San Diego

Friday was more of the same dreary weather. We drove by Bread and Cie, another bakery and café for lunch, but it was busy and it failed to lure us in. So, we held true to our word and went back to Con Pane. It was just as wonderful as the day before. I couldn’t stray from the salami sandwich, Frank tried the turkey and we ordered a walnut chocolate chip cookie for dessert and a loaf of hazelnut raisin bread to go. The cookie was served warm, it was delicious. We dug into the loaf as soon as we got into the car. It was also terrific. Again, I was in heaven after another superb meal.

We stopped at Shelter Island after lunch.

From San Diego

From San Diego

We spotted the Seal Tour while there and thought it’d be fun. They reminded us of the Duck Tours in Wisconsin Dells. We saw they boarded in Seaport Village so we headed there next.

From San Diego

We couldn’t find where the tickets were sold. We gave up after realizing that it would be awfully chilly out on the water.

We saw the USS Midway Museum on our last visit and really enjoyed it.

From San Diego

We thought we’d check out the Maritime Museum this time. Admission was $14 per person, the Dolphin wasn’t there, so we decided against it. Maybe we’ll see it another time when all the ships are there?

From San Diego

From San Diego

Before leaving we stopped at the giftshop and bought a few postcards. Frank wanted to send them out. I thought it was kinda silly. I’ve never done postcards, I thought they were more for when you go on long trips – like out of the country long trips. But whatever, we filled them out and thought we’d find a post office easily since we spotted a dozen the day before. Well, this turned into a nightmare. Nearly two hours were wasted in search of postcard stamps. We gave up and returned our hotel for our last siesta. Before heading to the room we checked with the front desk and gift shop for stamps, they directed us to the post office across the highway in the mall near the Sports Chalet. We retired to our room. Later, hunger struck we headed out for dinner. We tossed around a bunch of ideas before settling on Giorgino’s Deli. They are known for their cheesesteaks, since our favorite place closed in Vegas, we thought this would hit the spot. The bread was the real stuff. The meat was good, I prefer a chunkier grilled onion and I’m not a fan of the white American cheese. I prefer Provolone. Needless to say, it was good, but it too lacked that something special.

We parked at Horton Plaza and figured we'd spend the rest of the night downtown. No movies caught our interest. We walked around a bit.

From San Diego

From San Diego

From San Diego

We had no better plan so we went back to Los Panchos for more margaritas. The mariachi band was playing. We kicked back with our chips, salsa and margaritas and pretended we were in Mexico. I told Frank we were going to make our own sunshine. It was a busy night, they ran out of margarita glasses after our first one, our next two were served in soda glasses. No complaints from us. After we finished up we walked a bit before heading back to the car. Parking was free because I noticed the validation booths inside the mall. Never noticed those before, they may be new? We picked up more Pacifico and lotto tickets before returning to the hotel.

All week I planned for us to visit Little Italy on Saturday and pick up goodies from a few delis and the Farmer’s Market. When I woke up that morning, it was dark outside. Who knew the clouds could get thicker? It poured, it rained, it drizzled. We packed up and checked out of the hotel. I told Frank I didn’t want to fight the rain so let’s skip Little Italy. Instead, we’ll grab a bite and head straight home. He agreed, but wanted to stop at the post office inside the mall beforehand. He had me run in from lower level parking. I take the elevator up only to find that this is an outdoor mall. Great for when it’s sunny, but real crummy for rainy days. I dodged the rain the best I could, but I got incredibly frustrated when I found the Sports Chalet and the post office was no where near it. I located a directory and pinpointed the post office. It was on the otherside of the mall by Macy’s Home Store. Joy. Finally, I arrive, I wait in line, I get my stamps and have them mail the postcards. Never again.

We consider a couple of the breakfast places on my list, but then asked ourselves, who are we kidding? We are going back to Con Pane.

I got my perfect sandwich one last time. Frank tried the Roast Beef. It rivaled my sandwich, simple and fresh go a long way. It was simply great beef, with onions, tomato and goat cheese smothered in between a French banquette. I think the perfect lunch would be a half of each sandwich.

From San Diego

We didn’t stop there. We ordered a cinnamon roll for dessert, and three more to go, as well as, a loaf of Gruyere and Chive bread.

We left a little sad, Con Pane was the highlight of our trip. I will miss that little slice of heaven.

On the five hour drive home, we ate all but one slice of bread. It was a true treat, light and fluffy with a crispy crust, a hint of onion with chunk of Gruyere baked in. Bliss. Pure Bliss.

From San Diego

Inside that box were the remaining cinnamon rolls we enjoyed them the following day.

From San Diego

We’ve had better times in San Diego. We weren’t prepared for the cool temps and lack of sun, but we handled it the best we could – with a lot of whining. It was just such a shock to the system. All month, we’ve had sunshine and temps in the 90’s. I heard on the local news we never saw temps below 64 degrees in the entire month of May. It never got that warm our entire time in San Diego, but we had loads of laughs and ate some great food. I can’t complain about that.

San Diego - Imperial Beach, Balboa Park

Thursday, the crummy weather continued. We were introduced to the term May Gray Day courtesy of the local news, they anticipated it to continue all week and become June Gloom. Cute, eh? Not so much. I wanted the sun. I wanted warmth. I was over winter. Yes, it felt like winter and I swear we were having winter blues flash backs.

Once we got out and about we headed to Point Loma for an early lunch. Before the trip I collected a list of eateries to try. At the top of the list was Con Pane Rustic Breads and Café. Fortunately, it was an easy find and parking was available, too.

We stepped inside and I thought I was dreaming. Everything looked delicious. It was certainly a place where carb-lovers dreams are made. I ordered the Italian Salami sandwich on Rosemary Olive Oil (one of their daily breads). Frank chose the Turkey Cobb on Sourdough (another daily). And he ordered a cinnamon roll to share for dessert.

Mine was the best sandwich I ever tasted. The bread totally made it, but the sundried tomatoes, pepperoncini, lettuce and basil pesto was like icing on the cake. We shared our sandwiches; I ate half of Frank’s Turkey Cobb. It was also delicious, but not out of this world like mine. Again the bread was fantastic. I didn’t think lunch could get any better, but then we dug into the cinnamon roll. Usually, I think the purpose of the outside of the roll is to keep the center moist. Not in this case. The outside was better than most cinnamon rolls’ center. I can’t even put into words how tasty the inside was. Seriously, I must be dreaming!

We left on cloud nine vowing to be back tomorrow. We decided to check out Coronado. We’ve heard it’s a must see and finally took the opportunity to see it for ourselves.

Driving on the Coronado Bridge.

From San Diego

View of San Diego from the bridge.

From San Diego

We followed the street and it led us to the Military Base. We had to explain to the nice guard that we drove up by mistake. He let us turn around and then we drove around more. Passing quaint house after quaint house, then finally, we came to Hotel Del Coronado. We caught a glimpse from the street. We were low on gas and on the hunt for a gas station so we didn’t stop. Somehow, we found ourselves in Imperial Beach before we found a gas station. We filled up and then had a look around. It was damn chilly. We thought we’d rent bikes in Coronado and ride the shore, but it was much too cold. I dipped my hand in the ocean at Imperial Beach just to say I was in it. It felt warmer than the air. Previous visits it has felt ice cold.

Imperial Beach Pier in the distance.

From San Diego

USS Ronald Reagan deployed that day I think that might be it in the distance.

From San Diego

From San Diego

From San Diego

We kept on, eventually coming up on the Tijuana Estuary and not long after we found ourselves on the I-5. We weren’t sure how that happened, but nothing on Coronado stuck with us that made us want to return so we headed to Balboa Park. Another attraction we missed on previous trips.

We started at the Rose Garden, which offered a huge variety of blooms.

From San Diego

From San Diego

From San Diego

And then we walked through the Desert Garden.

From San Diego

From San Diego

From San Diego

From San Diego

This was a wild tree. It was practically hollow inside.

From San Diego

I could semi-comfortably live inside it, it was roomy enough.

From San Diego

The huge fig tree outside the Natural History Museum

From San Diego

We checked out the free exhibits inside the History Museum and Photographic Arts Building and then continued on to find the Japanese Friendship Garden.

First we came across the Botanical Building but it was closed. However, we enjoyed the lily pond.

From San Diego

From San Diego

From San Diego

View of the Museum of Man.

From San Diego

Finally we found the Japanese Garden we stopped for tea to warm up. Admission for the two of us was eight bucks. It wasn’t worth it. The garden was small and we didn’t find anything impressive to see.

From San Diego

From San Diego

After that we had our fill of Balboa Park. We returned to the hotel for our daily nap and then set out for dinner. I chose Café Chloe for dinner. When looking for parking I realized the Kebab Shop was on the same street. It was another restaurant that made my list of places to try. We walked into Café Chloe and no one greeted us, we bailed when Frank said he didn’t see a single diner with food. We walked over to the Kebab Shop. I ordered Beef Köfte Kebab with caprese salad and saffron rice. Frank had Lamb Shawarma with saffron rice. Despite the rave reviews on Yelp, we thought it was pretty weak. My kebab reminded me of meatloaf and we’ve had far better lamb at “Greek Joints” back in Chicago. It wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t special.

We walked to the gaslamp district and stopped in Ghiradelli for dessert. Frank had a banana split and I had an Intense Dark Sundae with dark chocolate fudge and coffee flavored ice cream. It was rich, but oh, so good.

From there we walked around until we found ourselves back at Los Panchos for more margaritas. They brought us chips and salsa, too. We couldn’t let that go to waste. Oh, no!

From San Diego

Two margaritas, and who knows how many chips, later, I felt like I was going to burst. No mas. We walked back to the car. And a quick five minute drive later, we were back at the hotel. After another five minutes we were relaxing in bed sipping back Pacifico. Take that convenient trolley.

La Jolla and San Diego

We stopped at a scenic overlook near Oceanside on our way to San Diego. It was overcast, breezy and cold.

From San Diego

Sad to say, the T-tops stayed on the remainder of the trip. It was such a waste. We could have taken my car and saved on gas.

From San Diego

There were these fat squirrel looking things all over. They moved like rats. I hate rodents. Most people would probably find these cute, but they creeped me out. We saw them again in La Jolla. I referred to them as water rats. Yuck.

From San Diego

From San Diego

We also stopped in La Jolla on our way to San Diego. We’ve never been, we wanted to check it out and grab lunch. We drove around, parking was a nightmare, we finally found a spot near La Jolla Cove. It figured it was in a residential area far away from the restaurants, we’d have to wait for food, but we walked the shore to see the cliffs.

From San Diego

The fish smell was really strong through here. Blech.

From San Diego

From San Diego

You can spot a few water rats scattered across the grass

From San Diego

From San Diego

We had enough of the cove, we wanted food, so we went back to the car and searched for another parking spot, one near the shops and eateries. Fortunately, we found a spot a couple blocks off the main drag. We ate at the Whisknladle. They use locally grown foods and make everything in house. It was great find. I knew we were in for a treat when the menu showcased a quote that went something like this… don’t just eat to consume calories, try dining…

We started with a cutting board that offered a selection of cheese, meats, pickles, condiments and fruit. Simply fantastic. The salami, chorizo and sopressa are smoked in house. The chorizo was my favorite, combined with manchego – I was one happy girl.

I had scallops with fennel risotto and fennel chips. They had a perfect sear and the risotto melted in my mouth. Yum! Frank had a Caesar salad with the sweetest tasting shrimp I’ve ever encountered. They were cooked to perfection, tender and absolutely delicious. The salad was crisp, the dressing was light, it was well done. We thoroughly enjoyed our lunch.

After lunch we returned to the car and continued on to San Diego. Below are a few photos from the walk back. Also, many stores had water out for dogs near their entrances. I’ve never seen that before. Evidently, La Jolla is very dog friendly.

From San Diego

From San Diego

From San Diego

We checked into our hotel, Hilton Mission Valley, I got a great deal on Orbitz so it was a relief when the hotel was actually as nice as pictured. It was the nicest place we’ve stayed in San Diego. Ironically, it was the cheapest too.

From San Diego

We got settled and took another siesta. A couple hours later, we set out for downtown. We decided to give the trolley a try. The nearest station was about a ten-minute walk from the hotel. We bought a 24-hour pass for five bucks each. Fortunately, we had a short wait for the next trolley.

From San Diego

Frank, while we were waiting. It was chilly, about 60 degrees.

From San Diego

We had to transfer at the Old Town Station. That leg took forever. We quickly learned that the trolley wasn’t nearly as convenient as my reading led me to believe. We arrived downtown about an hour and thirty minutes after we left the hotel. I led us on a goose chase thinking Los Panchos was on 7th street, after walking a few extra blocks, we found it on E St. between 4th and 5th. Los Panchos has become San Diego tradition, they have great margaritas, chips and salsa. We stopped in for dinner; the California Burrito for Frank, Carne Asada tacos for me and two Cadillac Margaritas each.

We would’ve liked to hang around after dinner, but we were nervous that we’d miss the trolley back to the hotel. It was approaching 10:00 and we were told they stopped running between 11-midnight. Suddenly, our leisurely vacation was on a time schedule. We weren’t thrilled. Sure, you can get around by trolley, but if you have access to your own transportation – use it. Another hour or so later we arrived at our stop. And we still had the walk back to the hotel. Lesson learned: the trolley is not convenient. We stopped at the gas station next door to pick up a sixer of Pacifico and lotto tickets. We returned to the hotel, drank cervezas and scratched off a couple winners. Nevada should have a lottery. We’re missing out.

Anaheim

We got an early start on Monday in hopes we’d beat the traffic. It was slow going, the worst back ups were in Primm and Yermo. We cruised along in the Firebird, T-tops off, and soaked up the sun until the Cajon Pass.

Little did we know we’d be saying good-bye to clear sunny skies here.

From Anaheim

You can barely make out the mountains

From Anaheim

After the mountain pass the haze took over and the temp dropped a good fifteen degrees. The whole drive to Anaheim felt like a parade of toys. It was one SUV after another pulling boats, wave runners, quads, or dirt bikes. We saw a bit of everything. After a four-hour ride, we arrived at our home for the next few days, the Ayres Hotel. We checked in and got settled, and then walked next door to JT Schmids for lunch.

Frank had a blackened chicken sandwich with skinny fries and I had the club burger with bacon, fresh tomatoes and avocado and a side of sweet potato fries. They were delicious. My meal was the winner of the two. Bellies full, we walked back to the hotel and got ready for the White Sox vs. Angels game. We walked to the stadium, got our tickets, grabbed a beer and watched batting practice. The game started at 6:05, first inning the Sox started racking up the runs. It was a great game. I took photos of the guys at bat and it started a streak of home runs. It was unreal. We had a blast. Final score was 17-3.

From Anaheim

After the game, there was a nice firework display in honor of Memorial Day. It was a welcomed surprise.

Angels Memorial Day Fireworks from kellee on Vimeo.

Afterwards, we walked back to the hotel with that “fan buzz”, ahh! I missed baseball.

Tuesday the heavy thick clouds rolled in. It was chilly, cloudy and just plain dreary. We grabbed a bite at the hotel, complimentary breakfast. Then we were off to Ikea, we picked up a few odds and ends; mainly plants and kitchen utensils. I wanted glass jars, storage baskets, and cheap photo frames, but came up empty.

Weather hadn’t improved any so we returned to the hotel and had a nice siesta. We enjoyed our lunch at JT Schmids' the day before, and it was convenient so we decided to go back. This time we started with chicken & avocado egg rolls. They were quite good. We both had burgers and sweet potato fries, this time I had Swiss, mushroom and onion. Frank chose the winner this time, he had the Mexico City Burger with jack cheese, guacamole, cilantro, roasted salsa, lettuce and tomato. It was excellent. We also sampled their Hefeweizen. It, too, was good.

Next was game two. Another win, thankyouverymuch. 4-2 victory! Did I mention I missed baseball? Colon pitched a good game, it was fun watching him warm up beforehand.

From Anaheim

After the game, I'm burnt from the drive down, sun block wore off (must remember to reapply). Raccoon eyes and I even had seat belt lines across my chest. I felt like such a fool.

From Anaheim

Wednesday morning we packed up, and we were off to San Diego. Sadly, we left the T-tops on because it was still dreary and cool.

Almost time

It looks like I'm going to get a head start on my vacation. Word going round is that we'll be closing in an hour-thirty. No complaints from me.

I am ready to go.

Hope everyone has a great long weekend. Frank and I will be visiting Anaheim and San Diego. A week away from the daily grind will do us good. I should have photos and details to share next Monday.

I'll leave you with a Spicy Pork Chop recipe we tried this week. It was pretty good, but we didn't think it was spicy I even added more sriracha than called for, but it was still mild.

3/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon chili sauce
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
8 center cut pork chops

In a large resealable bag, mix together the soy sauce, lemon juice, brown sugar, chili sauce, and garlic powder. Place the pork chops into the bag, carefully seal the bag, and marinate for 6-12 hours in the refrigerator. Turn the bag over about halfway through.

Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat.

Arrange pork chops on the lightly oiled grate, and cook 5 to 7 minutes on each side, until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F.

Allergic to Las Vegas?

Here, I always thought Vegas was supposed to be good for you - lack of vegetation and all. I suffered from seasonal allergies while living in Chicago, and I regularly got sinus infections. I never saw a specialist, I was satisfied with my doctor prescribing me antibiotics, when needed, and taking allergy meds to relieve symptoms. I thought maybe living in Vegas would alleviate my allergies, but I learned a few months after living here that that wasn't the case. As it turned out, in Vegas, I suffer from allergies in spring and fall. Usually, April and September are the worst months for me. The rest of the year I get by alright without medication, and once I quit smoking sinus infections rarely occured. I assumed I had my allergies pretty well under control.

That is until this month. I spent a week in misery, before my boss insisted that I see an Otolaryngologist. By then, I was feeling quite a bit better, so I was surprised when the doctor told me my swelling and congestion were so severe. I returned to see him today, this visit, swelling had reduced and he was able to perform a nasal endoscopy. However, the swelling was still too severe to see my sinuses. After talking about my symptoms I realized that it's very likely I suffer from allergies far more often than I even thought. It seems my symptoms are most severe during certain months and on windy days. Next course of action is a CT Scan. I'll have that done in the next couple weeks. I'll also meet with an Allergist in June to have testing done to see what I'm allergic specifically to in Las Vegas. Based on those results I could start Immunotherapy. I'm terrified of needles so I'm not sure that regular (self) injections are the best course of treatment. But if it could mean feeling great year round it is worth consideration, however, I'll wait to see results of my upcoming tests before making any decisions.

I talked with the Allergist's nurse after my visit with the doctor. She said doctors used to encourage their patients to move to Vegas for allergen relief, and it used to help. But Vegas has seen such tremendous growth over the years it's become a breeding ground for all kinds of allergens: non-native plants, pollution, mold, dust mites, construction, etc. She claimed we are number two for the worst allergies, and Phoenix is number one. I did my own research today and I couldn't turn up that same information. Instead, it seems Las Vegas takes 20-30th place on most lists for seasonal allergies. I found a couple reports that indicate Las Vegas is the 7th worst city for allergens. In any case, Vegas isn't the cure for allergies no matter what anyone might think or been told. If you had allergies before living here, chances are good you'll still have them.

Dinner and dessert

I tried out two new recipes this week, a kabob marinade and one for brownies. I used NY strip for the kabobs and I let the steak marinate overnight. The kabobs were a success. The brownies, on the other hand, were dry, despite having a nice texture and decent taste. A layer of frosting helped, but they were still a disappointment. Perhaps, I was heavy handed with the flour? I don't think so, but I don't know where else I went wrong.

One Bowl Cocoa Powder Brownies

1 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter
1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/3 cup all purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 13×9 inch metal pan.

Melt the butter in a microwave-safe mixing bowl. Whisk in the sugar, then whisk in the cocoa powder, followed by the vanilla extract and eggs. When mixture is smooth, add salt and baking powder and whisk thoroughly, breaking up any lumps in baking powder and taking care that it is thoroughly distributed. Scrape sides of bowl and stir (do not beat) in the flour. Pour into pan and spread to edges.

Bake on center rack of oven for 20-22 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out with moist crumbs. Cool completely before slicing.


Kabob Marinade

1 cup canola oil
3/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup prepared mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons coarsely cracked black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced

In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the oil, soy sauce, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, ground black pepper, and garlic. Mix well, and add your favorite 2 lbs of meat. Seal the bag, and marinate in the refrigerator for 4 to 24 hours.

Latest blooms

Passion Flower

From flowers

And this water lily sprouted up, we never saw it flower last year.

From flowers

Triple digits

Yesterday was the hottest day so far this year, what do we do? Yardwork. Frank trimmed all the palms and trees in the backyard. I was the clean up crew. We have a large pile for the garbagemen to take and another massive pile on the side of the house that we'll slowly put out to the curb each garbage day. We can't overwhelm the garbagemen, otherwise they won't take any of it. The trees look taller and nicely manicured. After another day or two tending to the vines and fallen leaves, the backyard will be set for summer.

Even though we worked all day it still felt like a leisurely Sunday. We dipped in the pool regularly to keep cool. The water temp has been great, we've been able to maintain 82 degrees with ease.

It definitely feels like summer has arrived. And I love it! We've been grilling everyday. The other night we took the Firebird out and cruised out to the Hoover Dam. That bypass project is extraordinary. Between that and the dam, both are sights to be seen. The drive was great, there's nothing better than cruising with the t-tops off and feeling that warm breeze across your face.

On the way back from the dam we visited an old friend, the Skyline Casino on Boulder Hwy. Before we moved, every vacation we'd hit the Skyline for dinner. They had the best deal in town, a 20oz porterhouse steak with baked potato and salad bar for $4.95. They had the best dinner rolls, too. I can't tell you how often Frank and I sat in our Lansing (IL) apartment wishing we could dig into the Skyline steak dinner. I think we even booked a trip or two as a result. Then, after we moved, we drove clear across town regularly for that steak special, the price went up a couple bucks over the years, but it was still a great deal. We'd hang out while waiting for a table or after dinner and play $2 blackjack or try our luck at slots and video poker. Usually we'd break even. It was surefire goodtime. About a year later, the casino started sprucing itself up, I think it changed hands... the porterhouse special was replaced by some shitty hunk'o meat and they raised the price another dollar. The value was gone. It was no longer worth the drive clear across town.

It's been four or five years since we've been back. Frank convinced me to stop in and play. We walked through the doors and not a thing has changed. Smoke still filled the air, coins, yes, actual coins dropped out of machines - it was music to my ears. Full pay video poker was plentiful and there was one $3 blackjack table. Frank hit four of a kind on Double Bonus, his jackpot dropped one quarter at a time filling the slot bucket. He didn't even need a hopper fill, he was a winner twofold. Next we played Joker Poker with the double up option. We LOVED the double up feature, years ago, we played for hours at Treasure Island and Sahara. The extra gamble was always fun. All in all, we had an enjoyable time visiting our old friend. It reminded me of a time when things were simpler - maybe the were, maybe they weren't, but it was nice to recall old memories; and see not everything changes, although, it's too bad that 20oz porterhouse dinner isn't still around.

From the Skyline we drove up to the Eastside Cannery. It was one casino opening we missed since living here. We're not out that way often so I suggested we check it out. Frank made bets for the Preakness then we tried our luck with slots, video poker and keno. There was no luck to be had, in fact I witnessed the poorest luck I've ever seen. Frank sat down at a penny slot, he played ten dollars and barely hit any paylines, eventually losing it all. Then, he moved to the machine right next to it and spun over and over again without a single win until his ten dollars was gone. Usually they throw you bone and you'll get at least one bet back, but not this time, he won zero credits. We lost another $20 playing keno and then hightailed it out of there. The casino is just like the original Cannery. Just another casino, it doesn't offer anything I can't get close to home. The only chance we'd go back was to cash in Frank's Preakness bets, but those tickets were losers. We won't be back.

We headed back home after that, it wasn't long before the grumpiness from our losses was replaced with joy from that warm breeze gently dancing across our faces as we passed the neon and city lights. Oh yeah, summer has arrived.

I'm a mess

Even though I started feeling a bit better yesterday I kept my appointment with the ENT doc. I still have congestion and I have discomfort in my right ear. The doctor took one look at me and couldn't see much of anything, I was too swollen and too congested. Also, it turns out I'm experiencing hearing loss it's likely it'll return once I clear up. I was given a handful of prescriptions and was told to come back in a week. Hopefully, then, he'll be able to take a look, and we'll go from there.

No wonder I was so miserable the last week. The fun couldn't end there, no, I was left with a parting gift, too.

His office is by UMC; parking is minimal, I decided to use the metered parking - I had enough quarters for an hour, I figured that would be enough. There was a long wait and my hearing test took up time I hadn't counted on, I was 15-minutes late. What should've cost a quarter is costing me twenty bucks. Yep, I got a parking citation. City of Las Vegas wastes no time when it comes to making a dime.

You bet your ass I'm loading that meter up next week. I'd rather fork over an extra fifty cents than give the city another Jackson.

Hoover Dam Bypass

From hoover dam bypass

I haven't been by the dam in over a year, but a co-worker shared this photo with me today. I couldn't believe how far they've come. Impressive!

WTF?

Courtesy of awkwardfamilyphotos.com

Check it out, there are some real treasures.