becominglvlocal.com

1. Restaurant Week for Three Square Meals (Multiple locations 8/30 - 9/5)
I would pick at least one meal a day to spend at the listed places. (All but steakhouses of course; they tend not to be too vegan friendly.) It is a great way to experience the city’s delights while helping the less fortunate.

3 Random things I’d do this week if I considered myself a little more hip (without the -ster) & pocket thick

1. Bob Dylan and John Mellencamp at The Colosseum (Caesar’s Palace 7PM 8/18)

You would think it’s for Dylan, and I wish I could say it was, but it is to see good ‘ol Johnny Boy. See my dad grew up in the same small town he used to sing about, John stole one of his dates, and my grandpa was his football coach. Hence, I listened to everyone of his damn records growing up and darn right love them!

2. Miss Universe 2010 at Mandalay Bay (8/23)

I flew back to Vegas Monday and never had to wait so **** long to get in a cab in my life! The pretty girls and European threads made me remember Miss Universe was in town. I appreciate the next pretty body, I mean well-rounded young lady just as much as the next person. I like all pretty things!

3. MAGIC at Las Vegas Convention Center & Mandalay Bay Convention Center (8/18-19 9AM-6PM)

I did mention I like pretty things! That includes pretty men in designer perfectly tailored threads too!

If you are participating in all three, congrats in my book your life is offically more awesome than mine!

XO

Pizza Hut
14841 Dallas Parkway
Dallas, TX 75254

I am utterly appalled and disgusted that Pizza Hut as a company would allow themselves to be associated with such a scam! You have officially lost what was once a loyal customer!

A year ago, I ordered a pizza from Pizza Hut online. I have NEVER accepted any offer from any online agent, EVER, but some how a company called Complete Savings (1800-826-1885) said I filled out my information and they used my credit card from my purchase with PIZZA HUT. At that time, I used that credit card quite regularly for my small business. Therefore, I never noticed the $12 charge each month. Recently, I changed jobs and came across this charge. They informed me I had been charged since July 2009 after a Pizza Hut purchase and can only cancel my “membership.” Thanks for letting a company take $144 out of my pocket!

I am disgusted that what I thought to be a reputable business would partner with such a low down company that secretly tries to steal $12 a month from what I see in my research numerous individuals.

Pizza Hut lost a customer and I will definitely inform family, friends, and blogging communities of your lack of professionalism!

Disappointed!



(Check your statements! I noticed when looking it up others had the charge from various online shopping.)

After winning a free night’s stay on the Strip from @guyNsincity on Twitter Sunday, I decided to walk a bit of the Strip by myself late in the night. Viewing all the people got me thinking…

Why walking the Vegas Strip at night can lift a local’s spirits…

1. The reality of the situation…

Standing at the bottom of the walk way connecting Tropicana and Excalibur I watched an international couple laughing and smiling talking picture of each other and what looked like two basketball camp kids with a chaperon doing the same. At that time, I took the opportunity to try and view the Strip with new eyes. We walk, drive, and mull past so much of the Strip, like a significant other locals can forget what made it so glorious the first time we laid eyes on its grandeur. It is a manmade visual feast to be appreciated.

2. No matter how money tight I am or how odd I maybe, dressing up as a character for handouts in 110 degrees has never crossed my mind.

Superman, Power Rangers, Elmo, Michael Jackson, Elvis… you name it!

3. Comparatively, I have an amazing sense of fashion without trying.

Was that?! Yep… she’s wearing a scrunchy, he has a muscle shirt that looks more like a bib, his shorts are separating his balls, you can see the 400lb man’s stomach on the Rascal hanging out of his shirt, it is another girl wearing a swimsuit cover-up popular 5 years ago as a dress, it is Disney shirt number 15 and shirtless person number 10...

4. I am a decent parent for at least my little one is in bed at midnight.

5. And, thank you, but I don’t need to buy a 12oz bottle of “ice cold water” for $2 because I got my 16oz bottle at Albertson’s for $1.


Do you have a reason walking the Strip makes you feel a little better from time to time?

Wheel of Fortune 's coming to the Venetian  July 13-20

A couple weeks ago, I received an email about attending a Wheel of Fortune audition. WHAT!? I have been watching the darn wheel spin since the beginning where I would yell at people not to buy the stupid lamp, get the TV! There is no job I’d rather have in the world than Pat’s! My best friend jokes about the unmentionable things I would do to get on the show. Though not true, it just exemplifies how much I love the stinking show to say the least.

At one time, I applied online to be a contestant, which is where I assume they got my information. However, talking to others I found out most of them had done auditions prior to get to that point. Therefore, I was either one lucky dog or just happened to talk to certain individuals within the process.

I arrived at the Venetian for the 2:30pm audition along with 80-100 others ready to play a fake game and present our oh so or oh so not fabulous personalities. After filling out some information about yourselves, interests, and so on. The panel called on people to call letters and following this we took a puzzle solving test. The first part seemed pretty easy. Ask to spin, call a letter, ask to buy a vowel, solve, be enthusiastic. However, so many people got all fumbled up in those basics, it was quite surprising. Then, the puzzles were not the easiest, but I don’t think they were looking for more than 5 to be solved out of 20 in 5 minutes. Therefore, unless you are easily flustered I don’t think it was much of a problem.

After 15 minutes of puzzle test checking and the panel deliberating they asked 20 of us to stay. Ah, yes, I was one of the 20! Looking around at the individuals I noticed all but one of the females were presented in casual work dress attire and most of the males as well. We played another few games 4 contestants at a time and told the panel a little about ourselves as they do at the beginning of the show.

Finally, we were thanked for our time. Then, we were told if chosen for the Las Vegas showing in July we would know the first week of July. If chosen for another LA show, we would know by the end of July.

Wish me luck everyone! Wheel of Fortune is on my pre-bucket list! (List of things I would like to do in the near future, no waiting till I am old and say, “What have I done?”) Hopefully, I would do a rocking job representing Vegas!

I have survived over 6 months in Las Vegas!

Randoms as of lately:

A few weeks back I experienced my first week of over a 100 degree temperatures. At the end, all I have to say is thank goodness for AC and pools! Really, it hasn’t been too bad, so far. I am actually ridiculously in love with the nights. I wish the Mr. didn’t leave for work at 4:30am and there was a great patio nearby! Then, I’d make love to the nights…and them with me!

I have also after 7 months of waiting finished my substitute teaching process with Clark County as summer arrives. Great Timing. If you know anyone planning on subbing here, tell them to preplan at least 6 months in advance. In addition, let them know they will make more money almost anywhere else. (Side note: It may be possible the education system here is below par because teachers can make more money working at the In-And-Out Burger. Just a thought.) Sadly, substitute teaching was supposed to be my part-time job as I looked for a full-time more appropriate gig. Now, I find myself mentally swinging back to school for degree two because of the difficulty I have been having finding a job. Hearing about all the cuts from county to Strip doesn’t seem promising either. Well, I am pretty much registered to start UNLV in the fall if I decide to do so.

In the meanwhile, I’ve been attempting to cook and bake various vegan dishes. It is amazing how much thought and time can go into something that turns out tasting like crap! It would also help if I had any culinary education or experience about what tastes go well together or how to thicken, thin out, make less dense, more dense, and so on. My wonderful and beautiful working mother stuck with pre-made and instant. Therefore, it was let water boil, add mix, 1 cup milk, and 2 tablespoons butter.

I hope everyone had a lovely Mother’s Day! The Mr. and Little Lady joined me in a couple Vegas activities I had not explored.

Adventuredome  at Circus Circus

To be honest, I was let down with the lack of rides the park contained. It was more like my hometown carnival with arcade additions than a true amusement park, or even half of an amusement park. The water ride sat in the center drained and not in use, the bumper cars were more like a driveway track of non-movement, the Dance-Dance Revolution machine took my money, and there were only 2 or 3 other "fun" rides. For some reason the Little Lady is obsessed with laser tag. Therefore, we all played around of laser tag. It was fun for my first time, but there wasn’t a lot of instruction. Needless to say, I was horrible, but the Little Lady and Mr. did well. We also played a few carnival games, which are always good for competition. It reminded me a little of Coney Island last time I went, “It was probably big, awesome, and fun at one point, but that point has past and no one is trying to change it.”

Yard House  at Town Square

First, Town Square reminds me a lot of my old stomping grounds. I lived by a modern town center with locally owned shops, bars, and restaurants with minimal chain retailers. I love this community feel. Town square is similar with more brand name retailers. Unfortunately, I believe my neighboring Tule Springs had the same idea, but the economy stopped progress.

The Yard House has a large beer selection from IPAs to lagers and great food options. I think the food is a few dollars over priced, possibly due to the high end casual dining it achieves. ($10+ for Grilled Cheese and a cup of Tomato Bisque is a little much in my book.) The open layout, big screen TVs, and bar center piece revealing all the beer options creates a classy and comfortable experience. Everything from the booths to the bathrooms to the bussers were well-maintained. The hostess was friendly and finally did what I am used to, asked me how my day was going as she walked us to our table! The service was well attentive. Even though, our server had an emergency the floor manager took over without a glitch giving them a nod in my book of great communication and team work in regards to making the customer have the best experience possible. More or less, the Yard House and Town Square made me feel like I was back in my suburban Midwestern roots, which was a great Mother’s Day present. Thanks!

(No complete reviews because of the first time visit. When I return I hope to look into beer sampling specials many similar beer happy restaurants carry.)

Happy National Children’s Day!

As my parents used to say, “Isn’t everyday Children’s Day?” For the most part thanks to my lovely mom and dad a lot of the days, weeks, months, and years as a child were dedicated to what I felt like eating, a new outfit I wanted, taking me to extra-curricular activities, cleaning and putting away my cloths, taking care of the dogs we wanted, mom giving me lunch money, dad giving me lunch money, playing games in private, disappearing in public … Thanks Mom and Dad for the ever continuous Children’s Day!

Though, Vegas isn’t known for it’s kid friendly activities, there are many to choose from this weekend. If you feel like giving your children a special thanks for making your life interesting try...

Kid Friendly Shows:

Lion King at Mandalay Bay: Best Show to see with the whole family. My daughter, parents and I saw this when she was 5. We were all in awe every moment!

Cirque du Soleil Mystere at Treasure Island : We saw Mystere together this year, her at 10 years old. She [and I] were confused at parts, but she was defiantly interested in following all the acts. 

Blue Man Group at Venetian:  This is a sensory overload with no real story line. Therefore, I think most kids 5 and up can marvel at and follow quite easily. They will also appreciate a little hands on action.

Cause Celebrations:

GreenFest at The District (at Green Valley Ranch): Saturday, April 24, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., bring recyclables, shredables and donations. Free activities and entertainment!

Aid for AIDS of Nevada’s AIDS Walk 2010 at the World Market Center: (www.afanlv.org) Sunday, April 25, let the kiddies join Penn and Teller on what looks to be beautiful morning as they lead the way for a great cause.

Events:

Xterra West Championship in Henderson : April 24-25, if your kids are into pressing outdoor activities, races and festivities kick-off at 8:30am. Trail runs, mountain biking, and swimming in all different lengths will be taking place along with a activities and vendors to checkout. Sign-ups are still available. There is a comparatively calmer 5/10k run/walk for all.

Las Vegas 51s host Sacramento River Cats at Cashman Center : Saturday, April 24, It’s baseball season! Let the kids enjoy the game and a hot dog. Saturday is Randy Ruiz bobble head night, gates open at 6pm.

Las Vegas Motor Speedway’s Family Fun Night: (www.lvms.com) Saturday, April 24, is Family Fun Night at the Bullring a four-pack deal for $19!

And, of course you could always enjoy your neighborhood Saturday Park Night or a picnic and games at Red Rock or Mt. Charleston!

We just had chocolate cake for breakfast to start the day off!

Happy Earth Day, on this cold, wet day in the City of Sin!

Whether you believe in global warming or not, I have a immense desire to respect what I have been given and earned i.e. people, clothing, money, cars, houses, opportunities and so on. Of course, Mother Nature is in there as deserving my respect as well.

On that note, I wanted to thank Las Vegans and others for what they are already doing…

1. *Starry-eyed* Cloths, Jewelry, and Nick-knacks! Thrift Store, vintage, re-vamping old attire, hand-me downs, even the pawn shops. Yes, we all have found that item or made the eBay bid and felt the internal score when receiving it! If it’s old and appealing it is a major source of bragging rights.

Do you have a favorite Vintage, Second Hand, Antique Store?

Goodwill            Dloe House of Style           Buffalo Exchange  

The only place in Vegas to see men in skirts, “ok, kilts, I know,” hurling logs and various weights this weekend was at Floyd Park for the Las Vegas Highland Games. I am lucky enough to live less than 2 miles away and even luckier to win tickets via Twitter. Therefore, I went both Saturday and Sunday. This ½ Irish girl enjoyed a little part of my history thru dark lagers, bag pipers, game viewing, clan browsing and people watching.

The event was nice to go back to on Sunday because my daughter wanted to buy a few things we saw earlier, but I think unless you are a gung-ho historical Celtic enthusiasts one day will serve you well. Saturday we got there just in time for the procession of clans. Awesome first encounter! Every hairy-legged man with a plaid kilt and dead animal hanging from his body, every woman with along flowy dress, every drummer and bag piper, and even a red dragon all walked around the small centrifuge.

As mentioned, there was beer on tap, meat pies, homemade ice cream, fish and chips, and funnel cakes to satisfy your hunger/thirst. They had whiskey and scotch tastings, which I did not participate in, but I am sure left some men extra hairy. Clans had tents set-up showing their families names and backgrounds. And, vendors sold various items from bag pipe parts to toy swords. A small stage to the west entrance had various ages showing their heritage via dance. The south opening was filled with world champion drum majors flipping their batons. And, the north field had the actual games from log throwing to caber tossing (Click for Video), all of which I became quite partial in watching.

It was a great sunny weekend to see Mary the Queen of Scots, get a buzz off some good brew, see a little boy in IOWA Hawkeye gear, realize my daughter has a sword intrigue, see a mini-version of the strong man/woman competition, and see some lovely Celtic garb! If you didn’t go this year make sure you take a few hours to check it out next year. I highly recommend arriving before the procession to see all the characters line-up that make this a great experience especially for those who share the history!


Photos of the Highland Games