The village idiot of Las Vegas and the return of his ex wife to town...Part 3

"Go across the strip and turn right on Paradise. If you're going to find customers for online food ordering and delivery this has to be the most fertile recruiting grounds in Las Vegas. Hell, maybe even the whole world." The town of Las Vegas has over 140,000 hotel rooms. Last year it had 40 million rooms rented. The two numbers I shared are by far and away the greatest amount of any city in the country - I didn't know this; but the only city in the world with more hotel rooms than Las Vegas; Paris, France. It has 142,000 according to Wikianswers.

At the time of my statement, I was smack dab in the middle of giving my ex wife (Melissa) the Chinatown tour. "So let me get this straight. You're telling me that you already have ten restaurants in Chinatown signed up and ready to go with another ten more on the hook." Well, ten restaurants and ten more on the hook is being modest about how many could actually go on the site; but for the sake of simplicity I answered her query as follows. "Look, I'm positive that we could sign forty restaurants in Chinatown alone. After that, the sky is the limit! I say this because I'm well versed in how it all works. When I was working for another site. The drawback was I didn't have many restaurants; so a lot of the proprietors automatically start to think you're an amateur and pass on the service. Now, I've got the connections to load Asian restaurants like no one else. So the plan would be to use Chinatown as the jumping off point. Once other proprietors see that kind of volume. They'll line up to sign with you. The Mexican joint, the Italian place, the hamburger stand. The volume provided by the restaurants in Chinatown will give us the credibility we'll need to sign everything else!"

After the visual part of the tour was over, we decided to stop at The Cosmopolitan for a drink. "I see the restaurants and the places to market your service. What would you do for a website?" I answered her question from a voice of experience. "Look, when I was in Texas. We bought a clone site and it was OK. The thing is, I was unable to get all of the other functions going. Times have changed! I'm talking about a massive amount of relevant content now! I'd sleep better at night and so would any potential investor if they knew the site was in the hands of a professional and when I say a professional; I mean someone I know personally. I realize that it might be cost prohibitive in the beginning but I've had a web guy pegged for a while.  I'm not sure what his thoughts are. I take that back. I know exactly what his thoughts are. He wants to see investment before he does anything. There's another guy in Las Vegas who would be an ideal candidate as well; but again it boils down to what any potential investor thinks."

After our drink at the Cosmo, we walked next door to watch the fountain show at Bellagio; for those of you who have never seen it; I recommend it highly. As we're standing there waiting for the show to begin, I tell her this. "Look, I know you got it. Tell me you got it." She looked at me and nodded. I then added this, "Grandma was kind enough to throw a starving dog a bone. I took that bone and spread it all around Chinatown. Not only was I able to sign up a number of restaurants. I gained a nice degree of credibility with my Asian partners. Grandma's generosity allowed me to knock on the door, so to speak. If I'm going to keep talking in puns. Think of it this way: If I can find other people to throw me a bone or two. I'll knock the door down on this. The research, the work, the planning, the focus, the vision, it's all there. I just need a stroke of luck soon."

I couldn't make this up if I tried. After I told Melissa that I needed a stroke of luck. The fountain show started. The show is accompanied by a music ensemble and the first song that played was Sinatra's 'Luck be a Lady.' If I live to be a thousand; I will always remember that moment.

I like to end every post of mine with a thought I'm having...Call it the village idiot thought of the day. "Today Melissa and I had lunch before she had to go back to Kansas. She told me something that made me want to both punch myself in the nose and pat myself on the back. 'It's too bad you didn't have your Chinatown idea together when we were a couple. I was making twice the money then. I would have stroked you a check in a heartbeat; but now that's not possible. Don't lose your hope. If you can find the right person with the necessary resources to absorb everything you showed me. You'll make it work."

The village idiot of Las Vegas and the return of his ex wife to town...Part 2

"I'm going to skip the movie tonight. Maybe we can go see one after you give me the Chinatown tour tomorrow; I'm going to a party tonight with my friend Naomi." The ex wife (Melissa) has lots of friends in Las Vegas and her stay is brief. So when she called me tonight and cancelled out on a movie; I understood.  

I'm not a guy who gets in the way of someone having a good time. So I wrapped up the conversation with this. "I'm looking forward to seeing you tomorrow. The plan is for you to swing by and pick me up around two and then head to Chinatown for a meeting with my partners." She said fine and that's all I was looking to hear.

I like to end every post of mine with a thought I'm having...Call it the village idiot thought of the day. "I have nothing else on my mind whatsoever but giving her the Chinatown tour tomorrow."

The village idiot of Las Vegas and the return of his ex wife to town...Part 1

"I've forgotten how much I miss the beautiful weather in this town. Did you know that it's still snowing in Kansas?" Truth is I've missed my ex wife (Melissa). She's a hell of a lady and having lunch with her again was a privilege. "Do you ever think you might move back to Las Vegas? You did so well while you were out here."  I'd love to see her back in town. Unfortunately, that's not the reality of the situation.

"Rob, I miss this town a lot; but things have changed now. The situation would have to be perfect and we know that probably won't happen anytime soon. But I retire in two years and Las Vegas here I come. Did I mention that I'm going to be a grandmother for the third time and this time it's going to be a girl." Her son gave her the news last week and she was ecstatic about it. Melissa is very family oriented; the same cannot be said about me. "Well, I just want you to know that I'm happy to see you. What else is going on in Kansas?"

After a brief rundown on all the latest gossip; the conversation shifted to my blog. She's my biggest fan and that means more than she'll ever realize. "When you read the blog do you understand the things I'm talking about? Does Chinatown and the website make sense to you?"  I wanted to go more in depth on it. As usual, her coolness prevailed. "Rob, you know damn good and well that's a big part of the reason I came out here. I want to see firsthand what you're talking about. I'm looking forward to the tour." 

After lunch was over, I asked what her plans were. "I'm meeting up with a couple of friends of mine and then we're headed down to the strip to watch Ray's band. After that we're going to a bar in the NW and tomorrow I'm going to see Shelly's baby. I'll give you a call when I'm done. Don't worry, I'll be ready for the tour on Sunday." 

I like to end every post of mine with a thought I'm having...Call it the village idiot thought of the day. "There was a picture in the paper the other day. It showed a dignitary being greeted by the mayor. Next to the mayor were two showgirls and they were opening the door of a Rolls-Royce for the dignitary. It's called the 'mayoral greeting' and to get one in Las Vegas you better be important. When I looked at Melissa today; I started thinking about that picture."

The village idiot of Las Vegas runs into a homeless guy at Jack-N-Box...

Jack-N-Box is slowly becoming my favorite fast-food restaurant in Las Vegas. It's not the gourmet dining that makes it attractive. One word sums up my affection "cheap." My favorite gut bomb is the two tacos for a dollar (it's actually $1.07 when you add on tax). I've been on a fitness kick of late and shouldn't be eating junk; but everyone knows how it is when you get something stuck in your head. With that said, I slipped on my shoes and out the door I went.

As luck would have it; a Jack-N-Box can be located within a ten minute walk from my front door. As I'm walking up to the entrance I see a derelict standing outside the place rummaging through the trash. At first I didn't give it much thought. As I'm standing in line getting ready to order my tacos; I begin thinking to myself. "Should I buy this bum a couple of tacos. They're only a dollar. You don't have much to give away; but come on, you can spare one dollar for this guy." In the end, the angel on my right shoulder won out over the devil on my left. So I ordered four tacos instead of two.

I head out the door and see him sitting on a ledge just across from the restaurant. I then walk-up to him and give him his bag of tacos. "These are for you buddy." After I gave him the bag, he looks at me and says, "Thank-you amigo." It seems like all I do is eat alone nowadays and I figured he could use the company. So I took a seat next to him on the ledge. I then asked him what his name was, "My name is Juan and these are good tacos." It was only two tacos from Jack-N-Box; but I got the inclination that to Juan it was like eating fillet mignon. 

"Where are you from Juan?" It was obvious that he was from Mexico; but still, I wanted to make a little small talk with my dinner partner. He looks at me and says, "Me English no very good, lo siento." My Spanish is horrendous and that's saying it lightly but if I wanted the practice; Juan seemed like the ideal candidate. So I told him this, all in Spanish. "I live down the block from Jack-N-Box and I eat there because it is cheap." He understood all that. Then I tried to tell him that the weather was nice but soon it would get very hot (mucho caliente). After the statement about the weather; he looks at me and says. "Me not like that. Me want chicas." What little conversation we were having was lost after that. Anyways, I finished my tacos and told him adios.

All the writing I've been doing the last few years has made me reflective. So as I'm walking home I recalled how Juan said he liked chicas after I told him that the weather was going to be mucho caliente soon, the conclusion: Juan was under the impression that I was making a pass at him and that's why he told me he liked chicas. Like I said earlier; my Spanish is horrendous.

I like to end every post of mine with a thought I'm having...Call it the village idiot thought of the day. "I talked with my ex wife earlier in the evening. She's coming to town tomorrow for a week long visit. I told her that I was excited to see her and on Sunday my partner and I were going to give her the tour of what I've been talking about all this time."

The village idiot of Las Vegas walks past a makeshift memorial...

The other day a lady was killed by a drunk driver at an intersection down the road from my apartment. Today I walked by a makeshift memorial dedicated to her. I take a few moments to admire the flowers, candles and notes left in her honor. But one thing in particular jumps out at me. A picture drawn in blue crayon illustrating two stick figure angels carrying a stick figure women towards the clouds. At the bottom of the illustration was a caption reading - "The angels are taking my mommy to heaven."

I'm going to end this post with a thought I am having...call it the village idiot thought of the day - "I wonder what Emma (the name all the notes were addressed to at the memorial) was thinking the day she died. Probably just normal stuff - like, "What am I going to fix the kids for dinner? What time do I have to pick my daughter up from soccer practice?"

The village idiot of Las Vegas runs into a homeless philosopher...Part 4

My grandpa, God bless his soul, told me something a long time ago. He said that the best way to get over being angry was simple: "Walk it off boy" were his exact words. Earlier in the evening I decided to call someone. My initial thoughts were that the conversation would be healthy and beneficial. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. After the conversation was over; I started thinking about what grandpa told me all those years ago and decided to heed his advice.

Those of you who read the blog on a consistent basis are familiar with my favorite homeless guy in Las Vegas: Johnny. Lately, he's set-up shop at the corner of Flamingo & Durango, which happens to be a route I walk on a frequent basis. As I was approaching the corner 7-11, I saw him standing in the parking lot. Every time he sees me he offers some advice or tells me a funny story; in exchange I usually buy him a beer and hot dog.

"Rob, we've got to stop running into each other like this. What's wrong?" Johnny has an uncanny way of picking up on people's emotions; he told me that he developed the ability while he was in the war. "Hey Johnny, I'm alright brother. I just chatted with a guy and he said a few things that were really hurtful. I'll shake it off, I always do." I could be in the worse mood in the world, but seeing Johnny automatically makes me happy. He has that effect on me. I've said this a number of times in my blog: Johnny reminds me of the angel Clarence in 'It's a Wonderful Life.'

"Why don't you run into the store and buy a couple brews. We can talk about life's problems over them." I knew he was going to hit me up and I would've gladly obliged his request; the problem is that I didn't have any money on me. "Not this time Johnny, I'm not up for beers tonight. I'm just going to keep walking for a while until I cool down some more." My thoughts were that he would move on after I told him no on the beer; I was wrong. "Hell brother, I got all the time in the world. Do you mind if I walk along with you? I could use the exercise." Truth is I enjoy his company. So I gladly accepted his offer to tag along.

"You see this place right here. They make the best burrito in all of Las Vegas. The place across the street has the best donuts in the area and that salon over there will give you an excellent haircut for ten dollars." As we were walking down Durango our conversation shifted to all the businesses on the street. Johnny knew them all. "You see the pizza joint over there. That guy is a buddy of mine. I bet if we go into the joint he'll give us a free piece of pizza. What do you say? Let's get us a piece of pie." At first I didn't want to go into the place with him; but he was already half way there before I could say no. So I tagged along. Turns out I'm not the only guy who is happy to see Johnny.

"What's my good friend Johnny doing? You look like you're hungry. Let me get you and your friend a piece of my pie." I've driven by this place a thousand times but never stopped in. It's an authentic Italian joint on the corner of Desert Inn & Durango. "Carlos, this is my friend Rob. We've been getting our exercise in for the night and we just so happened to walk by your place. So we thought we would check in with you and see what was going on." Imagine a three hundred pound Italian man with an accent to boot standing in front of you. "Any friend of Johnny is a friend of mine. Rob, let me know what you think of the pizza." He then slapped an over-sized slice of pepperoni right in front of me. It looked marvelous and it tasted even better.

The three of us then set down at a table and Carlos proceeds to tell me how he moved to Las Vegas ten years ago from Boston and decided to open his place up. He also tells me how his heart was hurting because of the recent bombings. "I hope those motherfuckers fry in hell" were his exact words. Johnny and I finish our pizza and say our thanks. As were getting ready to leave, Carlos says. "That will be eight bucks for the pizza." I didn't have a dime on me, so I told him that I would have to walk back to my apartment and bring him the money later. Turns out I was being messed with. "Did you see his face? I was just kidding my friend. The pizza was free. Johnny never pays and neither do his friends."

I like to end every post of mine with a thought I'm having...Call it the village idiot thought of the day. "Earlier in the post I liken Johnny to the angel Clarence in 'It's a Wonderful Life.' When we walked into the Italian place tonight and the owner was nice to us. It wasn't because of me. It was Johnny. I'm here to tell you something is not normal about him. It's not a bad not normal; it's a good not normal if that makes sense?"

The village idiot of Las Vegas runs into a homeless philosopher...Part 3

Last night, my sweet tooth started acting up on me so I decided to make the three block trek to 7-11 for a Slurpee. The last few times I've made the trip, I had the pleasure of running into my favorite homeless guy in Las Vegas: Johnny. Now, every time I run into him he always talks me into buying him some beer and a hot dog. As I'm arriving at the store; no sign of Johnny. For a moment, I thought I was getting off cheap when I walked out of 7-11 with my Slurpee and then it happened.

"Rob, you didn't think you could go into the store and not buy your favorite derelict some beer and a hot dog?" As chance would have it, the first person I saw when I walked out of the store was Johnny. "Jesus Johnny, where did you come from?" He told me in a previous conversation that he was a war veteran and that's where he picked up the ability to sneak up on people undetected (even if they were anticipating him like I was). "Rob, don't worry about it. I'm a guy that no one notices unless I'm holding my sign on the corner." When he's not sneaking up on people; he can be found on any given street corner in SW Las Vegas holding a sign that says, "I'm not going to lie. I need a beer." I've said this on numerous occasions; Johnny reminds me a lot of the angel Clarence in 'It's a Wonderful Life.' So when he asked me to get him some beer and a dog. Well, let's put it this way; I find it impossible to say no to a guy who reminds me of an angel.

I run back into the store, grab the requested items, head back out and give them to him. "Rob, I've got to tell you something man. You've got heart." My grandfather, God bless his soul, always told me to return a compliment with one of your own. "You want to know something Johnny? You have a lot of class." Johnny is a rough looking character. He's in need of a lot of the basics that most of us take for granted. But it doesn't matter; he still has class. "Johnny I want to ask you something. Do you ever get tired of living on the streets? Have you ever thought about leading a different life?" I respect him and I had no intention of deriding him by asking the question; but still I had to know.

"Rob, I know what people think. Poor old Johnny, the bum on the street. He's nothing but a wart on the ass of society. You're not the first person to ask me that question. I'm going to give you the honest answer: I simply don't know any other way to live and I'm too stubborn to change. I know it sounds strange to people but I chose this life. It didn't choose me." I've never been a person to judge. So after his explanation I left things at that. Now, my curiosity was getting the best of me and it's not like I had anything else to do; so the two of us sat down on the curb and started drinking the six pack I bought. We talked about a number of things and then I asked him to tell me something humorous about living on the street.

"The other day I was standing on the corner of Decatur & Flamingo holding my sign when a pickup full of Mexicans pulled up to the light. One of them rolls down the window and says, 'Amigo, I got something for you.' I walk up to the window and he hands me a lit joint. He then says, 'Help yourself brother. You look like a guy who could use it.' I'm not really a weed smoker, but I figured it would have been impolite to turn his offer down. So I grabbed it and took a few puffs. I then tried to give it back to him and he tells me this, 'Don't worry about it vato. I've got plenty more. That's for you."

I like to end every post of mine with a thought I'm having...Call it the village idiot thought of the day. "The last few years I've been working on a few things that most feel is way out of my reach. It gets frustrating at times; but still I keep trying. On the other hand, my friend Johnny is the exact opposite of me. As long as he has a beer in one hand and a hot dog in the other...He's happier than a pig wallowing in mud."

The village idiot of Las Vegas calls his ex wife...

"Are you still planning on coming to town at the end of the month?" Last time I talked with my ex wife she mentioned something about coming to Las Vegas at the end of the month. I wanted to see if that was still her intentions so I decided to give her a call. "Yep, I get in on the 25th and will be there for a week." Even though our marriage didn't last too long; it doesn't matter, the two of us still have feelings for each other and I'm looking forward to seeing her again.

"Have you gotten a hold of any of your old contacts and let them know that you're coming to town?" She had an excellent job when she lived in Las Vegas, and I get the feeling that she regrets leaving it. "No, I'm going to look them up when I get to town. If they're interested in seeing me, I'll go from there. If not, I'm just going to enjoy the town for a week and call it my vacation." 

I then asked her if she'd been reading the blog. "Yes, I've been reading your blog and I'm looking forward to the Chinatown tour. It sounds like you've made some big progress with your plan." The truth of the matter is that I've made a lot of progress; but I still have a long way to go. We chatted a little while longer about a few things and then she told me she had to go. "OK, I look forward to seeing you. Give me a call when you get settled in at your resort and we'll go from there." She replied that she would.

I like to end every post of mine with a thought I'm having...Call it the village idiot thought of the day..."From the sounds of the conversation the two of us had. I get the feeling she's been lonely. The truth of the matter; I know the lonely feeling well. I'm looking forward to spending time with her and I mean that sincerely."

The village idiot of Las Vegas runs into a homeless philosopher...Part 2

"Hey Rob, I think the guy upstairs is trying to tell us something. Hold on, I can hear him now. He's saying, 'Rob go into the store and buy us a six-pack of beer and while you're at it grab a bag of chips and some hot dogs." If you walk out my apartment door, turn the corner, and then walk three blocks to the South, you will find three different convenience stores. Well, earlier in the evening I finished off my last half gallon of milk so I decided to walk down to the store and buy a new one. As chance would have it; I ran into my favorite homeless guy in Las Vegas.

"Jesus Johnny, how come every time we run into each other you always startle me?" I wasn't paying much attention as I was getting ready to walk into the store; it's like he just showed up out of thin air. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. It's the war in me that gives me the ability to sneak up on people without being noticed. I know you bought the beer last time we met; but I'm running short, so why don't you pick it up this time." At the time, I had no intentions of buying beer, I just wanted to get some milk for my Cheerios in the morning; but seeing Johnny always puts a smile on my face and I felt that if I didn't buy him the beer that the end result would be bad karma; Johnny reminds me a lot of the angel Clarence in 'It's a Wonderful Life'. 

"OK Johnny, I'll be back in a minute." I walk into the store and buy all the goodies, as I'm walking out I see Johnny standing there waiting with a smile on his face. I then give him the requested items and tell him this. "Johnny, I can't keep buying you beer every time I see you. It's not that I don't like you; but it just seems counter productive to the overall picture." After I told him that, he looked at me and said, "Rob, you're thinking too much about things. Why don't you help me down this six-pack." It's hard to say no to a guy who reminds you of an angel; so I grabbed one of the tall boys and cracked it open.

"Rob, when we talked last time and you told me about your blog. I decided to go down to the library and check it out. I'm impressed with your writing skills. You seem to have a knack for it." Like I said earlier; Johnny always puts a smile on my face. "Thank-you for the compliment. I enjoy writing a lot. I picked the skill up from my father." Now, whenever I run into Johnny I always pick his brain about what the streets of Las Vegas are really like. Let's face it, who is going to know more about it than a guy who lives on them.

"Where do you sleep at?" For as many homeless people as I see in Las Vegas, I've never really seen an encampment or anything of that nature. I heard their were some on the other side of town, but I've never actually seen one. "Rob, when you live on the streets, rule #1 is to never tell people where you're camping out at. If you do that; you increase your chances of other people messing with you. So as much as I appreciate your generosity. I can't answer that question." 

I like to end every post of mine with a thought I'm having...Call it the village idiot thought of the day. "When I first moved to Las Vegas I wouldn't have given a guy like Johnny a second thought, but after a while the homeless become part of the landscape. Nowadays, if I didn't see them on a consistent basis I would think something had gone terribly awry."

The village idiot of Las Vegas and some further thoughts on Chinatown...

I've been blogging about some ideas I've had for quite sometime; pretty much to no avail. Now, a few months ago I was fortunate enough to get my friend Kam talked into one (Kam is the guy I'm in cahoots with in Chinatown). The last few months the two of us have been spreading the word about a possible website that would sell and deliver food. Both of us believe a large number of restaurants in Chinatown could be aggregated on a website. As a matter of fact, we've taken the initiative of signing ten of them up. That's ten more then any of our potential competition has and we don't even have a website yet!

This week, I was planning on giving my Chinatown tour to a web developer friend of mine who was in town for a conference. We were unable to match our schedules up while he was in town and thus I was not able to show him what I've been blogging about. I was disappointed, because I promised another friend of mine whom I had given the tour to previously (potential investor) that I would give him a good idea of what a website would entail. Obviously, I didn't get the opinion I was anticipating; but not to worry, I'll find someone else.

I've been sitting in front of my computer for the last hour thinking about how I should put my belief's across in a layman's way- Imagine a Chinese version of the 'Roaring 20's. Consumerism is the word of the day in most  Asian societies and all signs say that it will remain that way for the foreseeable future. On the other hand, if you look at where things are headed as pertains to the American economy; draw your own conclusion; mine isn't that promising. Asian consumers are being bred at a rapid rate while their American counterparts have grown stagnant. If you've got the entrepreneurial spirit like me; you tend to develop a strong opinion on where things are headed. My research says it's a waste of time to target American businesses and consumers for the idea I'm proposing, at least initially. Competition has already saturated the market place! On the other hand, if you look at Chinatown and the Asian population as a whole. Competition for a business like the one I'm proposing is virtually non-existent!

I like to end every post of mine with a thought I'm having...Call it the village idiot thought of the day. "Most people won't believe this, or care, but I've done a ton of legwork on the idea I'm describing. Admitting so, I've done a poor job of getting the message across. With that said, I believe my blog is starting to go stale so I've decided to change things up a bit. I'm going to start making things VISUAL!! I hope people won't mind seeing my fat ass on video; I promise I'll do my best to keep things brief and informative."

The village idiot of Las Vegas runs into a homeless philosopher...

My grandfather, God bless his soul, would always tell me the best way to get over being angry was simple, "walk it off boy" were his exact words. Well, earlier in the evening I was pissed about something. So I started thinking about what grand daddy told me and decided to heed his advice.

I was standing at the corner of Flamingo and Durango when I heard a voice say. "What's wrong Rob? You look like you want to punch something." I turn to my left and there sat my favorite homeless guy in Las Vegas. "Johnny, you startled me. I haven't seen you in a while. How are you doing?" The story of Johnny and I is fairly unique. I first ran into him a while back when I saw him holding a sign on a corner that said, "I'm not going to lie. I need a beer." I admired his honesty so I stopped and bought him a beer. A few months after that I saw him holding the same sign at a different intersection. I was going to buy him a beer again, but before I could, he tapped on my window and told me to pull over. He said it was his turn to buy the beer.

"Rob, if memory serves me right; it's your turn to buy the beer this time. Get a couple of hot dogs while you're at it." I know that Johnny is just a bum on the street and I probably shouldn't be buying him a beer; but for some reason or another he brings a smile to my face every time I see him, and I needed a smile. "OK Johnny, just wait for me here. I'll be back in a minute with a few beers and some dogs." I walk into the store, grab a six pack and a couple dogs, walk-out and head back over to Johnny. I then hand him a beer and a dog. "God bless you brother, now tell me why you are so angry." I then gave him the rundown on all my problems and such. 

"Brother, I can tell you two things are a certainty in life. It either gets better or worse." Johnny is kind of out there, so anything he tells me I tend to take with a grain of salt, but that statement made a lot of sense. Now, last time I ran into him I asked him why he lived on the street. He told me that his family had abandoned him after he got back from the war and he didn't know any other way to live. I decided to keep the talk on a lighter note. So I asked him to tell me something funny about living on the street. 

"I'll tell you something that you'll get a kick out of. The other day I was panhandling on the corner of Jones and Durango when a blue SUV pulled up to the stop light. I walked out between the two lanes with my sign in hand and started my march. When I walked past the SUV, I noticed a couple of feet pressed against the window in the backseat, so I took a closer look. It turns out two people were screwing in the back seat and a guy in the front was filming it. Well, about an hour after that. I get hit in the head by a burrito. Some guy threw it at me as he was driving bye. Good thing it was a burrito or it would have done some damage. Do you want to know the ironic thing about it? I was hungry at the time so I picked up the scattered pieces off the sidewalk and ate it for lunch."

I like to end every post of mine with a thought I'm having...Call it the village idiot thought of the day. "How many people do you know can honestly say that running into a bum on the street actually brightens their day?"

The village idiot of Las Vegas says goodbye to his friend Roxy...

"Look, I'm back with Jeff now. He called and said that he was sorry about things and I accepted his apology. That means whatever thing you and I had is over." I hadn't heard from Roxy in a few weeks, so I decided to give her a call last night. Before I could even say hello, she had to give me the news about getting back with her ex (the one who used to beat her). "Roxy, I realize that I'm not your guy. I'm not that stupid, but why in the hell would you get back with that turd. Eventually, he's going to hit you again. Is that what you want?" Roxy has had an on again off again relationship with this clown in California. He started out as one of her clients and then he decided he wanted her all for himself. This guy is the biggest prick that you will ever meet, but he's loaded, so that keeps him popular.

"You don't need to worry about things that don't concern you. He's changed and so have I. We've both agreed that it's time for me to get out of the business. Next week I'm moving back to California so we can be together on a permanent basis." Roxy has told me on a number of occasions that the call girl business was starting to get to her. "I've got a job lined up in La Hoya and I'll be out of this place soon." 

I remember the first time the two of us were intimate like it was yesterday. I was working on Christmas and after work I walked out to my car and she was leaning against it waiting for me. We had a few drinks and then went back to her place. It was the best Christmas present I've ever had. I had a good idea of what her profession was before we were together, but I didn't care. Let's face it, who am I to judge. Now, if she wants to go back to California, fine, but it's her choice in men that disturbs me more than anything and I wanted to make sure she understood that.

"I think you're making a big mistake by getting back with this guy. All he's going to do is treat you like a piece of his property. Sooner or later the two of you will have it out again and someone will end up getting hurt." It seems like every time I open up the paper or turn on the news in Las Vegas; I see another story about how some possessive husband/boyfriend killed his wife/girlfriend in a jealous rage. As morbid as this sounds, I could see that happening to her. The history of abuse with this guy is already present. The odds say it will continue. "Jethro, you don't need to worry about me. I'm a big girl and I can take care of myself. He promised me that he would get therapy for his past indiscretions and I believe him."

I like to end every post of mine with a thought I'm having...Call it the village idiot thought of the day. "I can live with the fact that Roxy doesn't want to be with me; the problem being, she's picking the wrong guy to be with. I pray nothing bad happens to her."

The village idiot of Las Vegas watches a guy walk into the wall at Inn-N-Out...

The other day I was sitting in a booth at the Inn-N-Out on Tropicana and Hualipi waiting for my order to be completed, and that's when I saw her. A mocha skin beauty in a red sundress.

As I am looking in her direction another guy, with a dead on stare, is walking past the mocha skinned goddess. His eyes were glued so intently that he neglected to negotiate the turn to the bathroom door, thus causing him to walk head on into a wall. It was hilarious!

 

The village idiot of Las Vegas hangs out with a living legend...Part 9

"You're never going to keep a girl like Roxy if you don't get your head out of your ass. Both of us think that you sound like a blithering idiot when you start talking about Chinatown. I can see it now, here comes Jethro, the mayor of Chinatown. You don't realize how stupid you look when you're talking about that bullshit." My grand daddy would refer to a guy like Jayball as a dandy. He would always say; this guys a dandy, or that guys a dandy. Grandpa, God bless your soul, it's a shame that you never got to meet my buddy Jayball. He's the biggest dandy of all-time.

"Jayball, how many times do I have to go over the stats with you. We've signed up ten restaurants with ten more on the hook. Read the writing on the wall." I've invited him numerous times to join me in Chinatown and meet my partners; he always refuses. "Jethro, I don't know what go's on in that mind of yours, but you're not going to get a thing done hanging around the Chinese. I don't think so, your Uncle Ned doesn't think so, Roxy doesn't think so, even your fucking dog doesn't think you have a chance. Look, save yourself the time and embarrassment and go see if they will give you your old job at 7-11 back. Who knows, if you don't get fired again; maybe you could work your way up to assistant manager in a year or so."

The first thing you learn if you're wanting to be an entrepreneur; how to accept and deflect criticism, but that doesn't mean you have to be a punching bag for others who don't share your vision. "Jayball, I know that you're the coolest guy in Las Vegas. The fancy car, the women and the horse racing, let's face it. You're the man! With that said, I've never accused you of being a brain surgeon. So why don't you take your bad karma and go bother someone else." I was tempted to hang up on him after my statement, but that would have been rude, so I waited for his response. "Jethro, why don't you go fuck yourself." I told him something along the same lines and then hung-up.

I like to end every post of mine with a thought I'm having...Call it the village idiot thought of the day. "I received an e-mail today from an old friend of mine living abroad. He said that he'd been reading the blog and was coming to Las Vegas in July for a look around. The two of us have been going back and forth on a few ideas the last couple of years; I look forward to finally seeing him in person."

The village idiot of Las Vegas explains his Chinatown idea to Uncle Ned...

This particular post is for my Uncle Ned; I've been doing my best to explain to him my thoughts on Chinatown and the whole biz I'm proposing, but for some reason or another it won't sink in. Maybe this post will give him a better idea of what I'm thinking. Here's the gist; go into as many restaurants as possible in Chinatown and introduce the idea of online ordering and food delivery. Now, if the Asian proprietor's are interested in the process, we would then sign them up and start selling their food on a website. Whenever product sales on the site, we're entitled to a healthy slice of revenue from the sale. If you want the most successful example of what I'm thinking, look at a site called Grubhub. They had 50 million in sales last year and just received their fifth round of financing (84 million).

Why Chinatown? Why not try an attack on a more traditional route? Both are very good questions; let me start with the first. Chinatown is top heavy with restaurants, and when I say top heavy, I mean it! They're over 100 restaurants on the main drag and not a single one of them has a service like ours. If you go the more traditional route; competition is much thicker. So far we have 10 restaurants signed up for the service and all of them are in close proximity of each other. All signs say that we could sign another ten up in short order. 

Recently, I chatted with a friend of mine in Las Vegas who owns a pizzeria. He has a similar service to the one I'm proposing. He told me that last month they did two thousand in sales at his place. Of that two thousand the site kept 25%. Now take a second and do the math. If this place sliced $500 in one month from a single restaurant, the site I'm referring to has approximately 60-100 restaurants on it at any given time, how much do you think they are netting from all the other places? I'm hesitant to give an exact number because I don't know. Do some guess work on the math; 25-40K a month?

If we follow my direction and utilize the Asian contacts I have; the site I'm proposing could sign 60 restaurants in Chinatown alone. A few more things before I move on to my thought of the day. The restaurants in Chinatown are wide open for a service like this. Competition is non-existent. At this point, I have ten more restaurants signed up in Chinatown then my nearest competitor and I don't even have a site yet.

I like to end all of my post with a thought I'm having...Call it the village idiot thought of the day. "Back when I was in Texas, I met with a potential investor about an idea I was working on at the time. He asked me specifically how I thought I could scale the idea. At the time, I didn't have the slightest idea. That question has haunted me ever since he asked it. With that said, I wish he would ask me that question now: If things are done correctly and the folks in Chinatown get to liking you and the service you're providing them; the chances to scale become exponential."

The village idiot of Las Vegas talks about being a Libertarian...

A buddy of mine today posted something on my time line, it was a picture of Rand Paul and a quote that read 'Stand with Rand'. Anyone who reads my blog on a consistent basis knows that I'm a registered Libertarian in the State of Nevada. Now, if I had to sum up being a Libertarian in a sentence or two. I would say it like this. "Libertarians believe in economic freedoms and civil liberties. All the other stuff the media feeds you about the party; draw your own conclusion."

My partner Kam and I are alike in many ways, but different in many others. I tend to pay a lot of attention to politics, as where Kam could care less. I feel, even though I'm hardly the most ardent Libertarian, that it is my duty to recruit other people to the party. So I had a conversation with him about it.

"Kam, when am I going to get you to register as a Libertarian. We need to recruit more guys like you to the party." His family immigrated from Hong Kong to San Francisco when he was young. Growing up as a youth in Chinatown taught him many things about life and politics. "Here we go again, you and your politics. I told you already that I don't care about all that other stuff. I just want to make some money." For those of you following my blog on a consistent basis; Kam is my main contact in Chinatown and an extremely important part of the process. So I handle with kid gloves, but still I handle.

He was able to understand, fairly quick, when I approached him about my views and strategies as pertains to Asian consumers, so I know he gets the potential economic side of being a Libertarian: "Think of it this way. Would you rather make your own decisions based on your belief's or would you rather have someone else dictate those decisions for you?" One of these days I'm going to get him signed-up for the party, but it's not going to be today. "I tell you what, the minute all this stuff we're doing starts to make money; I'll be the first Chinese Libertarian in the State of Nevada."

I like to end every post of mine with a thought I'm having...Call it the village idiot thought of the day. "I went to pick up my room mate at the airport earlier, he was visiting his son in Florida. Anyways, I couldn't take my car because it is a hazard to society, so I took his. It was a 2008 Honda Civic with 87,000 miles on it. Compared to my car it was like driving a brand new Mercedes."