Tonight, continuing my quest to eventually see every big show that Las Vegas has to offer, I went to see "Mystere" at Treasure Island.

Wow. How cool can a show be?

Everyone from the clown to the strength guys to especially the "baby girl" was just awesome.

I have to give a nod to "O" for the best show I saw this week, but that's mainly because of the set. For sheer performances and awesome stunts I have to say the "Mystere" is the best I've ever seen.

Tonight I went to see the Penn & Teller show at the Rio.

I was really looking forward to this show, but I found myself bored to tears.

Part of my boredom was no doubt caused by the stark contrast between the "O" performance I saw last night and this rather tame show, but the main reason I was bored was simply because it was a boring show.

Penn basically told a bunch of stupid jokes, then would continue to ramble on for what seemed like hours, then they would both do a trick.

Repeat five times.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Tonight I went to see "O" at the Bellagio.

The show itself was a bit overwhelming, but when I decided to focus on whatever the current main attraction was I really enjoyed it.

I mean it was really really cool.

The contortionists grossed me out a little though.

Also, one of the zebra girls had such a nice ass that it was distracting me from the rest of the show.

This burning question has finally been answered.

I can go to a depth of 282 feet below sea level without getting wet.

Today I rented a car and drove to Death Valley from Las Vegas. I'd planned to also check out the Hoover dam but the Death Valley trip took up way too much time.

I thought being at the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere was very cool, but I like that kind of stuff.

Just a quick report on the beer I've been drinking here in Las Vegas.

My bar of choice is The Tilted Kilt here at the Rio. They have 24 draft beers, and only a half-dozen or so are piss.

My favorite discovery here, by far, is Tilted Kilt Ale by Pyramid. I think the name is just a coincidence. This scottish ale is just flat-out good.

On Saturday I tried a Boddington's. I'd heard some good things about this, but I can't for the life of me figure out why. This was water with a couple of drops of beer flavoring added. It reminded me of the Abita Amber I tried several months ago. I only drank about an inch from the glass.

On Sunday I started out with another Tilted Kilt. I also sampled a John Courage Amber, which had an applely taste that I didn't find disgusting but I didn't like it enought to have a full pint.

I also, on the bartender's recommendation, tried a Smithwick's. This beer was intriguing enough for me to order a full glass. There was a slight watery taste that at first turned me off, but after a few sips I started to imagine, believe it or not, a slight peaty characteristic to the water. I won't go so far as to say that I liked the Smithwick's, but I so think I'll try it again this week before I leave Las Vegas.

Here's what I think about the past few days.

1. I think the nation lost a great man in Ronald Reagan. I don't say this because he was the first man I ever voted for (which he was). I don't say this because he was instrumental in bringing The Cold War to an end (which he was). I don't say this because he seemed like a hell of a nice guy (which he did). I say this because of the optimism he had about the country he led. He truly believed that America was a great country, and that Americans were right to be proud of her.

I'd think a lot more of today's politicians if they'd show just a little bit of that optimism instead of telling us that America is spiraling down the toilet and they're the only hope for a recovery.

It pisses me off to no end to think of the ultra-liberals, hating Reagan for no reason other than his political party affiliation, furiously masturbating to the images of his flag-draped coffin.

2. I also think that Ray Charles, one of the greatest entertainers ever, really got ripped off when he died during the week that the Reagan memorials were taking place. This man deserved his own time of mourning as much as, or more than, anyone I can think of.

3. I also think that, as despicable as Terry Nichols is, to have circumvented his plea-bargain and sentenced him to death would have caused possibly irreparable harm to the existing plea-bargain system. The man made a deal with the government, and I'm glad that at least part of the jury saw fit to force the government to uphold their end of the deal.

I'm typing this after returning home from Rich O's on Saturday night. For this reason it may be full of spelling errors and/or other problems.

I don't care. I just want to get the thing typed so I can watch a movie.

This weekend started out early as far as beer was concerned.

At lunchtime on Friday we had a little farewell luncheon for my old boss who is leaving for a new job.

We had this luncheon at Brownings in Louisville.

I've never been a big fan of Eileen's brews. I'm sure she's great and everything but I just have never been impressed with anything she's put out.

MysteryLady really liked the Stout, though I found it watery.

Everything at Brownings is either too watery or too bitter for my taste.

On Friday I first had an "Unfiltered Rye" that tasted bad. I then tries an "ESB" that was so bad I could only have an inch out of the glass. Finally I had a "Nut Brown Ale" that was decent. I've had that before and as brown ales go it was watery but at least drinkable.

On Friday night I went to Rich O's and started out with a new beer from NABC who's name escapes me. I didn't like it very much.

I then had a Beak's Best, returned after a several-week absence, and enjoyed that a lot. To end the night I had a couple of Alaskan Smoked Porters.

When I got home I realized that I'd had way too much to drink. It was one of those nights where I wished I'd just get sick but I didn't.

On Saturday all I had were a couple of Beak's Best pints. I spent some time talking with NotGeorge who is at least as much of a pervert as I am so I no longer feel the need to convert to Catholicism just so I can confess my impure thoughts.

I didn't get to see LaptopGirl all weekend. It feels like such a waste.

Plus I'll be in Las Vegas next weekend so I won't get to see her for at least two weeks.

It's a good thing I've gotten over my crush or I'd really miss LaptopGirl.

I actually did this one yesterday, but my hosting company has been sucking lately so I couldn't upload anything until this evening.

If you are reading this, thank a teacher.

If you are reading this in English, thank a Veteran.

On Friday and Saturday many people in the Edwardsville area spent their days clearing fallen trees and limbs from the Thursday tornado(es).

On Sunday tornadoes came again, and they hit a lot of the same places. Talk about adding insult to injury.

The church across the street from where I grew up had its driveway completely blocked. Again.

The old house where my grandmother used to live had some serious tree damage. Again. This time a tree split in half and part of it actually hit the house.

The owners of Polly's Freeze, next door to my grandmother's old house, lost trees. Again.

The Sunday storm seemed to pass behind the church, continuing on to the road where my cousin Jeff lives. Many trees were taken out along that road. Again.

Another thing I saw was that the little red shed, the shed I'd built when I lived in the double-wide after I'd first moved back to Edwardsville, had been destroyed by a toppled tree.

My own street was once again pretty much spared. Once again my power stayed on throughout the day and night.

On Sunday evening the "real" storm line was scheduled to pass through the area, and the shit was really supposed to hit the fan.

As far as I can tell somebody forgot to tell the storm about that plan. All it did was rain at my house. My cousin Jeff, feeling a little rattled after tornadoes had passed over his house and tore down his road twice in a four-day period, came over to my house and we sat in my basement watching the weather reports.

After the afternoon's excitement the nighttime storm was a real letdown.

I may be the only person who feels this way though. Normal people were probably relieved.