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April 18, 2006

Sorry. I've been spending most of my quality time over here when not cleaning or eating or drinking a lot of wine. The preparations for Passover hit me at full force 2 days before they were due to be done. The house was clean once, and now the floors are soiled with matzah crumbs. $1,000,000 for the first person to come up with matzah that isn't so crumbly.

Currently I'm busy trying to figure out if I should go to Amsterdam this June. If I do, it's going to be expensive, and I'd really rather spend $3k somewhere else. Or keep it in my savings account to make money for me. The main problem is that I have these 3 tickets to a sold-out Robbie Williams concert, and I'm horrible at selling things on eBay. And I need to make sure I get the money back that I spent on them ($270 US). What to do, what to do? The thought of not leaving the country this year is devistating. I do have trips planned for early next year, but I really need a change of scenery, a change of tongue. Somewhere I've never been. Then again, I do have friends around the country that could use some visitin'. I'm really at an impass here... I guess we'll see what happens within a couple of weeks.

In other news, spring has finally sprung here in Boise, though the days have recently been chilly and more feeling like fall than on the way to the too-soon summer we're going to get. We've had a shite-ton of rain recently, and there's been all this flooding. It's at these times when I thank G-d that there is a basement apartment below mine that will fill up with water before the rising tides start affecting my life. Not that it's actually flooding where I live. We had to turn the heaters back on and do the quick-jog before hopping into bed so we don't wake up with frozen toes. I have to head down to the post office in just a minute, and I'm not really looking forward to it. Maybe I'll stop by the coffee shop to get a big latté while I'm down there. Or I could forgo it altogether.

I also purchased another iPod and a new cellphone. Technology these days, huh?

This entry was such a waste of internet.

Comments (4)

Speaking of MySpace... (the long and the short of Vegas)
April 4, 2006

I had a... short-lived conversation with my cousin's friends while I was in Vegas re: MySpace. I had woken up far too early on Saturday morning - less than 5 hours after falling asleep the night before. Up at 6.30, I refused the offer from my Aunts and Uncles to join them in eating at a buffet, and stayed at the house to make myself some eggs and toast. The cousin and her friends also went to a buffet for breakfast, so I sat at the little kitchen table reading and eating my breakfast for 2 blissfully quiet hours.

Then the kids came home. To be fair, the group was mixed in age - between 21 and 25. The eldest was a bit less than a year younger than I, but I suddenly felt like the old lady. They flopped down wherever there was space, turned the teevee on, and debated who to send out to get more beer. By 10, they were mixing margaritas and ready to get into the pool. It would be harsh to say that my morning had been ruined, but with so many other people in the house, it was impossible to get away from the noise and distraction.

One of the cousin's friends had thankfully brought her laptop. Since I packed so light (1 small hiking backpack), I didn't worry about the internet, but as soon as that little Dell was out, everyone in the room lined up for a go. As I waited for my turn, I noticed every single one of these kids checking his or her MySpace site. So, I posed the question, "Why do all of you like MySpace so much?" The answer has been eluding me for ages. I personally do have a profile on MySpace, just so I can get to some of my friends' blogs and whatnot. However, it annoys the living hell out of me. I can't stand the setup, the adverts, the way things work, the whole shebang.

The kids quickly were quick to point out the good points of the site: it's incredibly easy to use, easy to stay in touch with friends, easy to send messages. "Do any of you use email?" I asked. It seemed to me that this was the same thing... only with annoying background colors and people typing in mixed caps. "Yeah," sayeth they, "but this is so much easier!"

MySpace is totally responsible for encouraging the laziness of today's youth.

Later, when the adults came back (after far too many hours), we ate some lunch and went for a lovely hike at RedRock Canyon, just West of the city. I had a wonderful time there, until I realised I was getting burned, then had to borrow some sunblock from a friend of my Aunt Carol. Pleasantly sore, I got roped into going shopping. That, my friends, is another story altogether.

That night, I went with the adults to the Bellagio, then Caesar's Palace. I found that my family is about as reliable in relation to time as Ben's family (see: 2 hours late for everything). I must be the lone time-carer with this DNA. Caesar's Palace was so packed full it took me 30 minutes to get through a crowd of 5,000 attempting to leave from a Elton John concert while trying to get past another 5,000 people attempting to get into some club where Fergie from the Black-eyed Peas was having some kind of party. I searched vainly for a Prada store for about a half hour, then settled down to a penny slot to await my free drinks. I left Vegas the next morning at 5.30am, again with 4 hours of sleep.

Next time, I'll have to go with my husband or by myself. And stay on the Strip. There's nothing like being just drunk enough and getting a massive headache at the Paris, getting mad at the slots for taking your money, then having to wait for an entire group of people to converge so someone can drive you home.

All in all, Vegas was a good time, and I wished I could have been there longer. Next time... next time.

Comments (7)