Don't believe everything you see, or hear, or touch, maybe even taste, but not smell, except for onions.

 It's crazy on how many times bad situations happen from not taking that double take or just not realizing what you're doing until something bad happens.

There's also good things that could happen. This year at SXSW I was mistaken for the almost famous rapper or pretty much mainstream rapper, "Watsky".
It's also bad when you buy things off of the T.V. from the shamwow guy really sucks, and you paid 30 bucks for a yellow rag.
It's cool though when people don't realize that you're not who they think you are and you end up on everyone's instagram.

Most of the time when these things happen, you feel better about yourself, but then it comes right back at you in the, face that the picture you just took would be the most embarrassing picture for the girls you just took it with and you're right in the middle of it.
Illusions are different when it comes to the topic, those are supposed to trick you so they have no place in this blog.
Sometimes we get lucky, (going back to buying stuff and stuff like that) for example, when you text in to win those ACL passes that haven't even come out yet.
And then there's those unlucky times, (still talking about the above) when you find out you have to be at least 18 to win. It happens. But they usually give you tickets to another concert at Stubb's that no one's going to tonight, just because they feel sorta bad for you, but not really.

One of my worst experiences was with my parents when we all went to Vegas over the summer. I had warned them so many times about the timeshare thing and how to just stay away from it (from my expert TripAdvisor skills). They eventually went for it and we spent half the day at this hotel not far from the strip with about 50 other victims along with us. We ended up getting free tickets to a dinner and show at the Luxor but the rest was just a huge waste of time.

Don't believe everything you see, or hear, can't remember which is the popular saying. Both works too.

In reality... (Vegas Edition) Part 2

The chips aren’t tortilla chips, they’re Ruffles. We finally made it into Las Vegas, but not before passing through Hoover Dam. It was extremely dusty, hot and windy that day. But it was worth it. We stayed in the Bellagio. The room was really, really, really cool. We had a view of the fountains and the strip. Oh, and sirens coming from ambulances were non-stop all night. Have you ever heard someone say you can go into the casino, you just can’t step on the carpet? (For people underage) Myth busted. Our whole family was walking around the machines, taking pictures (with no flash), talking to the floor guys, the only thing is, you can’t play the machines. I walked in every building on the strip, I just couldn’t go into the “private rooms”. One thing to watch out for are the people handing out flyers and advertisements. Just avoid those people. Another tip is if you’re going to take a picture of someone dressed up like a celebrity or superhero, have a few dollars on hand and don’t take a picture of just them, they don’t like that. If you’re at a gift shop and you see something you just have to have, but it’s just a little bit more than what you want to pay, just buy it because you won’t ever see it again. Those are one of my regrets of walking into a gift shop.

There were so many shows that I had seen in that one week. There’s also that part of Las Vegas that no one goes to, The Old Las Vegas. There are a lot of cool things there, like the first casinos, a broken down casino and a gas station. It was actually terrible and a waste of  time. That’s the reason why no one goes there.

The way back was really nice. We passed by a truck that’s engine had caught fire and exploded. We were stopped in the middle of nowhere for about an hour. I had never walked on a highway in between 18-wheelers and tons of cars. This happened twice. The second time the truck had already been burnt up and was just sitting on the side of the road. There were so many things back in Las Vegas that I never understood. Like in movies, there are those men in suits and glasses talking into the earpiece that goes down their shirt. Those guys actually exist! There are a lot of things that I questioned, but Las Vegas is just weird. Nothing bad happened on the trip, thankfully. We stopped by a lot of famous landmarks and also a lot of boring places that no one cared about. The worst part about the whole trip was unpacking, but that’s a whole different story.

In reality... (Vegas Edition) Part 1

        

I’ve been to many places in around and out of the country as far as Ontario, Canada and Cancun, Mexico. This isn’t a story about those trips, this is a story about a recent trip to Las Vegas, Nevada. One of the weirdest trips I have ever taken.

This was last summer and we’ve all been planning this trip for a while. I heard a few recent stories from people in school about their trips to Vegas. Some said that they had to stay in the hotel the whole time because “kids” weren't allowed anywhere inside any building on the strip or even near it. Others said that they had so much fun and that there were so many things to do. These people always acted older than they are, but around everyone else, they’re little kids. I wasn’t really sure who to listen to. So the time came around and I remember leaving in about the middle of June and waking up at about four in the morning to coffee and breakfast tacos. I don’t usually drink coffee but breakfast tacos are the usual. I had my bags packed and phone charged.                                   

I’ll skip a few hundred miles into El Paso to get the story started. We were also going to every McDonald’s that we passed by. Not to eat, not at all, but to get a movie at the redbox. Those were really cool because once you’re done watching the movie, you don’t have to drive all the way back to the same redbox. It’s like a library, as long as it has their name on it, it’s accepted. My dad kept pointing at the mountains in the pitch black. I think I could see a few, mostly because of all the orange lights coming from Mexico. It looked like the lights on a landing strip, paved for miles. It never seemed to stop.. We ended up stopping in Las Cruces, NM. It was  really small and quiet, but they have the nicest public bathrooms in the world. The same thing happened the next day and we stopped in Sedona, AZ. Sedona is the prettiest place in the world. It’s really calm and down to earth. The Grand Canyon was just a few miles away. The view from our hotel room was amazing. The next day we passed through Phoenix and ate at a small mexican restaurant that is supposed to be really famous. It was terrible.

Fitting in. (Austin, Texas Edition) Part Dos

      Knowing how to pronounce the streets and places is very important. For example, the two most important ones to know how to pronounce are Manchaca and Guadalupe. You would pronounce Manchaca like “Man-chack”. Guadalupe would be almost the same without the “e”, like “Gwad-a-loop”. Koenig Lane is also mispronounced a lot. It should be pronounced like “KAY-nig”.

    Getting used to loving Austin music shouldn’t take too long, unless you’re hooked on Lil Wayne, we’ll pray for you. Also because that we’re the live music capital of the world, it’s hard to stay away. While you’re checking out that band you heard about, someone suggested pizza afterwards. That’s when things get a little out of control. There’s numerous pizza shops around Austin, usually within 200 yards of each other. There’s isn’t  a ‘best place for pizza’ because every place has their own style going on. There’s Home Slice, East Side Pies, 313, House Pizza or even Conan’s. If you are new to Austin and live close to downtown, get used to your neighbors because they’re not gonna change. A neighbor of mine that moved in several years ago would always play music for countless hours a day. She still does, not as often, but usually for days that should be celebrated in some way. You can get a lot out of your neighbors. They know things you don’t know and you know things they don’t know. It’s also good to know your neighbors in general.

    Knowing what’s going on around your city is a big plus. There’s always something happening on the weekend, even on weekdays during lunchtime, you’ll always find something cool to see and do. Those times during the weekdays are always the best time to go to events or lunch. The reason is because when it’s a Friday night and you want to go out to a casual dinner with someone, it won’t happen unless you’re willing to spend a lot more in a fancier restaurant away from the parties. Other than that, the lines will always be long and the music will always be loud.

Fitting in. (Austin, Texas Edition) Part 1

Over the past few years, Austin has grown into as the city to live and travel. It may not seem like it if you’ve been living here, but you’re missing out of if you haven’t been outside in a while.

For starters, going downtown to check out the cool things that have been popping up around 6th street and SOCO would refresh your memory. Going into the fanciest hotels with friends is optional but, if you can get in without questions being asked, it’s easy after that.

The Paramount Theatre is somewhere you should go to for a certain reason. Not for a concert, even though that’s one of the best places to see one, but to see a movie that you’ve already seen at least 100 times. There’s always showings of good movies on the weekend.

 

Supporting your local businesses  is a big one when it comes to Austin. Even though you have that Whataburger gift card, Sandy’s is next door. Fast food isn’t really the sort of thing we’re aiming for when talking “local businesses”, but you can get the idea. Shopping for some cool clothes on SOCO is more of what we’re talking about, or even grabbing a neat snack at a food trailer will work. A way to get down there would be riding a bike. When it comes to riding a bike, some people feel that they can’t ride a bike or that they’re just not a bike person. Taking a pedicab would be plan B in a situation like this. So you can sit back and not worry about getting sweaty and riding around with your Walmart bike. Spending a couple hundred dollars on a new bike doesn’t hurt you in the long run, especially if you bought it from a local bike shop. How? They’ll always have your back when your bike isn’t working right. Maybe even if you’re a regular, they’ll fix it for free!

Prince Harry: A name to fear

Recently, Prince Harry has been bragging on his somewhat first kill.He arrived home today from Afghanistan and says he's "not normal" anymore.

Prince Harry had supposedly gotten a girl killed on his last day as an Apache gunner. The reason he's even in the helicopter shooting down Talibans in the first place is because he said he "plays Playstation a lot." In the video of him talking with abc news, he seems to be getting a lot of experience with guns while playing Call of Duty. 

The prince, says a lot on how he doesn't think anything is normal because since he's in that uniform, whatever they tell him to do, he has to do. He also points out that he wants to do this and is just like any other soldier and is just doing his job. 

"When I am wearing the uniform, I continue to be a soldier and I continue to be a soldier when I am not wearing the uniform," he said.

As for now, the prince is in the UK, being interviewed for doing his job, just like everyone else. 

This just goes to show, if you've ever played a videogame, you can be just like Prince Harry.

The straight dope.

              Recently, Lance Armstrong has been making a comeback into the media, rumored to confess his doping in pretty much every race he's ever participated in.

                       Oprah Winfrey has even gotten a spot to interview Armstrong about confessing, in his home here in Austin. Armstrong was against the charges filed by the USADA for quite some time. (USADA, not USDA) The reason he's doing this in the first place is in short, to get him back in racing.  Getting back into racing won't be the only thing that could happen if he admits. He could also get his sponsors back that he lost in October, like Nike, RadioShack and Trek. He could even go back to Livestrong if they open their doors to him, maybe not as a chairman but sweeping the floors is a start. Most people are already saying that he confessed and should just go home, others say that Armstrong should make a new start and "forget the haters".

                       Armstrong has already told many people he is thinking about confessing anyway because he really has nothing to lose anymore. 

                        "When, and if, Lance has something to say, there won't be any secret about it," said Tim Herman, just one of Armstrong's lawyers. As for now, the world must wait for Lance Armstrong to come out of the closet, of lies that is.

                    Some say they'll forgive him, just not for the continuous lying he did, denying his doping many times.