Virtual Hangover

Went to watch The Seafarer at the MRT last night and have a virtual hangover today. And must point out that this tale had nothing to do with the sea (other than maybe the sea of life), and if you were not raised in the Christian tradition (like someone who shall remain nameless), you miss much of the story. Irish stories tend to be dark and involve much drinking - this one was no different. Did enjoy it, but really needed a drink when it was over!

---------------
The Seafarer
by Conor McPherson

Nominated for four Tony Awards, including Best Play, this hilarious and chilling tale of the sea, Ireland and redemption brings old friends together on Christmas Eve for an all night, liquor-soaked game of poker with damningly high stakes. Steeped in Irish myth, the play is both darkly funny and surprisingly uplifting. (Contains Strong Adult Language, Estimated Run Time: 2 hours, 35 minutes with one 15-minute intermission).

Pumpkins

The girls each drew a design on their pumpkins for their Mom to carve. It was interesting to see the shapes they came up with. You can see additional pics here.

Vegas Journal 2

Vegas Journal

These are some of the pages from my Vegas journal. I had such fun creating pages with the girls.

Visual Journal

This is the last page of the journal I have played in all year. My goal had been to complete it before I headed out to Vegas, and that I did. Always a bittersweet moment. So much of my life is captured in those pages.

Recent Reads

1. Handle With Care
I have really loved books by this author, but this was not one of them. It is an okay read. I did enjoy learning about OI, but think the writing has gotten rather formulaic. It is the story of a family in crisis - 2 sisters, one of whom is born with a genetic disorder the other has issues of a non-genetic kind. Add into the mix stressed parents and a lawyer and you've got a medicine/family/law drama - very similar to My Sister's Keeper - but not half as good. The book does a nice job of telling the story from different characters points of view - but on the whole was not a book I loved. And the ending - was that really necessary?

2. Hope for the Flowers
My sister loves this book and the first time I read it was in her home many moons ago. Re-read it this past week while in Vegas - love it. A reminder to ask ourselves why we do what we do. Just because everyone else does something does not make it a good thing to do. It is a book for kids but the topics sure are about the larger topics of life.

3. Map of Bones
You know how you read a book, and while reading it you realize that you've read it before but cannot recall the story? Well, this was one of those for me. It is not great literature, but a fun airport read, and I did learn a couple of things that I'm going to research further. I've read loads about the Vatican's history and how Constantine created the Bible as we know it today. But why is the story about Doubting Thomas in only one of the Gospels? Was it really to smear Thomas - the gnostic - the one who spread Christianity to India? Makes you wonder no?

Halloween Play

The twins, Sophia and Maya are in 1st grade and they were in a Halloween play at school. Sophia is the one with the straw hat and checked shirt and Maya has on the pink top and pig tails. Additional pics of the little ones can be see here.

Encore

Visited Encore - a casino I have not been inside before, and I loved the textures and colors - every wall, every floor, every surface you see is different. It is a feast for one's sense of touch and sight. Love that. Additional pics can be seen here.

Goodie Heaven

Love, love Jean Philippe @ the Bellagio. Home of the largest chocolate fountain in the world. This is another tradition when I'm in Vegas - go get ice-cream and see their latest creations. You can see additional pics here. Keep in mind that almost everything you see is edible.

Body Worlds

I saw the exhibit when it traveled through Boston and was blown away. Shil and I headed over to the Luxor to check out the Body Worlds exhibit. Not as extensive a collection as the show that came through Boston, but still found it awesome. That is a world that is misused today and I mean it in the actual definition of the word. If a show comes near you check it out.

Journaling with kids

I brought along journals I made for the girls and they love them. We spent many hours together writing and drawing in them. Love that!

Bellagio

Traditions get started in all sorts of ways - one is simply doing something and then repeating it every time I come to town. I love the seasonal displays at the Bellagio. This time it was New England Fall. You can see more pics here.

Laughlin

How can one not visit a place called Laughlin? My brother had to work out that way today, so went with him and explored the riverwalk along the Colorado River.










































Additional pics can be seen here.

Mirage

The thing about being in the desert is that the clear dry air fools the eyes - well at least my eyes.

This morning decided to walk over to Mandalay Bay - after all I could see it - how far could it be? Famous last words. About an hour later, I popped into the Borders at Town Square for refreshments - an oasis in the desert would not have been more welcoming. After the welcome sustenance decided to push forward and finally arrived at the casino. Why not take the local bus you might ask? Well, after a certain amount of time, I was committed, and refused to give up and hop on. My objective? Shark Reef. Loved being in the underwater tunnels and watching sharks swim an arms-length away. Also saw one of the last remaining golden crocodiles in the world - though must admit that it looked sad and lonely.

And yes, I did take the bus home - though had to walk about a mile from the nearest stop. So ended up walking about 6 miles total (I actually went online to figure it out), and so exercise for the day? Check.

Halloween Carnival

This is my first Halloween season with the girls. Such fun. The girls got all dressed up.
Bella was a model, Sophia a diva and Maya was Alice in Wonderland.
You can see more Carnival pics here.

Air Travel

I was on United flights out here to Las Vegas and both flights were packed to the brim - I felt like a sardine in a tin can - there was barely enough room to move. The flight attendants did not have seats - so had to stand the entire way! I know that all the air lines have cut back and consolidated their routes, but this is nuts. On the bright side, had wonderful views of our lovely planet from a window seat. Watched a beautiful sunset and thanked the stars that my trip only took several hours, as compared to the early pioneers who spent months or even years getting out this far. Certainly puts my whining into perspective :-)

Viva Las Vegas

Am loving hanging with my family in Las Vegas - my 3 little nieces are the most adorable and smart cutie pies in world. They have been taking dancing classes, and recently performed at the local Onam festival. Bella is second on left, Sophia is on the left towards the back, and Maya is to the back on the right.

So very cool no?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23OXsE6erMA

New gadget

At least new to this blog. If you read this blog - look to the right and tell me that you do under Followers. Such fun.

Visual Journal

Found this funny head shot of Luke and had to play with it.

Visual Journal

Was listening to music while playing with this page:
"You have got to heal your body. Heal your heart. Whatever happens, what matter most is what you think of yourself. Get it together."