Try this:
"...Greed, for lack of a better word, is good. Greed is right. Greed works. Greed clarifies, cuts through and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Greed, in all of its forms-greed for life, for money, for love, knowledge-has marked the upward surge of mankind."
On Netflix:
Incendies - This film was nominated for best foreign film in 2010. It is an intriguing story of twins who are directed by their mother's will, to deliver letters to their father, who they thought was dead, and a brother who they never knew. Much of the film takes place during the Lebanese civil war in the 1970's. The story takes many twists and turns and flashes back and forth from present day to the past. It can be confusing at times. The daughter and mother look a lot alike so you need to be patient until you get to know who is who. A story that grows on you; worth the time.
On Netflix and HBO:
The Adjustment Bureau - Normally this is not my type of movie; a sci-fi thriller with a love story thrown in for good measure is not for me, but Matt Damon and Emily Blunt are such a convincing couple, it was worth the time spent watching. The story is improbable, but the message that love conquers all and can change your fate, is eternal. If you want to escape from reality, it is a fine film to see.
Las Vegas: As many of you know, Sy and I took a short trip to Las Vegas the week of December 19 and had a lot of fun. Just in case any of you are planning a trip there, here are some hints:
Shows: We saw three shows while we were there:
The Magic of Rick Thomas - Before you say how lame, think about seeing a tiger disappear. No matter how many of these shows we go to, we are always amazed. There are a number of magic shows on the strip and downtown. This one is at the Tropicana Hotel and is mid-priced at about $40
The Improv - Whenever we go to Vegas we go to Harrah's Improv Comedy Club. Three comedians usually are on the bill. This time we saw Lachlan Patterson, the headliner, Steve Mittleman and Dava Krouse the emcee. They were all funny with Patterson the funniest. This show was $37, but we laughed the entire hour.
Lastly we were able to get tickets to The Lion King at the Mandalay Bay Hotel. This is a full Broadway scale production. The theater holds about 1000 and all the seats were filled. In fact, Sy and I could not get seats together, but we loved the production, music and dancing. A must especially if you have little ones. We sat pretty far up as I got the tickets the day before for $75 a piece.
I did want to go to see O, but it was sold out. I hate to buy tickets in advance. If something happens and you don't make the trip, you are out of luck. There is a concession called Tickets4Tonite that sells tickets for shows at a discount, but they don't have all the shows. We did get the magic show from them, but I think we could have done better by ourselves.
Food and Exercise:Vegas is a great walking city so even though we overate at many restaurants and buffets, we walked a lot of it off. We stay at Harrah's which is right in the middle of the strip. We averaged at least four miles a day of walking, but with stops in casinos along the way. Note about buffets - if you get there right before they change to their next meal, you pay that price, but reap the benefits and selections of the next meal. A waiter at the Golden Nugget told us this when we were heading in for a late lunch. There are many fine dining restaurants in the hotels along the strip. So whatever your taste, you'll find something to fit you.
Casinos: I did find my $5 blackjack tables in some of the big hotels. I especially liked the casinos at Monte Carlo, Excalibur, Tropicana and Harrahs on the strip and Four Queens downtown. $5 can change to $10, but with some warning and can be $5 one day and $10 the next (that happened at Tropicana) If you play the cheaper tables, the dealers and participants are usually friendlier as not as much money is being bet. You won't break the bank, but you won't lose your shirt either. This time we came out ahead by winning a little more than $200.
Hotels: Every time we go to Vegas the skyline changes with bigger and more elaborate hotels. As I said before, we tend to stay at Harrah's because of its location. The price this time was also unbeatable. I got the hotel for $27 a night. It is older, but still nice, clean and for the most part quiet. There are some new hotels like Aria, Cosmopolitan and Encore which are quite lovely. There is also a very upscale shopping center in front of Aria called City Center for those of you who like to shop.
As you can see, there is something for everyone. The one group I would keep away from Vegas are children. It blows my mind every time we go to see kids walking with parents along the strip. Although there are things for them to do, the atmosphere is not what I think appropriate for children; gambling, drinking and sex!
I hope everyone is enjoying their holidays. Happy New Year.
Roberta
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