Button Up, Campers...

Because it's cold outside!

A serious cold front has moved into Las Vegas, and they say it's gonna get down below freezing. No big deal to you Hearty Souls of the North, but we thin-blooded desert dwellers are downright uncomfortable. I own no parka, galoshes (what the hell are those, anyways?), ski masks (had to retire it after that bank job...), an Elmer Fudd hat with floppy ears, or long johns. And now that I no longer work in an office, you'll be lucky to find a long-sleeved shirt in my closet.

Yeah, it's a bit chilly here. I know I won't get much sympathy from people who choose to live in officially cold places, but damn, there's a reason I've lived in the desert for the better part of the last sixteen years.

So I'm bundled up in everything warm that I own, tempted to light a fire in the wastebasket under my desk, and typing away with my homeless-style fingerless gloves. Completing the picture for you, I've got an unlit cigar stub jammed in the corner of my mouth and I haven't shaved for three days. Ok, just kidding about that last part. It's lit...

Anyhow, yesterday was a great day. I got about three hours of sleep before the alarm clock jolted me awake, forcing me to get ready to face the day. It was quarter till nine, and Cyndi's plane landed at 10am. I showered, shaved, and got dressed, and made it down to the airport after she'd arrived at baggage claim, but a few minutes before her luggage got there. Perfect timing.

The first order of business was to get some food, so we headed to the Peppermill. Unfortunately, Krista wasn't working, so we completely skipped the Fireside Lounge and just got a table in the restaurant instead. After the gravy incident from the night before, my usual Chicken Fried Steak wasn't an option, and the biscuits and gravy at the Peppermill just downright suck, so I went the omelet route. Ham and cheese for me, with sourdough toast, while Cyndi got the Maserati model--some nasty thing with spaghetti sauce on it.

The food was good, the conversation was lively, and we even passed the phone back and forth talking to Angy for a bit. It was also Cyndi's 45th birthday, believe it or not, so we were celebrating that and her newfound independence, having just left her job down in the islands and taking a shot at being self-employed.

We lingered a bit, making sure we finished up at 12 noon, because that's when the half-price ticket trailer opened up out in the parking lot. We browsed the offerings, and decided to go to the 10pm show of Phantom of the Opera at the Venetian. The tickets weren't quite half-priced, and it cost us $297 for three of them. We immediately drove over to the Venetian box office and changed the vouchers over to real tickets, getting some primo seats about halfway back, right in the center of the theatre.

After that little errand had been run, it was time to start our gambling for the day. About a half hour later we were pulling into Green Valley Ranch and looking for a Pai Gow table. As soon as we walked in, we were blinded by some of the brightest lights ever seen in a casino, and a big sign warning us that they were filming a commercial and our presence indicated our willingness to be used in promotional advertising. I was ok with that, but the guys I have to answer to back in Washington that run the Witness Protection Program are probably gonna have a shit fit.

We sat down at an empty table and did our buy-in. I had several $25 bet coupons of the non-matchplay variety, but unfortunately, three of them had expired. The floorperson was kind enough to initial them and let me use them, and it was a nice feeling to win $40 on my first hand with only $15 of my own cash on the line.

Although I didn't get too many big bonuses, I was holding my own and not scratching down to the felt like I normally do at Green Valley before I finally start making hands and end up walking away dead even after four hours. I was up pretty much the whole time, although I couldn't get a big bonus for anything--five times I got 4-to-the-straight flush, but I spent the whole day knockin' on that door that never quite opened.

The Jumbo Jackpot was at $140,000 when I'd left work the night before, so I expected that someone would've already hit it by the time we got to the casino on Tuesday afternoon. But no, it was still going strong at $142K, and we kept one eye on the sign and one eye on our Pai Gow table. Once I doubled up for the second time, I said it was time to cash in. Cyndi's luck wasn't running as well as mine, so she was good and ready to hit some slots.

We bounced around for a couple of hours playing various nickels, penny, quarter, and even dollar slots. I think we had the most fun at a 5-reel penny machine, because as a typical male, the 20-line video penny slots are a total farking mystery to me, Sticky's constant tutoring notwithstanding. We didn't win much--I basically broke even on all the slots, so I had a handful of $20 tickets to cash. As we were heading for the valet at the end of the afternoon, Cyndi suggested that we hit some dollar slots before leaving.

I agreed, but believe me, I didn't want to. My budget this month is thinner than Nicole Ritchie's shadow, but I figured I might as well take a chance on having my employer give me a six-figure bonus in time for the holidays. I'm glad I did, because with that first $20, I managed to win $372. I played it down to an even $350 before cashing out and walking away. Coupled with the smaller tickets already in my pocket and the two black chips I got from the Pai Gow table, it was a very successful afternoon at Green Valley Ranch. I sent a text message to Sticky telling her that I'd won about $500, and her response was a simple Now get the hell out of there!

Good advice, so we split.

Even though it was barely 5 pm by then, darkness had settled in upon Vegas. The view of the Strip from Green Valley is always pretty cool, but even more so at night. Know that the freeway would be a mess at that time of the evening, we opted for surface streets on our trek back to Vegas proper. We were getting hungry, but not so much to want a full meal, so we made a quick stop for some Taco Bell drive thru and got a couple of burritos to go.

Cyndi and her husband David are staying at the Renaissance Hotel, which is right next door to the convention center on Paradise. So we made our way down there to drop off her luggage and relax a bit before meeting David after his day's business had concluded.

I have to admit, the Renaissance is a damn fine hotel--no casino--it's a business hotel, but I really liked the lobby, the lounge, and the Envy steakhouse is definitely worth a look. The room was extremely nice, reminding me of a smaller version of the the rooms at TheHotel at Mandalay Bay--very modern yet very comfy. They were on a 'concierge' floor, so we had access to a Club Lounge, which is a lot like a Diamond Lounge at a Harrahs property. We relaxed with some drinks and light snacks for a bit before heading back to the room and dozing in front of the TV while waiting for David to show up.

We had to be back at the Venetian by 9:30, and so we gave ourselves about 45 minutes to get there, in case of bad traffic or whatnot. My truck doesn't seat three people comfortably, so they opted to get a cab over, while I just drove myself. I went down to the valet to pick up my truck just a minute ahead of them, and while standing outside freezing my ass off, a cab drove up, dropping off a passenger. In one of the coolest coincidences of the day, it was driven by my buddy Lenny (boyfriend of my good friend Jennifer). Out of all the hundreds of cab drivers in this town, he happened to be the one to show up right at the time Cyndi and David needed a cab.

We raced over to the Venetian, but the sorry excuse for valet service delayed me a minute or two--they were already standing at the entrance to the theatre waiting for me when I came down the escalators there by the Grand Luxe.

We only had to wait a few minutes before they started seating for the show. It was far from a sellout that night, so just like a flight with empty rows, once it got close to showtime, lots of folks were changing seats and spreading out. Fortunately for us, our seats were pretty damn good and we didn't feel the need to try and improve them.

I've seen Phantom of the Opera before, about ten years ago at Gammage Auditorium in Tempe, and although I thought it was pretty damn cool at the time, it was nothing compared to the Vegas version. Talk about over-the-top amazing--just the introduction blew us away. The chandelier trick was one of the coolest things ever, and the rest of the special effects were incredible. Of course the story moves along at a better clip than the original, and the music is very powerful.

I think Cyndi and David have seen other versions of Phantom about five times each (even at the Royal Opera House in London) and both agreed that this was the best version by a long shot. We couldn't stop raving about how enjoyable it was and wouldn't hesitate in the least to go see it again. It was a great show and well worth the hundred-dollar ticket price. Yep, I said it. It was worth a hundred bucks. Go see it.

It was almost midnight by the time we got out of the theatre, and they both had early meetings to go attend, so they headed back to their hotel. On a mission from Dougie to scout out proper venues for the T2V Poker Tourney in March, I headed over to the poker room to talk to the tournament director. Well, since it was after midnight in the middle of the week, I spoke to his assistant and he gave me some of the details, along with his boss's card, who is the guy who can give the final yea or nay on what we want to do. But their cut was much more reasonable than what the Plaza is trying to gouge us for, and it goes without saying that their facilities are *much* nicer. Plus they promised us a roped-off area separate from the general population and our own exclusive cocktail service. If we can get the details ironed out, I'm thinking we'll probably go that route.

By the time I finished up in there, I was exhausted and ready to get some sleep. It was late, the casino was slowing down, and it was time to head home. As I got to the escalators leading back to the valet, I ran into Carrot Top. His schtick might be some of the most annoying ever, but the dude is ripped. Not somebody you want to mess with. Yeah, on TV he looks like a total toolbox, but in real life he looks like he could tear your head off. I chose not to make fun of him and just gave him a high five and a What's up, CT? as I walked by.

Overall, I'd have to say it was a pretty great day in Vegas.

Today, I got to sleep in, and I'm not doing much but the usual day-off stuff while Cyndi and David attend meetings and shows all day. We're planning on getting together for dinner tonight, and hopefully we'll mark another good restaurant off the list.

In the meantime, I'm gonna go make a pot of coffee and try to stay warm.

Mikey