Category: Uncategorized

So, Yesterday I made a post about our trip.

Now, while everything I said was true, it does not accurately describe the trip. This was a purposeful post to make an illustration.

I decided to do an experiment on perception: Heather and I notice that we are ‘happy’ most of the time, even though faced with hardship. Why?
I know it will likely sound goody-goody, but we only remember the good and forget the bad. In the post yesterday, I only presented the bad parts. Only viewing these, (especiaily if I myself only dwelled on these aspects), the trip would have been a failure, or We would have regretted it.

The truth? We had a ton of fun. It was great. Why? Here are the good parts that we choose to celebrate, to remember:

When we got in to the Treasure Island, we (dressed well) did early check-in. While others around us were upset that their “rooms weren’t ready” (clue, people, EARLY check-in), we politely said “that’s no problem! we’re just happy to check in early. Thanks for the service.” So, what do we get? A room upgrade. TO A SUITE. TO A KICK ASS SUITE. I’m talking the largest room on the 23rd floor with 2 bathrooms and a living room. ROCKSTAR.

a secret: how to get what you want in Vegas? Dress nicely, be grateful and polite, tip well. It’s like magic.

That afternoon, I pop 2 bucks into a quarter machine and quickly turn it into $100.00. I don’t have to hit the ATM again until we hit Mesquite. We go to the Imperial Palace Hawaiian Buffet and it is a mess (queueing up in the hallway, 110 degree temps), but we have fun anyway – We got VIP tickets to the show and so we are seated first, eat the buffet first ( I thought those behind us were going to murder us for shrimp), and have a grand time anyway. Many sour faces abound: ours? Happy. Why? We chose to be happy. The perception and selective memory is all. What were obstacles become challenges and once overcome, funny little stories.

In Mesquite, which is every much the living hell I made it out to be, we quickly make $250 on a $20 investment in the Wheel of Fortune Game. Thanks, Mesquite! And even though Heather and I are sick (tummy problems for the both of us since the first day: Portland people can’t handle that heat!), we have fun because we choose to. In the banal boring hell of Mesquite, Nevada Heather and I have fun and a good time because it is the best choice to. All hardships will be overcome, all bad memories will pass if you only decide to forget them.

I know I’m sounding like a damn preacher, but remember the good and forgetting the bad is the key to having fun and being happy no matter where you are — on vacation in hell, at work, on the road. Life is too important to take too seriously and far too short to dwell on negatives. Be that positive change, remember the good/funny aspects, lighten up and the world will open to you, gracefully supporting your next steps.

You can be happy. You must choose to. It does mean destroying the “yeah, but”s in your life. It does mean giving up acting on the seductive temptations of self-pity. Fake it till you make it and before you know it you’re under an indigo firmament and the stars look very different indeed. Rise above it, brothers and sisters!

Back from LV and Mesquite. Trip was only fun because makes even the most boring and painful experiences delightful and engaging.

I haven’t been to Las Vegas since 2003. It is yet more tragically banal and insipid; Mesquite was a foreign country. The upside: appreciation of my current life. Maybe I’ll go into more detail, maybe I’ll post some pictures. Dunno. Depends on if I have time.

I delight to be home in my beloved Portlandia. How can I ever leave you again? All else seems to be a flimsy façade of culture compared to you, beautiful PDX.

But seriously? Las Vegas. Nuke it from Orbit. It would be an improvement.

My relationship with LJ continues to suffer. The only reason I think I’ll stick around is that this arena is a convenient place to update all my friends about stuff going on. As my other Journal gets off the ground and I can have my out-of-town friends read that, perhaps I’ll jump ship. I still do enjoy cruising the train-wreck that is LJ just for my own enjoyment.

Sorry if this post sounds elitist and snotty, but God Damn: I’m an elitist snob. What else would I sound like? It’s hard to not be fabulous compared to the unwashed masses.

Being away from LJ makes me happy. Visiting LJ makes me sad.

I’ve made my journal friends-only and have dome some drastic un-friending manoeuvers not out of spite, but out of my own mental health. Can’t be too careful. Just can’t trust some people.

Personally, life is fan-fucking-tastic. You’ll see more on the Tiki-Kon blog and hopefully my personal one soon (if I can carve out some non-tiki time).

Vacation Weds – Sun in Las Vegas with my gorgeous and fabulous Wife – looking forward to that.

See ya in the funny papers, LJ.

Sorry folks, I’m in all-tiki-all the time mode lately. I see from the lack of commentary that it’s not LJ-interesting, so I’m sticking to our tiki blog for journaling stuff.

See ya when the the dust clears!

So, we are about to pull a master negative off our master positive scuplt. Before we do that, however, we need some pics of the design as for to use on our store site. Usually we’ll paint color over the blank or colorize it to a degree so you can guess what the color will look like when it is done.

But then this pic came along. Taken by the lovely and with camp intent post-processed my . The carving is by our talented friend, Noel Henneman (who is not on LJ).

Our multi-talented artist/designer has completed our website. Please to check it out.

Oh, yeah — tickets go on sale Thursday. Press Release to follow.

TIKI KON V

Hero Plan by Mids’ Hero Designer 1.153
http://www.onthejazz.co.uk/hu/mhd.php

Infernabug: Level 46 Mutation Tanker
Primary Power Set: Invulnerability
Secondary Power Set: Fiery Melee
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Fitness
Ancillary Pool: Pyre Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Resist Physical Damage — ResDam(A), ResDam(3), ResDam(5)
Level 1: Scorch — Dmg(A), Dmg(3), Dmg(11), Acc(13), Acc(13), Acc(23)
Level 2: Fire Sword — Dmg(A), Dmg(5), Dmg(23), Acc(25), Acc(25), Acc(27)
Level 4: Temp Invulnerability — ResDam(A), ResDam(7), ResDam(11), EndRdx(33), EndRdx(34), EndRdx(34)
Level 6: Combustion — Dmg(A), Dmg(7), Dmg(27), Acc(31), Acc(31), Acc(31)
Level 8: Unyielding — ResDam(A), ResDam(9), ResDam(9), EndRdx(34), EndRdx(36), EndRdx(36)
Level 10: Resist Elements — ResDam(A), ResDam(36), ResDam(37)
Level 12: Hasten — RechRdx(A)
Level 14: Resist Energies — ResDam(A), ResDam(15), ResDam(15)
Level 16: Breath of Fire — Dmg(A), Dmg(17), Dmg(17), Acc(37), Acc(37), Acc(39)
Level 18: Invincibility — DefBuff(A), DefBuff(19), DefBuff(19), EndRdx(43), EndRdx(43), EndRdx(45)
Level 20: Combat Jumping — DefBuff(A), DefBuff(21), DefBuff(21)
Level 22: Super Jump — Jump(A)
Level 24: Super Speed — Run(A)
Level 26: Tough Hide — DefBuff(A), DefBuff(46), DefBuff(46)
Level 28: Fire Sword Circle — Dmg(A), Dmg(29), Dmg(29), Acc(40), Acc(40), Acc(40)
Level 30: Hurdle — Jump(A)
Level 32: Health — Heal(A), Heal(33), Heal(33)
Level 35: Taunt — Range(A)
Level 38: Stamina — EndMod(A), EndMod(39), EndMod(39)
Level 41: Char — Hold(A), Acc(42), Acc(42), Hold(42), Hold(43)
Level 44: Fire Blast — Dmg(A), Acc(45), Acc(45), Dmg(46)
————
Level 1: Brawl — Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint — Empty(A)
Level 1: Gauntlet
Level 2: Rest — Empty(A)

Copy & Paste this data chunk into Mids’ Hero Designer to view the build.
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