My good buddy Tim has a neat job where he travels the country spreadin' the love and bringing health and well-being to the alumni of a wellness center in Arizona.
On a recent trip to Philadelphia, he came across this fine window display. And he knew that all of us would really appreciate a photo of it.
And we certainly do, don't we? It's so... shiny.
No word yet whether or not Tim picked up a few baubles for himself.
This past weekend, Trey and I traveled to Los Angeles for my sister's 50th birthday celebration.
On October 8th, on our way back to Texas, we returned to The Scene of The Crime... fabulous Las Vegas for our one year wedding anniversary! We were married there last year, and decided to do the same tour de Vegas in celebration.
We stayed at The Venetian. Viva la kitsch! Love the rooms there. Very luxe. And we ate at Piero Selvaggio Valentino, where Buffalo ordered the buffalo and I had the scallops. And the lobster cannelloni. And the asparagus Milanese. And some other stuff. And then proceeded to have to take an hour-long walk afterward to avoid a food coma.
The next day we went to see the white tigers, white lions, snow leopards, and Siberian tigers and others nice and early in the Secret Garden while it was still cool outside. Amazing. Some of the healthiest, most active, captive large cats you'll ever see. The habitat is spectacular. As strange as those Siegfried & Roy characters are, they are very good with the white tiger breeding program and especially good with the white lions, having brought them back from extinction.
Then we got our shop on at Caesar's Palace Forum Shops and hit Thomas Pink where I acquired some new shirts and cuff links. Trey even got me a shirt and some cuff links. Which he most definitely didn't need to do. Because remember way back when? When some dirty rat sent me the Gorsuch catalog and I obsessed over it? Well, for our anniversary he gave me the catalog again and a gift card (it's sort of like a paper gift certificate, and paper being the traditional gift for the first anniversary) and a trip to Vail or Beaver Creek or Aspen to go to the store around the time of my birthday in November. Wheeeeeee!
Other delights spotted on our perambulations about the shopping venues of Las Vegas? Graff, Harry Winston, Tiffany & Co., Cartier, Bulgari... and on and on. It was all very impressive and shiny. These stores generally have only the finest goods and the largest stones, and that's always fun to see. But as my mother mentioned on the plane ride we shared to Las Vegas, sometimes it's a real yawn if you see one 12 carat D-color after another, you know? Sort of like systematic desensitization. And I tend to agree. I was much more taken with the burnt orange handbag at Tod's at a certain point. Okay, not really. Well, perhaps...
But can I tell you what never ceased to delight/horrify us? The endless window displays of bada-bling rose and red gold giganto-humongo-wristwatches for the newly-minted craps winner who just scored $50,000 at the tables and doesn't realize that a chunk a'dat gots ta' go to the IRS.
There were windows clogged, like left anterior descending arteries filled with plaque and fried food indiscretions, with pavéd, crusted, shellacked timepieces with minimal time-telling functions and maximum flash. With - get this... wait for it... the PRICE TAGS PLAINLY VISIBLE in the window. Aaaaaaaaagggggghhhhhh!
It was so tragic/fabulous. You must see it to believe it. And all of it open for business at 10:30 PM on a Sunday night, no less. Listen baby, they say what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas? But the tax man will find you, I promise. Those casinos don't get to keep doing what they do without making sure the fat man in the tax suit gets paid.
So all in all, it was a wonderful trip. We had a great time, great food, great shopping... but better than all of that? We've been married a whole year! And it's been the best year ever. I love you, Buffalo.
We traveled to Monterey, California last week to attend the 33rd Annual Rolex Monterey Historics Automobile Races, aka "Used Car Shopping With Susie and Trey."
At left is an absolutely perfect 1955 Mercedes 300SL, aka the Gullwing. Damn. (By the way, that guy had three of them.)
The idea behind the Historics is that car collectors bring their race cars to Laguna Seca once every year and race them in their category on the corkscrew at Laguna Seca. Also, being car collectors, they bring their other cars and show them off. Like the Benzo above.
Between the practice rounds or races, you can traipse about the paddock and gawk at the race cars, talk to the collectors, take photos, and generally be overwhelmed by the tremendous love (and money) it takes to keep these beauties in good condition and trot them around the country showing them off.
Uh huh. Ferrari GTO, people.
Trey was busy taking artistic photos of this gorgeous babe (excuse me, I am speaking of the car, not the disheleved author of the Bling Blog - please) and two older dudes started talking to me. Here's how the conversation went.
OD will represent one or the other of the older dudes and BB will represent me, the Bling Blogstress.
OD: "How much you think that baby's worth?"
BB: "Uh, more than my soccer mom X5, I'll bet!" (I am always glib. I won't disappoint you. Ever.)
OD: "Ho, ho, ho! Darn right, little lady! Go on, take a guess! Just take a guess! Not many of them left in the world. Jack, how many of them left in the world? Tommy's got two of 'em! You know, Tommy? Tommy Hilfiger?" (He says this as if he and Tommy Hilfiger are, like, thisclose, right?)
BB: "Tommy Hilfiger? Eww. I can't stand him."
OD: "What's wrong with Tommy?" (Again with the "Tommy" as if they're thisclose.)
BB: "Well, for starters, he's a racist. And he's short. He's a little, little man. With big teeth. Eww."
(silence)
At this point, Trey has looked up from his Bruce Webering, and is snickering with a bemused expression. And in no way is going to bail me out. Nor do I need him to. I want to see where this one goes. It might get ugly. Probably not, but I am going to try my best.
OD: "Well, uh, so how much you think this baby's worth?" (Apparently they still want to talk.)
BB: "Here's the thing. I was an Art History major. How can you put a value on something of which there are so few remaining in the world? How many are there left?"
OD: "About fifteen, maybe twenty."
BB: "Are some in better condition than others? This one looks great."
OD: "Oh, anyone who has one of these would keep it in perfect condition. Treat it like a precious baby."
BB: "Do they come up for sale often?"
OD: "Never. Well, hardly ever. Last time was... I can't remember the last time..."
BB: "So there's not exactly a market for this car, is there?"
(silence)
BB: "Well, what would you have to insure it for?"
OD: "Hard to say."
BB: "And you're asking me, driver of a soccer mom X5, to place a value on this car?"
OD: "It's $10 million dollars."
BB: "Fascinating." (dripping with sarcasm)
Truly, it was fascinating. Because I can certainly draw many parallels between $10 million for a rare sports car and $10 million for a rare diamond.
But to try to have that conversation on the paddock with some yahoo older dudes and wax philosophical about putting a price on something that cannot be replaced?
Nah. Rather just look at the pretty cars.
(click on photos to enlarge - photos courtesy of Trey)
