Holy Coinky Dink!

I just spoke with my brother earlier tonight (he lives in Stockton, about 50 miles south of me). Seems that the night I spent in Las Vegas on my way home from a motorcycle trip to Flagstaff, he, his wife, daughter and her boyfriend were also visiting the desert gambling mecca. On top of that, they were staying at the New York, NY Casino/Hotel (where they have a good-sized facsimile of the Statue of Liberty) less than one mile from the Motel 6 where I stayed (click here for map).

It's been over a couple of months since our previous conversation, so imagine the surprise if only I had decided to dial him up that night from the motel. I wonder which is stranger: this, or my encounter in Tonopah, NV with the motorcyclist I met last year in Rachel, NV?

5

Five day weekend! Woo hoo!

(uh, Independence Day lands smack dab in the middle of the week this year for those who may be oblivious to this... that's right, the Fourth of July... Humpday... Wednesday... 'k?)

Taking it to the Cleaners

From ABC News online:

A Washington, D.C., dry cleaning store that was sued for $54 million over an allegedly missing pair of pants will not have to pay anything to its disgruntled customer, a judge ruled Monday. Instead, Roy Pearson, who sued over the missing trousers, may have to pay the store owners' legal fees.

That's administrative law judge Roy Pearson, whatever kind of judge that's supposed to be. For the past two years, this ass has made a mockery of the justice system with his unreasonable demands. Superior Court Judge Judith Bartnoff has ruled and Pearson must pay the defendants' court fees; she will possibly consider at a later date that Pearson also pay the defendants' attorney fees.

Here's hoping that they get even more than that as compensation for the hell that nutcase Pearson put them through. Further reading here.

Buck a Gallon

That's right... the price of gasoline during my vacation varied between $2.90 and $3.90 (or thereabouts), which is a difference of a full U.S. dollar. What's more, this was often within the same company/brand and not an apples-to-oranges comparison between big name gasoline versus no-name gasoline. Why the diff?

I do not have the answer, but am sure glad that I was getting mostly 50 mpg the entire trip. Besides, even at four bucks a gallon it's still cheaper than most consumable liquids that we can buy.

I'm Baaack!

Well, I made it home with no problem. The route I chose was totally different than what I had loosely planned the day before embarking on my vacation. Took a direct highway course heading out, which landed me in Kingman, AZ for the night (after 600+ miles and about 9 hours). Flagstaff was little more than a couple of hours remaining, so first thing the 2nd day I headed up the hill to Oatman, AZ to check things out in this little tourist ghost town.

I kicked it with friends in Flagstaff and our volleyball team fared well in the Saturday tournament, especially since we surprisingly made it into the upper bracket in playoffs. Other than playing ball, we caught the movie "Knocked Up" and did the (tame) night life scene. Flagstaff is a neat little college town of about 60,000 people living above 7000' elevation (in the woods, and yes, it snows during the winter months).

I was originally planning to go through Rachel, NV again as I did the previous year. This is one of the towns hyping its proximity to Area 51 and resides along the Extraterrestial Highway (Hwy 375); instead, I decided to make tracks for home from Las Vegas where I spent the night and chose to ride past Amargosa Valley, another one of those Area 51 towns. Highway 95 is nestled between Death Valley and Nellis AFB where Area 51 is claimed to exist.

Who knew that in little Tonopah, NV I would run into the guy whom I met last year in Rachel, NV (who took the snapshot of me and the aliens)? I think these towns are about a couple of hours apart in the Nevada desert. For those who know me, perhaps this is not so unusual.

Stopped in Lee Vining, CA on Hwy 395 just outside Hwy 120 which leads to the eastern entrance to Yosemite Valley. From here you have a view of Mono Lake across Hwy 395. At the bustling Mobil gas station is a small gift shop and restaurant, where I decided to feast on their famous (?) lobster taquitos plate. Damn good fare for what essentially is a variation of a truck stop theme (of course, being tourist-oriented for all the Yosemite visitors helps).

I rode up Hwy 395 and then crossed over the Sonora Pass by taking Hwy 108. This was last year's plan, but the sight of the ominous black clouds at the peak sent chills down my spine, as I was not about to subject myself to lightning strikes. Something to do with a strong sense of self preservation. It was a gorgeous, twisty stretch of Sierra greenery and granite formations which I have not visited in over a decade... I was waxing nostalgic.

The rest of the ride home was routine once I got down to the foothill communities where I would occasionally ride on weekends. Needless to say, the temps were quite a bit warmer closer to sea level than they were at over 9000' up. At least today's Sacramento forecast should be at a relatively mild 90 degrees.

Gotta get back to a few errands now.

The Hilton Saga Continues

It has been hard for me to keep up with the latest developments and twists to this "news" (not that I particularly care to, but is good fodder for celebrity criticism). Looks like Paris Hilton's parents have the privilege of heading straight to the window for visiting rights, whereas everyone else stands in a long waiting line to see their incarcerated friends or relatives. I bet Paris is going to spend her entire term in the facility's infirmary ward, not that there aren't others who have worse symptoms and not extended this extra TLC.

Who says that the Sheriff's Department (or anyone else involved in this case) does not provide preferential treatment? Tell you what I think: "Mommy, this isn't right!"

Nancy Drew

I remember growing up watching a TV series by that name or close to it (something about the Hardy Boys was included in the title). The heroine sleuth was played by Pamela Sue Anderson, who is not to be confused with jiggly bimbo Pamela Denise Anderson. For some reason I assumed that the actress was at least in her early 20s, but since I was just a kid back then, what did I know? The 16-year old actress who will be in the soon-to-be-released movie is Emma Roberts, niece of Pretty Woman's Julia Roberts, and is probably spot-on as to the amateur detectives' age group although I have never read the books.

I dunno... I'm already biased to the fact that Emma is related to Julia Roberts, whose political expressions kinda rub me the wrong way. It's just as well since I have not been to the movie theater in years, missing out on all the major releases and also not finding a lot of time to view the DVDs when they are released. But Julia Roberts?!

Silence

Nothing much stirring on the homefront and is why there's been a bit of silence on this end. I just had my shower plumbing fixed, courtesy of a neighbor down the street where I live (it's his occupation). Took a 200 mile spin yesterday in the foothills. My boys have gained about a half pound each. The laundry is going as I type this... many last minute stuff before I get ready to motorcycle down to Flagstaff for vacation. Just thought I'd type something (anything!).

It's June and less than two weeks before summer is officially here.

Buying Justice

I just heard "news" from my coworkers that Paris Hilton was unable to cope with prison life (what? after five days in the clink for a 23-day term?). Unaccustomed to the noises and stench within her prison environs, I guess she was reassigned to house arrest and wearing an ankle alarm/monitor. What about all the other people in jail for similar charges? Why can't they now use the same argument?

Money... and a name associated with money.

Eric Musselman, the NBA Sacramento Kings basketball team's ex-coach, was convicted of DUI last year and served his sentence by staying home an entire weekend (also with an electronic monitor). Money here too (I mean, check out the outrageous salaries of professional athletes and many of the coaches).

These are just a couple of examples of our nation's justice system; don't be surprised that this has always been the case, and probably always will. Whatever happened to "you do the crime, you do the time"? Sheeeeesh!

Art Fiesta

Last Sunday I checked out the local Kiwanis sponsored art show (this 49th annual show held in the same spot all these years, at the Town and Country Village Shopping Center). It's an arts and crafts faire with mostly local artists hawking their wares. Plenty of talent. Some were from as far away as Ashland, OR, but from what I can tell, the lot were within a wide radius of the Sacramento area. I also spent a good amount of time conversing with a British photographer (Mark Bennett) living in San Rafael, CA, whose work consisted mainly of oak trees and forests in China Camp not far from his home. Recorded and processed using traditional media (emulsion film and paper), these were pictures of the aftermath from a fire that hit the area, displaying the subtle beauty that endures through such a disaster.

We touched upon diverse topics such as motorcycling, music and nature... these and other things amassed from living day in and day out. For without them, we have no art.