Vegas, Baby, VEGAS!

The Wynn & Encore are the two latest additions to Las Vegas Boulevard, also known as The Strip.

Las Vegas is a city that needs no introduction - world class hotels, shows, gambling, and all around debauchery.  We arrived on Thursday for a three day stay to attend the Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl, featuring my 7-5 Arizona Wildcats against the 10-2 BYU Cougars.  It was an incredibly fun time... but three days was definitely enough.  Here's some of the details:  

The "South Strip" is home to New York, New York & MGM Grand.

Christie in front of the Venetian.  After visiting the real Venice this past season, we noticed that the Vegas hotel is a bang on replica complete with the Doge's Palace, Rialto Bridge, and singing gondoliers.  The only things missing were the rude locals, dirty back streets, and prevailing wet smell.

The thing I was looking forward to most was seeing a bunch of former teammates.  It had been 10 years since Arizona was playing in a bowl, so people were coming out of the woodwork to see the Cats.  The furthest visitor to come was Brad Brennan - who just returned from playing football in JAPAN!  (More on him next week... some of his stories of football in another culture trumped even my own!)

Peter Hansen is a one of a kind guy... he would describe this photo as "sexy."

Peter Hansen - aka "The Pistol" - is a very good friend of mine and the one who actually made the connection for me to go play in Catania last season.  He is 6'10, and is the only person I have seen who could successfully jump in the air and block field goals.  During his time at Arizona he blocked 7 KICKS!!!  Unbelievable... prompting the NCAA to actually change the rule which now prohibits players from jumping "over the falls" to block a kick.  Peter was an avid blog reader, and even dropped a few Epperson and Mangano references over the weekend.

From left to right D. Hall, Sean Johnson, Keith Smith, and Peter Hansen.

Also joining us in Vegas was Sean Johnson, who is one of the nicest guys in the world and arguably the Cat's #1 supporter.  Earlier this season Sean and his family hosted us, along with George and Laurie, for the Arizona/Washington game.  Fellow Arizona QB Keith Smith was also there.  Keith preceded me at quarterback at Arizona, and was the MVP of the last bowl game Arizona played in... as well as one of the most heralded quarterbacks to ever come out of Southern California.  (In fact, George saw Keith play in high school, and during a scenic lunch in Cefalu last season, christened Keith's 90 yard touchdown run in the CIF Championship the best play he had ever seen.)  Rounding out the posse was Derrick Hall -- aka "The Hawk" -- who currently coaches at Delaware State and was notorious for stripping the ball loose.

ESPN Radio Interview with John Schuster and Brad Allis for 1290 The Source.

On the morning of the game, I had an early wake-up call to be a guest on the Arizona football pre-game radio show.  We arrived at the Mandalay Bay Sports Book at 8:30am, and I must have still been a little groggy from staying out until 5, because I gave my official prediction for the game as: Arizona 176, BYU -4.  (Yes, that's negative four.)  I had a tremendous time chatting with the two fun hosts - John Schuster and Brad Allis - and we covered a broad range of subjects from European Football to Arizona Recruiting.  They also took great pride in asking me how it felt for my records to be broken.  (Which I answered as politically correct as possible!  SAC!)  

On the way out, I passed this store and had to give a shout-out to my Italian friends!

Posing with Chris Johnson in front of Fat Tuesday's.  This is the BEST watering hole in Las Vegas, which is SLURPEES ON STEROIDS.  Seriously, the strawberry and pina colada mix is the best lava flow east of Hawaii.

The Palm Trees in front of the Trevi Fountain made me realize that this was Vegas, not Rome.

When we were traveling through Europe this past summer, we often commented how Vegas had ruined the whole thing because we had seen it all before on the Strip!  Seriously, if you can't afford a trip to Europe, just book a quick layover in Vegas and you can see it all in an afternoon!  We made it a point to walk through all the "mock" European places that we had visited, including:  Bellagio (Lake Como), Paris (Paris), Monte Carlo (Monaco), Caesar's (Rome), Venetian, and Excalibur (Neuschwanstein).  Let me just say: they are all smaller, but are  much cleaner and have slot machines!  I am still waiting for a Sicily-theme hotel or one that has an entire replica of the Austrian Alps.  

Outside of the Venetian!

The Mirage and Caesar's on the Central Strip.

Shopping at the Forum Shops in Caesar's Palace was like strolling in Rome!  (And 365 days of blue skies per year!)

Playboy's Girls Next Door signing autographs.

The Girls Next Door - aka Hugh Hefner's 3 Playboy Girlfriends - were signing autographs in the mall.  They have become famous through their crazy reality show.  As a side note, immediately to behind this mob was a sports memorabilia store where the great Pete Rose signs DAILY autographs.  Literally, EVERY SINGLE TIME I have been to Vegas I see Pete Rose their.  This day Pete had no line...

~ J. Twice

Arizona Memories: Holiday Bowl

Today we are in Las Vegas to watch the Arizona Wildcats play BYU in the Las Vegas Bowl.  The Arizona Daily Star Newspaper was kind enough to let me pipe in with my own few memories in the paper today.  Click HERE to read the article!

GO CATS!

~ J. Twice 

Austrian Sled Training

St. Albert, Canada: The Sledding Capital of the World

With the Edmonton winter in full swing, we decided to take the opportunity to begin our sled training for the 2010 Winter Olympics, as well as for our upcoming tour of duty in Austria.  We layered up, grabbed Christie's vintage GT Snowracer, and headed to the hill!   

I like to augment my training with older, vintage sleds.  This one, circa 1954, was the original sled of Pierre Leuders, a famous Canadian Bobsleigh champion.  Those serious about the sport call it "Bobsleigh" - I just call it sledding. 

She may be cute... but she's fast!

Christie grew up on the hills of Alberta, racing her brother Kyle down the steep slopes of the prairies on a variety of equipment.  The fastest was the GT Snowracer, but they have been known to use a wooden sled, a plastic disc, and the ever popular inter-tube.  She gave me a crash course in sled safety before clearing the course for my first attempt.  It was an exhilarating experience - my cheeks will never be the same!  And yes, there are steep slopes on the prairies.

Speed Demon!

If football doesn't work out... at least I have a plan B!

I hope to continue my training when I get to Austria with my new teammate Andi Proeller, a wide receiver who spent many years competing for the Austrian National Bobsled team.  He gave me a few pointers when I was there on my recruiting trip, and as you can see, I have implemented some of them into my rigid form already (above).  If I get good enough, hopefully I can qualify for the 2010 Olympics, which would mark the first time someone has competed in two completely different sports.  (As you recall, I will also be competing in male pairs figure skating with Giuseppe Strano on the Strano/Johnson Team.)

~ J. Twice  

Notes from a World Traveler: JAPAN

As I prepare to head back to Europe, I have had time to contemplate on all the places I have traveled to in the last two years.  It is funny - before I got married (February 9, 2007) I had only ever been to the US, Canada, and Mexico.  Since that time, I've been to countless countries, including England, France, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Malta, Czech Republic, Liechtenstein, Saint Lucia, Saint Martin, Bahamas, and of course, Italy.  I've spent Euros, Dollars, Pounds, and Yen... which bring me to perhaps the most unique place I visited: JAPAN.  I traveled there in the spring of 2007 to shoot a documentary on Matcha Green Tea for Booster Juice, and now looking back realize what an incredible place it is.

Booster Juice's Matcha Green Tea from Jason Johnson on Vimeo.

Above is the video from our journey, the story of Matcha Green Tea.  Booster Juice serves a Matcha smoothie but also a quick shot -- because it is the healthiest beverage in the world on a per gram basis, loaded with antioxidants and other nutrients.  The reason Matcha is so good is that it is ground into a fine powder, so you consume the actual tea leaves as opposed to normal steeped teas.  Over the course of our journey I was blown away by the perfection in the Japanese culture - everything has been planned to the final detail, and Matcha is no exception.  The Tea Grower we met was a 4th generation farmer, as was the Zen Monk, who is carrying on 23 generations of Zen Buddhist monks who have used Matcha.  Enjoy the video - and try Matcha Green Tea!  (We actually found some in Prague!) 

Even the Sake bottles are artistic in Japan.

Upon arrival, reading the subway map was our biggest challenge.

We caught a glimpse iconic Mt. Fuji as we screamed by on the bullet train from Kyoto to Tokyo.

Papers filled with prayers link together outside of a temple in Nagoya.

Bamboo groves in Kyoto.

Our first stop was in a city called Nagoya - I had never even heard of it but, like all things in Japan, was extremely developed and insanely busy!  (Red Sky is a filter)

A Golden Temple in the historic city of Kyoto.

Food = NOT ITALY!  Name one thing in this bowl I can even name, let alone EAT!

Sipping traditional tea in traditional garb.  To my right is Booster Juice president & co-founder Dale Wishewan.

A visit to an Imperial Palace in Nagoya was a highlight.

While I was too busy to really explore the whole country, I recommend a trip to Japan!

~ J. Twice

Top College Memories

Arizona Stadium with 50,000+ in Red!  My favorite place to play football!

This week my alma mater, THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA WILDCATS, qualified for their first football bowl game in ten years.  The 7-5 Wildcats will travel north to play in the LAS VEGAS BOWL on December 20th against BYU.  

The last time we went to a bowl, I was a wet behind the ears college freshman  in 1998.  I was red-shirting, and we finished the season with a 11-1 record, #4 National Ranking, and a 23-20 victory over the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the Holiday Bowl.  It was one of the best memories of my college career - and at that moment, I thought it was going to be like that every year.  However, a coaching change and a couple narrow misses kept us from going back, despite having a quality team with an explosive offense.

With history at the front of my mind, I began thinking about some of my best college football memories, including my own bowl experience.  Here's the Top 6 listed below:  

JASON JOHNSON'S TOP COLLEGE FOOTBALL MEMORIES

Diving into the endzone for a rare TD RUN!  I gave the guy in the background a pump-fake - he jumped - and I slipped inside for the 10 yard scamper.  Historians are still debating whether it can be described as a 'scamper.'

1. 2001 DUEL IN THE DESERT: In my first start against rival Arizona State, we jumped out to a 21 point first quarter lead and cruised to a 31-24 victory.  It was personally sweet for me because I had lost some bitter rivalry games in high school against Puyallup High School, and this proved to myself that I could 'win the big one.'  After the game, our volatile running back Clarence Farmer danced on the Sparky logo, prompting a Braveheart-esque brawl.   

J. Twice = PEACEMAKER.  (What's up with my hair?)

2. SCHOOL RECORD.  Nov 16, 2002: ARIZONA AT CAL.  In the best personal game of my career, I broke the school record for passing yards and completions by going 31 of 45 for 492 yards and 4 TDs.  It was the second-highest total in the Pac-10 that year and the seventh-best single-game performance in conference history (at the time.)

 

All White Uniforms are SICK!  My second to last game in my career turned out to be my best at Cal.

 We barely survived the shootout, winning 51-42.  Coming into the game, I was unsure if I could even play after suffering a severely sprained ankle the week before against UCLA.  However, a hit to the head in the first quarter left me forgetting about the ankle - and forgetting that I could make a mistake!  The win also capped a crazy week where 40 players went to the School President with concerns over our head coach, John Mackovic.  We gave him the game ball, but it still didn't solve all the problems.

I was in the zone against the Huskies - proving to the hometown crowd that I made the right decision to head to Arizona.

3. HOMECOMINGS: Oct 20, 2001 - Arizona at Washington.  Due to the Pac-10 scheduling gods, I got to play both my junior and senior year in my own backyard against the University of Washington.  I had seen a bunch of games at Husky Stadium growing up, although my heart was always with my grandfather's PLU Lutes down the road.  It was still an amazing feeling walking out of the tunnel and seeing 80,000 fans dressed in purple, rooting against the guy who left.  My junior year, I played my best quarter of the year, throwing 3 TDs in the first quarter before suffering a concussion on a cheap hit.  We lost on the last play of the game. 

 

Celebrating with my top target and top friend Bobby Wade after a first quarter TD.  Bobby now plays for the Minnesota Vikings.

My senior year, I was out to prove what I could do in a whole game, and threw for 414 yards and 3 TDs... but again we lost on the last play, 31-28.  Either way, they were still great times!     

Running for my life in my first real college game!

4. FIRST START: 2001 at SAN DIEGO STATE.  I returned to the site of the 1998 Holiday Bowl, Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, for my first start of my college career.  That day I threw my first TD pass, got my first college win, and GOT HIT HARDER THAN I EVER HAD BEFORE IN MY LIFE - getting pinned to the hard dirt of the baseball infield.  It was a message of things to come!

 

Gotta be intense!  On the road at Wisconsin - the craziest student section on the planet.

5. Wisconsin - JUMP AROUND!  Sept 21, 2002: Arizona at Wisconsin.  Our game against Wisconsin was not memorable - we lost 31-10.  What was memorable was the experience of playing on the road in the Big 10.  The crowd in Wisconsin was OUT OF CONTROL.  People were outside tailgating at 9 am.  The student section felt at least 50,000 strong, occupying the entire curve of the endzone.

Playing in front of a different sea of red.   

On the move away from those pesky Badgers.

There was a moment towards the end of the third quarter when they called time-out.  The ball was on our own 10 yard line, backed up right against their entire student section.  Suddenly the song "JUMP AROUND" came on, and the crowd just LOST THEIR MIND.  I found a video of it (from another game) on my friend's MySpace page (Thanks C-Bass!) -- check it out:

Jump Around!

6. THE 1998 HOLIDAY BOWL CHAMPIONS: Arizona beats Nebraska in a thriller.  The Holiday Bowl is notorious for always somehow having the best played game of the bowl season.  Our year was no exception.  We took an early lead, then Nebraska bounced back.  I could not believe the size and speed of Nebraska - this was back when they were corn (aka Steriod) fed.  Newberry Park's Finest - QB Keith Smith - hit Brad Brennan (still playing in Japan) on a post-route to give us a 16-13 lead in the 3rd quarter, but Eric Crouch led the Huskers back on an 80 yard drive and a 20-16 lead.  Keeping with Coach Tomey's "KEYS TO VICTORY" - we were determined to "win the fourth quarter." Kelvin Eafon's TD run with six minutes left gave us a 23-20 lead, and our All-American Defensive Back Chris McAllister sealed the victory with a last minute interception.  Because I have a lot of time on my hands now, I went and found the clip on the internet:

The game was also memorable for two other reasons: 1) I got to share the week with family and friends; 2) My good friend Keith Smith was named MVP, and henceforth dubbed CULLIGAN MAN; and 3) LIL' RED -- THE BEST MASCOT IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL!!!  Because I was red-shirting, I spent a lot of that game watching Nebraska's famous mascot do crazy tricks and get the crowd excited.  Go Lil' Red!

Lil' Red kicks BIG BUTT!

SO TO THE CATS OF 2008 - CHERISH THIS MOMENT, BECAUSE YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN IT WILL COME AGAIN!  AND EVEN IF IT DOESN'T, BE SURE TO MAKE YOUR OWN MEMORIES ALONG THE WAY!!!

~ J. Twice

Glad we went when we did...

Last year we stopped by the Red Light District in Amsterdam for a cultural field trip.

MSN: Amsterdam to close many brothels, sex shops

Part of major effort to drive organized crime out of the ancient city center

Amsterdam unveiled plans Saturday to close up to half of the famed brothels and marijuana cafes in its ancient city center as part of a major cleanup operation.

Last year during our whirlwind adventure through Europe, we visited Amsterdam and had an incredible 3 days in the city.  It was more beautiful than we imagined, and had more waterways than even Venice!  While we were there we visited the famous RED LIGHT DISTRICT for a fun look at the "seedy" side of the city.  (To view my blog, click HERE.)  No, we didn't actually go into one of the "windows" and no, we didn't buy any of the "coffee" (aka Marijuana) at the coffee shops, but it we still found the whole thing very interesting (and comical.) 

I have reprinted the article from MSN below for your reading pleasure, but wanted to remind you to go there now before it gets "respectable!"  LOL!

updated 8:24 a.m. PT, Sat., Dec. 6, 2008

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands - Amsterdam unveiled plans Saturday to close brothels, sex shops and marijuana cafes in its ancient city center as part of a major effort to drive organized crime out of the tourist haven.

The city is targeting businesses that "generate criminality," including gambling parlors, and the so-called "coffee shops" where marijuana is sold openly. Also targeted are peep shows, massage parlors and souvenir shops used by drug dealers for money-laundering.

"I think that the new reality will be more in line with our image as a tolerant and crazy place, rather than a free zone for criminals" said Lodewijk Asscher, a city council member and one of the main proponents of the plan.

The news comes just one day after Amsterdam's mayor said he would search for loopholes in new rules laid down by the national government that would close marijuana cafes near schools citywide. The measures announced Saturday would affect about 36 coffee shops in the center itself — a little less than 20 percent of the city total.

Asscher underlined that the city center will remain true to its freewheeling reputation.

"It'll be a place with 200 windows (for prostitutes) and 30 coffee shops, which you can't find anywhere else in the world — very exciting, but also with cultural attractions," he said. "And you won't have to be embarrassed to say you came."

Long-standing tolerance

Under the plan announced Saturday, Amsterdam will spend euro30 million to euro40 million ($38 million to $51 million) to bring hotels, restaurants, art galleries and boutiques to the center. It will also build new underground parking areas.

Amsterdam already had plans to close many brothels and some coffee shops, but plans announced Saturday go further.

Asscher said the city would reshape the area, using zoning rules, buying out businesses and offering assistance to upgrade stores. The city has shut brothels and sex clubs in the past by relying on a law allowing the closure of businesses with bookkeeping irregularities.

Prostitution will be allowed only in two areas in the district — notably De Wallen ("The Walls"), a web of streets and alleys around the city's medieval retaining dam walls. The area has been a center of prostitution since before the city's golden shipping age in the 1600s.

Prostitution was legalized in the Netherlands in 2000, formalizing a long-standing tolerance policy.  Marijuana is technically illegal in the Netherlands, but prosecutors won't press charges for possession of small amounts. Coffee shops are able to sell it openly.

An Eastern Washington Sunset

"As the sky faded from a sort of salmon color to a flint grey, I thought back to the salmon I caught that day, how grey he was, and how I named him FLINT!"  - Jack Handey

I have always had an affinity for sunsets.  In fact, you could almost call me a sunset enthusiast, but Lord knows I hate that moniker.  That being said, we experienced a beautiful one on Thursday that was definitely "blog worthy."  

As we headed north out of Washington and into Canada, I caught a glimpse of an amazing sunset behind me via my rearview mirror.  We were not in a hurry, and I know how much my wife loves waiting in the car on a busy highway while semis whiz past, so I set up my tripod and snapped a few shots.  Enjoy!  

Working title: Barbed Wire.

Working title: Barbed Wire, but from further away.

I hope there will be sunsets like this in Austria!

~ J. Twice