Area 51

The Blue Jays AAA team plays in Vegas. It was bobblehead night for outgoing mayor, Oscar Goodman. My brother is a baseball fanatic. So we went.

The best part of the night was when I bought my hat, featuring a nifty alien head with baseball seams atop its cranium. Although the frenzied scramble for Mayor Goodman to autograph the bobbleheads, and the resultant spray of styrofoam globules was rather amusing.

The game was underwhelming. Shaky pitching from the starter Scott Richmond, consecutive homers off reliever Rommie Lewis, multiple misplays by the 3rd baseman Craig Stansberry and an 0-4 from Travis Snyder accounted for an 8-5 loss.

There was a bizarre infield pop-up that landed between the pitcher and the catcher only to eventually roll foul, prompting many WTF?s. The fan sitting next to us was taking and making wagers on any and all possible outcomes of each at-bat. I should have bet him 40-1 that he couldn't keep quiet for the rest of the game.

That was the extent of the drama at the game, save for a towering foul ball into the stands somehow eluded the well-positioned hands of a fan and clunked him right on the head. A chorus of sympathetic "ooh"s and "ouch!"s rang out. He seemed OK. But quite embarrassed.

However, in case of dental emergency, we would have been well-covered:

Charlie Hustle

The first celebrity sighting was of disgraced baseball great, Pete Rose. Sitting lonely at a signing table in The Mirage casino next door, I bought a wedding card for my brother and soon-to-be sister-in-law, hoping that he would wish them matrimonial bliss.

For a $75 minimum purchase of Pete Rose paraphernalia, I could ask him anything I wanted, get my picture taken with him and have him sign as many items as I wished. Charlie Hustle, indeed.

Instead, I got a photo with Optimus Prime and Bumblebee, 2 more reasonably priced celebrities:

Viva Las Vegas!

So my brother is getting married on a Sunday morning. In Las Vegas. After a long day of packing and travel yesterday (the kids are at home with grandparents), we eventually woke up and found our way to brunch.

We walked from our pirate-themed hotel, Treasure Island, and explored the neighbouring area of The Strip: The Fashion Show Mall's fashion show, The Mirage with its domed greenhouse, Caesars Palace in all its opulent massiveness, The Bellagio's stunning lobby with glassy floral ceiling and tribute to America Day.

By then, Shelley and I headed back, stopping for late lunch and getting lost in the Venetian after seeing its Hogwartian painted ceiling. A stop at Walgreen's for a new toothbrush and some rest before a Skype conversation with the kids and Grandma back home.

Sadly, this is as close as we got to Celine: