i was reading through an old industry newsletter (written before youtube got purchased by google) and found this great quote:

"The viral video space is so hot right now; it's like Hansel from the movie 'Zoolander,'" said Aram Sinnreich, managing partner of RadarResearch, referring to the 2001 comedy about competition in the modeling business. "I wouldn't be surprised to see (online video market leader) YouTube receive a bid of $1 billion. Whether the company is worth it is another question."

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this past week has been pretty amazing. i went to las vegas last wednesday for a vendor trip, and stayed at the wynn which is very, very lovely. there was a lot of hullabaloo about it when it opened because it was so very expensive to build, but i actually didn't think it was much fancier than the bellagio. if i was able to afford to stay anyplace in vegas, i'd still choose THE hotel (the four seasons). however, when you're in vegas, i believe you should spend as little time in your hotel room as possible, so i will never spend my own hard-earned money on a ridiculously fancy room. it was darn nice to stay in one last week, though!

we went to a few comedy shows, since i was there for the comedy festival as a guest of AOL. the first night that we were there, the two shows we were offered were 'tom joyner’s oh oh oh comedy show' or don rickles. i have to admit, i knew that tom joyner would be more popular, and that it would be much more -- shall we say? -- contemporary. however, i also know that don is a living legend, with not many years left of performing, so i was one of only half a dozen people in our 100+ person group that chose to see rickles instead of the joyner show. we were seated in the front row, which was a bit scary since he picks on the audience. however, the couple i was sitting with was jewish (as is don) so he didn't pick on our group very badly, and kept referring back to the couple i was with, giving them tips on their relationship (in a very -- shall we say? -- don rickles way). don kept talking about his time with frank sinatra and old vegas, and i kinda started feeling bad about all of the old places that have been torn down to make room for the mega-resorts like the wynn. not bad enough to want to move to an older hotel, but it did make me want to find out more about the great old hotels of the early vegas heyday.

another night we saw bill maher, who was pretty darn good. of course, i knew i'd agree with pretty much every word out of his mouth, so that helped.

in order to get a bit of non-comedy entertainment in, i went with a much smaller group to see prince's new show. i wish i could say that it was uber-awesome, since the club that has been customized for the show was really cool, and i really like prince, but he has kinda weirded out in the past few years.

here's a bit of his recent bio from allmusic.com:
In the fall of 2001 he released the controversial Rainbow Children, a jazz-infused circus of sound trumpeting his conversion to the Jehovah's Witnesses that left many longtime fans out in the cold. He further isolated himself with 2003's N.E.W.S., a four-song set of instrumental jams that sounded a lot more fun to play than to listen to.

so yeah, he didn't really play much of his old stuff at the show (four or maybe five songs) and he did throw out a few lines about scripture... however, he still rocks pretty dang hard and jammed out into the audience, walking right by me. sweet!

the last night in town we went to the big 'official' after-party for the comic relief benefit, which was as star-studded as comedy events go, i'd guess. sarah silverman was walking around, as was bill maher, dane cook, billy crystal and a bunch of other random celebs. at one point, a member of the group i was with bumped someone and a bunch of glasses fell off of a tray. a guy in the group next to us helped my friend pick up the glasses and then made some cheesy comment about teamwork, and we noticed it was super-hottie ed burns. mmmmm...

on the down-side, when the clock struck 12 that night, we were standing right near dane cook. it had just become my birthday and our group was pestering me to take a photo with him, so i went over and asked. there had been skanky girls running up to him and bugging him all night, so i thought it was very adult and appropriate to ask, and then the bastard said "actually, i have to make a phone call right now, but i'll come over in a minute" and walked away. he walked about 10 feet away, made his call, then walked farther away so he wasn't as close to our group anymore (but was not at all far). the group i was with -- which included a bunch of AOL folks, including one of the comedy programming guys -- was pretty miffed. we all decided that he's overrated (and not very hot in person). i didn't even want a damn photo with his big head anyhow.

that night we ended up hopping around the strip until after 5 am. we didn't really go that wild, but there was just so much to see... when i got up then next morning to leave the hotel around 9:30, the hotel was much quieter and there were a lot less people around than there had been 5 hours prior. i love that town...

i hate how the news media covers completely ridiculous stories -- and how we all fall for it and start to care way too much about smaller news items while bigger issues fall off of our radar. sign this petition if the ridiculous amount of jon benet coverage lately has you sickened as well.

steve got a raise, but i'm a little worried. i am afraid he's going to blow it all by buying this.

actually, i guess that wouldn't be so bad...

a big shout out to a few friends with major, major accomplishments lately:
- hooray for keenan and carrie, whose beautiful baby girl, petra, was born on august 3rd
- hooray for bruce and vanessa, whose short film eskimo movie will be shown at the LA international short film festival
- hooray for the lovely and talented poet barbara tran (who many of you may recall lived in the house with the cannon on revena street), who has a poem pubished (on page 68) of the aug 21st issue of the new yorker



my friends rock.

sorry it's been awhile since i've posted anything saying what i've been up to. my college roommate dropped me a line and it made me realize that i hadn't even said where i went on vacation with my mom.

well, mums and i went to traverse city, michigan. she doesn't fly and loves northern michigan, and since it was her birthday, she was the boss. it certainly wasn't where i would have chosen to spend 12 hours traveling to (to/from airport, flight, + 5 hours driving) but it ended up being really lovely. even eating at a 'fancy' restaurant there is relatively inexpensive and we had great, sunny weather for most of our trip. we got along really well (with only one minor spat) and so overall the trip was a success, and i think we'll both have great memories of it.

i realized on that trip that i don't think i've ever been to traverse city. i guess i may have driven through at some point, but i was completely thrown off by the layout of the main 'strip' of hotels, which are right on the water, but are also right on a pretty major (for that part of the world) highway. i definitely don't remember that, and i think i would have.

my favorite part of the trip was that my mom and i took a drive over to the town of boyne city, where my family used to camp for a week every summer at young state park. we walked through the campground, sat on the beach for awhile, and i took a lot of photos (which eventually i'll post). it was really cheesy of me, but i got pretty nostalgic and choked up.

this past weekend we were gone again, to a wedding in chicago. one of my coworkers (who used to work in my group on the McD's account) got married, and it was really lovely. they're a damn attractive couple, and the wedding was at a really beautiful historic church with tiffany windows. we were hoping that the wedding reception would be wild, since she has a large family and his family was coming in from nigeria for the event, but it ended quite early (it was a sunday evening wedding after all). however, they looked stunning -- especially in the traditional nigerian outfits they wore at the reception -- and we had a great time. again, i should post pictures.

it's late, and we didn't get home until nearly 1 am last night (darn late flight!) so i'm going to wrap up by telling you all that i miss you lots. :)

i don't know where this came from, but it appears to be accurate (sigh).


RESUME

GEORGE W. BUSH
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, DC 20520


EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE


LAW ENFORCEMENT

I was arrested in Kennebunkport, Maine, in 1976 for driving under the influence of alcohol. I pled guilty, paid a fine, and had my driver's license suspended for 30 days. My Texas driving record has been "lost" and is not available.


MILITARY

I joined the Texas Air National Guard and went AWOL. I refused to take a drug test or answer any questions about my drug use. By joining the Texas Air National Guard, I was able to avoid combat duty in Vietnam.


COLLEGE

I graduated from Yale University with a low C average. I was a cheerleader.

PAST WORK EXPERIENCE

I ran for U.S. Congress and lost. I began my career in the oil business in Midland, Texas, in 1975. I bought an oil company, but couldn't find any oil in Texas . The company went bankrupt shortly after I sold all my stock.

I bought the Texas Rangers baseball team in a sweetheart deal that took land using taxpayer money. With the help of my father and our friends in the oil industry, including Enron CEO Ken Lay, I was elected governor of Texas.


ACCOMPLISHMENTS AS GOVERNOR OF TEXAS

I changed Texas pollution laws to favor power and oil companies, making Texas the most polluted state in the Union. During my tenure, Houston replaced Los Angeles as the most smog-ridden city in America

I cut taxes and bankrupted the Texas treasury to the tune of billions in borrowed money.

I set the record for the most executions by any governor in American history.

With the help of my brother, the governor of Florida, and my father's appointments to the Supreme Court, I became President after losing by over 500,000 votes.


ACCOMPLISHMENTS AS PRESIDENT

I am the first President in U.S. history to enter office with a criminal record.

I invaded and occupied two countries at a continuing cost of over one billion dollars per week.

I spent the U.S. surplus and effectively bankrupted the U.S. Treasury.

I shattered the record for the largest annual deficit in U.S. history.

I set an economic record for most private bankruptcies filed in any 12-month period.

I set the all-time record for most foreclosures in a 12-month period.

I set the all-time record for the biggest drop in the history of the U.S. stock market.

In my first year in office, over 2 million Americans lost their
jobs and that trend continues every month.

I'm proud that the members of my cabinet are the richest of any administration in U.S. history. My "poorest millionaire" Condoleeza Rice, had a Chevron oil tanker named after her.

I set the record for most campaign fund-raising trips by a U.S. President. I am the all-time U.S. and world record-holder for receiving the most corporate campaign donations.

My largest lifetime campaign contributor, and one of my best friends, Kenneth Lay, presided over the largest corporate bankruptcy fraud in U.S. History, Enron. My political party used Enron private jets and corporate attorneys to assure my success with the U.S. Supreme Court during my election decision.

I have protected my friends at Enron and Halliburton against investigation or prosecution.

More time and money was spent investigating the Monica Lewinsky affair than has been spent investigating one of the biggest corporate rip-offs in history.

I presided over the biggest energy crisis in U.S. history and refused to intervene when corruption involving the oil industry was revealed. I presided over the highest gasoline prices in U.S. history.

I changed the U.S. policy to allow convicted criminals to be awarded government contracts.

I appointed more convicted criminals to administration than any President in U.S. history.

I created the Ministry of Homeland Security, the largest bureaucracy in the history of the United States government.

I've broken more international treaties than any President in U.S. history.

I am the first President in U.S. history to have the United Nations remove the U.S. from the Human Rights Commission.

I withdrew the U.S. from the World Court of Law. I refused to allow inspectors access to U.S. "prisoners of war" detainees and thereby have refused to abide by the Geneva Convention.

I am the first President in history to refuse United Nations election inspectors (during the 2002 U.S. election).

I set the record for fewest numbers of press conferences of any President since the advent of television.

I set the all-time record for most days on vacation in any one-year period. After taking off the entire month of August, I presided over the worst security failure in U.S. history.

I garnered the most sympathy for the U.S. after the World Trade Center attacks and l ess than a year later made the U.S. the most hated country in the world, the largest failure of diplomacy in world history.

I have set the all-time record for most people worldwide to simultaneously protest me in public venues (15 million people), shattering the record for protests against any person in the history of mankind.

I am the first President in U.S. history to order an unprovoked, pre-emptive attack and the military occupation of a sovereign nation. I did so against the will of the United Nations, the majority of U.S. citizens, and the world community.

I have cut health care benefits for war veterans and support a cut in duty benefits for active duty troops and their families-in-wartime.

In my State of the Union Address, I lied about our reasons for attacking Iraq and then blamed the lies on our British friends.

I am the first President in history to have a majority of Europeans (71%) view my presidency as the biggest threat to world peace and security.

I am supporting development of a nuclear "Tactical Bunker Buster," a WMD. I have so far failed to fulfill my pledge to bring Osama Bin Laden [sic] to justice.


RECORDS AND REFERENCES

All records of my tenure as governor of Texas are now in my father's library, sealed and unavailable for public view.

All records of SEC investigations into my insider trading and my bankrupt companies are sealed in secrecy and unavailable for public view.

All records or minutes from meetings that I, or my Vice-President, attended regarding public energy policy are sealed in secrecy and unavailable for public review. I am a member of the Republican Party.

PLEASE CONSIDER MY EXPERIENCE WHEN VOTING IN THE 2006 MIDTERM ELECTIONS.

whoa. this is some hard sudoku here.

ann shared this video of ok go doing an awesome routine on treadmills. i highly recommend it.

steve shared with me this article, which shows that our mayor, gavin, is a fan of what mayor daley has done in chicago. i just knew that the two of us had something in common! of course, this city works so incredibly differently that i can't see a one-man dynamo working such wonders here.

steve and i got a kick out of this craigslist posting. i suppose it's funnier if as a couple you find it hilarious to tease each other (with absolutely no basis in fact or even in our respective opinions) about being a "hairy armenian" (steve-o) and a "potato eating uke" (ukrainian, me).

anyhooooo, you've got to admit that postings on craigslist are often amusing. i think it would be hilarious to start putting up fake postings about bands that you're trying to form, listing the most ridiculous variety of influences (afropop, XTC, and mahler, for instance) and then -- if someone responds -- singing your heartfelt self-written masterpieces-in-the-works to them via phone. i wrote several little ditties tonight about how i love indian food that i feel would be ideal candidates for this scheme.

very exciting stuff:

we have a brand spankin' new library right down the street, from which steve rented four books last week (and he read three while i was on vacation, which makes me quite jealous of his reading speed!)

fleetweek here in SF looks awesome!, and it's right over steve's b-day

i love the onion. two articles lately were particularly funny to me:

Bush Grants Self Permission To Grant More Power To Self

Report: Meat Now America's No. 2 Condiment

i'm on vacation in northern michigan with my mom.

man, oh man, tom monaghan is crazy. argh.

if you're a michigan fan, alum, or ann arborite, you may want to consider signing the petition here to save the 'big house' from cheesy and repulsive corporate luxury boxes. blech.

on a more upbeat note, check out this website by a guy living with down syndrome that has defied the odds by getting married to another woman with DS. i read their story in time magazine and if the story isn't appealing enough to you to check out his site, please do so for the circa-1998 personal website graphics.

okay, so i'm a dork, but i thought this was incredibly funny: everyone keeps throwing the term "web 2.0" around in my industry. and nobody really agrees on exactly what it means, although there's a pretty good (and quite long) article on it here.

anyhow, i thought it was pretty funny when one of the ad industry trade publications wrote up a quiz, asking readers to identify the name as either a web 2.0 company or a star wars character. since i'm a fan of both, i loved it. i did pretty well, too, getting only 4 wrong (and i had to guess at more than that). if you're so inclined, you can take the quiz here.

we are gearing up for a massive party here at chez hall (which isn't the official name of our place here in sf -- steve calls it "sara's ark" due to the big flood, and i'm still undecided on a name). we have about 40 people that have RSVPed for cocktails on friday night (!).

speaking of cocktails, tonight i went to the fairmont hotel's tonga room. crazy cheesy, but i loved it. the food wasn't anything to write home about, but the kitchy-ness was amazing. the best review and description that i could find online is here.

my buddy alex has pointed out this awesome list of 10 unintentionally horrible company URLs. highly enjoyable!

also highly enjoyable: the movie the incredibles -- i can't believe i only saw that this weekend. sheesh, we're horrible about seeing movies!

this weekend was pretty mellow. yesterday we ran a boatload of errrands, picking up a bunch of things we needed to get our place fixed up enough to throw a shindig next weekend.

today we decided to have a bit more fun. i went out with my friend jessica for brunch at my favorite local joint and then for pedis. by the time i got home, steve wanted to have some fun too. he convinced me to go to the beach to go for a run, and on the way home we stopped by fort funston, which is apparently a hang gliding mecca. it was awesome to watch a group of people hang gliding over the cliffs -- and crazy that it's within city limits! we agreed that we need to get out and explore crazy little corners of the city more often. this place rules!

just a tip:

ahhh... just as i suspected, michiganders know that the state is fudged, but they still love it. i got into an impassioned discussion about meijer (of all things) today.

...

on a very non-related note, steve and i participated in the San Francisco AIDS Walk on sunday. it was incredible! over 25,000 people walked the 6 mile course, and the event raised over $3.7MM for charities helping people in the bay area. i met my initial goal, but since i've found out that i can fundraise until august 11th, i've set a new goal of raising $1000. please visit my site and donate here. if you'd like to see my photos from the event, you can check them out on my flickr page.

an email from my hubby alerted me that "Dude! You can now break down congressional votes by astrological sign! Thanks Washington Post! I'm totally voting for the Aquarius party next time."

go scorpios!!!

wow, this radio ad for vernon robinson is ridiculous. steve and i want to go the gay mariachi party, and have no idea why we haven't been invited.

i noticed that vernon is excerpting one of bill cosby's speeches for one of his ads. i cannot possibly believe that's okay with bill. BILL! SUE THE PANTS OFF OF THIS GUY!


...


on a very different note, i received these chocolates as a gift today, and they are rocking my world right now. i'm eating them 1/2 of a chocolate at a time and it's good that steve is home and watching, or i'd probably eat the whole wonderfully expensive box.

if i had a ton of money, i would buy fort awesome, which is back on the market.
actually, if i had a ton of money, i would buy this house in ann arbor, which steve and i have always loved.

you never know... we could end up back in ann arbor someday. after all, google announced today that they're building a huge office there. we did love seeing our A2 friends last week and miss them terribly, however, we're pretty happy here in cali at the moment.

on my more-reachable "wish list": this camera, which is apparently super easy to use, has flash memory (no tapes/CDs/memory sticks to fiddle with!), has a built in USB port (no cords to tangle up!) and runs on regular batteries (no stupid custom batteries to order!). it's also way tiny, and could fit in my purse. i may just become a vlogger instead of a blogger!