From MGM Grand to Monte Carlo: about 0.292 miles
From Monte Carlo to Bellagio: about 0.648 miles
From Bellagio to Excalibur: about 0.967 miles
From Mandalay Bay to our hotel (off the Strip): about 1.216 miles
Total (not including the walking around inside hotels): 3.123 miles in heels for one evening in Las Vegas
OUCH!
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Friday, April 11, 2008
Sneaky health
Have you heard of those books that give ways to sneak nutritious foods into meals kids will eat? Yeah. I do that for myself.
Pictured was my attempt to hide broccoli in my spaghetti sauce. (Ok, it's not really "hidden", per say, but it allowed me to eat broccoli without having to taste it!)
First I pulverized it in the handy chopper...
Then I mixed it into my meat sauce. [Yes, I need to work on better "plating" of my food if I plan to post it for all to see.] :)
Pictured was my attempt to hide broccoli in my spaghetti sauce. (Ok, it's not really "hidden", per say, but it allowed me to eat broccoli without having to taste it!)
First I pulverized it in the handy chopper...
Then I mixed it into my meat sauce. [Yes, I need to work on better "plating" of my food if I plan to post it for all to see.] :)
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Can't resist...
There are a couple things I can rarely pass up:1) things that are free
2) cookies.
When the two are combined, it's dangerous.
This situation happened for me at work today. There were dozens of remaining cookies from yesterday evening's catered work event, and they all ended up on the counter of the break area. With most food items, this normally would be okay because I only go back there to get water. But cookies were involved today. Lots of them. For free. So every trip for water turned into a cookie break.
Eight cookies later (and by "eight", I mean, eight big-fat-thick-catered cookies), I feel a little sick. I didn't eat lunch because the bazillon-calorie cookies kept me satiated throughout the day.
My name is Grete, and I have a cookie-eating problem.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Yet another reason not to like apes in advertising...
As if my rant about not liking the Aflac commercial that uses the orangutan seemed excessive before, here is new research highlighting why the overuse of apes in advertising has an adverse effect...Because many people in the researchers' survey see apes widely used in the entertainment and advertising industry, many assume "wild chimps must be plentiful and thriving." This is a blow to conservation efforts for the highly endangered species. Here is an excerpt from their statistics:
The number of wild chimps in Africa is thought to have shrunk from perhaps 2 million across the continent in 1900 to an estimated 150,000 to 200,000 and falling today. Only four nations now have significant chimp populations.
[The World Conservation Union] blames the losses on expanding human activity, spread of deadly diseases such as Ebola and political instability in some nations, leaving chimps with no protection and vulnerable to slaughter.
Chimpanzees are endangered, folks! (Though, my Clever Blog Readers, I'm sure YOU already knew this.) :)
Pictured is Ramona, a sweet chimp I used to work with in Fort Worth. (I didn't take the picture, though.)
Saturday, March 01, 2008
Great Lyrics
It won't always be easy to love,
when you give and you never get back.
But, no one's intended to die,
with their heart still intact.
-from "Proud Father" by Jon McLaughlin
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Night in Hollywood
Last night my friend Krissy and I got a taste of the L.A. music scene… And it left me wanting more of it!
THE GOOD
Tony Lucca: Ever heard of him? He’s a very talented singer-songwriter who is great to watch perform live. He doesn’t always play with them, but his band last night (bass player, electric guitar player, and drummer) was all in sync with everything he did – grooving, swaying, bouncing, rocking. They were VERY entertaining! As we were watching him, I was curious what his face would actually look like – unobscured by his thick-rimmed glasses, full beard, and newsboy cap. 
When I was reading his bio online later, I realized I had seen him before – on the Mickey Mouse Club! He was one of the older mouseketeers – then clean-shaven with gelled hair. [Jon said that’s probably why he’s trying to look so different now.] :) He’ll be playing at the Hotel Café venue for the next three Saturday nights, if anyone’s interested!
THE BAD
The guy who went after him was visibly less talented as a performer. His voice and guitar skills weren’t bad, and Krissy even commented that we might think he was good, sight-unseen. But his sight WAS seen, and it was awkward if you made eye contact with him. It was like he rehearsed his playing expressions in the mirror… He thinks: Now I’ll do my sexy face and strum. Krissy pointed out when he was making weird eyes at me (small venue), but I pointed out when he was making the same weird eyes at one of the guys in our group, too! [Steven said it made him uncomfortable. Ha!]
THE RANDOM
After leaving Hotel Café, we were quickly circling the corner (in the rain) to walk past several busy clubs**. We hurried by someone I recognized as an actor, but couldn’t place or name him. Later the name “Josh” sounded right, so I browsed around the imdb site until I remembered. His character’s name was “Josh” when he was Rachel’s boyfriend on “Friends”. His real name is Tate Donovan.
Of course, he was obscure enough that I was the only one who recognized him… Because I’m weird like that.
THE BLING
So, our hook up for the concert and the parking (we didn’t have to pay because we parked in his office lot, which is a life-saver in Hollywood) was one of Krissy’s friends from her church… who happens to work for Diane Warren. While her name may not ring remembrance to many of you, her songs will. Do a quick skim of all the songs she’s written on this page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diane_Warren.
She’s worth about $600 million dollars for all the successful songs she’s written. And she only gets richer with all their airplay, movie showings, and remixes. Needless to say, her office (i.e. the eighth floor of a tall building overlooking Los Angeles) was amazing – every wall had a gold or silver album, a nomination certificate, or a photo with her and a celebrity. She had four baby grand pianos throughout the offices and lounges, and in her demo room is a Grammy she won… Krissy and I giddily touched it!
**I’m sorry, but, wearing a tiny cocktail dress and standing in a long line in cold rain just to get into an overrated expensive club isn’t my idea of fun. But L.A. is full of those scenes.
THE GOOD
Tony Lucca: Ever heard of him? He’s a very talented singer-songwriter who is great to watch perform live. He doesn’t always play with them, but his band last night (bass player, electric guitar player, and drummer) was all in sync with everything he did – grooving, swaying, bouncing, rocking. They were VERY entertaining! As we were watching him, I was curious what his face would actually look like – unobscured by his thick-rimmed glasses, full beard, and newsboy cap. 
When I was reading his bio online later, I realized I had seen him before – on the Mickey Mouse Club! He was one of the older mouseketeers – then clean-shaven with gelled hair. [Jon said that’s probably why he’s trying to look so different now.] :) He’ll be playing at the Hotel Café venue for the next three Saturday nights, if anyone’s interested!THE BAD
The guy who went after him was visibly less talented as a performer. His voice and guitar skills weren’t bad, and Krissy even commented that we might think he was good, sight-unseen. But his sight WAS seen, and it was awkward if you made eye contact with him. It was like he rehearsed his playing expressions in the mirror… He thinks: Now I’ll do my sexy face and strum. Krissy pointed out when he was making weird eyes at me (small venue), but I pointed out when he was making the same weird eyes at one of the guys in our group, too! [Steven said it made him uncomfortable. Ha!]
THE RANDOM
After leaving Hotel Café, we were quickly circling the corner (in the rain) to walk past several busy clubs**. We hurried by someone I recognized as an actor, but couldn’t place or name him. Later the name “Josh” sounded right, so I browsed around the imdb site until I remembered. His character’s name was “Josh” when he was Rachel’s boyfriend on “Friends”. His real name is Tate Donovan.
Of course, he was obscure enough that I was the only one who recognized him… Because I’m weird like that.
THE BLING
So, our hook up for the concert and the parking (we didn’t have to pay because we parked in his office lot, which is a life-saver in Hollywood) was one of Krissy’s friends from her church… who happens to work for Diane Warren. While her name may not ring remembrance to many of you, her songs will. Do a quick skim of all the songs she’s written on this page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diane_Warren.
She’s worth about $600 million dollars for all the successful songs she’s written. And she only gets richer with all their airplay, movie showings, and remixes. Needless to say, her office (i.e. the eighth floor of a tall building overlooking Los Angeles) was amazing – every wall had a gold or silver album, a nomination certificate, or a photo with her and a celebrity. She had four baby grand pianos throughout the offices and lounges, and in her demo room is a Grammy she won… Krissy and I giddily touched it!
**I’m sorry, but, wearing a tiny cocktail dress and standing in a long line in cold rain just to get into an overrated expensive club isn’t my idea of fun. But L.A. is full of those scenes.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Monday, February 18, 2008
It's just WRONG! Hrumpf!
As I've been home from work (sick - blech), I've watched one commercial a number of times... that I do NOT approve of. It's an AFLAC commercial, where a factory worker is asking her boss if they have AFLAC insurance, but he just says they have "uhh" and points to an orangutan wreaking havoc on their workplace.
Here are the problems I have with the commercial:
1) It uses an ape in a commercial. What most viewers don't think about (or realize) is that apes used in the entertainment industry aren't full grown adults. They're young, which means they've been pulled from their moms at young ages. (Hence why when I worked at the zoo, many people thought the chimps were gorillas because they'd only seen entertainment chimps with pale faces - chimps have pale faces when they're juveniles. When they get older, they're too strong and often aggressive, so they're discarded to sanctuaries or labs.)
2) The orangutan is shown acting in an anthropomorphic manner, which encourages people to believe they would make great pets and not realize that (a) that's illegal or (b) they grow up to be six times stronger than adult humans and are unmanageable to treat as "little humans".
3) This is the most annoying of all... they over-dubbed the orang using CHIMP noises! Orangutans don't make all those vocalizations - they use long calls and grunts because in the wild they live great distances apart in trees. Chimps are the louder bunch with all the screams and "ooh ooh aah aah" noises.
Anyway, I just had to get that out there. Sorry for my rant!
Here are the problems I have with the commercial:
1) It uses an ape in a commercial. What most viewers don't think about (or realize) is that apes used in the entertainment industry aren't full grown adults. They're young, which means they've been pulled from their moms at young ages. (Hence why when I worked at the zoo, many people thought the chimps were gorillas because they'd only seen entertainment chimps with pale faces - chimps have pale faces when they're juveniles. When they get older, they're too strong and often aggressive, so they're discarded to sanctuaries or labs.)
2) The orangutan is shown acting in an anthropomorphic manner, which encourages people to believe they would make great pets and not realize that (a) that's illegal or (b) they grow up to be six times stronger than adult humans and are unmanageable to treat as "little humans".
3) This is the most annoying of all... they over-dubbed the orang using CHIMP noises! Orangutans don't make all those vocalizations - they use long calls and grunts because in the wild they live great distances apart in trees. Chimps are the louder bunch with all the screams and "ooh ooh aah aah" noises.
Anyway, I just had to get that out there. Sorry for my rant!
Friday, February 15, 2008
Cue John Williams
Jon forwarded me a link to the new Indiana Jones trailer (to be released on May 22nd this year), and I just had to share my excitement with you all! (You, especially, Erin.)
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Messages from my candy
My Dove wrapper told me this today:
"Chocolate. Always your Valentine."So true. So true.
Sunday, February 03, 2008
On to healthier things...
Exhibit A: I had a grand time eating two scoops of Baskin Robbins ice cream during our third anniversary celebration evening!Exhibit B: I decided I need motivation to get rid of the California-added, loss-of-zookeeper-exercise tummy flub. (Yes - that is where I gain weight! I'm sneaky like that.) So... what better way to be healthier than to reward yourself with stickers? :)
The chart's end point is June - when I can no longer hide the "muffin top" while wearing a swimsuit during the summer. My daily goals are attainable, yet are things I'm not currently doing on a daily/weekly basis. Hopefully, I'll eat and exercise more than what I am rewarded for!
And let me tell ya, the stickers are already working. I wanted my veggie sticker for today, so I ran to the kitchen to eat another serving - some celery sticks with peanut butter. Mmm...
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
A warning before your Superbowl munching
No double-dipping! Inspired by the "Seinfield" episode, a new study shows that dipping food, biting a part off, then double-dipping the half-bitten part back into the bowl DOES in fact spread bacteria. Before you decide to double-dip, look around the room and decide if you'd be okay kissing everyone there. :PThanks Jon for sending me this interesting article!
Monday, January 28, 2008
SAG Awards 2008
The SAG Awards have come and gone once again! 
Like last year, we thoroughly enjoyed our time as seatfillers, and I apparently even had a brief moment on camera when "The Office" won (since I was sitting at their table)! You can read more about it where I'm guest blogging this week. I again compiled a list of everyone I sat with, spoke to, and saw from a distance during the show.
The tributes to Heath Ledger were touching during the ceremony... After the montage of SAG actors/actresses who died this year, you could tell Heath's picture was tacked on quickly to the end, since his death was so recent. The show went to commercial right after that, which, for those of us in the ceremony meant that the lights came up and people were free to mill about. However, at this break, the mood was somber and quiet - few people stood. In a heartfelt speech, Daniel Day-Lewis also dedicated his acting award of the night to Heath.
Did anyone catch the show? I don't know how interesting it is to watch if you're not there, but we had a great time. :)
Like last year, we thoroughly enjoyed our time as seatfillers, and I apparently even had a brief moment on camera when "The Office" won (since I was sitting at their table)! You can read more about it where I'm guest blogging this week. I again compiled a list of everyone I sat with, spoke to, and saw from a distance during the show.The tributes to Heath Ledger were touching during the ceremony... After the montage of SAG actors/actresses who died this year, you could tell Heath's picture was tacked on quickly to the end, since his death was so recent. The show went to commercial right after that, which, for those of us in the ceremony meant that the lights came up and people were free to mill about. However, at this break, the mood was somber and quiet - few people stood. In a heartfelt speech, Daniel Day-Lewis also dedicated his acting award of the night to Heath.
Did anyone catch the show? I don't know how interesting it is to watch if you're not there, but we had a great time. :)
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Something in the water...
What was going on last Fall? There are SO MANY pregnant women in my midst! Megan, Sun, Leslie, Boualoy, Kim, Andrea, Maria, Ingrid, Audrey, Leah, Tara... they're all due later this year. I know our lives go through phases when it seems like we're attending lots of weddings or frequently going to baby showers, but I didn't realize it would happen in such a tour de force!Anyone else want to share any "expecting" news? :)
Friday, January 25, 2008
Guest Blogger
My friend RC has kindly asked me to guest post on his blog while he attends a wedding. So for random Sampson-updates (mostly entertainment-related), you should check out his site this week. :)
Thursday, January 24, 2008
"Heath Ledger: Dead at 28"
It floors me when people my own age die.
That's what happened when I opened up my browser and the newslines announced Heath Ledger's death. I couldn't believe it! Minutes later, my husband emailed me a link to a simliar newstory, which confirmed the tragedy. I then did as many others might have yesterday - scoured the internet for more information, saddened as different articles reflected on Heath's promising career and young child. I am still wondering if his death was accidental... or not.
I remember feeling this way before. Stunned. Disappointed. A little like I lost a piece of my childhood. It was four years ago when I found out Jonathan Brandis had killed himself. I grew up watching him in movies and on tv - he was my first "celebrity crush", and I even had a poster of him in my bedroom when I was in middle school. For days after I read the small newstory online, I couldn't stop thinking about how depressed and lonely he must've felt to feel like the only solution was death. I couldn't believe someone who had only lived a couple decades didn't want to see what many more decades would bring... how things could change in less than a year. The same feelings emanated after reading earlier this month about Brad Renfro's death at 25 years old - he was another actor I had first seen as a child.
My friend RC wrote a post about the "death of celebrities". In it, I appreciated his last line:
* * *
And then, just as abruptly as the news broke of his unexpected death, the rest of the world moves on. And while I know that's good and right and how life works, it makes me reexamine my own life... What impact am I having on the world around me? Am I in a holding pattern until my next "life phase" instead of doing what matters because I'm alive today? What a gift we have in life! To grow and learn, to love and feel real emotions, and to experience the scope of Creation. I pray we can all live to our fullest potential - every day.
That's what happened when I opened up my browser and the newslines announced Heath Ledger's death. I couldn't believe it! Minutes later, my husband emailed me a link to a simliar newstory, which confirmed the tragedy. I then did as many others might have yesterday - scoured the internet for more information, saddened as different articles reflected on Heath's promising career and young child. I am still wondering if his death was accidental... or not.I remember feeling this way before. Stunned. Disappointed. A little like I lost a piece of my childhood. It was four years ago when I found out Jonathan Brandis had killed himself. I grew up watching him in movies and on tv - he was my first "celebrity crush", and I even had a poster of him in my bedroom when I was in middle school. For days after I read the small newstory online, I couldn't stop thinking about how depressed and lonely he must've felt to feel like the only solution was death. I couldn't believe someone who had only lived a couple decades didn't want to see what many more decades would bring... how things could change in less than a year. The same feelings emanated after reading earlier this month about Brad Renfro's death at 25 years old - he was another actor I had first seen as a child.
My friend RC wrote a post about the "death of celebrities". In it, I appreciated his last line:
Heath, I don't know what to say about your death, other than I hope that those you left behind will find what you did not.
* * *
And then, just as abruptly as the news broke of his unexpected death, the rest of the world moves on. And while I know that's good and right and how life works, it makes me reexamine my own life... What impact am I having on the world around me? Am I in a holding pattern until my next "life phase" instead of doing what matters because I'm alive today? What a gift we have in life! To grow and learn, to love and feel real emotions, and to experience the scope of Creation. I pray we can all live to our fullest potential - every day.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
HA! My fear is not unfounded...
It could be because I saw Stephen King's IT when I was in fifth grade (due to a bad-influencing friend - unbeknownst to my mother), but clowns freak me out. A lot. Now a study shows kids don't like them anyway! :)
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22685723/from/ET/
[I would put a picture with this post, but the obvious one would be a clown, and I just don't want it there!]
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22685723/from/ET/
[I would put a picture with this post, but the obvious one would be a clown, and I just don't want it there!]
Friday, January 11, 2008
How did your candidate handle baby Dahlia?
I thought this article and the accompanying "photo essay" were interesting to read and see. Thought you might as well!
Sunday, January 06, 2008
Movie reviews (in brief)
Over the past two weeks, I've actually seen some movies (thanks to gift cards, airplane rides, and a little cousin's Christmas gift). Here are my quick reviews and ratings in the order I saw them...
Juno
Quirky, entertaining, and fresh. It's not one of those, "Wow! That movie was AMAZING!" feelings so much as "Hey! I really enjoyed that - I wouldn't mind seeing it again soon." The music fit the witty dialogue perfectly. Grete's star rating (out of 5): 4 stars
High School Musical 2
Ugh. CHEESY, fake, unoriginal ("Saved by the Bell" summer job episodes, anyone?), waaaay overrated (if you consider tween reviews "ratings"), and did I mention cheesy? It was a little painful to watch them say something hoaky and then immediately know a song would be sung about said hoaky-statement. The only good part was that the airline chose to play something other than clips of sports and news shows for the flight. Grete's star rating: 1 star
High School Musical (yes, I saw the original one after the sequel)
This one benefited from the fact that I saw the worse one first. And those darn songs are so basic and repetitive that they get stuck in your head after one viewing! The writing was slightly more entertaining than "2", but otherwise it was also cheesy, unoriginal (I saw many Grease plot throwbacks), and made for ages 15 and under (hence, my little cousin wanted it for Christmas). Grete's star rating: 1 1/2 stars
Atonement
I purposely avoided hearing summary reviews for this because I really wanted to take in any surprises in my own viewing of the movie. I thought going in: romantic drama. Yes, it was romantic. Yes, it was dramatic. But, goodness, it was DEPRESSINGLY tragic for most of the latter half. All the beautiful cinematography, costuming, and face close-ups only suck you into the cheerlessness more until you leave feeling like, "*sigh* That was NOT what I was expecting to see." Jon told me afterwards I should've guessed from the title word that it would mean something bad would need redemption. Grete's star rating for movie quality: 4 stars. Grete's star rating for upliftingness (if that's a word): 1/2 star.
Anyone have any recommendations for me to see?
Juno
Quirky, entertaining, and fresh. It's not one of those, "Wow! That movie was AMAZING!" feelings so much as "Hey! I really enjoyed that - I wouldn't mind seeing it again soon." The music fit the witty dialogue perfectly. Grete's star rating (out of 5): 4 stars
High School Musical 2
Ugh. CHEESY, fake, unoriginal ("Saved by the Bell" summer job episodes, anyone?), waaaay overrated (if you consider tween reviews "ratings"), and did I mention cheesy? It was a little painful to watch them say something hoaky and then immediately know a song would be sung about said hoaky-statement. The only good part was that the airline chose to play something other than clips of sports and news shows for the flight. Grete's star rating: 1 star
High School Musical (yes, I saw the original one after the sequel)
This one benefited from the fact that I saw the worse one first. And those darn songs are so basic and repetitive that they get stuck in your head after one viewing! The writing was slightly more entertaining than "2", but otherwise it was also cheesy, unoriginal (I saw many Grease plot throwbacks), and made for ages 15 and under (hence, my little cousin wanted it for Christmas). Grete's star rating: 1 1/2 stars
Atonement
I purposely avoided hearing summary reviews for this because I really wanted to take in any surprises in my own viewing of the movie. I thought going in: romantic drama. Yes, it was romantic. Yes, it was dramatic. But, goodness, it was DEPRESSINGLY tragic for most of the latter half. All the beautiful cinematography, costuming, and face close-ups only suck you into the cheerlessness more until you leave feeling like, "*sigh* That was NOT what I was expecting to see." Jon told me afterwards I should've guessed from the title word that it would mean something bad would need redemption. Grete's star rating for movie quality: 4 stars. Grete's star rating for upliftingness (if that's a word): 1/2 star.Anyone have any recommendations for me to see?
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