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Back from another trip. This time we went with some friends Steph and her husband Matt. They first headed to Colorado for a couple days of fun then we all headed out to Vegas.

The drive out was uneventful, it was damn hot there as expected, about 106 when we arrived and stayed about that temp during the day while we were there. Since Renee and I go often we threw our usual routine out the window to make sure we were able to do everything Steph and Matt might have had their hearts set on. Not to mention it provided us the opportunity to do something a little different.

The first night we had some In n Out burger on the way into town then headed to Fat Tuesday (as usual) after checking in to get a much needed slushy beverage. They did finally change the Hurricane to the Cat 5 Hurricane. It is now as powerful as the 190 Octane. I now like to mix the two flavors, it is really good! Since this was at MGM we headed into the Casino for some gambling and things like that.

Monday was the walking day. Yep, up the strip. We had our sights set high We were going to walk to Circus Circus for a $1 dog and a $1.25 margarita. Well it was hot and by the time we got to Big Bills (formerly Barbary Coast) from the Luxor we needed food. Luckily they had a dog and a beer for $3. Got that and moved on. Not getting too much further down the strip we stopped at Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville for a…margarita…and some nachos.

Now we were serious about progress and kept walking. Bypassing most usual stops for Renee and I. Now I forgot just how far CC was. For some reason I was thinking it was by O’Sheas and Casino Royale, but as usual I was wrong.

By the time we were by the Wynn we were pretty tired. However, we had to press on. We crossed the street and headed past the Fashion Show Mall then onto the soon to be dismantled Frontier Hotel and Casino. I guess it is FINALLY closing down in mid July. It is being replaced with a new development called Tahiti Village. I believe the Stardust had been next door and already has been downed and cleared out. We did hang out in the Frontier for a few minutes since we knew it was the last time any of us would see it.

Now it was time for Circus Circus and Slotsa fun. Slotsa fun was really the place with the cheap dog and drink, but we still headed into Circus Circus to see if they had it in there too. They did not, but we did get to catch a couple of the circus acts they do, which are really just acrobatic acts. No clowns thankfully.

While everyone was taking a load off I headed over to slotsa fun to get what we walked all this way for. A 1/2 lb, foot long hot dog for $1.07 after tax. Then I got my $1.25 margarita and headed back in. We walked about 4 hours to get this damn thing. I ate only half of it.

After all that walking we skipped heading back to the hotel and caught a bus to Fremont Street. I haven’t been down there since just before they covered it and turned it into the Fremont Street Experience. I was looking forward to checking it out.

It was kid of odd at first because I started having some imagery flashbacks from the only other time I had been down there and was really amazed. I know it’s hard to believe that in the dozen times I have been to Vegas in the last handful of years I never went down there. 1995 was the last time.

I was impressed with what they had done and how it was done. Definitley made it a neat “experience.” We grabbed a $6.95 prime rib dinner at the Golden Gate. Can you believe it, I can’t remember the last time I got a $6.95 PR dinner in Vegas. It was decent, better than I had expected so it was a bonus!

The last full day there, Tuesday had us going back to Fat Tuesdays and laying low. We just gambled at MGM, did some gift shopping for our friends kids and the big point was to not walk everywhere.

We followed that up with an always fabulous meal at Nine Fine Irishmen.

I have some pictures and will have more soon from Steph and Matt!

We have been in our home for almost two years now. In fact in two weeks it will be two years. Things have really just started coming together this year. Amazingly after nearly buying the farm we got our asses in gear and bought a bunch of furniture. Renee whooped some ass and painted everything, hell we even have art on our walls. Yeah I said art!

We are going to Vegas here in a week and some friends are coming to visit and head out there with us. This means we are scrambling to get everything we can done to the house so it looks presentable. I have so many projects going on I am so unorganized and overwhelmed. I always do this to myself. I am a total fuck up some times.

Anyway, I am trying to systematically get things done and make lists. It’s hard for me to do. Right now it feels like there is no end to the list. Here is what I have to do this week just to get ready for the trip:

1. Mow yard - DONE
2. Replace hanging light fixture in kitchen
3. Finish light switch replacement in foyer
4. Finish updating guest bathroom
5. Get bed frame and linens for new guest bed
6. Clean my office
7. Clean the basement
8. File some damn papers
9. Pay some damn bills
10. Straighten up garage
11. Get car into shop before we leave for maintenance

I have 3.5 days to get all this shit done. Not to mention I need to get to work on the Scout pronto. I am already a month behind on that. Although I have been held up by having loaned out my air compressor which will save me a lot of time on the work I need to do.

Right now on the Scout I need to change the engine oil, the front and rear diff oil, clean the shit out of the transmission and transfer case which are both leaking. Reseal and refill those. Once I get that crap cinched up then I can get back to focusing on the body and paint. At this point I plan on painting the door inserts, front bumper and roll bar with rattle can bedliner material. I was going to do a Maaco special on painting the rest of the Scout, but I think I will just pick out a neat color and do it myself. I am partial to flat paint appearances right now. I also wouldn’t mind doing a chalkboard paint, though that is very 2005.

Still, I would love to have the tranny, transfer case and the diffs de-gunked this week so when I get back in town next week I can get right to work on changing out the fluids. Not to mention I want to go do some wheeling.

Pictures are here, technology sucks and I can’t get the images to freaking link right.

Yes, you heard me, Wyoming. We wanted to take the pooch camping for the first time and well, it seems like all the good reasonably close camping spots in Colorado are always full and crowded.

Thanks to Joe and Karen we got a great recommendation and even map to an awesome location in Wyoming. It was about 2.5 hours from home, not bad at all. You have to drive at least that long to get anywhere good in Colorado.

We took the Audi, I was terrified I was going to get it stuck or destroy it but it worked out just fine. We headed out Saturday morning around 9:30am and got there around noon. We picked one camping spot, but it was really wet, so we walked over to another and realized this may have been the spot Joe and Karen were talking about the view was spectacular. So Renee waited with the dog while I fetched the car and drove it down.

After setting up camp we walked down the valley a little from where we camped. Little creeks all around. We had some lunch, then got back in the car and headed up more into the mountains up to the Libby Flats Observation Point. It was damn cold up there, but very scenic.

After doing some walking around in the snow and admiring the scenery we headed back to camp to try a little hike. We started heading up a 4WD trail so we would have a path to follow but ran into some campers. We headed off into the forest a little bit and took a load off and hung out with the dog the headed back. Not a very long hike all in all.

It was pretty windy during the day and as evening approached I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to build a fire or safely contain one. The whole area was pretty wet, but it was REALLY windy. I started building the fire around 6:30pm and started it off small then the wind stated dying off as if it knew I needed the warmth. We got a good fire brewing and cooked up some dinner. The fire kept us warm but we were going through really old dead wood really fast. That shit is great for getting a fire going, but it burns so fast. The yahoos up the valley started blasting music and shooting their guns. The dog was terrified. We tried to reassure him, but he was pretty stressed. It was a bit comical because he would finally settle down after they would stop and become “brave dog” again then BOOM….BOMBOMBOMBOBMBOMBOMBOMBOBM. And he was scared shitless again.

I had compiled a lot of wood and cut up a bunch but we were pretty much through our supply by 9pm. Which is about the time it got dark. The temps were plummeting so we decided to head into the tent and our bags to keep warm and play cards. In the end we just got all hunkered down for the night and trailed off.

It’s been so long since I had been camping I forgot how eerily quiet it can get and how much you think about being disemboweled by a bear. Fortunately the drunk ass punks up the valley had guns, so if there was any wildlife threat they could probably save our asses. They reminded us again around 11pm of their superior fire power by firing off their .357 one last time to let us know it was bed time.

At that point it was time to visit the forest so the dog and I headed out to relieve ourselves. It was cold as shit, but looking up into the clear sky was so worthwhile. I forgot how nice it is to see stars and how bright and big they look when you get away from the city.

It got down to about 20ish that night, I thought Renee’s bag was rated to zero but it wasn’t, it must have been a 30. She was cold, the dog was cold, I was fine. We made it through the night and stayed holed up until the sun hit the tent and warmed us up into the 50’s. We were beat from a restless night and just decided to pack up and head out instead of building another fire and making breakfast.

Next time we will go when it is a little warmer or come better prepared. All in all it was a great time and a great location.

I will preface this post, as I am a hypocrite sort of. A long time ago I gave blood, it was a less than pleasant experience. However I did it. I felt proud about doing something to help others. The only problem, after that experience I stopped giving blood. Mainly because I thought about how horrible I felt after the fact (physically). I have always promoted and encouraged people to donate blood.

Now I am an a situation in my life where I depend on those that donate blood and blood products. I get my insurance statement each time I get an infusion. Each infusion costs approximately $6,700 of that about $6,300 is for the actual blood product I receive. Granted the hope is in the future costs will come down as processes improve, but part of the cost has to do with supply.

I am fortunate that my insurance covers these costs (for now). They may not in the future and for many other patients, they can’t get coverage or just don’t have insurance.

I am a prime example of an excuse maker, “I don’t like the way I feel afterwards” or “next time.” The fact of the matter is donating blood and blood products (plasma) is not just about helping people that are in accidents or surgeries, but helping people with all sorts of needs.

For instance I receive infusions of IgG. The product I received comes from hundreds or thousands of donors. People exposed and immune to various colds and other illnesses. This is used to build up my deficient immune system. There are many many many people who are in much worse of a situation than I am and need these same types of infusions.

Stop into a cancer center any day of the week and you’ll see cancer patients who immune systems are shot from their cancer treatments. They receive these same types of infusions. There are children born with the same deficiency I have who need this as well.

While you can’t direct where your donation goes in this case, because of what is needed, just giving blood and blood products helps keep a balance. It’s not really asking that much.

Now before everyone jumps down my throat, sure, this sounds typical. The guy who wouldn’t help is now asking for it. That is a fair statement. I am not the only one though. It is human nature to avoid things we either don’t understand or don’t enjoy. Sometimes one has to overlook the small negative impact something like donating blood has on their body because of the benefit it creates for many others. Kind of like the theory of Utility.

Obviously it will always be an individual decision, and some people can’t give blood for various reasons. Some just don’t want to. That is just a fact of life. All I ask is if you are capable of giving blood, and you just keep putting it off, don’t. Most office buildings, malls and hospitals do blood drives throughout the year. It doesn’t take much time and it does make a big impact on many different lives. Don’t be like me, making excuses then finding that you are in need and being the person asking others to donate. It is an awkward feeling and doesn’t seem fair.

Here are some links on donating blood and other products (plasma):

• American Red Cross
• Bonfils Blood Center - Colorado
• How is Plasma Used?
• Blood Products

Well Kona and I were playing last Sunday and it appears he stepped on some landscaping edging and cut his paw. We treated it as best we could, but it just wasn’t healing up good. Into the vet we went. He has to get stitches on Monday, but they patched him up for now. He has already destroyed my legs with the cone.

So now he is Cone-A Bob instead of Kona Bob.