Pixie Trix Comix & Hiveworks Community

Shotgun wedding?

If there is, even I don't know about it.

Back and still single! on both parts!

I had a lot of fun. We were basically on the Strip (or at least connected to it) so there was plenty of things to do within walking distance. We went entirely because my mother had a business conference and she was allowed to take a guest and my dad couldn't go. The first day I spent mostly at the hotel and the Bellagio which was connected to where we were staying. I was expecting the garden they have to be bigger than it was but it was still very pretty. I'm not much of a picture taker when I go out adventuring but I got some pictures of the garden mostly because of two or three friends who would LOVE it. Then mom got back from conference and we went out and explored a hella expensive shopping center called Crystal's and most of the strip that was on the other side of the street. There was a shopping center at Planet Hollywood that was so big we had to turn around and leave parts unexplored cause it just never seemed to end.

Second day: I went more south to look at the area by MGM and New York New York. Did not look at the NY part cause I wasn't sure there was anything there worth seeing and I wasn't sure if I wanted to visit that without my mother. That was about a mile from where we were staying and two and a half hours of touring. Mom got done with conference stuff and we went back and we went to the NY part, crossed over and visited (re-visited for me) the M&Ms world and the Coca-Cola shop. Mom, for some reason, really likes Coca-Cola products. Like.. not the drink (though she will have it occasionally) but the merchandise they come out with - the tables and salt shakers and such. So I think she had fun even if she ended up not getting anything cause it was too freaking expensive. $30 for a shirt? No thank you. We also spent a lot of time in souvenir shops because my mom wanted to get things for her brothers and the girls at work and such. We went to Paris which was right across from Bellagio. We were gonna go up into their Eifel Tower but it was expensive so no. Everything was expensive there, though. So expensive. And all this took about three hours. Did you know that your tailbone can hurt if you've walked for too long? I found that out.

Third and final day: She went in for conference stuff until noon. We took a cab -my very first cab ride EVER- and went to the Freemont area which used to be what the strip is now. Went into the Golden Nugget where I learned a lot of movies have been filmed there. Played $5 and managed to win $10. We went to the Mob Museum which was really interesting. They had so much stuff, we got over-saturated and just.. stopped really looking at things after a while. There were guns and bullet fragments that used to be in actual people and autopsy reports and so many movies.

That was about it, though. Had to get up at seven to catch a plane and spent all of yesterday traveling. It was fun. I've learned I like big cities.

Whoaaaaa, first cab ride ever!!

(I mean, have you ever seen a fox get into a cab? Except in Zootopia?)

Anyway, great to hear you had fun!!!

Back from my trip within a trip.

I took the bus/train to visit my old haunt, my university town and environs. Attended a grillfest on Friday which was, specifically, the 60th birthday of the stepfather of one of my best friend's ex-girlfriend, who is still a great friend to both of us - she herself had turned 30 a few daysearlier, coinciding with my mom's birthday.

Then spent a languid weekend at my friend's parent's house with him, not doing much but sleeping, reading King/King's "Sleeping Beauties" and watching Late Night.

Then took the train 30 min to my actual university town, shacking up in the (apocalyptically grungy) apartment of two of my role-playing pals. After more sleep and more reading, played first session in person with them since February 2017. Great fun.

Then back yesterday, now at home again in the Far West with my mom, where I shall reside for a few more weeks.

Glad to hear you didn't get hung for having "a VERY good time".

Traveling too much lately, and no time for much of anything beyond sleep, work and reading.

Beginning of October: One day on the island of Teneriffa for a policy meeting. Went surprisingly well.

End of October: Two days near Munich, Germany for the first face-to-face meeting of a large scientific collaboration we have founded.

Just last week: One week in an enchanting Bishop's castle in a small hilltop village in Italy for a data training workshop...

So, yeah, been off the forum for like 10 days...

Well, huzzah for a semi tropical island vacation anyway.

Ironically, at the time, Teneriffa was significantly cooler and nicer than the Spanish mainland.

So I travel all the time now, and sometimes don't know where I'm going to bee week to week. I moved to Pennsylvania last year for work (the auction company I worked for got bought by another auction company which I currently work for, kind of long depressing story) and I'm constantly on the road. I enjoy it for the most part. Right now I'm in Las Vegas until mid-May, and at the end of May I'll be in the southeast US for a bit.

Thanks for updating us MS!

I received my passport back today (well, here, already yesterday) with a Chinese visa!

Oooooh! Whats the trip to China for?

Well, if you want to try good, authentic Chinese cuisine you have to go to the source.

@midge: I've been invited to give a review talk at a Gamma-Ray Burst conference in Nanjing - 11 years after the last one there.

And @Az, I've been there and authentic Chinese cuisine is most often horrible.