A Weekend in Chinatown

The kids love going to Chinatown in Oakland. Generally speaking, we avoid going there like the plague. But when Jenny's mom comes over for the weekend, we often find ourselves going just to get out of the house. The boys were laughing and running around the shops as if they were at the zoo. Once again, we had lunch at the Happy Cafe, where lunch was $18 for all five of us. After our latest trip, Punky blurted out: "Chinatown is fun!"

I think our first kids' entertainment option should be Oakland Chinatown. It's only five minutes from our house. Plus, it tires out the boys, which makes them fall asleep more quickly at night.

Las Vegas Trip Report, 2007 Edition

It was time for my annual business trip earlier this month. This time, it was in nearby Las Vegas, a city near and dear to my heart. Since Jenny hates Las Vegas, she stayed at home with the kids while I got a 48 hour reprieve from my duties at home.

Thanks to work, I got to stay in a fancy hotel in Summerlin and eat to my heart's content. I also got to sleep a solid 8 hours each night without getting disturbed in the middle of the night. I did not leave the hotel/casino during my time away. During my trip, I only gambled a couple of hours at the craps table and played some slots. Total damage to my wallet: $2.50.

Still, I missed my family and could not wait to get back home. I spoke to the kids several times each day. Also, Jenny said that the boys were clingly to her, for fear that she would abandon them as well. It felt good to come home.

A view of my hotel bed

My room featured a whirlpool bathtub

I was not able to find my favorite "Reel Em In" penny slot machine--This was the closest thing

I won one 2 dollar jackpot on Lucky Larry's Lobster Mania

I briefly played this Tabasco-branded slot machine

In my single session at a quarter slot machine, I won a $45 jackpot

Exhaustion

Some of you have noticed that I haven't posted anything lately. The reason is the same as in months prior: exhaustion. The daily grind of 15-16 hours days--work plus responsibilities at home--is taking its toll on me both mentally and physically. After putting the boys to sleep, I just want to veg out or go straight to bed.

During weekends, I really don't do anything other than take care of the kids or go shopping for food. Russell's autism and the demands that it imposes on our lifestyle means that we'll be pushed to our limits for quite some time.

On another note, I just got back from a short business trip from Las Vegas. I'll put together a trip report shortly.

Mine's Bigger Than Yours, Al Gore!

About once a month, I crush and bag one thousand plastic bottles and one thousand aluminum cans for recycling. At 5 cents per container, that's $100 in deposit money for me, and enough electricity saved by recycling aluminum to power our house for about 2 months. In Al Gore's house, this would be about 2 days of electricity.