Classes

Today was the first day of class. We've got a four hour a day math class for the next three weeks before the fall semester starts. From what I can tell, only about a third of these math classes will be beneficial to me in consumer behavior. The first two weeks are basically alot of math for economics - stuff nobody should be subjected to. The last week will be statistics - something that I'll have to use in the coming years.

A little about the classmates, even though I don't really know any of them after only the one day. There are 15 total first year PhD students at USC in all the fields combined, with 3 in marketing. So far, everyone seems nice, especially the two other marketing people. But then again, it was only one day! Seriously, though, it seems like a good group. We went around and introduced ourselves and there were a lot of impressive resumes - it seemed like almost everyone already had a Masters degree of some kind.

The next step for me is finding a Casey here at USC. He'll be visiting later this week - six days after moving in I get my first houseguest - maybe I'll convince him to stay...

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I'm here

I'm actually in LA... yipee!!! All my stuff arrived today. I actually had the movers, the fridge delivery guy, and somebody to fix my kitchen sink at the same time.

The apartment itself is nice. I really like it here so far. I haven't met any of the neighbors yet, but I've said "Hi" to a couple as we crossed paths. So far, they seem friendly.

I made a trip out to USC to get my parking pass for the rest of the summer. While there, I got my ID card made. Now I'm official. I'll really feel official when classes start Monday.

But first, I get to unpack!

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Last day

Today is my last day in Las Vegas before the big move to LA. I got a confirmation call today that my stuff will arrive at my new apartment on Friday. That means I'll leave Vegas sometime tomorrow morning so I can pick up my apartment keys. Friday I'll get my stuff and head to USC to have a look around before classes on Monday.

I also have to make a trip to Home Depot to find myself a refrigerator. That's right... my apartment has no fridge. I found it strange, but a lot of the places I looked at had no fridge. I assume they don't want to have to do repairs on them and would rather have tenants take responsibility for them.

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Winding down

I officially have one more week of my laid back summer. My moving company called to tell me my stuff will arrive in LA next Friday. Required summer math classes begin the following Monday.

That means I've got one more week to live it up in Vegas. I'll let you know if I survive.

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Phantom - The Las Vegas Spectacular

Last night, I went with my family to see Phantom - The Las Vegas Spectacular at the Venetian, a shortened (1 1/2 hour) version of the Andrew Lloyd Webber's original Phantom of the Opera. It was by far the best show I've seen in Vegas. Not that I've seen that many shows, but I definitely liked Phantom more than O, Mystere, or Blue Man Group.

Everything was incredible - the cast, the set, the stage, the theater, the orchestra, the chandelier. From the moment you step into the custom built $40 million theater (yes, $40 million), you are completely surrounded by the Vegas Spectacular - the chandelier is in pieces on the stage and suspended above the audience, while the walls are covered in drab sheets as if you were stepping into the abandoned opera house.

After the show opens with the familiar auction scene, the audience is transported further back in time to when the opera house was in its full glory. The chandelier begins to float above the audience before reassembling itself in its place in the center of the theater. The drab wall coverings are removed to reveal late 1800s theater goers in their seats watching the show.

On stage, the sets are absolutely amazing. The detail and intricacy of the design is beautiful. Set decorations come and go from seemingly everywhere, even from under the stage. The most unbelievable set was the exterior of the opera. As grand and extravagant as it was, the entire facade was on stage for maybe a minute. It was something they could have skimped on or skipped altogether (moving the scene inside), but instead the producers went all out.

The show itself was also unbelievable. The cast was fantastic. The show has two people playing the Phantom, Christine, and Carlotta for different shows, apparently mixing and matching them to give their voices some needed rest for the 8 show a week schedule in the 100 degree weather of Las Vegas. The Phantom and Christine I saw were amazing, capturing the romance and emotion of their roles.

The part we were waiting for, of course, was the falling chandelier. It's one of the scenes that people remember about the show. The Phantom makes the chandelier fall on the audience during a performance, and that's exactly what they did for the Vegas Spectacular. We were sitting in row M right in the middle and were shocked to see the chandelier falling towards our heads! Fantastic! It didn't fall on the stage or off to the side somewhere, but right onto us!

Again, this was probably the best show I've ever seen anywhere. I haven't seen Phantom on Broadway, but the Vegas version would be almost impossible to beat. I don't know if the Broadway show would be able to duplicate some of the effects they were able to pull off in Vegas. Also, the shortening of the show probably was an improvement. It took out a lot of the needless spoken dialogue and cut to the chase, making the show more of a true musical with almost everything sung.

If you're in Vegas and are going to see one show, I would definitely recommend Phantom. You really can't go wrong with any of the major Vegas shows, but watching a bunch of Cirque du Soleil acrobats in tights gets old. For excitement, drama, and a great show, check out Phantom.

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Wie too soon

I have no doubt that Michelle Wie has the talent to be one of the best female golfers of all time. She even has a decent chance at dominating golf - both men's and women's - for years to come. The problem is that she's not ready.

This weekend, she tried again to make the cut at a men's event, the John Deere Classic. She was the biggest name at the event and brought tons of attention to a tournament that is usually overlooked since the top players are taking the week off to get ready for the British Open. Unfortunately for her, she wasn't doing well at all and ended up withdrawing due to heat exhaustion during the second day.

She has enough talent to do well against this field, but she's not ready. Who can blame her? She's only 16 years old and trying to do what no other woman has been able to do on the men's tour: succeed.

She's got tons of fans wanting to see her win, but just as many people rooting against her. Supporters talk about her being more successful at her age than Tiger Woods. Detractors say she's taking away spots from more deserving male players and should play on the women's tour.

I, for one, would like to see her succeed against the men. Unlike the other professional sports, golf is a no-contact sport where success is completely based on individual performance. She doesn't have to worry about men crashing into her or rely on men accepting her as a teammate. She just has to play.

But she needs time to develop her game - especially her mental game. What sets Tiger Woods apart from other golfers isn't just his skill, but his mind. He knows he's going to win. He's confident and fearless. Wie is 16 and has yet to develop that type of toughness. I think she tries too hard to make every shot perfect and puts too much pressure on herself, which hurts her game.

For now, I think the best thing for her to do would be to stick to either junior golf or the women's tour. Tiger remained an amateur through college and absolutely dominated. When he became a pro, he was mentally ready.

If Michelle Wie took the time necessary to develop her mind, she would ready herself for the pressure of the PGA Tour. Although she hasn't won an LPGA event, she's had some success, especially in the major tournaments. That's where she should be for now - playing where she can learn to dominate. In no way am I saying the LPGA is a minor league or inferior - it would be a place where Michelle Wie could play without constantly being under a microscope.

My fear is that if she keeps trying to compete on the PGA Tour as a teenager, she may never develop a killer instinct and could instead completely destroy her self-confidence.

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Lazy days of summer

As I make the transition from being a student in Rochester to a student at USC, I don't have a lot of worries. Heading into the summer, my only major concern was that I needed to find an apartment, which I did a couple weeks ago.

I honestly now have just about nothing to do. I've done a little reading - some journals, magazines, and online stuff. I've seen a couple movies. I've hung out with some friends. I've spent time with the family.

I've been trying to figure out what to write on this blog, but ideas have been few and far between - mostly because nothing is going on in my life. I'm in a holding pattern until I get a phone call from my moving company telling me when my stuff will arrive in LA. The only thing I know is that it will be sometime during the next two weeks.

Now I'm off to go out by the pool... it's a rough life.

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National League failure

I've always been a National League fan - as a Dodger fan, I'm by default an NL fan - but it's starting to get depressing. Ok, maybe not starting... it's been depressing for a while. We've been getting our butts kicked fairly soundly in the World Series and interleague games. The worst part has been the All Star Game. The National League lost again tonight, dropping us to 0-9-1 since 1996. That's just sad.

I know the managers in the All Star Game don't take things too seriously, even though the claim to, but Phil Garner screwed up the end of the game. Down 3-2 in the bottom of the ninth with two outs and a runner on second, he played for the win. He sent up Carlos Lee and his .290 batting average and 28 home runs, hoping he'd hit one out to give the NL the win. On the bench, he had the National League's best hitter, Nomar Garciaparra, as well as Dan Uggla and Scott Rolen, both of whom are better hitters than Lee.

Normally, you don't ever pinch hit for Carlos Lee. But this was the All Star Game and he had a bench full of All Stars! Had he sent up Nomar, who is absolutely clutch at the end of the game, Nomar would have doubled to tie the game. Next up would have been Miguel Cabrera, who would have knocked in Nomar. Game over. NL wins. No doubt about it.

In other Dodger All Star news - Brad Penny was absolutely incredible. He didn't have to worry about throwing 100 pitches, so he just let loose, hitting the high 90s with his fastball. He didn't throw a bad pitch in his two innings - not even the home run he gave up to Vladimir Guerrero. That was a 98 mph fastball at chin level that 99.9% of the time is either a weak pop fly or a strikeout. Guerrero is just that good of a hitter. If the Dodgers had better starting pitchers, I'd think about making Penny the closer! Then LA fans would be asking, "Gagne who?"

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Three out of four

Aw crikey!

As you know, I have four readers/friends. Of course, that's not counting the guy who googles that celebrity I was courting. (I won't publish her name again. That would seem desperate... I'm now playing hard to get.)

Now Scott has officially started blogging.

Scott is one of my four friends. Since Casey & Adora know him from Rochester, this post is technically only aimed at Aaron...

Aaron, if you want to hear some crazy Australian ramble on about soccer, rugby, shrimp on the barbie, Crocodile Dundee, koalas, Aborigines, or finance, this is definitely the site for you...

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Meteorology - Vegas style

One of the things I like in Vegas is the predictability of the weather during the summer. It's going to be hot and it's going to be sunny.

Here is your guide to becoming a Vegas meteorologist:
Weather conditions - Put up a yellow circle representing sunny.
High Temperature - Choose a number above 100.
Repeat for five day forecast.

As an example, here is the forecast for the coming week in Vegas from weather.com:

Monday - Sunny - 103
Tuesday - Sunny - 105
Wednesday - Sunny - 104
Thursday - Sunny - 106
Friday - Sunny - 107

See how easy it is? As a warning, don't try this somewhere else. In Rochester, you actually have to pay attention. Plus, the weather's not as nice...

Monday - T-Storms - 79
Tuesday - Partly Cloudy - 83
Wednesday - T-Storms - 81
Thursday - Scattered T-Storms - 83
Friday - Isolated T-Storms - 88

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Viva Italia!

I'm very happy that Italy won the World Cup, but that was a strange finale.

France scored on a penalty kick that shouldn't have been called in the first half. France seemed to dominate the second half, but couldn't score. Most of the best scoring chances seemed to have been for Italy. (That one may be a little subjective since I was rooting for Italy.)

But the oddest thing was Zinedine Zidane of France channeling the spirit of Andre the Giant and head-butting the chest of Italy's Marco Materazzi in the second overtime period. It was probably one of the stupidest plays I've ever seen. I don't know if he thought he'd get away with it or not, but since he's retiring, he probably thought, "Why not? They can't suspend me!" Yeah, but they can give you a red card and kick you out of the match, meaning that Zidane wasn't available for the penalty kicks to decide the game. What a bonehead.

Ultimately, though, Italy won 5-3 on penalty kicks. Viva Italia!!!

Now I can go on and completely ignore soccer for another four years until the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. (Ok... I may watch the women in two years.)

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Coppa del Mondo!!!

I can't believe that I'm actually excited about soccer.

Ok... maybe not World Series or Super Bowl excited, but I am looking forward to the World Cup Final.

Hopefully, Italy will walk away with the win over France tomorrow, taking the Coppa del Mondo (Italian for World Cup).

I've got the Italy shirt and scarf that my sister brought from Germany ready. (Since it is July and I'm in Vegas, I probably won't actually wear the scarf.)

Viva Italia!

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Gagne's back!

That's a headline I was hoping to write for a while. I just expected it to have a different meaning.

Instead of celebrating the return of Eric Gagne to the Dodgers following more elbow problems, the headline refers to the fact that he underwent back surgery to fix a herniated disc and won't be able to play again this season.

Unfortunately, this most likely means the end of his career as a Dodger. They will probably buy out the last year of his contract for $1 million instead of paying him the full $12 million he's owed for next year. There is a chance that he could re-sign with the team for less money. We'll see. His agent is Scott Boras, the toughest in baseball, whose players always seem to be paid more than they're worth.

Sadly, I don't know what to think. Gagne has been able to play for about one month out of the past two years, so it's not like I've been used to seeing him play. The Dodgers have been without him all year, so at least it won't make a huge impact on the team.

But it's still a sad day for the Dodgers. Arguably the most popular Dodger of the past few years has almost certainly played his last game for the team.

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A bit of irony

In yesterday's edition of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, there was an ad for a job fair coming up next week at the Stardust Hotel & Casino.

Normally, this wouldn't be anything that would catch my eye, except for the fact that the Stardust is set for implosion and will be closing at the end of the year!

I wonder if the first people in line at the job fair won't be the hotel's employees themselves

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Fireworks everywhere

We went to watch the fireworks tonight from the top of the garage of a local casino near the edge of town. From there, we had a view of the entire western half of the Las Vegas Valley (the eastern half gets blocked by the buildings on the Strip).

We knew there were fireworks at a few places in town, so we were hoping to get a good look at them. Little did we know how many there would be!

It seemed like everywhere we looked, there were fireworks going off. And not your launch-from-the-backyard type of fireworks. These were professional type. It seemed that most of the casinos - local and on the Strip - had some sort of show, as well as fireworks at many parks throughout town.

While we didn't get an exact count, there were dozens of displays. I'd estimate there were 40-50, but possibly more. Just incredible. I don't know how many people went to each of these shows, but if you wanted to, you could easily have found one.

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American Pastime

Happy 4th of July!

Today I plan on celebrating our nation's independence with hot dogs, hamburgers, fireworks, and... soccer?!?

Yep. Germany & Italy play this afternoon in the World Cup semifinals.

But have no fear... I'm also planning on watching the Dodgers and Diamondbacks play baseball this evening.

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Wild Kingdom in the backyard

My parents' place is towards the edge of Vegas, not necessarily close to the Strip and every once in a while, we get a reminder of how close we are to nature. Usually, this amounts to the occasional bunny hopping through the backyard.

This morning, though, it felt as though we were watching Wild Kingdom from the comfort of our kitchen. This guy showed up:



Our initial thought was that it was some sort of hawk. We were close... it turns out it's actually a falcon - American Kestrel. It's the smallest and most common of the North American falcons.

And if you look closely, you can see he's got lunch in his talons! He's got a hold of half of some sort of animal that he's getting ready to eat.

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Headed to Vegas

Right now, somewhere over the Atlantic, my little sister is on a plane heading toward Vegas. Except for a short time in 2002-03, she's been living in Europe since 2000. Since I haven't made it to Europe lately and she's only rarely been to the US, I haven't seen her in over three years. She'll be in town for most of the time that I'm here in Vegas.

Strangely enough, I'm excited to see her...

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