Hey Gang!
Again I must begin another post with apologies for not posting in so long. But then I think about other websites, blogs, what have you, and none of them ever apologize for taking days, weeks, or months off, and then just post again like it ain't nuthin'. I wish I could do that, but I feel almost obligated to make sure everyone knows what I'm up to.
Yes, I can be lazy, but at least I sometimes feel badly about it.
But I've been very busy this week, and aside from sleeping, I just haven't really had time to relax and do stuff that I want to do--like just sit in the shade, sip a rum and Coke, and read a book about sailing around the world. Seriously, that was on my agenda this week, and it never materialized. And I'm especially bummed because the weather cooled off and it was downright nice outside on my days off.
I think the dominoes started to fall against me on Saturday night/Sunday morning. I was rope-a-doping my way through the casino late Saturday night when I saw my gal Anna on the dice table giving me the internationally-recognized signal for "Do you wanna go out and have a beer after work?" Of course I gave her a nod.
We were pretty busy all weekend, so work was extremely tiring. But I got my second wind when I arrived at our watering hole and saw a bunch of my friends there. Anna ended up getting stupid drunk, getting sick, and passing out once one of our other friends was kind enough to haul her carcass home.
I ended up staying up and sitting out by the fire until 8:00 in the morning, having the most fascinating conversation with my friend Jovanka. She told me all about her escape from Serbia during the Balkan war, being a refugee, and all the absolute hellish shit she had to go through before finally making her way to the United States. It was the most fascinating conversation I've had in a very long time, and quite humbling. It also served to let me know that no matter how bad a day I may be having, and how tough life can sometimes be, I should consider myself to be one of the luckiest guys on earth compared to some who have suffered true misery.
It's a history lesson everyone should sit through.
Anyhow, before I wax too philosophical, I'll move on. But due to the fact that we stayed up all night, by the time I got home and got to bed, it was almost 10:00. So I spent the entire day on Sunday sleeping, and was still exhausted when I went in to work that night.
Again, I was pretty busy, and was stuck there until the bitter end.
On Monday night, as usual I couldn't wait to get out of work, and signed up for two hours of Early Out time. Unfortunately, they were short of dice dealers, and I had to stay. Being tired, grouchy, and at the end of my work week, I was pretty happy to finally get out.
But I couldn't get to bed right after work--I was up working on a 'project' for several hours. I was doing the preliminary planning for the first annual voyage of The Brethren of the Coast, as we pillage and plunder our way from Marina Del Rey to Catalina Island and back, just before unleashing our particular brand of buffoonery in Vegas for March Madness. So far we have five drunken Rogues, two undecided Cabin Boys, and perhaps one Galley Wench press-ganged into our adventure.
To say that I'm looking forward to this trip would be the understatement of the century. I cannot wait to get out on the ocean again.
So once I got the preliminary details ironed out and emailed out to the crew, I finally got some sleep.
Tuesday night, Jack21 was in town, so Rob and I met up with him down at Treasure Island for dinner at Isla.
Isla has been on my list of restaurants to try for some time, so I was looking forward to it. We had drinks in the bar first--house margaritas (feh--well booze, not the good stuff...), but once we got a table, I was much more impressed with the food. The chips and salsa were excellent, but the 'spicy' guacamole we ordered was anything but. Eric kept the top-shelf margaritas coming, and we hand a great conversation while nibbling on chips and three varieties of salsa.
For dinner, I had a carne asada burrito made with filet mignon, which was amazingly good. Rob had some sort of tamales, and Eric got a steak. The meals came with the usual rice and beans, but better than the typical Sonoran offerings. We really enjoyed the food, although the service was a bit slow. A minor quibble at best. The food, booze, and company more than made up for the shortcomings of the wait staff.
We even had some dessert, sharing dulce de leche cupcakes and Mexican dessert crepes, while a nice cup of cappuccino put an exclamation point on the meal. I have no idea what the total bill was, as Eric had some comp dollars and just signed it to his room account, and Rob picked up the tip since I popped for the margaritas.
We made our way over to the Breeze Bar for beers, cigars, and a round of Spot the Hooker, and we spotted Contestant Number One right away. She seemed to have a monopoly at the bar, and closed her first transaction within 15 minutes or so. Good entertainment.
I was still pretty tired, and after one round and about two-thirds of a cigar, I called it a night. Rob and Eric went to the dice tables, while I headed to the valet. Having been to Treasure Island about 20 times in the past year, I was hit with a tinge of sadness while sitting there waiting for my truck when I realized that it was the first time I was there without Sticky. Treasure Island was "our place" and it felt decidedly different to be there without her.
I drove home, and even though I was exhausted, I stayed up channel surfing until almost 3:00 am before falling asleep.
I got a bit of sleep, not waking up until almost noon on Wednesday. Of course, the house was a mess, I had a pile of laundry to do, and I needed to go grocery shopping. Rob and Andrea were coming over for the weekly grillfest and campfire, so I spent the day preparing for their visit.
Rob showed up around 6:00, and we set out drinking beer and preparing for dinner--he made a batch of his homemade guacamole, while I prepared the grill, the firepit, and set the table. Andrea showed up and soon thereafter the kitchen was bathed in the heavenly smell of brats simmering in onions and beer.
Dinner was excellent, as usual, and we followed it up by an enjoyable couple of hours sitting by the campfire, telling stories, roasting marshmallows, and eating smores for dessert.
Andrea had to work this morning, but Rob and I are creatures of the night, so after she left, we cleaned up the mess and then stayed up late watching Pirates of the Caribbean - Dead Man's Chest in preparation for the next installment that comes out this weekend. I think the plan is to go catch it at a matinée early next week.
That leads us to today.
I didn't have the motivation to do much today--I slept in, did a little websurfing, flipped through some old magazines, and watched a bit of tv. I've got to go back to work tonight, and as enjoyable as my weekend was, it just doesn't feel like I've had two days off.
Oh well. Nobody's weekends are ever long enough.
Tomorrow is 'run the errands' day, and Sin is in town, so I think the plan is to have some lunch over at NY Pizza & Pasta while I'm out and about.
I think I like eating there even more than having brats by the campfire--because going out for pizza doesn't require me to spend the afternoon shopping, housecleaning, and gathering firewood.
It'll be nice to relax.
Mikey
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