Comic Con Adventures: Wednesday

You can tell right away if people are familiar with Comic Con. When I would say, “I’m going to Comic Con in San Diego,” I would typically get one of two responses. I’d either get, “OMG that is so awesome,” or I would be met with a quizzical stare and a “Comic…Con? What is that?”

I’m happy to say that these days the first response is the more prevalent. After all, pretty much every major news outlet reports on Comic Con and sends a correspondent or two to provide complete coverage; even my Mom called me after seeing a big story about it on the evening news and in The Washington Post. And if my mother has heard of something, it is officially in the mainstream.

But it was hard to prepare or know what to expect since nobody I personally know has ever attended the Con. I spent hours perusing first timer’s guide to the Con, and made sure I had a handle on all the basics. Wear comfortable shoes, make sure you shower and use deodorant (kind of depressing that people needed to be TOLD that one), plan ahead, bring snacks, etc. etc. But it’s hard to actually prepare for an experience, you know?

(Sidenote: I’m writing up the television-centric panels I attended over on the tv blog but here I am going to chronicle all the stories of my various wanderings, as well as give a general idea of what being at the Con was like. Both blogs are going to go chronologically, so there should be plenty to read!)

On Wednesday, when my friends and I arrived in San Diego, we weren’t totally sure what to expect. The flights at least went over without a hitch; Rachel was my travelling buddy as we had booked our flights together, and despite a short stop in Salt Lake, we arrived in San Diego around noon. While walking around the airport it was fun to pick out the people who were there for the Con; anyone wearing any kind of pop culture t-shirt, goth outfit, or gave off an aura of geekiness was instantly identified and categorized. It felt like we had to wait forever for our suitcases, but we met up with our friend Carly who had been so kind as to chat up some cute guys who were also attending the Con (and planned on dressing as Wolverine and Deadpool, so, score!).

Thankfully, our hotel had a free shuttle from the airport (score one for the frugal-minded!) and we got all the scoop from the driver about what was around San Diego. Our hotel was about 10 blocks from the Convention Center, so totally walkable, but Comic Con also provided a free shuttle that stopped right in front of the hotel, and there was a public transport trolley station right around the corner, so we had lots of options. Our first concern was, of course, food.

As I mentioned above, I had read that bringing your own snacks and food was a must. So we struck out for a grocery store located about 5 blocks from the hotel and got a feel for the city. And let me just say this: I love San Diego. I have been to LA before and hated it; too hot, too brown, too meh. But San Diego has gorgeous weather (even in July), plenty of greenery, and even though we stayed right downtown it was totally safe to walk around, even late at night. It has a ton of excellent restaurants and lots to do, even if you don’t spend all day in the Convention Center.

Signs for Comic Con along Broadway in San Diego

Anyway, we hit the grocery store, picking up items for sandwiches and lunches and snagged a cooler to keep in the room. We also had some great Chinese food (mmmm….chinese food) and then struck back out for the hotel. By this time, it was getting on in the afternoon, and Rachel and I decided to head over to the Convention Center to pick up our name-tags and registration and check out Preview Night. Carly, who had not been able to register for a four-day pass spent the rest of the afternoon/evening at the zoo.

San Diego Convention Center

Ok, so after spending 45 minutes in grid-lock traffic on the shuttle bus (taking it ended up being a huge mistake), Rachel and I finally arrived at the Convention Center. Immediately we spotted the huge (and I mean huge) line for registering. Yikes. BUT. I will say this. The line moved quickly, we only ended up waiting maybe 20 minutes, and overall the experience was much easier than I was expecting. All the volunteers seemed to know where people needed to go, and they did the best they could to keep the lines organized and moving. So my first experience with the infamous Comic Con lines was not overwhelming or too annoying.

The view from the escalator in the Convention Center.

After securing our registration, name-tags, and Comic Con info book, Rachel and I struck out to explore the Convention Center. I figured we would be best prepared for the coming days if we knew exactly where everything was located. That way, when I realized I had to book it to Room 6BCF from Ballroom 20 on Thursday, I would know where I was going.

The first thing we saw after exiting the Pavilion (where registration took place) was a huge, monster line. And when I saw monster, I mean it. The line stretched almost the entire length of the convention center which is about 3 city blocks. We had no idea what it was for. Were people trying to get into Ballroom 20 to see the pilot screenings that evening? Was it something to do with the masquerade? Turns out neither were right. It was people waiting to get into the Exhibit Hall to score the best freebies and get a head start on their comics and merch shopping. Since we wanted no part of that, we skipped merrily past the line and right into Ballroom 20 where some pilot episodes of fall television shows were screening.

After sitting around for a while and flipping through the info book, we decided to check on the line for the Exhibit Hall, which had been due to open at 6:00. We stuck our heads into the hall…and the line was gone. Everyone had already moved into the Exhibit Hall so we followed suit.

Let me just say this: sensory overload. You can’t imagine how many people and just…things are crammed into the Exhibit Hall. Every size movie studio (from tiny independents to huge names like Warner Brothers) has a large stall, as do almost every comic manufacturer. There are stalls for video games, artists, manufacturers, it’s like a Portobello Road of geekdom. Since comics and other nerdy merchandise aren’t really my thing, I wasn’t too enamored, but I think for most people at Comic Con the Exhibit Hall is the real highlight. For me, it will mostly be remembered as a giant clusterfuck of people clambering to get limited edition bags from the various movie studios and as the place of my first Comic Con humiliation: asking the lady from Dark Horse Comics where the Angel comics are. Yeah, that’s a different company. So = embarrassing. In my defense, Dark Horse produces the Buffy and Firefly comics, so it was an honest mistake, right?

In the Exhibit Hall

After about an hour of wandering around the Exhibit Hall, Rachel and I headed back up to Ballroom 20 and saw the pilot screenings for V and The Vampire Diaries. You can find my thoughts on those here, at the tv blog. For the most part, it was enjoyable, and kind of exciting to see something before everyone else! I felt almost like a real television reporter, sitting there with my journal, taking notes on the tv shows. All I needed was a fedora with a press tag sticking out of it to complete my look.

Ballroom 20, the second largest room at the Con.

By the time the screenings were over, it was getting late, and we were jet-lagged and tired, so we headed back to the hotel. There was a lot of excitement and planning for the day to come among us girls and we ran around like crazy people packing our backpacks for our first full day of Comic Con panels!

Next up: Sigourney Weaver is a goddess, why it pays to pre-register, and who knew sitting on your ass all day could make you so tired?

Reports from a Midnight Screening

One of the more depressing parts of growing older is that you find it difficult to perform tasks that once came so easily. Drinking massive amounts of alcohol without significant effect and staying up until the wee hours of the morning are the two examples that first come to mind. So my decision to attend a midnight screening of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (HP6) was not made lightly. But in the end, my fangirlishness beat the tiny logical section of my brain into submission, and there I was, sitting in a movie theater at 12:00 midnight on Wednesday morning to see the first showing of HP6.

After getting home from work at around 6:30 on Tuesday, I immediately laid down for a nap. When the alarm went off at 8:00, I felt a little groggy and a little confused. I would normally start the winding down for the evening process at this time. But there was Harry Potter to be had, so I jumped out of bed and quickly wolfed down some dinner.

Then it was on to more important tasks. Specifically: cookie making. To add to the celebratory feeling of the evening, I decided to make some sugar cookies in fun Harry Potter shapes. I had mixed the dough and made cookie cutter templates out of cardboard the night before (in the shape of a lightning bolt and Harry's spectacles) and just needed to actually cut and bake the cookies. They turned out very good, if I do say so myself, especially for a low fat sugar cookie recipe. I stuffed a tupperware container full and carried one of my large handbags; if I got searched at the theater I would be totally busted but was hoping no such steps would be taken.

I left to meet up with Chris and Kent at 10:00, and it was a bit surreal to be leaving the house at the time I would normally be hitting the hay, but I was feeling good. After meeting Chris and Kent's creepy roommate, we struck out and began walking to the movie theater, which was basically just across the street.

Along the way we passed a lady smoking a cigarette. Kent in his usual friendly fey manner said "Hello!" to the lady to which she replied, "Fuck you. Bastard." We hurriedly walked away and of course laughed about the incident for the next 6 hours. Because, seriously. What the hell was her problem? Although we should probably be grafeul she didn't stab us or anything.

We arrived at the theater at around 10:30 and joined the already impressive line. We played some card games, ate cookies (which thankfully did not get confiscated) and met up with our friend and fellow Potter-phile, Whitney. The theater opened at around 11:15, and then we just kind of sat there for 45 minutes waiting.

There were of course too many commercials and too many trailers, but at last, around 12:15, the movie started.

(If you want to be spoiler free, stop reading here)

So what did I think? I really liked it. I can't wait to see it again, in fact. As with all the Potter movies, the scenes are so full of small details, that it takes multiple viewings to take it in. The actual direction and cinematography of the film is gorgeous, the camera seems to really inhabit the wizarding world, rather than it seeming the world was created for the camera.

I think overall Order of the Phoenix is still my favorite of the films (because of the big fight scene at the end), but this one was really great. It was much more mature in tone, despite the PG rating, and it seems that as the characters near adulthood they’re making the films less and less whimsical; there is a noticeable lack of moving portraits or shifting staircases, for example. Now Hogwarts is all about dark gothic corridors and secrets. Is that a good thing? I'm not sure. At time it feels like Hogwarts could be a normal private British school, rather than a private magic British school. One of the things I love about the films are the classroom scenes, and other than some potions here and there, we don't get that here.

My only real disappointment was the lack of a real big fight scene at the climax; I guess they are saving all that for Movies 7 & 8 when they have the battle of Hogwarts. This was more of an emotional climax with Dumbledore and Harry in the cave and on the Astronomy Tower. Maybe I was tired, but Dumbledore's death was not as moving as I was expecting; but the cave scene was actually more tense and scary than I had prepared for. The inferii are creepy as hell and Harry forcing Dumbledore to drink the potion seemed like it was lifted right from the book.

Regarding the performances, Rupert Grint and Daniel Radcliffe were great; they both get separate comedic scenes that really deliver (the love potion and the Felix Felicious). The chick who played Lavender Brown was hilarious, really spot-on, but the biggest surprise was Tom Felton as Draco. Having to play tortured and brooding can go so wrong so easily, but Tom Felton really sold it.

I was hoping that Alan Rickman might let his Snape break through into more of a mania at the end with the whole "fight back, you coward!" but alas, he was still as stoic as ever. I get that it's his own take on the character, but still, Snape in the book is prone to rages and we haven't seen any of that in the movie Snape. It would have been nice to see him get really worked up. Also, before killing Dumbledore, he sees Harry and hushes him. But this basically telegraphed that he's actually a good guy, right?

The other adults in the movie are around only for a couple minutes, but are always welcome. Jim Broadbent (who I swear, looks totally different in every movie he is in; that guy can totally control his face) was a perfect Slughorn and I just read he's due back for Deathly Hallows, so hurray!

On the whole, I was impressed by how faithful the book was to the movie. Whole lines seemed to have been taken directly from the book, and the things that were changed, made real sense. There's an attack on the burrow that was added (with JKR's approval) but it ups the ante and gives you a sense of the real menace. There's also a small moment with the Gaunt's ring and Riddle's diary that took my breath away with it's awesomeness and hinted at things to come. There was sad lack of Luna and especially Neville, but I am just holding out hope that Neville's big moment in Deathly Hallows is handled well.

Which leads me to the big issue. So much of HP6 is set up for Deathly Hallows. We get some key info and key character development (notably Harry and Ginny--which side note: I loved that Ginny was pursuing Harry as much he was crushing on her), but after the movie ends you want to get on with it! There's another year and a half wait until Deathly Hallows Part I and that's the most disappointing thing about HP6. It doesn't satisfy in the way the other Harry Potter movies have because it isn't really an ending--it's just the beginning of the end.

Overall, I would give it a solid B+. It's my third favorite of the movies (behind Order of the Phoenix and Prisoner of Azkaban), but it might move up in the rankings after multiple viewings. I will say it felt more like a "real" movie than any of the others, meaning it didn't just feel like a Harry Potter film. But I haven't decided if that's a good thing or not. I'll let you know after I see it again on Saturday!

By the way, I was home and in bed at 3:30 in the morning and was feeling fine. If I can prepare myself for being up so late without any problems, maybe my days of binge drinking and no hangover aren't behind me after all!

Then again...maybe they are.

Potter Protest!

I know what you are thinking. "Mags, I happen to know that you are a huge Harry Potter fan, so WHY would you be protesting those awesome books?"

Ah, but see, I wasn't protesting the books. I was protesting that cowardly bureaucratic establishment, the Ministry of Magic! For too long the Ministry has served to keep fellow creatures from exercising their equal rights and has embarked on a campaign of disinformation against the public!

Or, maybe I was in DC to participate in a Pottercast and Wizard Wrock meetup. (Hint--the correct answer is the last one).

On a lovely day last month, my friend Dorilyn and I took some leave and skipped out of work early (oh, how I love working for the feds) to meet the Pottercast peeps on their summer tour. Pottercast, one of my favorite podcasts, is travelling around the country this summer with The Whomping Willows and The Remus Lupins talking Potter at libraries, bookstore, and even on the National Mall.

The whole gang was there, Melissa, John, Frak, all except Sue, whom I assume was unable to abandon her familial responsibilities to drive around in a creepy looking rape van all summer. There was a group of about 40 of us (mostly teenagers, I am not ashamed to admit), some parents, and me and Dori, and we just sat around and shot the shit about Potter.

It was a little structured; some of Pottercast's segments made an appearance: Canon Conundrums (discussing aspects of the Ministry which it turns out...nobody really knows a lot about), Are You Smarter Than John Noe (yes, it turns out most people there were smarter than him), and occasional musical breaks to give the bands a chance to play.

I say bands but it was really just the dudes with their acoustic guitars playing for us as we assembled under a tree. But it was awesome, and I'm sure we got mistaken for hippies or something.

We had protest signs (Umbridge is Dumbridge), sang protest songs (Werewolf Rights!) and in general just enjoyed the gorgeous weather and talked Potter. I was able to get my copy of Melissa's book, Harry, A History, autographed, and a bought a CD to add to my Wizard Wrock collection.

All of it was just getting me into the mood for the Half-Blood Prince release which I'll be seeing in, oh, 8 hours at the midnight show! Leaving time for a nap of course. I'm not as young and resilient as I used to be.

In the mean time, pictures!

The group under a tree chatting about the Ministry of Magic.

Being serenaded by the Wizard Wrockers.

A fan tests her Potter knowledge against John Noe (in the yellow t-shirt) during Are You Smarter Than John Noe? Melissa, in the green and standing in the middle, acts as our host.

Singing protest songs with our signs!

Group shot!

The Independence of Pie

My July 4th was all about pie. And seriously, what else do you need in a holiday? Fireworks, BBQ, spending time with family members, all of these are just ancillary to the main event: PIE.

First, as part of a lunchtime cook-out with my Mom, we made a cherry pie. It wasn't from scratch, she had bought a pie crust mix and cherry cobbler filling at Williams Sonoma....say, about a year ago. Hey, better late than never! We made the crust, Mom expertly rolled it out and fitted it into the pan and here was the end result:


From this angle, it looks like an angry pie. See the angry eyebrows, the messed up nose, and the frowny face. But while it looks unhappy, trust me, it was goooood.

The crust was a little thick, but my Mom loves her crust. The crust dough overshot the rim of the pie pan by a good 2 inches, but when I suggested that we trim it she shot me a withering look and replied, "we are not throwing away any of this crust." Ok, then Mom.

After the cherry pie, I headed over to Grandma's for the Riley Family's 5th Monthly Harry Potter night (all leading up to the sixth movie release in a few weeks) where Pie #2 awaited. After perusing Healthy Cooking magazine, I found a great low-fat, low-calorie recipe for a berry patch pie. Strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries (a super food!) cooked with some sugar and cornstarch and voila:


SO GOOD OMG. Sweet and tart and not bad for me and...effing amazing.

All in all, it was a very successful Fourth of July. We sort of forgot to watch the fireworks (we were right at the end of Order of the Phoenix!), and there wasn't any hanging out at the beach or other typical Independence Day activities, but each family has it's own traditions, right? Apparently mine likes to sit around watch movies (I had also watched 1776 with Mom earlier) and stuff ourselves with pie. And yes. You can come over next year and help us "celebrate".

Ready to run

This past Saturday was....busy. That might be a bit of an understatement, but so many fun, crazy, funny things happened that it was too good not to share.

First on the docket Saturday morning was a yard sale at Mom's. This was actually the third yard sale she's had this summer; once she gets the bug to clean out our storage room there's very little that can stop her. The most recent sale was by far the most successful; we got rid of the most stuff and made the most money, but it was also the most eventful.

To start things off I was running on only about 4 hours of sleep (I just couldn't say no the night before to tapas and sangria). And since my brother is way off in Michigan, when it comes to carrying things, I'm the muscle. So it was up to me to cart boxes and assorted household items out to the lawn. Which by itself isn't bad...but when Mom decides to leave her vintage snow sled (with the iron rails) in the middle of the driveway and I'm carrying boxes that don't allow me to see in front of me...it's a bad combination. And I have the bruises to prove it.

But me falling all over myself is nothing new! What is new is some random dude deciding that it's a good idea to bring his dog over to all our stuff as he pokes around and then allowing said dog to urinate all over a holiday wreath. Oh, and I busted him for it. So random dude is now the proud owner of a holiday wreath with a side of dog pee. And you better believe he paid full price for that wreath, too.

All in all, the yard sale was pretty much a success; all the large items sold, but I am still continually shocked by the cheapness of people. Seriously. If you have something actually valuable to sell, Craigslist is the way to go these days. Yard sales are where you should dispose of your crap, and people are not willing to spend over $5 for stuff.

After the yard sale, it was time for a quick costume change, because my friend Kim (whom I have been friends with for over 20 years) was having her bridal shower! Yes, she's finally making an honest man of her boyfriend Mike, and we gathered at her mom's home (just down the street from my mom) for a good old fashioned bridal shower. Finger sandwiches, cream puffs, more sangria, it was all there. But so were a really fun bunch of ladies and some kickass presents.

I was a little nervous going in since there were going to be a lot of people I had never met before, but in the end, I met some really cool ladies and can't wait for the wedding in August when I can see them all again. It's all the more nice that we got along since I'm going to the wedding stag and am going to need some fun people to hang with at the reception. I was a little worried I would be sitting there at the wedding drinking one of several glasses of wine, all by myself, looking sad as some sappy song played from the DJ stand, but now I'm really looking forward to the big event!

But there's still more! After the bridal shower, I headed out to Tysons to meet up with some friends to celebrate Rosalynn's big 3-0! A group of us met up for dinner at Gordon Biersch in the mall and had a great time stuffing ourselves with garlic french fries (OMG SO GOOD) and cake from this amazing German bakery in Arlington. It came complete with a picture of Ros as a one year old (awwww) and more delicious cream than it seemed possible for one cake to hold.


And you know what never gets old? Trick candles. There's just something so fun about torturing someone on their birthday....it really brings out my mean streak.

The birthday crew: Me, Rosalynn, Rachel, Kelly, and Tito

Up next weekend: pool party, cook-out, catching up on Harry Potter with the Rileys, and absolutely no fireworks.

See what I mean about the cake and the cream and the deliciousness?

As I get older...

... it is becoming more obvious that one of my eyes is larger than the other.

....it is getting harder to convince myself that my left hip stiffness is from sitting too long and is not arthritis.

....I realize that my missing the brain to mouth filter is no longer cute. It's just sad.

....I treasure my weekend nights when I can stay home and do nothing.

...it becomes harder to watch all your friends get happily married.

....I love how I can get shit done and have left the spazz Maggie back in high school.

....I have come to the conclusion that being an adult is actually pretty freakin awesome.

....I have really come to appreciate all the many joys of owning a home I love and living alone.

....it is clear that choosing to live near my family was the right decision.

Thunderstorms for the next 10 days?? Are you kidding me with this? How am I supposed to go swimming every day after work and on the weekend? And how long can I keep this asking questions thing up?

Oh, apparently that long.

I guess this gives me time to begin my stairmaster training. Yes, that's right...I need to work on the stairmaster. At the end of September Chris and Selvi and I are headed up to New York City and we decided to climb to the top of the Statute of Liberty's crown now that they have reopened it post-911.

354 steps people. The training starts now. Or tomorrow. Whichever.

One Mystery Solved

In case there was any doubt as to where my smart mouth came from, I figured I would dispel the myths.

It's from my Grandmother.

Long suspected, but now finally proven, turns out my Grandmother is quite the smart ass. Today is her 89th birthday (!!!) and she regaled us all at dinner with tales of her sassing religious people who come to her door: Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, nobody is immune from her sarcasm.

Basically all the conversations start out with her informing religious solicitors (even before they can start their spiel) that she been a practicing and believing Catholic for X number of years so don't even try it. And when they respond, "will you talk to me?" she says "sure," and then basically serves them a big can of midwestern sass.

LOVE HER.

First, I hope that I manage to live as long and be as healthy as her, and two, I hope that I can be a spit-fire like her. Not only is she my namesake, but she's also now my official smart-alek guru.

She may look all sweet and innocent, but see what happens if you try to call her Peggy. And you don't want to know what she says to telemarketers.

Time for more Las Vegas pictures! It didn't seem like we were that busy running around when we were there, but looking at all these pictures, it sure does seem like we managed to cram a lot into the 5 days.

So, onward! The same day we went hiking at Red Rock Canyon, that afternoon we drove out to the Hoover Dam. Yes, THAT Hoover Dam. Unfortunately, it was not named after J. Edgar Hoover, because it means I miss out on the opportunity to make a joke about the movie Clue (he's on everyone else's phone, why not mine blah blah blah).

Hoover Dam, originally known as Boulder Dam, is a concrete arch-gravity dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, on the border between Arizona and Nevada. When completed in 1936, it was both the world's largest electric-power generating station and the world's largest concrete structure. It was surpassed in both these respects by the Grand Coulee Dam in 1945. It is currently the world's 35th-largest hydroelectric generating station.

They're building another highway to help ease traffic heading down to the Dam (right now through traffic has to sit and wait through the security inspector guys) and as part of the project, they are building a huge suspension bridge. It's pretty badass looking.

This is Lake Meade. It's a lake that backs up to Hoover Dam. The dark tips on the top of the little islands sticking out show you where the water level USED to be. Las Vegas is really sucking down the H2O.

Me and Kent at Lake Meade.

Group shot!

Watch out for the sheep! Although the picture is clearly a ram, do those count as sheep?

So another fun activity was wandering around downtown Vegas with Chris and Carly. We had to go pick up our respective show tickets at the casinos a few days before they were scheduled, and decided to walk around hitting the New York New York roller coaster (awesome) and M&M World (also awesome). I couldn't get any pics of the coaster, but here's your M&M fix.


If you look past the guy who looks kind of like Vin Diesel, you'll see all the colored tubes on the wall. Each one is an unusual color of M&M in all different varieties. Regular, peanut, almond, crispy, peanut butter, dark chocolate, etc. etc. Heaven.

On Sunday night, Carly and I head to The Mirage to see the #1 thing I was looking forward to in Vegas. Cirque du Soleil's LOVE, a tribute to the music to The Beatles. All I will say is that it was amazing and awesome, and I will go see it again as soon as I get another chance. That same night, Chris and Stephanie were off to see another show, a sort of alternative version to the Cirque du Soleil show "O."

Here's a picture of us girls heading out for a night on the town:



Inside The Mirage is a Beatles themed bar called the Revolution Lounge.

It's decked out in 1960s British pop poshness. Thing red and white, sleek lines, and vaguely futuristic looking furniture.

Here's me and Carly after the show; I'm trying to look cool and she is just looking happy.


One more Vegas post left! Coming up: hanging out with Patrick and Rosa!

Lounging and then Hiking in Red Rock Canyon

The first day in Las Vegas was spent lounging by the pool as I attempted to recover from my jet-lag.

The pool at Tahiti Village was pretty sweet. It was large with various little coves; one with a volleyball net, one with a basketball net, and one with a beach! Actual sand that led right into the pool so it was like a mini-beach. Very cute.

Here was my view from the deckchair.

Not bad, eh?

And here's part of the pool.

Carly performing a cannon ball. Isn't she graceful?

And let's not forget the lazy river. Or the small part of it I was able to photograph. Seriously, lazy rivers are one of the best things EVER.

That afternoon we drove out to the Hoover Dam and visited a ghetto casino where I learned how to play craps AND won $200, but more on that later.

Saturday morning (Vegas Day #2) we all stumbled out of bed bright and early to go hiking in Red Rock Canyon. It was already 85 degrees by 7 in the morning, so getting an early start was imperative.

Background on Red Rock (from wiki): The conservation area is one of the easternmost parts of the Mojave Desert; the character of the sandstone layers is such that a number of year-round springs may be found in the recesses of the side canyons.

The Red Rock Area has a complex geological history, which over millions of years, helped to create the dramatic landscape that characterizes the region.

The Red Rock area was located under a deep ocean basin during the Paleozoic Era 600 million years ago. Sediments up to 9,000 feet thick were deposited, and eventually lithified. This sediment eventually formed into limestone.

Around the Mesozoic Era 250 million years ago, the earth's crust started to rise due to tectonic shifts, forcing the water out and leaving behind evaporite formations. Exposure of the former sea bed allowed some of the rocks to oxidize (literally rust) and formed the area's characteristic red and orange rock layers.

Eventually a lush plain with streams and trees developed in the area. Some of these trees were covered with mud from the streams and eventually became petrified wood. Many of these fossilized logs can still be found today at the base of the Wilson Cliffs.

By 180 million years ago, the climate continued to change and the area became a desert featuring vast expanses of huge shifting sand dunes. These dunes would pile up and were lithified, and are now called Aztec Sandstone. During a mountain building period called the Laramide orogen around 65 million years ago, the Keystone Thrust Fault developed which ran through most of North America and through the Red Rock Conservation Area. The movement of this fault forced the older grey sedimentary rock over the younger red rocks, forming the striking red line that can be seen in the mountain today.

Long story short (too late), the place is huge with these awesome red rocks where you can easily see all the eras of geological change reflected in the layers of differing colors in the rocks.

Now, when we came up with this great plan to go hiking, I made it pretty clear that I was not an experienced hiker. Easy to moderate difficulty was what we all decided on. And yeah, we started on the trail. And then the group's collective ADD kicked in, and all of a sudden everyone was wandering off the path and we ended up picking and climbing our way over large rock formations.

It was a little scary, since a fall would have been pretty disastrous, but I was able to do all of it and I was pretty darn proud of myself by the end. Everyone knew my propensity to fall over, so there was definitely a lot of "put your feet where mine are" and "you're doing great, Maggie!" but it just goes to show they cared.

The only real area of difficulty was the very end when we had to clamber up a very very steep incline to get back to the road. I'm not very good at extreme angles, so I was not only huffing and puffing by the end, but I could feel my throat closing and I was doing the gasping and wheezing dance. But after sitting down for a few minutes, I recovered. And at the end of the day, it was a great time, and I definitely hope to get out there again and try another trail!

Pictures!

After our hike and the scenic drive through the conservation area, we headed over to the gift shop. Because you always have to stop at the gift shop, right? I was aware of how dangerous and well, foreign, the desert was, but in the gift shop we began to hear all about the scorpions, snakes, tarantulas, and other venomous creatures that inhabit the area. It really inspires me to stay on the trail, you know? And not go wandering into the desert. Because, DAMN. Like the ocean, it is not our territory and you need to have a healthy respect for that environment.

Red Rock's Website.

Viva Las, oh forget it.

I have returned from Vegas in one piece! But honestly, there wasn't that much of a danger of any other outcome. When you're in bed every night before midnight there's not much trouble you can get into. Yes, I'm getting old, and yes, I went to bed early. I jet-lag pretty bad, ok? Back off!

So, Vegas: first impressions. Dirty. Like, disgustingly, grimy, dirtiest shithole of a town ever. Sorry if any of y'all out there are really enamoured with Vegas, but the city itself was not impressive. It's a microcosm of what ails America; it stands for our obsession with consumption, greed, tackiness, and disposable life.

But I actually had a really great time. The company was great (Chris, Kent, Carly, and Stephanie), the resort we stayed at was awesome (Tahiti Village, located on Las Vegas Boulevard just a little over a mile from the casinos), but the Strip itself was just...ick.

Before I get to the pictures, here are just some quick recollections:

--Funniest moment (by far) was me falling into the hot tub. I'll just say that I misjudged the distance to the step and leave it that. And I swear that child was fine; I barely grazed him!

--We went to a ghetto casino off the strip where they had dollar craps and I 1) learned how to play craps which is totally fun and 2) won $200! In fact, we all won and ended up taking the casino for over $800! Take THAT, probably mob-connected casino owner.

--Laying by the pool constituted my entire activity for almost 2 whole days which was TOTALLY worth it.

More stories coming in future posts including fun with Patrick and my new friend Rosa, hiking in Red Rock Canyon, and M&M World!

Here are some pictures from around town....

The famous "Welcome to Las Vegas" sign!

New York New York Casino at night. Note the roller coaster on which Chris, Carly, and I had a ride.

The Venetian.

Fremont Street, for that old school Las Vegas feel. And random Queen tribute-ness.

Famous Las Vegas neon cowboy. He got moved to Fremont Street some years ago. Booted from the Strip, so sad.

Carly and Chris in front of New York New York


Looking down the Strip from a pedestrian walkway.


Excalibur! Now with even more Arthurian sparkle magic!


Paris casino.


The view of the Strip from our room's balcony.

But it's a dry heat.

Tomorrow morning I'm leaving on a jet plane for a week long vacation in sunny Las Vegas. It's my first time to Sin City, but I don't intend to do anything too crazy or even gamble.

I intend to lie by the pool as much as possible.

So why go all the way to Las Vegas? Well some friends have a timeshare which means almost-free lodging and a group of awesome people are also going which means fun friends to hang out with...but it also means almost guaranteed sunshine. Sure my pool is opening this weekend, but with our high temperature only reaching 70 degrees during the past week, I'm not entirely convinced we're going to have usual Memorial Day weather.

Also, I've been planning the trip for about 8 months. It's kind of like that quote from Ghostbusters. If someone asks you if you want to go to Las Vegas, you say yes!

Despite my pool (and lazy river) plans, there are some other things I want to do. See LOVE at the Mirage, visit one of those famous Las Vegas buffets, hike through Red Rock Canyon, visit M&M World, go to a nightclub, and just take some time to walk along the Strip. And with the news that my college friend Patrick will also be coming into Las Vegas for the weekend, there are surely some 99 cent margaritas in my future. But for the most part, the week will consist of as much lounging as I can squeeze in.

Of course, as with all best laid plans....things are subject to change. I'm just going to play it by ear and see what happens. And isn't that really the best attitude to have when visiting a place like Las Vegas?

I can make one promise: I promise not to come home married. That's what annulments are for!