Christmas!

I hope that everyone had the happiest of Christmases. We certainly had a good time. It was the first Christmas I spent away from my own family so it was a little sad. But we had a good time here in our little one bedroom Christmas Wonderland. If I knew where the camera was in this mess of a place I would post some pictures. But there are gifts and decorations and candies of all varieties in different vessels strewn about making the search near impossible. I hope that Logan took it with him to Regina. My hubby joined the convoy and drove home today with his parents and Andrea. (Let's try this again, they have all asked for their names to come up in the blog: Janet Kotlar, Lorne Kotlar, Andrea Kotlar.)

We had a fantastic time! I hope you all did too! I can't wait to hear all of your tales of Christmas!

The day that we have waited and planned for is upon us.

It's a very busy time of year.

Well, we have set up the tree. We were actually setting it up when we got the call from the police. So it went from us setting up the tree, to me setting up the tree. That is okay, he was busy talking to everyone we know on the phone.

I like our tree. It is live. It smells great. Sitting right beside it makes me feel Christmas-y.

On our first Christmas, just last year, we decided that we would start our very first Christmas tradition. And that would be that every year we would buy ourselves a new ornament. Something nice, something special. So last year, we bought ourselves one and each of our parents bought us one. I like this tradition. We will be able to have a tree of beautiful ornaments later on that all mean a little something.

And when our kids get older they can look at the ornaments and say "2006, you guys are old. That was sooooooo many years ago!"

This is the ornament we bought for ourselves.

This is the ornament from my parent's for our 1st.

And from the Kotlar's.

And the one that we bought for this year. The little sleighs each say our names.

HUGE NEWS!!!

I am sorry that I am telling so many important people in our lives this fantastic news over my blog. But we have been on the phone all day giving the news.

Logan has made it through selection

he has been hired by the Calgary Police

and begins training on January 8th!!!

We are so happy. This has been a year long process to apply. And Logan has been working toward this for so many years! Const. Kotlar very soon!

A much better review in the Fast Forward

There is a paper here very similar to the Prairie Dog back home called the Fast Forward (which has a much wider distribution). They had a very pleasant review of our little ditty. I will search for it and add the link once I find it. It was very positive about the story telling and all around a good review. The link to the review is Fast Forward Review

The show is going well. Now that we are opened and we don't have to rehearse before or after shows I have a little time. I even got a chance to ice the sugar cookies I made the other day. But I made way to much icing (not really my fault, the food colouring exploded as I tried to open it and instead of adding a few drop of blue to deepen the hot pink into something closer to red I got screaming purple. Who needs purple icing for Christmas cookies.)

My brother Matt is in town this weekend. He turned 18 on the 21st. He is here to celebrate at the legal drinking age. We went to the pub Limerick's last night. I'm not sure where tonight. But I have two shows, so I will have to catch up.

Christmas Carol Review

Well, the show has opened. It has been a long haul. But for the foreseeable future we don't anticipate any more rehearsals. Just show calls. And that is such a relief. Eight shows , six days and 40 hours a week now. Sounds like a great deal after all of the work that I have put in.

The show was reviewed by a couple of mediums. The ones that I have located are from the paper. The Sun and Herald. They are interesting. The show that I last saw in rehearsal is very different now. It is full of pretty pictures - but I have been wondering about the story. The real emotion. I find that these reviews are a little different in opinion. Here are some of the highlights. I have also included links to the full reviews.

The Herald Review
Remaking a Christmas classic; Why Theatre Calgary risked giving Scrooge an entirely new look

The Sun Review
'Christmas Carol' a visual feast

The consistent talk about the size, scale and wow of the set.

Theatre Calgary's new version of A Christmas Carol is a world-class visual
spectacle... Magnificent sets are a joy to behold and even more
awe-inspiring when they begin to move. -The Sun

Sets, costumes, music, and script -- most everything about the company's
$600,000 production of A Christmas Carol promises to cast the immortal Scrooge
and his journey from dark loneliness to epiphany in a brand new light. - The Herald

The cityscape of Victorian London is a panoramic old photograph with
panels that glide out to become the interiors of homes. Scrooge's office
descends from the ceiling while his bedroom rises from the floor. The
ghost of Christmas Past (Christian Goutsis) appears in an alcove above
Scrooge's fireplace which opens up to allow a beautiful old sled to glide in
during a flashback moment. The jovial ghost of Christmas Present
(Kevin Rothery) rises up through the bed while the eerie ghost of Christmas
Future (Gerald Matthews) is part of the massive city clock suspended above
the stage. - The Sun

The Script

"Patch manages to tell the story in a more accessible way than hitherto," says director Dennis Garnhum. "He doesn't twist things too much, but makes everything clearer. - The Herald

Stephen Hair, taking on the role of his 13th consecutive Scrooge for Theatre Calgary: "I love this script. Yes, I come with a whole provenance of stuff from so many directors and so many different scripts about who Scrooge is. But I've always been trying to find the humanity of the man -- the real person." - The Herald

The SunThe production is not without its problems, most of which are rooted in Jerry Patch's bleak, pretentious adaptation. It is not particularly kind to
either Scrooge (Stephen Hair) or Tiny Tim (Sam Duke), the crippled boy whose
plight does most to soften Scrooge's heart. Until Scrooge's experiences at
his nephew's party, Hair seems more an observer than a participant in Scrooge's
visions and Tiny Tim isn't given nearly enough focus even in the scene at the
Cratchit family dinner. - The Sun

The Story

The energetic Garnhum says, obviously warming to his subject -- "I feel a great
responsibility to the children, and the fact that for many of them this is
going to be the first thing that they see in their lives. - The Herlad

"A Christmas Carol is a funny piece because it works on two levels," Garnhum points out. "First, there's the spectacle of the storytelling that the children in the audience, and the child within all of us, connect to. But it's also really the story of a man going through a mid-life crisis, and that's why adults connect to it. And I think it's important that I direct it for both audiences." - The Herald

The Sun The adaptation ... fails to realize this is a tale for children and the child in all of us. It plays more to adults and prides itself in having a preachy academic veneer. Theatre Calgary's A Christmas Carol needs to dazzle the heart and funny bone as much as it does the eyes. - The Sun

Christmas shopping success!

Yesterday I only had a matinee and rehearsal was canceled. That meant I was done work by 4:00pm. So Stef and I went Christmas shopping. After rush hour traffic we made it to Chinook Centre by 5:00. We finished everyone on our lists (except my little brother as he is not the easiest person to buy for) and my mom. But Stef will finish mom today, we found what we wanted but it was not at the mall we were at. We were home by 8:30 having cranberry juice, plain chips and homemade dip. It was a good night!

That leaves Matt, Lorne and the purchase of Lindsay and Dan's gift (but you have already heard the story behind that). I even got most of Logan done. Woo Hoo!

I hope that you are all doing well with your Christmas shopping. I know that it may still seem for some of you. But I have been in a Christmas environment, with a Christmas tree and other such decorations since the middle of October.

Christmas shopping at The Bay

With my day off today we decided to do a little Christmas Shopping. First to Costco. We thought that it was a crazy idea. But it is so freaking cold here that there was no one there. We had a very pleasant experience at Costco. We took a leisurely stroll, looked at everything, and got in line behind one person. A great way to start the day - even though we did not end up with a gift.

Then to Market Mall to really shop. First to the Bay. Logan has a discount, so why not. Well, that store never ceases to amaze me in how it will iritate, (without giving away what we were shopping for). Lindsay and Dan are registered for their wedding - so we thought that would be a great place to start their shopping. We decided to purchase but have it available for pick up at their home store in Edmonton. The registry lady said "no problem but you don't pay us you pay that store."
"How?"
"We just send your Credit Card number and they ring it through."
"Can't we pay with Debit?"
"No"
Logan said to me "Well, can't use a third party credit card (visa or mastercard) and get a discount and we don't have a Bay card."
Lady "You can use your discount and your credit card."
Logan "Actually no you can't"
Lady "Sure I'll do it right now"
Logan "That is against store policy. I used to be internal."

So we decide to buy it right there and just wrap it up under the tree.
Lady "Ah, we don't have the one you are looking for in the quantity you want."
Us "Great"
Lady "Would you like something different, or perhaps one of what you want?"

Stupid Bay.

Another well deserved day off

Today is Monday once again. The only day in the week that I don't have to go to the theatre. However, I did bring a little work home with me. Sigh. I have to update my paper work.

I know that you don't want to hear me whine about the trials that this week has been. The only thing that I want to mention is that in this show there are three scenes with coffins. We have one very large coffin cart that totes them around the stage, and two coffins. One is made of plywood planks with nothing in it and is relatively light. No problem. The other, well the other is to belong to Jacob Marley. He was a rich man so his is much nicer (which means layers of wood) with metal handles. Oh, and did I mention that there is a body inside. There is a skeleton. So the inside has to be finished too. This thing ways a tonne. And Kelly (the other ASM) and I have to trudge it from one side of the stage to the other twice during the show. (I also have to dress said skeleton every show as they steal from him). This coffin is supposed to be the dug up Jacob Marley. So they have added "mud" and "roots" to the outside. These additions need to be permanent so they are created with a glue substance. These damn pokey bits have been giving us coffin bites. I have cuts every where, mostly on my hands and arms, from this stupid thing. And to make the end of my week the designer said that "he loves the look of the mud but there needs to be more - and way more roots."

Here is to cut up arms!

Christmas Carol long days

Twelve hours a day has slowed down to ten hours a day. I would be happier except that things don't seem to get better. We fix one problem with some technical element - and then something else that has been fine so far will go wrong. We are so busy troubleshooting that we aren't adding in the elements that are still not in the show.

If anyone is interested, the show is good right now. We have had two audiences. One was a student matinee and they really seemed to enjoy it. And last night we had a special showing to kids with Cancer and their families. They really liked it as well. So, even though from the backstage point of view the show could be better - give it a couple more days and it should be really good. By opening night (Dec 1st) it should be great.

But for now I have to get ready to go back to the dark whole were couple hundred pound rolling pieces of scenery will roll over my toes, coffins covered in dirt will scratch me up, and props bigger and heavier than me need to be lifted.... we will see if I make it out alive.

Many hours spent in a dark, cold theatre

I have just complete 3 out of 4 ten out of twelve hour days. That means that the rehearsal is 12 hours long but there has to be two hours worth of breaks (not including coffee breaks). They are long days.

When we moved out of the rehearsal hall on Thursday we were in good shape - for a rehearsal hall performance. But this show is full of technical elements. It was a little scary to add them. We worked very hard and got more accomplished in two and a half days than I thought possible. So last night we decided to really kill ourselves and do a full run of the show and add costumes. For anyone that has ever done a show you know that adding costumes means adding chaos. And we had not done a run in the theatre yet. A big leap to say that least. As stage management we were not expecting much. If we made it through the first act without anyone being seriously injured we were going to call it a success.

But to every one's surprise we kept on going. I expected the sound of grinding set pieces and then Susan the stage manager's voice over the sound system "STOP!" But it never came. We did a whole run of the play with only minor glitches and no stopping. I am feeling pretty good and much more relaxed about the whole thing. (Yesterday at supper I was pretty scared!)

The show is going to be fantastic. It looks unbelievable even if the show itself was crap. If anyone is in the Calgary area from this Wednesday to Christmas Eve I highly recommend it!

Feeling the spirit of the season

Tonight I feel as though Christmas is very soon. I am on the net searching for meal ideas for Christmas eve. We have Christmas lights up. I have plenty of Christmas baking. And we did another run of A Christmas Carol today. Only one more day in the rehearsal hall and then on to the stage for 12 hour days of tech. I have a feeling that I won't be feeling Christmas-y after tomorrow for at least a week. So while I was "giddy with the season" I thought I'd add a little flavor to my blog. (By the way there are so many quotes from the play that I am fighting the urge to add - as you all don't know the play).

Here is a picture of us last year

- our first Christmas Married -

in front of our first Christmas tree.

A day off

Nothing is new here. Just work, work, work. Logan and I had a successful day off yesterday. We hit up one store to do some Christmas shopping and had two great gifts for two people within minutes! Logan felt that because we had done so well we were done! I felt that because we had accomplished our Christmas shopping goal in an eighth of the time we should move forward and use the allotted time to get ahead. He disagreed. And as the driver felt that he got an extra vote as he was taking us to our next destination. We hit up the grocery store for the few things we needed for this week (namely meal to have away from home) and then back home!

At home of coarse there was plenty to do. (Maybe that is why I wanted to continue shopping). I did 7 load of laundry, a weeks worth of dishes and made supper while Logan napped on the couch. (I would have been a little more vocal about this injustice if he hadn't worked an overnight shift at the Bay downtown last night - where they pay him cash for this services.)

And then after supper we were feeling festive and hung Christmas lights. We now have a hue of blue through the entire place!

Long Week

Well, another week complete. Time really flies. I got to meet a Broadway composer and Broadway set designer this week. The composer is a little older and very friendly. We had a great time with him. The designer has only been here for one day so maybe we will get to know him better, but at this point seems a little preoccupied with his fast success to care about conversation with us. Oh well, the rehearsal process is still young.

Next week we are in the rehearsal hall for a few more days than then to the stage. As my family will attest - hitting the stage means very long hours and not seeing very much of family. 12 hour days can really take their toll on people. It is what I signed up for though. Things have been going well.

Yesterday after rehearsal we had a pot luck dinner party. It was great fun. This is a huge cast so we filled this actors house! Very good time, and I'm sure a sign of many more parties to come!

Today, grocery shopping, Christmas shopping, laundry and dishes.

New format

I have spent the last hour fixing my blog because I hit the button that allows me to reformat my blog more easily than before. I neglected to read that part that said that any formatting that I have already done will be lost. So I had to fix everything. So really - it looks exactly like what it did before. But mostly cause I wasn't ready to change it - just thought that if it would be easier when I am ready, great.

Rehearsals are going great! Long days but I am happy!

Nervous Night

Well, tonight we had our Home Visit with the Police. Last weekend the gentleman doing Logan's background check called to say that he would like to do our home visit either this Friday or Saturday night. We both are working days at this point (or at least Logan makes the schedule and can work days). So he said that he would check his schedule and call us back.

Days pass and no call to confirm which day. Wednesday he called to say that 7pm Friday night would be great. So Thursday we cleaned the apartment - less the dishes. We spend a couple hours just sitting and wondering what it was going to be.

Then this morning just after Logan dropped me off at work Logan called to say that he called to say that tonight won't work - how about this afternoon. By a lucky coincidence rehearsal ended at 3pm today. So 4:00 was the new set time.

Logan and I rushed home, tidied up and waited.

It ended up being great. We sat and had tea, some of my Christmas baking and chatted. It really ended up being another interview for Logan, but he talked to me too. Wanted to make sure that I knew what this was all about and that I was on board. It was okay. But as soon as he left we both had a big sigh of relief, poured a cup of wine and relaxed. We were both so nervous! But it is over from our end now. His file will be passed on to the selection committee that will decide if they want to hire Logan or not, and if they do if that will be for the very next class or later - or really - whatever they decide.

Almost there

Again referencing a previous blog - Logan's progress with the Calgary police is now the final stages. They have completed the background check - as some of you may know from your lengthy phone call with the officer. Now, all that is left is the home inspection. I have learned that it is less of an inspection and more of a visit. That will take place after work on Fri or Sat. And then when that is done - and he approves, all that is left is selection! That doesn't mean that he is hired yet. There are only so many people per training class etc. But all of the recruiting officers sit in a room and talk about their applicants. The file managers for each person represent you. His file manager seems to like him so let us hope that he fights for him! So everyone cross your fingers! (and hope that I get better so when he visits not only does he find a clean house - but a wife that isn't sneezing and coughing over everything!)

I am sick of being sick

Some days ago I wrote a little bit about the cold I was experiencing. Well, this thing is still kicking around. And better yet, it keeps morphing into bigger and better things. What started as a head cold, quickly turned into a check cold. And then to my delight - became the flu yesterday. Oh well.

My mom was in town and she took good care of me. She came to frigid little Calgary to take in the Dixie Chicks! We had a blast at the concert. I would have enjoyed myself a little more if I didn't feel sick to my stomach - but I did some lovely chair dancing.

And mom and I had the opportunity to do a little Christmas baking. I would have liked to do a little more - but when you are sick to your stomach - baking is not very appealing. So Sunday night mom and I had made batch of scuffles to rise and work on the next day. Being up all night - mom had to finish them herself.

FYI

If any of you that read my blog are interested (though if you are you probably received an email from Kendra or Aaron themselves), Kendra and Aaron are off to Central America and have a blog of their own.

You can find them at http://www.travelpod.com/cgi-bin/guest_login.pl?t=kna_adventure&u=kendranaaron&tweb_guest_password=&p=tpod

The Worst Cold Ever

So, when you live in Regina the weather is pretty predictable. It has a general arch. January is at the bottom with some of the coldest temperatures and worst weather, it slowly moves toward warmer (with Blizzards and stuff thrown in - but you expect that). It slowly moves toward warmer. Summer is got. August is the peak and it goes back down again - working its way back to January to come back up again. Really, March and October are really the only times when you don't know what to expect. Generally speaking of coarse.

Here in Calgary. Things are different. I guess I don't expect it to get that cold here. That, and when it does get cold it does so for such a short period of time that you forget it quickly. As a result, you are never dressed right. Regina gets cold, you bring out the winter coat, and mitts and put them on right away, you know what is coming. Here, I find that you are never dressed for the weather.

As a result I have caught the worst cold I have ever had! It took me down hard yesterday! And I was not the only one! Of the twenty people in rehearsal yesterday only five did not put up their hands when asked "who is not sick?"

As all good theatre folk do - remedies were passed around. The usuals, tea with lemon and honey, garlic, gargle with various things, different remedy teas, echinecea. But I heard a new one, oil of oregano. I was curious, so I looked it up and this is what I found:

• "used as a drug and herbal remedy since the time of the ancient Greeks and Chinese."
• "The most widely known and spread benefit of oregano oil is its ability to cure mild stomach problems. It is also well known for its cough-clearing qualities. However, Oregano has many other benefits, among these: exterminating fungus, digestive problems, migrane headaches, athletes foot, sore throat, breathing problems, drandruff (and other skin problems). "
• "Oregano is used as an herbal remedy for respiratory problems such as coughs and bronchitis, even though there is no scientific proof of its effectiveness on these conditions."

So for now, I will stick to my Tylenol Sinus, sleep and hot tea to cure what ails me - and leave the "pizza water" as one girl called it, to the actors.

Nothing new to report

I have been at rehearsals from 9am to 6:30pm for the past six days straight. But I am back to the job that I love. No matter how busy and tired I feel. I love what I do. I wonder what we will do with my one day off!

Christmas Plans

So last year, I work A Christmas Carol with Theatre Calgary. They have a matinee on Christmas eve - so you work till supper. That does not leave alot of time to get home for the fun. So last year my family came to Calgary so we could all celebrate together. It is very difficult to expect your family to do this two years in a row. This year the situation is even tighter. Yes, I am doing Christmas Carol again, but this time I start the next show on Boxing day (if I'm lucky the next day). So we couldn't even drive to Regina Christmas Eve and then be there after. Nope. So I pitched the idea of the Kotlar's coming to Calgary. It will be a little different as we (and our one bedroom apartment) and the only family they have here. But with the help of a hotel room or two - I am hosting! Should be interesting. Work till 5 and then HOLIDAY. But I am excited to give it a go. See what happens.

First day of rehearsal

Today was the first day of rehearsal. It all went really well. I was overly nervous - as always. I get so worked up about crap like that. Oh well. I didn't embarrass myself and that is all that really matters in the long run.

In other news, I am about to add the DVD labels and created DVD cases for our Wedding Video. I have given up on it for a little while. As per usual, it has been pissing my off with all of the little details that always go wrong for me. But it will finally be done tonight!

The last week

Well, Monday it snowed. Piles of heavy snow. And it stuck around until late Tuesday. Which, was appropriate as that is the day the Christmas season started for me.Thursday Logan and I carved up our pumpkin. As you can see from the large bowl of candy along side our pumpkin - we are ready for all the little trick or treaters. Except that last year not one came to our place - or even down our little dead end street. Oh well, the candy wasn't really for them anyway!

Christmas Started Oct 17

Yesterday was my first day back to work in my chosen career! Prep for Christmas Carol started. I think that it will be great fun. And as a huge bonus - the people, kids and adults that I didn't like very much from last year - are not in it this year!
There will definitely be more on this later!

My Vegas Story Episode #6

Day Four Part II

At the end of the day we started to head back to the hotel to catch the airport shuttle. It was a busy day on the strip as we tried to catch the bus. But it was full and we were told to wait for the next. Which could be in any amount of time. So instead of waiting we decided to walk. How far can it be from the Wynn to our hotel. I'll tell you - it is very far! We made it 45 minutes - just in time for us to grab a seat on the sidewalk for a couple minutes and then off to the airport.

When we arrived at the airport we were greeted by one of the girls I work with, standing in line with her mom. (Keep in mind it was shortly after 5, they would open the flight for check in at 6, but the flight wasn't until 9). She told us that there had been a switch and they were sending a smaller plane and the flight was sold out. So we waited and waited. The other employee had purchased a ticket before she left and was not on standby. But the mom and the three of us were biting our finger nails. To our surprise and happiness - we were the only four standbys. But it didn't help. There were only 2 people that did not show up for the flight. The other mom did get there first so the seat is hers. But then, which one of us to go home. I had to work - and you are in trouble for missing work because you were traveling on your flight priviledges. However, Stef had an exam the next day - and I had already given my notice. So we sent Stef and mom and I stayed in Vegas.

Our first adventure was finding the Hotel shuttle. We went to purchase a ticket - and after much confusion were told "one of our driver's is missing with one of our limos. I, the supervisor, will give you a ride if you don't mind making a couple of stops to find him." At this point mom and I didn't care. So we hoped in and mom and I had a tour of Vegas from a limo!

And the guy was great, he entertained us. And at the end offered to take us out for dinner (cause we were stuck in Vegas), they ended up finding the guy so he couldn't take us out, but he gave us his per diem to buy our own! We ended up staying at The Sahara. Not a hotel I would recommend. It wasn't bad, just old and dingy. We were now at the other end of the strip and within walking distance of some different casinos.

The Stratosphere (which stunk like they had pulled up carpet). We walked around - thought about going up to the top - but it cost to much and by this point we really didn't care about much!

Then to Circus Circus. That was far better than I had expected - especially from the look of the outside. But there was a second level around the casino floor that had games of chance for kids (like at the exhibition). They also had a center "big top" performance area. We got to see a really cool performance by a very flexible and strong lady!

From here, we were just tired and ready to sit at the airport and make sure that we were getting onto the plane. (I had called the call centre a million times during the day to make sure the situation hadn't changed! The flight was looking wide open!) We arrived at the airport shortly after 4 - two hours before the flight even opened for check in! We used the rest of our American money on very large bottles of booze from the duty free, and mom gave a spin on the slot machines in the airport.

My Vegas Story Episode #5

Day Four

We had seen all of the major casinos that were on our list. So today was meant to be a little slower. Take our time and enjoy. First we made what we thought was going to be a quick walk to the Hard Rock Cafe and Casino. It really wasn't that far -especially compared to the walk we would make later that day, or to our walk to the Rio - but it was very hot. They had some great clothes in the gift shop, which we did a little partaking in.

Then we walked to the bus - to take us back to The Venetian to Madame Tussaude's Wax Museum. That was very neat. I quite enjoyed that experience. The pictures will speak louder than words here!

(Johnny Depp, Stef married George Clooney, Elvis sang to me and gave an autograph to mom, I posed with Judy Garland and Princess Diana).

Then we walked further up the strip to places that we hadn't planned but were neat. One of the newest places, The Wynn. It had the best interiors in my opinion. It did not have a obvious theme, like the Paris, Venetian or all of the others. It was just bright and tropical. Not in a tacky, gaudy way, but with water falls and flowers gardens and hanging flower baskets. It just seemed very light and new. Which was refreshing. I was certainly starting to feel as though my senses were overloaded and they were all blending together. The Wynn left an impression!

Then we saw a neat looking building - turns out it is The Fashion Show Mall. Walking there in the hopes of finding a fashion show - we found just a very large mall. And a listing of Fashions shows on Fri, Sat and Sun. So we went back to Treasure Island were Stef had walked out with a buck in credits that still needed to be played. We found a great machine. Wheel of Fortune with a great big wheel in the center. We played. We separated out all the money we needed to get back to the hotel and then the airport and plugged in the rest. It was a penny machine so this went for quite some time. I do believe it was my luck on this machine - but we ended up winning the top prize on the wheel 10,000 x win. Which if you bet 1 penny (which we were) you win $100! That is pretty impressive. So we walked out of there with money in mom's pocket.

My Vegas Story Episode #4

Day Three

We started the day with a trip out to Primm, NV. Why Primm you ask? Well, there certainly isn't much there, two casinos (both owned by MGM) and one VERY LARGE OUTLET MALL!

We did alot of shopping. Spent many hours and many dollars on things for ourselves, for others and for Christmas presents. It was great.

When we arrived back in Vegas we headed back onto the strip (after delivering our many bags back to to hotel room).

First, we headed to the Treasure Island across one of the walking bridges over the street. From here we had a great view of the exploding volcano in front of The Mirage.

Then onto Treasure Island (where I was ID'd every time I turned around. And one lady looked at mine then Stef's and said "Oh, your younger" to Stef). Anyway, Treasure Island has a show called "The Sirens of Treasure Island". The show was a pretty good spectacle with lights and explosions and sinking ships. But as for the performances - it was very Sask Express. The whole thing was pre-recorded. Oh well, it was free entertainment. And we certainly got what we paid for. And actually a bit more, cause we did get free drinks from this casino.

Then over to The Venetian for a walk around. It was very neat. We looked into gondola rides - they were sold out and $12 a person. Though I have to say it did have one of the best interiors as far as the atmosphere it was trying to create. Having been to Venice I thought they did a great job of recreating it. However, I think they were pumping a scent into the air they were circulating cause it smelt like laundry soap.

Then a long walk down the strip to our last major casino of interest, the Paris. It also was neat. With the legs of the Eiffel Tower right into the casino. I also found this place fun as this is where Stef and I got our drinking trophy. A very large Eiffel Tower filled with Daquirie and Margarita. You will be surprised when you see the pictures. We did some gambling - no one really won anything. And then back to our hotel to bed. That was a very big day.

My Vegas Story Episode #3

Day Two

We spent most of the day wandering from Casino to Casino checking out the sights. First we wandered South to the MGM Grand. Very large. A lion habitat right in the middle of the casino floor. This guy was right over our heads and there were two little baby lions.

Then we walked over to the Tropicana. They had an exhibit on the Titanic. As some of you may or may not know I am a Titanic buff (not the movie, the ship. I have read many books on the subject and am very interested). They had all sorts of recovered items. And perhaps the best part was the recreations. They had a third class hallway and one room. Then a second class room. One of the coolest things was the ship deck. They had made is cold, there were stars and water and mirrors set up to imply the full length of the deck. And a recreation of what the ship looks like at the bottom of the ocean now. I have since read new literature that gives a new, controversial account of how the ship broke apart - and I know some newer information than was presented but it was really neat to see things that actually were on the ship! A dork like me really loves crap like that!
Then to the Excalibur. The theme of this casino was like a fairy tale. There were dragons and knights in shining armour. It was pretty cool. And we got to see some of the men from "The Thunder From Down Under" half dressed and promoting their show. Attractive, shirt less and aussie accents. I am really not sure why we didn't stay there longer.
Then to the Luxor. This had an Egyptian theme. The pyramid was the casino, with the Sphyx out front.
This photo of New York, New York was from arcoss the street at the Tropicana (you can see the sign for the Titanic Exibit)
New York New York was possibly my favorite place. They were the casino that gets top marks from me for carrying their theme through the entire place. Many of them had their theme in the hallways and shops, but in the casino part - they all seemed the same. This place was really cool! There was a live band, and buildings with restaurants and stores in them - as though you were walking down miniature streets. It really impressed me the most!


We had dinner here. Good food, huge portions and a good price. We did not go on the roller coaster, but it sure looked cool going in and out of the building.
After dinner, off to the Bellagio to watch the fountain show in front. It was very neat. We watched two shows. They go every 15 minutes for about 7-8 minutes. There was music and lights and in the second show fog. It was definitely worth the walk (and standing).

Then we walked way out of our way to go to the Rio. When I was in Edmonton working on Trying, the other show that was rehearsing was Peter Pan. They had hired a man that flies people for a living - that is his expertise. Well, he was telling us all about the flying parade above the casino floor of the Rio that he had worked on. So needless to say, I need to see it. They have four different shows and seven show times through out the day. We made it in time for their last show time of 9:30. Well, how were we supposed to know that the last show was less about flying and more about girls dancing to pop music and slowly taking their clothes off until just in bikinis?
There were huge floats that flew around the casino floor on what can only be called roller coaster track. And on each float were half dressed people pole dancing. Not what I had expected. I wanted to see people flying. Oh well, it was too far out of the way to go back. A little disappointed we decided to walk around before our long trek back to the strip.

Did I mention that Chippendale's was playing at the Rio. Tickets were a little out of our budget - but never fear. Two of the guys were out advertising. We walked by and they started throwing beads at us(it was a carnival type theme). They were funny, shirtless men and we had a good time with - and they did their jobs well - as we did buy the expensive pictures.

We ended our night at Caesar's Palace. We were unsuccessful in spotting Celine - but we sure checked out her own personal souvenir store. Stef and I were a little tipsy from our free poured (almost no mix) drinks from the Rio and were very vocal about how she was Canadian and the music playing in her store was "America the Beautiful".

We walked around, took a peek. Surprisingly enough the dress code for the workers was not togas. We sat down at the slot machines waiting for mom to win it big while we tried to rest our aching feet.


It was a long day of walking - and we certainly saw alot! I am actually tired just thinking about it. I do have to say that one of my favorite parts of each casino was the store fronts/shopping. That is where they really put their effort into their theme (besides the entrances). Above you see the (no idea how to spell the French word so here is it phonetically) trump loy. They have sidewalks and sky and fountains. It really is impressive.