Las Vegas

Why is it so hard to convince people to go to Vegas?

Friend #1: Question: Vegas? Will the trip cost me more than $500 all expenses included? Answer: Quit being cheap and pony up

Friend #2: Comment: I will have to check with my wife. Translation: Uh, no but I wish I could.

Friend #3: Excuse: But I'm going in January and my wife probably wouldn't let me go again. Translation: I won't even ask because I do not want the shame in being told "no"!

Friends #4: Comment: Maybe, I will have to see when Reading Week is and if the plant will be shut down during that week. Odds of coming: 30%

Friends #5: Excuse: I am just about done law school (read: expensive) and my boyfriend is going snowmobiling that week. Translation: Actually, I am okay with Bentleys excuse. She's cool and said she would come with me next year.

Friend #6: Excuse: My wife is pregant and may need my help. Translation: She is not due for 3 months after the trip so he is just scared as well.

Friend #7: Answer: Sounds good. Book it and let me know how much I owe you.

I can only imagine how hard it would be to find someone to go to Vegas if IA had any sort of life.

VK wishes everyone a safe new year and will return in January.

Why Do I Hate the Holiday Season?

This Christmas Day I found myself at home watching terrible movies (War of the Worlds, Fantastic 4) and thinking about how much I can't stand this time of year. And then I tried to remember why I hate it so much. Did I not get the gifts I wanted when I was a kid? Was there a traumatic moment that occurred when I was 3? Are people unbelievably phony to those around them at the holidays? The answer is probably yes to all of them.

Let's see what positive things I can remember that happened to me during the Christmas break.

1. I got a cool Deathstar (from Kenner) when I was 7 or so. It came with the some figures and even featured a trash chute from the prison to the garbage compactor. It was really awesome and ranks as the best Xmas gift ever. I wish I still had it but that is another story.
2. I went to California and Arizona with the folks while I was going to college. I really enjoyed the trip and it was great to see my late Grandparents. I actually have discovered how much I really miss them. We may not have always agreed on stuff but I respected them a lot.
3. And this year, Mom sent me a New York Yankees logo that she had made herself. Now this may not seem all that interesting but to me it meant a lot since I know that it took quite some time to make. (Thanks Mom).
4. The first Christmas with my nephew. He was 2-3 months old and was adorable. This was also before my sister went crazy (not literally, but close enough).

So, there you have it. 33 different Christmas days (so far) and only 4 memories that jump out. Now I do not mean to say that Christmas was a terrible time but not very memorable.

Now, what kind of negative things can I think of?

1. Any Christmas spent with certain relatives. When I look back at these so-called "Christmas reunions" I have to laugh. I don't think many of liked each other. Oh sure, we spent hours and hours in the same room, talking the same inane crap, and just dealt with it but they were just so boring. I can't see these ever happening again. However, I like the summer reunions. That way we all have hotel rooms and can get the hell out when we want to. Plus, they tend to be at my Aunt and Uncle's in Vancouver and I really like and respect them. I like all the Vancouver relatives. If I don't see the rest it doesn't really bother me. I should see my grandmother more, though (New Year's resolution?).
2. I think there is something mildly upsetting about being a kid living in the Great White North. The only real way to see all the toys you wanted was the Sears Christmas Wish Book. The parents said, "Write to Santa and ask him for the gifts you want. Be sure to include the page and item number on your list". I think the last comment should have made me suspicious. Any how, Xmas morning came along and I can barely contain myself. The catalogue made the toys look so cool. And yet, only 1 or 2 of the things I had asked for were in the pile. Lots of clothes and "crap" like that. Now, I don't want to come across as ungrateful but there is something cruel about making a kid do a list up and then not deliver.
3. I worked in a retail establishment every Christmas from 1990 until 1999 (except for the year I went to CA and AZ). Anyone who says the holiday season brings out the best in people is full of shit. I had people yell at me on Christmas Eve because I did not have the precious CD or Walkman (or some such crap) that they needed to buy for their kid. My response was usually something like, "Well, I had it yesterday. I guess you should not have waited until the very last minute". At this point they would usually turn red and threaten to complain to the "manager". Oh well, too bad, I was the manager. The stunts that went down at Wal-Marts this season where people got trampled is just another example. People are assholes and bring the misery on themselves.
4. Finally, the music and TV specials are so repetitive. Every year, I had to watch the same stupid specials and listen to the same garbage Christmas music. I want to kill someone when I hear any Christmas tune sung by Bryan Adams or Jessica Simpson. I have to admit that I do like some of the classics though.

So, why am I talking about this? Well, this year I actually caught the "Christmas Spirit" a couple of times. This really surprised me since it had not happened in quite some time. I have to ask myself if this is because I would hate to think I was getting soft. What next? I start to like kids or even dogs?

New Year's isn't usually so bad. I have seen and done many fun (and stupid) things on New Year's Eve and Day. The best part of New Year's is making resolutions and then breaking them 24 hours later. Oh yeah, and the 12 hours of football.

VK

Game Shows

I have never been a big fan of game shows (well, except for Dog Eat Dog - the fake boobs on the contestants always made me smile). However, this week NBC has been airing Deal or No Deal and I hate to admit it but I am enjoying it. Like most other game shows of the modern era, DoND is a rip-off of a foreign TV networks concept. This show is arguable the simplest game show since Card Sharks. I loved Card Sharks as a kid and I watch it once and a while on GSN. The conceited part of me says I should not watch this show since there is no skill at all involved with this game. At least with Millionaire or even the Price is Right you have to have the faintest of intelligence to be successful. With DoND you only need to be able to read numbers. The premise is simple. You pick a suitcase with a number on it. In the case is a card that has a dollar value on it. That is the amount you win if you eliminate all the other suitcases. I won't bore you with how you get the money (read the rules on the website). The only thing I don't like about the show is Howie Mandell (I guess his rating success with DoND means no more Boston Pizza ads). He is cheesier than Wink Martindale (although Wink was pretty cool back in the day). The voice overs are like the ones on the Apprentice, poorly dubbed. As a gambler, the show certainly appeals to me. What would I do if I was in the contestants place? Would I go for it? Or would I take the deal? I have no idea and that is what makes the show work in my eyes. Oh yeah, they have models from the Hooters modeling agency holding the cases. Who knew there was a modeling agency called Hooters? I wonder if this is any way affliated with the restaurant chain.

Its Christmas (or is that holiday) time. For a brief moment I had some holiday cheer. That feeling was short lived for reasons I will not go into at this time. It doesn't even feel like Christmas time as the temperature is warm and there is no snow. It is supposed to get as warm as 10C on the 25th. Yikes.

I hope everyone enjoys the holidays and I promise to not take two weeks to put up a new post.

VK

Funny Blog

I have been reading a pretty funny blog for the past few weeks and thought I would share with it with you all. Check it out!

It can be somewhat offensive at time so if you are are friend of Bill O'Reilly or not into un-PC writings, this site is not for you.

Afraid of the Dark is permanently posted under Links on the top right of my blog.

Ricky Gervais

I must have looked like an idiot on the bus yesterday. I had downloaded the Ricky Gervais podcast from iTunes and was listening to it on my iPod. It was seriously funny. Ricky Gervais is the comic behind the hilarious BBC series The Office and its US counterpart on NBC. It was all I could do not to burst out laughing. I definitely recommend you download it and give it a listen.

VK

Religious Beliefs

On Tuesday of this week I had an interesting conversation with two guys on the street while I was waiting for the bus. To set this up it was -20C with the wind blowing down the canyons of downtown so it felt even colder. Normally I would have the iPod on but it was too cold for the headphone cord so the iPod stayed in my pocket. Any how, these two guys approached me and I knew exactly what they were looking for before they opened their mouths. They were Mormons on their mission for the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Now, there was a time that I would have blown them off in some way. Maybe it would have been disrespectful, maybe not. However, as some of you know, one of my dearest friends is the Stormin' Mormon. We worked (maybe this is a bit of a stretch since very little work ever was completed) together for about 1.5 years. During this time he told about his faith and I told him of my lack of faith. The discussions we had certainly removed the misconceptions I had about the Mormons.

With this understanding I allowed the two missionaries tell me a little of their pitch and when they asked me if I wanted further info, I politely declined. They wished me well and went on their way. I must say I respect what they are doing even though I don't believe in any of it. One of them was from Seattle and the other was from San Francisco. I can only imagine what they thought of the cold. I thought back to my conversations with the Stormin' Mormon and he had done his mission in Atlanta. I guess he got the better deal. For these two guys to be out in the freezing cold looking to spread their gospel to others deserves at least a little respect.

So the next time a Mormon comes to your door, or stops you in the street, give them a moment of your time and just be polite if you decide to decline to hear about their faith.

Karla Holmolka

Yesterday a judge in Quebec struck down 14 court ordered conditions of here release from jail. Of course, Karla was in jail for her participation in the sex slayings of two Ontario schoolgirls. We all know the story so I will not re-hash it but I have a problem with this way she is being treated.

Karla is obviously one sick bitch. There are so many other words to describe her but I think I have made my point. Anyone who can serve up their sister to a serial rapist/killer is a not deserving of our sympathy but she is being treated unfairly by having to have all sorts of conditions set on her release.

Here is my problem. She made a deal with the Crown on sentencing and we as a society must stick to the deal. Was the deal a terrible? Absolutely, but she has served her time and should be set free. Is she reformed? Probably not, but the Charter of Rights applies even to the worst of Canadian humanity. Where do we draw the line? Can we make deals with drug dealers to get drug lords of the street? Why not. But what happens if we cancel the deals as soon as we get what we want? There is no incentive for a criminal to turn in partners or bosses that may be worse people.

Is Karla worse than her husband, Paul Bernardo? Maybe. After all she did play a part in her sisters death and she welcomed company into her home while one of the teenage victims lay encased in concrete in the basement of her house. But this does not mean that we as a society should tear up a deal we made with her to ensure her husband was convicted of the brutal crimes he was charged with.

I suppose that in a perfect world Holmolka could be locked up forever and we would never her about her again. With any luck, this will still occur as she settles into her life and never, ever breaks any law again. Is it fair to the families she and Bernardo affected? No, but we have to live with it.

What if she kills again? It seems unlikely but if she does, Holmolka should be charged and tried as the citizen she has been released to be. Will there be regrets? Absolutely, but it is the price we all must pay for a free and open society.