Bringing some swagger back to Vegas

For those of you who don't know, Las Vegas is in a bit of a depression. Housing prices in this town have fallen over 50%, the official unemployment rate is around 13%, but the estimates for the actual unemployment are somewhere around 1 in 5. There are no big commercial construction projects left now that City Center is completed, and things are looking mighty bleak for Vegas.

It wasn't always this way. Las Vegas used to be synonymous with a never ending party. In the halcyon days of this town, the Nations greatest entertainers used this as their playground. These guys used to be the image you thought of when you thought of Vegas:

Now Vegas the image of Vegas is more akin to this:

As for celebrities, mostly they come here to embarass themselves or to be seen at nightclubs, rather than give positive entertainment.

I love Vegas, I can't stand to see my once proud city reduced to a punchline. That's why I'm committed to bringing Vegas back its swagger, back its cachet, back its dignity. I'm committed to treating Vegas like we're back in those Rat Pack days where infectious enthusiasm and upbeat entertainment reigned. To kick it off, I'm sending out the call to everyone going to the Robindale Valentine's Dinner to "Rat Pack" it up. You don't have to wear a Tux, but dress to impress. Dress like you're gonna go out and have a good time, like these guys would:

We may not have the Rat Pack, but we're gonna make our own modern offshoot. We'll call it the Frat Pack, or the Brad Pack, or the Mormon Mafia, or something. But we're going to dedicate ourselves to having a good time and finding upbeat ways to entertain ourselves!

10 Things to Look Forward to 2010

1. The Final Season of Lost

That's right, after 5 years of mind blowing exposition we are finally going to find out what the crap is going on with that crazy island. We're going to find out what happened when Juliet hit the bomb, if the Universe course corrects itself, who is impersonating John Locke, and whether Jack's man of Science or John's man of Faith was right. Get your TiVo set!

2. World Cup Soccer

Yes! Watchable soccer! Fanatical devotion to your favorite team, trash talking, waking up early to watch games. I love it. Don't lie, you are excited for this too! I might have to buy a big screen just to watch this.

3. No more sports heroes left to disappoint.

That's right, everyone who could embarass and tarnish their legacy already has! It's safe to watch sports again and root for people and not worry that stuff in their personal life will surface that will make you feel bad for rooting for them. Tiger Woods? His legacy is toast. Michael Jordan? We already found out he's a colossally self important jerk and all his teammates hated him, and he pretty much torched his legacy with his hall of fame speech. Andre Agassi copped to being a huge meth user. Every baseball player you ever loved has pretty much been shown to have used steroids. There is no one left to disappoint you! It can only go up from here!

4. iPad!

Oh yes, am geeking out. Apple is coming out with a tablet computer and it is going to be expensive awesome! It'll work as an eReader, computer, and all-around sweet toy.

5. Elections

That's right, mid term elections! Whether you are a democrat or republican, you get a chance to make your voice heard! The good news is many of the tired incumbents who have been there for years are retiring rather than lose an election. That means NEW BLOOD! No matter which side wins you will get a change! 2010!

6. A-Team!

I'm sure that there will be better movies in 2010, but there is no movie I am looking forward to as much as the A-Team. My favorite show as a kid. I used to run around pretending that I was John "Hannibal" Smith and that I was jumping in slo-mo onto a bad guy. Here's to reliving your childhood!

7. Arrested Development Movie!

It's finally going forward. The funniest show of the last decade is going to be the smartest comedy movie of this decade. Can't wait to see it!

8. Global Warming will make the winter short!

If you believe in Global Warming, then smile. At least this winter will be short and we will have an awesome spring where you can go out running, and hiking, and kayaking! How is that not exciting!? If you don't believe in Global Warming, then smile! The world is not slowly dying, which means more time to go out running, hiking, and kayaking! How is that not exciting!? Either way, we win in 2010, weather-wise.

9. USC Branded as the cheaters we all knew they were!

And they lost Pete Carroll! The basketball program has voluntarily undertaken sanctions for its cheating with OJ Mayo. The football program will probably get hit with sanctions for all the stuff with Reggie Bush. Pete Carroll is off to the frigid wasteland of Seattle, a team so terrible that Mike Holmgren couldn't make them work (they should've won that superbowl. Not winning it is a testament to the futility of rooting for the Seahawks). Pete will get fired after a couple years, and he'll go wind up in some other college program. In the meantime, UCLA can become the dominant L.A. football team they were meant to be.

10. Rampant Snoopy Dancing as people make the world a better place.

That's right, people everywhere are committing to make the world a better place by making themselves a better member of the human race. Goals are being set and if we all encourage and help each other, goals will be achieved! We can make change happen! 2010!

20 in 2010!

I've decided that 2010 is the year of making the world a better place. I'm going to be better, and I'm going to motivate the people around me to be better. I've already established 10 things I'm going to do as far as personal goals. That's well and good, but 2010 is not just about making yourself better, it's about making the world a better place, one good deed at a time. To that end, I am issuing a challenge. I'm challenging myself, and anyone else who believes that you can make a difference and make the world a better place, to commit to doing 20 amazingly good deeds in 2010. They don't have to be large, but they have to be meaningful. 20 good deeds. That's a little less than 2 a month. This is completely doable. I want everyone to post a similar challenge on their blog, and to commit to blogging about a good deed. You don't have to blog on every good deed, I know that some people don't make 20 blob posts a year, but it would be nice if you did post a description of as many good deeds as time and circumstances will allow. Remember, 2010 is our year. We're not going to elect someone to change the world, we're not going to hope someone else will do it. We are going to change the world through our own positive thoughts, words, and deeds. That is what 2010 is all about. Are you with me?

10 things in 2010!

Someone pointed out to me that it is not enough to simply make a goal to be possessed with the relentless spirit of contagious optimism, that I actually should make specific goals for what I will do to make 2010 amazing. Here are some of the things I'm proposing to accomplish in 2010: The Year of the Snoopy dance!

1) Pay off my car

Ideally, I will have this done by my birthday. This is important to me, because after this the only debt I have in my life is my student loans. Granted, that debt is the size of a small mortgage, but still. I want to kick debt out of my life. I don't want to spend my life a slave to my creditors! Slavery is not in harmony with 2o10!

2) Argue and win a major case.

Selfish ego oriented goal!

3) Go Paintballing.

4) Swim a cumulative total of 200 miles.

Since I swam a cumulative total of 2 this past year, I have my work cut out for me. Time to tear up that rotator cuff.

5) Read the Book of Mormon 2X

6) Rediscover my abs!

7) Take a yoga class.

Why must my favorite Yoga Instructor teach way over in Henderson? I may have to take up martial arts instead.

8) Rediscover recreational reading.

9) Open a Roth IRA

10) File 300 cases in a month.

This last one probably means nothing to anyone, but I want to achieve this because my firm has never done it and I want to make some history! (Plus they'll pay me scads of cash if we hit 300)

2010!

Welcome 2010. I'm glad to meet you. Let's dance.

The last decade saw terrorism, partisanship, cynicism, and a host of other things good and bad.

2010, this the year that we are going make into what we want. Change will happen because we will make it happen. Out with the bad, the negative, that which drags us down. 2010 will be different. 2010 will be positive. There will be down moments, sure. There always are. For how would we appreciate the good times of 2010 without the bad. But this year, the good will overshadow the bad. The Light will shine through the darkness. Hold your head up high, world. Lift those feet high, put your nose to the sky. It's the year of the SNOOPY DANCE! The dance of relentless optimism!