day. First, we went to Monstah Lobstah for breakfast. We sharred a breakfast with 3-eggs, ham, hash-browns, and wheat toast and both order the blueberry pancakes. They have the best bleberry pancakes; made with small, sweet Maine blueberries. We then headed to the library so Connie could get some new books. It was thenover to the Fiesta Casino for two boxes of Russell Stover Valentines' Day chocolates. We then drove to the "M" where the were giving out apple pies. On the way home we stopped at GVR for two more boxes of Sover's Valentines' Day chocolates. What a haul. Connie will be eating chocolate for months. We had apple pie with melted cheddar cheese for dinner over some prerecorded TV shows. I opened some mail and packages containing "more" stuff for my new camera, including a book I had ordered on how to better use all of its features, menus and functions.

Beach Along Lake Mead's Lakeshore Drive

FRIDAY - 02/11/2011 - Today was pool day with Ron, my downstairs neighbor. After a couple of hours of shooting pool, I came home, picked up Connie, and drove to the "M" for another buffet lunch. After playing most of the afternoon, I won $2 and Connie lost about $40. Came home and watched TV. Got a call from my sister in Reno and talked for an hour. Paul is heading to Hawaii on the 24th for a weeks visit with his family. After a few more shows, Connie headed to bed and I stayed up working on yesterday's hiking pictures.

Desert Sunflower

THURSDAY - 0210/2011 - Today was "hiking day" with the rock hounds from the senior center. This morning we were scheduled to do the south shore of Lake Mead. We started with a hike of the Historic Railroad Tunnel Trail, a 3-1/2 mile hike through five old tunnels and along an old rail bed that was used to service the building of the Hoover Dam. After that we drove to the Lake Mead Marina for lunch and then took the shouth shore road home making a couple of stops along the way. My neighbor friend Jim decided a few weeks ago to move into another apartment complex a few miles away; and today was moving day. After changing from the hike, Connie and I drove over to see his new apartment. We didn't like it that much, but wished him well. We then went to Annie's Gourmet Italian restaurant for dinner. We had never been here before, but I had a 2-1 Groupon that I bought off the Internet. We both thought the stuffed mushrooms were outstanding! The rest of the meals were very good, but not what I would consider "gourmet". The decor was simple but warm and the price was right. We will probably try it again. Came home and watched some show and went to bed.

WEDNESDAY - 02/09/2011 - Didn't really do much today. Checked in on my friend Jim, who appeared better, but not great. He had made an appointment with his doctor later in the day and anothher friend was driving him over. At noon we drove up to GVR and had their lunch buffet. After lunch we went over to the "M" to use Connie's free slot play. Came home early and watched prerecorded TV show till bedtime. Talked with Jim on the phone and ne noted that his doctor had told him that he had been having a bad reaction to a recent drug change that the VA had made and told him to stop taking it and go back to the old drug.

The Couple

TUESDAY - 02/08/2011 - My neighbor friend Jim called this morning because he wasn't feeling well and wanted me to come over. It appeared that he blacked out the previous day and couldn't remember what had happened since Sunday. He couldn't remember when he ate last, was pale, shaking, disorientated, had no equilibrium and his eyes were terribly bloodshot. I took him to the emergency room at St Rose Hospital. They admitted him and ran a series of tests. In the afternoon Connie and I went to the "M" and had a late lunch at the Deli. Even though we didn't loose much, neither of us had any luck playing and came home relatively early. Got a call mid evening from Jim saying that none of the tests showed anything; that they had released him and another friend who was visiting at the time brought him home. I went over and talked with him for a while; he still seemed very weak and was having trouble walking. I told him I would check on him in the morning.

MONDAY - 02/07/2011 - I spent the morning working on my picture blog and catching up on posts for this blog. Around noon we decided to shower and get dressed and head out to find lunch somewhere. We decided to have New England Clam Chowder and the Seafood Salad at Tides, the seafood restaurant at Green Valley Ranch. We played most of the afternoon. I picked up $150 in the poker room and Connie lost $20 playing slots. After we got home, Connie made chocolate brownies which we ate for dinner. Watched some TV shows and went to bed.

Just take the picture, this is my best side!

SUNDAY - 02/06/2011 - SUPER BOWL 45. I made a green pepper, onion and cheddar cheese omlets with roast beef hash and English muffins for breakfast that we ate over the Sunday Morning show. Connie watched the Celtic game while I worked on pictures. Since OUR Patriots lost, we pretty much didn't care who won the Super Bowl, though we were rooting for the Steelers, as our next door neighbor is from Pittsburgh and a huge Steelers fan. Oh well, so much for that thought. At least the Celtics won! I had to head over to North Las Vegas to check on Jim Herrings house. He had an extremely high water bill and wanted me to make sure there were no leaks anywhere. Everything appeared fine. I stopped at the Floyd Lamb Park on the way over and got some great pics of the peacocks and water fowl. I then headed to the "M" for some special promotions they were having in the poker room. I won one of the $100 drawings, $50 playing and a nice bottle of Merlot. Not bad for an afternoon's play. Came home and watched a couple of prerecorded TV shows with Connie. After she went to bed, I worked on cleaning up the day's pictures and posting to my blog site. Go here to see more pictures of peacocks and geese ... Ken's Photo Gallery.

SATURDAY - 02/05/2011 - I spent most of the day Friday working on pictures from my hike on Thursday. This morning I continued working on pictures, email, and paying bills while Connie read. We then drove up the street to GVR for two free lunch buffets. We both played for a while afterward, but neither of us did very well. Came home, had dinner, watched some TV and went to bed.

Blue Herring at Tule Springs

THURSDAY - 02/03/2011 - Today was "hike" day again, so it was up early and over to the Henderson Senior Center to catch the bus. Burrr! Today was one of the coldest days of the entire winter; 27-degrees at 6:00 am. Needless to say our first hike of the morning at Tule Springs was pretty cold. Though a little warmer by the time we got to Corn Creek, inside the Desert National Wildlife Refuge, it was almost 60 by the time we got to the Las Vegas Wetlands Park just before noon. I spite of the cold I still managed to get several pictures of the many birds and water fowl that the park is noted for. Click here for more pictures ... More Pics at Tule Springs. When I got home we used a 2-1 coupon at Mimi's Cafe for an early dinner. She had the Fish (Haddock) and Chips and I had the Blackened Mahi-Mahi. It was a long day for me and after a few TV shows we both went to bed early.

WEDNESDAY - 02/02/2011 - Today was just plain raw, cold and windy. I went out around 10:00 am to run some errands and buy some "stuff" for tomorrow's hike and it was only 37-degrees. After shopping, Connie and I headed to the Palms Casino on the Strip. They didn't have a No-Limit game in the poker room so we only stayed for a couple of hours. I won $10 playing $2-4 limit. Had lunch at Faminglia's Pizza in the food court. After lunch we drove to the "M". We only stayed for a couple of hours. I won $20 in the poker room and Connie lost $20 playing slots. We both picked up a free bottle of wine and headed home. I made grilled cheese and tomato sandwiches for dinner that we ate over a couple of prerecorded TV shows. I updated some stuff on the computer and got my camera and stuff staged for tomorrow's hike before heading to bed.

TUESDAY - 02/01/2011 - Here it is yet another new month already; and today is CONNIE'S 71st BIRTHDAY! To celebrate, I made a nice late morning breakfast brunch that consisted of Eggs Benedict, corn beef hash, toast and champagne. Just before breakfast she received a call from her sister Patti wishing her happy birthday. She got a wonderful card and letter from Cheryl yesterday, and this morning she received a happy birthday email from April and opened cards from my mom and Nancy Barlow, one of her best friends back in NH. Just before noon she received a call from her brother Rick in Colorado.

Four-Story Chandelier Bar

We then decided to go someplace today that we had yet to see, the new Cosmopolitan Hotel and Casino at City Center down on the Strip. Having just opened in the middle of December this past year, it has been getting rave reviews for its beauty and architecture. Though not much on the outside, the inside was fairly impressive. The fifth story pool area overlooking the entire Strip, has without a doubt, the best view in Vegas. Probably the most striking element is the multi-deck Chandelier Bar. This is a three-level imbibing and hobnobbing haven encased in an enormously audacious chandelier that is strung with more than 2 million beaded crystals. It is truely awesome, and no matter your physical size, you instantly feel small when encountering the tri-decked bar space. We ended our picture taking tour by sitting and having a drink directly beneath The Chandelier.

The Salad Bar at Texas de Brazil

We then headed over to Texas de Brazil for dinner. They had sent Connie a free $50 dinner coupon via email for her birthday. When we got there around 4 p.m. we found out that they close between lunch and dinner (2:30 - 5:00). With an hour to waste, we drove back out on Las Vegas Blvd to where the famous "Entering Las Vegas" sign is located opposite the Executive Airport to watch the planes land and takeoff. I forgot to turn the car lights off while we were there and when we were ready to leave my battery was dead and the car wouldn't start. After flagging someone to give us a "jump start", we drove around for 15 minutes to let the batter charge before going to the restaurant. Even though we had just been here for dinner about a month ago, we both agreed that the meal was the best we've had there. They even had a new item (Seared Ahi Tuna) on the 60 item salad bar that was outstanding. As usual, we were stuffed by the time we finished. Our first dinner here was for our anniversary back in November of 2008. Check out my 2008 review ... Texas de Brazil. The car started without problem after dinner and we came home and watched TV until 10:00 trying to give all that food a chance to digest.

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The Lion King

2011-01-31T21:49:00.001-08:00


	COSTUMES AND MASKS: The Lion King is unique in that we see how the magic works on stage. There's no attempt to cover up the wheels and cogs that make it all happen. As an audience member at The Lion King you have an important job: With your imagination, you are invited to mix the "animal" with the human into a magical whole.
	PUPPETS: The human beings that control the puppets and wear the animal masks are fully seen. As Julie Taymor says, "When the human spirit visibly animates an object, we experience a special, almost life-giving connection. We become engaged by both the method of storytelling as well as the story itself."
	AFRICAN MASKS: In Africa, masks are functional works of art. As in The Lion King many African masks are made to be worn over the head instead of over the face. They serve many ceremonial purposes: initiating a young man into manhood, exorcising evil spirits, capturing the invisible supernatural forces surrounding us. The sculptor has only one opportunity to incorporate the anger, humor, and passion of a character, to tell his or her whole story."
	BUNRAKU PUPPETRY: Named for its founder, Uemura Bunrakuken, this Japanese theater form started in the 16th century. In Bunraku, master puppeteers, visible to the audience, control large puppet dolls, while a narrator tells the story. Through movement and gestures (and, as always, the audience's imaginations), great expressiveness can be achieved.
	SHADOW PUPPETRY: In shadow puppetry, the audience only sees the shadows of the puppets, thrown onto a screen by a light or a fire. Shadow puppetry seems to be thousands of years old; many think it originated in Greece, although Chinese records show forms of shadow puppetry being performed 2000 years ago. In Indonesian shadow puppetry, called the wayang kulit, intricate flat puppets made of wood and animal hide are shown before a muslin screen.
	Perhaps the most dramatic scene in The Lion King is the wildebeest stampede in which Mufasa is killed. The effect in the theater is electric, as thousands of wildebeests seem to be rushing straight at Simba -- and at the audience. The illusion of thousands of racing animals is achieved with a canvas scroll and a series of large rollers. Wildebeests are painted on the scroll, and each roller is equipped with sculptures of the animals. On each successive roller, the wildebeest sculptures are slightly larger, until, closest to the audience, dancers rhythmically move huge wildebeest masks. This design creates a false perspective of great distance. When the scroll and rollers are moving, the audience seems to see waves of wildebeests driving forward.

The Lion King

2011-01-30T09:02:00.000-08:00

[To better read the text, click the pcture to enlarge]

The various techniques and effects that Julie Taymor used throughout this production are absolutely stunning. They push the boundaries of your imagination in every way possible. Because I was unable to take pictures, I have captured the ones below off of the Internet and provided a brief description in an effort to provide you with a better sense of just how wonderful this production was.

_______________________________________________________


	COSTUMES AND MASKS: The Lion King is unique in that we see how the magic works on stage. There's no attempt to cover up the wheels and cogs that make it all happen. As an audience member at The Lion King you have an important job: With your imagination, you are invited to mix the "animal" with the human into a magical whole.
	PUPPETS: The human beings that control the puppets and wear the animal masks are fully seen. As Julie Taymor says, "When the human spirit visibly animates an object, we experience a special, almost life-giving connection. We become engaged by both the method of storytelling as well as the story itself."
	AFRICAN MASKS: In Africa, masks are functional works of art. As in The Lion King many African masks are made to be worn over the head instead of over the face and serve a variety of ceremonial purposes. The sculptor has only one opportunity to incorporate the anger, humor, and passion of a character, to tell his or her whole story.
	BUNRAKU PUPPETRY: This Japanese theater form started in the 16th century. In Bunraku, master puppeteers, visible to the audience, control large puppet dolls, while a narrator tells the story. Through movement and gestures (and, as always, the audience's imaginations), great expressiveness can be achieved.
	SHADOW PUPPETRY: In shadow puppetry, the audience only sees the shadows of the puppets, thrown onto a screen by a source of light. Chinese records show forms of shadow puppetry being performed 2000 years ago. In Indonesian shadow puppets, called wayang kulit, are intricate flat puppets made of wood and animal hide shown before a muslin screen.
	Perhaps the most dramatic scene in The Lion King is the wildebeest stampede in which Mufasa is killed. The effect in the theater is electric, as thousands of wildebeests seem to be rushing straight at Simba -- and at the audience. The illusion of thousands of racing animals is achieved with a canvas scroll and a series of large rollers. Wildebeests are painted on the scroll, and each roller is equipped with sculptures of the animals. On each successive roller, the wildebeest sculptures are slightly larger, until, closest to the audience, dancers rhythmically move huge wildebeest masks. This design creates a false perspective of great distance. When the scroll and rollers are moving, the audience seems to see waves of wildebeests driving forward.

Movie Review–“The King’s Speech”

2011-01-23T14:42:00.001-08:00

RELEASE: 2010; GENERE: Science-Fiction/Fantasy; RUN-TIME: 1 hr, 51 mins; RATED: R for some language; STARRING: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Carter; DIRECTED BY: Tom Hooper

REVIEW: This is definitely not an action movie. However, if you like deep and inspiring movies, this is one of the best ever. A very special film indeed with just the right mix of pathos, humor and well-observed period detail. It is a well crafted chapter of British history that charts a remarkable and unlikely friendship between two men from totally opposite sides of the class divide. Both entertaining and inspirational, it is definitely in the running as 2010's best movie and will - in the end - leave you speechless. Everyone it the theater loved it. We give it [5-Stars].

SYNOPSIS: Based on the true story of King George VI, THE KING'S SPEECH follows the Royal Monarch's quest to find his voice. After the death of his father King George V and the scandalous abdication of King Edward VIII, Bertie (Colin Firth) who has suffered from a debilitating speech impediment all his life, is suddenly crowned King George VI of England. With his country on the brink of war and in desperate need of a leader, his wife, Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter), the future Queen Mother, arranges for her husband to see an eccentric speech therapist, Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush). After a rough start, the two delve into an unorthodox course of treatment and eventually form an unbreakable bond. With the support of Logue, his family, his government and Winston Churchill, the King will overcome his stammer and deliver a radio-address that inspires his people and unites them in battle.

Movie Review–“The Green Hornet”

2011-01-19T08:55:00.001-08:00

RELEASE: 2010; GENERE: Action & Adventure, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Comedy; RUN-TIME: 1 hr, 58 mins; RATED: PG-13; STARRING: Seth Rogen, Jay Chou, Cameron Diaz; DIRECTED BY: Michael Gondry;

REVIEW: Having seen and been spoiled by Avitar, my first impression was that the 3D photography was kind of "cheesy". It had nowhere near the depth and quality of Avitar. It just didn't seem worth the outrageous 3-D-glasses surcharge. In all senses, there's little that jumps out at you. However, this being only my 2nd 3D movie, I thought maybe I was being too harsh. Then I was confronted with a weak script followed by the poor acting of Seth Rogen, the Green Hornet. He was so bad that he made his sidekick, Jay Chou, look good. Fortunately, there is just enough novelty, action and comedy to keep you in the seat till the end, even though it marred by dull action and non-existent chemistry between the cast. All the buzz in the world isn't enough to turn this movie into a fond memory for most viewers. We were both sorely disappointed. For the money, I give it [2-Stars].

SYNOPSIS: In the 3D action-comedy The Green Hornet, Britt Reid (Seth Rogen) is the son of LA's most prominent and respected media magnate and perfectly happy to maintain a directionless existence on the party scene - until his father mysteriously dies, leaving Britt his vast media empire. Striking an unlikely friendship with one of his father's more industrious and inventive employees, Kato (Jay Chou), they see their chance to do something meaningful for the first time in their lives: fight crime. To get close to the criminals, they come up with the perfect cover: they'll pose as criminals themselves. Protecting the law by breaking it, Britt becomes the vigilante The Green Hornet as he and Kato hit the streets. Using all his ingenuity and skill, Kato builds the ultimate in advanced retro weaponry, Black Beauty, an indestructible car equal parts firepower and horsepower. Rolling in a mobile fortress on wheels and striking the bad guys with Kato's clever gadgets, The Green Hornet and Kato quickly start making a name for themselves, and with the help of Britt's new secretary, Lenore Case (Cameron Diaz), they begin hunting down the man who controls LA's gritty underworld: Benjamin Chudnofsky. But Chudnofsky has plans of his own: to swat down The Green Hornet once and for all.

Movie Review–“Black Swan”

2011-01-12T08:03:00.001-08:00

RELEASE: 2010; GENERE: Mystery, Suspense, Drama; RUN-TIME: 1 hr, 50 mins; RATED: R for strong sexual content, disturbing violent images, language and some drug use; STARRING: Natalie Portman; DIRECTED BY: Darren Aronofsky;

REVIEW: Trust me, you have never seen a movie quite like this before. I came out of the theater saying that is was odly strange, sometimes confusing; yet at the same time brilliant. Showing the world of a ballerina at its worst and at it best, is what makes the portrayal so weirdly compelling. It takes a thrilling and at times terrifying journey through the psyche of a young ballerina whose starring role as the duplicitous swan queen turns out to be a part for which she becomes frighteningly perfect. Often melodramatic, it is odly captivating and features some of the best dance sequences you will likely see all year. Without hardly ever raising her voice, Natalie Portman is brilliant in the film and cold end up being a strong contender for an Oscar. Definately one of the most provocative movies we've seen all year. We give it a stong [4.25-Stars].

SYNOPSIS: This is a psychological thriller set in the world of New York City ballet. Staring Natalie Portman as Nina, a featured dancer who finds herself locked in a web of competitive intrigue with a new rival at the company (Mila Kunis), it portrays the life of a ballerina, like all those in her profession, that is completely consumed with dance. She lives with her retired ballerina mother Erica (Barbara Hershey) who zealously supports her daughter's professional ambition; to the point of driving her to near insanity. When artistic director Thomas Leroy (Vincent Cassel) decides to replace prima ballerina Beth MacIntyre (Winona Ryder) for the opening production of their new season, Swan Lake, Nina is his first choice. But Nina has competition: a new dancer, Lily (Kunis), who impresses Leroy as well. Swan Lake requires a dancer who can play both the White Swan with innocence and grace, and the Black Swan, who represents guile and sensuality. Nina fits the White Swan role perfectly but Lily is the personification of the Black Swan. As the two young dancers expand their rivalry into a twisted friendship, Nina begins to get more in touch with her dark side with a recklessness that threatens to destroy her.

Movie Review–“True Grit”

2011-01-07T08:30:00.001-08:00

RELEASE: 2010 GENERE: Western, Drama, Action and Adventure; RUN-TIME: 1 hr, 50 mins; RATED: R; STARRING: Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin, Hailee Steinfield; DIRECTED BY: Ethan Cohen, Joel Cohen;

REVIEW: In a few words, the casting for this movie was superb; the performances outstanding. In the role of Rooster Cogburn, a grizzly, aging, and often drunk U.S. Marshal, Jeff Bridges provides what is probably his best performance ever. As for her role of the 14-year-old Mattie Ross, Hailee Steinfield was mesmerizing. The tense verbal comedy of Mattie's early negotiation with a Fort Smith merchant will immediately win you over to her being a star on par with Jeff Bridges. She conquers the role with the maturity of a well seasoned actress. This film offers one of the year’s best overall casts and should garner more than one Academy Award nomination. Truely one of the best films we've seen all year. We give it [4-1/2 Stars].

SYNOPSIS: A stubborn young woman, 14-year-old Mattie Ross (played by Hailee Steinfeld) joins an aging but tough U.S. marshal (Jeff Bridges) and another lawman (Matt Damon) in tracking her father's killer into hostile Indian territory in Joel and Ethan Coen's adaptation of Charles Portis' original novel. Sticking more closely to the source material than the 1969 feature adaptation starring Western icon John Wayne, the Coens' True Grit tells the story from the young girl's perspective.

A Daily Diary - January 2011

2010-12-31T22:02:00.000-08:00

Entries for January 2011

NOTE: You can enlarge any of the pictures below by just double-clicking on them. Then click on your browser's "Back" button to return to the original screen.

MONDAY - 01/31/2011 - HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO ME! Here it is the end of the month and the anniversary of yet another year of retirement. As of today I've now been retired 14 years. Where has the time gone? The good news is that I would do it all over again, even though I suffered a huge financial loss by leaving so early. The bad news is that I didn't know that my retirement would be going down nearly 15 year later. Today I received notification in the mail that my retirement check was going down $87/month in 2011. First, there was no COLA adjustment for 2011; second, my BCBS health insurance went up $31.00/month; and finally, the IRS automatically increased my tax withholding deduction by $47/mo. Add to this that my Social Secrity check is going down $110/month to pay for Medicare Part B and my monthly income just went down $197 a month. Isn't life just wonderful! Even though the past couple of days have been windy and a little cooler, they have still been in the 60's. Today I worked on updating my blogs and reviewing the pictures I took yesterday when we went to see the Lion King at Mandalay Bay casino. Check this one out ... The Lion King Theater at Mandalay Bay. At noon we drove up to GVR so Connie could play some free slot play and to have their lunch buffet. We then drove over to the South Point casino to see the movie, "The Mechanic". Even though the reviews have been just so-so, it had plenty of action; we both enjoyed it. They informed us at the ticket counter that the ticket prices for seniors was going up from $3 to $4 per person starting tomorrow. Still one of the best deals in Vegas, it's hard to complain.

Lone Survivor

SUNDAY - 01/30/2011 - I don't know where the time goes. It seems like I just updated this blog the other day and its been four days since I last posted anyting. One reason is that I am hiking with a group from the senior center every Thursday. It then takes me a couple of days to sort through, clean up and then post all the pictures I take on the hike. Another is the time I've spent working on my new photo site. The hardest part was coming up with a list of categories and sub-categories in which to place my pictures. Then I had to select pictures, make a written write up and then post them to each category in order to create a link to the list. Although I sure there will be a few tweaks now and then, it's pretty much complete. Check it out here ... http://kensphotogallery.blogspot.com/. The picture above is one of my favorites taken over the past couple of weeks. It's a desert still-life I call Lone Survivor. Click here to read more ... Redstone Loop Trail.

Curtain Call of "The Lion King" at Mandalay Bay Casino

This afternoon, after lunch over the men's finals of the Australian Tennis Open, we went to Mandalay Bay casino to see the Broadway show, The Lion King. From the imagination of award-winning director Julie Taymor this is a spectacular musical based on one of the most successful animated films in history. Just a few months back we watched a 60 Minutes segment on her past accomplishments and her direction of the new accident plagued Broadway show, Spider Man. Hailed as the world's most spectacular musical, it has been estimated that more than 45 million people worldwide have seen this truly one-of-a-kind experience. Newsweek called it "a landmark event in entertainment," It was truly a breathtaking adventure. The music, color and costumes and scene changes stretch the boundaries of your imagination. We gave it [5-Stars]. Click here to view a picture collage ... Lion King Collage

SATURDAY - 01/29/2011 - Today I decided to go down to Caesars Palace casino on the Strip and enter a Senior's Hold-em Poker Tournament. They were paying 18 places with a first prize of $4,000 plus a free $1,000 entry into this year's World Series of Poker Senior Event in June. Even though I played for nearly 6 hours, I ended up getting knocked out in 45th place. I came home and picked up Connie and we went to GVR and the "M" where she had $20 in free slot play. Came home and had grilled cheese sandwiches and left-over cheddar cheese broccoli soup for dinner. Watched a couple of TV shows and headed to bed.

FRIDAY - 01/28/2011 - Didn't do much today. I was still pretty sore from yesterday's hiking. I spent time reviewing and organizing yesterday's pictures and working on my new photo blog site. We then went over to the "M" buffet for lunch, played a little, came home. For dinner, I made some wraps. Watched some TV and went to bed.

A Fellow Hiker

THURSDAY - 01/27/2011 - Got up early as I had to be at the Senior Center for my weekly hike by 6:45 am. Nobody who is retired should have to be anywhere that early in the morning. This week we headed to the Sandy Valley area which is about 40 minutes south west of Las Vegas. This is an area that is crawling with old mines, which made for a very interesting day. Check out some more pictures on my new picture blog at Ken's Photo Gallery. These hikes are generally 6-7 hours and by the time I get home I am definitely worn out. After I played with pictures for a while and showed Connie where I had been, I made some cheddar cheese and broccoli soup for dinner that we ate over a couple of TV shows. By bedtime I was exhausted and took no time at all falling to sleep.

TUESDAY 01/25/2011 - Another nice day in the mid-60's. After a normal morning of playing on the computer, Connie reading and doing ironing, I went to GVR to play some poker. Connie stayed home and continued watching tennis (the Australian Open). After picking up $75 in the poker room, I drove over to Hair-4-U for a scheduled haircut. On the way home I picked up some Popeye's Chicken takeout for dinner. We were not happy with it. The chicken was overcooked and the coleslaw was extremely runny. We lost our water around 6:00 pm and after talking with several neighbors, determined that the entire complex was without water. It came back on around ten in the evening. We figured the town must have been working on something out by the road. After watching several prerecorded TV shows we called it a day and retired for the evening.

MONDAY - 01/24/2011 - Just another winter day in the mid-60's while New England and the east coast get pounded with snow, wind, rain and ice. We drove over to the "M" so Connie could play her $15 in free play. There wasn't enough people in the poker room for a no-limit game so after an hour of playing $2-$4 limit, we left and headed to Green Valley Ranch. By the time we left there, Connie was down only $10 for the day, and I was up over $200 between the two places. We came home and had a pizza for dinner over some TV shows and a Netflix movie. The movie was, "You don't Know Jack", an Emmy-winning HBO biopic starring Al Pacino that focuses on the life of Dr. Jack Kevorkian. It was outstanding. Al Pacino, who won the 2011 Golden Globe award for won best actor in a made for TV movie, was brilliant. This is a must see movie.

SUNDAY - 01/23/2011 - I spent most of the day working on my new photo site. During breaks from the computer, I joined Connie who was watching both of the NFL Division Title games. We were actually rooting for Green Bay and the Steelers, both of whom won. One of my neighbor friends is a huge Steelers fan, so now we are rooting for the Steelers. At dinner time we headed over to the South Point casino where we had tickets to see comedienne Kathleen Madighan. We had Chinese (Won-Ton Soup, Shrimp Tempura, and Pork Egg-Foo-Yung) at the Coronado Cafe. I have mentioned before, this is some of the best Chinese food in town. After stuffing all that down we headed over to the theater to see Kathleen. We had seen her back in 2005 at the Improv at Harrah's. With a whole routine of new stuff, we enjoyed her more than the last time. Great show I had 2-1 tickets through our subscription to Las Vegas Advisor and the show was only $10 each. Such a deal! Came home and went to bed.

FRIDAY - 01/21/2011 - A few days ago I decided to design and create a new website for posting my pictures. You can visit by going to Ken's Photo Gallery. As a result I have spent 4-5 hours a day designing it, coming up with a category structure for placing pictures, and reviewing and selecting what I feel are some of my better pictures and uploading them to the various categories. I can tell, this will be a "work-in-progress" for quite some time, so bear with me. At noon we decided to take a drive up to Green Valley Ranch for lunch and a little "play". We ate at one of our favorite burger joints, Fatburger. Their hamburgs are made from fresh lean beef, not frozen patties and cooked-to-order, just the way you want it. They are the biggest, juiciest hamburgers around. They also have a choice of skinny fries of fat (steak) fries, great onion rings made from real onions, hand-scooped, real ice cream shakes and great tasting chili. After lunch we played for a couple of hours before heading home to get ready for a planned dinner engagement. We told my neighbor friend Jim Freed that we would take him out to dinner for his birthday. And what a dinner it was! We went to our favorite new seafood restaurant, Monstah Lobstah. Jim had a two-pound Maine lobster; Connie and I had the Fried Haddock, fried New England clams (the best in Vegas) and shared a 1-1/4 pound lobster. Not to mention, the baked potatoes, hush puppies and onion rings. It was a delicious meal and needless to say we were all stuffed! Came home and watched a couple of prerecorded TV shows and went to bed.

Our Transportation

THURSDAY - 01/20/2011 - Today was the first of the 12 scheduled hikes I signed up for through the Henderson Senior Center. Today's hikes were along Lake Mead's Northshore drive. I had to be up at 5:30 a.m. in order to get ready and be at the Senior Center by 6:45. Not used to that!

Lovell Wash

Our first stop was at Lovell Wash located at mile marker 16 on the Northshore Road. This ended up being about a 4-mile hike. Though the sky was clear and sunny, it was rather cold and windy this early in the morning. The area had some amazing geology, a narrow slot canyon and a couple of old mines, both of which I would love to explore more on a return trip. I'm sure this would have been considered a relatively easy hike for anyone in shape, however, I was pretty tired by the time I returned to the van.

Arch at Redstone Loop Trail

Our second stop was at the Redstone Loop Trail at mile marker 27. This was a relatively short 1/2 mile hike in and arround a series of red rock outcroppings. In my exploring around this area I came across a rare finding for these types of outcroppings, a beautifully formed arch. It is always fun taking pictures of the various formations and trying to distinguish recognizable shapes.

Almost to the Top!

On the trip back, our final stop was at the Las Vegas Wash area as it enters into Lake Mead. Due to the changes in elevation, this two mile hike was a a backbreaker. Following the wash trail down to the water's edge was relatively easy, however climbing up to the top of the ridge for the walk back was a killer. In addition, the entire morning's ride, sitting at the rear of the van, was no picnic either. Needless to say, by the time I got back to the Senior Center at 1:00 p.m., I was beaten old man. I ached so bad that I spent 30 minutes in the spa and whirlpool when I got home.

WEDNESDAY - 01/19/2011 - After our normal morning routine, we walked to our Pool House where they we putting on a free luncheon for the residents. Prepared by Olive Garden, they had three different kinds of soup, bread sticks, salid, soda and cookies. We ran into a couple of our neighbor friends who were going to see the movie "The King's Speach" afterwards, and invited us to go with them. With nothing else planned for the day we said sure, why not. It was a great movie. (click the title for a review) After the movie we went to their apartment for some wine and dessert. Came home and watched a couple of shows and went to bed.

TUESDAY - 01/18/2011 - As usual, I played on the computer while Connie read and put in a couple loads of wash. We got a call from Sue and Nancy, our ex-neighbors that we helped out a little over a year ago. They both sounded good, although we learned that Nancy had suffered a heart attack back in early December. They were both still working at the Pancake House and had gotten re-hired back in the fall to do follow-up visits for the Census Bureau. It sounded like the working of the two jobs is what ended up giving Nancy the heart attack. Sue sounded like she had a good job opportunity with Hilton, but was hesitant on taking it because it would involve a lot of travel and would have to leave Sue home alone. They both sounded good; it was good to hear from them. At lunch time we headed to the "M" for two free lunch buffets on comps. Good as usual. Connie had $15 in free play and came home a winner; on the other hand, I lost for the day. After coming home we had PB &J sandwiches for dinner, watched TV and went to bed.

Green Hornet - 3D

MONDAY - 01/17/2011 - MARTIN LUTHER KING HOLIDAY - Today was just another beautiful day with a high of 72 degrees. Connie even spent some time out on the deck reading while I played on the computer and cleaned my bathroom shower. We had lunch at the South Point buffet before going to see the movie, "The Green Hornet" in 3D. We were both disappointed. I thought the script was bad, the acting was poor and the 3D photography wasn't much better. The Green Hornet never approaches the surreal heights suggested by all the hype. After the movie I picked up tickets to see comedian Kathleen Madigan this coming Sunday.

SUNDAY - 01/16/2011 - We stayed home today and had one of our most disappointing days of the year as we watched our New England Patriots loose to the NY Jets in the NFL divisional playoffs. After such an outstanding season, it was a heart-wrenching defeat. Just before the start of the game, I started taking down and packing all the Christmas decorations that we had put up for the holidays. After the game we watched the Neflix movie, "The Thin Red Line". This 1998 movie, based upon James Jones' autobiographical 1962 novel, focused on the conflict at Guadalcanal during the second World War. Almost three hours long, it had a great cast (James Caviezel, Sean Penn and Nick Nolte) and was quite good. In the evening we watched the 68th Annual Golden Globe Awards. Here are the winners.

For MOTION PICTURES:
Best Picture, Drama: "The Social Network."
Best Picture, Musical or Comedy: "The Kids Are All Right."
Best Actor, Drama: Colin Firth, "The King's Speech."
Best Actress, Drama: Natalie Portman, "Black Swan."
Best Director: David Fincher, "The Social Network."
Best Actress, Musical or Comedy: Annette Bening, "The Kids Are All Right."
Best Actor, Musical or Comedy: Paul Giamatti, "Barney's Version."
Best Supporting Actor: Christian Bale, "The Fighter."
Best Supporting Actress: Melissa Leo, "The Fighter."
Best Foreign Language: "In a Better World."
Best Animated Film: "Toy Story 3."
Best Screenplay: Aaron Sorkin, "The Social Network."
Best Original Score: "The Social Network."
Best Original Song: "You Haven't Seen the Last of Me," (written by Diane Warren), "Burlesque.

For TELEVISION:
Best Series, Drama: "Boardwalk Empire," HBO.
Best Actor, Drama: Steve Buscemi, "Boardwalk Empire."
Best Actress, Drama: Katey Sagal, "Sons of Anarchy."
Best Series, Musical or Comedy: "Glee," Fox.
Best Actor, Musical or Comedy: Jim Parsons, "The Big Bang Theory."
Best Actress, Musical or Comedy: Laura Linney, "The Big C."
Best Miniseries or Movie: "Carlos," Sundance Channel.
Best Actress, Miniseries or Movie: Claire Danes, "Temple Grandin."
Best Actor, Miniseries or Movie: Al Pacino, "You Don't Know Jack."
Best Supporting Actress, Series, Miniseries or Movie: Jane Lynch, "Glee."
Best Supporting Actor, Series, Miniseries or Movie: Chris Colfer, "Glee."

SATURDAY - 01/15/2011 - I went to a friend's house to help him set up some "stuff" on one of his computers. Then went shopping at the Bass Pro Shops for some hiking boots and other accessories I needed to get for the upcoming hikes I signed up for at the senior center. Connie had free slot play at both GVR and the "M". We had the Seafood Brunch at the "M" and both agreed that it seemed even better than normal. The prime rib was the best we ever had there and the Alaskan crabs-legs were outstanding. I also had some Mahi-Mahi and baked mussels that were very good. Though the seafood brunch is rather expensive ($30 per person) it is certainly well worth it. After a 2-1 coupon and comps, it was only $15 for the two of us - a real steal. Connie broke even for the day, however, I didn't fare so well in the poker room. Came home and watched some TV shows over cake and ice cream.

THURSDAY - 01/13/2011 - Hints of spring? Today it got up to 58 degrees and it is suppose to be in the low to mid-sixties for the new seven days. We like it! Looking for some new photo opportunities for my new camera, I signed up online for a series of 11 different hikes to various scenic locations that were being offered by the Henderson Senior Center. For only $10 per trip, a van transports 13 people on a six hour hiking and picture taking experience to a variety of scenic locations, usually not much more than an hour's drive from Henderson. Today I had to attend a manditory orientation briefing at the Senior Center, so Connie and I decided to go early and have lunch there. For $1.50 each we had tossed salad, open faced pot roast sandwich, mashed potatoes and gravy, mixed vegetables, beverage and canned pears for dessert. After my meeting we drove to the "M" for a little play. Using our comps we purchased a chicken Caesar salad and order of chili to-go for dinner. After watching a couple of prerecorded TV shows over dinner, we called it a day and retired for the evening.

WEDNESDAY - 01/12/2011 - Spent over an hour at the doctors office this morning trying to fix a prescription screw up that cost me $70 dollars. We then drove over to the "M" casino and had lunch at their buffet. We then played for a couple of hours and I won what I had lost yesterday. Came home and had some light snacks for dinner over a couple of prerecorded TV shows before retiring for the day.

TUESDAY - 01/11/2011 - I spent most of the day at the "M" poker room trying to hit some of the day's special promotions. Even though they gave away more than $13,000 in cash while I was there, I had no luck at the table I played on. Came home and cooked up some Ramin soup for dinner with Connie over a couple of TV shows and went to bed.

MONDAY - 01/10/2011 - Same old morning routine. At noon we headed to the South Point for lunch and a movie. Had lunch at the new "Steak & Shake". Was not impressed. Besides relatively slow service, the food was not great. There was a (lemon) seed in my hamburger. The toasted sourdough bread it was served on was cold, as well as were the french fries on both of our orders. After lunch we went upstairs to see the movie "Black Swan". Very different. Read our review here ... We then drove to the "M" where Connie had $15 in free play. That cost us both money. Stayed until 9:00 pm trying to win a 50" flat-screen TV in the poker room drawing. As it turned out to be a very long day, it was then straight home and right to bed.

SUNDAY -01/09/2011 - Where does the time go? Here it is Sunday already, and I haven't made a post update in three days. So let's start with today and work backwards. GVR's "bad-beat" poker room jackpot has been over $230,000 for the past several days, so I have been spending a lot of time there hoping it would hit. As the payout to each player is best early in the morning when fewer players are playing, I got up at 4:00 am and went up hoping to get lucky. The bad news is that it didn't hit; the good news was that I won $450 while playing. Came home around 2:00 pm and made us an avocado guacamole dip with salsa, sharp cheddar cheese and crackers to snack on over the movie "Vicky Cristina Barcelona", that we recorded off of a free weekend of Showtime. This was Woody Allen's romantic comedy in which Penelope Cruz won an Oscar in 2010 as best supporting actress. It's about two young American tourists, Vicky and Christina, spending a summer in Spain where they meet a flamboyant artist (Javier Bardem ) and his beautiful, but insane, ex-wife (Penelope Cruz). Vicky is straight-laced and about to be married. Cristina is a sexually adventurous free spirit. When they all become amorously entangled, both comedic and harrowing results ensue. The movie was quite good and we can now see why she won the Oscar. Cruz was outstanding as the tempestuous artist Maria Elena. Watched a couple more TV shows after the movie, however as I was quite tired from the last couple of days of poker playing, we ended up going to bed early.

SATURDAY - 01/08/2011 - We both headed up to GVR for a couple of free buffet lunches before I played in the poker room, trying to hit their bad-beat jackpot. We both ended up having a loosing afternoon, which we had to cut short in order to pick up my neighbor friend Jim at the airport. Perfect timing! We got there just about the time he was picking up his luggage at the baggage claim area. Had banana splits for dinner over a couple of TV shows before retiring for the evening.

FRIDAY - 01/07/2011 - Connie had $15 in free slot play at the "M", so we drove over around noon to have lunch. There was no action in the poker room, so after Connie played her free play, we drove to Green Valley Ranch. I found out why there was no action at the "M". The bad-beat jackpot in the poker room was over $200,000, and everyone was here trying to hit it. At the end of the day Connie won $70 and I picked up $170 in the poker room. We came home and popped a pizza in the oven and watched some TV before heading to bed for the evening.

THURSDAY - 01/06/2011 - I spent most of the morning re-arranging and backing up the thousands of pictures I took over the past year. Connie tried to finish one of her library books that couldn't be renewed. After a light lunch snack we headed over to the South Point casino to see the movie, True Grit. Even though we expected it to be good, based upon what we had been hearing, it was even better than we had hoped it would be. Check out our review here ... True Grit. Came home and cooked up a frozen Pot Roast skillet dinner to watch over Paula Abdul's new Live To Dance show that we had recorded on our DVR player. We then watched a two hour special of one of our favorite shows, Human Target. Afterwards, I went into the den to write up the movie review, while Connie grabbed her book and headed to bed early.

WEDNESDAY - 01/05/2011 - Pretty much just another normal day. Computer and reading in the morning. Went to the "M" for two free buffet lunches, played a little and came home. Had dinner, watched TV and went to bed.

Jim & Christina - Back to Kansas!

TUESDAY - 01/04/2011 - Compared to yesterday's snowstorm, today was a complete opposite. Though still cool, it was a beautiful day with clear, sunny skies and no wind. I played on the computer sending out emails and updating programs most of the morning while Connie read. Around noon we headed up to GVR for two free buffet lunches. We both agreed that they had made some improvements and that they had added some food items that we hadn't seen for a while. The Sea Bass was excellent and the liver and onions was very good. We both played most of the afternoon hoping the bad beat jackpot would hit in the poker room. No luck with that, however we both left winners. Came home and made PP&J sandwiches for dinner. Watched some TV shows and went to bed.

View of Red Rock Canyon - 3 January 2011

MONDAY - 01/03/2011 - We woke up to a snowstorm this morning - heavy enough to place up to a couple of inches in some places and create some very slippery driving. Just Great! This is the morning I had to drive over to north Las Vegas to pick up Christina and her dad to drive them to the airport. The good news was that their flight wasn't scheduled to leave until 2:30 in the afternoon. As it was still snowing in many places when I left the house at 9:00am, I had to take the western route on the 215, which took a little longer. The picture above was taken about 3/4 of the way over to their house, and is pretty much the same view as the one at the very top of the page, though at a further distance.

After driving back to our place, I cooked us up a nice big breakfast with ham, scrambled eggs with cheddar cheese and salsa and English muffins. After saying our good-bys and dropping them off at the airport, we hit the "M" and GVR for some free slot play that Connie had coming. I kept checking in on their flight on my phone and learned that their takeoff ended up being delayed about 35 minutes. Could have been worse! After we came home, Connie popped a pizza in the oven for dinner. We got a call from our friend Gus in Connecticut and talked for about a half hour. We then called my mother in Tahoe and wished her a Happy New Year. After watching a couple of prerecorded TV shows, we called it an evening and hit the sack.

SUNDAY - 01/02/2011 - Well, it was just another morning down in the 30's. Connie made some hot oatmeal cereal with raisins for breakfast. I spent time paying bills and doing some year-end cleanup on the computer while Connie watched a football game. Later, we had a light lunch of cheese and crackers and munchies over the the Sunday Morning show that we always record. We finally got showered and dressed around three in the afternoon and decided to drive up to GVR to play. I had a good afternoon and picked up $320 in the poker room. Came home and cooked up an Italian dinner - fried eggplant, spagetti, meat sauce, and corn. Watched a couple of TV shows and headed off to bed.

New Year's Eve on Freemont Street - 2010

SATURDAY - 01/01/2011 - HAPPY NEW YEAR and welcome to 2011! We wish all of our family and friends a wonderful, happy and prosperous New Year! We started the celebration of the new year by sharing champagne and some wonderful hors d'œuvres with Christina Paine and her dad who have been here on vacation all last week. We've had a really enjoyable week with them, talking, dining and sharing the 'holiday' sights and sounds of Vegas. Yesterday, New Year's Eve, was Jim's 60th birthday, and we celebrated it with them by having dinner at The Flame steakhouse inside the El Cortez casino and by attending the New Year's Eve celebrations on Freemont Street in downtown Las Vegas. You can see by the way Christina, Jim and Connie are dressed in the picture on the right that it was quite cold (31-degrees). That is the coldest that it has ever been on New Year's eve since having moved here. It will certainly go down as one of our most memorable new years celebrations. You can catch more pictures and details by reading the last entry in our December 2010 Blog ... Friday - 12/31/2010. After they went back to Jim's house in north Las Vegas, Connie and I tried to watch a movie, but we were so tired from the previous evening we could barely stay awake and ended up retiring for the evening quite early. It is tough getting old!

Just one of the 3 stages with live entertainment New Year's Eve

We voted the The Rolling Stones tribute band at the best group of the evening

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A Daily Diary - December 2010

2010-12-30T23:35:00.000-08:00

Entries for December 2010

NOTE: You can enlarge any of the pictures below by just double-clicking on them. Then click on your browser's "Back" button to return to the original screen.

For this month's posts, I decided to feature some of our favorite Christmas time pictures of places and family that I have taken over the past ten years. Hope you enjoy them.

Now This is a Steak!

FRIDAY - 12/31/2010 - NEW YEAR'S EVE! Yes, the end of another year. It's hard to believe we've been here in Vegas for going on eight years already. The poker room at the "M" had some special promotions going on all day, so I headed over to see if I could win any of the $10,000 dollars they were giving away. No luck on the drawings, but won $300 playing. A good way to end the year! After I got home Jim and Christina showed up for our planned New Year's Eve celebration, and what a celebration it was.

Christina and her Dad at The Flame

We headed out for the Flame Steakhouse at the El Cortez Casino located on Freemont Street in downtown Las Vegas. We all had a great meal! Connie had Steak Diane, Christina had the Shrimp Scampi, Jim had the New York Strip and I had the 20-oz Bone In Ribeye. Because it was his birthday, Jim got a free cheesecake, while the rest of us shared the Rasberry Chocolate Mousse Cake. Everything was delicious. Wow! What a meal.

Freemont Street on New Year's Eve 2010

After dinner we walked up to the Freemont Street Experience area for the Tribute Palooza where they had more than 16 tribute bands playing live on three outside stages as part of their New Year's Eve party. We got to see The Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, Queen Nation and Led Zepalin. Though the music was LOUD, they were all really good, especially the Rolling Stones. As the hour approached, Mayor Oscar Goodman raised his martini glass to the city he has served for 12 years as he celebrated his last New Year’s Eve in office. Then thousands counted down the final seconds as live fireworks exploded along with their digital counterparts spread across the canopy of the Fremont Street Experience, marking the close of 2010 and ushering in the first seconds of the new year. Confetti rained down and people kissed and shouted to welcome 2011.

We then made the 5 block walk back, which seemed like it took forever in the freezing cold, to the El Cortez to pick our car up from valet. How cold was it, you ask? It was 31-degrees. Jim was amazed that we got out of there without any traffic problems what-so-ever. I told him, it was just good planning on behalf of their "tour-guides". Quite different from out usual New Year's Eve of watching on TV and early to bed, it was a very enjoyable evening, shared with some very nice friends.

Tom, Alyssa and Kristin's 2001 Christmas Visit

WEDNESDAY - 12/29/2010 - I had a 2-1 breakfast coupon at Monstah Lobstah that was running out soon, so we headed over there this morning for breakfast. Boy, were we surprised! Breakfast consisted of two eggs, home fries, toast and choice of bacon, sausage or ham. We decided to split an order of blueberry pancakes (made with Maine blueberrys). Connie had a cup of gourmet coffee. The pancakes were the best we've had anywhere since moving here. The total bill was only $8.47. WOW! We will definately be going back here, coupon or not! We then drove over to the "M" so Connie could use her $15 in free play. Came home around three and finished preparations for dinner.

In Front of Our Fireplace in Greenland - December 2001

Jim and Christina arrived at 4pm. We sat around and drinking wine, talking and listening to Christmas music while I finished dinner preperations. For dinner we had corn and red pepper soup, pork roast stuffed with spinach and cheese, applesauce, acorn squash, stuffing, gravy and sweet potatoe fries. after dinner we had a gingerbread cake for dessert. Needless to say, we were all stuffed. After they we watched the 2010 Kennedy Center Honors, a special we had recorded a few days before. The recipients were Meryle Haggard, Oprah Winfrey, Bill T. Jones, Jerry Herman and Paul McCartney. It was an outstanding show, especially the tribute to Paul McCartney. Today's pictures are from a pre-Christmas visit my brother and his daughter Kristin and Alyssa made to our home when we lived in Greenland, NH. We do miss our fireplace during the winter months!

Dinner at the Elephant Bar

TUESDAY - 12/28/2010 - After playing on the computer, I went out and did some shopping for the New Year's Day brunch I'm planning. Came home and prepared some Hors d'œuvres of dips, cheese and crackers for Jim and Christina's pre-dinner arrival. We sat around and talked for nearly two hours before heading up the street for dinner at the Elephant Bar at The District at Green Valley.

The Tree and Raindeer at Bellagio's Conservatory

After Jim treated us to a wonderful dinner we captured some shots of the Christmas tree in the District who's lights blinked in tune with music that played throughout the area. We then headed out to view the Mystic Falls Park Holiday show inside Sam's Town. They really liked it. From there we traveled over to view the Christmas lights at the Ethel M Cactus Garden. Christina was "blown away" to put it in her terms. They couldn't believe all the lights. Christina said her mind was on "overlaod" from all the lights. We topped the evening off with a visit to the Conservatory at the Bellagio. All in all it was a very colorful evening that provided them with some of Vegas' best holiday decorations.

Lobby Area at Bellagio

MONDAY - 12/27/2010 - I spent most of the morning reading the manual and playing with my new camera. It has a "ton" of features that I'm sure will take me months to learn, but so far I love it. Connie spent the morning reading and washing clothes. Around noon we went to the "M" and split a bowl of hot chicken soup and a grilled chicken Caesar salad for lunch at the Vig Deli. We both played all afternoon; Connie lost $20, and I picked up $30 for a break even day. Came home and put a frozen pot roast dinner in the skillet and served it over some garlic mashed potatoes. It was actually quite good. Watched a movie on TV and went to bed early.

Hoorah! They Finally Made It!

SUNDAY- 12/26/2010 - Well, today was "Airport Day" again. We were scheduled to pick up my niece and her father who were flying in this evening from Kansas. I spent the morning cleaning the house and preparing for a dinner I'm planning for Wednesday. After lunch we headed to GVR where Connie had some free play. We then drove to the "M" to play to pass the time before heading to the airport. They were scheduled to arrive at 8:15 and ended up getting delayed three hours. By the time we picked them up, drove them to their house in north Las Vegas and drove home it was 1:00 AM; making for a VERY LONG day. The only good news was we made $300 at the "M" while waiting for their plane to arrive.

My Friend Jeff Stecker at GVR

SATURDAY - 12/25/2010 - CHRISTMAS DAY - A rather uneventful day for us. We opened our only present, a Hickory Farms gift box that my brother sent us over breakfast. We then drove over to Jim Herring's house to turn on the heat so they wouldn't be cold when they arrived tomorrow night. On the way home we stopped at the "M" where Connie had $15 free slot play and then headed over to GVR where I picked up $200 at the poker table. We were going to have a lobster at our seafood restaurant, but they were closed for Christmas. Duh? Came home and had a light dinner over a movie. My sister called to wish us a merry Christmas and we talked for over an hour. Then my mom called to thank us for the flowers we had sent for Christmas. Finished the movie and went to bed. Ho, ho, hum!

FRIDAY - 12/24/2010 - After our normal morning routine we headed to the South Point for two free lunch buffets and to see the movie, Little Fockers. It was fun. On the way home we stopped at the "M" to pick up a free holiday coffee cake. After a brief dinner we picked up our downstairs neighbors and drove to Sam's Town to see the decorations, lights and laser show in their indoor atrium. Were able to watch everything over a few holiday drinks from a table in the center bar. The show was better, and longer than previous years; Ron and GaryAnn really liked it. GaryAnn won $100 on slots as were were leaving.

THURSDAY - 12/23/2010 - I woke up at 3:00am with a shin splint from pushing Jim in a wheelchair at the airport the previous day, and couldn't get back to sleep. Connie either. So we both got up. I spent time reading the manual on my new camera while Connie read. At noon we drove to "M" and had a free lunch, hot dogs, in the Vig Deli. Afer and afternoon of playing, we came home and watched Bruce Willis in "Live Free or Die Hard. What an action flick! Had Cherry pie for dinner over a couple of TV shows and went to bed.

My Friend Jim at the Airport Bar

WEDNESDAY - 12/22/2010 - What a wet week we've had! Here it is only Wednesday and already we've had nearly 1.5 inches of rain, for a total of 5.8 inches since January. Our annual average is usually around 2.5 inches. Of course in the higher mountain elevations surrounding us it was all snow, making them quite beautiful. I got up early this morning and headed over to the "M", in the still pouring rain, to see if I could get lucky in any of their hourly cash drawings. It was 12:15 and I was just getting ready to leave when they picked my name out of the drum for $150, making it well worth the trip. I came home and had lunch with Connie before taking my neighbor to the airport for his holiday trip to Clearwater to visit family. Naturally, just as we were headed out the door to pack the car, the rain was coming down the hardest it had all day. What a time that turned out to be. We showed up late knowing that his flight had already been delayed 45 minutes. They confiscated a small knife and clippers I had hooked to my keychain. Then after we checked in, they told us it would be delayed another half hour. We finally went to a bar and had a couple of drinks. When we got back to the departure counter and looked up, we found out it had been delayed another 45 minutes. This meant he wouldn't be arriving in Tampa until after 3am in the morning. Glad it wasn't me!

TUESDAY - 12/21/2010 - By the time we hit the bank, did some errands and paid a visit to our library for some new reading material for Connie it was almost 1:00. So we headed over to the "M" for two free buffet lunches and some "play". It turned out to be a great day for the both of us. Connie won almost $70 playing slots and I hit four duces on the flop for a $1,000 bonus and ended the day up over $1,200. Merry Christmas to us!

The Fighter

MONDAY - 12/20/2011 - Monday morning I worked on pictures taken over the past couple of days and put together a Hallmark Christmas e-card with some of our recent holiday pics to send out to all of our computer friends and relatives. We then went out to perform some errands, which included spending 45 minutes in line at the post office to mail a small package to Connie's brother. After some minor grocery shopping we headed to the South Point to see a movie. Our errands took so long that we didn't have time to stop for lunch and had to end up having popcorn for lunch at the movie. We saw "The Fighter" starring Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, and Amy Adams, each of whom provided outstanding performances. After we got home I cooked up the remaining Kilbasa and beans for dinner and settled down to watch our Netflix movie. Unfortunately the disc was damage and wouldn't play. Watched a prerecorded TV show and went to bed.

Waterfall at Palazzo Casino

SUNDAY - 12/19/2011 - This morning we picked up Ron and GaryAnn, our downstairs neighbors, and drove to the Strip to have lunch and view some Christmas decorations. Our first stop was the inside waterfall and garden area at the Palazzo Casino. We then drove over to the winter exhibit Conservatory and Botanical Gardens at the Bellagio. It is just amazing to see what they do each year to make the displays and decorations different. This year was spectacular in many ways. Grouping all the penguins together into a little village was outstanding as well was the snow covered trees and polar bears surrounding a lake. Not to mention the raindeer made out of pecan shells pulling santa's sleigh. We thought it was one of the best winter displays they have ever done.

After our sightseeing venture, we went to the Garduno's located inside the Palms Casino for lunch. Because it was Sunday, they were having their Margarita Buffet Brunch. Though I'm not usually crazy about Mexican buffets, it was probably the best I have had. With my 50% off LVA coupon it was even better. After lunch, Ron wanted to try his hand at playing some slots and ended up getting a nice Christmas present by winning $400 dollars. Gotta love it. Only in Vegas can you go out and view some wonderful sights, have a 1/2 price lunch and come home with $400 more than you left home with.

Dinner at Primarily Prime at the South Point - December 2010

SATURDAY - 12/18/2010 - Connie made poached eggs and roast-beef hash for breakfast. We both had appointments for a haircut at Connie's hairdresser. I wasn't happy with the last two haircuts I got at my regular barber shop ever since my regular guy retired, so I thought I'd try her hairdresser. She did a good job. Went to the "M" for some play and then came home and got ready for dinner. Our neighbor friend Jim said he wanted to take us out to dinner as a Christmas present to us. We suggested he take us to Primarily Prime at the South Point casino. He had not eaten there, and we had been there twice and thought it was pretty good as well as reasonable.

Now that's a Prime Rib!

Jim and I both had the soup, while Connie had the salad, which they toss table-side. We all had baked potatoes prepared table-side with tons of butter and chives. Connie ordered the South Point Cut, in itself a generous thick slice. However, Jim had the Cowboy Cut, an extra thick, bone in double cut. We both thought he was going to have to get a "doggie" bag, but he surprised us and ate the whole thing. I decided to go with the Sauteed Sea Bass, that had been recommended by a friend. With a sesame seed crust served on a bed of stir-fried vegetables with light teriyaki broth. A huge portion, cooked to perfection, it was one of the best I've ever had. We were all so full, that we couldn't even consider dessert. It was a great meal. Thanks my friend!

Our kitchen counter - 2010

THURSDAY - 12/16/2010 - Had to take the car back to the garage first thing this morning to have a leaking A/C Compressor replaced. They also converted it from R-12 (Freon) to R-134. $530 - Just another fun morning. After that I came home and cooked up some Kilbasa and backed beans for lunch that we ate over a TV show before I had to go for a doctor appointment to review my blood test from last week. All my "numbers" were up from the last time and I was told that I've been a very bad boy, eating way too much sugar and other stuff. So now I have to watch what I eat for a couple of months and go back for another test in March. Oh, well! After the doctors visit I went to the "M" to play some poker. The good news was that I won $480.00, almost enough to pay for the repairs on "Betsy". Came home and watched some shows with Connie before retiring for the evening. At night we get the pleasure of enjoying all of our lighted Christmas decorations. The picture on the left is of the counter dividing our kitchen and dining room. The "house" is really pretty lit up at night.

The Lamb Chops at Texas-de-Brazil

WEDNESDAY - 12/15/2011 - After our normal morning routine of playing on the computer and reading, we went to our clubhouse for a free Christmas luncheon. It wasn't anything spectacular, just some turkey and ham subs with soda, chips and pies for dessert. We did get to meet some new neighbors. We then headed to the "M" and played until dinner time. I made $150 in the poker room and Connie only lost $20 on slots. We then headed to Texas-de-Brazil for dinner. They had sent us a free dinner coupon for our anniversary that was about to run out. This is a really good restaurant that we have been to several times. They have a 50-60 item salad area that includes shrimp, appetizers, soups and even a lobster bisque. They then have a waitstaff of carvers come around with various cuts of seasoned, roasted beef, lamb, pork, chicken and Brazilian sausage, carved and served off of hot skewers. I think the Lamb Chops and Bacon Wrapped Filet Migon were our favorites. Let's put it this way, you don't go away hungry! After an excellent dinner, we came home, watched a couple of prerecorded TV shows and went to bed with very full tummies.

TUESDAY - 12/14/2010 - This morning I played on the computer and worked on customizing my new phone while Connie started writing Christmas cards. At noontime we headed over to the South Point casino for two free buffet lunches and a movie. We saw The Tourist, starring Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp. I thought is was a little slow, though a beautiful travelogue of Venice, Italy. Click here for our review ... The Tourist. Came home and played on the computer for a while before watching some prerecorded TV shows and going to bed.

View of the golf course from our pool - December 2008

Mt Charleston, November 2010

MONDAY - Nothing very exciting today. I had to take the car to the garage to get the AC fixed. My mechanic found a freon leak in the system and had to order a part the will take 3-4 days to get here. Will have to take back on another day to finish the job. After I ran some more errands, we went up the street for lunch at one of our favorite local restaurants - The Elephant Bar. Using a 2-1 coupon, we both had the new Pacific Rim Shrimp Platter which consisted of coconut battered shrimp, shrimp tempura and a shrimp & vegetable stir-fry. We both thought the stir-fry was excellent. After lunch we drove to the "M" to use Connie's $15 in free play. I picked up hundred in the poker room. Came home and had PP&J sandwiches over some prerecorded TV shows and wnet to bed. The picture above was taken in 2008, the day after our heaviest snowfall since moving to Las Vegas. Double-click on the picture to enlarge - even the Canadian Geese look surprised! Imagine our surprise when we learned that it could snow here in Vegas. Though we have only had snow on the ground three times here in the valley where we live, this was the heaviest, nearly 6 inches. The good news - gone by the next day. From our parking lot, and from almost anywhere else in the city, we can view snow on Mount Charleston from early October thru mid June. Only about 35 miles northwest of Las Vegas, at 11,916 feet, it is the highest of the Spring Mountains of southern Nevada and the state's eighth highest mountain peak. The picture on the right was taken fro Jim Herring's home in North Las Vegas.

Christmas at Patti's in California - December 2004

SUNDAY - 12/12/2010 - We had just finished some blueberry muffins that Connie had made when I got a missed call from our downstairs neighbors asking if we were ready to go with them to the Fresh52 farmer's & artisan market on Eastern that we had forgotten about. I called back and told them we would meet them there in about 20 minutes. This is a lively, friendly, open air market that, every Sunday, features choice vendors with pesticide free seasonal produce, freshly baked goods, gourmet olive oils, salsas, spices, sauces, nuts, handmade modern craft, artisans & more! On select dates they host special events, live entertainment, and even chef demonstrations, We walked the market and I ended up purchasing some butternut squash and cranberry orange bread. Everyone except Connie had a freshly made breakfast crepe that was quite good. Afterwards we ran some errands at Walmart, OfficeMax, Trader Joe's and got the car washed. When we got home I waxed the car and cleaned the interior. I heated up some tomato and roasted red pepper soup and grilled some cheddar cheese sandwiches for lunch. We then sat down and watched the New England Patriots crush the Chicago Bears in a "snow bowl" 36-7. Fortunately most of the action was in the first half, as the network switched to another game after half-time because it was such a run-away. Connie was pissed! We then watched some prerecorded TV shows and until dinner time and had chocolate cake that my neighbor friend Jim had given me earlier in the day. I played on the computer for a while and connie read until a couple of shows came on TV that we wanted to watch, one being a special performance of the Nutcracker performed by the San Francisco Ballet company.

Shannan's Family

Today's featured pictures are from our visit to Pattie (Connie's sister) and Leon's home in Windsor California on our 2004 Christmas visit. They put us up for several days and treated us like royalty. Cooking great meals, taking us out to dinner and driving us around the area. We even got to meet their son Shannan, wife Lisa and their lovely children, Ashland and Brianna. It was a wonderful visit that will be long remembered. Thanks guys.

Jim's Morning Wake-up Call

SATURDAY - 12/12/2011 - Today was a full day! It started at 7:30 am, just as we were having breakfast, with a phone call my from my neighbor friend Jim, letting us know that someone had just run a car through his deck. We couldn't believe it. I walked over to talk with Jim and take some pictures. He was in bed sleeping at the other end of his appartment when it happened. The driver was so drunk, that they handcuffed and arrested her on the spot. Here are a couple of pictures. I then headed over to North Las Vegas to check on Jim Herring's house. Everything good there. When I returned, I picked up Connie and we headed to the "M", where we had lunch, tuna sandwiches and french fires, at the Deli. We then played until dinner time.

What a mess!

For dinner we drove out to Lake Las Vegas and had dinner at the Auld Dubliner Irish restaurant. I had the Shepards Pie Boxty which was a combination of ground beef and lamb cooked with carrots, peas & leeks in a savory beef stock. Though mine was good, Connie had the better meal by far, the Wiskey Chicken Boxty (potato pancake) stuffed with boneless chicken breast sauteed with garlic, fresh thyme and mushrooms in an Irish whiskey cream sauce. We enjoyed both over a couple of beers. Thought we had a wonderful dinner, it was sad to see that this area had become pretty much a "ghost town" compared to what it was years ago when we first started going there. The bankruptcy of the MonteLago Casino and others in the area have had a devastating effect on the remaining restaurants and business in the MoneLago Village.

Christmas at Bonnie's - December 2004

FRIDAY - 12/10/2010 - We decided to stay home today and relax. I spent part of the morning making the final finishing touches on our Christmas decorations. For lunch I made grilled cheese, tomato and oregano sandwiches that we ate over some prerecorded TV shows. We then retired to the den and I played on the computer while Connie read. I put together a college of pictures of our decorations. We had soup and crackers for dinner and watched a Netflix movie and some TV shows before calling it a day. Our first Christmas in Tahoe with Bonnie and Tom after our move to Las Vegas. It had been years since we had been able to get together for the holidays and we had a really nice time.

Christmas lights at the Ethel M Cactus Garden, December 2010

THURSDAY - 12/09/2010 - Did some more Christmas decorating, and played on the computer while Connie read. Showered, dressed and headed to the "M" for two free buffet lunches. Found a couple of new items on the buffet that were quite good, one being a delicious chicken curry dish in the Chinese section. Played for several hours after lunch. I made $140 and Connie, after cashing in her winning ticket on Monday night's Patriot's game and free $15 in slot play, only lost $15 for the day. It's nice to come home now and turn on the Christmas lights from the various decorations that we have scattered about. We had a snack of peanut butter and fluff on ritz crackers with banana shakes for dinner. Watched a couple of TV shows and headed off to bed.

WEDNESDAY - 12/08/2010 - I decided to get out some of our Christmas decorations and get into the "holiday" spirit. At noontime the Wilson's (one of our neighbors) came over for some wine before we headed out for lunch and a movie. For lunch we went to Brio Tuscan Grille at the Town Square Mall. It was our first time eating there and we found it to be quite good. Both of our meals were very good and the lobster bisque was excellent. After lunch, we drove to the South Point casino to see the movie "Burlesque" with Cher and Christina Argularia. We thought it was entertaining. See our complete review here ... Burlesque. It was after six by the time the movie got out so we just endied up coming home, watching a couple of TV shows, and going to bed.

Christmas Dinner at Evan's - 2004

MONDAY - 12/06/2010 - After some playing on the computer, I decided to get some exercise and went outside and raked leaves around our building. Last night's soaking rain caused most of the remaining leaves to drop. My guess is that by the weekend, the trees will be completely bare. We then headed over to the "M" and had a hamburger and onion rings at the deli for lunch. For the second week in a row, I flopped four-of-a-kind on the wrong day. I got $50 for four duces instead of a $1,000 if I flopped it tomorrow. Oh well, better than nothing as they say. When we got home I made a taco salad that we enjoyed over the Patriots and Jets game. And what a great game it was! The Patriots trounced the Jets 45-3, giving Tom Brady his 26th consecutive home game win, another new NFL record. In 2004, Tom and Bonnie treated us to what was probably one of the best Christmas dinners we ever had at Evan's American Gourmet Restaurant. Nestled in a vintage Tahoe cabin, surrounded by towering pine trees, Evan's is aclaimed as Lake Tahoe's finest restaurant, (with the highest Zagat rating in Northern California, East of the Bay Area).It was real special treat that we will always remember. Thanks guys!

Ron and GaryAnn - December 2009

SUNDAY - 12/05/2010 - Decided to stay home today. Connie made pancakes and eggs for breakfast which we ate over a TV show. I decided to get some exercise and went outside to rake leaves and ended up doing more talking with two of our neighbors than raking. Decided to go shoot pool with Ron, our downstairs neighbor. I was the champion winning 13 out of 16 games of eight-ball. Came home and heated up "Chicken Alfredo" we had in the freezer. Watched our latest Netflix arrival, "Falling Down", an old 1993 movie starring Michael Douglas and Rober Duvall that we both loved. Finished off the night pumpking pie topped with pumpkin ice cream and whipped cream over a couple of prerecorded TV shows. Today's picture is of Ron and GaryAnn, our downstairs neighbors, taken last year at our Christmas Eve open house.

Bellagio Concervatory - December 2008

SATURDAY - 12/04/2010 - After our normal morning routine we decided to do lunch at the Tides seafood restaurant at the Green Valley Ranch casino up the street. Connie had the crab cakes and I had the fried oysters, which were excellent. With a 2-1 coupon and our comps, lunch was free. We then drove over to the "M" for a few hours play. Neither of us had any luck. When I got home I cooked up some asparagus with garlic and melted cheese on toast points for dinner. Around 7:00pm I picked up my neighbor Jim and we hided over to the poker room at the South Point casino to see if we could win some money off the "cowboys" that were in town with the National Rodeo Finals. Though Jim lost, I picked up nearly $300, more than making up for my earlier loss at the "M". The picture Connie on the left was taken in 2008 on our annual trek to the Christmas display at the Botanical Gardens at the Bellagio.

Cheryl and Ashleigh - Xmas 2000

FRIDAY - 12/03/2010 - Nothing much new today. I decided to go play poker at the "M" while Connie stayed home and read and watched movies. No luck hitting any of the jackpots. Came home and popped a pizza in the oven for dinner and watched some prerecorded TV shows before calling it a night. The picture of Cheryl and Ashleigh on the right was taken at our home in Greenland, NH on December 25, 2000, or as Connie referred to it, "The year of the pillows." She made the pillows for the girls that Cheryl is holding.

Connie and April - Xmas 2000

THURSDAY - 12/02/2010 - After our normal morning routine we drove to the "M" for just another free buffet lunch. You may have figured out by now, we really like this buffet, which by the way, has been voted the best in Las Vegas for two years running. It was a "break even" day in the casino - what I picked up in the poker room, Connie lost on slots. The picture on the left is from an exchange of gifts at our home in Greenland, NH on Christmas eve in 2000.

John Coxon's 2001 XMAS visit

WEDNESDAY - 12/01/2010 - Another new month and just 30 more days till 2011. Where does the time go? The picture on the right is a reminder of my cousin John's 2001 Christmas visit to us when we lived in Greenland, NH. It was always a pleasure to have John come visit and spend a few days with us, especially when it was over the 'holidays'.

I spent most of this morning reading, answering and returning e-mails, paying bills, as well as down-loading and setting up some new applications on my new phone. For lunch I heated up the last of the leftovers from Thanksgiving. We watched a couple of TV shows and then drove over to the South Point to see the movie, The Next Three Days. We both enjoyed, check out our review here ... The Next Three Days. Came home and had pumpkin pie w/whipped cream for dinner. Watched a couple more TV shows and headed to bed.

Click here to read all of our Daily Diary Entries for previous months:

Previous Entries by Month

Favorite Recipes - Index

2010-12-30T16:48:00.000-08:00

To save you time in perusing this Category and determining what recipes are provided, a list of postings is provided below. Click on a title to go directly to its recipe page.

Angel Hair Pasta w/Chicken and Asparagus Posted September 26th, 2010
Split Pea Soup Posted September 22nd, 2010
Crab Cakes Posted September 22nd, 2010
Butternut Squash and Apple Casserole Posted October 10th, 2008
Honeydew Ice Parfait Posted September 29th, 2007
Shrimp and Artichoke Pasta Posted September 19th, 2007
Bruschetta - Mexicali Posted September 19th, 2007

Master Post Date 01/01/2008; 4:48pm

2010 Movie Reviews

2010-12-30T00:39:00.000-08:00

Our 2010 Movie Reviews
The Fighter - 4.5 Stars Posted December 23rd,2010
The Tourist - 3 Stars Posted December 15th,2010
Burlesque - 3.75 Stars Posted December 8th,2010
The Next Three Days - 3.5 Stars Posted December 1st,2010
Unstoppable - 3.5 Stars Posted November 18th,2010
Red - 3.5 Stars Posted October 30th,2010
Secretariat - 4.0 Stars Posted October 14th,2010
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps - 4-Stars Posted September 28th,2010
The Town - 5-Stars Posted September 21st,2010
Machete - 3.5 Stars Posted September 8th,2010
The American - 1.5 Stars Posted September 3rd,2010
Eat, Pray, Love - 2-Stars Posted August 25th, 2010
The Expendables - 3-Stars Posted August 20th, 2010
Salt - 4 Stars Posted July 26th, 2010
Inception - 3 Stars Posted July 17th, 2010
Jonah Hex - 2 Stars Posted July 10th, 2010
Knight & Day - 3 Stars Posted June 23rd, 2010
The Karate Kid - 3-1/2 Stars Posted June 16th, 2010
Iron Man 2 - 4 Stars Posted May 28th, 2010
Robin Hood - 2-1/2 Stars Posted May 20th, 2010
The Losers - 2 Stars Posted May 1st, 2010
Date Night - 3 Stars Posted April 23rd, 2010
Green Zone - 4 Stars Posted March 23rd, 2010
Brooklyn's Finest - 2-1/2 Stars Posted March 15th, 2010
The Book of Eli - 2-1/2 Stars Posted February 24th, 2010
Shutter Island - 3-1/2 Stars Posted February 24th, 2010
Crazy Heart - 4-1/2 Stars Posted February 10th, 2010
Edge of Darknes - 4-1/2 Stars Posted January 30th, 2010
Sherlock Holme - 3-1/2 Stars Posted January 23th, 2010
Avatar - 5 Stars Posted January 20th, 2010
Up In The Air - 4 Stars Posted January 16th, 2010
Invictus - 2-1/2 Stars Posted January 8th, 2010

Movie Review – “The Fighter”

2010-12-23T04:36:00.001-08:00

RELEASE: 2010; GENERE: Drama; RUN-TIME: 1 hr, 54 mins; RATED: R for language throughout, drug content, some violence and sexuality; STARRING: Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams and Melissa Leo ; DIRECTED BY: David Russell ;

REVIEW: The thing about boxing movies is that they're boxing movies, it's hard to create anything really different, yah? With that said, this film provides some rich performances by all concerned, wherein "the fighter"'s biggest fight is with his derelict and totally dysfunctional family. The performances of Wahlberg, Bale and Adams are so good that they make you believe you are watching real life being played out right before your eyes. I thought his mother, played by Melissa Leo, was outstanding. There is definitely some potential here for Academy Award nominations. I give it [4.5-Stars].

SYNOPSIS: Based upon a true story, it is a look at the early years of boxer "Irish" Micky Ward and his brother who helped train him before going pro in the mid '80s.

Movie Review – “The Tourist”

2010-12-15T07:44:00.001-08:00

RELEASE: 2010; GENERE: Mystery & Suspense, Drama; RUN-TIME: 1 hr, 43 mins; RATED: PG-13 for violence and brief strong language; STARRING: Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp; DIRECTED BY: Florian Henckel von Donnersmark;

REVIEW: If you want to take a breathtaking journey to Paris and Venice, this is the movie to see. Unfortunately, even though the scenery and the stars are undeniably beautiful, they are unable to make up for the movie’s slow, muddled plot. Jolie is so impeccably dressed in every scene, you almost get the impression that she is walking a “runway”. There is an overwhelming lack of chemistry between Depp and Jolie right down to the ending. I’m still not sure how to categorize it. Lacking any real mystery or suspense, it’s not quite a thriller; not really a romance movie; nor is it a comedic parody. However, though not the best performance of either actor, the movie still comes off as somewhat entertaining. I give it [3 Stars]

SYNOPSIS: Johnny Depp stars as an American tourist whose playful dalliance with a stranger leads to a web of intrigue, romance and danger in "The Tourist." During an impromptu trip to Europe to mend a broken heart, Frank (Depp) unexpectedly finds himself in a flirtatious encounter with Elise (Angelina Jolie), an extraordinary woman who deliberately crosses his path. Against the breathtaking backdrop of Paris and Venice, their whirlwind romance quickly evolves as they find themselves unwittingly thrust into a deadly game of cat and mouse.

Netflix Movie Review–“Mr. Brooks”

2010-12-12T08:12:00.001-08:00

RELEASE: 2007; GENERE: Mystery, Suspense, Drama; RUN-TIME: 2 hrs; RATED: R for for strong bloody violence, some graphic sexual content, nudity and language; STARRING: Kevin Costner, Demi Moore and William Hurt; DIRECTED BY: Bruce Evans;

REVIEW: Even though we saw this movie three years ago when it came out, we enjoyed watching it again even more. Costner's double-act with Hurt as his alter ego is a wicked pleasure, like The Odd Couple with a psychopathic twist. With a terrific cast and a superb script, this is a hugely enjoyable suspense thriller. There's more to every character than meets the eye and all the relationships have a twist of their own. Although flawed in places, the movie remains a blackly funny noir treat thanks to Costner and Hurt's double-act. Though some critics thought there was too much going on, we felt that is part of what made it so good. We give it [4-Stars].

SYNOPSIS: Consider Mr. Brooks, a successful businessman, a generous philanthropist, a loving father and devoted husband. Seemingly, he's perfect. But, Mr. Brooks has one big secret. He's an insatiable serial killer, so lethally clever that no one has ever suspected him - until he makes one simple mistake. Torn between his killing and wanting to stop, he learns that his daughter may have inherited his "killing gene" and must now decide what to do.

Movie Review – “Burlesque”

2010-12-09T21:08:00.001-08:00

RELEASE: 2010; GENERE: Drama, Romance, Musical & Performing Arts; RUN-TIME: 1 hr, 40 mins; RATED: PG-13 for sexual content including several suggestive dance routines, partial nudity, language and some thematic material; STARRING: Cher and Christina Aguilera; DIRECTED BY: Steve Antin;

REVIEW: We attended this movie with a couple of our neighbors and even though I felt the script and story line were weak in places, and that too much emphasis and attention appeared to be placed upon Christina Aquilera's singing, we all agreed that we came out of this movie entertained. The muscial numbers, staging and singing were very well done. I even made the comment that I thought it could be adapted into a successful Las Vegas stage show. Though each of us has a somewhat different feel for the movie, it appeared that our combined ratings came out a little higher than the below average critic ratings it had been receiving. We give it [3.75 Stars]

SYNOPSIS: Ali, played by Christina Aguilera, is a small-town girl with a big voice who escapes hardship and an uncertain future to follow her dreams to LA. After stumbling upon The Burlesque Lounge, a majestic but ailing theater that is home to an inspired musical revue, Ali lands a job as a cocktail waitress from the club's proprietor and headliner, Tess, played by Cher. Enraptured by the clubs outrageous costumes and bold choreography, Ali vows to perform there one day. Shortly after being hired as a dancer, and with the help of a jealous performer (Kristen Bell) she gets recognized for her singing voice and eventually becomes the clubs star performer. After her apartment get broken into and ransacked, she hooks up with Jack (Cam Gigandet), a bartender and fellow musician. With the help of a sharp-witted stage manager (Stanley Tucci) and gender-bending host (Alan Cumming), Ali makes her way from the bar to the stage. Even though her spectacular voice and performances restores The Burlesque Lounge to its former glory, it is not enough to save it from financial ruin. However, in the end she is able to help Tess out by coming up with a plan to save the club and everyone lives happily ever after.