it's been a summer

Wow...so I know that I've been slacking but almost four months? Maybe I should give up my blogger status. I know my thousands of devote readers must be crushed by this point. It's been a busy summer though. Since my last post I've been to Cancun, Atlanta, St. Louis, and Las Vegas. Each trip was awesome in it's own way. While adjusting to life in the new casino and taking a few trips along the way, I have to stay it's been a fun past few months. I've met many Canadians, given away a few cars, had a run in with Josh Beckett, fully embraced Rock Band, and the lunchbox has became the shot of the summer.

Fall is starting to look pretty solid as well. I will finally get to see blink-182 play again on Labor Day weekend in Kansas City with Weezer. A few pretty sweet shows are coming to Tulsa including Mute Math, Brand New, Manchester Orchestra, and the Silversun Pick Ups. These concerts combined with OU football games, Oktoberfest and the baseball playoffs make me excited about the next few months. Hopefully the Braves can hang in there and make a run at the Wild Card "division" as Joe Morgan likes to call it. At least I got to take part in the tomahawk chop in Atlanta for the first time.

i light my own fires now

In case you're wondering, the title has nothing to do with this post.  I just thought it was a cool song title.  A few random things...

Apparently it's awesome concert week in Tulsa.  All American Rejects on Tuesday, Augustana tonight, and Death Cab on Sunday.  Luckily I've already seen all three before, but it's still impressive for Tulsa.  

I'm taking a vacation to Mexico in ten days.  I'd be lying if I said I wasn't excited about it.  I'd also be lying if I said I was in shape for it.  

Drillers start next week.  Warm weather and baseball make life 100x better.

The casino finally opened last night.  It's really strange.  After so much anticipation and the feeling that it would never come, we are finally open.  It's amazing.  Everyone seems to be impressed so far.  It's cool to see the casino become a nightlife option in Tulsa.

I had the chance to listen to the guy that came up with the "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas" advertising campaign speak last night.  Pretty cool.

I get to leave work at 3:30 today.  Happy Good Friday!

leaving las vegas

People often ask me how the economy affects business at the casino where I work. What people don't realize is that the casino business is a different kind of animal, especially in the midwest. We are thriving in a struggling economy. There are multiple reasons for this, but I believe one of the biggest reasons is the negative impact the economy is having on Sin City. Las Vegas is currently in world of hurt. The unemployment rate is over 10% and they rank number one in the country in foreclosures. When I was there in November a table games dealer told me that she was only allowed to deal one day a week. I can't imagine attempting to make a living like that. Station Casinos are said to be filling for bankruptcy and MGM Mirage is being sued by their partner on the $8 billion plus City Center project for breach of contract due to being concerned about the financial stability of the company. After being the fastest growing city in America for multiple consecutive years, Vegas is now fighting for their life. How does this affect the gaming market in Oklahoma? Surprisingly well. People who like to gamble are still going to gamble. The difference between a casino in the casino I work at and a casino in Las Vegas is that one of us is a "local's casino" and the other is a "destination casino". I'm sure you can put two and two together and figure out which is which. The current state of the economy is hindering many people's vacation plans to places like Vegas. The people that go to Vegas still have the desire to gamble. Luckily, we can provide them with that satisfaction in their own backyard. Sure, casinos here are nowhere near as extravagant as they might be in LV, but they're becoming increasingly nicer as new properties continue to be built across the midwest.

Our new $195 million property will open it's doors next Tuesday. It's funny to think a casino in Oklahoma had the ability to reach a deal on such a substantial loan and the casinos in Las Vegas don't stand a chance. Investors realize that the casino industry remains to be very profitable, even in the economic crisis our country is currently going through. With the opening of the new casino, we will introduce Tulsa to a gaming experience unlike any that locals have experienced thus far. I was skeptical during the many months of construction that our new property would be pretty similar to other recently opened and renovated casinos around the area. I do believe I was wrong. It's been a stressful project but I'm extremely excited for the opening. More than anything, I can't wait for the public reaction. I don't think people realize how nice it is inside, especially with the reputation of our current casino. People still think of the former casino as an old smokey bingo hall. Oh how the perception is going to change.

I do hope that things pick up for the casinos in Las Vegas. I love going there and I don't want to stop doing so. In the meantime, however, I'll enjoy our day in the sun.

enthused

So it's been a few weeks since my last post and I feel like I have much to catch up on. It's a great time for music in my life right now. It seems that the stars are aligning in to make this spring/summer an amazing stretch of lives shows and great music.

First off, and most importantly the reunion of blink-182. I recently wrote about this topic but never thought it would come to fruition so quickly. Last weekend at the Grammy's, Mark, Tom, and Travis took the stage together once again and announced that that have reunited. They are currently in the studio (see pic above) working on a new album and planning a tour for this summer. The 17 year old in me can barely contain the excitement. I know, it's been four years since their breakup and my taste in music has definitely evolved, but nothing can take that child-like excitement away from me that I get from this band. They're so much more than that to me. They remind me of growing up and amazing times I've had with friends. I don't think any other band could ever do that. I really can't explain it. I mean, there's nothing extraordinary about their music or their talent, but there's just something about it that just puts a smile on my face.

I think it all comes down to seeing blink perform live. The first time I went to a blink show was in Oklahoma City with my buddy Brock six days after 9/11 happened. That show completely changed my outlook on the band and after seeing them I knew that they were something special. The stage chemistry and banter between Mark and Tom is phenomenal. You can tell that that are absolultely having the best time of their lives on that stage and you can't help but to do the same. When it all comes down to it, I guess my excitement for their reunion is based on the chance that I can experience that live show again. I get to see a great friendship reunited and hopefully enjoy the show again with best friends.

Okay, that's enough of that. For the past year or so, I've complained multiple times about the lack of concerts that I've wanted to see in Tulsa. I mean, we now have more music venues than we know what to do with and it seems like the show schedule took a huge nose dive over the past year. Well fortunately, the times are changing. Eric Hutchinson will be gracing the stage at Cain's Ballroom this Sunday opening for G Love & Special Sauce. If anyone hasn't heard of EHutch, check out his song "Rock and Roll". See you at the show. Next...Death Cab for Cutie announced that are coming back to Tulsa for a show at the Brady on April 12. The first time I said DCFC was at Cain's and I was completely blown away by their show. I saw them again in KC last year and am highly stoked about this show coming up.

As I stated earlier, my music taste has greatly evolved in recent years. A couple of acts that have jumped super high on my list of faves are Jack's Mannequin and Matt Nathanson. Last year I was lucky enough to see each of them perform in Dallas. I saw JM at the Warped Tour and MN at the House of Blues. I couldn't have been more impressed with either of them. Last September I was at Tin Can in St. Louis and I ran into Andrew McMahon, the lead singer of Jack's. We spoke for a while and I expressed my disappointment for the lack of Oklahoma dates on his Fall tour. He promised there would be one on his next tour. The man was true to his ward. Jack's Mannequin recently announced they will be playing Cain's Ballroom on May 13 with Matt Nathanson. Seriously...I couldn't ask for a better combo than that. Great times in music are in the future for sure.

Just a few other non-music related notes...I went to the Thunder game last Friday and saw them post another victory. They are now 2-1 at games that I've been too. I'm pretty sure they should sign me on as their official good luck charm. The new casino opens in 48 short days. I have to say, it's starting to look phenomenal inside. Working on both properties is quite the task though. Also, I'm highly stoked for my upcoming trip to St. Louis for Mardi Gras. I'm mostly looking forward to not hanging out with King while I'm there.

you should know

Okay kids, here are things that I think you should check out and a few things that you should definitely NOT check out...

DO listen to "Only by the Night" by Kings of Leon. It's such a great CD from 2008 that I never gave a chance to until last week.

DO NOT listen to "For Emma, Forever Ago" by Bon Iver. Don't believe the hype. It's terrible.

DO watch the new season of 24. In case you missed the first four hours you can pick them up on iTunes. It's just as addictive and awesome as ever. Jack Bauer is the biggest badass of all time.

DO NOT watch "Burn After Reading". Seriously on this one, especially if you want to keep your eyes. The movie couldn't have ended sooner.

DO cheer for Scott MacIntyre on American Idol. He has impaired vision and plays the piano. Pretty amazing stuff. Oh, and watch this video of the guy with the deepest voice in the history of mankind... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djDH31mv5Xc

DO spend your Valentine's Day evening at the Cain's ballroom listening to Eric Hutchinson open up for G Love & The Special Sauce. He's worth the $24 ticket price himself.

DO NOT be jealous of me going to work our booth at the Chili Bowl for four hours this afternoon.

DO come gamble at my casino today. It's a good idea.

bringing me down

Verizon is making me hate Jim Halpert. Okay, maybe hate is a strong word but I REALLY dislike the Blackberry Strom commercials that feature John Krasinski’s voice. It’s not the actual commercial that I hate. It’s the fact that they’re pairing such an awesome dude with such a crappy phone. I’m a current owner of a Blackberry Curve and I think it’s pretty decent phone. Recently I recently had the chance to have a hands-on experience with the Storm. It’s horrible! I found my Curve much more user friendly and the touch screen definitely could use some work. Now, every time a commercial for this dreadful phone comes on, I get to hear the voice of everyone’s favorite character from The Office promoting a crap phone. These commercials seriously need to stop before it starts to carry over it’s negativity to The Office.

all the small things

Although my taste in music has evolved over the past few years, I still call blink-182 my favorite band. Their music reminds me of growing up and a lot of good times with great friends. Anyone else that's a fan of the band knows that the band broke up in 2005. The break up was pretty messy and the friendship of the two front men, Mark and Tom was crippled. Following the break up, Tom started Angels & Airwaves while Mark and Travis formed (+44). After not speaking for three years, Mark and Tom have finally reconnected and given hope to all blink fans across the world of a possible reunion. The following comes from an interview that Mark did with MTV on the future of blink-182...

"The future is wide open. ... Blink-182 wasn't manufactured by a label, and we weren't making music to make money or for fame. We were three friends in a band, writing music that we loved. That's where it began and ended. Before there's reunion talk, we need to get back to that point again. Actually, we would need to get beyond that point, to a place where you can say to someone, 'Hey, man, I'm not really feeling this,' and be able to argue constructively about the music. Because that's where the best of Blink-182 came into being. The pull between the ideas the three of us had. I've always thought that the three of us each brought something unique and special to the songs, and the collision of those elements made the music what it was. In short, we would need to get back to where we're all close enough friends and artists to be able to tell each other, respectfully, 'Suck it.' My final thought is this: If — and this is a big if — Blink-182 were ever to re-form, it would have to be the most amazing, ridiculous, mind-blowing show and tour ever. I feel like, as bitter as our breakup was, we stepped back at the top of our game, and we'd have to come back even stronger and better than before."

...and this just made my weekend.

catch my disease

As a kid, I was always fascinated with sports team logos. For reasons beyond my explanation, I always got excited when a team would unveil a new logo or a new uniform. This sickness continues to this day, but it has definitely evolved into something much bigger as I’ve become an adult, especially with the profession that I’ve chosen. I guess it was a sign of what was to come for me in my adulthood. It only made sense that a child obsessed with the way his favorite team brands itself would grow up to work in the marketing field. Today, I’m 26 years old and I still look forward to the unveiling of a team’s new logo just as I did when I was 12, but these days it’s not just sports logos that intrigue me as my fascination has grown to encompass all types of branding. Okay, after reading what I just typed I sound a little obsessive and a lot like a self proclaimed expert. Let me be the first to say that is something that I’m not, and that I will never claim to be. We have professionals that work in the advertising world and this is their jobs. I just admire what they do. Having said this, I do think it helps me with my job though and have to be somewhat grateful for it, even if this curse is a little ridiculous.

The reason for me giving you that brief glimpse into this brain of mine was to set up one topic that I plan to write about. As my roommate Jared knows, as well as many of my close friends know, I tend to pay a little too close attention to most types of advertising. I blame a LOT of this on my boss, but I definitely don’t see it as anything negative. For instance, why can’t I drive down a highway without looking at EVERY single billboard? I’ve been taught that outdated signage is something that should have been added to the Ten Commandments. “Thou shall not have outdated signage” was definitely left out of the good book. Anyways, when I look at billboards, I’m pretty much just looking to see if they’ve passed their expected livelihood. And when I see one that’s still up later than it should be, I can’t help but to point it out. For anyone in the car with me when this happens, I do apologize.

For example, on East bound I-44, near Highway 75 there is STILL a board for the new Best Buy location opening at Tulsa Hills in June. Yes, June of 2008. Pretty soon people are going to start thinking that there’s a second store opening up as we’re now in 2009. Just think of the wasted money by still having that board up! I’m guessing at around a total of $10,000. At least we aren’t in a recession or anything.

Now, onto the logo presented at the top of this article. Formally spelled "Wal-Mart", now "Walmart" with a new “burst” next to it instead of a star in the middle of the two words. When I first saw this logo I looked at it closely. I think I looked at it a little too closely. I then thought, “Wow, that’s genius!” To me, the starburst isn’t just a starburst. It’s a W and an M. The three lines at the top make the W and the three lines at the bottom make the M. I was certain that this was the intent of this corporate giant. I expressed my idea to a few friends and coworkers and everyone thought that it was absurd idea. So I researched this new logo online. There are many hypotheses about the logo, including the WM concept, but I’m unable to find a clear cut answer. What do you think? Maybe I’m giving them too much credit…

Well that’s it for my initial post. Thanks for listening to my nonsense. For those of you in the creative world, I would definitely appreciate your input and the same from anyone else that would like to chime in. Also, for any of you out there that are interested in sports uniforms and logos, I highly reccommend that you read uniwatchblog.com It's good stuff. Until next time….

so this is the new year....

...and for some reason, it just feels like it's going to be a good one. Normally, January comes around and it feels like any other time of the year, but this year seems different. 2009 seems full of opportunity. Maybe it's the LONG awaited opening of the new casino....maybe it's the fact that I considered 08 a subpar year...or maybe it's just the fact that I can't help but to be an optimist. Whatever it is, I like it, and I can't wait to see what this year brings.

That's enough rambling from me. In case you don't know me, I'm Kyle and I have a job in marketing at an indian casino. In case you didn't catch it, the name of this blog is definitely a baseball reference. The writing I do on this site will be nothing of specific nature. It will however be awesome. I guess for right now I envision it to give you my thoughts on life, a few music reccommendations, and hopefully good entertainment. Cheers to 2009 and all the good things to come!