fplanque: off topic

So, as planned, last time I went to Vegas I actually went to see one of those Vegas shows. I was actually thinking about seeing two: Blue Man Group and Mystère. I only made it to Blue Man Group but that's cool, because I was really intrigued by that one

From France all I knew about BMG was their appearance in the Intel commercials some time ago. I had never really found out what they were really about. Then I've seen some ads for their show every time I went to Vegas and I think in Chicago too...

So I just had to check them out...

I did expect something crazy. And it actually exceeded my expectations!

I enjoyed the visual effects they performed live on stage and the loud stomping and music that comes with it. But after a while, the show extends to the whole theater and the audience is part of the show. That's pretty wild and I'd definitely recommend that blue rave over any green carpet blackjack experience!

Now rest assured: as long as you don't sit in the first 2 front rows, you won't get wet or stained or anything.

Here we go again: I barely haven't recovered from my last trip to BlogWorld in Vegas a couple weeks ago and I'm already planning to go back to Las Vegas, this time for Pubcon.

At this point I'd almost have to wonder whether I'm not just making excuses for going back to Vegas over and over again. But honestly I don't!

Truth is... I don't really like Vegas. I don't gamble. Not a cent last time I was there. And I'm not that much into night life. I haven't even been to the strip last time. Worse: the perpetual slot machine sound at the Hilton last time made me explicitly pick a different hotel this time (although the Hilton is a darn good value if you want to be near the conference center.)

PubCon was great. Vegas around it... bah... Actually, one cool thing I did last time is go up the Stratosphere which was really worth the view. Best Vegas attraction if you ask me!

Now I realize I still have to check out some more stuff before issuing a final judgment! This time I'll try to see at least one of those world famous Vegas shows and check what they're all about. And if that's not enough to make the whole "Vegas again" trip worthwhile, I'll also take a little trip to the Skywalk nearby...

I was supposed to fly to Seattle today... but thanks to Air France flight attendants and one of their strikes, I'm litterally grounded in France... It's been 4 days now!

Of course I wish there were other options for flying non stop from Paris to the west coast, but I'm afraid there aren't a lot. I even suspect the flights that have been canceled are precisely the ones with the least competition available. Bast (I mean: sensible capitalists! )

Anyway, here's a couple of things I learnt while canceling my hotel and domestic flight reservations:

• Orbitz will charge you $25 when canceling an hotel reservation (more than 24 hours in advance) whereas canceling at reservation made directly with the hotel would generally be at no charge. On the other hand, booking through Orbitz oftentimes gets you a better rate. So it's a close call...
• Canceling a hotel within the last 24 hours prior to arrival can be super expensive. You need to try and cancel as soon as possible.
• Canceling my $186 flight with United from Seattle to LA cost me $100 charged by United an $30 charged by Orbitz. The remaining $56 credit is valid for one year but is going to be a pain to reuse (no automated procedure).
• Had I waited to actually be in Seattle before booking that flight (i-e: booked it tonight), it would only have cost me $20 more ($207 total). I think I'm done with booking domestic flights way in advance.

Still, I really really should find out how to not rely on Air France any more... 'coz you know... they made their point: they're just unreliable!

Today my passport came back in the mail.

It had a cool sticker in it:

That's what happens when you play the green card lottery. Beware: it doesn't only happen to others!!

You play... you wait... you forget about it... you're asked for a lot for paperwork... you forget about it again... and the next thing you know, you end up with a visa inviting you to rave up your whole life!

Yesterday I saw Michael Moore's Sicko movie.

First off, let me say that it's absolutely terrifying when you see the stories of all those people literally ripped off by their health insurance company! Boy I was worried about that stuff before (when considering to move to the US), now I consider it as the #1 pitfall if I ever actually want to relocate over there.

Anyway, as always with Michael Moore, the reality is twisted to make it more... tasty? For example when he comes to France and shows how a "middle class family" lives... he doesn't actually show a middle class family.

He asks them how much they make and they say 8000 € a month. Well... the average salary in France is around $1500 a month. Now a family where both parent work will make an average on 3000 €/month. More than 2.5 times less than what Moore depicts as a "middle class" home.

On the other hand, the rest of the story about how the government takes care of our health is basically accurate... with a lot of details overly simplified...

Again, he states we pay a lot of taxes (I won't deny ) but doesn't mention that those taxes aren't actually enough to cover for the costs. The healthcare system here is growing a humongous debt year after year. For some reason, it doesn't seem to implode though...

So how much can you actually trust the guy on accuracy?

Now I wish someone from the US would deny it all and tell me that if you cut your fingers off, you'll get them fixed, no matter what. And that if you get cancer, you'll get treatment without having to put a mortgage on your house... if you have one. That kind of crap would never happen in France. (I mean, it hasn't happened yet...)

The good thing: it helps me see the good side of France ('coz I could bitch about France for hours...)