I will be on vacation, in Las Vegas, visiting family, from May 31st to June 9th or 10th. I’ll still be reachable via phone and e-mail. I’ll still be updating this blog and The Chalkboard Manifesto. I’d rather not be gone for more than a week, but it’s either go or not go at all, and I really want to see my brother and his family.

I am back in Las Vegas.

I wonder when I’ll get around to other things.

Time to go on my vacation within my vacation. No internet connection for a few days. I already updated Chalkboard Manifesto.

I will be gone until Wednesday. No updates until then unless I find some time and a free internet connection.

Guess where I am today.

Will be gone for two weeks, starting today. Updates will probably be sparse.

I was on vacation for how long? Most of the summer, really. I was only back for one day between Washington state and Washington, DC. So, renewal is important.

The first time was when I got my back revitalized at the Discovery Store. They had this product called the Back Revitalizer, and let me tell you, you should buy it. Works like a charm.

And I guess hanging out with slightly different people exacerbated the revitalization. I liked my group at NSLC (the summer class thingy I took in DC) a lot, but we just weren’t clicking at that time. It was refreshing hanging around and talking with people who were more like those I knew at home. Click.

The second time was when I washed my hands in the river. I was at some river gorge in New Hampshire or Vermont — I don’t remember the name of the place. In any case, there is hardly any nature in the suburbia that makes up most of the Bay Area, which made that place a treat.

The whole trip was exhausting, and there’s something about nature that just renews you. It’s like instant meditation. Just being surrounded by all the trees and water brings your mind to peace. I particularly like the water. It’s constantly running, constantly being refreshed. The water you’re touching will never be at that same place again. The water just runs downstream. I let my troubles run downstream as well, off to who knows where.

One dip in that stream of constant refreshment, left me refreshed… even though I merely put my hands in there.

[I finished fixing all the links in my weblog, ones that go from one entry to another. At least, I hope I finished. I wouldn’t put it passed me to have forgotten a link, but I don’t feel like checking right now, so I’m done.]

The other day, I was sitting in the room alone. I had nothing to do, and it was stuffy in there (especially since allergies were constricting my throat). I wanted to get out.

But then I realized, there was no hall to walk down. No more wacky hijinks from my floormates. I can’t walk out the room to find people removing all the furniture from one room, or duct taping someone to the wall.

Right now I’m stuck in limbo. I’m done with that class in DC, but I’m still not home yet. Hence, I cannot put the class behind me. I’m stuck. If I know you, I miss you. I just want to complete this transition and get home.

I am at my mom’s friend’s house in New Hamsphire. I have nothing to say. I will think of stuff when I get back home. I want to go back home.

Haven’t had internet access for a while. There’s a library (where I am right now), but there’s been no time to walk all the way across campus and back.

For now, I’m just going to answer the latest comment. (Will edit this later with links.) The person asked if I wrote that “When I’m dead, I’ll miss” poem myself, and, yes, I did. I write all of the poems myself. By the way, that one I mentioned is my favorite one.

I’m now, after a 2 and a half day car trip from CA, in the Bellingham area, where my grandfather is in the hospital. He’s ninety-something, in case you’re wondering. Not really a vacation, although I’ve been calling it that. I’ll be back July 3, at the latest. (Because I have to leave again July 5.) Hope you’re having more fun than I am.

07/02/04 – EDIT: Originally put June 3 and June 5, hahaha! Thanks for catching that, Wenschel!

I ate at the buffet at the Rio. Not the seafood buffet… They had this strange commercial for it which was sung to the melody of that Moulin Rouge song. Moving on, the buffet is fantastic, and the reason for that is the selection. They have Chinese, Mexican, American, Italian, salads, desserts, and more.

The inside of Paris reminded me a bit of Disneyland because the upper levels of the stores were fake. It also feels cramped because of the fake sky, not bigger.

Went to the Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay. So many sea animals. It was cool to watch. Of course, the main attraction was the many different kinds of sharks. Another highlight was the tank of jellyfish. Those things don’t have a brain, skeleton — mostly made out of water. Still, they were mesmerizing.

Anything we did was look at houses. Living in California, those houses have very very low prices. Many models also didn’t seem so cookie cutter, as they do here. Las Vegas would not be a bad place to live, besides the heat.

Okay, that’s it for the trip description. Tomorrow, I’ll be writing comments about casinos in general.

The city of Las Vegas is a great place, but I got to go there sometime when I can gamble. Still, there was a lot to do, and we did do some stuff. I went with my half-brother, his wife, their two small kids, and my sister. Nice to take a vacation from the house. I didn’t do any work at all: not on my website, not on any stories, and no homework.

So, I’ll list some of the things I did, but not in order. I don’t like that tedium.

Rode Big Shot. Shoots you straight up into the air. Think of something like Drop Zone at Paramount’s Great America, but in reverse. It’s a nice ride. It’s on top of the Stratosphere tower. The line, however, was another story. It took way too long to get up there. And I’m talking about getting into the elevators to get to the tower, not the line to actually get on the ride. The wait for the elevator on the way back was worse. There seemed to be only one that was operational. A big hotel like that with only one elevator down? Hm, I think I found one reason Stratosphere is losing money. Isn’t it a bit hard to lose money with a casino? I mean, the odds are in your favor. Anyway, we rechristened Stratosphere with the name Ghettosphere. That’s not even mentioning the roach we saw while we were waiting in line. The ride’s new name is Big Gun Shot.

The fountains at Bellagio are really something. When I own a fairly large home, I want a mini-version in my front yard. With music! They changed some of the songs since I last went, which was a while ago. One of them was the “Beef… it’s what’s for dinner” theme. Yes, I know that song wasn’t originally that, but that’s what I kept thinking of. Still, the fountains retain their elegance that make them so appealing.

I saw the musical “Mamma Mia!” at Mandalay Bay. It’s a fun show with some fun music. I would definitely recommend it for people to see. I’ve only seen three musicals in my life and I liked them all. I’ve never realized that, even though I wouldn’t exactly say I’m a fan of musicals. Then again, I’ve never been an anime fan, but I’ve started watching it recently. If you’re thinking about it, look up some of the songs first, then decide.

More tomorrow…

Hello.

On vacation, at Las Vegas, Nevada. Will be back in a while. No updates until then.