This is not yours to mess with.

FUCK.

Ok, so we have the Matt issue. He's weird, he's creepy, he's randomly going to the US at the same time we are (planned all of 3 weeks ahead) and is going to be in the same area at the same time. I've heard about it, I've ranted about it, I've tried to ignore it. Its working, for now. If he tries to glue himself to me again though, JT and I won't be providing an adhesive surface.

But Rodney fuckin' Grech? Are you serious? This guy barely has two dollars to rub together and he's asking, a week and a half out from take off, if theres any chance of tagging along on a trip that has already been booked and paid for and organised and cemented and passported and almost packed and is costing us each upwards of $5000?! WHAT THE HELL MAN!?

Why do people suddenly think "oh hey they're going on holidays I MIGHT GO WITH THEM" and why are they always the last people you wanna spend 2 weeks of your life seeing every day non stop?

If Tim had suddenly gone "screw this I'm coming with you guys" I would be totally all for it. He'd have to share a bed with JT but eh, thats his problem :P I like Tim, he's a nice guy and I'd probably send him more insane than the other way around.

But this...christ, I think I need some aspirine.

So things are really starting to roll. I've got a half packed suitcase on my bed. Got a calendar on my door that I can scribble all over and a couple of lists going, like what I have to buy and get organised before we leave.

Things are going to be jam packed next weekend. I gotta get a travelex card from the Greater, probably after I go to the hairdresser (hoping to get a booking for Saturday morning), get some new socks and underwear, need to buy some more suncream in a travel sized pack :P

I also need to pick up some replacement shoelaces for my leprachaun shoes, cuz ones busted and the other is about to get even.

I'm really suddenly digging the idea of getting an old school style skateboard at venice beach. I'm really really hoping I can find something there that is really rad and a decent price. I'm trying not to work up on that idea. But yeah. Another "if, it'd be cool" haha.

I need to stop watching LA ink, its making me want to get a tat while I'm there. Stupid obsessions :)

Your maximum bet is...

American Airlines have ridiculously ambiguous info on their website concerning baggage allowances. 

With Qantas Intl to the US you're allowed to take 2x 23kg bags for check-in and a 18kg~ for on board. 

Dad rang AA this morning about their stupid website and got the following;

"If you show your Qantas ticket (International) on AA you can take 2 bags on all 3 flights & the allowance on board is 10k"

Pretty sweet, I reckon.

Sick, Sick, Sick

Got me some travel bands today, they don't look terribly comfortable but I wear bands all the time so they should be alright. Better than taking some anti sick drugs.

I had this idea a while ago, which I'd forgotten, to take my Doom game disks (ok they're my Dad's but he doesn't use them, so I nicked 'em :P ) and get Carmack to sign them. Maybe Romero, if he's not an ass.

Obviously this is just a hopeful thing and not a definite, but it'd be pretty sweet.

My notebook is coming along ok, its getting there. Hopefully be doing a test print tomorrow to see how it all goes together. Theres a few pages I need to get done in colour too so I'll have to do those at home.

Alcomahol

Just in case, the limitations on arrival and departure items.

http://www.customs.gov.au/site/page.cfm?u=4258

It's been a while

Yeah...21 days roughly.

Things are fairly under way. I have my money just about sorted. Got some US $ just yesterday and will be organising a Travelex card hopefully this weekend.

The rest is staying in my Visa Debit account so I can use it for CC transactions whilst there.

I also began my list for packing last night. It's pretty big. I might do a trial pack this weekend to see how it goes.

The only thing left to do now is organise my little book to take with me for all my information. I have all of that in this blog, just have to rearrange it into a Word doc ready to print. I ought to get that underway this week. I'd like to have it bound.

A Gaylord Update

Since I first trawled through the forums yesterday, the message has been that the Gaylord has in fact blocked bookings of rooms for the 12th & 13th, and they are not sold out as originally thought. In hindsight it makes sense seeing as the con runs from the 13th to the 16th, so why wouldn't the 14h & 15th be in the same boat, if everyone had booked already.

So thats a bit more reassuring. I'm aware that they're not exactly going to book the entire hotel for us under the QC rate, but at least they're giving everyone decent opportunity.

Thanks, Jackass

So the Hilton Anatole decided early this morning that they'd turf QuakeCon out in favour of some Pharmaceutical convention. Not impressed.

They've cancelled and refunded all QC rate reservations, at least. So thats a start.

We're now located at the Gaylord Texan in Grapevine, some 20 Miles to the North-West of the old location.

I've heard good things about both the hotel and the area. But that doesn't give me a room reservation.

The issue lies in the bookings, of course. Since the announcement, every single room in that hotel has been sold out for the nights of the 12th & the 13th. They have promised an allotment of rooms with a special QC rate to be released next Monday the 6th of July. We just have to cross our fingers and hope like hell that we'll get in on those rates. If we don't, we're up for a separate hotel, something I'm not really interested in doing. Even if it is a safer area to walk around in.

Well...I guess at least the Taxi fare will be cheaper.

Gaylord Texan Hotel

1501 Gaylord Trail, Grapevine, TX 76051

Supersize me, damnit

So back in '04 around the time when "Supersize Me" hit theatres, Maccas pulled the plug on Supersize meals in the US. They copped some flack for it here too, which is retarded because its never been on the menu and I'm fairly certain they only ever did it for drinks as a special you had to ask for.

Anyway, that counts out any chance of a stupidly large novelty McD's meal in August. Though I think they've still got the drinks, on the condition we saw here in Aus.

So that kinda sucks. I'm not going to order something like that anyway, I'll probably get a "you're a retarded tourist" look from the server if I did.

Instead, I'm going to hit up a 7-Eleven. I want a Big Gulp (or whatever the stupidly large size is they have there, I saw it on Ellen recently but I can't remember). Or at least I'd like to see the cup size.

Funness. :)

Touring Party

As a part of my Dallas trip I was hoping to catch a Cowboys home game. Unfortunately they're away the week we'll be there so I've got no hope of a pre-season match viewing. I'm going to have to resort to watching something resembling a match (or at least about 20 minutes of it before I get bored) on TV.

As a sort of "consolation prize", I've found out that Cowboys Stadium is open to tours. They run for around an hour and depart the Pro Shop every half hour as follows;

Monday - Saturday	9 am - 6 pm (Last Tour Departs At 4:30 pm)
Sundays	11 am - 5 pm (Last Tour Departs At 3:30 pm)

Tours include the following locations;

Pro Shop Press Box Limited Field Access (Not Guaranteed) Scoreboard Control Room Silver Level Platform Cowboys Locker Room A Suite Player Interview Room   More info is on the website;  http://stadium.dallascowboys.com/tours/tourInfo.cfm JT has stated that he'll most likely come with, which is good news for me :)

Bart's riding in the front today because he's good at SPORTS!

So I have this plan, and its a real loose one that I've had for several years now. I wanna see a whole bunch of sports in the US that we don't get (or aren't as good) here.

The list of sports and the teams I'd like to see are as follows;

Baseball (MLB) - New York Yankees, LA Dodgers

Basketball (NBA) - Chicago Bulls, Orlando Magic, LA Lakers, New York Knicks

Ice Hockey (NHL) - Any

Grid Iron (NFL) - Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants/Jets, Denver Broncos, Miami Dolphins

On this trip I'm incredibly fortunate to be in LA when the Dodgers take on the Cubs. I've yet to buy a ticket but it will be done soon.

As a flipside to that, the Dallas Cowboys' Pre-season starts in August, and they are on an away-week whilst we're there. I'm majorly disappointed in this, as Dallas doesn't really seem like a place I'll want to visit again unless it is for Quakecon (thus presenting me with the same issue again, most likely) where as I feel I could probably revisit LA at any point in order to see a Dodgers game. This of course could be entirely wrong :)

I do intend on finding out about a possible tour of the stadium, regardless.

As it is currently Summer in the US, this completely rules out any chance of seeing the NHL, and pretty much the same for the NBA - their pre-season starts in September.

So this trip covers 1 of the 4 big ones. Well, 1 of 3, if I never see an NHL game I'll live.

I'd also like to grab some merchandise while I'm there, for the big 3. 

Some MLB caps (Yankees and Dodgers at least)

A baseball

Dodgers Pennant

Cowboys Jersey and/or a Bulls Jersey

Basically I'd love to get one of all three, so that'd include a Dodgers Jersey. 

But cost is fairly high for that sort of thing, event replicas are up around US$80 for an NFL/MLB Jersey, and around US$50 for an NBA Jersey.

I'll post again when I find out details on Cowboys Stadium tours.

Its all roses

Okay so this is a real stretch. I'm sure as soon as we land in LAX we'll be absolutely knocked off our feet at the same time as being totally enraptured in this new and exciting place. I imagine we'll be running crazy around town finding the closest supermarket and going nuts. But just in case we find ourselves suddenly bored (haha)...

Rose Bowl Flea Markets

1001 Rose Bowl Dr. Pasadena, CA 91103

12 Miles from Kyoto Grand

http://www.rgcshows.com/RoseBowlFleaMarket/tabid/52/Default.aspx

Goin' Down TOWN

Nice little linky here, since we're staying downtown.

http://www.downtownlawalks.com/

Dallas Farmers Market

Just trying to find a few things in Dallas in case I get bored at Quake Con (something I'm hoping doesn't happen, but you never know).

Dallas Farmers Market
1010 S. Pearl Expressway
Dallas, TX 75201
(At the corner of Harwood and Marilla Streets, in the southeast corner of Downtown Dallas.)

Looks pretty nifty. Fresh food and such. Site has a listing of in-season fruits & vegies which I'll update this post with once it gets into the next season (that is, if I can remember).

http://www.dallasfarmersmarket.org/

I think I'm a foodie

Whatever that means.

I've just spent 10 minutes on the Phillipe's web site, and promising myself that I'd re-watch the MvF ep again when I get home...

Anyway. "The Griddle Cafe" looks mighty fine, and within a reasonable distance of the hotel in Hollywood.

Thanks flyertalk crew, you're teaching me great things!

I'll expand upon this with more detail later. Maybe.

http://www.thegriddlecafe.com/

Destination Coupons

This place has loads of coupons for places like restaurants, attractions, etc. 

http://www.destinationcoupons.com/Nevada/Las_Vegas/las-vegas-coupons.asp

Have to print out a metric tonne of those before we go away.

More Meds Stuff

Just wanted to write a little bit of info to myself about medication. Have been reading that some people have had their tablets confiscated from their checked luggage. Should mention that this wasn't 'confiscated' under law - it was stolen. 

I'm looking at ways to have mine secured better inside my luggage, or having to keep it in my onboard luggage with the letter from the doc. 

I can't afford to be losing meds that week. I'm thinking I might get a prescription to take with me. Don't think it'll hold up in the US but we'll see. I really don't want to be missing it once I get there, bad timing and it'll really mess me up.

Skooby's

Los Angeles (ok, Hollywood) is home to one of the most famous Hotdog stands in the world. Pink's.

However, it is also home to what I've read to be the best stand.

Skooby's Hot Dogs
6654 Hollywood Blvd
Hollywood, CA 90028
(323) HOT-DOGS

"Smack dab in the middle of Hollywood"

I've heard terrific things about their chili dogs, fries and lemonade. All of which are home made (well, maybe not the dogs, but the chili for sure).

I'm looking forward to a visit :)

Coke n M&Ms

I've been hearing some fantastic things about the M&Ms store. Create your own bag (apparently they have stupid amounts of colours). I'm all over that!

I've also heard about the Coke 'museum' tasting place, which is right next door. Apparently they have a load of different Cokes from around the world that you can taste. I'll give those a go, I think.

I'm looking forward to checking out the merchandise and all the different kinds of Cokes and M&Ms. Also looking forward to taking some photos of the giant Coke bottle and the big tubes of M&Ms.

The address is in the post below, Vegas.

I'm going to be such a freakin' tourist over there.

Outback, mate.

Ok I found a couple of Outback Steakhouses in Vegas. Dumb ol' me didn't think to check there. :P There are 8 in the greater Las Vegas area according to the website.

Theres two - and they're almost equal in how far away they are from the PLV hotel. I'll list 'em both.

Las Vegas Strip - Casino Royale

3411 S Las Vegas Blvd.
Las Vegas NV 89109

Las Vegas Coke Bottle

3785 Las Vegas Blvd, 4th Fl
Las Vegas NV 89109