Phone Pix 8: Happy Halloween!

'Tis the season! Have a ghoulishly spooktacular Halloween, my friends!

Shelf Display, Safeway, Fremont Hub, Sept. 26, 2013

Shelf Display, Safeway, Fremont Hub, Sept. 26, 2013

Shelf Display, Safeway, Manoa Marketplace, Oct. 17, 2013

Shelf Display, Safeway, Manoa Marketplace, Oct. 17, 2013

Shelf Display, Safeway, Manoa Marketplace, Oct. 17, 2013

Shelf Display, Safeway, Manoa Marketplace, Oct. 17, 2013

 

Halloween Candy Boxes, See's Candy Ala Moana Center, Oct. 22, 2013

 

Window Display, St. Germaine Bakery, Ala Moana Center, Oct. 22, 2013

 

Window Display, St. Germaine Bakery, Ala Moana Center, Oct. 22, 2013

Big Wins!

Slot Bonanza Jackpot

Slots Pharoah's Way Jackpot

I don't know about you, but I play games on my iPad. Two of my favorites are Slot Bonanza and Slots Pharoah's Way. Both are very spectacular in their graphics, and every once in a while, you can hit a big win on them.

And the best part? Even if you run your balance down to zero, you can get extra credits just by turning on the game every few hours. Or, if you're so inclined and greedy, you can purchase credits.

Slot Bonanza will give you about 1,400 extra creditss every three hours, plus a daily bonus that ranges from 200 to 2,000 points, plus another bonus every four days. Slots Pharoah's Way awards you 1,500 points every four hours.

It's gotten so that when I wake up early in the morning to empty my bladder, I turn on the iPad and collect my credits before going back to bed.

Addicted? Nah ... how can that be?

Fonky Wendy's

 

No big deal here, just a fonky funky-looking Wendy's in Fremont, across the street from the Claim Jumper Restaurant in the Pacific Commons commercial area.

Wendy's is usually very conservative in its restaurant architecture. I wonder why they went 'way out in left field when they designed this one.

Fonkey, fonkey!

Clean Entertainment

This isn't anything new. I'm sure you've been in a hotel room where there's a TV set in the bathroom, sometimes even in the little room with the toilet, so you can watch a program (or two) while doing your business.

I don't normally take a tub bath, so the bathroom television monitor at the Red Rock Resort didn't interest me at all. Still, it was a nice amenity for anyone who values such things.

See, the big problem I have with TV monitors over the bath tub is, what if it should come loose and fall into the water while you're in there? Now that's one helluva shocking experience for sure.

Nope. Give me a big shower stall with a very large shower head that makes you feel as though you're in a rainstorm. And put the TV monitor in the room with the toilet, not over the bath tub. That's good enough for me.

Siegfried & Roy’s Secret Garden

 

Wanna see big cats up close and personal? Then the place to go is Siegfried & Roy’s Secret Garden at the Mirage Resort (y’know, the one with the spectacular fake volcano in the middle of the Las Vegas Strip).

Master illusionists Siegfried Fischbacher and Roy Horn (born “Uwe Ludwig Horn”) performed for years at the Mirage, bringing on stage with them their pet white lions and white tigers. I’ve seen their show a couple of times and it was pretty spectacular.

Unfortunately, during a show in 2003, Roy Horn was bitten on the neck by Montecore, a 7-year-old white tiger, causing copious blood loss and critical injuries. Six years later, Siegfried & Roy, along with Montecore, appeared on stage to benefit the Lou Ruvo Brain Institute.

To get to the Secret Garden, one has to go through the Dolphin Habitat, which I talked about yesterday. There is a separate entrance where you go through a photo booth and have your picture taken; when you leave, they insert your image on a number of backgrounds and you can purchase prints if you are co inclined.

The Secret Garden is home several big cats – lions, tigers and leopards. Unfortunately, they are behind fences, which get in the way of taking spectacular pictures. Too often, the camera focuses on the metal fence instead of the beautiful animals. Oh well, that’s what I get for not having the right equipment.

Heterosygous Golden Tiger

Leopard

Strip White Tiger

Strip White Tiger

Sleeping Snow White Tiger

I don’t know why, but I didn’t take any pictures of the white lions. Looks like I might have to go back.

So … was I inclined to purchase one of the tourist-trap pictures? You bet your sweet bippy I was.

 

The Dolphin Habitat at the Mirage

I can’t remember how long it had been since the wife and I first visited the Dolphin Habitat at the Mirage Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. I’m thinking it was around 20 years ago, which is possible since Siegfried & Roy first started performing there in 1990.

The Dolphin Habitat is actually a preliminary attraction and a prelude to Siegfried & Roy’s Secret Garden, home of tigers, panthers, leopards and lions, not to mention the white tigers and white lions for which they are famous.

 

The habitat is home to Atlantic bottlenose dolphins, most of which were born in the facility, in one of three pools – the Birth and Research Pool, the Center Pool, and the Main Pool. Guess which one the newcomers were born in. Yep, you got that right.

 

Somehow, what I really remember from my two visits spaced 20 years apart, is that both times it was hot. Really hot. Why do I do this to myself? I should have waited until my winter visit to check it out again. I’m a sucker for doing that … remember when I took that jetboat ride down to Lake Havasu City in the middle of August when the temperature in Las Vegas and Lake Havasu City was around 115˚?

 

Be that as it may, I did enjoy wandering around and watching the trainers at work, all the while trying to keep the water from splashing onto my camera (they warn you about that).

 

It’s also eye-popping to check out the underwater viewing tunnel. The dolphins swim right up to the window and awe the kids standing there, as well as the parents carrying them. And yes, I was awed too. Couldn’t help it, the dolphins eye you and smile at you as though they know exactly what you’re thinking.

I’d go back, but I guarantee you it won’t be in the summer again.

Tomorrow: Siegfried & Roy’s Secret Garden

 

Where Hawaii Ranks 23 (Porn Visits)

Lookie, lookie at what I found. This “Where Hawaii Ranks” entry deserves a post all its own. The source is the adult video site, Pornhub, 2013.

The Curmudgeon Association on Facebook posted a graph of the average pornsite visit duration by state, and Hawaii ranks second in the Top 5 pack, alongside a bunch of Southern states.

Hawaii porn-site visitors stayed an average of nearly 12 minutes per visit. That’s just a few less than Mississippi. The #3-#5 states are Arkansas, Alabama and Louisiana.

So what are the Top Three search terms used by Hawaii residents? “Asian,” “Hawaii” and “Creampie.”

The state with the shortest average visit is Rhode Island at about 7 minutes.

I kid you not. Now don’t you go visiting Pornhub just because I mentioned it!

That Earl ... He Knows!

 

I showed this to the wife and told her Earl was right because in our family, we each have our own TV sets. She wasn't amused. I wonder why?

Stalking Brussels Sprouts

 

Check this out. It's a big ol' stalk of Brussels sprouts that the wife and I found at Trader Joe's in Fremont, California.

I've seen these before, but never bought them. I think it was at the Trader Joe's in San Jose where we first encountered this unusual veggie stalk. Why we didn't get one, I don't know. Maybe it was because we were leaving the next day? Could be.

Anyway, this time, I bought one, figuring we could cook 'em all up and munch on them over the next few days (hot for dinner, then cold for munchies throughout the day, dipped in a soy and mayonnaise sauce).

It turns out nobody really cares for Brussels sprouts the way I do, and it was impossible for me to eat the buds all by myself. The wife ate some, but those tiny little cabbages, when cut off the stem, were one heck of a pile of veggies. I'd say there were two pounds of the stuff.

Be that as it may, it didn't stop me from enjoying them. I wonder if they're still in the fridge at my son's house. I doubt it. Probably tossed out with the garbage.

But they sure were good eating.

Funny (To Us) Signs from India 4

Here we go again, it's the final batch of those funny signs from India that has had us giggling for months. Hilarity aside, one has to admire the folks in India for trying hard. Okay, you can laugh now. LOL.

 

Heavenly Clouds

My usual choice in airline seats is an aisle seat as it gives me a bit more room (as long as I watch out for the aisle carts that always tend to rap me on the elbow).

However, on my return trip from Las Vegas last month, the only open first-class seat available on Hawaiian Airlines when I checked in and upgraded was a window seat.

It turned out okay, as it usually does, and the great thing about it was that I had some beautiful views of the clouds as we passed over the desert and the ocean. It's remarkable how the formations can mesmerize and transport a person into another world.

So I took some pictures. Here are a few:

 

Phone Pix 7: Las Vegas Red Rock Resort

As is my habit nowadays, I took some random smart phone pictures at the Red Rock Resort during my latest trip to Las Vegas. The first was taken on Sept. 2, 2013, the rest were taken the next day, Sept. 3, 2013. Enjoy!

In-Room Snack Bar

 

Bathroom Art

 

Elevator Alcove Plant

 

Hachi Restaurant Bar

 

Sports Book Floral Arrangements

 

Tower Hallway

 

Hotel Lobby

 

Over-the-Bed Artwork

 

Red Rock Sports Book Screens