You Don't Know What Love Is

Tuesday was uneventful until my pal Rodney said he'd meet me for a drink. We sensed I had lots of personal stuff to talk about so we met at Ri Ra at Mandalay Place. 

Ended up being a great nothing extraordinary but a great night. Rodney is a great listener and I like that he comes to me for advice too. There's so much I'd like to write but I respect him and myself to just say we both had a lot to share. I realized after talking with him that if he could say something he's say, "You Don't Know What Love Is." He's prob right. But I'm gonna keep on searching until I find him!

I walked away from that night feeling stronger, more self-assured in my choices and more confident... and isn't that what friends are for? To help remind you that those qualities are within you? 

Happy Memorial Day

In honor of all the men and women who serve this country, and to their families - thank you.

Happy Memorial Day.

Stardust

Today was a good day. Started out with a little inspiration at Green Valley Presbyterian Church. Once again Dr. Harper shook my hand while exiting and said, "I appreciate your body language. It's very encouraging." I'm beginning to feel self conscious about it. What the hell is my body language saying while I'm at church. 

Happy 3rd Birthday George Bennett!

After church I headed back home to grab a leftover salad from last night and then took the dog for a long walk in the park. It was windy but it felt good. A family came over with their dog to see George Bennett and when asked how old he was I suddenly remembered it was his birthday. Actually I think it's tomorrow, the 30th, but the fact that barely remembered - yeah, I'm a bad mommie. Birthdays aren't a big deal to me so sometimes it doesn't occur to me that they're a big deal for others. I realize he's a dog and wouldn't know his birthday from the end of the world - my point is some things just aren't very important to me, and I'm not sure why. 

After the walk I stopped by Target. I spent $100+ but luckily one of my twitter followers sent me a $50 American Express gift card for hooking him up at the Pacquiao vs. Mosley weigh in. Totally unnecessary, completely unexpected and 100% classy. He's coming back to Vegas with his wife in a couple months so I hope to spend a little more time with them, probably at Seablue. I love meeting new and cool people. 

1998 La Grande Dame

I had zero desire to go to the grocery store so instead I hit my 2nd favorite sushi place. 808 Sushi. They've got great Ahi and Tako Poke. Not as good as Sushi Fever but close. So George Bennett and I spent the evening watching BAD TV & eating sushi. Now he's asleep on the couch and I'm enjoying one fine bottle of Veuve Cliquot. The 1998 Ponsardin La Grande Dame that Scott Hamilton bought me for hooking him up with the Police show ages ago. It's been sitting in my closet for about 3 years, just waiting for a special occasion. For some reason while listening to Harry sing Stardust I thought, "Tonight is the night." Nothing remarkably good or bad about today. It just felt right to pop the cork. And God does it feel good. 

05.28.11 UFC 130 @ MGM Grand Garden Arena - Las Vegas, NV

Today is UFC 130 live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Full recap to follow. In the meantime check out my behind-the-scenes pics on FB. 

05.27.11 UFC 130 Weigh In @ MGM Grand Garden Arena - Las Vegas, NV

Burt Watson and me

The UFC 130 weigh in went off without a hitch. The day started with a quick hello to the famous Burt Watson. I love that man. Absolutely adore him. He's like a second father to me.

Fighters waiting for the weigh in

Lots of stuff happens the same way it does at a boxing weigh in. All the fighters check in with the commission, get medicals, do paperwork, etc. But what makes UFC so much better than boxing is the control UFC has over their fighters. But Watson has all the fighters sitting in different sections of the arena in groups so that he knows where to find them - and this is the amazing part - they actually listen. They are so (either afraid) or respectful that they stay in their areas and don't wander. We tried this a long time ago with one of the boxing events and it was a disaster because with boxing entourages, the promoter has little or no control over them. But with UFC, they control all their fighters. I don't mean to make it sounds like they're a bunch of sheep who just do what the shepherd tells them. It's a level of respect that doesn't in any way exist in boxing.

Fighters signing autographs
at the UFC Octagon Nation Tour

The UFC weigh in begins. Fighters get on the scale, lots of loud music and hoopla and then it's all over in about 35 minutes. Beautiful.

UFC Octagon Nation Tour

Running concurrently with the weigh in is the UFC Octagon Nation Tour in the east lot of the arena. It's actually a kind of cool set up. They are fully self-contained and do fighter autograph sessions in this enormous air conditioned rig. There are also a couple of tents selling merch and have fun interactive things like a punching bag, scale, etc. It's actually well done. Because this was the first year I don't think many people knew it was there so it never really got busy but for the fans who did go, they had a great experience.

For more pics head to my FB page.

My night ended like it usually does, at Seablue. Today was a very good day.

Wholy Holy

UFC 130 Weigh In is at the MGM Grand Garden Arena tomorrow. Today the production crew started loading in the lighting truss. It's cool to see the arena go from Academy of Country Music Awards to Pacquiao vs. Mosley to Billboards to UFC and then to Nitro Circus next week. It's been an exhausting run and we've still got 1 more week to go before a break. But I love it. I love my team, I love the arena boys, I love the stress, the long hours, the perks, the problem-solving and the satisfaction of putting together world-class events. I'm a lucky girl. I know that. I know that most certainly - Wholy Holy.

Dedicated To You

Tonight was one of the best nights I've had in - I can't remember how long. I needed a night like this. I deserve a night like this. So this simple post is Dedicated To You. 

Love Brings Change

Tonight I had dinner with Burt Watson at Seablue. We make a point to have dinner one night each time he's in town. He is truly my dearest friend and confidante. He has my best interest at heart and always calls me on my bullshit. Burt and I go WAY back, back to the days when I  first started working in boxing over 15 years ago. For reasons I still can't explain we just hit it off and have been close ever since. 

Originally Counselor was supposed to go to dinner with Burt and me. He cancelled earlier; had a rough day. Wasn't feeling it. Then around 5.30p he text to ask if the invite was still open. We met at Seablue a little early for a drink before Burt arrived. We all had a blast. A great night of reminiscing, great stories about the dearly departed Jay Edson and the suitcases of cash he use to carry. The funny thing was we all - Burt, Counselor and I - all had stories about Jay. It was a great night.

The evening ended with another heart break with Counselor. He was probably the most honest with me that he's ever been but honesty isn't always fun. Love Brings Change but that's got to come from him, not me. He told me to move on, that he's not the guy for me, that I deserve better... speaking of better - tomorrow I'm going to dinner at Craftsteak with the Fireman, his mom and her 2 friends. Then we're all going to see KA. Should make for an interesting night. 

"The first time someone shows you who they are, believe them." Maya Angelou

You Are The Sunshine Of My Life

So starts UFC week. I'm not a fan of the sport but the crew is pretty cool. And I get to have dinner with one of my favorite people on earth Burt Watson. I'm bringing Counselor with me so it should be interesting. 

Tonight I had a surprise drink with the Fireman. I was at Seablue for dinner with Michael and just as we were going to leave the Fireman text me. His mom is in town from Arizona and he was down on the strip and thought I might be at Seablue. Of course I was. We had a fun time. Closed the bar. I love it when that happens. He's probably got the best dating credentials of any man I know. When I'm with him he's so charming, cute, manly, smart & motivating. I think of him like, "You Are The Sunshine of My Life" - you know those people that just kind of light up a room? That's him. He's the kind of guy you just want to be around. I'm going to dinner and KA with him, his mom & his mom's friend on Wednesday night. Not sure if it's a date. Not sure it matters. I'm just going to enjoy myself and whatever happens, well, you know the rest...

05.22.11 Billboard Music Awards @ MGM Grand Garden Arena - Las Vegas, NV

The Billboard Music Awards

Tonight is the Big Day. Billboard Music Awards. Started out my day by going to Green Valley Presbyterian - the early service. I've been there for the past 4 weeks; I didn't want to break my streak. So I hauled ass out of bed by 7.30a and was at church by 9.00a.

Neil Diamond singing Sweet Caroline

Got to work around 10.15ish. Everything was going well although you could definitely tell we were in show mode. People buzzing everywhere - and I mean EVERYWHERE. It's so fun to see the arena like this. It's simply amazing that everyone has a job to do, does it and the show happens. I know that sounds simple but there are so many moving pieces to a show like this that it still amazes me.

I spent my morning running around putting out fires. Someone needs a robe, the wrong kind of golf cart was delivered, one of the labor guys didn't show up, PR chick needs power, blah blah blah. But all in all things were going well.

Red (white) carpet

At 2.00p we planned on having a front-of-house security meeting with the producers and my team. We worked out some of the kinks like the Beyonce flag gag, the seat fillers, the b-stage, the lighting trusses that were in the seats until the spot ops could get into the baskets for the show, cable trays to look out for, resetting the chairs on the floor that got messed up from produciton in rehearsals, you name it. But it all got worked out. At 3.30p I got the thumbs up from Eric Cook the line producer to open doors. And away we go!

Nicki Minaj

I made it out to the red carpet about 10 minutes before it started but never did see it in action. That's the hard part of the job that people don't realize. I rarely get to see the show or the red carpet or whatever. I'm busy putting out fires elsewhere. Now truth be told, I did watch the open with Rihanna and Britney but had no desire to really watch any more of the show so Trubes and I hit Seablue for dinner. Hey, girl's gotta eat.

Fans at the red carpet

After dinner I headed back to my office to finish up some last minute emails from UFC before heading out stage left for the finale. That's a perk of the job. I can go and stand anywhere in the arena, even side stage. That I will admit is friggin' awesome. I took some pics of Neil Diamond as he accepted his Lifetime Achievement Award or whatever Billboard calls it. Then Neil started to sing Sweet Caroline. Soo cool to hear the entire arena singing in unison "Sweet Caroline. Bamp. Bamp. Bamp. Good times never felt so good. So good! So good! So good!" Now that was cool. Like goosebumps cool.

Me @ the b-stage

Tonight was an excellent night. Made all the headaches, drama, moronic conversations & ridiculous requests worthwhile. This is why I do what I do, work the hours I do, do it well and love doing it. Tonight I loved my job. 

For more pics hit my FB page. 

I'm Glad There Is You

Final full day of Billboard rehearsals until show day. I got in around 11.00a, not bad for me. So far the rehearsals have gone off without too much drama. It is still strange to me that they didn't have a director of security. It's actually kind of working out because they're just deferring to our judgment. "Get out of our way and let us run our arena like we know how," is what my guys like to say. The superstar who has risen out of the mix is - surprise, surprise - the production manager Derek Browell. He had a lot to live up to because the last produciton manager I worked with on an awards show is my absolutle favorite kid ever, Mark Matukewicz. So Derek was starting behind the 8ball to begin with. But he was stellar. I have a deep resepct for him now and know (partially) what kind of hell he was in with this show. I'm excited to have him back and to sit with him on a social level months before the show to actually get to know the kid. Good guy. Class act. Super calm under pressure. Didn't see him blow up once. Very kind. We also saw lots of other familiar faces from shows. It was like a big class reunion.

I had dinner with Counselor last night. Still a lot to digest and I'm still sporadically remembering things we talked about. Next week is going to be interesting, not because of UFC but because of my relationship with one of the guys in UFC. No it's not salacious. One of my dearest friends in the world is Burt Watson. He's a superstar in the UFC who takes care of all the fighters. I've known Burt for 15+ years. We go back to the days of boxing when he took me under his wing and never let me go. If I were rich and idiotic enough to have an "advisor" he'd be it. I go to him for advice, friendship, when something good or bad happens in my life - if something major were to happen to me, he's be one of the first people I'd call, whether that means my house burned down or I was pregnant. He's that important to me. When I think about all the things in my life Burt's been a part of, either directly or indirectly I think to myself, "I'm Glad There Is You."

Anyhow, when I went thru my heartbreak with Counselor way back when Burt was there to help me pick up the pieces. So needless to say his opinion of Counselor is not stellar. He understands the net affect of it all but Burt loves me like one of his daughters so you can understand his apprehension. He has no idea I'm hanging out with Counselor again. He'll find out soon enough because next week we're all having dinner together. One big happy family. Me bringing Counselor to dinner is a MUCH bigger deal than bringing him to dinner with my parents. 

Every time Burt is in town we carve out a night to have dinner and catch up. This time I'll be bringing in Counselor. Should be an interesting night. Stay tuned.

It's The End Of The World As We Know It

Dinner at Seablue with Counselor tonight. Actually he got there early, before the bar opened, so we hit Emeril's for a cocktail first. 

All I can say is holy crap, we got into it. Went into our past, got honest about our future, spoke frankly & got a lot out into the open, not just about our relationship but about our lives. Things we've both done that we're not proud of. It was good. We needed to have this conversation I think. He tried to read my palm last night, my loveline. It was comical & sweet. 

After dinner we went down to the arena. He said hi to some of the guys on the way thru to get my things. We plopped down in DQ's office. They talked sports and quick updates on the arena. About 10 minutes later we left DQ alone and went to my office. Counselor shuts the door and we go back into memory lane mode. A couple of times tonight we almost crossed my self-imposed boundary. We didn't but flirted dangerously close. 

Before heading out we popped out to the vommy to see the Black Eyed Peas rehearsal for the Billboard Music Awards. It was a closed rehearsal so the BEP security dude got in our face, "IT'S A CLOSED REHEARSAL." Yeah, yeah, yeah meathead. We're leaving. Hate to break it to you but we've both seen our share of BEP rehearsals. 

Night ended by me taking Counselor to Del Friscos. Surprise, surprise Boy Wonder was there with a pal, drunk so Counselor had to go drive them home. Probably a good thing on all accounts. 

There's so much in my head right now that I can't even begin to spit it all out. I'm just going to pray that if the Rapture happens tomorrow and It's The End Of The World As We Know It I get to see my dog in heaven. 

Superstar

Seablue again tonight with Rodney, Jamie, Gemo & Tess. Had a blast. Food was delish, waiter was a little strange but attentive. The folks at Seablue made me look like a Superstar once again. Billboard rehearsals going on in the arena. That's all I've got. 

Does She Love That Man

Dinner at Seablue tonight. Started out with my friend Erick from ACMAs. Love that guy. LOVE him. I've had a great connection with him since the day we met. We went over both our lives for the past 4 months - post ACMAs. One of my strengths, I'd say my most powerful strength, is my ability to create and maintain relationships. Mine with Erick has been strong since we met. He's one of those men who I can tell anything, anywhere, anytime and he won't let me get away with anything. He walked me thru his view of my boy dramas. After an hour & a half he had to go and meet with another client. 

Later Counselor showed up at Seablue, sans sidekick. I know my friends at Seablue were wondering "Does She Love That Man." He warned me that his buddy was in the bathroom but that he was drunk. No surprise. I took full advantage of the time I had with Counselor to talk about normal stuff because once Boy Wonder arrived, he would occupy all the attention. We started to talk about our lives, what was happening with each of us, blah blah blah, and then comes Boy Wonder, stumbling in. I adore Boy Wonder. Under sober circumstances he's a good kid. But now days he's in pain having broken up with the love of his life. But I'm tiring of his drunken antics. I realize that's extremely hypocritical of me since I was him 5 years ago when I had my heart broken but it's still hard to handle & watch. Boy Wonder is hard to babysit. Counselor is at his wits end and I'm losing patience too. But I do get it. Heartache is hard. Everyone deals with it differently. It's never easy. The most we can hope for is to survive until another one steals our heart.

Baby Be Mine

Had another surprisingly great night. Love those kinds of nights. I met a friend at Burger Bar at Mandalay Place. We met up with his buddy and his buddy's girlfriend. We were supposed to meet them at Ri Ra but they left because it was crowded and loud and they wanted to watch the game. Burger Bar was ok. I'd been there a long time ago with Counselor for drinks but never eaten there. I'm not a fan of hamburgers so it wasn't sad when all they wanted to do was have drinks. All I could think about was how much I wanted a stack of White Castles! The conversation with the 4 of us was so fun. I don't get nervous meeting new people; I thrive on it but you always hope there's chemistry. Nothing worse than an uncomfortable, forced conversation. Painful. But no worries with that tonight. We could have all chatted well into the night but they had to leave for dinner at the Palms.

After drinks at Burger Bar we split up from the other couple and went back to Ri Ra. Thank God. I was starving. He got a double burger that was HUGE. Looked yummy though. He gave me his pickle. I LOVE pickles. I got their special: mussels and a salad. The muscles were delish. I would highly recommend them.

But the best part of the night was the little 22 year old Irish waiter who hit on me. Ok, to be fair, when we walked in I told the hostess how much I loved her Irish accent. She said I'd love one of the waiters, Brian. "He has dimples," she bragged. She was right. He did have dimples. The cutest thing ever. He was adorable. I though oh Baby, Be Mine. He got my number and I told him to give me a call. I felt a little like a dirty old man though. I'm 39. Technically I'm old enough to be his mom. That's gross. But he was so damn cute. His accent was irresistible. I could play Demi to his Ashton for a couple dates... couldn't I? 

Estate

Today was a productive day. I felt good. Alive. Started out with my morning workout. I jogged about 5/8 further than normal. I'm trying to work up to 1/2 a mile walk, 1/2 a mile jog for 4 miles. I'm close. I felt good jogging today too. Something clicked. I had the stamina to go further but wanted to pace myself. I know if I have a bad go of it I'll be discouraged from doing it again tomorrow so I'm playing it smart - by my standards anyhow.

Work was uneventful. We have the Billboard Music Awards in house. The technical production team is in and has been building the stage since last week. The operations team arrives tomorrow. I know I compare every awards show to ACMs but I can't help it. They're the best. They have the best team. We'll see how the Billboards stack up. 

Late tonight, around 7ish I was working on some revised estimates for McCartney when DQ came in. He doesn't often venture to my side of the offices - what I affectionately refer to as the south wing. He just plopped down into the chair to chat. It was so odd that I was like, "What? What happened?" "Nothing. I just needed a break and I haven't talked to you yet." We talked about stuff we'd normally talk about at lunch. We missed our lunch today because he got conned into a real lunch meeting with the boss to talk about some VIP celeb 70th birthday celebration event next year. The funny thing is I always go into his office and sit on his couch just to break up the day with idle chatter. I don't know why I thought it was odd when he came into mine. Maybe because my office is so small compared to his. I love my office but it's not made for guests - and I like it that way. My office is my office - not an ultra lounge or workspace for other people. I like my privacy and space. 

Not much is on my mind tonight so I think I'll go read some more of Ron Schuster's manuscript. Ron's one of my supervisors. He's written several manuscripts and has a book published. This is the first one I've actually read (or am in the midst of reading). It's actually pretty good. It's a murder, suspense, mystery novel. A girl is murdered on an island Estate. I'm impressed. Way to go Ron! 

Almost Doesn't Count

Today was week 4 going to Green Valley Presbyterian. I walk up to the doors and see a bagpipe player in a kilt. Then I see Dr. Harper in a kilt. It doesn't totally surprise me because the Presbytery originated in Scotland. Part of me liked it. Something different but not goofy. I was hoping they were serving communion with Balvenie but sadly, nope.

Today's lecture (as I like to call it) was on change. I tend to lean towards the belief that everything happens for a reason so the theme was hard to ignore. Like a brick hitting me on the head. Listen up Amy. Someone's trying to tell you something. The following 4 points were taken from Dr. Harper's sermon today. (This podcast isn't yet up but for future reference head to GVPC iTunes.) 

1st: Change is preceded by anticipatory rumblings. So true. In the past month I've been a different person and a couple of my friends have noticed. Some see me happier than I've ever been but my close friends see anxiety and sheer terror of what I'm opening myself back up to. The elation I have at times is not really real. It's based on a false sense of security, on a promise that will never be kept.

2nd: Change requires major impetus. This past month I've picked up drinking & smoking again and stopped exercising like I was before. Prior, I've been the model patient for Diabetes and if my head keeps up this ridiculous thought process much longer I'll have thrown that all away. I'm smart enough to know if I get back on track now, I'll be ok. I haven't jumped off the cliff yet but I'm teetering on the edge. If I let it go on much longer, I'll be setting myself up for failure and I won't have learned a single thing. I don't want to go back to the way I was - I'm not talking physically (although I don't want to be unhealthy again); I'm talking mentally. I am strong. I can do better. I just need to stop putting the temptation in front of me. While the allure of an unopened bottle of Ponsardin in my kitchen doesn't bother me any more than a pack of Marlboro Lights, I am tempted by certain types of people. I have no idea why, but I am. It's those kinds of attractions that will kill my spirit. 

3rd: Major changes will generate major opposition. The major opposition is within me. It's the same internal struggle we all face. It's a case of the "what if's." What if this time works? What if this time the timing is right? Wise up. The odds of that are like winning MegaBucks or PowerBall. Yes it happens to some people but if you spend your life's savings (or in my case my life's worth) on it, you've wasted your life for nothing and you'll have nothing. 

4th: Major change is not a smooth process. I took on this challenge of changing my life 13.5 months ago and up until a month ago it's been pretty easy. It really has. But nothing up until now has been emotional. It's been all physical. Get your ass out of bed early to go walk. Don't eat carbs. Don't drink or smoke. Easy stuff. It wasn't until a month ago that I was really tested and failed. Not miserably because I didn't do anything stupid or anything I can't recover from but in my heart I know I failed and if I go on I'll have broken the promise I made to myself - to never allow someone else's actions to affect how I feel about myself again. I lied to myself that I could handle it, that I was strong enough to fend off what's in my heart, that I was smart enough to outrun the inevitable. I'm not. 

Over the past month I lost my mind. I'm not sad. I'm angry. Livid. Furious with myself for forgetting everything I learned, I broke all the promises I made to myself. I lied to myself, and badly at that. That ends now. Now I go back to being good to me. To putting myself first. To remembering that this is my stage, and everyone else in it are merely players. I owe it to myself. 

Amy, you turn 40 in 5 months. Be better, do better, be stronger, remember who you are, that you are enough. Do the brave thing. It's gonna be hard - hell it's gonna suck and be awkward and you're going to feel like an idiot. But do the brave thing. Almost Doesn't Count.

Down To Earth

Tonight I had dinner at Craftsteak with Michael. I'd been on a boycott of the bar there for about 6 years. Last time I was at the bar I looked at the wine-by-the glass menu and asked the bartender for a glass of the "Nevada" champagne. This old, crotchety man looked at me over the top of his glasses like I ordered a glass of urine. I pointed it out on the menu and in his most condescending 'tude said, "NV is 'non vintage' not 'Nevada'." I felt so small that I vowed never to go back, at least as long as he was employed there. In the years since I've peeked in to see if he was still behind the bar and haven't seen him so I'm sure he retired long ago - at least I hope he did. Recently my friend Lauren left Seablue to go work there and she's been trying to get me to frequent her place ever since - so I gave it s shot. Have to say: LOVED it. I love the ambience there. Great contemporary clubby feel. Place you want to smoke a cigar in - only can't. In hindsight it was silly of me to have stayed away for so long. But that's me. When I hold a grudge, I hold it for a long time. 

Michael and I had a lot to catch up on. He's always a good one to chat about theoretical things. He talked about his (near primal) need to want to make a difference, to literally change the world; I told him I only hope to affect the lives of the people around me. He's looking to shift the world's consciousness; I am looking to keep my sanity thru the end of the year. He's a 'big' thinker, so much so that I can't comprehend it sometimes but I like listening to his ideas. It broadens my scope beyond my own selfish circle. 

We ordered oysters, I had a cucumber salad. He ordered the spareribs and I had the skirt steak. Both excellent. The asparagus and broccolini were good too. No crap on it. Just good, simple food done well. I don't like it when chefs put fancy wine reductions and cheeses on things. Just give me the food the way it was meant to taste. But I'm finicky like that. That's why I could never really be a foodie or a food critic. I'll try anything once but if you get tricky or concoct something, chances are I'm not gonna order it again or come back. 

At some point during our main course Michael did ask me a question about a guy tonight that took me off guard - he's good at that. He asked me simply, "Tell me why you like him. Sell him to me. Go." It's complicated and I'm still trying to sort it out in my head. At some point I'll write about it but I'm terrible at saying exactly what I want to say exactly when I want to say it so I've got to think about it some more. Or maybe I know exactly what I want to say but am too afraid to write it down. Then it becomes real.  

Lauren popped back over and asked if we wanted desert. We were so stuffed we passed. 2 hours later we hit the road and walked back to our cars. It was a good night, one that I needed. A sincere, Down To Earth, adult, no-bullshit conversation about life. Everyone needs someone in their life who will be honest with them, even when it's not fun or pretty or hurts. I think that's what a true friend is called. 

Seven Days

I'm shooting for eating out all Seven Days this week. Just need to find a place to go Saturday and Sunday and my mission is complete. 

Had dinner tonight with Mike at Seablue. Sat at the end of the bar by Bill. It's been over a month since I've spoken to him and we both had a lot of catching up to do. We were there for a couple hours. The first hour was him getting me up to speed on his life; then me telling him about mine. It was good to talk to him. He's one of the few people, maybe the only person, who can not only read me but cries, "Bullshit!" He knows when I'm lying to myself - and calls me on it. I need someone like that in my life. He's the only one who will tell me the truth, harsh as it is. And I'm grateful for that.

Yesterday afternoon I got a letter at work from the District Attorney's office. It said I was a possible witness in a criminal case and may be called to testify. I had Counselor look at the letter last night at dinner. He took the case number and said he'd look into it but he didn't get back to me so today I googled the defendant and it was one of the ticket scalpers from Pacquiao vs. Mosley. The man was charged with being a fugitive, obtaining money under false pretenses and destroying evidence. Earlier this morning I called the court to get more info and the woman said that I would indeed be served a subpoena today. Court date is set for Tuesday, May 24 but it may settle before then. I was amazed they got the initial letter to me so quickly. The fight was just last weekend. I didn't think anything in the criminal justice system worked that fast. Apparently the defendant wasn't able to post bail/bond so that's why there's a quick court date.

I let one lawyer back in my life a month ago and suddenly I get jury duty and subpoenaed. Kind of funny actually. I seem to find humor in more things lately. It's a direct result of being happy. I'm sure of it. 

After Tonight

Tonight I had dinner at Mon Ami Gabi with mom, dad & Counselor. Earlier in the day Counselor laid the groundwork for a no-show. He called and said, "I'm not sure I'm gonna make it." Not surprising or unexpected. All week he had been asking about this dinner but I know him well enough to know when he makes plans it's like when most people say, "How are you?" They really don't mean it or expect you to really tell you how they are. It's a salutation. So I was prepared for him to back out. But low and behold he text me and said he'll be there. I got nervous. Not sure why, but I did. 

My parents and I get to Mon Ami and there's a line even for the restaurant check in. I see Counselor at the bar and he waves. Until I seem him I'm not at all confident he'll actually he there. I'm still in shock he made it. Counselor is known for backing out of things with me. So this was a huge deal - not because my parents were there, they could care less - but because he had already blown me off two other times and I had zero confidence he's actually show up tonight. Pleasantly surprised.

We were seated on the patio. The weather couldn't have been more perfect; it was a gorgeous night. Bellagio fountains in the background. We had escargot, wine, champagne, beer, mom got a margarita and dad & Counselor had beer. None of us ordered fish. We were so full we passed on dessert. The only disappointing thing was Chef Paulie didn't stop by to say hi. When I checked in I asked the hostess to tell Chef Paulie I was there (he told me to). I got the feeling that she wasn't going to so I didn't hold my breath. 

The waiter was obnoxious. It was almost like he was yelling at us and talking down to us like 6th graders. I was far from impressed with him. He also forgot our drink orders a couple times. Come on dude. That’s waiter school 101. 

Dad paid the bill. Counselor made a gallant attempt but there was no question who was paying. My parents aren't multi-millionaires but they are far more equipped to pay for a $500 dinner than I am. We left Mon Ami and I expected Counselor to bolt... but he didn't. I was not only shocked he actually made it to dinner but he made a point to tell my mom he'd see her when we met back up. I wanted a little alone time with Counselor and I think my parents sensed that. (They look like Ward & June Cleaver but they're more in tune with life than you'd expect.) I told my parents we'd meet them in 45 minutes and they obliged. Meanwhile Counselor and I went to grab a drink and talk frankly at the Paris Las Vegas  sportsbook. 

Counselor talked about nothing and everything. I told him about the fireman. He didn't say much. Our conversation was comfortable, like a favorite tee shirt. That's the one thing - even when I'm furious at Counselor - he's good at making up for it. I'd like to say we have that in common.

We met my parents an hour later. Mom and I chatted walking the long walk down the cobblestone path to self parking. Counselor and my dad did the same. 

All four of us rode up the the self-park elevator together. After Tonight I am reminded how lucky I am for having such remarkable parents and lovely friends to introduce them to. It was a surprisingly great night and the perfect end to a fantastic week with mom & dad.

Working In A Goldmine

Tonight is dinner at STK at the Cosmopolitan. First time there. Wow. I love it. Parts of it are a little too Hollywood & young for me but there's an air of sophistication the Palms and Hard Rock don't have. Cosmo is like the younger, cooler, sexier sister of Aria; Cosmo is the one you wanna date. Aria is the one you wanna marry. On initial appearances it kicks the shit out of anything I've seen on the strip. Small and intimate but cool and refined-modern. It lived up to the hype in my eyes.

Our reservation is for 7.00p. We get there about 10 minutes early but they seat us immediately. We sit in a big round booth in the middle. Excellent location. I ask the hostess to let Chef Hopcraft know that I am here.

When we sit the music is funked-out 80s. I'm lovin' it. So far mom & dad are ok with it too. It's loud enough to provide the cool-vibe but soft enough to still have a conversation. I look over and see a familiar face. Joe one of the servers at Seablue is there with his girlfriend and another couple. Joe is one of the most likable guys around. He's Korean and tries to teach me words sometimes. I'm not really into it so we joke that I'm a "bad Korean." In typical Joe fashion he tells his waiter to box up the bone from his steak and give it to me for my dog. Come on. That's adorable. Even the guys I've dated wouldn't have thought of something that sweet.

We order drinks and before they come Hopcraft is in front of us. "I wanna hop over the table and grab you," he howls at me. Love this kid. Miss this kid. Hopcraft is the guy you want at your party because he's just so fun - in every situation. (Check him out on old eps of Bravo's Top Chef.) He's one of my favorite people in the world. There isn't much I wouldn't do for that kid & his family. He asked if he can do a menu for us and of course we say yes. 

Dad's Zinfandel arrives. I get a Malbec. Mom gets a Riesling. And then the plates start coming. Hamachi, beef tartare, butternut squash angolotti, lil' BGRs, and my favorite - absolute favorite - foie gras french toast. Back when Chef was at Seablue he used to save me & Trubes foie. It's terrible for you but it's so goddamn good. 

Table clears and dad & I order another round of wine. Mom's still sipping on her Riesling. Out comes the serious dishes. First Colorado lamp chops then a 24oz porterhouse. Oh yeah, there were sides too: broccolini, asparagus, spiced maple carrots, parmesan truffle fries and my mom's favorite, the mushroom pot pie. 

Did I mention there were only 3 of us? It was ridiculous how much food he sent. He came out a couple times to check on us. "You don't have to eat it all, just be sure to try a little of everything," banters Chef. Excellent advice. 

Plates clear and we hear, "Save room for desert." My mom literally groans in delight. Out comes a trio of trios: creme brules, cheesecake popsicles & bread pudding. Dad is so full he only tried 1 cheesecake popsicle and eats the ity-bity sized cookie garnishes on the sides of the plates. Mom and I have tastes of all of the rest. So good. Not as good as the foie but good nonetheless.

2 hours in and we are so done. The check comes out and we didn't get charged for a single bite of food. That's Steve. Yes, I've hooked up Hop for things at the arena and I will continue to do so when I can but he didn't have to treat me so well and he didn't have to be so good to my parents. That was all Steve. 

Couple of notes on the restaurant: it's loud. By the time our main dishes arrived we couldn't hear each other talk. Granted I was with two 76 year olds but even I had a hard time hearing. There are only a couple of bathrooms. I didn't go but my parents did at different times. I think they said there are only 2 unisex ones with a guy outside of them like a doorman. When we left there were probably 8 groups of people waiting by the entrance to get in with the lower bar all full. It was a Wednesday night in May and the place was packed. Get there early or make a reservation. Chef is Working In A Goldmine. Now I know why. Now I know where I'll be taking my friends, dates, colleagues. STK. Check it out. And tell Hopcraft Ames sent you.

Good Times

Had a great night at Seablue with mom, dad & Rodney. Good Times. My parents adore him. He's a great guy to bring to dinner. He's smart, funny and knows how to charm the hell out of Ward & June Cleaver. He's one of the few men in my life who never lets me down. He's always there for me, always does what he says he's going to do and never hesitates to help.

Rodney and I are purely platonic. No monkey business going on whatsoever. Never has been. We're perfectly content the way we are. He is undoubtedly among my best friends, closest confident and one of the funniest people I know. Whenever I need to be cheered up I call Big Rod and he makes me laugh, uncontrollably. You know, like when your face hurts, your stomach aches and your eyes water. No one can make me laugh like he does.

I'm glad I have this relationship with him. It gives me a great, healthy perspective on men. I realize men & women can be friends without an ulterior motive. I have a frame of reference so that when I'm in a relationship and my boyfriend says he's out having a drink with a female colleague or friend I know it doesn't have to be sinister. Maybe that's naive; I'm not an idiot. There are signs when things are awry. But to know first hand that I can have a friend like him - a man - helps to make me a more secure woman. 

There's Nothing Better Than Love

My parents arrived in Vegas this afternoon. We had dinner at M Resort's Terzetto. Good steak but not great. Adequate. But we didn't go for the food. It was our time together. They came to Vegas to spend time with me. Just me. Even when I go back home, I go to see them, my brothers, my friends, other family. But when they come to Vegas, they're only coming because of me. That's an amazing feeling. No one else in my life does that. That's the love of a parent to a child. 

The older I get the more amazing I find my parents. Married for nearly 55 years, 76 in age, 3 kids, still spry and traveling the world. They've made a nice life for themselves. I aspire every day to be like the best of both of them - whether consciously or not. I blame them for my inability to maintain any kind of romantic relationship. How can I when I have them as my role models? Impossible standard to live up to. Ok, I don't really blame them but I have no doubt their example has helped shape who I seek out and why I haven't settled for Joe Schmo. 

I also asked them some more questions about why they adopted me. It wasn't until I hit my 30s that I really started to get curious, and it wasn't until my late 30s that I got the courage to actually ask them. It's not that they didn't want to share. I just don't think it occurred to them that I would want to know why they wanted to adopt a baby after having 2 boys naturally and being fully capable of having another but opting to get one from across the world instead. To them it wasn't a big leap and they didn't consider it taking any kind of extraordinary measures. Just matter-of-factly, adopt. But to me it brings me nearly to tears to think of how lucky I am, how much I love my parents and how grateful I am that God, the forces of destiny, and Northwest Airlines brought me to them and them to me. There's Nothing Better Than Love.

Bye Bye

I went to church again today at Green Valley Presbyterian. Dr Harper had a death in his family. Apparently the #2 guy was out too so some other guy ran the service. The fill in did an ok job - he readily admitted he was NOT a pastor but when he said the word "testimony" I almost turned around and walked out. It was simply a word choice but to me that conjures up an ignorant image of southern tent revivals à la Steve Martin in Leap Of Faith. But I sat thru it, tried to appreciate the fact that this middle aged high school teacher stepped in at the last minute, and bit my tongue.

Since it was Mother's Day I got a gift. A Green Vally Presbyterian Church pen. I'm not a mom but apparently the mere fact that I have a womb qualifies me to receive one. How very inclusive of them - very Presbyterian.

All I can say is thank God this wasn't my first service there - or it would have been Bye Bye for me. As it stands I'll be back next Sunday. I'm not sure it's doing anything for my soul but my head seems a bit clearer after I spend an hour listening to someone else talk about the possibilities of life. 

05.07.11 Pacquiao vs. Mosley @ MGM Grand Garden Arena - Las Vegas, NV

Today is fight day. Nothing beats a mega-fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. It's crazy busy but I'll be Tweeting all day into night so follow me on @AmyZopfi for twitpics and updates. At some point in the next couple of days I'll post goodies from the weigh in and fight night. For pics from earlier in the week head to my FB pics.

Wanna see a kick ass time-lapse? Head to Steve Marcus at the Las Vegas Sun. Incredible stuff.

05.06.11 Pacquiao vs. Mosley Weigh In @ MGM Grand Garden Arena - Las Vegas, NV

Photo courtesy of Jason Tang
Me twitpic-ing Manny

Today is the Pacquiao vs. Mosley Weigh In at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Weigh ins are always fun. The energy, chanting, dancing & nonsense is epidemic - especially for a mega-fight! It's hard not to get caught up in the frenzy. I love this day. The fans are great, the arena is buzzing, this is where the vibe is palpable.

Shane & entourage arrives 

The arena is set for just about 6,000. We can't do it in full arena mode because the production is still tweaking things and the NVAC needs space to check in fight camps, do their fighter medicals, etc. If you think it's crazy in front of the curtain you should see behind it. It's a madhouse. People everywhere milling about, chatting, doing the man-hug-half-grab thing. Even though it's chaos behind the curtain it's controlled chaos. No one is making a fuss and everyone knows how to behave, for the most part. On one side of the arena I see a group of people detained by security. None of them have temporary credentials. Happens a lot with boxing. Everyone thinks they're somebody. Never in any other sporting group are there this many legitimate bad guys. One of the biggest problems we face is the counterfeiting of credentials - and who is the biggest culprit? The fight camps and sometimes the main event fighters. Comes with the territory. You hope that people do the right thing but bank on the fact that they're slimy and won't - more often than not, they're slimy. Sad but true.

But in total the weigh in is a resounding success. Lots of A+ press, an even greater public presence. So much that we have to close down the entry and turn people away. It's only happened a handful of times that I can recall. The Hatton & De La Hoya weigh ins are 2 that come to memory.

John Locher mounting an overhead
camera on the spider truss

I take a gander up and see the scissor lift raising up photog extradordinare John Locher. He's going up to the spider truss to mount an overhead camera. It allows him to snap pics from above from ringside down below. Some of the coolest shots are taken from there. John is one of the all-time great guys. He is married to Laura Rauch, another world-class photographer who embeds oversees in war zones, in celebrations, at sporting events, all over. She is one of the few women I look up to. She's beautiful, smart, got an edge and thriving - no killing it - in a man's world. I love that. And when I found out they got married I thought, "Yes! Of course they belong together!"

My tweep @AZFightFan

One of the perks of my job is access. I've been monitoring my tweets all week and one follower @AZFightFan asked me if he could get a backstage tour. Ask and you shall receive. He was a sweet kid, no more than 21. He had been in line since like 9.00a that morning. By the time I got to him he was lost in the monstrous crowd waiting to get into the weigh in. After a couple Tweets we met up and I gave him the full 360 tour of the arena: took his pic on the weigh in stage, took him backstage, into the dressing rooms, the works. He was so sweet. It felt good to do something nice for someone who wasn't expecting it and who was so gracious.

I also hooked up another Tweep @Jerkstore23. He had been corresponding with me throughout the week. His flight didn't get in until the afternoon of the weigh in so when he finally got back to me we had shut down the weigh in to any more people. But I met him outside of Seablue and escorted him and his buddy into the weigh in to my VIP seats. He wasn't as young and naive as @AZFightFan but nonetheless appreciative.

James Brown revving the crowd

The Classy Jimmy Lennon Junior is there to announce the weigh in. James Brown is also there to lend his respectful hand. We've had lots of hosts for weigh ins. My favorite might be George Lopez for one of the hispanic fights. George is a regular at MGM boxing shows. He's a great guy. Very approachable. One of the best couplings was about 3 years ago when I saw George and Freddie Prince, Jr hanging out together. Just seemed odd - but that's the beauty of Vegas. Never know who you'll see... together.

After Shane & Manny weigh in the place clears out pretty fast. Unfortunately for the rest of the undercard fighters, there isn't much of an audience left, but they get to the utilitarian chore of weighing in for the NSAC. 

For more pics head to my FB page. 

Press Dinner @ Lupo - Mandalay Bay

Tonight was the Press Dinner for Pacquiao vs. Mosley at Lupo at Mandalay Bay. On most big fights the promoter hosts a media dinner for about 100 writers, broadcasters and radio guys as as sort of PR bullshit marketing move. I was there to represent the Grand Garden Arena.

Sometimes I go to these painful events, sometimes not. Tonight I decided to go because my old boss Brener asked me to be there and I wanted to reconnect with some of my old media buddies. I got there around 6.45pish and as I'm standing at the entrance to the restaurant saying hi to the team checking people off the list, who walks in - radio boy. Talk about timing. I say hi and we exchange pleasantries. We decide to sit together; I couldn't have planned it better.

Earlier in the day I made a point to go see him in the media center. I wanted to get in front of him so he at least saw me. I'm finding that half the battle is just proximity. He was in the middle of work so I didn't want to bug him too much. So when I saw him at Lupo I made the most of my opportunity to get some more face time with him. He's actually quite engaging. This may sound strange but you can tell a lot about a man by the way he cuts his steak. Some men stab it and cut it like like they're digging a hole with a shovel - very barbaric. Others cut it like, well, not like a neanderthal. I'm not saying that a man's an idiot if he cuts his steak the wrong way. I am saying that you might be able to tell a little about his upbringing if he cuts it in a civilized manner. He was not a neanderthal.

Earlier in the day I went up to the press room to hang out with my pal Kieran. He owed me an autograph for his book The Great White Bear. We sat on one of the lounge sofas and chatted for about an hour. Kieran is one of my favs. He lives stateside but he's still got that great Irish charm. We spoke candidly about the fight, gossiped a bit, talked about our lives a little and mostly just hung out as friends do. He eventually signed my book with a funny, inside joke. While I may not actually ever get thru the book I'll definitely keep it for a lifetime simply because he signed it. It means that much to me. Thanks K.

How Men Are

Last night I had dinner with part the PR machine for the Pacquiao vs. Mosley fight. Brener, Scotty, D-blaz, couple of PR girls, another Showtime dude and Lance from the LA Times. I've read Pugmire's stuff but this was the first time ever actually meeting him face to face. What a great guy. I met Counselor for a couple drinks at Seablue prior to meeting up with them at Fiamma for dinner so I was chattier than normal. I blabbed about how I've got a crush on a local radio guy. In hindsight, probably not the smartest thing to do - tell an investigative journalist and the head of Showtime PR who I've got a secret crush on - but who cares. It was fun listening to them scheme for me. I could have worse people working on getting me a date.

Last night at Seablue Counselor asked me when my parents were coming into town. I told him they arrived Monday and left on Thursday. Again we made plans for him to have dinner with us. It's a little strange. The only people I've ever brought to have dinner with me and my parents here in Vegas are 3 men - none of whom I'm currently dating or ever (technically) dated. First was Rodney. They love him. LOVE him. I think if they could choose, they'd pick him for me. Rodney's such a good guy. There's just no spark with us. We're truly like best friends, have been for 4 years. People used to think we were sleeping together. We knew it and played it up. It was fun fucking with people. Then there's J. J's good to take to dinner because the boy loves history and literature. He and my mom have that in common. He's good at dealing with parental units too. Must be from a lifetime of dealing with his. J's parents are boisterous, lively, adorable creatures. Mine are your typical Minnesota-nice couple. I used to joke, "Can you imagine your parents and my parents at dinner together." He didn't seem to think anything of it. I on the other hand am not sure my parents could handle his. Think Meet The Fockers. My parents adore both boys though and ask how J and Rodney are doing often. So pending a classic Counselor-flakeout it will be interesting to see what they think of him. I'm not a bit worried since Counselor is terribly charming. He puts M to shame in the charm department; one of his best qualities I think. And this boy can talk. He can talk to anyone, anytime, about anything for any length of time. He's so much like me it's scary. Or maybe the scary part is that I'm like him.

Nothing fight related scheduled today. Well technically we have the undercard press conference in the media center around 11.00a but I didn't give a fat rat's ass about the main event presser, I'm surely not going to sit thru the undercard. At some point though, I have to remember to catch up with Kieran Mulvaney so he can autograph my polar bear book. I'm still only on chapter 2. I just think it's cool that he wrote a book about polar bears. I don't know why. Tonight is the Press Dinner at Lupo at Mandalay. As I told DQ yesterday, I'll play the role of the Grand Garden Arena Ambassador (because I know he's not gonna do it; he doesn't like PR dinners). Twist my arm. I'll go be social around a bunch of men talking about sports, politics and life. Is there anything better than How Men Are?

So the plan is to get up, work off the 4 glasses of Pinot attaching itself to my liver, head in to work for the last day before we really kick it up a notch with the Pacquiao vs. Mosley weigh in and the fight on Saturday night. Talk about a circus. But I love this stuff. Am absolutely in love with it. 

05.04.11 Pacquiao vs. Mosley Press Conference @ Hollywood Theatre MGM Grand - Las Vegas, NV

Pacquiao vs. Mosley presser

Today (in like 12 hours - today) is the Pacquiao vs. Mosley press conference at Hollywood Theatre in the MGM Grand. Brunch starts around noon. Presser will being around 1p-ish. Not sure I'm sticking around for it; DQ, Trubes & I usually ditch out to go to lunch off property.

Press covering the presser

Press conferences are about as exciting as an ant farm and we've seen enough to last a lifetime. I know I said I wouldn't take these kinds of experiences for granted anymore but seriously, they're b-o-r-i-n-g. And I KNOW some douchebag is going to do the 'kissy-face-cheek' thing and I'm going to end up smelling like his crappy cologne the rest of the afternoon. I already know the guy who's gonna do it to me first. He always does. I avoid him like the plague, even try to put my hand out to shake instead or pretend I have a cold but he always kisses me. His cologne is repulsive and offensive. Truly. (Note: the smelly bastard did show up - at the NSAC rules meeting. I managed to straight-arm him into just a hand shake though. Then made a b-line for the bathroom to wash my hands. Gross. Too bad he doesn't have any friends to tell him how utterly obnoxious his cologne is.)

If I do I stay though I'll post some kind of recap with pics.

NSAC Rules Meeting

Prior to the weigh in the Nevada Athletic Commission does a Rules and Regulations meeting. Every fight camp on the entire card send a representative to this meeting. Here Keith Kizer the Executive Director of the NSAC goes over glove weights, color & brands, trunk colors, dressing room rules, drug testing, etc. He tells them what kind of non-water-type liquids are allowed in the corners and that if they want Powerade it needs to come factory sealed and in inspector has to watch him pour it into a squeezy bottle. Ok, he didn't say it quite like that but you get the picture. I think the average fight fan might be surprised but the level of regulation that goes into fights. Everything from pre and possible post fight urine tests to disclosing any and ever kind of drug, even aspirin and vitamins, that might show up on a test. I think everyone's aware that inspectors watch gloves being wrapped so people don't cheat and put brass knuckles inside (or plaster of paris a la Margarito, allegedly).

The arena - load in begins

Right now Anhuser Busch (a convention) is loading out of the Grand Garden and Showtime is beginning to loa in their monstrosity of a lighting truss. If you want to see the finished product before Saturday check out my Cotto vs. Mayorga FB pic page. If you look at this pic, you'll see a concrete floor. If you come to a show at the Grand Garden you'll always see black carpet. It's just a little touch we do to class it up. Anheuser Busch insisted on NOT having carpet so last night at 1.00a we had a crew of people come in to re-lay over 50,000 square feet of carpet for Pacquiao vs. Mosley. No small feat. Just one of the many things we do to make sure this event - every event - is second to none. It's one of the reasons I'm proud of our team and so thankful I work at the Grand Garden Arena. Without this team, it's just another building. I'm a lucky girl indeed. 

05.03.11 Pacquiao vs. Mosley Arrivals @ MGM Grand - Las Vegas, NV

Fighter arrivals, controlled chaos

Fighter arrivals are one big PR event staged for tv cameras, iPhones and the public. They're a cheap way to garner hype for the fight. 

Around 11.30a I headed up to the lobby of the hotel from the Grand Garden Arena, me and 10 guys in suits in tow. Those are my guys. When I round the corner from the elevator bank to the lobby I see a big crowd surrounding the ring, 360. I can't even see the bike rack separating them from the ring. On closer inspection the bike-racked area was pretty large so the initial crowd wasn't nearly as big as I originally thought. 

Fans for Sugar Shane

I head out to the porte cochere (valet area for those non-hoity-toity peeps) to get away from the crowds. For someone who hates being around crowds, I'm in a funny business. I meet up with Bo, the VP of Security for the property out under the porte. We shoot the shit for a while. He is one of my dearest friends. He used to work in the arena and together we had the funnest and crazy-busiest year of our lives. Some of the other security guys come over to tell us that Mosley is leaving his room. It's a casino with security and cameras everywhere. People track your every move. Sometimes when I'm at Seablue Bo will email me, "Hey, how's that NY Strip." He's watching me on the cameras. I just flip the camera the bird, lovingly of course. 

About 10 minutes later Sugar Shane Mosley's bus rounds the corner. Brilliant marketing scheme actually. The entourage exits the bus and a trail of people follow Mosley from the bus thru the gauntlet to the mini-ring in the lobby of the MGM Grand. He stops and takes a few pics with fans who are lining the bike rack. On one side a group of guys are chanting "Mosley..." and holding a huge red sign. Very American Idol.

Sugar Shane Mosley's bus

Mosley heads up into the ring along with a select group of A+ level members of the media and a handful of PR people. Mosley holds court in the corner of the ring while mics, booms, cameras and people are all in his face. He is an old pro at this though. Nothing phases him. At one point Mosley turns out towards the fans and they erupt in cheers. Mosley is very personable and has the most amazing eyes you'll ever see. He's also one of the nicest men you'll ever meet. Mosley wraps up and led by security he heads back behind the front desk to a secure back-of-house area to get to the media center for some one-on-one interviews.

Shane Mosley posing for the fans

I head back to the porte cochere for round 2, Pacquiao. While Mosley is a superstar-hall-of-famer in his own right, the majority of the fans are there to see Pacman. Mosley's bus was about 30 minutes late so I didn't expect Pacquiao's to be on time. They never are. About 12.55p Pacquiao's bus rounds the corner. Both fighter's buses are identical, save the face of the fighter. As I mentioned, it's all 1 big marketing campaign to sell pay-per-view and closed circuit tickets at this point because the live event is sold out. 

Manny Pacman Pacquiao's bus

When people start filing out of Pacquiao's bus, it's like a never ending clown car but x10. I don't know how many people he had in there but it had to be upwards of 30. They just kept coming. Finally we see Manny himself, his trainer Freddie Roach and the now famous (thanks to Showtime's Fight Camp 360) Fred Sternberg. The bus pulls away and we repeat the combine walk from the porte to the ring. Pacquiao too has fans with signs along with a group of Philipino traditional dancers. Think Mariachi's but female and in sherbert-colored prom dresses circa 1980. 

Manny's fans

Manny's got probably double the amount of press surrounding him. It's not because Shane is less interesting or the media doesn't care. Manny is not just a fighter, he's a public figure in every sense of the word. He's a congressman, a singer (cringe), a national hero and oh yeah, a great fighter. He's got the hopes and support of his nation on his shoulders. There have been many outstanding athletes and celebrities in the world but none that I can think of recently who have so much at stake. 

He does his interviews in the ring too and heads out the same was as Mosley - presumably. After I followed Pacman into the lobby and saw him enter the ring, I made a beeline back out to the porte because DQ and Trubes were there to pick me up for lunch at Metro Pizza. Hey, I've got my priorities straight. I wouldn't trade my lunches with them for anyone, not even a hall-of-fame boxer or congressman - well, maybe for a trumpet player.

For more pics with my crappy BlackBerry head to my Facebook page.