Tiger Woods and the Hidden Hazards of Fire Hydrants

Hi Vegas fans,

I now have something in common with the great Tiger Woods. No, I'm not a great golfer. In fact, there are putt-putt courses that I still curse (I'm not good with clubs). No, the similarity is that Tiger and I both have had collisions with fire hydrants. Now, there are a few differences, namely:

• Tiger was at his home in Florida when his accident occurred. I was visiting my home-away-from-home (Vegas) when my incident took place.
  
• Tiger ran over the hydrant with an Escalade. I don't own an Escalade. In fact, I didn't hit the hydrant with my car at all. It jumped out of the sidewalk in front of the Flamingo and gashed my knee. That's right, I said it was the fire hydrant's fault.
  
• Tiger was reportedly sober. I was reportedly searching for a place to have lunch after consuming a few rum and cokes. Now, I know what you're thinking - "rum and coke is not a breakfast food." True, but I was not drinking them for breakfast. Technically. I was drinking them at 11am West coast time, translated as 2pm East coast time, which is where I live. So it was more like brunch.
  
• The minute Tiger smashed into the fire hydrant, every tabloid this side of California was all abuzz. But when I skinned my knee? Nobody knew about it - until now. You see, although it happened about 3 years ago, it still leaves a scar. No, not literally. My knee is fine. But emotionally, I am fragile. I fear that fire hydrants everywhere are popping up with their sharp edges and knobs. Sure, they're bright red and yellow and stand out in a crowd. Sure, they save lives when called upon to put out fires. Wait, where was I going with this?

Anyway, here's the deal. Tiger hit a hydrant, and a hydrant hit my knee. Let's just leave it at that. Please.

Viva,
Mike

A few random thoughts...

Hi Vegas fans,

Aside from the obvious Thanksgiving stuff going on this week, there's a few big happenings in Sin City:

What's old is new again: Donny Osmond wins Dancing with the Stars. He's got a hit show at the Flamingo (mid-Strip with his sister Marie, who has lost a ton of weight.

What's new is old again: According to an article on the Las Vegas Advisor, Harrah's is pursuing Planet Hollywood. What, they don't own enough on the Strip? Will they ruin it the way they messed up the old Barbary Coast? Gosh I hope not, but their track record ain't so great.

What's new is new again: I'm officially on Twitter (search for simplifyinglv) and have a new Facebook page specifically for Simplifying Las Vegas. Let's just hope I can keep up with all of these avenues of social media. Text me and let me know if I'm doing it right.

Hope you had a wonderful, restful Thanksgiving.

Viva,
Mike

Nook

Hi Vegas fans,

For those of you who keep up with electronic readers, Barnes & Noble has thrown their hat into the ring as a contender. Nook will be a rival to Amazon's Kindle. I own a Kindle, and of course Simplifying Las Vegas is listed on it. I will probably buy a Nook (eventually). It's $250 (so is Kindle now, by the way), which is a little expensive, especially for someone like me who writes more than he reads.

But, electronic readers are great on planes, you can store a ton of books on them, they are really easy to use, and if you read a bunch, you can save money on books. I think they are great for a travel guide because they allow you to search and find the information you need quickly. Let's face it, not everyone is going to read a Vegas travel guide cover to cover. I have inquired about publishing on Nook, and I hope to have Simplifying on there soon! I will keep you posted.

Nook's three biggest advantages, as far as I can see so far:
1. It has a touch screen (that's an "ooohhh" factor)
2. It has a color screen (that's the "aaahhh" factor)
3. You can share books with friends (assumes they like to read what you do)

Now, if they allow us authors to create html tables, I'm going to be very, very happy. Probably I'll take both Barnes & Noble out to dinner. You see, my beloved friends at Kindle do not allow tables, which is a bit of a problem for me, because that's about 75% of my book. So, I either have to do screenshots of the tables and post them as images (yuk) or transfer the table data into useful info within the text (eh). Either way, it's not ideal. Now I understand why they probably don't allow tables - when you resize the font, how to you accommodate for tables? But that's not really my problem. I want tables in my files and I wants em now!

Have you tested a Nook? Going to buy one? Please let me know!
Viva,
Mike

2010 Simplifying Las Vegas

Hi Vegas fans,

I bet you've been wondering "Where has Mike been?" Well, I've been writing. Not for this blog, obviously, but for the 2010 Kindle version of my travel guide. It was a lot of work - more than I thought - but certainly worth it. There are probably a few things that I would change, but that's the way it goes. Life is a draft.

And I wanted to get this one done and posted to Amazon soon so that travelers can enjoy it as they prepare their 2010 trips to Sin City. It will take a few days - perhaps Monday it will be available on Amazon. I can't wait to download it to my Kindle.

I also can't wait to update the PDF version and the website. Even though the economy is in the pooper, there is still lots going on in Vegas - new shows, resorts, clubs and more. I always learn so much when I write and update the guide. It's quite an adventure.

I hope you enjoy it as well. I'll have more about the new PDF and updates to the website soon, but for now I am basking. Basking in Simplifying Las Vegas 2010.

Viva,
Mike