* Vegas was a fantastic time. Kyra and I went climbing, she got shit on by birds, and we both climbed well considering our fairly off-the-couch state. I got absolutely destroyed at the poker tables, and thankfully Kyra fared much better. Heck, the only game I beat was $6/12 at the Mirage! I should have stayed there the whole time. * While I was away Otis had an old hematoma on his hip get infected and swell up to the size of a softball. He got sliced, which means that he's been steadily leaking blood all over the house for the last week. Not nearly as bad as when I was gone and he first got opened up; that was some seriously C.S.I-style shit. Kim took pictures, and I'll try and get them up.

* The weekend consisted of manly-man time with cutting down the mulberry tree in the back yard. I still can't really lift my arms today after hauling around all those big heavy sections of the trunk. Plus, my re-enactment of the door axing scene from "The Shining" might have gone a little overboard.