Idiotic App Gamers

I can't believe some of the complaints I just read on the app-download site for a game app called Big Fish Casino. People are complaining because they can't seem to be able to win on the app's games.

One person said she had bought a "couple of hundred dollars" worth of chips when the free ones they supplied ran out. And then, she carped, the company had the nerve to "steal" the gold she bought by not letting her win.

Another player said he spent more than $900 on gold coins (virtual coins, mind you) with the same result – he lost them all.

Geez Louise ... How can people be so stupid? Do they not have any self-control? If you like playing the game, just reduce the wager drastically so you can play longer and for crissakes, don't buy any credits when they offer them to you. Just say "No" and delete the friggin' game.

We live in a world of free will, but that doesn't mean you gotta be stupid about it and end up blaming the game company for your losses. You've only joined the ranks of those who smoke and blame the tobacco companies for your addiction.

I play iPad games and once bought 200,000 credits for $20. Never did it again, because I figured out how I could get more just by being patient and better managing the amount I "wagered" each time.

And, my one-time $20 "splurge" sure doesn't compare to the female's $200, not to mention the guy's $900. Stupid is, as stupid does.

Fall Produce Displays

I love it when Fall rolls around and the supermarkets begin displaying traditional Fall veggies in their aisles.

We encountered some beautiful displays during one of our sojourns to Safeway in Fremont in late September. So I share with you:

 

 

 

 

Doesn't it make you feel like turning on the kitchen light and start cooking?

San Jose to Honolulu First-Class Flight

As usual, I checked in online for our Hawaiian Airlines return flight from San Jose to Honolulu, in hopes of being able to secure a first-class upgrade to first-class.

I like doing it this way. Although you take a chance that the first-cabin will be filled, if you can secure seats, they are cheaper than buying a first-class round-trip ticket from the start. Plus you only pay the reduced price one-way.

And as usual, I have observations:

No First-Class Lounge: Hawaiian Airlines doesn't have a first-class lounge at Norman Mineta San Jose International Airport, and its first-class passengers do not have privileges at The Club at SJC, as they do at The Club at LAS in McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas.

Rats. They really should do something about that. Maybe we should fly into Oakland International Airport from now on?

Why the Delay? Our flight had a scheduled 41-minute delay. Once we were in the air, the captain explained over the PA. Many flights came into San Jose late last night, resulting in landing backups.

The Transportation Safety Agency requires flight crews to get a certain amount of sleep, so crews must remain at their hotel accommodations for at least a specified amount of time before heading for the airport. Our crew arrived a little earlier due to good traffic conditions, so the actual delay was about 25 minutes.

What? No Female Flight Attendants? When the crew arrived, I didn't see any women in the bunch. So I thought there would be no wahine attendants on board. As it turned out, they must have arrived separately. So now I wonder, was there a boys' bus and a girls' bus?

And why did I notice that? I think I've turned into a dirty old man since retirement.

First-Class Meal: As usual, we ordered different appetizers and entrees so we could taste everything. The wife had the Mesclun Greens with Bay Shrimp appetizer and the Stir Fry Tofu entree; I had the Chopped Chicken Lettuce Wraps and the Soud Vide Short Ribs entree.

Mesclun Greens with Bay Shrimp

 

Chopped Chicken Lettuce Wraps

 

Stir Fry Tofu

 

Soud Vide Short Ribs

The meals were excellent, especially mine. The chicken wrap was mighty good, albeit a bit spicy (too hot for the wife), that resulted in a pleasant burn in the mouth and throat that went away after a few minutes. And the short ribs, oh my, one of the better airplane meals I've had. What looked like a bread pudding topped with beef turned out to be all short rib meat.

When we finished half of our appetizers, we switched plates. With the entrees, we just swiped tastes from each other's plates.

Lemon Cheesecake with
Macadamia Nuts

Dessert was a light and creamy lemon cheesecake with hidden macadamia nut bits, along with a spot of hot green tea. Beats the chicken or pasta in economy by a long shot.

Hot Towel: That was the hottest, wettest hot towel ever given to me near the end of a flight. Hoowee, that was hot and drippy!

Tiny Little Critters

If you've been reading my blog posts, you know that I have this fascination with tiny little critters that can be found in backyards if you just keep your eyes open. Of course, you have to accept that you're going to get thorn scratches and maybe even insect bites.

On an early excursion into the back terrace deck of my son's new home in Fremont, California, I did a mini-teeny safari.

Didn't find a heck of a lot this time, but I did see a leaf hopper on a fence post and a whole bunch of little spiders in the hedges.

The spiders, especially, fascinated me. Their webs were actually like sheets of white on the hedge, with a little funnel leading into the plant where the spiders lay in wait.

All I can say is, that leaf hopper had better not hop around in the hedges, or it's going to end up as spider lunch.

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