Foggy and weird

The weather, that is. Well, my brain is a little foggy and weird, too. I heard there was a cold front coming, but it doesn't feel like it right now.

There's this creepy mist everywhere, and it smells like the ocean (of course, you say, because you are at the ocean, but it doesn't always smell like it here). It reminds me of being in San Clemente as a kid, but I remember the smell of the sea there a lot more.

That's all I've got for now.

R.I.P. Chief Brody

I'll be watching my all-time favorite movie, "Jaws," tonight in memory of Roy Scheider. He made the most unbelievable movie ending ever work perfectly.

The Influenza

So I have the actual influenza. Don't think I've ever had the actual disease/virus/plague before. No wonder people die from this. It sucks. But Gatorade and Tamiflu are god. So is sleeping 20 hours a day.

Here are a few more pictures of the house. I was going to take some new ones yesterday during the inspection, but I fell asleep on the living room floor.

If anyone has any suggestions about what color to paint the hot-blue-dolphin bathroom, I'd be obliged. All I know is wow, do I not like that blue.

I don't know what to call this post

I'm NyQuil hung-over, haven't gotten nearly enough sleep to make up for last weekend's airport fiasco (I love that word) and have a chest cold, just sitting there, waiting to turn into bronchitis.

I'm going to blame it on US Airways. In fact, all bad things now are US Airways' fault. Got a problem? Yes you do, and it's US Airways' fault.

However, I signed all the loan docs for my house yesterday, and, out of the blue, got a really awesome gift from a co-worker, Johanna, who knew I wanted a Coach purse. There's an outlet store here, but even at outlet prices, I wasn't going to buy one. She came in yesterday afternoon and handed me this red paper bag with the Coach logo on it, and inside was a beautiful, simple, black shoulder bag. I love it. She's so sweet -- she said "If you don't like it, I can exchange it." Are you kidding?

I don't know what I could possibly have done to deserve that. Maybe sometimes you just get gifts, even if you didn't do anything special.

I'm going to start posting pics of the house, little by little, and thought I'd start with the Chandelier from the Titanic. This will be moved to the Carolina room (the enclosed porch, sunroom, bonus room, whatever you want to call it), which will be the TV room when I get a TV.

In addition to this gorgeous piece of lighting art, you'll probably notice the lovely French street-scene border around part of the top of the kitchen.

That goes, too.

P.S.: Blogger won't run spell check for me any more, so forgive me if there are boo-boos.

Back in the MB

So, any urge to travel that might have been remaining from my trip across the country has been sucked right out of me, at least for now.

Three days.

It took me three days to get home.

I seriously started having that surreal feeling that I would never get out of the airport or out of Vegas.

You know what? I'm not even going to rant about it. I'm just going to say these things: I never need to go back to Vegas again, US Airways broke my 12-pound (as in British pounds, not weight) suitcase from Scotland, and I could have spent my days off in Rome.

OK. On to other things. It's Super Tuesday!

Not Leaving Las Vegas...

...at least not anytime soon.

I was supposed to leave Sunday, but it's now Monday afternoon, and I am still here at the airport.

About 5 a.m. Sunday, the fire alarm in our hotel went off and we had to evacuate for an hour. Finally got back in and got about two more hours of sleep, then had to get to the airport. As I was putting my bags in the trunk, the super-windy wind blew the trunk lid down on my head. I think I might be a little concussed. The lump has gone down, but my beezer still hurts.

Then, we get to the airport and find out both of our flights are delated. Jocelyn's took off about 2 hours late, and mine, well, didn't. I was here for 10 hours yesterday before finally getting a room nearby and trying to book something, anything, out of here today.

US Airways rebooked me for 7 this morning, so I got here at 5:30 a.m. (at least I got a straight 5 hours of sleep), and as soon as I checked in, they said the flight has delayed until 9 a.m.

Grrrrr...

Then, they announce there's a part broken and we have to wait for it to get here from Charlotte, which is where I'm trying to get to to catch a flight back to the MB.

Now, allegedly, I'm leaving at 4:30. But if that part doesn't arrive, or can't be installed in time, it looks like I'll be staying in Vegas again tonight.

I thought the saying was "what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas," not "Those who come to Vegas stay in Vegas."

If I'm here much longer, I'm gonna have to start looking for work.

The Vegas Bears of Friday

I was looking for pictures of circus bears, you know, for Vegas, but then realized how funny they are not.

So, what happens in Vegas ... is I buy a house. My house offer was accepted (on the house with The Titanic Chandelier and the big fenced yard, in case I've sent you pictures), and when I get back Monday, I need to finish up the financing and inspection stuff. Been on the phone most of the morning with my realtor. It will be nice to own a house, I think.

Jocelyn arrived last night and we took a tour through old downtown Vegas, which is definitely the skeezier side of town. But, if you need to know where to get feather boas or a room by the hour, or both, plus dollar shots, I know where to go.

We're getting ready to go to The Venetian for a gondola ride and lunch at Enoteca San Marco, where I am planning on eating stuffed zucchini flowers until I am stuffed. Unless they suck. But I'm pretty sure they will not.

Went to The Bellagio yesterday. Wow. It's huge. I had no idea it was acres and acres big. They have a beautiful atrium with a Chinese New Year theme, and giant red, silk Chinese hanging lanterns. Gorgeous. What a lovely place to lose some of my Luxor winnings.