keeperdesign

My primary excuse for going to Vegas was the Epicurean Affair, and like last year it was overwhelming. Food from dozens and dozens of restaurants prepared right there in front of you, copious amounts and varieties of alcoholic beverages... We all had a good time, and somehow I think we all managed to avoid getting gut-bustingly overfull. This is in sharp contrast to last year, when Steven and I ate to such a degree of decadent excess that we were essentially immobile for hours afterward, clutching our bellies in the most gleeful discomfort.

Note the glasses above? Now every 3D movie is an excuse to rock your inner Woody Allen. I went to see "Monsters Vs. Aliens" at the new all-digital Rave Theaters by Whole Foods at the Town Square shopping... um.. village? The 3D was incredible--in fact, flawless and fun. The movie got middling reviews but it was a charming piffle of a narrative that zipped by. The theater is gorgeous and huge with comfortable wide soft reclining seats, reason enough to move the Vegas, frankly... and they're showing "Star Trek" a full day early which had me grinding my teeth.

Ben & Lara took me to see ForTwentyDaze, a band featuring their bassist/teacher friend Jonah, whose back you can see here: Jonah's owl tribal

As you may have surmised from their name, they are a 4/20 friendly group. However, they are not a bunch of filthy hippies but rather a Jawaiian combo who apparently attract large groups of expatriate Hawaiians and their fair share of hoochies. (In fairness to the hoochies, they were like island hoochies or something--not your typical Vegas-type tramps du jour, some of them were cute despite their hoochitude.) The music was fun, we saw some white people dance awkwardly, and I drank beer. The music I heard was much better than the myspace autoplay track implies, BTW. But then dub music is always better live, isn't it?

Saturday night was roller derby. I had more fun than is advisable for a geezer of my advanced decrepitude... the sport is fast-moving, sexy and violent, and attracts the best-looking spectators of any sport anywhere, period. Crazy props to Nicole who set me up to go... Nicole, just FYI, you are way hotter in person than your photos would suggest. For the benefit of those who weren't there, in full roller regalia Nicole (or Nikki Nuke 'Em) stands about 6'2" and is every inch a Glamazon. She also got some big hits in, and inspired a good deal of, uh, "admiration" in the guys I was seated near toward the end. High five your man for me, Nikki. He's a rock star for nabbing you & keeping you happy, and you are the coolest thing on 8 wheels.
Not to say that both teams weren't full of hot, violent women. They were:


The rink as the crowd started to arrive


AZRG powwow, featuring three of their toughest competitors: Rayna Rage, Dianasauras Wrexx and Pardon My French


Your Sin City Roller Girls, on the bench cheering for blood


The incomparable Pearly Gates showing some 'tude


AZRG Captain Rayna Rage tearing it up...


And taking one of many relaxing rests in the penalty box. She must have liked the chair or something, she spent half the evening in there!


Nikki wonders who swallowed the whistle


Nikki enjoys Megan M Wett's on-rink hijinx


Ref, you gotta be kidding.


Why yes, Loca, that is the SCRG jammer right behind you. WHAM

In short I am hooked. AZRG won the bout, but if I had to guess why I'd say they were craftier. It seemed like we had more skilled players and it always felt like we were right in it, but you can't win them all and this'll make the inevitable rematch that much sweeter. It felt like they were always calling off the jam right when it got going... until the end, that is, when everyone was just grinding and crunching along. Additional props to Bruce Killis and Pearly, everyone in fact. Good crowd turnout, it seemed, and everyone had a blast.
As an aside, if I hit the megabucks I am going to build these chicks a venue worthy of their effort. One that serves beer and has a killer PA and spotlights, etc.

This morning before heading home I followed my normal Vegas routine and went to L'elyse, the Chinese bakery on Jones. Delicious as usual... the green onion bun won my heart this time. Diho, the ghetto Asian supermarket right there, has taken an absolute nosedive, and if I don't miss my guess they are going to be out of business very soon. The shelves were barren in some aisles, the frozen foods were half depleted, and many of the registers were torn out. Shame. So I guess I'll be buying that membership to International Foods. Anyway, on my way out the sign at the entrance to the shopping area caught my eye:

Wait, what's this?

Whatever the daily special is, I don't want it.

It's easy for me to laugh at Engrish, but I assure you my Cantonese is the pits and I should just shut up.