If Las Vegas had cockroaches with neon glowing butts, they'd be feeding them!
I could envision people using cock roaches to light up their kitchen cabinets.
You could even put sugar down along walkways for the glowing critters.

Tonight, we went to Lexington, Ky,
Its only 70 miles away. Nice town. I think it has more charm than Louisville, but it may have a
darker side to it. It turns from nice, to not nice very quickly. 

Check out: http://www.inflateus.com/original_style_sofas.htm
 





This furniture is designed mainly for use in dorms.
But I think they would look great in our 14th floor apartment.
AND, we can take our furniture to the lake..haha

Its nice to know Kevin McD works remotely there from Las Vegas. Maybe I could do that someday too!
I think he's responsible for the ATM's on the west coast. I hear his name everywhere now.
I'm in development (my forte).
I don't have a PC set up, so I'm using someone's elses while their on vacation.
My first rogram was a report/update program today, and I had to write it from scratchhhhhhhhh!
The program they gave me as a starter was dated 1998, and it wouldn't compile.
My first project was fix a database table.
The challenge was, to make it look like another table, and to fix its a column to point to existing files on a different system.
The files were all moved around to different subvolumes, so I had to search the system for each of the 300 files. 
These files are used to load some devices with tables and code (I think).
So, without them being right, nothing works.
They gave me the lattitude to do the project anyway I wished.
I guess the project had been passed around.
So, my first project involved writing a fix it report/update program using Cobol, Sql, Enscribe, and lots of Tacl.
I already have the best macros around there.
But...I had to write them from memory, so they could be much better.
I put my old macros are on the internet in my blog, but I don't have internet access yet.
Everybody at work is great!
Their attitudes are excellent. They're eager to see anything I produce.
And I'm their guinee pig, I'm told. I'll be leading the way for others to follow.
The system I'll be reviving has been dead for a year, and they really want too see it work.
So, I'll pretty much have free reign, with project nudges here and there.
Most say its a mess. Its not documented, and nobody there knows it.
There's going to be a lot of recognition in what I'm doing, and its going to be very visible.
So, this job is a perfect fit for me.
Its what I do best. I do systems.
Its hard to explain to people who haven't had sole responsibility for every program in an entire system.
Most programmers work on one or two programs at a time. I've worked whole systems for most of my career.
I tend to do whatever is needed to make a system work.
This is quite a break for me. I love this kind of work. Its a perfect match!
I should go far in this place.

Yeppers! And it couldn't have happened at a better time.
It should be closed by the end of July.
Sonny's situation is improving.
He's got a new job at Circus Circus.
His daughter just turned 18 too. Hopefully he can save what he was paying in child support.
My situation is improving too.
The money is good, but I won't get paid until mid July.
So for now though, we're impoverished.
But we've got riches right around the corner.
We're having a better rollar coaster ride than any amusement park could offer!
Everything is changing fast for Sonny, Becky and I.

Because, they are saying smoking is, on the billboards in Louisville.
Me, I can't think of anything more devastating to a child's development than poverty.
Imagine growing up without an IPod or a cell phone.

---

After the smoking war is won, what will be next?
Alcohol, obesity, poverty? 
The No Smoking Ban is being replayed in Louisville
Its amazing! 31% of Kentucky's population are smokers. Its the highest in the nation.
Its a rerun of what happened in Las Vegas.
But this time, the people did not vote for it. The 25 member Metro Council for Louisville approved it.
The ordinance includes bars and restaurants, but not Churchill Downs (sound familiar).
Las Vegas didn't include Casinos.
It just goes to show ya, if you pick at something long enough, it will fester.
Its offensive because its illogical.
If things keep going this way, smoking parents may end up losing their children.
Don't get me wrong...I favor the abolishment of smoking tobacco.
Its a poison that was created by big business.
Its nowingly addictive, and its sold at the grocery store.
And it would be nice if history swept it under the rug.
Its the way its being done that I don't like.
Will rich people be able to adopt children from poor parents in the future? Can they now? hmmm
The world is such a mess. This is why I don't like to read the newspapers or watch the news.
These laws aren't fair because they favor entities with political power.
Its like passing a ban on guns for black people.
The law is not evenly applied.
Why doesn't the government just outlaw smoking instead of beating around the bush?
I know, abolition failed miserably. The drug war failed miserably.

I can't say I like it. It's $6,000 short of what I expected to get.
Another hispanic guy (not that I'm prejudice, but I'm getting that way), has made a squirrely offer on the condo.
He basically, wants to buy the condo with no money down.
I guess his realtor has worked these kinds of things out for these guys. It looks like they'll buy anything.
Its like this fellow crossed the Rio Grand, and got a realtor.
They probably have a squirrelly deal worked out for a loan too.
The deal isn't as good as I'd like, but, since no one has made an offer, this is probably the best thing to do.
We need to get this money working for us, instead of against us.

My suspenders popped off from my pants faster than a speeding bullet, though.
They didn't have terminal for me, so we tried several different ways to get me in.
I eventually wrote a Cobol/Sql report from scratch (well, almost).
Slapped some macros together from memory. That was fun.
I took advantage of the slack time by running by Barringtons Place.
They needed the application fees. They're running a background check on me...sheesh.
I've got to get my mortgage company to fax them a statement saying I pay my bills on time.
Plus, they needed employer references.
I guess I should be greatful that they screen their tenants.
Later, Barrington's Place called and said they couldn't have our room until the 18th.
Thats a far cry from the 6th of July.
I told them we were still, kind of interested, but I'd need an actual date eventually.
I have to plan a move. I can't just wing it.
I came home, and Becky told me we no longer had our hotel room.
She said they said we could stay one night only, if we paid.
It turned out we still have our reservation, but they charge weekly...haha..
That Becky! Gosh I love her!
Meanwhile, we have an offer on the condo
My realtor called tonight at 1l pm. I had to print a document to fax back, and my printer is out of ink.
And, I can't yet get on the internet at work...youch!
This is a really good ride I'm having here.
I really am loving every minute of it.
I've found that at times things just work out all screwy, for what seems like, no reason at all.
I thinks its fun though.

I not alone with my fondness of it.
I just came back from the Five Star Quickie Mart, where I go to get Sloppy Joes. Its in our parking lot.
It was pouring outside, and there was no way anyone could walk around out there without getting wet.
Some guy in a T-Shirt, was walking to the store. He was holding out his arms, smiling, and enjoying it.
Hey!!! I'm crazy and I'm not alone out here.

Sonny said she called.
She was worried that something terrible was going to happen to me.
He said she sounded good, and that she wasn't going to die.
He said she said she just has heart palpitations.
How does one go from a diagnosis of Stage IV cancer to heart palpitations?
Someone is crazy. I'd bet her husband (Ricky) is going crazy...lol.
THAT IS SUCH A HUGE LEAP! Her husband said they are in irrecoverable debt.
She said she was going through chemo therapy, and they gave up on her.
I know prayer can do a lot of good when it comes to illnesses.
But isn't that like praying someone didn't lose their head and another one pops up!
Now that I think about it...its one heck of a tale!
Is it possible for someone with Stage IV to watch Benny Hinn on TV and get cured. Wowsers
I should buy one of his DVDs instead of  a "Full Workout Video with Chuck Norris" to lose weight.

I SURE DOES!!! That's hilarious, in a sad kind of way.
I was really hoping Sonny was right about the call coming from my ex. 
I did asked him if he was sure.
It seemed like too much of a coincidence for the only two Ruths that I know to both have had heart palpitations.
I wish my ex did just have heart palpitations.
Then she'd get to grow old with the rest of us.

First, the bad things:
- The rooms are tiny and inadequate.
- There is no storage in the bathroom, not even a hook!
- They give you two (one drawer) night stands, and one (three drawer) chests.
- The kitchen has one cabinet and no drawers.
- The stove is a two burner, no oven, with a dorm size fridge under it. The 2" gap between the stove and the fridge is where we keep the silverware, LOL.
- They should advertise their kitchens as having "The Worlds Tiniest Microwave". 
- The hotel doesn't provide ice trays and there is no ice machine on the property.
- The dining table is 2 foot wide, and its wobbly.
- We upgraded to a room with a sofa bed, but its not worth the $4 a day increase.
- There are no easy chairs.
The good things:
- A 24 hour convenience store shares the parking lot. We're on the first floor, and have the closest room to it. It takes 40 seconds to walk there. The stores warmed food is Excellent (first time I ever said YUM to a Sloppy Joe). The cops seem to love it too.
How we improvised:
- We brought a plastic 6 drawer chest of drawers. Its strong enough to hold the hotels 30" TV.
- We brought 2 smaller 6 drawer storages units. One is in the bathroom.
- We bought a 3' x 4' steel camp table from Sams Club fo $42.
It stores like a thick pole in a carrying bag, and folds out to full size and it has adjustable height and width (its amazing).
We put it in our kitchen.
- We brought a small hot/cold water dispenser. The kitchen table is JUST big enough to hold it.
I only booked this room for 2 weeks.
Extended Stay America has identical room rates, and probably 20% more area.
They offer
- A full size refrigerator
- A chest of drawers (six drawers), plus two night stands.
- A breakfast bar in the kitchen,
- two laptop stations,
- two easy chairs.
- AND, they have ice machines.
The down side is, you have to drive to a convenience store.

The freeways here take some getting used to.
Their off ramps split into other off ramps.
Picked up a camp table at Sam's Club
Its really cool. Its all metal, totally adjustable, and almost fits in your pocket. Its perfect for two laptops.
Went to Ajilon for my Orientation.
Those guys are pretty great. Actually, everybody in Louisville is great!
It took 2 hours, but I managed to get a T-Shirt from them. :0)
Ate at a buffet today.
$5.95 per person. They had shrimp, Chinese food, and deserts. What a great deal!
Went to Caesars Indiana tonight.
It took a while to find, since we just barely knew the directions to it.
It looks just like Caesars Palace in Las Vegas used to look 10 years ago.

The Forum Shops are similar to Vegas,
Much tinier. They have $22 lobster buffet.

Its amazing how many factories are around Louisville.
Across the river from Louisville is where our Crest comes from...wow.

Denver Downtown

Denver's buildings seem as tall as the Las Vegas Stratosphere

Its COLD in Denver, even in June!

Eastern Colorado...and lots of it! 
We crossed about 200 miles of rolling grasslands on I70.

It took us 34 hours to drive from Las Vegas to Louisville.
Notes about the trip:
Its 1869 miles from Las Vegas to Louisville.
We took off at 2 pm Sunday, and got here at 3 am Tuesday.
Louisville is three hours ahead of Vegas. Its 800 miles from the Atlantic Ocean, but its in Atlantic Time Zone.
We took a total of 3.5 hours out for naps.
Nevada: Hot, shades of one primary color,  lots of desert monotony, but its easy driving.
Utah: Cold, colorful, lots of desert, beautiful high desert, lots of forests and lakes. By far, the most beautiful state we saw.
Colorado: Cold, colorful, beautiful scenery from Grand Junction to Denver. Navigating through the mountain roads is challenging. We saw two mountians on fire, probably from the lightning storms. Avalanches seem to cause a lot of road damage. From Denver to Kansas, its all rolling wheat fields, and the driving is very easy.
Kansas: Warm, rolling wheat fields. The yellow and green wheat fields seem to glow when its cloudy. Kansas City has the worst drivers I've ever seen.
Missouri: Warm, lots of trees and hills. St Louis is beautiful at night.
Illinois, Indiana: It rained most of the way. It was straight driving, but we did it a night.
The last 80 miles of the trip seemed the longest. Usually, you can see the glow of a city 60 miles away. We were in the Indiana hills, so we couldn't see Louisville's glow until were 10 miles away.
Downtown Louisville.

Buildings from the 1800's

4th Street Live

Six Flags

Eagle Canyon

The Pass


The Shrubs

Thats FUNNY!
I had to tell her my email address is ajilon@lvdude.com several times.
Since my refinance failed after signing the closing papers, I feel cautious when people say something is a done deal.
Ajilon's being 'late' and not calling me made me feel very leary about coming here.
I had to pin them down with, "If you say go, I'll take off Saturday. If not, I'll wait another week. Should I go?".
It's odd they'd still be doing a background check on me.
Reference checks beyond the question, 'does this person exist' has never made any sense to me anyway.
What is a person going to do? Put down a bad reference?
Like I'd put down Rodney Dangerfield's number. "Yea, jim has a big heart...and a big everything else too.".
lol.
I still haven't seen Ajilon's contract. I'm headed there today to sign some papers.

Long drive. We took 3 naps.
Utah and Colorado were incredibly beautiful.
I even liked Kansas.

While half brain dead, and not being able to spell my name right twice in a row, we arranged our Suburban Extended Stay hotel room. Its TINY. Its a good thing we only booked it until July 9th. I'm just glad we decided to bring Walmart drawers They work great for both storage and cheap furniture.
We went to 4th Street Live today.
It was small, and no where near like anything in Vegas.
The Hard Rock Bar and Restaurant was smaller than Joes Crab Shack..
We ate at a Cajun style restaurant.
$6 a bowl for Jambalaya, Bourbon Chicken and more...and their sweet tea was beautiful.
Later, we toured the river front.
We sat on the of the riverside vernalli watching the water flow.
We didn't see any barges or boats, but it was a very peaceful view.
Moving down the way, we went to 'The Bad Side of Town'
The streets were narrow, one way streets, and the houses were very small, but they all had front porches.
Old people, kids, and all kinds of other people were sitting on their porches, playing ball, and teasing each other.
I'd say the racial lines have been erased here.
I didn't feel any fear.
Everything about Louisville seems to be quite beautiful.
Its hilly, with lots of trees, flowers and foilage.
There are lot of rivers, creeks, lakes, streams and waterfalls.
The homes range from modern to ancient. $18,000 to $2,000,000...and all are very livable.
All of the major chains are here, but the mom and pop restaurants exist everywhere.
The people don't seem to group by their race. The poor side of town consisted of all the races.
All of this is very good.

It was a girl who thought we processed loans 24x7.
We rambled on, I explained that I'm am just a humble Notary Public, and I only notarized loans.
She explained she was from Utah, got into a bind and she needed a loan.
Wellio, we ended up joking and laughing about things.
Then somewhere along the line she invited me over to offer herself to me.
That just figures.
If you can't find a woman in Las Vegas, you ain't looking.
People come here for many reasons: to vacation, to get rich, or simply just to break the circle they're stuck in.
Everyone here is looking for something they feel they can't get anywhere else, and its not friends that they want.
Welcome and Goodbye to Las Vegas....

Life seems like a perfect chaos.
How can it be that nothing happens the same way twice, but there are perfect circles?
How can it be that you can't get something from nothing, when consciousness is just that?
How can it be that a perfect vacuum doesn't exist, when all matter floats around in one?
How can it be that once a circle is complete, it has no beginning or end?
Life is full of paradoxes. Perfection and chaos cannot exist together, but they do. They need each other. It's a paradox.
These past two months have been a perfect chaos.
I'd be a fool to not realize I'm being led me into leaving Las Vegas.
The condo, the association, the loan, the late ad, the new contract; the dragging out of things.
If I'd gotten the loan, or the ad came out, I'd be staying in Las Vegas.
The following is not normal:
The condo's association soured, after 30 years, and after we finally got good tenants.
The loan failed, after everything everything was signed at the title company. It should have been finalized.
The Be Quick ad failed to come out for 3 months. It came out the day after I accepted the job in Louisville.
My contract in Louisville was sold, and delayed, each week, for a month. That is not normal.
All these things caused me to almost go broke (within a couple hundred dollars, and thats not my style).
Its just all too phenomenal.
But if there's a reason for the above, why the delay?
Its like something is waiting for Becky and me, and it's timing our arrival.
I guess, I'm impressed.
I feel like I'm experiencing some kind of miracle.
I don't believe in ghosts, or anything else surreal.
The Mustang's fuel filter failed and a tire blowout within 10 minutes of each other.
It happened the week before our taking off. I see no connection between the two.
I wasn't going to take the Mustang, but after the delays in the contract, I decided I had to take the truck.
Okay, the fuel filter needed to be replaced, and the tire needed to be replaced.
And Sonny needs a vehicle to find a new job. 
I had to do the right thing. I had to fixed the car before leaving.
The car would have broken down when Sonny was driving my it.
An insane person assigns reason to phenomena.
EG: "The crops are dying because God is mad at us."
Perhaps thats what I'm doing.
Or it may be its my knowledge of gambling,
I understand the roll of the dice may may appear chaotic,
but I know a 7 will come up, on average, every 6 rolls over the course of a million rolls.
When you understand what is going on, there is no chaos. There is a perfect circle.
The dice roll the way they do simply because they have too.
So if say, 12s roll 1,000 times in a row, its because they have too. It only seems phenomanal at the time.
This pattern will repeat forever, as long as the dice are rolled.
This life seems chaotic right now. I'm seeing 12's roll 1,000 times in a row. 
Everything this life has shown me so far, has been completely wonderful and incredible beyond belief.
I can see a blade of grass growing, but I don't understand how, or why its growing.
I just know that it is doing it, it is necessary, and that it has to do what it does.
My life will end in the years to come, and my end will meet its beginning. 
I hope I'll come to realize my purpose and why I was necessary?
Everything large and small, living and non living, is significant.
And all things seem to exist for a purpose.

I called her Ma, not GMa this time.
Its hard for me to call someone Mom. I loved my Mom with all of my heart.
But I love Ma, Jennifer, Dustin, Squirt and Sonny these days.
Everyone should have a title with their name. ** smiles **
We took the kids driving up the strip in the Mustang.
It was too hot to have the top down. We saw traffic jams and one nasty accident.
We saw tweakers, and hookers...and it was 100 degrees outside.
I won't miss that.
I will miss the love I've discovered in Las Vegas.
Its a hard thing to find, here, in Sin City.
This is Jim...Signing off...From Las Vegas, Nevada.

I was replacing the fuel filter on the Mustang and bingoooo, I got the call.
I passed the drug test.
I was sweating some muscle relaxers I took on 7th when I was suppose to be working for US Consultants.
I passed the 20 years of background screening
It was supposed to be only 10 years.
So now, my resume is as clean as it can get, even with all of the acquistions that have happened.
We may take off tommorrow night

- Family
- The Strip
- The mountains
- The proximity to Los Angeles and the ocean
- Local casinos
- All of that R rated adult fun out there
I've got 33 years of memories here. That's a lot of Christmas's
I've lost friends and relatives here.
I'll always be a Las Vegan.

- the Spanish invasion
- the aggressive drivers
- hearing "hate rap" music blasting at stop lights
- the smog, dust, allergens and the heat
- the pan handlers, hookers and tweakers
- unfriendly people, distant neighbors, people moving all the time, and the temporary nature of friendships here
- the overcrowding and poor quality of our schools
- the high cost of insurance and poor quality of health care
This isn't Kansas, Dorothy, it's VEGAS...lol

Our drivers are terrible here, we need
- Mass transit systems that are affordable. Pull offs for buses. Park and Rides.
- Ticket issuing traffic cams.
- Signs showing traffic conditions, with warnings about tailgaiting.
The greater Las Vegas area is the fastest growing area in the nation.
Oscar Goodman is right. Las Vegas is set to be the world's next Rome.
As such, we should have:
- Better schools, more teachers, and higher standards of education
- Better quality and more affordable health care.
- Legislation that eliminates malpractice lawsuits. How many 'messages' do you need to send the medical community?
- Better social services for legal citizens
- Better road design. No more 2 mile long, 2 lane off ramps that are 200 feet in the air. A child could plan better.
  New roads hit capacity when they open. That's poor capacity planning.
- Water should be a forethought, not an afterthought. The Colorado River is tapped.
A long time ago, there could have been codes set for the distance between houses.
Regulators let landowners squeeze every house possible into the smallest amount of acreage.
Now, we have overcrowding. There is plenty of land in Nevada.

I think so.
Most of whats going on seems typical for a good job.
- If I get this job, and we sell the condo,
We won't have any money problems at least for 3 years.
I'll be 54, Sonny will be 59, and Becky will be 48 when things start going south.
Thats if our investments pay nothing. The key word here is, investments .
We can't go on a spending spree and we have to live cheap.
- If I get this job and we don't sell the condo,
I'll be able to pull everybody's weight.
- If I don't get this job and we sell the condo,
we should be able to scrape by on Be Quick
- If I don't get this job and we don't sell the condo,
things will start going south by October.
 We have assets, they're just not easily converted into cash. 
A lot of things can happen in three months. We could finance!
I'll figure something out.
We've been on an $1,800 a month budget
Which is pretty cheap for a homeowner and two people in Vegas.
Lately, trying to refinance, buying tools for Be Quick, going to Disneyland, Adventure Dome, Star Trek Adventure...
has put us way over budget. We've been spending way beyond our means.
We've got to think rich and act poor.
Some things that have happened in the last two months are pretty unusual.
I'll just blame them either on bad luck or bad judgement on my part.
Without a causal connection, though, the odds of what happened yesterday are phenomenal.

Popped a tire. Fuel pump went bad.
Both unrelated..I think. What are the odds of that?
We left Frys about 4pm today.
It seemed kind of weird, to pop a tire while entering I215, then the fuel pump giving out 2 miles later.
We really weren't sure our tire popped at all, and it didn't seem like we needed to pull over.
But about 2 miles down the freeway, the engine started slowing and racing sporadically.
Then it died.
Freeway Assistance came by, but after a few minutes it, it would start again.
We didn't notice a flat tire.
A few miles later, at the Warm Springs exit, the engine died again.
It finally started and we made it somewhere on Warm Springs.
Then the tire started flopping around.
So I replaced it with a donut, all the while, burning my hands on the tools, and ruining my new dress pants.
It looked like my tire had melted (I'm serious).
We got another mile, and the engine died, again.
Cars were whizzing by us at 80mph.
Finally, it started again, and we made it to Paradise and Warm Springs.
We stopped and called our insurance for tow.
We had no water. We had no one to call. My tools were too hot to touch.
After two hours of waiting, we'd managed to get the car to a Rebel Station nearby.
Finally the tow truck pick us up, but all of the repair shops had closed.
The tow driver dropped us off at Pep Boys. They said I couldn't leave the car parked there.
So, we drove it home.
Its now 8pm.
I'm thinking tommorrow, we'll replace the fuel pump, fuel filter and get a new tire.
OH, I took my drug test.
We won't know the result until Friday or Monday.
Everything is being cut pretty close.

I'm driving the F150 to Louisville...if I go!!!
Ajilon called this morning.
They said Bank of America didn't check out.
I told them it was 18 years ago, while Valley Bank was being acquired by Bank of America.
I looked it up in Wikipedia and the Valley Bank acquisition wrapped up in 1992, after the Security Bank acquisition.
But to us, and especially me, I was working for and contracting with Bank of America.
It just didn't say that on their checks.
And the conversions were for Base24.
There is no Valley Bank anymore. It became BOA.
How do you answer that...zig or zag?
hmmm.
I talked to the guy at Caesars Indiana...
He's going through their 5th acquisition.
Same job. Same everything.
At least, they're not change the name everytime...lol

I just got a delivery from a Fed Ex deliveryman (for my Quest drug test).
I noticed he was driving a small, obviously poorly kept, probably spring driven, car.
SO, I stopped him and asked him if he was an independant contractor.
He said "YEP".
"Fed Ex concentrates its truck routes on Business-To-Business deliveries."
"For Business-To-Home deliveries, they contract us."...
hmmm
There's an easy job that anyone can do!
The contractors have to take a drug test and a physical exam first.
I think, if I stayed here and did the notary thing, I'd want to add that to my courier side of business.
Speaking about drug test.
I won't know if I can take off until either Friday, or Monday...and that really hurts.