Viva Las Vegas!

Amy and I just got back from a weekend trip to Las Vegas, Nevada! It was a celebration event for our company, so they covered the trip, hotel, banquet and a show on Saturday night! I have to say, it's GREAT being part of a company which takes care of its employees!

We arrived in Las Vegas on Friday night around supper, when we dumped our bags off at the Luxor. If you don't know, the Luxor is an Egyptian-themed hotel in the shape of a pyramid, and instead of elevators has 'inclinators' since they travel inside up the incline of the pyramid! Pretty amazing stuff.


Statues at the Luxor

After we left our bags with the concierge we rushed over to the MGM Grand to watch the performance of the latest from Cirque du Soleil: KÀ! The tickets were a bit pricey, but then again, I didn't know what to expect. It was simply amazing, and worth every penny! I think what impressed me most was the sheer amount of mechanical engineering which went into the performance. The stage itself was one HUGE slab on an arm which allowed it to revolve, incline, and even go completely vertical! And something to keep in mind - the actors will still acting on it when this was happening! Wow... just... wow!

We spent the rest of Friday night and most of Saturday afternoon socializing, running around on a scavenger hunt, and generally enjoying the sights. We managed to drop by the Hilton and get our geek on with The Star Trek Experience, which included lunch at Quark's Bar and Restaurant, the Star Trek timeline museum, the 'Borg Invasion 4D' and 'the Klingon Encounter'. Lot's of good, sci-fi fun!


YMCA with a Klingon

Klingon Weaponry and Outfits at the Star Trek Museum

Saturday night we got together for a banquet and speeches, then proceeded to the highly entertaining Blue Man Group. Very humourous, entertaining, and interactive!


Our Scavenger Hunt Team!


Lou in Vegas Gear!

All-in-all, it was a great weekend! We actually hope to go back again to see more of the sights and shows of Vegas one of these weekends. It's actually a cheap flight from San Jose, so we'll seriously consider doing it again some time!

Cheyenne Makes Good Eats!

My buddy Cheyenne Wright, a freelance artist who does a lot of work for GWG (through whom I co-authored/edited Necessary Evil), was recently contacted by Alton Brown, star of the popular cooking show Good Eats. Apparently, Alton wants Cheyenne to create caricature comics for him after Alton saw this piece by Chey:



It's pretty cool to know people who know people!

Screaming Feet meet Screaming Brain

Meeting with Bruce Campbell

By 'screaming feet' I mean the hours-long wait in line to get our books signed by Bruce Campbell! By 'screaming brain' I mean the new movie Bruce was there to introduce!

4:45pm: I ask my friend Shane, "What are you up to tonight?", to which he replies, "Going to a Bruce Campbell book-signing at the Cinema 7 in Campbell (right next to San Jose - it's all connected)!". Always one to build geek cred, I had to attend as well.

5:40pm: Amy picks me up from work and we head over to the Cinema 7. Met by VERY large crowd of people. Learn you need to get a copy of one of his books. I wanted to read his autobiography anyway, so I pick up both If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B-Grade Movie Actor and his recently released Make Love the Bruce Campbell Way. I get tickets #344-345. Now serving: #1-25. Luckily, my friends Brian, Shane and Michelle are there, and we pass an hour just chattin'.

7:15pm: Shane and Michelle had gotten books earlier, so managed to get in the #100-125 range. Lucky stiffs.

8:00pm:Shane and Michelle finally get their stuff signed. Shane comes out with his leatherbound Deadlands book signed by Bruce (which Bruce wrote the forward to). As a plug for Shane, he wrote the upcoming Army of Darkness RPG, so watch for it at a gaming store near you!

8:45pm: They stop the autographs for a bit while they let the people in to watch Bruce's latest movie, "The Man With the Screaming Brain" (and the other reason he was there signing books). Bruce also pauses to introduce the movie to the audience. It was sold out days beforehand, so we're just there for the signing.

9:35pm:They recommence the autographs. We take a break to eat, and then continue with the waiting.

10:20pm:Finally, we get our chance to meet with Bruce. We're thinking, "Damn, he might be cranky by now." - he's been signing books since 6pm, so you're thinking his hand must be damn cramped! But, he greeted us with a smile, asked us who were were and what we did. I told him my involvement in the game industry, and he said, "That's great that you enjoy your work! That's the way it should be! Lot's of people say, 'I hang-glide, and then I work sometime...' Not the same thing! More people should love the work they do!" Nice re-affirmation for me that I made the right choice in moving down to California; almost makes the hours-long wait in line worth it!