The Excalibur in Las Vegas

The Excalibur Las Vegas is one of the true mega-hotspots in all of Vegas. It’s a casino hotel resort with great amenities, awesome attractions and is just a first-class operation from top to bottom. Sure, there are a ton of really incredible hotels and casinos in Las Vegas, but if I have a choice, the Excalibur is the crème de la crème, there’s no doubt about it!

The Tennessee Football Volunteers

What can I say about Tennessee football that hasn’t already been said. The Volunteers have an incredibly illustrious history of winning big games with big names. This year’s squad is packed with talent and should only get better. Whenever I think of big-time college football, I have to think about the great names of Tennessee. From Peyton Manning to the current QB Erik Ainge, the Tennessee Volunteers play some of the best football in the college game today!

SF Weekly Punks Us All!

The SF Weekly is featuring a cover story this week entitled, “Steroids Confidential – Greg Anderson Has Given Up His Freedom Rather Than Testify About Barry Bonds. But One Man Has Learned The Trainer’s Secrets,” a piece written by Nic Foit and Ira Tes. When I first read this article, I was absolutely astonished at what it uncovered. And what I learned after reading it shocked me even more.

In the article, they reveal that Barry Bonds injected steroids into his penis in order to satisfy his mistress Kimberly Bell, which later led to Bonds not being able to bend over and caused an error that led to the California Angels beating the Angels in the 2002 World Series. The article also goes on to tell about a titanium brace that had to be implanted into Bonds’ neck in order to keep his huge bobble-like steroid’ed head from flopping over. The article then goes into detail about the supposed fact that now that the MLB is testing for steroids, Bonds consumes a “power drink” that consists mainly of elk semen.

The fact is -- this entire article is a ruse. If you unscramble the authors’ names, you come up with “Fiction and Satire.” What I can’t believe is that there is not one single disclaimer within the entire piece. In one sense – it’s absolutely brilliant. From another point of view, it’s completely irresponsible. If Bonds does not sue the SF Weekly, I will be very surprised.

To read this very creatively written article, check out this link: http://www.sfweekly.com/2007-09-26/news/barry-bonds-drinks-elk-semen-lactates-shoots-hgh-in-scrotum-former-trainer-tells-all/

The San Francisco Art Car Parade, Part III

The San Francisco Art Car Parade, Continued

The San Francisco Art Car Parade

Yesterday San Francisco hosted an incredible one-of-a-kind event – an Art Car Parade and Festival. Starting at Marina Park and winding along the Bay through Fisherman’s Wharf and to the Embarcadero, the parade featured over 30 decorated vehicles. What a spectacle! My favorite was the Sashimi Tabernacle Choir car, an automobile from Texas covered with models of lobsters and fish – 250 of them! They are bolted to a Volvo and when cued, sing a series of songs, everything from opera to pop to punk rock. The car has 2 computers, over 200 pounds of batteries and five miles of control system wire. Wow!
Here is what Wikipedia says about the Art car phenomenon:
An art car is a vehicle that has its appearance modified as an act of personal artistic expression. Art car artists usually drive and own their own work. They are sometimes referred to as "Cartists". Art car artists or owners often dress in a matching motif when displaying their cars. Art cars and car artists come from all walks of life, uphold a wide range of personal philosophies and beliefs and come from all political groups.
An important aspect of art cars and car artists is the general belief that there are no standards. Ideally, there are no super stars nor is any car better than any other. Art cars are unique in that no art car is a "bad" or "wrong" art car. There is more of a sense of inclusion than in other car groups which focus on standards, specific historic periods or makes and models of car.
Most car artists are ordinary people with no artistic training. They are largely self-taught and self funded, though some mainstream trained artists have also worked in the art car medium. Some consider their art to be created as a source of income or as "professional" artworks. Most others agree that creating and driving an art car daily is its own reward. Well known artists like Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol etc. have designed BMW Art Cars and their work has been reflected in racing cars like the BMW V12 LMR.
Art cars can be driven as daily drivers. Others are hauled around the country on trailers and have never driven any where but within art car shows. Others are found everywhere from the local grocery store, to formal museums to organized shows. Some are predominantly functional whereas others are considered primarily art works. Some car artists would never rent their car out while others build cars to make money.

A Love Letter to My Laptop

Ah, but how I love my laptop computer. I don’t know what I’d do without you, my sweet little laptop. You’re like a breath of fresh air in an otherwise stuffy world. How can I describe my relationship with my laptop? I don’t know. She never complains, she doesn’t nag me or use my credit card without permission or kick me out of the bed for being gassy, and whenever I push her lovely Power button, she lights up as if seeing me is the highlight of her day. I call her Dell and she calls me User. We hang out at Starbucks and down at Golden Gate Park and work on projects together. Oh, yes – I love my little laptop – and until I upgrade one day – I guess I always will!

Pulse Oximeters

A pulse oximeter is a gauge that you can use to check the oxygen levels in your blood. It goes right on your finger and an LED read out then tells you the data. Many people who want to gauge the oxygen levels in their blood are using this device to get the information they need very quickly and accurately.

Outdoor Kitchens: The Wave of the Future!

The outdoor kitchen has really come a long way. A good friend of mine just had one installed on his backyard deck and it’s really great, with high-tech appliances and awesome functionality. It’s got a state-of-the-art grill, a refrigerator, a kegger, some incredible track lighting, a full wet bar and much more. The outdoor kitchen is the new wave of the future and is really worth looking into.

Shaking One for the Home Team

CBS NFL analyst Charlie Casserly reported on yesterday’s pregame show that the NFL sent a memo to all 32 teams last week informing them that home teams are not allowed to tell their cheerleaders to warm up, stretch, or otherwise do anything in front of the visiting team's bench that might distract the players before the game.Apparently there were concerns around the league that some teams had specifically told their cheerleading units to warm up prior to the game right in front of the visiting team, in hopes that the visiting team's players would be too distracted checking out the cheerleaders to pay attention to their coaches' pregame instructions.

“Some of the girls were getting a little too close to the visiting teams,” said Perky Areolas, head cheerleader consultant and official pom-pom inspector for the NFL. “There were actually a couple lap dances going on. We found dollar bills in some of the ladies’ cheering shorts, which is highly inappropriate.”

Some cheerleaders were also allegedly wearing tiny microphones in their tight-fitting outfits and asking opposing players to divulge plays and formations. “We were just doing what the coaches told us to do,” an anonymous NFL cheerleader said. “I was able to get a little bit of one team’s game plan out of a rookie who couldn’t keep his eyes off of my undulating breasts. Hey, if it gives our guys an advantage, we’ll do whatever it takes.” There has been no word on whether it's legal to videotape the opposing team's cheerleaders. “This is getting crazy,” said one unnamed NFL official. “Pretty soon they’re going to make the cheerleaders wear burlap sacks so that they don’t distract people. Hey, they’re cheerleaders. If they’re not distracting folks, they’re not doing their job!”

(Portions of this article cam from aol.com, while others are pure fiction provided for entertainment purposes only.)