On Wednesday, for instance, I'd planned on going down to the World Series at the Rio and poking around for the afternoon. But I was farting around trying to get my Zazzle shop set up the way I wanted, without much success, and before I knew it, a couple of hours had slipped away. So I took a nap instead of going out.
My plan for that evening was to head over to Green Valley Ranch, meet up with Kathy, play a little poker, and then do that HORSE tournament. Well, I got there at our arranged time, but she was nowhere to be found. I was starving, so I headed over to the Turf Grill and paid ten bucks for the worst ten-dollar hamburger in captivity, which only took 20 minutes to make, and oh by the way tasted exactly like the free ones I get in the dining room at work. So I was a little pissy about that.
But I scarfed it down, and headed back to the poker room. Still no Kathy, but there was an open seat at a 4/8 game, so I took it. Unfortunately, the guy next to me was burning my nostrils. Not that he smelled bad--quite the opposite. He was well groomed, but the soap or body wash or whatever he used was so strong that it was making me gag. I asked for a seat change but nobody was moving.
I found it hard to concentrate on the game because I had one eye on the podium, waiting for Kathy to show up. And the longer I waited, the more pissed off I got. Hell, she asked me, and then f*cking stands me up? What the hell is up with that?
So that was a recipe for disaster at the poker table in and of itself--pissed off, distracted, sitting next to a guy with a strong aroma. Ugh. Then about a half hour into it, I figured out that some 'team play' that was going on. A few regulars were at the table, soft playing each other when everyone else dropped out of a pot, but building the pots only to fold out at the last second when somebody else (like me) was involved in the hand.
Those factors conspired to cost me about $120 before I gave up in frustration. I waited until 6:45, thinking Kathy might show up for the 7:00 pm tournament, but she never showed at all. And when I checked with the desk to sign up myself, there were only 11 other players committed up to that point, so I just said f*ckit! and came home. A total waste of an afternoon.
Yeah, I know, I've already gotten the 'Why didn't you just call her?' questions from a couple of my friends, but the thing is, I don't have her number. Last week, when she asked me to join her on Wednesday night, I played it smooth and didn't ask for her number--I just said that I'd be there. Unfortunately, she didn't share my same level of commitment.
So that was Wednesday. On Thursday, Courtney came to town, and I met her down at the Evil Empire at 5:00 o'clock in the evening. I brought along a bottle of Southern Comfort and a 12-pack of Coke. She brought me a nifty new t-shirt that had a picture of The Little Mermaid with a splash of innuendo written on it, and can of my favorite coffee.
We hung out in the hotel room for a bit, catching up, drinking cocktails, and having a few laughs. Her friend Ginger was there, too, and before long, the three of us made our way over to the Grand Lux for dinner.
It was good, but I think I'm over the Asian Nachos. I've gotten them every time I've eaten there in the past three years, and I think I'm getting tired of them. But I had some nondescript chicken enchiladas for an entree, Courtney raved about her chicken picatta, and I think Ginger had some sort of pasta dish. Again, it was good, but I think I've eaten there too many times--it might be time for a break. But Courtney was kind enough to pick up the tab, and you know free grub always tastes better...
We left the Venetian and took a cab downtown to the Nugget. The gals had never seen downtown, so I promised her that I'd give 'em a peek.
They liked the shark tank and the pool, and we had some fun at the dice tables, although we just couldn't get anything going. My gambling budget for the month is basically non-existent, so our options were quite limited. But we managed to squeeze out a little fun. After the Nugget, we headed over to Binion's, where I managed to lose three hands in a row at Pai Gow while the girls were in the bathroom.
When they came out, they sat down at the table, and I lost a couple more hands before my gambling for the night was completely finished. But Courtney played for awhile, and eventually caught on to the strategy. I think she was up six bucks when we finally pulled the ripcord on Pai Gow at Binion's.
After that, the plan was to just wander and take in the sights, and unfortunately, the smells, of Fremont Street. The girls got to see their first canopy light show, but that whole concept has completely jumped the shark, as the show was basically a thinly disguised LG Electronics commercial. Very lame. On the plus side, however, while the light show was going on, I got to see a dude in a full-on Indian headdress rolling the dice at the nearest craps table.
After the light show, we wandered Fremont for a bit, mocking the mock-seriousness of the guy announcing for the motorcycle stunt men and their Sphere of DEATH. Yeah, it was kind of cool to see and all, but it was just a little too white-trashy for me.
We made our way into the Golden Gate, where I proudly showed the gals the dice table where Mikey's Vegas Adventure got it's start. Yeah, they were less than impressed. On the other hand, the Gate now features a chick in a showgirl/flapper outfit dancing on a small stage in the middle of the pit. I tried to get a picture of that, too, but the girls have absolutely no skillz as wingmen and I got busted by security before I could get the shot.
They didn't like the smell of the Golden Gate very much, and well, I kinda felt like I was a kid visiting the old schoolyard where I got my lunch money stolen every day, so we moved on and crossed the street to the Plaza.
I don't know why, but the smell was back. Yep, we walked in and caught a whiff of that eau du nursing home scent that made the Plaza famous. Gross.
But there have been a few changes at the Plaza--the Omaha lounge is completely gone--replaced with slot machines. And the area where the Keno lounge was is now a HUGE dance floor with a stage for live entertainment. And instead of the the traditional white oxford shirts on the dealers, they are now dressed from head to toe in all-black. For a moment there, we thought we were back at the Wynn...
We didn't do much there at the Plaza. Courtney tried to play some blackjack, but lost a few quick hands before they had to shuffle the shoe, so we left. While that was going on, I was texting Angy because our song, Dancin' Queen, was playing overhead.
But the smell was too much to bear, and it was getting late anyways--the gals are east-coasters and were pushing 24 hours straight of activity, having traveled all day before we got together. So they were yawning and getting a little tired. We caught a cab back to the Evil Empire, and instead of hitting the casino, we just went back up to the room. Ginger fell asleep in front of the TV, while Courtney and I laughed our asses off for about an hour playing Go Fish.
Yep, we were quite a sight, sitting in a Vegas hotel room, lights of the Strip dancing outside the window, drinking SoCo & Coke from the bathroom tumblers, playing Go Fish. (Well, mine was straight Coke) Of course I kicked her ass--I'm the Go Fish Master. Finally, sometime around midnight, I had sobered up and we said our goodbyes.
I considered stopping at the MGM Grand poker room and making a couple hundy off the tourists, but I was tired, too. So I just came on home and went to bed.
And so far, my Friday has been dull and uneventful. I've still got an errand or two to run, and I'm thinking about going out and playing some poker tonight, but other than that, there ain't much going on around here.
Hell, maybe I'll just take a nap...
Mikey
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