Vegas Recap
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Well Erika and I made it out of Vegas without any issues (other than lighter pockets and fine food hangover). The flight out was surprisingly easy considering that it was the day before Thanksgiving. We made it from the parking deck, thru check in and security within 45 minutes which was a record for us. We landed in Chicago for a few hour layover (courtesy of booking 1 week before leaving) and had some lunch. Same here, O'hare was not that crowded and the scene of what you would expect for the day before a holiday. Anyways we landed in Vegas and made it to our hotel where we dropped our stuff off and headed over to Zine Noodles and Dim Sum for a late lunch. The food was good a bit over priced tho but its Vegas. That night we had dinner at Emeril's Table 10 where I had the lobster pot pie. You had huge bits of lobster mixed with veggies in a creme sauce topped with a flaky pastry crust. It was very good and one I would definitely have again.
On Thursday we had lunch at San Marco's Enoteca which is a Mario Batalli restaurant. We split a salad and pizza. That night we ate at Bouchon where I had a turkey dinner fancy french style. It was very good but we were more intrigued with the table next to us. It was full of young asians who probably spent over $1000 for their dinner. They had a few nice bottles of wine and a huge seafood appetizer. We left before they had dessert so who knows what would have been ordered.
Friday we ate at Bobby Flay's Mesa Grille for lunch where I had a shrimp tamale appetizer that was freaking amazing. Next I had the chicken tacos which you had to build yourself. The flavors were intense and really made the dish. I would have to say this was my favorite meal so far and in the end the best. We will definitely visit Mesa Grille in the future, next time for dinner. Friday night we had dinner at Michael Mina's SeaBlue in the MGM. I had the Artic Char which was very good but light on the seasoning. I think I was expecting a little bit more but it was still good none the less. We also had a wine pairing with each course which finished with a port for dessert. I was surprised at the wine list for SeaBlue, it was full of affordable bottles not just overpriced luxury like some other places.
Between our restaurants we did hit the casinos where we probably broke even. We didn't gamble much, just some penny, nickle and a few quarter slots. We also made our way down to the largest souvenir shop in the world where we found some really tacky and quite cool gifts.
We already have a list of restaurants for our next trip but won't be for a while. I love Vegas but need some time between visits.
Posted by mardenhill 11/30/2008 11:18:00 AM 1 comments
Labels: Travel
Vegas
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Next week Erika and I are off to Vegas for a few days and will be staying at the Venetian which is one of my favorite hotels on the strip. We are leaving Wednesday for 3 nights and will be spending Thanksgiving out in Sin City. Last year I stayed at the Venetian for a week while out in Vegas for work. Unfortunately I never really got to enjoy the hotel since the majority of the time was spent in a windowless conference room in the basement. I decided the next time I went to Vegas we would stay at the Venetian. Usually its out of our price range but we were able to get 3 nights for $423, which is a steal since they are usually no less than $250 just for one night.
We are not big gamblers so when we go to Vegas its for the food and restaurants. Wednesday night we have reservations at Emeril Lagasse's Table 10 and on Thursday we will be dining at Bouchon for Thanksgiving. Friday night we will check out one of Michael Mina's restaurants SeaBlue which looks to be very interesting. We will also try to get over to Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill for lunch either Thursday or Friday. I will keep you posted with our daily adventures.
http://www.palazzolasvegas.com/table10.aspx
http://www.bouchonbistro.com/
http://www.mgmgrand.com/dining/seablue-mediterranean-restaurant.aspx
http://www.mesagrill.com/lasvegas/
Posted by mardenhill 11/23/2008 04:12:00 PM 0 comments
Labels: Travel
U2 Reinventing Rock'N'Roll?
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Courtesy of NME.
Granted its only the producer but to claim that U2 reinvented Rock'N'Roll is a bit over the top. Unless U2 pulls out something on par with Achtung Baby then I don't see how this holds any water. The last few releases have been good, not great and are not even on my iPod. The only one is Achtung Baby and a few songs from Zooropa. This is the era of U2 that I love the best and would like to seem them return to in some form or another. I don't want them rehashing the same sound but I don't want them wussing out either and releasing a bunch of melodic ballads that all blend together. This has been the history of the last decade and I am quite bored of it. I will give them a chance but not holding my breathe. If they indeed release a solid record I will be here cheerleading it on......
http://www.nme.com/news/u2/41138
Posted by mardenhill 11/18/2008 07:24:00 PM 0 comments
Labels: Music
Republican Battle Royle
Sunday, November 16, 2008
But Gingrich, an architect of the Republican revolution of 1994, took Palin down a notch, asserting that she would not become the party’s leader, as some have predicted.
“I think that she is going to be a significant player,” said Gingrich during an interview on CBS’s “Face the Nation”. “But she’s going to be one of 20 or 30 significant players. She’s not going to be the de facto leader.”
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Way to go Newt, lets add to the civil war that is currently festering in the party. Nothing like going out there and taking a baseball bat to Palin's kneecaps. I understand he needs to do this in order to promote himself as the new leader but its not even 2 weeks after the election. I tell ya, its going to be a long 4 years of watching the GOP tear each other down in order to find a candidate for 2012. I for one will be enjoying it immensely, I want to see the party drift further and further to the right and in the process alienate any moderate that may have been on board. At their current rate they will be marginalized to a southern and partial western party. All the GOP pundits will still go on and on about how this country is center-right but they don't seem to understand that the GOP controlled all 3 branches up til 2006 and since then lost all 3. To me I am not sure how you can consider the country center-right if the majority of people are willing to toss the republican brand to the curb.
Anyways, I see Newt gaining for a while but he will end up losing the nomination to a younger governer and not Palin. He will destroy his opponents to the point that Obama will roll over them in 2012. Newt will be to blame for destroying the GOP brand under the Obama years and will be banished from the party for good. He will then cozy up to Pat Buchanan as a conservative outsider.
Posted by mardenhill 11/16/2008 10:23:00 PM 0 comments
Labels: Politics
Michigan Wine Shipping Ban
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Once again our jackass Michigan Legislature is screwing the state with late night bills that would ban shipments of wine from out of state wine retailers. Right now vineyards can ship wine, the Supreme Court gave them the right and this isn't be challenged. Instead its the out of state retailers as well as in state retailers who may have internet stores setup for shipments. The legislation that just passed the House Regulatory Reform Committee 6-0 would require that all beer and wine sold in Michigan by retailers go through the state supplier-to-wholesaler-to retailer distribution network. The fear mongering is back once again, "save the children", "don't let underage kids buy alcohol over the internet". The wholesalers are also talking about money lost as well, but they cloak it in taxes to the state instead of their profits. How many times do we need to go over this, underage kids are not interested in ordering bottles of wine over the net, they are not going to spend the money nor wait for a bottle to arrive. They are interested in getting drunk that night and for cheap.
I guess its time to contact my local representative, unfortunately Andy Meisner is on his way out and onto Oakland Country Treasurer. He was on my side with the legislation last time around, I just hope my new Rep Ellen Cogen Lipton will be as well.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081114/POLITICS/811140352/1423/LIFESTYLE10
Posted by mardenhill 11/15/2008 12:35:00 PM 1 comments
Finetune For The iPhone
Friday, November 14, 2008
My favorite music social networking site is Finetune and it's finally available for the iPhone. If you are not familiar with Finetune its a website that allows you to create your own playlists and stream them over the net. It took me a while but I now have a playlist containing 500 songs and growing. Finding 500 songs isn't that easy since the site doesn't always have what you want and you can only select up to 3 songs per artist. You have to become creative when looking for new things. I have had a link to my playlist on the right of the page for a while now and its free to anyone who is interested. Just click the play button and enjoy. If you have an iPhone you can download the Finetune player and link to my playlist or even create your own.
Posted by mardenhill 11/14/2008 10:15:00 PM 0 comments
Labels: Music, Technology
Wayne State University
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
I just finished filling out the online application for the Wayne State University MBA program which I plan on starting in January. Going back almost a year I decided that I wanted to get an MBA and since I was working up in Troy I decided to go to Oakland University. I visited the school and found out that I would have to take Calculus to get in which really sucked. Seeing that I was nowhere near ready to take Calc I took College Algebra as a pre req which I passed and then Trig for additional help. Since my original plan I had switched jobs and also relocated downtown for work and going to Oakland University didn't make much sense anymore. Right now I am working 4 blocks from WSU and it seems stupid not to take advantage of this. Besides the close proximity there is also the added bonus that Calc isn't needed so no more Trig and additional math. I plan on spending the next couple months studying for the GMAT and taking a class each half semester starting in January. I have 5 fundamental classes that are 8 weeks long that I need before starting the core classes and electives. As for the electives I plan on breaking them up between Management of Information Systems and International Business. All this can always change but as of now that is my plan.
Posted by mardenhill 11/11/2008 09:16:00 PM 0 comments
Labels: Grad School
Ryan Adams - Cardinology
Saturday, November 08, 2008
We all know how prolific Ryan Adams is but suprisingly he has slowed down a bit and only released one full length this year. The new cd Cardinology features the Cardinals as the backing band and Ryan's latest refusal to do solo work anymore, as if this isn't considered solo. Anyways Ryan doesn't disappoint and Cardinology is an amazing cd.
Track 1 "Born Into A Light" is a mix of acoustic and slide guitar that wallows in the murky waters of Americana. Track 2 "Go Easy" is straight forward late era Adams and sounds like it could have come from Easy Tiger. Track 3 "Fix It" was the first single and took a few listens to really appreciate. At times there is a sappiness to the chorus that destroys the song. Track 4 "Magick" is a Neil Young jam that has shades of 70's butt rock. Other reviews have trashed this song but I actually like it and you can tell that it would be a fun song to play live. Actually I think it should be included on Guitar Hero that way everyone can jam out. The sadness drips from Lets Us Down Easy" and not my favorite song on the cd. Its too country for me not in a good way. Track 8 "Natural Ghost" captures the Cardinals sound perfectly and the reason why Adams has focused on the full band sound. The song sways from side to side with piano blending perfectly with the slide guitar.
I am looking forward to Oasis/Ryan Adams show next month. Some of the songs will sound great live and I have a feeling this may be the concert of the century.
Posted by mardenhill 11/08/2008 12:03:00 PM 0 comments
Labels: Music
President Elect Obama
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
Everyone is calling it and as of now Obama has won. I still don't know the final Electoral Vote or Popular Vote total but who cares, Obama is our next president!!!!!
The Dems also picked up a number of Senate seats, probably not enough to reach 60 and I expect Joe Leiberman to caucus with the GOP which will keep the Dems from the filibuster proof majority. We can only hope that Sen Collins from Maine will change her mind and side with the Dems.
Right now the celebration is going on at Grant Park in Chicago and the footage is amazing. What an amazing night and its about time an election has gone my way......
Posted by mardenhill 11/04/2008 11:07:00 PM 0 comments
Labels: Politics
Election Coverage
I switched from my usual MSNBC to HDnet for election coverage. I have grown tired of Keith Olbermann and since they didn't give Rachel Maddow the anchor chair it was time to watch Dan Rather over on HDnet instead. Good ole Dan was great tonight, not a ton of witty comments but fair and accurate reporting. Now that its 10pm its onto Comedy Central for Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert.....
Anyways, its looking great for Obama and for the some of the other races I have been following.
Elizabeth Dole lost her senate seat which rocks since she ran a despicable campaign and lost fair and square. She sealed her own fate with her Godless attack ads and people saw thru it.
Now all we need to do is beat Rep Bachmann which is still too close but can be done.
In our local US Congressional race, Gary Peters is currently leading Joe Knollenberg and this would be a major upset for the GOP.
Right now Obama is at 202 in Electoral Votes with many more states still to report.....
Posted by mardenhill 11/04/2008 10:01:00 PM 0 comments
Labels: Politics
Number 232
I was number 232 in line this morning for voting and ended up waiting over an hour and a half to vote. We got there at 7:20 am and the line was wrapped thru the hallways. I don't mind the wait but I have to say the check in needs some major work. They separate you by your last name then you wait in line to show your ID. At that point you wait in another line to get your ballot then a 3rd line to have the number taken down for the ballot. They had the oldest lady checking off names and while the A-L line was just a few people long the M-Z was 10x that. We figured out that it had to do with the lady since our line started moving and the other started backing up. We got to the front and saw that they swapped the ladies checking people off. Hello Berkley, lets not put the Guinness Book of World Records for oldest poll worker working the line, put her somewhere else where she doesn't have to verify names. Anyways I voted and for the 2nd time was able to write my name in against Sen. Carl Levin whom I hate since he disenfranchised me back in January. I know Levin will win but I don't care, the guy's a tool and will never get my vote for as long as he is in office.
Posted by mardenhill 11/04/2008 11:33:00 AM 0 comments
Labels: Politics
Latest Blackberry Phones
Saturday, November 01, 2008
Here is a quick breakdown of the new line of Blackberry phones coming our way. The first going left to right is the Blackberry Bold which is an AT&T exclusive. The next is the Blackberry Curve 8900 (not out yet). You can see the two are pretty close the only difference being the size. The curve will be more of a consumer phone whereas the Bold is marketed to the business community. It looks like RIM has taken a page from the Apple playbook with regards to duplicate hardware just smaller sizes. Anyways both will be great phones and it will come down to a personal preference. The 3rd phone is the Blackberry Storm (ignore the size of the photo, the phone will actually be as large as the Bold or even bigger). This phone will only be on Verizon for a while and features a full touch screen (iPhone competition). From what I have read, the Storm has some great features but will need a 2nd revision before its an iPhone killer and by then the iPhone will be light years ahead. Next week I am attending a Blackberry Storm launch party at the MotorCity Casino and will be able to provide additional information on the device.
I am very impressed with the Bold, 1 gig onboard RAM (about time) with a Micro SD slot. There is enough memory to install 3rd party apps without killing your device. Decent camera 2.0 megapixel, GPS, WiFi and Media Player. What separates the Bold from other devices is the screen size 480 x 320 which is great for a phone.
Now for the Blackberry Storm Specs. Impressive Camera 3.2 megapixel, GPS, Media Player but no WiFi. Screen size is 480 x 360 and is a touchscreen with virtual keyboard. Same memory as the Bold, 1 gig onboard with Micro SD slot.
Both phones are world phones with GSM support but the Storm features CDMA which is why its on Verizon. As for CDMA its the North American network that both Verizon and Sprint support. Outside of this no one uses it which is why GSM is actually better. GSM is used around the world which is why AT&T phones are much better. You can pop sim cards in and out, not tie a phone to your service by the phone itself.
Right now I have no info on the new Curve but I would expect it to be comparable to the Bold. So there you go, if you are in the market for a new phone and are interested in a Blackberry these are your choices. Btw, more people are using Blackberrys outside of a corporate environment which is possible. You can setup your email and surf the web just like any Windows Mobile phone. Are they better, well I would say no since there are more apps available on the Windows Mobile and iPhone side. Blackberrys are improving but I wouldn't consider them the top of the pile when it comes to non corporate customers.
Posted by mardenhill 11/01/2008 12:00:00 PM 0 comments
Labels: Technology
