Daniela and I arrived in Las Vegas yesterday. Daniela's aunt Joni picked us up at McCarran Airport in one of the bakery's refrigerated trucks. We met her brother Max at Kaizen Sushi for dinner. The food was good. Asian fusion menu. As we were leaving I thought I'd throw some Japanese at the sushi chef so I said "ご馳走様でした" which is (I think) 'that was a big meal!' The sushi chef sort of panicked and looked down at the next order he was preparing. I thought that was weird but chocked it up to my terrible pronunciation. I told Max later in the car ride home that I think I scared the chef with my horrendous Japanese. He then informed me that the chefs are in fact Korean. Ah. But what makes that annoying, is that the waitress welcomed us in Japanese and kept saying "Hai!" whenever she presented us with a dish or replied to the chefs. If she was Korean too, that's annoying.
We got to Max's place around 9 and moved our bags in. There is plenty of space here and the kitchen is ultra-modern but I thought our rooms were a little small. They're fine but I remember them being bigger. The water in Las Vegas has a taste to it. I described it as 'salty' to Daniela but that's not accurate. It eludes description.
We went to the bakery's new location this morning and it looks fantastic.
Daniela and I are about to leave for the airport because we're headed to Ashland next. We're picking up a car that her parents aren't currently using and some furniture as well. I'll update again in the immediate future.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Las Vegas!
Monday, January 28, 2008
Big day for Obama
"I'm gonna tie you to that bed in the Lincoln bedroom and then I'm gonna... (mumble)... ... ...around your ankles, and then I'm gonna..."
The endorsements keep rolling in for Senator Obama. If getting Oprah Winfrey and John Kerry's support wasn't enough, today Ted Kennedy and Toni Morrison endorsed him for President. If you follow the more tradish media, then you probably knew that already and good for you. However, most people probably missed a much more important endorsement today. In fact, only this blog (as far as I know) is reporting on it. Ready for it? Want to know to whom I'm referring? Who could be bigger than Ted Kennedy? This is called suspense... Today I went down to the town hall in Greenfield and cast my ballot for Obama in the Massachusetts primary.
I've never voted in a primary before so I'm predicting a record turnout in Massachusetts this year. Anything less is proof that there are terrorist cells undermining our democratic process. It's about time someone said it.
I've read articles online that say it's way too easy to vote in some states. I would like to include Massachusetts on that list. Not that I think it should be difficult, but I didn't even have to show ID today. I gave them my name and address and was casting my ballot. I forget how it works in a presidential election but I thought they at least asked for ID.
Everything else that I've been up to revolves around moving to Las Vegas. I'm picking Daniela up tomorrow and we're flying out of Bradley on Wednesday. Lord have mercy on our souls.
Friday, January 25, 2008
According to Facebook
Daniela sent me an email comparing the Network Statistics of the Facebook user groups "Boston, MA" and "Las Vegas, NV." Facebook asks its users to fill in fields for their favorite books, music, things to do, etc; Network Statistics lets you look at the most popular answers given to any of these fields. So, there are 345,297 people in the "Boston, MA" user group and 54,821 in "Las Vegas, NV." Daniela pointed out that what we're really comparing are the interests of only the 20-somethings in each place, and we should remember that before we assume everyone in both places are complete idiots. Only the 20-somethings in both places are complete idiots. It's an important distinction. So, according to Facebook, here are Las Vegans' favorite books (in order):
1 Harry Potter
2 The Bible
3 Da Vinci Code
4 Angels And Demons
5 The Great Gatsby
6 1984
7 Stephen King
I have a few problems with this list. I mean, I'm going to make fun of Las Vegas regardless of its taste in books, but this IS a pretty weak list. The largest number of people listed Harry Potter as their favorite book? Really? Really? REALLY? Because it's a hip thing to read, or because people in Las Vegas love fantasy novels? Or children's books maybe? I don't understand the popularity of Harry Potter, but I've never read any of them either. I have better things to do with my time... like criticizing books I've never read on my blog and drinking six cups of tea a day.
The Bible is a good book to have on your list, but only if it's number 1. To say that you enjoy the word of God, but not as much as Harry Potter only makes you look silly. Either its on the list at number 1, or you don't list it because it's in a category of its own and you can't compare it to the modest efforts of human beings.
After finishing up their top 7 with Angels and Demons, The Da Vinci Code, and Stephen King, the Harry Potter answer seems to make more sense. Las Vegans like what's popular. Like any major city's populace I imagine. Maybe we should only really look at the last two books as its serious entries. The Great Gatsby and 1984 are popular but they're not currently on any best-seller list. Actually, I'll include the Bible in the REAL list for Las Vegas because that's a book you might not find in every city's top 10. So, the final list for Las Vegas is: The Bible (at number 2), The Great Gatsby and 1984. Let's compare this list to Boston's:
1 Harry Potter
2 Catcher In The Rye
3 Angels And Demons
4 To Kill A Mockingbird
5 The Great Gatsby
6 The Davinci Code
7 The Bible
8 1984
9 Memoirs Of A Geisha
Oooooh! SNAP YO! So, for the same reasons I stated above, let's knock Harry Potter, Angels and Demons, and The Da Vinci Code off the list (although, I would like to note that the Da Vinci Code lost out to The Catcher in the Rye, To Kill a Mockingbird, and The Great Gatsby). We see the Bible on this list as well but at a disappointing 7.
OK. Now what can we deduce? Not much. Las Vegans like the Bible more than Bostonians do, but Bostonians really liked The Catcher in the Rye and To Kill a Mockingbird (neither made Las Vegas' list). Las Vegas is God country and Bostonians like great American novels better. I noticed that on Boston's list The Da Vinci Code is entered as "The Davinci Code." Does that mean that Facebook counted entries like "The Da Vinci Code," "Da Vinci Code," and "Davinci Code" as separate entries? Probably. So maybe that book is actually higher on the list. Which also means that more Bostonians misspelled that book's title than got it right. Popular novels made it into both cities' favorite books. Because people tend to say their favorite books are the ones they just finished reading? Or because today's bestsellers are just fantastic? Or because they appeal to the lowest common denominator among us? Lastly, both lists seem pretty negative, no? A dystopian novel where even love can be conquered by violence and fear, a book about the roaring '20s and the tragic life of a liquor smuggler, a novel about segregation and racial violence, a book about being misunderstood and the jaded feelings of youth, and a book about a Japanese whore (only not really: Geisha aren't whores).
This whole thing was very scientific.
Technorati tags: Facebook, Books, Boston, Las Vegas
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Rhonda from way down yonda'
I'm back in Greenfield again. That was the shortest trip to Boston in the past two months but Daniela and I are leaving for Las Vegas next Wednesday (the 31st) and we're busy with packing and tying up loose ends.
I have to pay Luke back, try to sell any furniture that remains in my dad's barn, see my friends and family in Greenfield one last time, and pack. I think I can knock all of that out in a week.
This most recent trip to Boston was great. Daniela and I threw ourselves a going away party last Saturday night. We had 50 people over to her apartment in Cambridge. All of her friends from NETC and Dana Farber came, along with most of our friends from college. It was really nice to see everyone together one last time before we leave. Kevin invited me to come down to New York for the Idiotarod, but now I don't know if I'm going to make it. If anyone is looking for something to do in New York this weekend, try to keep up. I've wanted to join Kevin's team since I first saw his photos in 2005. Apparently the cops are aware of the race now and are making it more difficult to run.
While Daniela was cleaning out her apartment last week she found a Bob Dylan CD I had borrowed from the Greenfield Public Library and claimed as lost. I borrowed a dozen different Dylan CDs within a month, and I thought I had returned them all. The library sent me an email on the 5th requesting the return of the CD that was at Daniela's apartment under a pile of books. So, of course, I denied having it and told them I had already returned it and even said I had a witness, Daniela. They let it go since I over-reacted and today I had the enviable job of telling them I'm an idiot and returning the CD.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Japan is still on the table
I sent an email to Interac last night telling them that I formally withdraw my application for a job teaching in Japan. As anyone who reads this blog knows, I've decided to move to Las Vegas with Daniela and take the Foreign Service Officer's Exam instead. I told Interac that I'm tight for cash and simply can't afford to move back to Japan right now. This is true but only one of the reasons that has motivated this decision. Well, Interac replied that it's still interested in hiring me, so I should just let them know when I'm good and ready to return. This is great. I'm going to pursue this job with the State Department and if it doesn't work, I can always return to Japan.
This calls for a celebration. I think I'm going to go drink tea and read.
Reliving the past
My friends Mark, Bruce, and Pat are planning a trip through Southeast Asia for this March. Mark currently works for Citibank in New York, Bruce is teaching in Korea (his blog can be found here), and Pat... probably has sex for money. I've been emailing back and forth with Mark and Bruce and they want to see Angkor Wat in Cambodia. Since I've been there and I have something to share, I thought I'd put it out there for everyone.
The town that you'll stay in while seeing the temples at Angkor Wat is Siam Reap. It's a 5 or 6 hour bus ride from Phnom Penh because the roads in Cambodia (and especially between Siam Reap and the Thai border) are terrible. To call roads in Cambodia 'terrible' is as generous as I can be.
Downtown Siam Reap is only 6km from the main temple of Angkor Wat. Hotels there are more expensive than elsewhere in Cambodia, but still very reasonable compared to hotels in Europe or the US. We were able to find a place with a pool and a room with three beds for maybe $8 each. If my journal is correct, that was the Ancient Angkor Guesthouse but I DO NOT recommend going there (I'll elaborate later). That was the only hotel I stayed in while traveling that had a pool so I felt like a billionaire at the time. That was actually the first hotel we stayed at in Siam Reap. The second hotel we stayed at was $6 a night, but lacked the pool and accommodations. 
When we arrived from Phnom Penh we had to take a taxi from the bus station into downtown Siem Reap. Our driver may have scammed us, but we can't be sure. We asked him to take us to a hotel that was recommended in our Lonely Planet guide, but when we got there he told us it was full and we had to try somewhere else. He recommended a different place and they had rooms available. As the taxi drivers get paid by certain hotels to turn up with tourists, it's in the drivers interest to get you to "his" or "her" hotel. So we found our first hotel because the driver recommended it. As I said, it was about $8 a night (I'm 40% sure of that).
Starr set the alarm on her phone for 5:15am the next morning. The plan was to rent bikes ($1 a day at our hotel) and ride out to Angkor Wat for sunrise. I would highly recommend doing this. You can take one of the many buses going into the temple area but then you'll need to stay on your tour (tours suck), hire a moto taxi for the day, or be prepared to walk for miles. And even in March, Cambodia gets hot. Having the bikes was key. Sunblock too.
We got to the temple area by sunrise and the entrance fee for a single day at Angkor Wat was $20. It gets cheaper per day if you buy a larger package (for example three or seven days) but I don't think most people would need more than one day there. Starr and Raquel went back to our hotel around noon to go swimming in the pool but I stayed until 4pm if I remember correctly. I'll leave it up to everyone headed there to pick your own path around the temple area.
The last thing worth mentioning ruined this part of the trip for Starr. Now, to everyone headed to Siam Reap: avoid the ANCIENT ANGKOR GUESTHOUSE. A number of things COULD have happened and we're still not entirely sure about the chain of events, but Starr was definitely robbed. When Raquel and Starr got back to the hotel, they changed in the room (where Starr left her camera) and went to the pool. The guy at the front desk kept watching them in the pool and it creeped them out a little bit. Not in a 'hey that creep is leering at us' kind of way, but a 'something is up' kind of way. When they got out of the pool and got back to the room, Starr's $500 camera was gone. As is usual, you're required to keep your key at the front desk when you're not in the room, so the only person who had access to our room then was the guy at the front desk. We think he had someone go up to our room, steal her camera and maybe rifle through a few of our things while the guy at the front desk kept watch. When it came down to it, there was nothing we could do about it. Starr got upset and we bolted without paying the bill, but they called the cops and they found us at the next hotel. We paid the bill and they left us alone. Starr was still out here camera though, and every video and picture she had taken since Japan.
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
WTF mate?
What happened to Obama's 10 point lead in New Hampshire? CNN ran this story two days ago, based on a poll taken by idiots at UNH. The CNN/WMUR poll claims a margin of error of 5% but I guess the margin of error on their margin of error is also about 5%.
For some theories, try Daily Kos.