I started [amazon_link id=”1439133980″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Darkship Thieves[/amazon_link] on the way out to Las Vegas and finished it off once we got back. It was a fun little book to read, and I got through it pretty quickly. The story revolves around the daughter of one of Earth’s rulers getting rescued/kidnapped by a member of a semi-mythic group. Hilarity ensues and there are some rather interesting revelations as the story progresses. I really enjoyed it and am going to pick up a few more of the author’s books once I get my out of control pile under control.
Author Archives: Pat
Mystery Trip – Day 3
Today was the last day, so we took it easy. We started off with breakfast at Bouchon, and then headed out to do a little more nosing around and shopping. Lunch was some really good pizza over at Mario Batali’s Otto Enoteca Pizzeria. Finally we boarded the shuttle for the airport and caught our plane home. It was a fun weekend, Heather was a good sport, and we’ll probably do it again, though without all of the secrecy next time.
Mystery Trip – Day 2
Regrouping in the morning we snagged a quick breakfast just off the casino floor and then did a little more walking and shopping. This time we were a little more thorough about hitting the Forum Shops and found a great clothing store called Bettie Page, where Heather found a really nice dress. We struck out on finding a pair of shoes that would go with it, so we’ll have to find another excuse to wear it.
After a bit more shopping we went back to The Cosmopolitan for lunch at José Andrés’s China Poblano. The fusion of Chinese and Mexican food was interesting and extremely tasty! We then headed back to get ready for dinner and tonight’s show. Dinner was at Thomas Keller’s Bouchon, a French bistro. The food was delicious, the service was perfect, and really, the entire experience was as close to perfect as we could have hoped. We started out with a charcuterie of salamis and then moved on to the main courses. Heather had the Gigot d’Agneau, a delicious lamb dish and I had the steamed mussels. Both were very, very good. Finally we finished off with some dessert and coffee. I had a lemon tart and Heather had the profiteroles.
After dinner we went back through the hotel to the Blue Man Theater for tonight’s show. Thanks to some great advice, I booked the VIP experience when I purchased the tickets. We got good seats, which were supposed to be outside of the splatter zone (they were not) and a one-on-one meet and greet with one of the Blue Men after the show. The show was a lot of fun, with great music mixed in with physical comedy and a lot of mess. As I mentioned earlier, the splatter zone is rather loosely defined. I managed to wear a bit of banana pudding during one of the acts, but it’s all good. After the show finished we were escorted to a small room where one of the Blue Men came out to meet us. He was a lot of fun to talk to, and yes, he did break character. We got autographs, had some good laughs, and then headed back to get some sleep.
Mystery Trip – Day 1
I’ve been teasing Heather about a mystery trip I booked since June. It’s been kind of fun, but this morning the jig was up and we headed for DFW airport to catch an early flight to Fabulous Las Vegas.
We got in and over to The Venetian, our base of operations for the weekend. Check-in accomplished and stuff unloaded we proceeded to head out to get some food and then wander around the strip for a while. It’s changed a lot since the last time I was out here, but was still a lot of fun to hang out and take in the sights. We grabbed some lunch at I Love Burgers and then nosed around the Grand Canal Shoppes before heading out into the heat. We took it easy because we had dinner reservations at Jaleo, one of José Andrés’s tapas restaurants and a show booked. This is about where I slipped the engagement ring I’ve been hanging on to since early July over to Heather. She said yes, in case you’re wondering. There were some tears and some laughter, but all in all it was the right place and time.
Jaleo was fantastic! We started out with an excellent selection of jamóns and some cheese before moving on to scallops and veal cheeks for our main courses. We got talked in to dessert, which was probably a good thing because it was so incredibly good that missing out would have hurt. All I can say is “saffron mousse”.
After dinner we headed over to New York New York to catch Cirque du Soleil‘s Zumanity. It was really good, but definitely on the risque side. If you’re so inclined, you’ll probably enjoy it. If not, don’t go.
Back to the hotel after that where I finished off the evening with a tasty IPA from Sin City Beer.
Relentless
My summer reading plans went seriously bust due to lots and lots of home improvement work, but I still managed to finish off another book in the ever growing stack. [amazon_link id=”0441017088″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Relentless[/amazon_link] is the fifth book in Jack Campbell’s Lost Fleet series. The action picks up right where book four ended, with the fleet getting closer to home but still fighting the Syndicated Worlds for every bit of progress. The enemy in the shadows makes a slightly more visible appearance this time, which sets the stage for maybe another series? I was surprised that he brought them home this early, but I see where the series and universe is going and will be putting book six on the stack soon.
Semper Human
With everything else going on over the summer, my aggressive reading plans were too aggressive. But I did finish [amazon_link id=”0061238643″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Semper Human[/amazon_link], the third book in Ian Douglas’s Inheritance Trilogy this evening. I think he wrapped everything up nicely, but I am wondering if there might be some more to come, because the ending was a little open ended (and no, that doesn’t contradict what I said earlier). Either way, he’s got another series that I’m working through once I get ahead on the books I’ve already got. The book buying moratorium is still in effect.
Valiant
A remarkably quick read, I guess I was just in to it. [amazon_link id=”0441016197″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Valiant[/amazon_link] is the fourth book in Jack Campbell’s Lost Fleet series. It picks up immediately where the third book finished, and rolled on from there. He’s doing a little more exposition on the theorized aliens manipulating both sides to fight as well as the journey home. I like how this book flowed and will be starting the next one as soon as I can.
By Heresies Distressed
[amazon_link id=”0765315033″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]By Heresies Distressed[/amazon_link] is David Weber’s third book in the Safehold series. It picks up pretty much immediately where [amazon_link id=”0765315017″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]By Schism Rent Asunder[/amazon_link] finished, with the invasion of Corisande and the challenge of integrating Charis and Chisholm into the new empire. There are a few revelations, some more flushing out of the back story and plot, as well as a curve ball about the timeline of the series. I’m not sure where this is going now, because of a small exchange between Merlin and Cayleb where the answer seems to imply a generational approach. It’s going to be interesting to see where it goes because the next two books are still featuring the same cast of characters. If the implication is that at some point in the series we’re going to jump forward in time, I’ll be interested to see exactly when (in the sense of which book) and how far forward. I’m definitely enjoying this series, and if you’re a Weber fan, you should check them out.
Picked Up The MkII
Heather and I went up to the Bavarian Grill for dinner and then popped over to my FFL’s place to pick up the Ruger MkII I had dropped off to be threaded for a suppressor. Andrew did a fantastic job not only threading the barrel but also machining a thread protector that looks like it isn’t even a separate part. The suppressor fits perfectly, but until the tax stamp comes in, I can’t write about its performance. Hopefully that will be in soon, there’s just no telling…
Laphroaig Cairdeas Tasting
Thanks to a Friends of Laphroiag email and a call from a good friend, I headed over to The Libertine Bar after work for a Laphroaig tasting, featuring the 2011 Cairdeas bottling. I was quite a bit early, but enjoyed a Hop Devil and some of their muenster fries while I waited. Rick and Gloria arrived a little later and we settled in to wait for the tasting to start. Simon Brooking, the Laphroaig ambassador arrived around 7:30 and got started after getting a quick bite to eat. He read a little Gaelic poetry, lit some peat, and then started the tasting. Our first sample was the 10 year, what I consider to be the quintessential Laphroaig whisky. After that, we got to try some of the new quarter cask. That was an experience! I’ve got a bottle that I haven’t opened yet, and am now itching to give it a go. At some point a cheese board showed up at our table, so we had something to cleanse our palates with before going on to the last whisky, the Cairdeas. It was similar to the quarter cask, but with some stronger, sweeter notes. Very, very good. We got a chance to talk to Simon for a while and I got a picture taken with him. His assistant, one of the Beam representatives, set aside a couple bottles at one of the local liquor stores, so we’ll be heading out tomorrow to pick them up. This was a really fun night, and I’ll be sure to not miss another tasting. It was definitely worth the drive and time.
Me and Simon Brooking