Bah humbug.

So aside from having the winter cold from HELL, today was supposed to be a pretty good day. I went Christmas shopping after work (the first shopping I've done all season, I might add) and got a surprising amount done.

Little bit of a backstory... so on Monday, I discovered the gift card I used at Nordstrom was never given back to me by the cashier. I called the store and they confirmed that my card was not given back to me, but they didn't know where the cashier put it. Well, today I called to see if they had found it because the dept. manager assured me it was there. Instead, the cashier herself gets on the phone and tells me, "Oh, I gave it to some lady who said she lost a gift card. There was no name on it." Of course there wasn't a name on it. IT'S A GIFT CARD.

The card should have had about $95 left on it. By the time I'm done messing with the folks at Nordstrom and called American Express to get a replacement, they tell me that the balance is now $24 and that they can send me a check for that amount. Let's just say I will be calling back that department manager at Nordstrom tomorrow. Oh, and this is the same Nordstrom where I worked as a Loss Prevention Agent. How's that for irony?

So after that phone call I decided to check my email and go to bed. Instead, I open my internet browser and have a big error message that says my internet has been disconnected and to call Cox Network Security. I do, and they tell me my email has been hacked and someone has been using it to send out spam. Awesome. Thankfully I don't use that email address for much, but I know that there was at least one email that contained my home address. Makes me thankful I got that home security system.

So yeah, people suck.

I'm really hoping something good happens between now and Saturday to get me back in the holiday spirit...

JM

I cannot believe it's been so long since I've posted. SO much has happened in the last 2 1/2 months.

First, I went to my ten year high school reunion. What a blast that was! Hung out with the girls: Talya, Angie B., Kareen and Amanda Kingsbury. Saw so many people I hadn't seen since graduation. Very glad I went.

Second, I went to Hawaii for 10 days! It was the best vacation I've ever had, hands down. I am truly in love with Kona, snorkeling, and sea turtles! Cannot wait to go back someday.

Third, and what I'm probably most proud of... I've lost 20 lbs! As most of you know, I started going to the gym regularly this year, and I joined Weight Watchers in August. My goal was to lose weight for the reunion and Hawaii, but instead I made a life change. My eating habits were completely unhealthy, and I couldn't stand the way I felt anymore. I've gone from a size 10/12 to a size 4/6. I never thought I would be able to do it, but OMG does it feel good. I have more confidence than I've had in a about 5 years. Going to meetings every week kept me accountable for the way I was eating, and that helped. They also helped me to read my body and stop eating when I was full instead of eating because there was food in front of me.

I have a horrible winter cold right now. I'll finish this post and add pictures when I'm feeling better...

What I've retained in ten years...

So my ten year high school reunion is this weekend. I cannot believe that it's been ten years, but even more than that, I can't believe how little I remember! I loved high school, but so much has happened since then, its become a big blur. I just looked at one of my yearbooks, and I can hardly remember some of the folks who signed it. I remember my close friends, of course. Even the ones I'm not so great at keeping in touch with. The inside jokes have faded, but I'm happy that I'll get to catch up on Saturday!

A few things I do remember....

Freshman year -- Meeting Angie B., meeting Eva and Rebecca and Jill and Kari and Jeff L., Mrs. Lewandowski's class and the long paper I did on the Nile River, my friend Jesse Haid (no idea what happened to her), my first year in choir and that "Rhythm of Life", Collin and the "choir room" joke, riding the bus to school, Sadie Hawkins, and 4 hour phone conversations with Ricky, Josh Miller breaking my foot and feeling horrible when I came to school on crutches, but then becoming one of my best friends.

Sophomore year -- Oh, the drama! French class with Talya, writing notes back and forth with Matt, therapy sessions with Jean, Women's Ensemble, the tennis team, getting rides to school with Jacob and Qyon, then breaking into my house when I would forget my key, hanging out in Kari's German class before I started second period, biology with Mr. Landorf, singing at the c/o '95 graduation in the gym because it was raining.

Junior year -- Honestly, this is year I remember least and I don't know why! I only had 5 classes and then I went to work, so that's really what I remember... I didn't like junior year much. Chemistry sucked, and so did French III. I do remember this is the year I earned my "Buffy" nickname from Asya...

Senior year -- My boys Josh and Jason, how I love you still! Bowling most days after school (when I wasn't working), my best friend Erin (love you lil' mama! Kiss Jaxon for me!), Vocal Ensemble - probably my favorite high school memory of all) with Mike "the leg-rubber", singing Samson with Talya, Mr Mitchell's (R.I.P., you are missed) class who I had to bribe Mr. Moore to put me in, homecoming with Jason Vahle (anyone know where he went?), prom and the fiasco that turned into, psychology class with Jessica and Veronica and some great peeps, dragging my poor friends to Applebees far too much (I'm very sorry for that!) and of course, the movie theater! But that went beyond high school (and is a story all its own)...

That's what I remember. I'm sure there is a lot that I need filled in for me... :P I'm so thankful that I keep in touch with most of the people mentioned above, and I hope to connect with those that I don't!

Here's to us, class of 1997! :) and all my loved ones from '95-'99! MWAH!

In no particular order...

My cat is snoring. Really loud. It's hilarious.

I'd like to tell one of my friends to quit being such a pompous ass. Seriously, get over yourself.

I met a very nice, real-life cowboy today. His name is KC Jones.

Getting a wisdom tooth pulled is not a great way to spend the weekend. More headaches than actual pain, but that just might be worse. And I wouldn't recommend taking painkillers after just a bowl of soup.

My house looks amazing right now. Thanks, mom!

Am loving a local magazine here in Vegas called (that you really wouldn't think I'd like) Racket. You should check it out.

That's it. That's all I got. Maybe I can fall asleep now...

What I'm up to...

I'm reading:




I'm listening to:


The last song on the album, "Gravity" is stunningly beautiful. I'm in love with the lyrics. I can't tell you how many times I've listened to this song.

I just bought:



These shoes. I have them in brown too. Aren't they cute?

Had the abolute best trip to California a couple of weeks ago. It was one of those weekends where I had plans and actually went through with all of them. Got to see everyone I wanted to see, did everything I wanted to do, and didn't stress about when I would make it back to Vegas. I'm officially addicted to the Garment District in L.A., though I think I've had my fill for a while. Went to the Orange County fair for the first time in almost ten years. It was crowded, but fun. Good food. Amanda and I went to the beach for the first time in ages. I think we talked for three hours straight.

Had my first event at work -- the Top Flite "You vs. Vegas" Million Dollar Putt at TI. Even got to stay overnight at TI -- their rooms are great! And the bed... I'd seriously buy one. It was horrible spending the night in such a wonderful bed and then having to get up at 5:30 a.m. to set up the event. We went to dinner at Social House which is a sushi restaurant with a balcony that overlooks the Sirens show. Yes, I even had sushi. I had a tuna roll, and a salmon avocado roll... I think. I also had some Kobe beef sliders... mmmm. Anyway the event went perfectly. I spent the evening making sure the talent -- two showgirls, a magician, a mobster, two Mystere artists, 11 Sirens, 9 pirates, and a "little person" -- didn't miss their cue. I know , only in Vegas, right?

I also cut my hair. I started growing it when Amanda got engaged, which was two years ago! So I've seen it long - well, long for me. And it's not really me. It wasn't bad. I LOVED wearing a long ponytail. But I think I look better with short hair...



The picture above is from my co-worker Andrea's birthday party at Sierra Gold. It was the first time I'd really hung out with the people from work. They're a fun crew!

JDM

6 a.m.

This is the scene outside my bedroom window. At 6:00 a.m. A full hour before my alarm goes off.



I hate Vegas.

JDM

I don't know about these...

Lucky Cat

Yup, that's exactly who you think it is! It's a good thing she's a cat. She'd be impossible now that she's famous. LOL Click on the article to read. Or visit www.luckydogmag.com and download the .PDF version. Thanks to editor-in-chief Michelle Danks-Costello for the opportunity!

So true, so true...

You know you live in Las Vegas when....

1. You have no idea what a scarf does, but think it looks good
2. You know how to get to any casino on the strip without taking Las Vegas Blvd
3. You know where the natural history museum, art museum and zoo are.
4. You can now predict where the construction signs will be misleadingly placed.
5. Stop signs and red lights mean very little.
6. The last time you went to the strip, your cousins were in town last summer.
7. You become nocturnal between the months of April to October.
8. You know the seasons: Really hot, 2 weeks of nice, not so hot, 2 weeks of nice.
9. Your favorite chocolate is Ethel M.
10. When you go to different cities, you're amazed things aren't open after 9 pm
11. You've never seen a closed gas station
12. You can get hard liquor any day of the week, any time of the day.
13. When arriving home from vacation the slot machines in McCarran are comforting
14. You laugh at people playing the slots at 7-11
15. You have no idea how a lottery works
16. What the hell is "last call?"
17. Your most prized possession as a Nevadan is your blue and white licence plate
18. You know the spaghetti bowl has nothing to do with food.
19. You know never to merge right when driving north on I-15, it'll end anyway.
20. You think a pile of rocks is a nice lawn. (and don't forget the astroturf!)
21. The term Lake Las Vegas doesn't seem redundant in the slightest. (I know this all too well)
22. You remember the ugly lion.
23. You give directions to your house based on location of closest casino. (That would be GVR!)
24. You need to walk through a casino to see a movie.
25. You go in circles through McCarran on purpose. (Every single time.)
26. You can spot a tourist from 3 miles away.
27. Limos are an everyday sighting.
28. You laugh at people taking pictures in front of the "welcome" sign.
29. You don't own an umbrella.
30. Sixty degrees is cold enough to wear a jacket.
31. You can wear pants in the summer and shorts in the winter.
32. You've never HAD to pay for parking.
33. You are outraged to pay more than $9.99 for prime rib and a lobster tail.
34. Imploding a casino is no big deal.
35. You remember when the 215 was a secret. (Sigh, those were the days.)
36. When at least one of the people in your neighborhood is a stripper.
37. You hate people that think you live in a hotel.
38. You get mad at drivers that don't know how to drive in construction traffic.
39. A desirable parking space is not the closest, but the one with some shade.
40. When nearly every single weekend involves someone's backyard, pool
and bbq.

The End of an Era

This saddens me greatly.

It's a boy... and a girl!

So many people have had babies in the last month -- Tiger Woods, Julia Roberts, Keri Russell, Kevin James, Eva Herzigova, Jaime Pressly, etc... but this post focuses on two very special babies:

First, as I posted a few weeks ago, The Mirage has welcomed a new baby dolphin. And now they have a name for him...

Please meet...

Sgt. Pepper!

The next baby has two of the most gorgeous parents in the world -- Jeff Gordon and Ingrid Vandebosch. Here are the first pictures of little miss Ella Sofia Gordon.

She is freakin' adorable! Congrats to Jeff and Ingrid!

JDM

Happy 4th of July!/Bullring Night of Fire

Shoe-Fleur

These are too much fun! -JDM

Michel Tcherevkoff:
“Shoe-Fleur: A Footwear Fantasy”

By Bija Gutoff

“Taking pictures of something that just exists was never interesting to me,” says Michel Tcherevkoff. “I’ve always gravitated to photography that’s more illustrative in nature, where I can create my own reality — with a twist.”

Obeying that inclination has served the Paris-born photographer well.

One day in his New York studio, having just shot a series of cosmetic ads for Prescriptives (Tcherevkoff is internationally recognized for his skill at creating visual metaphors for clients including Canon, L’Oreal, Maybelline and Valentino), he happened to glance at a photo of a leaf he’d used in the shoot.

“The print was lying upside down on a table,” he recounts, “and I said — although no one was listening to me — ‘Hey, that looks like a shoe!’”

Read the rest of the article here.

944 2nd Anniversary at Hard Rock Hotel

944 magazine had their 2nd anniversary party at the Hard Rock Hotel this weekend and I do mean PARTY. They had stuff going on everywhere in the hotel for three straight days. My co-workers and I hit up the concert by the pool on Friday night with Rocco DeLuca and She Wants Revenge. Their pool is really nice and it was nice to sit in the MGM MIRAGE cabana and dip my feet in one of the private pools. This job definitely has its perks!

On Saturday, I went to their Downlow Art Show to check out what they had from one of my favorites, Shag. I just missed the book signing (no times were given on any of the literature, but I'm over it) but I did get his book and got to see some of his work up close. I would have loved to have met Josh Agle (Shag) but I guess I will just have to make it to another showing! They had some great pieces there including one from another of my faves, Amanda Visell.

In other news, apparently one of the restaurants at the village caught fire right before the Three Dog Night concert this evening! Concert was cancelled, village evacuated, and there is extensive damage to the restaurant! CRAZY.

Kat McPhee at Mandalay Bay Beach

This was a party for Vegas Magazine that my friend Kristen invited me to last weekend. I'd never been to Mandalay's pool (beach, actually). Kat's absolutely gorgeous in person and put on a pretty good show! I'm listening to her CD as I write this and it's not bad!

Not even failed inspection can bring down Gordon

Cup champ says birth of daughter best day of his life

By David Caraviello, NASCAR.COM
June 22, 2007
09:04 PM EDT

SONOMA, Calif. -- Jeff Gordon didn't want to leave.

NASCAR's newest father sat in a New York hospital room, cradling his newborn daughter in his arms. It wasn't easy to put her down and leave for Infineon Raceway, site of this weekend's Nextel Cup event.

"I was holding her and she was sleeping in my arms right before I left the hospital," he said Friday. "I did not want to leave. That's why I'm excited about being here, because I want to get out there and get this race over as fast as I can. I want to get it done faster than anyone else and get back to my little girl and Ingrid."


Gordon, Johnson fail initial inspection
Jeff Gordon had to answer questions about his No. 24 Chevy after his and Jimmie Johnson's cars were parked due to failing initial inspection for the COT race at Sonoma.

Complete story, click here
Gordon and his wife, Belgian model Ingrid Vandebosch, celebrated the birth of daughter Ella Sofia on Wednesday. The baby was breach -- turned backward in the mother's womb -- so Vandebosch underwent a Caesarean section. That morning on the way to the hospital, her water broke.

"It is absolutely incredible," Gordon said. "I expected it to change my life, but I never had any clue of how it was going to, but it has. It's just things are different now, in a great way, though. It was just probably the best day of my life."

The timing of the procedure allowed Gordon plenty of time to get to Sonoma for Sunday's race. Not even the news that his No. 24 car had failed inspection -- because of a modification to the front fender, it was parked for opening practice and qualifying -- could dampen his mood (NASCAR Today). Every time he flipped open his cell phone, he saw a photo of his baby's face.

"Every time I open my phone, it puts a smile on my face," he said. "With everything that's happening here today, as devastating as it is for me, there's nothing that's going to bring me down today. More important things in life are at the top of my list."

Like diapers, which Gordon is already willingly changing on a daughter that shows signs of having her daddy's dark hair. One of the first things he did after waking up Friday morning was call Ingrid and Ella. Hendrick Motorsports teammate Casey Mears could sense Gordon's giddiness on the helicopter ride to the racetrack.

"He's just so excited about it," Mears said. "It's just great seeing him so excited. He was so happy this morning coming in. On the helicopter coming in, we were just talking about the whole experience. I just couldn't be happier for him and Ingrid. Obviously, they're going to have a lot of fun."

Mears doesn't believe fatherhood will dull his teammate's competitive instincts.

"People have different drives and different reasons for the success they've had over the years," he said. "This may change obviously the way he thinks, but I don't think in the least bit it's going to sacrifice his talents or the way he focuses on racing. He might have some new inspirations for doing well. He's always been successful and hugely talented, and he has a new chapter in his life now he's enjoying."

Mother and baby are scheduled to come home from the hospital Saturday. Gordon can't wait to get back to New York and join them.

"You go through so many different emotions," he said. "You're excited, you're scared, and then once she's there and you hear her cry and take that first breath, you're just overwhelmed with emotion. It was just an incredible feeling."

Welcome Ella Sofia Gordon!

New Baby Dolphin at The Mirage!

Skaffs

Luke Feldman is the illustrator and animator behind Skaffs, a collection of colourful designs where sexy chicks run rampant, or cute ones fly. Feldman’s characters are endearing as they go boldly through a landscape of feathery tufted trees, an assortment of roots, bugs and flowers, and flying aliens that are a cross between amoebas and jellyfish. Decorating decks and decals, Skaffs also include animations that feature Berpunzel, a naïve and overly optimistic little boy and Irk and Miff who explore the wonderful world of relationships.

www.skaffs.com

JDM

Home Sweet Home

Disneyland





Huntington Beach






Dave & Buster's





I start my new job tomorrow. Well, technically, I go to Bellagio Orientation tomorrow. This will be my fourth orientation at Bellagio, but thankfully, I'm not actually working there. Technically, corporate employees are considered Bellagio employees for purposes of record-keeping. So I'm not that nervous for tomorrow except that I have this killer sore throat that started yesterday at the Garment District in L.A. That was so much fun! I had been there as a kid with my mom and, appropriately, hated it. But this trip was fantastic! Spent entirely too much money, but it was all worth it. They had the best faux-Coach stuff there. I indulged in a purse and two wallets -- the purse I could see a difference, but the wallets look authentic!

Anyway, I ran around so much in California this weekend that I ended up with this nasty sore throat. But between Disneyland, Huntington, Laguna, nd L.A. , it was definitely worth it!

JDM

Casey Mears get his first career win!

Check out the fourth Hendrick driver to get a win this season -- his first Nextel Cup victory!