"Well chimpanzee that, it's Monkey News..."

I borrowed that title from The Ricky Gervais show. I love that show. Mostly because Karl Pilkington is an idiot and it's funny to laugh at him with Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant. Good times...

Okay So I know it's been a bit since I said I would "post soon", how do I know this? Well I received this little message via Facebook from my dear friend Jessica (oh yeah-you're in my blog now-deal with it!) who live in Wisconsin with her husband [and who reads my little blog since we live so far away from one another-get your own blog lady so I can keep up with you too!]:

"Dear future owner of a drafty but awesome castle in Ireland: Please update your blog. I want to hear all about Vegas and your movie audition. Love, future occupant of guard shack on the moat."

to which I of course responded with the following:

"Dear Future Mini-Drafty Castle Occupant on my Back Lawn,
I've been busy but I will update it immediately. Henceforth let it be known I will try to keep up with my duties on Alex Gossip.
Love, Your Landlord from The Big Drafty Castle :)"

It's an inside joke about what I want to do if I ever get rich and famous, tell me you don't want to own a castle in Ireland and make a mini-one for your friends to live in and fly helicopters back and forth to see each other-I knew you couldn't, everyone wants that! :) And so...ON TO ALEX GOSSIP or my "Monkey News". WARNING: this will be a very long-winded post(I know, I know, it already is). I apologize. Now get ready for it-TA DA...

Vegas: It was AMAZING! We needed it! Great times! It was a really tame Vegas trip though, here are all the details...

Monday was our drive day. I had to go into the office and take care of some stuff because the boys I work for are children and I had to be a good mommy and make sure that everything was done for the week do they wouldn't have to do anything office-y like normal. I was stuck there until about 1:30 (which pushed back our departure time from noon). Then I had to finish packing and Joe "had" to shower. That pushed us back further. Then we needed to get gas and something to eat for lunch, more pushing back of departure time. We FINALLY left at 3:30 and were promptly stuck in a traffic jam on the 101 (which is like the slowest traffic jam ridden highway ever, unless you're on the 405 which is a parking lot-it should be called the get on and park highway). We finally broke through and kept looking for our connect highway, highway 60. P.S. the 60 does NOT connect to the 101 North. Good job Joe. He blames google maps. So we took an hour long detour up to Oxnard and decided to stop at the visitors center. The woman there was AMAZING and gave us a back-roads way to connect to the 15 (which is what goes right to Vegas). So then that took about an hour of little Cali highway driving, which turned out to be beautiful and pretty fun. We found the 15 and made it to Vegas at 10:30. That's right our 5 hour drive turned into 7. Whatever. We pretty much went to bed quickly after that.

Tuesday: I woke up and made everyone breakfast. Pumpkin pancakes (Trader Joe mix), scrambled eggs spiced up cajun style, and homemade hot chocolate with vanilla marshmallows. Mmmm! Then we all got dressed and hung out my friend's parent's house (where they let us stay for free-so so sweet). Joe then made jambalaya for everyone for dinner. And then we met up with some of my Michigan State Theatre Alumni friends. One couple lives and works in Vegas and one couple was visiting for their 30th birthdays. We met up at 9 Fine Irishmen Pub in the NYNY Casino. We drank a lot and caught up and reminisced and had a blast. Then Pat & Annie (the Vegas natives) went home (they had to work on Weds) and the 5 of us left over walked the strip a little. We saw the Bellagio Fountain and walked about for a bit longer. We stopped at Caesar's outdoor lil bar thing where I bought a huge Caesars' water bottle full of strawberry daiquiri and then everyone went their separate ways for "home". Joe and I and our friend Lacey (who we were staying with) went and looked at the Bellagio Conservatory. That place is AMAZING and so beautiful! Then we walked to the car and headed home for the night.

Wednesday aka SAINT PATRICK'S DAY aka the BEST day in the Spring months: We slept in (again), at breakfast (bagels), and headed to the strip. We met up with Annie and Jason & Alison (30th bdays couple) at Rao's restaurant in Caesar's Palace where Pat works as the Food & Beverage Manager. We had the MOST DELICIOUS lunch ever! Antipasto salad, pasta in vodka sauce, veal meatballs, margherita pizza, 4 cheese pizza, and a prosciutto "sandwich" pizza, followed by tiramisu. We were so stuffed and happy when we left. And we gave HUGE thank yous to Pat and Annie for treating us to such a delicious feast! Then the 5 of us (Joe, Jason, Alison, Lacey, and I) went across the street to O'Shea's Casino for their Irish block party. We tried, in vain, to get huge Long Island Ice Teas in giant shamrock glasses but had to settle for green coors lite. Then we walked around in the gorgeous sunshine and mid 70s weather. We parted ways around 2:15 so Lacey could go pick up her sister from school and take her to a voice lesson. I napped. Joe watched tv and played on the laptop. Then Joe and I grilled burgers and fresh veggies for dinner and served it with chips and salsa. Then we all went back to the strip. We went to the Paris Casino and got HUGE daquiris and coladas in plastic Eiffel Towers (La Tour Eiffel if you will) and then we proceeded to walk all the way down to Mandalay Bay. Paris Casino-lovely, Bellagio-lovely, Caesars-lovely, Mandalay-lovely, Luxor-kinda cheesy but nice, O'Sheas-pretty tacky, Excalibur Casino-GHETTO!!! SO ghetto, extremely and utterly ghetto. DO NOT STAY THERE. Ick, ick, ick. We walked through it and felt kinda filthy. Then we cabbed back to New York New York and walked around inside there trying to get into bars, we failed, I'm sorry I refuse to pay $10-25 in COVER CHARGES. NO WAY! So we called it quits and went home. So I drank that day the most of anyone (another Caesar bottle of colada, and Eiffel tower daiquiri, and green beer. OH! And 3 coronas. I rule). Then sleep!

Thursday: We slept in for the third day in a row-HEAVEN. Went to brunch at Mimi's Cafe. I had mimosas and Joe and Lacey drank coffee (light-weights). We went home and watched tv all day. Then we went to dinner at Cheesecake Factory with Lacey's old friend from high school and ate til we were stuffed. Then Joe and I left around 10:15 and drove back to LA. We got back to our apartment at 3:15ish and crashed. That was Vegas. So needed and restful. And it was so So SO good to see Annie & Pat and Jason & Alison. Just lovely.

On to other Alex Gossip Goings-On:

I auditioned for a small movie and got great feedback, if I don't hear anything in the next week that means I didn't get it. I auditioned for Antigone on Wednesday. What a cattle call that was. Whatever-I love auditioning for classic theatre. It makes me happy.

I've taken up the thing I loathe-exercising. BUT I've ingeniously been tricking my brain to think it's not exercise by running/jogging/walking my friend Kari's pups from My Life With Dogs. So smart. I love puppy play time and then my brain is like yay-let's go walk puppies! Oh brain, you're so dumb, wait, er...

Also, Joe and I are finally done with the big sprig cleaning/mass furniture move in our apartment and are selling all our extra crap at a friend's yard sale. Thanks Jenn! And we laminated Construction Paper Christmas Tree to last forever. Yay!

And let's see what else, oh I owe $800 I don't have in taxes apparently. Even with all my medical stuff taken out. Someone wasn't withholding enough from my checks. Thanks jerk-offs, now I am screwed. So that's delightful. That puts a hold on adopting our own pup (AGAIN-UGH!).

My friend is back with her bf that she broke up with. I want her to be happy but I don't think this is the guy for her. Boo-I hate these situations. I've been in them three times now: once I said something, she got upset and we were weird for awhile. Then they broke up and she said she should have listened to me and we were great again and now she has an amazing bf I love and she loves and he loves her and it's magic. Once I didn't say anything and she is now marrying this guy and everyone ever hates him because he's an asshole and it's too late to say anything. Boo on that situation because she deserves someone much better than him who treats her like a queen not a slave or whipping post. And now this third situation where I've kinda said something and she was really glad I did and then they broke up and now they're back together. So I don't really need to say it again but I just feel like she needs to remember there are reasons they broke up and those issues have not been resolved. So I'm trying to be there for her and kinda keep out of it but if she asks I tell the truth.

My other friend has a friend dying so she is down. :( It's just such a sad situation and I'm just trying to be there for her. XOXOXOX She is also pretty angry with this gal we both know mutually who never vaccinated her dog so she could save money and it got parvo and died. Now I have issues with anyone who treats animals with neglect or cruelly which I believe not taking proper care to ensure the health and safety of your dog is. It just doesn't surprise me that this girl did this. I feel so horrible for that poor little puppy who passed away from something so horrible that is so easily prevented because this person was irresponsible-but, again, I am not surprised. It's just sad. What a crappy thing to befall a dog. Poor little puppy...I just want to rescue every dog ever that needs it and give them a good home full of love and safety. What can you do. But anyway, I love my friend and hope she feels better and that sad and anger giving situations stop happening to her :D

I think this is about all that is going on with me. OH! And I am helping Joe with his first "Crafty Project" as he calls it. Re-felting his chess set. Yep. That is about as crafty as he gets, but isn't that just the cutest? I love him. Too cute.

I went with my friend Kira to see Jamie Cullum live. It was a pretty great concert. Full of good songs, great jazzy riffs from a good band, and good company. Good times!

Yay for the Spartans being in the Elite Eight! Let's make it to the Final Four boys-you can do it! Also Adventures in Dogsitting next week whilst Kari and her DH are outta town, get ready for that! :D

So hope all is well with you all. And I am finally caught up with every one's blogs that I read (yay). Take care and enjoy this spring weather. Love, love, love. I hope this satisfies you Miss Jessica ;) Miss you and Mike D!!!!! xoxoxox

Here are our Vegas pics thus far (loads were taken on my friend's camera but she still has to send them my way). Most of them are her parent's pups and kitty, then pictures that we are in love with an want to find copies of for our house, and then a few of us on the strip:













Here are pics of Kari's dogs:







And here is Jamie Cullum (via my blackberry):