McNulty Live

So I see this amazing view out my window & think “I need to capture this” ~ well, little did I know the gal sitting in the seat across the aisle from me is a flight attendant heading home. And I don’t know if you have experienced this, but some flight attendants feel like they are U.S. Marshall’s, Special Forces, Navy Seals or whatever the toughest fighter is this week. She turned to me and snapped in such a bitchy tone “Does that have a battery?” (she knew full well the camera has a battery)… I said “yes” to which the next BITCHY comment was “Then you need to shut that down!” ~ by this time, the camera was already packed away and put under the seat in-front of me. I’m sorry, but I figured my 4 seconds of photography probably was not going to bring the plane down. It really depends on the airlines, but in my vast experience each airline is sooooo different and some airlines are soooo inconsistent. Needless to say, this was hopefully my last flight on Continental airlines anyway because they have parted their partnership with Alaska Airlines and they are not worth flying if I don’t get frequent flier miles. So many of today’s flight attendants don’t realize who the customer is anymore. They bang your shoulders with the drink carts, they spill crap all over you, they snap and bark & complain and just don’t seem to like their job. I’d like to say it’s the exception not the rule, but I can’t. I bet the majority of Flight Attendants just are not happy people. The only employees grumpier seem to be the gate attendants but that’s another blog in itself! And, it really is worse depending on which airline you fly. Some airlines have the worst employees as far as attitude. I am so glad I get to fly Alaska most the time because between them & their sister airline Horizon I have experienced some of the best Flight Attendants in the country. I’ll expand on this more later, I have to go pack for my next flight!

Been a bit lapse on the blog lately….But I’ve been busy…And that makes me have more to blog….

In Las Vegas for work again…But this time we looked for the cheapest strip room to stay and see how it is. Normally we have stayed at the swanky hotels, but this time we went for the $39/night Excalibur. Not because we had to, because we chose to. I did take a lot of things into consideration though when making the choice…. 1. It is only across a bridge to get to New York New York or the Luxor. 2. It has a free tram to Mandalay Bay. 3. It does have a Dick’s Last Resort restaurant (which I always enjoy).

Well, I must say I was pretty happy with our selection. For $20 more/night we could have upgraded to their new totally remodeled Tower II ~ but we didn’t. Our room was not bad. 21st floor with two queen beds & strip views. Beds were comfortable & the shower was great. I figured we saved at least $200/night on a hotel. Plus the Excalibur has lower priced gambling tables (we didn’t gamble too much). It’s a quick walk to Planet Hollywood (I love Blondies for lunch there), we did actually go to Mandalay Bay (Had an awesome hamburger at the Burger Bar (@ $20/burger the 2 hamburgers cost more than our hotel room)), we did go to the Luxor & we did walk part of the strip. And, the Excalibur is only a $20 cab ride to Fremont Street. Other pluses: it had a nice pool that was not too crowded & they offer FREE Valet parking (with all our equipment, that was nice).

The two downsides I can think of: 1. Tower I is far from the pool 2. It was a much older crowd. Other than that, the hotel was not too smokey and it has a lot to offer….AND, you cannot beat the price.

Other quick Vegas tid bits: 1. Fremont Street ~ GREAT as always and the cheap beer and tables more than make up for the $20 cab ride…Not to mention the GREAT people watching & the live shows & the videos. 2. Burger Bar @ Mandalay Bay ~ Pricey but GOOD! 3. Blondies @ Planet Hollywood ~ ALWAYS Great!! 4. Dick’s ribs & wings were awesome…

Wow…Bittersweet….

I love football….Love the Greenbay Packers….Still love Favre (sorry)….BUT & it is a big BUT, my twins started football for the first time this year (6th grade football) & I was excited, bummed & scared…

Bummed, because I have been their head soccer coach for the last 7 years & have loved it and they have done great. Zack has been an all-around star…scoring & defense & Reilly has really become a great goalie. Zack has gotten to play almost every minute of every game and has been phenomenal ~ We have won some games 7-0 where Zack has scored all 7 goals & Reilly has had 15 saves…. I loved coaching them sooooo much.

Now, I love football & would love to be on the sidelines watching & taking video & photos….BUT, with football their playing time could be very limited. They definitely will have different roles. Since Reilly is bigger he’d have to be a defensive or offensive lineman (or both ~ he cannot carry a ball because of weight restrictions the league has). Zack could easily be a wide reciever, safety, kicker or even a quarterback…. He has a great arm and can throw a long killer spiral & has speed (He is Michael Vick without the dog cruelty).

Now the scared….I’m scared they will get a big injury…I have friends with kids that have had MAJOR broken bones….At least they are 6th graders on a 5th-6th grade team ~ so hopefully they will be a bit bigger….

We just kicked off the season & I am PUMPED…I hope they get lots of playing time, have lots of fun & don’t get injured!

Go Wildcats!

Travel can be a hassle…But it gets worse when you have to go through security with a bunch of Bozo’s.

Granted, I find it quite interesting how inconsistent the TSA group is, but they have kept flying safe. I find it odd how sometimes I have to throw out my toothpaste & sometimes a nail clipper is fine or sometimes they tell travelers “o.k. just go.”

But, MOSTLY, I am so amazed at the people that 1. Don’t know what the hell they are thinking & 2. Take the time to sit and argue with TSA.
In the photo above: This TSA agent had to go into great detail w/ dumb & dumber on why they could not take a tomahawk on an airplane. This took awhile for the angry rocket scientists to understand….

I’d have to say 95% of the TSA do a great job…There are a few power hungry agents & a few apathetic ones, but the good definitely outwiegh the bad.

It all started last night…before bed I got a side ache. Throughout the night I could not sleep & CRAWLED out of bed at 5:00am in excruciating pain.

I cold barely stand & cringed when I took a breath. I am definitely not a hypochondriac & I have not been to the Emergency Room in 25 years, but I knew I had to go. I thought my appendix ruptured or worse.

When I arrived they took all my information. The best part was when the admitting nurse asked me to stand on my tip-toes & “hit the floor.” I said “hit the floor” and he said “hit the floor.” I looked at the floor & it was pretty dirty. “Hit the floor?” ~ “yes, hit the floor.” So, I hit the floor & jumped back up…He said he never had anyone do that before….I then found out he meant put my heels to the floor not my whole body….Guess I was kind of out of it because I was in such pain….It definitely was entertaining to the ER.

Well needless to say, by the time I actually got to see a doctor, the pain was gone. They ruled out a bunch of things like appendix and I was diagnosed with a Kidney Stone. The doctor informed me that since I passed it, I was good to go. Although, it could happen again, so be prepared.

I have no desire to return real soon & am now home recuperating.

Wow…Stunner…

Michael Jackson & Farrah Fawcett both died today….They both were really a part of my generation. Charlie’s Angels & the “Thriller” album (what is an album anymore? Way before cd’s were even a dream) ~ both were huge. I even had Farrah’s famous poster up in my room. It was such a big deal that there was “nipple” showing.

Remember the “Moon Walk” Michael did. He started off so normal….That also was when MTV was about music videos…The “Thriller” video was groundbreaking & cool, I can still picture the zombies. Beat It, Billie Jean, Thriller, so many songs everyone from my era know the words & can picture the videos. He was an incredibly talented guy. From music to dancing to videos he was a major force in how things are done today. The consummate entertainer of our time! He did have his odd moments, but in the 80′s he truly was the King!

Farrah started a generation of hair-do’s and goes on to marry the $6 million man Lee Majors who was so big during my time too. She was a Super Model before there were Super Models.

Definitely a big lose today…she was soooooo hot & he was sooooo talented….The King of Pop and Charlie’s hottest angel now gone. They both really had an impact on my life  during the 80′s. Everyone watched Charlie’s Angels & we all owned the Thriller album ~ it was a classic.

They say they come in 3’s….I wonder who might be next (unless Ed McMahon is considered the 3rd)…

A Very Sad Day!

So many people think business travel is a blast…sight seeing, partying, etc. It’s not…It’s a pain in the ass…Traveling…Fun, Fun, Fun! Our recent trip was insane…We were off to Virginia Beach from Oregon to do some filming. And, it was one goofy moment after another. It started with Dan picking me up late and us rushing to the airport…..from there it went all down hill. 1st shuttle from parking to airport took forever to arrive and right before we pulled out Dan realized his iPhone was still in the car (usually attached directly to his ear) – this was something Dan must have….So  “Asthma Dan” had to hustle and get the phone & made it back to the bus out of breath ~ luckily he had his inhaler (this comes into play later in the story).

We got on the 1st flight and almost made it to Atlanta without incident. As we approached landing, flight attendant asked for a doctor. Apparently a 1st class passenger decided to have a heart-attack mid-flight. They worked on the passenger for awhile & we landed. We had to all wait for the paramedics to resolve situation. I think the guy was o.k. Next flight, plane delayed & we got into Norfolk, VA after 3am. Hertz barely stayed open for us. Their voice mail said they were closed so we cancelled hotel & then realized it was our only option so we rebooked it.

When we arrived at our hotel we encountered “Norman Bates.” A very odd guy checking us in. He did not want to shut up & it was a very painful 20 minute check-in. He said he almost cancelled our reservation because the card was wrong. They were sold out, so we would have been SOL….Tough morning. Dan was out of inhaler! So, he was constantly looking for place to get one. We filmed the project and it went real well…We flew to Augusta, got in late, had a hard time finding hotel with all the new construction, our GPS was a bit messed up. We stopped at a PF Changs for dinner & they just closed, but did open the doors & fed us at the bar.

We shipped the EXPENSIVE equipment to Augusta, Georgia for early morning delivery ~ suppose to arrive by 8am. IT NEVER showed! Tracking showed it in Pennsylvania. Augusta filming went well despite the lack of equipment. We had no lights so we had to film in the front windows & it was like filming under a magnifying glass. We were so sweaty & hot. Worked with UPS all day to try and get the equipment sent to Florida. They could not find the equipment. Dan worked all day trying to get an inhaler & finally got one! Yippee!

At the airport, Dan realizes he left the new inhaler in the rental car. Security at this airport closed up so we could not leave gate to go get inhaler. So we flew to Fort Myers, Florida. Our plane was delayed and we had a VERY tight connection. Luckily we were up front of plane, but Dan had gate checked a bag. So, I ran like hell & got to gate just as they were closing doors…Got the gals to let me on & asked them to wait a minute for Dan. It was more than a minute…And Asthma Dan ran through the airport and just made it. ATLANTA is HUGE airport. Meanwhile, people had already shifted seats & were not real happy when I told them they were in our seats…

We arrived in Florida late & guess what, because our connection was so tight our luggage did not make it! Our GPS was in the checked luggage which made the day’s travel even tougher ~ we got lost a couple times. So we were so hot, so sweaty, so stinky & we had to film the next whole day in the same dirty, sweaty clothes without our good equipment. Filming in Florida went o.k. even though again it was 100 degrees….So we spent 2 full days running around in humid, 100 degree weather in the same clothes. Dan finally got another inhaler in Florida.

We got home late last night…..after 7 hours in flight and two days in the same clothes! Did I mention this last day was Dan’s birthday.

Back in Madison…..I have really not been to Madison in a long time & boy has it changed.

I had a work project that had a stop in Madison for a brief few hours & I really took advantage of those hours. I hit State Street, the Union, the campus & the Capitol. I got to see Pat McCurdy, some old friends & some family. I even got to have some Roccy Rococo pizza. some chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream, a Parthenon Gyro & popcorn @ the Memorial Union.

What a gorgeous Summer evening to be here. It made me miss the place, but it also made me realize moving West was the right thing to do.
Sure there are great Summer days, but the nasty Winter is what drove me away.

Being born in Madison & going to college here was a lot of fun. And, it is a great place to visit, but I love Portland & plan on staying for a long time.

I am EXTREMELY lucky…I hear about so many people that hate their daily commute to work. NOT ME! I live about 13 miles from work & I get to drive through the Portland, Oregon bluffs to get to work every day.
My commute is about 25 minutes (maybe 30 minutes w/traffic). And, it is gorgeous. I get great bridge views (all of them since I cross the St. Johns Bridge), mountain views (Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Hood & several more depending on the weather) & I even get to see deer on my way to work.
I live in the best part of the U.S. and feel lucky every day I drive to work.
I have been doing it for almost 15 years and still think the same way.
I am lucky!

Two things regarding story below:

1. Danny Gans was incredible. I have traveled to Las Vegas many times for work and a few times for pleasure. After so many times, it gets kind of old. I can only put up with the gambling, solicitors, slot machine noises and the horrendous smoke smell for so long. So, I have started to go see one of the many great shows when I’m there. When I travel for work I always go to the show alone (seems like most of the groups like the strip clubs ~ not my thing), so I usually get a pretty good seat. There are lots of great individual tickets to almost every show always available. I’ve even gotten the front row several times buying it the same day as the show! A few years ago I got to see Danny Gans & he was a blast! He was an amazing performer. He definitely earned being one of the top shows in Vegas…

2. What is the deal with people in great health dying.  It makes you start to wonder why take care of yourself. It just doesn’t seem fair when you see some chain smoking, booze-hound live to 100 and if you eat well & exercise you could go at 50. Makes me wonder if those who are living on the edge and having a blast are the smart ones. At least they get to do everything they want and have a great time doing it! I feel guilty ordering a milk shake!

THE STORY:

Legendary Vegas entertainer Gans dead at 52

Las Vegas entertainer Danny Gans, an impressionist who sold more tickets on the Strip than the Rat Pack or Elvis Presley, died early Friday, his manager said. He was 52.
Gans, best known for his touching impersonation of entertainer George Burns, began a five-year headline gig at tycoon Steve Wynn’s Wynn Las Vegas hotel in February. Prior to that, he spent 11 years at the Mirage.
Gans earned Las Vegas Entertainer of the Year honors 11 years in a row in the reader poll conducted by the Las Vegas Review-Journal but was not well known beyond Las Vegas.
The cause of death was unknown. Gans’s manager Chip Lightman expressed his shock at the impressionist’s passing.
“The guy was healthy as an ox,” Lightman said. “I spoke to Steve Wynn several times this morning and both of us were shocked. I was with Danny the day before yesterday. Healthy as an ox. I mean, all he ate was egg whites and spinach and worked out religiously.”
Gans was a former minor league baseball player who turned to performing after a career-ending injury.
He appeared as a player in the film “Bull Durham” and found success in his 1995 one-man show in New York before moving the next year to Las Vegas.
He is survived by a wife and three children.

He was a GREAT performer!