A passing score, and more.

We passed with a ninety-six percent. That should bring our total score just above passing, at seventy-seven or so. I am not thrilled with the score, but quite pleased that we passed the course. With all we endured of late, it is rather surprising.

One of the second-year instructors was relieved of his position the night before the exam. I do not know the entire story, but I am certain it had something to do with his review of the final exam, which included comments about lesbians, "retards", and graphic sexual references. I am not certain why the content was in the review; it seemed compltely out of place, but perhaps it was meant in jest. He was our instructor for the forklift class, and I found him to be somewhat odd, in general.

So now, final preparations for our vacation. There is a nervousness, now, but not in a bad sense. Nearly everything is packed and an inventory has been taken. A friend, who has offered to watch the home in our absence, has been given the house-key and detailed instructions. Reservations have been confirmed, directions and maps printed and stored, and we plan one last trip to our bank to make a final deposit the morning of our flight to Dublin. Everything has been checked numerous times. I daresay I am excited.

Simply one more.

Our semester exam went well; it was achieved with the help of an excellently prepared review, and many nights in cram-session with others from class. Now only to pass the final exam. In order to pass the class, we need no less than a ninety percent. It will be exceedingly difficult, but the material in the exam has all been covered previously. We need only to study and recollect at the necessary time. I have gone on to make flashcards of specific formulas needed: inductance, capacitance, frequency...so very many. It would be much easier with an Ugly's Book at our disposal but that shall not be; we are expected to have memorized them. That, to me, seems silly, as most journeymen have not memorized them, and in turn use the Ugly's Book in the field. However, it is not my place to argue, only to pass this exam.

A date in history.

The Las Vegas Centennial is upon is, in just a few short days. How this city has grown. It is absolutely amazing. From the first scout to find water here in 1829 (Rafael Rivera) to John Fremont's expedition in 1844, the natural oasis became known as Las Vegas, or the meadows, in Spanish. The city was virtually untouched by the sorrows caused by the Great Depression, what with legalized gambling, and plentiful work offered by the Union Pacific Railroad and the nearby Hoover Dam project. Las Vegas High School's first graduating class was thirty-two students, a far cry from the thousands that graduate every year presently, from over 30 high schools citywide. A mob scene (popularized by such films as Casino and Bugsy) which lasted for decades kept violent crime in check...while not an advocate of organized crime, the syndicate did much to help the city prosper. And, when once Las Vegas was once a city with no limits--no state tax, no speed limit, no gambling regulation, no wait for marriage license, no cover, and no minimum--one now must be content with no wait for a marriage license, though some casinos still employ a "no cover charge" rule. The table games of roulette, baccarat, blackjack and poker are largely unchanged, though slot machines are usually fully automated, can accept credit cards, and pay in the form of redeemable paper tickets, rather than in cash or tokens. The birth of a "family-friendly Vegas" ushered in the age of Megaresorts. These megaresorts were built either as additions to existing resorts, such as with Caesar's Palace, or on the ground of older, imploded casinos, such as the Wynn on site of the Desert Inn. Such resorts have everything: clubs, museums, arcades, cinema, dining, showrooms, theatre, concert halls, even churches...much more than a gaming floor. High-rise luxury condominium space is also something very sought-after, of late: prospective buyers are waiting in line days in advance to place their claim on million-dollar suites high above the Las Vegas Strip. There is also a rebuilding of Downtown, with the Fremont Street Experience, malls, and corporate office buildings. Downtown Las Vegas is resplendent in history: Fremont Street was the first road paved, and the first with a traffic light. The first gambling hall to recieve a gaming license, the first to install carpet and the first to install and elevator, and the first to build a highrise were all Downtown.

As much as I sometimes despise this place for being petty, cheap, lying, twisted, spiteful and vindictive...it is interesting, in a historical sense. I only with I had the means and knowledge to properly delve into it at this time.

In preparation.

In research we have found we are woefully unprepared for a time away in Europe. It will be far different from the normal road-trips to California we often take, for more reasons that one: California is a six hour drive away, the majority of citizens there speak English, and there simply is not that large a difference in many things. Things one rarely contemplates, such as food, electricity, transportation, currency...all will be different.

We have read that traditional luggage is far too cumbersome, and upon suggestion have bought large hiking backpacks that hold an immense amount, with pockets and such for nearly anything. We also found that cotton towels would do us no good as often drying facilities are not available in hostels, so we purchased microfiber towels. (Which are really quite amazing, how quickly one dries.) Then came the purchase of child passport covers, since if one is to steal a passport, they will want to steal one of an adult, and to have one's passport in a cartoon-filled plastic cover is said to discourage would-be thieves. Two voltage converters with plug adaptors, a cash and passport carrier to be worn under clothing, travelers' cheques, two Eurail passes, booking of a myriad of different hostels and flights, travel insurance...and on. We also made two copies each of our passports, itinerary, all hostel information, flight information, and Eurail confirmation numbers; one copy to remain in a separate place from all other important documentation, and one to remain here, in case our vital information is stolen, or lost. This, so the embassy overseas can better aid us, and more quickly.

One of the most useful things (aside from the voltage converters) was the fifteen dollar fee to have the mobile phone unlocked, so that it is open to all carriers overseas. It will act then, to allow all incoming and outgoing calls to be charged as local calls. I am told this is slightly underhanded, but not unlawful, and so that will work, for us. I still feel, however, that with all the research, we have forgotten something obvious nonetheless.

Beyond my comprehension.

We saw that Carl's Jr. commercial again...Niven's favorite. It features a woman wearing rather form-fitting clothes, riding a mechanical bull. Now, of course the bull is not bucking wildly, but almost gently rocking, and Niven believes that must be the most erotic thing he has ever seen. Personally, I cannot equate food with sex. But then, Niven and I do not always view life in the same manner.