Read Online Pirates to Pyramids: Las Vegas Taxi Tales by JJ Carlson, George Bunescu, Sylvia Carlson - Free Book Online Page B
Ads: Link
take-off. This was what alerted the waitress even though she didn't know why..
The Stratosphere Hotel has arrested at least two base jumpers when they landed on the ground. It doesn't take long to hit the deck from any height especially 1000 feet, but security was walking nearby. Another jumper escaped in a nearby car as soon as he landed. You have to be so careful not to land on your escape car. It ruins everything, the landing, the car, and the bones in your legs.
In 2010 the Stratosphere reversed its position on the base jumping phenomenon. A new thrill ride was approved and now offers you a jump off their building. A wire strapped to your harness lets you free fall 850 feet and up to 40 miles per hour.
Yes it costs $99.00 but I figure you will get that back in free drinks for the best bar story for a long time.
++++
When I first moved to Las Vegas in 1990, I would occasionally read about a group of paid skydivers that would land at events to excite the crowd. This being Vegas they soon figured out the perfect promotion for their act. They all dressed as Elvis.
They called themselves The Flying Elvi's and became so popular that they were even in some movies about Vegas. Alas, they retired after the group missed a target area. They landed in a parking lot, critically injuring some of the team .
I am told skydiving is cool fun. It is the landing that’s the tricky part. I miss those guys.
THREE BROTHERS AND DAD THE ADMIRIAL
One of my best rides was excellent for money but even better for the stories.
A local who lived far from his favorite poker room needed a taxi so he wouldn't risk a DUI after playing all day. So off we went and soon he was telling me about his unique family.
He said he was a welder at a heavy machinery repair place, and he made good money and was doing fine but he was much prouder of the other boys in his family. His father was a retired admiral. His retirement check was $5000 a month, so he was set for life. His older brother held a degree in mechanical engineering and worked at the same place that he did.
This brother had started as a maintenance and general helper, never revealing his engineering degree. One day a particularly tricky and expensive repair job failed, causing the company to face significant loss of schedule and money. The secret engineer brother went to the owner/boss and told him there was a way to fix the part more easily and quickly. The boss was incredulous so he challenged the brother to demonstrate and was shocked and pleased when it worked, saving the company thousands of dollars.
The boss gave the brother a cash bonus and when he heard there were even more ideas that he had that could improve the company's profits, the brother got promoted to assistant manager of operations. I was impressed by this story but he told me to wait for the best story of all.
He said he had a younger brother who had been the family under-achiever. He was so "lost" as a young man he would just sit in his room and play video games on the TV. His father, the admiral, started to worry about him and encouraged him to join the Navy, see the world and get some free training, education and benefits. But no, he could not have his video games in the Navy.
"Then I am not going," he said. But the admiral had another suggestion, college. He, reportedly, gave him the list of available courses, saying "choose something that interests you."
He chose computer sciences and off to school he went where he found he had natural ability and aptitude in a certain specific area. Later he got recruited by a fledgling company with new ideas on how to make video games.
That company did so well it was sold to a giant corporation and the youngest brother had "sweat equity" so he received a check in six figures.
Next, he met some other guys with a totally new idea for a company that was creative, risky and work intensive. They hired the
The Stratosphere Hotel has arrested at least two base jumpers when they landed on the ground. It doesn't take long to hit the deck from any height especially 1000 feet, but security was walking nearby. Another jumper escaped in a nearby car as soon as he landed. You have to be so careful not to land on your escape car. It ruins everything, the landing, the car, and the bones in your legs.
In 2010 the Stratosphere reversed its position on the base jumping phenomenon. A new thrill ride was approved and now offers you a jump off their building. A wire strapped to your harness lets you free fall 850 feet and up to 40 miles per hour.
Yes it costs $99.00 but I figure you will get that back in free drinks for the best bar story for a long time.
++++
When I first moved to Las Vegas in 1990, I would occasionally read about a group of paid skydivers that would land at events to excite the crowd. This being Vegas they soon figured out the perfect promotion for their act. They all dressed as Elvis.
They called themselves The Flying Elvi's and became so popular that they were even in some movies about Vegas. Alas, they retired after the group missed a target area. They landed in a parking lot, critically injuring some of the team .
I am told skydiving is cool fun. It is the landing that’s the tricky part. I miss those guys.
THREE BROTHERS AND DAD THE ADMIRIAL
One of my best rides was excellent for money but even better for the stories.
A local who lived far from his favorite poker room needed a taxi so he wouldn't risk a DUI after playing all day. So off we went and soon he was telling me about his unique family.
He said he was a welder at a heavy machinery repair place, and he made good money and was doing fine but he was much prouder of the other boys in his family. His father was a retired admiral. His retirement check was $5000 a month, so he was set for life. His older brother held a degree in mechanical engineering and worked at the same place that he did.
This brother had started as a maintenance and general helper, never revealing his engineering degree. One day a particularly tricky and expensive repair job failed, causing the company to face significant loss of schedule and money. The secret engineer brother went to the owner/boss and told him there was a way to fix the part more easily and quickly. The boss was incredulous so he challenged the brother to demonstrate and was shocked and pleased when it worked, saving the company thousands of dollars.
The boss gave the brother a cash bonus and when he heard there were even more ideas that he had that could improve the company's profits, the brother got promoted to assistant manager of operations. I was impressed by this story but he told me to wait for the best story of all.
He said he had a younger brother who had been the family under-achiever. He was so "lost" as a young man he would just sit in his room and play video games on the TV. His father, the admiral, started to worry about him and encouraged him to join the Navy, see the world and get some free training, education and benefits. But no, he could not have his video games in the Navy.
"Then I am not going," he said. But the admiral had another suggestion, college. He, reportedly, gave him the list of available courses, saying "choose something that interests you."
He chose computer sciences and off to school he went where he found he had natural ability and aptitude in a certain specific area. Later he got recruited by a fledgling company with new ideas on how to make video games.
That company did so well it was sold to a giant corporation and the youngest brother had "sweat equity" so he received a check in six figures.
Next, he met some other guys with a totally new idea for a company that was creative, risky and work intensive. They hired the
Similar Books
