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Incredible Day in Vegas!

Jean — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 04:27:50 +0000

The title says it all. I did have an incredible day in Vegas yesterday. My girlfriend, Wendy, was in town celebrating her 10 year wedding anniversary, and invited me over for a day of play. I thought it was awfully generous of her and her husband to allow me to invade their celebration.

I picked her up around 11:30am, and we headed to Tommy Bahamas Restaurant at Town Square. On the way, we spotted Big Bird at the Welcome To Las Vegas sign! Neither of us having been to the sign, and knowing our young daughters would be thrilled to see us with Big Bird, we pulled in and parked. Big Bird works for tips, his hand magically appearing from a hole beneath his tie. I slipped BB two bucks and we were golden. Two photos each. Then we made our way to the famous sign, and Wendy asked a nice man to take our photo. He did, and invited us back in one hour to be in a music video. Hello! Sign us up!

We hurried over to Tommy Bahamas for cocktails and appetizers. Our bartender concocted two special drinks for us, one with passion fruit and the other with cucumber and pineapple. Both were delicious! We also had crab bisque (to die for), and some kind of shrimp dip with chips (not the greatest).

We caught up as it had been a year since we saw each other, and the bartender brought us over two more specialty cocktails. Then our bartender disappeared, overwhelmed with a banquet in the back room. So much time passed that we gave up ordering dessert and considered “dine & ditch”. We were planning our escape when Wendy decided to give one final attempt to pay our bill. She began waving her arms around as if directly a large plane into takeoff position. It got people’s attention alright! A hostess came over to see what our problem was, and had the bartender ring us up. Mr. Bartender became a hero when he didn’t charge us for our drinks, only our appetizers. Thank you, dreamboat!

We were thirty minutes late to the video shoot, and hurried over to find parking. The production team was still setting up, testing audio equipment and who knows what else, for at least another hour. Finally we were asked to take our positions around the piano, the star, Frankie Moreno, and the bassist. The director asked us to sway and bop enthusiastically, to which Frankie added, “Act like you like my music. If you can’t do that, get the fuck out of here.” With his handsome looks and New York accent, we all took his advice with a laugh.

Action! The camera was rolling, Frankie was tickling the ivories and wailing out a tune much like Harry Connick Jr but cooler. We were all swaying, clapping hands, and getting into it. Frankie finished his song, and had to perform it again. The camera man moved to a new angle capturing Frankie from head on (with Wendy and me directly behind him).

The director asked us to move closer to Frankie with some of the women leaning on the piano. Two retro/pin-up looking girls leaned on the piano, and a grandmotherly type woman was next to them with a cotton ball taped to her arm. Just gave blood? A girl in purple joined our group, but had a sour look on her face like she was smelling something awful. A butter-faced woman in a green sweater, no pants, and tan boots was asked to stand in front of the bassist. She worried about blocking his view, not realizing she was the view. LOL! Two sweet elderly couples were next, with Wendy and I rounding out the group. The director asked us to look at Frankie as if we wanted him, but couldn’t have him. I stared as if his was the sexiest nape I’d ever seen. Oooh, look at the clean-cut neckline! I licked my lips and batted my eyes a few times, just for good measure. I hope I don’t hit the cutting room floor.

Frankie sang two more tunes, twice, and it was a wrap. Then he asked his marketing director, Sasha, if he could play a song just for us. She agreed, and he REALLY got into it! He hammered those keys like I’d never seen! Wow, we were really dancing now, no acting involved. Just pure enjoyment. His camera man rushed up with the camera, zooming in and out on Frankie, on us, on the keys, on us. What a video this will be! I’ll leave room for it right here (below).

Wendy and I posed with Frankie for two photos. (I”ll post those too once Wendy gets home and can download her camera.) What a doll he is. If you’re going to see him, he performs at the Stratosphere. Go, go, go!

How do you come down from that high? We decided we needed more cocktails and dessert. We drove to Caesars, and checked out the new chocolate restaurant, Max Brenner. Oh Max, $12.50 for a margarita? We didn’t even see dessert on the posted menu, but a banner across the top of the display said something like, “Food First, Dessert Next”. Hmmm… we kept walking. The kiosk bar with yard-long cocktails also had mixed drinks for $12.50, frozen drinks for $14.00. Really? Ice costs that much more? Rip-off. Kept walking. Finally saw The Cheesecake Factory! Yes, let’s get some drinks and dessert. That’s what we came for, that is what we shall have. The tropical martinis were fabulous, and deep-fried avocado appetizers were amazing, and the red velvet cheesecake was orgasmic. Thank you to our server for telling us we didn’t both need a slice. He was right, and we thanked him for watching our wallets and waistlines.

With the day drawing to a close, we walked out into the crisp night air and over to the Bellagio gardens. Decorated for fall, they were (as always) a sight to behold. Pumpkins, scarecrows, corn stalks and the like filled the atrium, and we tried to photograph as much of it as possible. Then we made our way back to my car and finally to her resort. I hated to see the day end.

• Do you believe in the slogan, “What happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas?”
• Would you have swayed and bopped to the music?
• $12.50 for a cocktail. Discuss.

Make A Party Invitation in 20 Minutes

Jean — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 15:34:48 +0000

Friday morning I was given the assignment by my soon-to-be 9 year old to create birthday party invitations for her to hand out THAT MORNING. No, I hadn’t planned ahead. She’ll have a handful of girlfriends over next Saturday, and I intend to just phone their parents. But, none the less, I was up to the challenge.

Step 1: Visit Dreamstime. This is my go-to source for graphics.

Step 2: Search for party invitations. You’ll find a wide variety, from “free” to “you’ve got to be kidding me”!

Step 3: Buy a few credits and download your favorite image. I found this cute invitation for 3 credits (approx. $3.75).

Step 4: Edit in Photoshop. See notes below. When editing is done, choose Layers, Flatten Image to merge all layers into one.

Step 5: Save & Print. I created a new, blank Photoshop page, 11×8.5 landscape orientation, and dragged (with my pointer tool) the invitation to it twice. Two invitations fit on one page. I used brochure paper (heavy stock with a nice finish).

Step 6: Cut. Remove the white border, and cut out the 2 invitations. Repeat as necessary.

For an in-depth tutorial on adding text, view my post Photoshop Tips V: Add Text to Photos.

• Do you have a go-to source for graphics?
• Store-bought or home-made invitations?

Versatile Blogger Award

Jean — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 22:47:14 +0000

I’ve been awarded The Versatile Blogger award by Tammy at The Tesserae. Thank you, Tammy!

The rules of accepting the award are that the recipient reveal 7 unknown facts about themselves prior to passing the award along to 5 deserving bloggers.

7 Unknown Facts
1. Before saying March or May, I have to really think about it to figure out which month is correct for my discussion.

2. I also tend to forget what I own. As a child, I coveted my sister’s green pogo stick. Turns out it was mine. I’ve done the same as an adult with a toothbrush.

3. I’m a workaholic. Even though I complain about my workload, I get a great deal of satisfaction by how much I accomplish.

4. I wish I had a garden, but have no idea where to start.

5. I have a hard time making friends the way some people have a hard time finding a partner. I knit-pick (in my mind) until I’ve talked myself out of pursuing a relationship.

6. The other side of the coin is that I love searching for and finding friends from my past! Facebook is great for that, but so is the internet as a whole. I’ve had two girlfriends say, “How did you find me?”

7. I don’t wear heels anymore. I’ll take comfort over style.

5 Worthy, Versatile Bloggers
Tammy picked The Girl From The Ghetto, but I will too. When I think of versatility, I think of The Girl. She has give-aways, book reviews, product reviews, and juicy posts that are bold and personal.

Beth of Word Nerd Speaks also epitomizes versatility. Along with hosting her own blog, she heads GBE2 (Group Blogging Experience 2) and partners with writers to host One Stop Blog World. Beth is one busy woman whose writing seems effortless.

Teacher Girl Blogs is a wonderful site by anonymous blogger, Teacher Girl. Her “What I Wore Wednesday” feature inspires me to open my wallet and purchase the cutest ensembles.

Sherri at The Kitchen Prescription is versatile and gifted in the kitchen! Her savory dishes and perfectly decorated baked goodies leave me drooling.

Mary of The Mama Mary Show is incredible. Everything she does, she does well. Her site is so professional from her header to her top of the line videos, interviews, tv spots, and blog posts.

I hope you will take the time to visit my friends if you are not already familiar with their sites. Thank you!

Frosty Paws

Jean — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 15:02:26 +0000

Last night at the grocery store, stuck to the Beggin’ Strips package, youngest daughter and I found a coupon for $1.00 off Frosty Paws – Ice Cream for Dogs! After the absurdity wore off, and we composed ourselves, we headed over to the frozen foods section and tracked down this new doggy treat.

We giggled all the way home with visions of offering hubby/daddy the doggy ice cream. Once in the door, we could barely contain ourselves. The dogs were happy to see us, and we were happy to peel the lid of the frozen concoction. Good thing hubby was doing chores and not sitting around waiting to be a guinea pig.

As the packaging promised, our dogs DID enjoy Frosty Paws! By the end, they were fighting over the empty cups, clearly jonesing for more.

As a one-time novelty treat that the whole family should get a kick out of, I’d say go for it. The dollar off coupon helped sway my decision. But at over $4.00 per box, I doubt we’ll indulge in the future.

Would you buy Frosty Paws for your dog?

My Fun-Filled Week in 55 Words

Jean — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 03:23:16 +0000

Today’s blog style is brought to you by Writercize (guest hosted this week by my friend Beth). Participants are asked to write a complete story in exactly fifty-five words. The first line should have ten words, the second nine, the third eight, and so on until the last sentence, consisting of a single word, completes the story. Here is mine based on actual events of the past week.

My husband traveled to Nebraska to hunt turkey and deer.

My sister took the opportunity to stay with me.

After taking the kids to school, we played.

Breakfast at local dive, What’s Your Number?

Pedicures at salon, red polished toes.

Kohl’s and Target clothing sales.

Mall for cute shoes.

Samarai sushi lunch.

Chili’s dinner.

Fun!