�Just desert� or �Hard rocking� Arizona was pretty interesting. We went to a wacky training facility called Covert Ops. The activities ranged from paintball assaults, riding ATVs, defensive driving (J-turns are cool), shooting guns at the firing range, practicing drive-by shooting, hooking lessons, sitting shotgun in a fast-action vehicle, car jacking, and one crazy-ass smuggling simulation. All that stuff was lots of fun, but the best part of the junket was hanging with different people. One of my college friends is a flak for the game company and it was rad to see him. This was also the most I�ve seen my roommate in the last month. Hanging with other writers is always a blast. It�s always cool furthering friendships and relationships, but there�s always someone(s) I wished I spent more time with. There was an overabundance of nature. In addition to numerous bugs, I saw a lizard, a snake, a vulture, several prairie dogs, dozens of frogs, and a bat. I guess my favorite part of the trip was the late-night swim. We just hung out in the pool, drank beers, played with frogs, and watched the beautiful desert night. It was truly, breathtaking. The moon was so bright that it illuminated the clouds. The stars were shining and there was a coruscating lightning storm in the distance. I�m usually not much on nature, but it was quite striking. There�s one person that I really wish I could�ve shared that evening with. On the way back from Tuscon, we had a two-hour layover in Las Vegas. A bunch of us went to the Hard Rock and gambled for 45 minutes. I left $125 up. Score! Read my sophomoric Willy Wonka references in my preview of Darkened Skye.