Friday - Don't Put Baby in the Corner

First - not in the corner was Shania  Twain (age 57) in her Las Vegas residency at Planet Hollywood.  I was very excited to get tickets. Her current documentary on Netflix was really interesting. 

We had nosebleed seats but the woman can sing! Ten outfit changes,  six  excellent backup dancers, a  talented band, and Shania  herself - she belted out her tunes, she  talked, laughed, and  really gave a  sincere performance. The video effects and  staging were top notch.  Man, I Feel Like a  Woman - finale song - and She IS All  that. 

 Out of the Corner by Jennifer Grey is quite  the memoir. A bit eye-opening and jaw dropping at times. 

She begins with the NOSE. She always liked her quirky, different look BUT in Hollywood, it can be a tough sell. Jennifer Grey grew up in the world of Broadway and Hollywood. Her father's Joel Grey (Cabaret) and her mother was Jo Wilder. Jennifer finally succumbed to cosmetic surgery and it changed her looks completely, and her life. 

Read about her Dirty Dancing drama. Enjoy Ferris Bueller adventures. She was young and she was rather wild in the 1970s club scene. She was engaged to Matthew Broderick,  and  then to Johnny Depp. Her tales of loves and losses made me do a double-take. 

cover blurb - Distinctive, moving,  and powerful, told with generosity and pluck, Out of the Corner is a heartfelt and provocative account of an ongoing personal evolution, a coming  of age story for women of every age.  Jennifer Grey - oh my!!!

Book Review - Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger

 1961 Minnesota. Frank is thirteen with a tagalong younger brother, Jake. Older sister, Ariel, dates the rich kid, Karl Brandt, and she's ready to leave for Julliard. In this small town, life is good for the preacher kids until it's not. 

One death - a young boy dies on the train tracks.  2nd death - a homeless man near the river and train trestles. Frank finds him and is drawn into the  mystery. 3rd death -  strikes too close to home and affects the whole town. 

Meanwhile, Frank is dancing between being a kid and growing up. He's observing his father's calm ways. He  sees his mother's restlessness. And where does Ariel sneak off to in the middle of the night? 

William Kent Krueger's Ordinary Grace is an unforgettable novel about discovering the terrible price of wisdom and the enduring grace of God. (cover blurb)

I found this book  to be a calm folksy read with strong  characters that I cared about. 

Meanwhile,  the opposite of calm is Las Vegas.   We had a helicopter flight over  the Strip and that was a Wow. Only ten minutes, but the glow of the lights  is extraordinary.  Then  after landing, we went to  the Neon  Museum. It's the graveyard for old neon/ argon signs.   Here's an old Aladdin  Lamp. 

Walking through this outdoor museum and hearing  the  history was fascinating. Quite the works of handmade art!

Wacky Wednesday - The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

 Vida Winter is a famous author with a missing tale. Now at her deathbed, she chooses a young woman, Margaret Lea, to come hear her life story and perhaps fill in the missing gaps. 

cover blurb - Margaret is mesmerized by this tale of gothic strangeness, of a remote estate, feral children, a governess, a ghost, and a devastating fire. 

You will be drawn into Diane Setterfield's The Thirteenth Tale and will not sleep until the final page. 

This book keeps you guessing, makes you wonder, and in the end, deposits you breathless yet satisfied back upon the shore of your everyday world. 

Meanwhile, let's enjoy our visit to Las Vegas. The Flamingo is a classic and the old girl looked  pretty good. 

However, their check-in was an absolute cluster. It took two times in  their line for a total of 45 minutes  each to finally get in  our room. Here, Ray is NOT  happy. We did go eat,  rolling our bag behind us. 

We felt a bit "Flocked"

But our room was worth it - quite a view..... We settled in and enjoyed  our rest of Thurs/ Friday/ and  Saturday. 

Travel is a challenge these days.  Our flight was delayed a bit (one hour) due to maintenance  issue. Flight back had to wait on  flight  crew.   Big sigh. 

Water Wall Saturday

 This is sheer poetry. Water cascading down a wall at the Aria Hotel in Las Vegas.

 Sun reflections and variety of flow.

I was mesmerized.

Waking Up in Vegas

 Let's see - why haven't I written a thing?  Ooops. Too busy waking up in Vegas - not really a la Katy Perry. Ray and I stayed up late, but not too crazy. Nonetheless we stayed at The Paris this weekend and it was a really nice hotel. MMMM  - pastries.

 Las Vegas, Nevada - you have to see it to believe it. Lights, glitz, casinos, carrying drinks on the strip (i.e Las Vegas Blvd), Girls Girls Girls, no clocks, excessive extravaganza, and the smell of money. It is bizarre.

 Yep - zoomed from the Paris to the Venetian. This is how Americans travel. No passport needed. You can go from Paris, France to Venice, Italy to Luxor, Egypt. And every place has spotless bathrooms with cushy toilet paper. (best ladies room - the Bellagio). You can gamble as cocktail waitresses ply you with "free" liquor. Oh it costs you money - even the penny slots are a lure.

 It was a great weekend.  Too much food, too much drink, too much..........and it's desert hot - I don't think we hit 100 F, but it was close. The Stratosphere tower at 1000 feet in the air is way too close to the sun and can fry your brains. We did spend money on observation decks - the Eiffel Tower deck (500 feet) and the Stratosphere at double the height. You can see mountains - they hide silver and gold mines - there's money in them thar hills.

Or just view hotels - here's The Paris. That's entertainment. Each one has a theme, fountains, pools, and bars. They don't want you to leave their premises - that's why they are so freakin' big and you have to walk through their casino to get anywhere. Maybe double bonus poker will call your name or the $5 Blackjack table (hey....Ray....come lose here).  As long as you keep it all in perspective - maintain limits and have fun, but don't bet the mortgage.

I didn't do an official post, but my mother's been gone twenty years. She didn't drink. She didn't gamble. But she did like Elvis. She visited Vegas one time with my dad, my Uncle Rick and Aunt Connie, and another couple.  They had a ton of fun. So - I thought of her on Mother's Day as I celebrated in Vegas.

I stayed respectable, Mom. You raised me "right"........or what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.
Pick your own ending to this tale.