Ok, well, I've got all sorts of stories to tell, but I better let this one out of the bag since you've been hanging around and I haven't been writing anything lately. I quit my day job a week and a half ago.... I know, I know, I just threw almost 13 years of career down the tube because I was tired of the bullshit. The two handed push that sent me over the edge? An email asking me if I was retarded because I put the paper in the scanner wrong, and a voicemail chastising me for taking a short lunch and leaving half an hour early.... Ugh. That was all it took for me to pack up three boxes worth of shit and write this letter, sending it to my co-managers and senior management.....
My Time At Best
I’m copying all of you on this so there is no misunderstanding as to why I quit my job today.
First off, I think it needs to be said that when you guys let Janice go, this place went into the toilet. I understand budget cuts and whatnot, but you got rid of the glue that held Best together. She was the one person that the management staff could go to and get answers, as well as a voice of reason on many occasions. After she left, your management staff has been left out to dry with employees who think that as soon as they’re hired they’re entitled to something around here. I’m not sure if they have an inflated sense of self worth or what the deal is, but it’s ridiculous. Most of those people are gone now, but a few remain.
I would be remiss not to mention what has to be the biggest offender, Lynn Oberdier. She must have interviewed great or you really were that desperate, one or the other. You hired a sociopath when you hired that one and I truly believe it will be her that ultimately drives this company into the ground, whether it be from pissing off customers or a harassment lawsuit from an employee. If I were lesser of a person, I might be that one who filed the harassment suit. I’m not sure how many times the average person can hear about her daughter’s dead baby, her breast cancer, how her nipple fell off afterward and all the other ridiculously offensive things that come out of that woman’s mouth. Couple that with the fact that every time she speaks to you she gets right in your face and berates you for the lack of HER being able to do her job because she’s not properly trained in our procedures or that she has no idea what she’s talking about, still a year after being hired. She has no management experience whatsoever, let alone any people skills in general, which is kind of a problem in her position, which leads me to the other problem in this place, Shirley.
I sit right next to her, nobody can tell me I don’t know what I’m talking about on this one. From the fact that she spends most of her days online shopping for wedding dresses and chatting on gmail, or yelling at whoever is on the other end of her cell phone in whatever her native language is, to her general lack of discretion at all, we really picked another winner here. Not only was everyone around me disgusted that she had no tact at all when talking about confidential things, now we all know what the starting wage is for several positions here and it disgusts me that we would hire people in making more than some people that do an excellent job already make. Hell, there are several occasions where I thought, damn, if a warehouse person makes that much, maybe I should just downgrade to work out there. Less bullshit than in the office for a decent starting pay? Yeah, I’m sure I’m not the only person on this side of the building that has thought that. Additionally, when asked a question about our benefits, “just go on the Paychex website” or “I don’t have any idea” aren’t really answers that fly with the general public, especially when you’re talking about their paychecks, retirement fund or health insurance. And while I’m dissecting her, she obviously doesn’t understand the whole eat your lunch in the lunchroom thing, because nobody wants to smell her food that smells like a week old outhouse, but for whatever reason, if I say something I’ll look like the bad guy on that one.
BEST used to be a great place to work. I used to brag about how much I loved my job and how many opportunities I had here, not having to job hop like many people I know. Hell, my best friend has a job here that I recommended to her, you let her go and she STILL came back when asked. Now it’s just a place I come from 7-4 every day and keep my head down and do my work as not to offend anyone or get handed even more work. I used to be a go getter. The person who anyone could turn to and give a project and not worry that it would get done. I’ve learned my lesson and don’t do that anymore because I may get the job done quickly and do it right, but there’s always someone who’s going to complain about something. I mean, who complains when someone else is doing their job and doing it well? People here, that’s for sure. I’m over all of it.
I stayed through the down times expecting that some day things would go back to the way they used to be. When employees felt a sense of loyalty and wanted to do a good job. When the good people were rewarded for their service and given a sense of accomplishment, not beat down and given more work because they’re completing their own work too fast. It’s become quite clear that we’ll never be that company again. Things are starting back on the right track, but we’re hiring people who are dragging the whole place down.
I can’t continue to be miserable like this. I want to be happy to get up in the morning and come to work and that’s not something that’s happened in a long time.
All that being said, good luck and remember the company saying that I was reminded of just today “No person here at Best is indispensible,” so I’m sure that you’ll have no problem replacing me and probably paying that person more than you’re paying me. I’m sure that Shirley will make the announcement to candidates well known to this side of the building. I have left both my key and company visa in an envelope on Susan’s desk and changed my computer and email password to best so that if people need to use programs that are located on my computer, they can.
It’s been a pleasure working for Best for the most part and I thank you for all the opportunities you have given me for almost 13 years now.
Tara
P.S. I inherited the radio on my desk. I’m sure it’ll have no problem finding a new home.
So that was it. I left for lunch with the other Tara and as soon as I made it to the parking lot, I sent the email from my phone. I shook a little as I hit send, but as soon as we got to the restaurant and I let Tara read it, I felt better. Of course I cried for a minute. I mean, I've been doing the same thing with my life since I was 20. I thought that was the only place I was ever going to work. I can tell you when I got my management position there, I didn't think I'd ever have to look for another job. I loved it.
When they started making cuts to the management and got rid of some of the really good people in the company, that's where things started to go downhill. What's that been, 4 years now? Something like that. Two years ago, when they let the second wave of people go, that's when it became the worst place to work. I've been keeping my head down and muddling through ever since, thinking I didn't deserve anything else and that I needed to stay because I had bills to pay. That all changed on July 20th.
I make enough money at the bar to sustain my lifestyle. Will it suck? Yes. Having two jobs has afforded me the money to pay lawyer bills and some other things that I haven't been able to do in awhile. My primary job paid my bankruptcy and the other major bills and the bar paid the lawyer bills and afforded me entertainment. Oh well. A week and a half later, I haven't had a sinus headache (which I've had every day for months now), I have a GREAT tan (from using my pass to the local water park every single day) and I'm happy. For now...
I know I'll catch a ton of flack for this, but I cashed out my 401k and should have the check this week. I'm paying off all my lawyers, paying forward on my bankruptcy and taking August off. My plan is to be back to work after the long Labor Day weekend.... Maybe longer if other things develop in a timely fashion like they're supposed to. Quite honestly, if I never went back to Corporate America, I'd be ok with that. My kids would be upset because I'm cutting into their "hangout with friends" time, but sleeping until 10 or 11 every day and being a night owl, really suits me. We'll just have to see what happens in the next month.....
Anyway, I started some other pieces of writing to catch you up on what else has been going on, but I haven't managed to publish anything. If it was easy to take my computer to the water park and sit on my lounger and compose posts, I'd have something cranked out for you every day..... For now, you'll have to settle for this and I promise I'll try to keep everyone updated on what's going on......
Go ahead. Bash away. Tell me how stupid I am to quit my job and to withdraw my 401k.... I really don't care. I'm only 33, I'm cute, I have a ton of experience in all different areas of the office, a degree in business administration and computer science and almost 13 years working for the same company. I'd say I'm marketable...... We'll see.....
Have a great week peeps. If you need to get at me without leaving a comment, please use taranwake (at) gmail.com.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Birthday Madness....
Though not as epic as years past, mostly because I have asshole neighbors who make it impossible to do anything after 9pm, it was a fairly good birthday. I worked Job 1 on Thursday and headed directly to the bar to work a few hours. My plan was supposed to be off at 7, have a drink with the regulars, then head home to hang out and rest up for the big festivities on Friday night. Yeah, sure.....
As soon as I got off, my phone rang, I looked down to see that it was my dad and the step-monster calling. Fuck that. I didn't answer. They called back again and I didn't answer. Mostly because if you've read me for very long, you know he's a dick and I want nothing to do with him. Last year I made the mistake of answering the phone and it was nothing but stupid. This time wasn't any better, as he could barely even make sounds that even formed words. I don't know why my step-monster insists on doing this every year, yet she does.
Ugh. I needed a drink after I listened to that voicemail, so I plopped down next to Bob, one of the regulars and told him about the voicemail. He promptly ordered shots so we didn't have to talk about it anymore. I was ok with that. At some point we decided Keno sounded like a good idea and we were playing a 4 spot with a $5 bet. We had one ticket in when Bob says "Wait, we need to do another one. One with our ages and birth years on it." Ok, whatever dude. We get it in just under the wire for the draw and wait to see what happens. The first number of the draw was one of ours, my age. A couple of numbers later, my birth year came up. Sweet! Another few numbers produced his age number. Yay! 3 of 4, we're in some money right now! As the rest of the numbers ticked by nothing happened. I proclaimed that I did my part on this draw hitting my numbers and as the last number was drawn, it was his birth year!!! We had won $360, which was already more than I'd won in Vegas. I never win, which made it all the cooler. We cash the ticket and get this
We proceed to buy the approximately 10 people in the bar a shot and continue on with our playing, because at this point it's all fun money. 5 draws later our numbers hit the same exact way for another $360. Unfucking believeable. I've never seen that happen. Shellie didn't have enough money to cash out the ticket, so we bought the bar another round, which was significantly more people this time (approximately $200 in liquor) and she cashed the rest. At that point we were both kind of wasted, so we played a couple more rounds and called it quits.
I order a pizza to be sent to the kids and tell them I'll be home in a bit. They don't seem to care at all. Bob and I proceed to shove money in our pockets when the other isn't looking and order more rounds of shots. By 10:00 I'm wasted. I called my ride to come get me and as we're walking out the door my sister, Melissa, yells at me from across the parking lot. I don't remember talking to her, but since she never comes out, let alone to my bar, we go back inside. Shortly after, Brandon walks in. I've been ignoring his texts because I'm not interested in messing with him on my birthday. I was having too much fun. He interrupts my conversation with my sister twice and the second time I get rude. After another drink, I'm ready to go. My ride hasn't abandoned me, so my sister walks out to the parking lot with us and we're outta there without as much as another word to Brandon. Apparently he texted me at 3:30 to see if I was still awake, but I wasn't and he hasn't texted me since. Am I sad? Kind of. I'm not sleeping well, so that sucks, but I just can't deal with his needy ass right now. Yeah, go ahead and say it, I'm selfish. I know....
Friday morning comes all too soon and I have to work Job 1 as well as Job 2 until 7. I need a nap, but that's not happening. When I get off work, I meet up with another regular, Andy, who decides he wants to accompany me to the mall to buy an outfit for my party if we're not going to get drunk early. We go and have a ton of fun trying to pick up something fun for the party. Time gets away from us and we have to grab the stuff and run up out of there with my purchases.. I achieved the look I was going for with "trashy, but the hottest chick in the bar" with this outfit....
As soon as I got off, my phone rang, I looked down to see that it was my dad and the step-monster calling. Fuck that. I didn't answer. They called back again and I didn't answer. Mostly because if you've read me for very long, you know he's a dick and I want nothing to do with him. Last year I made the mistake of answering the phone and it was nothing but stupid. This time wasn't any better, as he could barely even make sounds that even formed words. I don't know why my step-monster insists on doing this every year, yet she does.
Ugh. I needed a drink after I listened to that voicemail, so I plopped down next to Bob, one of the regulars and told him about the voicemail. He promptly ordered shots so we didn't have to talk about it anymore. I was ok with that. At some point we decided Keno sounded like a good idea and we were playing a 4 spot with a $5 bet. We had one ticket in when Bob says "Wait, we need to do another one. One with our ages and birth years on it." Ok, whatever dude. We get it in just under the wire for the draw and wait to see what happens. The first number of the draw was one of ours, my age. A couple of numbers later, my birth year came up. Sweet! Another few numbers produced his age number. Yay! 3 of 4, we're in some money right now! As the rest of the numbers ticked by nothing happened. I proclaimed that I did my part on this draw hitting my numbers and as the last number was drawn, it was his birth year!!! We had won $360, which was already more than I'd won in Vegas. I never win, which made it all the cooler. We cash the ticket and get this
I order a pizza to be sent to the kids and tell them I'll be home in a bit. They don't seem to care at all. Bob and I proceed to shove money in our pockets when the other isn't looking and order more rounds of shots. By 10:00 I'm wasted. I called my ride to come get me and as we're walking out the door my sister, Melissa, yells at me from across the parking lot. I don't remember talking to her, but since she never comes out, let alone to my bar, we go back inside. Shortly after, Brandon walks in. I've been ignoring his texts because I'm not interested in messing with him on my birthday. I was having too much fun. He interrupts my conversation with my sister twice and the second time I get rude. After another drink, I'm ready to go. My ride hasn't abandoned me, so my sister walks out to the parking lot with us and we're outta there without as much as another word to Brandon. Apparently he texted me at 3:30 to see if I was still awake, but I wasn't and he hasn't texted me since. Am I sad? Kind of. I'm not sleeping well, so that sucks, but I just can't deal with his needy ass right now. Yeah, go ahead and say it, I'm selfish. I know....
Friday morning comes all too soon and I have to work Job 1 as well as Job 2 until 7. I need a nap, but that's not happening. When I get off work, I meet up with another regular, Andy, who decides he wants to accompany me to the mall to buy an outfit for my party if we're not going to get drunk early. We go and have a ton of fun trying to pick up something fun for the party. Time gets away from us and we have to grab the stuff and run up out of there with my purchases.. I achieved the look I was going for with "trashy, but the hottest chick in the bar" with this outfit....
Well Wendy, the other birthday girl is pretty smoking hot with her tiny self too!!
Me and the besties... My 4 inch heels had me towering over both of them
My dude Carl, who's like 75 and lives in the senior community across the street. He came over just to tell me happy birthday. I <3 him in a grandpa like way!!
Nicole and I again
My new friend Tyler, who came in with Nicole's piece of ass for the night. Yep, I'm as drunk as I look, but not as chunky as this pic makes me look... But damn, I was like HEEEELLLLLLLOOOOO!!!
Anticlimactically we head back to my house after the bar closes and pass out.... Saturday morning the boys leave really early, the kids are home by 11 and we're off for a fun afternoon of 95 degree temperatures and sitting out in the sun all day for soccer. I wasn't as bad off hangover wise as I should have been, but damn, it was a long day!! Top that off with the fact that I had to keep chasing Little E off the field and by the time Saturday night rolled around I was worthless....
Nicole and I decided to cook on the grill and called it an early night at 11:00ish. Sunday, up early, more soccer, got rid of E and headed to my mom's house for birthday dinner. It was good and by the time we got back home around 8, I was ready for bed. I made myself stay up until 10, but I couldn't last any longer. Unfortunately it was another restless night and I only ended up getting like 4 hours of sleep. Ugh, hate it.
That brings us up to yesterday, worked Job 1 and Job 2 for an awesome 18 hour day where at 2:30 when I got home I collapsed and didn't wake up until the thunder jolted me straight up out of bed just before my alarm went off. I love sleeping during storms, but I'm down to only a few vacation days left until the end of August, so I hauled my ass out of bed and am at work. Obviously I don't have a lot to do today and I'm having a hard time staying awake, but all I have to do is get through until about 9:00 tonight and I can get back to getting some sleep.
Hopefully tomorrow I'll have another post for you that will at least be somewhat interesting. Hustler has opened up a retail store here in Columbus, and thanks to my good friends at the radio station, I have VIP passes to their private grand opening party tonight. That should be interesting... My date for the night, Alyssa, is a lot like me, so when she came in to the bar last night, I asked her if she'd come with me and she eagerly accepted. We get free food, drinks and even a special goodie bag!! Can't wait to see what's inside that baby!!
Have a good one everyone!!
Confused Feelings
I was doing fine until Brandon walked in the door at the bar Monday night. When I left after lunch that past Tuesday, I put him out of my head for the week. He made it perfectly clear he wasn't interested in coming on vacation with me, which would have been great alone time away from both of our ridiculously hectic schedules, so I was still a little miffed at all that. I only talked him once while I was gone and ended up cussing him out because he was being all weird. Duh asshole, this is your fault I'm here and you're not!!! Ugh.
He and I have gotten to this weird point that I didn't think we'd ever get to. Us hanging out was just supposed to be hanging out. Hell, technically he's still married and neither of them have made any attempt to move forward in their divorce proceedings.... The whole thing with him has turned into so much more since we started hanging out in April. There's a song lyric that explains all this perfectly, but I'm kind of at a loss for it right now. I knew I shouldn't be getting involved with him, but who wants to go to bed alone every night? Certainly not me. We all know I sleep better if there's somebody there, whether sex is involved or not. Most of the time with him, it's not. I contribute that to the fact he's older and doesn't care so much about all of that, which is another sour point in our "relationship". But then he came in and those blue eyes melted me. He is my reality right now. Well, he was until this past weekend... We'll get to that.... Maybe in the birthday party post.
Chip on the other hand, I feel like I've really gotten to know better since being on vacation and YES, our connection that we've always had via phone and text is just as intense in person. Could that intensity carry over into our every day lives if he moves back here? For awhile, I'm sure, but there is also this underlying volatility with the two of us, that at some point could be explosive. I don't know how to even explain it. I certainly don't want to be the reason he uproots his kid again and comes back home, but it seems that is what he's going to do, just to give us a chance. We talk and text every day, all day long and it seems like a done deal, that he'll be back here by the last week in August. I guess we'll just have to wait this out and see if things even themselves out at this point. I mean, he's crazy, mad in love with me, just like Brandon is. I'm just not sure if I see myself with either of them forever and I'm getting back into that phase where I want something more than casually seeing someone. I'm ready to settle back down and have a decent home life, but I feel like every minute I waste with Mr. Wrong, I'm potentially shutting out Mr. Right....
I'm a hot mess about all of it right now.....
He and I have gotten to this weird point that I didn't think we'd ever get to. Us hanging out was just supposed to be hanging out. Hell, technically he's still married and neither of them have made any attempt to move forward in their divorce proceedings.... The whole thing with him has turned into so much more since we started hanging out in April. There's a song lyric that explains all this perfectly, but I'm kind of at a loss for it right now. I knew I shouldn't be getting involved with him, but who wants to go to bed alone every night? Certainly not me. We all know I sleep better if there's somebody there, whether sex is involved or not. Most of the time with him, it's not. I contribute that to the fact he's older and doesn't care so much about all of that, which is another sour point in our "relationship". But then he came in and those blue eyes melted me. He is my reality right now. Well, he was until this past weekend... We'll get to that.... Maybe in the birthday party post.
Chip on the other hand, I feel like I've really gotten to know better since being on vacation and YES, our connection that we've always had via phone and text is just as intense in person. Could that intensity carry over into our every day lives if he moves back here? For awhile, I'm sure, but there is also this underlying volatility with the two of us, that at some point could be explosive. I don't know how to even explain it. I certainly don't want to be the reason he uproots his kid again and comes back home, but it seems that is what he's going to do, just to give us a chance. We talk and text every day, all day long and it seems like a done deal, that he'll be back here by the last week in August. I guess we'll just have to wait this out and see if things even themselves out at this point. I mean, he's crazy, mad in love with me, just like Brandon is. I'm just not sure if I see myself with either of them forever and I'm getting back into that phase where I want something more than casually seeing someone. I'm ready to settle back down and have a decent home life, but I feel like every minute I waste with Mr. Wrong, I'm potentially shutting out Mr. Right....
I'm a hot mess about all of it right now.....
Me & Vegas Part 2
Sorry for the delay.....
He practically ran down the escalator to give me a hug. Yay, the fun could begin NOW! As expected, the first thing he said was "let's get a drink!" I told him about the ID situation and we decided to get a cab to take us to Tropicana then down to PHo. $30 in cab fares later, we're back at the hotel dropping his stuff in the room and having drinks. It's always fun when a bartender tells you to tell him to stop when you want him to be done pouring your liquor. Chip had ordered a beer, but once he saw the free pour that was going on, he quickly changed his mind. We got our drinks and headed down a level to check into his room, which would be home to my friends Chris & Kelly until Monday. They were to arrive a couple of hours later.
While waiting in another ridiculously long check-in line we tried to plan our evening, knowing full well whatever we decided would get shot to shit as soon as drinking was in full force. Half an hour later we were upstairs checking out Chris and Kelly's room. They got the Natural Born Killers room with a partial view of the fountains. He asked me if I wanted to switch to this room, but I really didn't want to schlep all my stuff down, even though they were about 20 rooms away from us.
We went back to our room and hung out for a bit, dozing in and out of sleep. Finally Kelly texted me and we went downstairs to give them their keys. Chip wandered off to meet up with a friend for a drink and I hung out with Chris and Kelly for awhile until they decided they wanted to get showered and get something to eat. I told them I'd meet up with them later and headed back to the room where I fell asleep again. Ugh. Writing it all on here makes it look like I slept a lot, and maybe I did, but none of it was particularly restful. I wake up to Chip getting back to the room already retardedly drunk and ready to go out.
We set out with no particular plan in mind other than food, stopping at the ABC store for liquor on our way out the door. It's decided that we'll casino hop until we get back down to the Trop for some blackjack. In the process we picked up some 151 slushies with an extra shot in each. Eventually we meet up with Chris and Kelly and play at the Trop for awhile. I lost $100 again. Ugh. I decide I'm too drunk to function anymore and we start our long walk back to PHo drunk and still haven't eaten. Walking past the food court over by the M & M store, we decide food is a good idea. $25, two double cheeseburgers and a slice of pizza later, I'm sure they were glad to see us leave. Actually security might have been close behind us if we stayed any longer. I don't remember what was said, but I know we made a HUGE issue that they didn't have junior bacon cheeseburgers for whatever reason. Oh well. We get back to the room and pass out without eating ANY of the food....
Friday I'm awoken at 4:30am to the sound of a jackhammer and it's not a wicked hangover headache I'm talking about. What the fuck? Oh yeah, there's construction going on at the corner of the strip and Harmon, right in front of our window. Fuck. I manage to get back to sleep for half an hour and my phone rings at 5:30. Ok, now I'm getting seriously pissed. Put the phone on vibrate and throw it across the room, thanking myself for buying that OtterBox case. Eventually we both get up and out of the room by 9 to get a seat at the pool where we lay for hours.
I have a nice tan. Chip has that typical midwestern pasty look. He says he's starting to feel a little burnt, so we head back to the room and nap for awhile. When we wake up we decide to get showered and head out. Chip takes his shirt off and all I can do is laugh. Not only is he BRIGHT pink, but he never rolled over onto his stomach, so the back side of him is still pasty... It was HILARIOUS and he remained that way for the rest of the trip, because every time we wanted to go out to the pool the rest of the weekend it was raining.
Speaking of rain. Every day from Wednesday-Sunday it rained at some point during the day. On Saturday I was at the pool and got caught in a torrential downpour. I've never seen it rain in Vegas before.
Once we finally get ready we start wandering the strip again ducking in and out of casinos waiting on Chip's friend Tim to get into town. Chip and Tim went to school together at some point and haven't seen each other in like forever, so they made a plan when both of their Facebook statuses said they'd be in Vegas for the weekend. Eventually he catches up with us at Gonzalez y Gonzalez in NYNY where we're trying to get some sort of food in our system before another night of drinking.
I'm introduced to Tim and wow, he's hot. Nice. Too bad his girlfriend is super model hot. Oh well. We sit around there for a bit, then it's time for me to head off to Mandalay Bay to meet Chris and Kelly for the Steel Panther concert at House of Blues.
Chris and Kelly specifically came to Vegas to see Steel Panther. They had played at our local rock festival and we all fell in love with the ridiculous inappropriateness of their music. One night when we were hanging out late night on one of my shifts at the bar, we were looking to see where else they were touring this summer, I saw that they play Vegas every other Friday and Saturday. Friday at House of Blues and Saturday at Green Valley Ranch. Chris has been through some shit lately, so when I told him they were in Vegas when I was there, they decided to come out with me. The bonus of me getting them free rooms just added to the appeal. If you've never heard of Steel Panther, see below or check out Youtube for more.
If you checked out that video and were offended, sorry. But it's humor like that which totally kills me. Call me juvenile or whatever.... Anyway, back to the concert. IT WAS AWESOME!! These guys certainly know how to put on a show. It was 80's rock at it's best, with their originals thrown in there. We met some great people there too! Turns out, the show is free for locals, and everyone who had a Godsmack ticket (they played at Mandalay Bay also that night) got in free as well, so the place was a packed HOT sausage fest.
He practically ran down the escalator to give me a hug. Yay, the fun could begin NOW! As expected, the first thing he said was "let's get a drink!" I told him about the ID situation and we decided to get a cab to take us to Tropicana then down to PHo. $30 in cab fares later, we're back at the hotel dropping his stuff in the room and having drinks. It's always fun when a bartender tells you to tell him to stop when you want him to be done pouring your liquor. Chip had ordered a beer, but once he saw the free pour that was going on, he quickly changed his mind. We got our drinks and headed down a level to check into his room, which would be home to my friends Chris & Kelly until Monday. They were to arrive a couple of hours later.
While waiting in another ridiculously long check-in line we tried to plan our evening, knowing full well whatever we decided would get shot to shit as soon as drinking was in full force. Half an hour later we were upstairs checking out Chris and Kelly's room. They got the Natural Born Killers room with a partial view of the fountains. He asked me if I wanted to switch to this room, but I really didn't want to schlep all my stuff down, even though they were about 20 rooms away from us.
We went back to our room and hung out for a bit, dozing in and out of sleep. Finally Kelly texted me and we went downstairs to give them their keys. Chip wandered off to meet up with a friend for a drink and I hung out with Chris and Kelly for awhile until they decided they wanted to get showered and get something to eat. I told them I'd meet up with them later and headed back to the room where I fell asleep again. Ugh. Writing it all on here makes it look like I slept a lot, and maybe I did, but none of it was particularly restful. I wake up to Chip getting back to the room already retardedly drunk and ready to go out.
We set out with no particular plan in mind other than food, stopping at the ABC store for liquor on our way out the door. It's decided that we'll casino hop until we get back down to the Trop for some blackjack. In the process we picked up some 151 slushies with an extra shot in each. Eventually we meet up with Chris and Kelly and play at the Trop for awhile. I lost $100 again. Ugh. I decide I'm too drunk to function anymore and we start our long walk back to PHo drunk and still haven't eaten. Walking past the food court over by the M & M store, we decide food is a good idea. $25, two double cheeseburgers and a slice of pizza later, I'm sure they were glad to see us leave. Actually security might have been close behind us if we stayed any longer. I don't remember what was said, but I know we made a HUGE issue that they didn't have junior bacon cheeseburgers for whatever reason. Oh well. We get back to the room and pass out without eating ANY of the food....
Friday I'm awoken at 4:30am to the sound of a jackhammer and it's not a wicked hangover headache I'm talking about. What the fuck? Oh yeah, there's construction going on at the corner of the strip and Harmon, right in front of our window. Fuck. I manage to get back to sleep for half an hour and my phone rings at 5:30. Ok, now I'm getting seriously pissed. Put the phone on vibrate and throw it across the room, thanking myself for buying that OtterBox case. Eventually we both get up and out of the room by 9 to get a seat at the pool where we lay for hours.
I have a nice tan. Chip has that typical midwestern pasty look. He says he's starting to feel a little burnt, so we head back to the room and nap for awhile. When we wake up we decide to get showered and head out. Chip takes his shirt off and all I can do is laugh. Not only is he BRIGHT pink, but he never rolled over onto his stomach, so the back side of him is still pasty... It was HILARIOUS and he remained that way for the rest of the trip, because every time we wanted to go out to the pool the rest of the weekend it was raining.
Speaking of rain. Every day from Wednesday-Sunday it rained at some point during the day. On Saturday I was at the pool and got caught in a torrential downpour. I've never seen it rain in Vegas before.
Once we finally get ready we start wandering the strip again ducking in and out of casinos waiting on Chip's friend Tim to get into town. Chip and Tim went to school together at some point and haven't seen each other in like forever, so they made a plan when both of their Facebook statuses said they'd be in Vegas for the weekend. Eventually he catches up with us at Gonzalez y Gonzalez in NYNY where we're trying to get some sort of food in our system before another night of drinking.
I'm introduced to Tim and wow, he's hot. Nice. Too bad his girlfriend is super model hot. Oh well. We sit around there for a bit, then it's time for me to head off to Mandalay Bay to meet Chris and Kelly for the Steel Panther concert at House of Blues.
Chris and Kelly specifically came to Vegas to see Steel Panther. They had played at our local rock festival and we all fell in love with the ridiculous inappropriateness of their music. One night when we were hanging out late night on one of my shifts at the bar, we were looking to see where else they were touring this summer, I saw that they play Vegas every other Friday and Saturday. Friday at House of Blues and Saturday at Green Valley Ranch. Chris has been through some shit lately, so when I told him they were in Vegas when I was there, they decided to come out with me. The bonus of me getting them free rooms just added to the appeal. If you've never heard of Steel Panther, see below or check out Youtube for more.
If you checked out that video and were offended, sorry. But it's humor like that which totally kills me. Call me juvenile or whatever.... Anyway, back to the concert. IT WAS AWESOME!! These guys certainly know how to put on a show. It was 80's rock at it's best, with their originals thrown in there. We met some great people there too! Turns out, the show is free for locals, and everyone who had a Godsmack ticket (they played at Mandalay Bay also that night) got in free as well, so the place was a packed HOT sausage fest.
This guy gets the award for best mullet in the audience....
The guitar player, Lexi, checked himself out in the mirror like the entire show. He had pretty hair.... lol
While at the show I committed one of my biggest no-no's. My stomach was upset and Chris and Kelly told me that Jagermeister would settle it down. People that know me well know that I don't drink brown liquor in any way, shape or form. There is something about it that makes me ridiculously blackout, violent drunk. Though I only had half a shot of the Jager, I was feeling the effects. My stomach was settled and it was basically open bar for me, because that's what Chris and Kelly were doing to show their appreciation for the free room. I was ok during the concert, but as soon as we got ready to leave, hot damn, what a mess.... Kelly was equally trashed and Chris decided instead of going over to the Trop to hang out at Nikki Beach for the rest of the night, it was time to head back to the hotel. He managed to herd the two of us into a cab and get us back to the PHo, where we met up with Chip and apparently I was mean. Whatever. If anything else happened that night, I don't remember it.......
Saturday had me waking up in a foul mood. Unfortunately I had a wicked hangover. Chip and I went and got breakfast, got into an argument and I walked back to the hotel alone. On my way back, my hangover turned into a full fledged migraine like sinus headache and I had to lay down. After taking a Vicodin for the pain (it was all I had on me....) I was pretty much out for the rest of the afternoon. It was probably the best rest I had the entire vacation.
Around 4 Chip came up to the room happy that he had sold a ring that he had brought with him to pawn. Apparently they don't have good pawn shops where he lives. He didn't actually pawn it, he sold it somewhere in the Miracle Mile shops to a gold retailer. Awesome. Another $400 in his bankroll. We got up and went to get something to eat over at Cheeseburger in the MM Shops. It was decent. I'd eaten there before. After that we got showered and ready to go out for the night. Tim and his girlfriend were supposed to hang out with us after dinner, so we wandered around until it was time to meet up with them pondering if we should go ahead and get married while we were waiting.
After much debate on who was really joking about the situation, Tim called and said he'd meet up with us for some fun since his girlfriend had went off with her friends. We walked up to Caesar's and then all the way back down to the Tropicana, stopping pretty much everywhere in between. I watched as the two of them gambled and acted stupid, drinking straight out of my liquor bottle to keep my buzz flowing. Eventually, at like 2am, we decided we had enough and it was back to the hotel room, leaving Tim to play blackjack and seeing Chris and Kelly make their way in as we were on our way out. We decided it would just be a waste to get food on our way back....
Ugh, Sunday. Our last full day in Vegas. That fact sort of hung around all day. I really enjoy Chip's company. Even though we don't get to see each other very often, it's always a good time. We slept in until the relatively late time of 9:30, showered and headed out to get something to eat. After wandering the strip for what seemed like forever, we cashed in on a text offer for 2 for 1 meals at Toby Keith's I Love This Bar. I'm not gonna lie, I can't stand country music, but the food and the awesome service there waaaaaaay outweighed any of the "country" unpleasantness. The portions were huge and super yummy!!!
After that we roamed the strip, playing a little at a bunch of casinos and were back in the room by 2. We were going to head back down to the pool, but it started raining again, so that spoiled that plan. We napped for a bit, but then I was ready to get up and go. Chip, not so much. I think the drinking, lack of sleep and everything else had finally taken its toll on him and he was passed out. Like pick up an arm and drop it back on the bed and he didn't move passed out. Great....
I showered and got ready for the evening. When I was all done, I tried to wake him up again. Nope, not happening... Ok then. I swear, had he not been snoring, I would have thought he was dead. He was that far out. I had some shopping to finish for some friends, so I left the room and walked the strip for a bit, taking pictures and gathering up little things for everyone figuring he'd be awake and ready by the time I got back. Not so much....
When I got back to the room he was still laying sound asleep in the same spot I'd left him. This time when I tried to wake him, he just about jumped out of his skin. Ugh. I hate that. He was pissed I had let him sleep that long and didn't understand how I was unable to wake him up. Ugh, whatever dude. It's 7:30pm on our last night here, let's move!! We're out the door by 8:00 heading across the street to watch a couple of fountain shows at Bellagio. These were the first ones I'd seen in their entirety all weekend and being as that's my favorite thing to do, we stayed around for a couple of shows taking pictures and being stupid....
See, we're cute!! After that, we headed down to the Mirage since he had never seen the new volcano eruption and waited what seemed like FOREVER for it. As usual, it did not disappoint and we had a great front row spot for it. While we're standing there enjoying our time, he drops the dreaded "I think I'm going to move back to Ohio. I could really see me and you being together...." I didn't really know what to say. I mean sure, we have a great time together, but that's vacation, not real life. In real life both of us work ridiculously long hours and are not the same people we are on vacation. Ugh. I told him that he needed to do what made him happy. And of course I got the "I'm happier than I've been in a long time when I'm with you..." Ugh. I was getting nowhere quick with this conversation. Luckily I was interrupted by an erupting volcano.
While all that was going on, Kelly had texted me telling me they were at TI and wanted to hang out. I told her we'd meet them down there and when the volcano was done, we headed down there, wading our way through all the idiots watching the Sirens of TI show, into the casino where a lovely young lady handed us free shot coupons for Kahunaville. Not ones to turn down free shots, we head over there.
Holy fun times!!! No, the free shots weren't anything to get excited about, but the flair bartending was at its best in this place. While I sat at the bar and played video blackjack with a minor win, I watched these guys do their thing. It was great!!
I mean what's wrong with massive shots being poured directly in your mouth, even if they're watered down a little?? We spent a couple of hours there and then went out to the casino to smoke, where a Monte Carlo bonus slot machine reeled us in. I played for 1 1/2 hours on my $20 and Chip played for almost 3 on his. We were hitting bonus after bonus and it was really a fun, low key way to spend our last night. Eventually Chris and Kelly say goodbye and we head out shortly behind them.
We want food, but in the end decide it's not a good idea and take our time getting in our last views of the strip as we roam back to the hotel around 3. Chip has a 6:15am flight and mine leaves at 8:00am. We decide on a nap and to head out to the airport at 4:30. Sleep didn't happen quickly though. He wanted to talk. Ugh. I was a little too drunk for all that. I told him that if he felt the same way tomorrow when he was sober as he did tonight then we'd talk. All too soon the alarm was going off and it was time to leave.
We hopped into a cab and were at the airport with a quickness. Chip actually had to get a ticket, whereas I had paid for Southwest to automatically check me in and all I needed to do was get my boarding pass. When I turned back around, he was gone. I caught a brief glimpse of him at the top of the escalator and thought "well, that was an easy goodbye. I'm gonna miss that boy." I got through security and promptly fell asleep at my gate until they started boarding. I got on the plane and was asleep before the person sitting in the middle row sat down. What an exhausting vacation!
I wake up to the pilot telling us we need to turn around and head to Indianapolis because we're dangerously low on fuel from circling Columbus for so long. WTF? Apparently Columbus was experiencing some super severe weather and we couldn't land. Great. It's already almost 3:30 and I'm scheduled in at work at 5. We head back to Indy, get fuel and sit for an hour and a half. I'm FURIOUS. I turn on my phone and get a text from Chip explaining that the guy at the counter was an ass and that they were already boarding his flight (an hour early) when we got there and he had to run to make the flight. I tell him no worries and that I'd call him when we landed, whenever that may be. I call Nicole to see what the hell is going on in Columbus that's preventing us from leaving again and she gives me some excuse of hail and sideways rain. At this point I don't care, I need to be home. It's 6:15 before we finally land in Columbus. I haven't eaten, drank, peed or smoked in like 10 hours and had to go straight to work. Fucking fabulous.
I arrive to work at the bar and I'm greeted by most of my Monday night regulars, who have obviously been missing me. As tired as I am, it's good to be back and get on with life as I know it...... Until later that evening when I see him.....
To be continued....
Friday, July 15, 2011
Me & Vegas Part 1
Or should it be Vegas and I? Whatever. After the somewhat emotional trip to the airport with Gavin there was a weight off my shoulders. Brandon, Little E and I pissed around all weekend doing pretty much nothing. E left to go with his dad on Sunday morning, so Brandon and I headed to the water park with big Brandon (who we'll talk about in my next post) and spent the day there. Sunday afternoon my mom came and got Brandon and I was off to work Sunday and Monday night as a last ditch effort to have money for Vegas. Both nights were decent and Monday night I actually got to see fireworks right out the front door of the bar.
I had decided on Sunday that I wasn't going to work on Tuesday because it would just be a countdown looking at the clock all day and being unproductive. Honestly, I knew after two nights closing down the bar I would need a little rest before heading out on vacation. I called Southwest to see if the direct flight out at 3:45 was still available. As luck would have it, it was still available and since it was a free ticket, they changed it at no charge and even gave me $2.50 back in security fees because I no longer had a stop on my way out. Woo hoo! Score 1 for me! Brandon took a half day off work so that we could sleep in and indeed we did. Oops, maybe a little too late seeing as I hadn't packed or anything. Ugh. I just really didn't think about getting myself put together over the weekend while I was trying to get rid of everyone else. I mean it really couldn't be that difficult, throw some shorts, tank tops, bathing suits and a nice dress (just in case I hit big) into a bag and I'm off. I have lunch with Brandon and I'm off to the airport.
I park waaaaaaaay out in the economy parking because my car will be there for 6 days and I couldn't find anyone who would be around Monday to pick me up. I get on the shuttle and head into the airport. As soon as I get in the door to the airport I realize that the smaller bag with my money and ID are still in my car. What.The.Fuck? I'm running super late with only about an hour until my flight, so I really can't get back on the shuttle and wait for it again to come back into the airport. I end up grabbing a taxi and taking it out there to get my stuff. Tara -$20 before even getting to Vegas. I was hoping this wasn't an omen of things to come, but I know me better than that....
I get back to the airport, through security and to the gate just as we're getting ready to board. Awesome. I hate waiting. Unfortunately even with paying for early check-in I'm still unable to get the coveted exit row seating, so I settle for a couple rows in front of them and promptly fall asleep because I have a huge splitting stress headache.
When I wake up I see that I'm sharing a row with an early 20's girl and a middle age woman. Yay, that's fun.... NOT. I remember that I have drink tickets somewhere and dig around for them. I offer the girl next to me a drink and explain that maybe that will help my headache and we get to talking. She's a 21 year old heading to California to be a horse dentist. I had no idea horses even needed dentists. We proceed to talk about her travels and that she's staying on a ranch with some rich guy who has people come out and work in year long cycles, all expenses paid to take care of his animals. Kind of creepy, but her friend had already been out there doing it, so she was excited. To each their own, ya know? Anyway, we arrive in Vegas and I'm a little bummed it's daytime because I like to see all the lights at night. I grab a shuttle to NYNY, where I'll be spending my first two days of vacation.
Vacation never hits me until I walk in the door to my hotel. This time was no different. I proceed past the ridiculously long check-in line to the invited guests desk where nobody is waiting in front of me and get checked in with a quickness. I don't try and con the guy out of a better room or anything, because quite frankly, I don't care. It's just me there and I've seen it all before. I get a room with a view of the mountains and the roller coaster. Woo hoo. I'm starving again, so I head downstairs to get a slice of pizza and piss around on the slot machines. The slots are unkind as usual and I'm in bed by like 10pm Vegas time because I'm still exhausted.
Back up and at 'em early, like 6am early. Yuck. I lay around for quite awhile not really knowing what to do by myself during the day. By 9 I'm incredibly bored, so I head down to the pool. I try no make a habit of not gambling during the daytime and being as my bankroll for this trip was incredibly small in the first place, I didn't want to lose it before everyone else got there. I hang out by the pool most of the day, then head down to Planet Hollywood to check-in there.
I was double booked room-wise on Wednesday night. It was free, so I thought that wherever I decided to gamble for the night, I'd be close to a room. The check-in line for Planet Hollywood (PHo) was ridiculously long, so I went up to the Miracle Mile ABC Store and got a bottle of Limon and a can of Red Bull. I went back down and got in line hating the fact I'm only a Gold member with Cesaer's Entertainment and stood in line with the common folk. While waiting I polished off half the bottle of Limon and the Red Bull. I'm pretty sure there were people in line tweeting and facebooking about the girl that kept dumping liquor into her Red Bull can in the check-in line. Oh well. I was amusing myself. I get all checked in there and head up to the room to check out the view. This is what it was
We got the movie Backdraft room and it was amusing that Kurt Russell was staring at me every time I was in the bathroom... The helmet on the wall sucked though because under it was really the only place to throw the bags and many times I cracked my head on the corner of it!
I laid down for a little bit because that headache was back and when I woke up, headed down to check out the pool. I was thinking it was going to be something really great and full of beautiful people. Ehh, not so much. The pools are average with a huge tanning area in between them. One pool is for everyone, one is 18+. Seating around the pools is only about 30 loungers. I knew if there would be any pool time here it would have to be first thing in the morning so I could get a seat by the pool and not in the middle where you'd be sure to fry.
After the pool I headed north on the strip, stopping at pretty much every casino along the way. My mission was to get playing cards for my friend Chris at Wynn. I got a player's card while I was there and the King Cash (my favorite) slot machine took me for $100 in like 10 minutes playing at quarter level. I didn't even get the 150 points for the two free buffets!! Ugh. I can't catch a break! I walk across the street through Fashion Show Mall for a bit, licking my wounds from Wynn and then decide I should probably head back down towards NYNY. I casino hopped all the way back down, only this time on the other side of the street. Once I got back to the hotel, had some dinner at my favorite Mexican joint, Gonzalez y Gonzalez and head up to the room to nap. I sleep for a couple of hours, because that's all I can do anymore, and am back up and ready to go.
I ended up wandering around and playing at Luxor (loss), Mandalay Bay (small win) and Excalibur (didn't play) before I got to the Tropicana. The Tropicana is waaaaaay nicer now than it used to be. It's very well lit and clean and they serve Limon and sugar free Red Bull, so I was happy. I sat down to some $10 blackjack and played for quite a long time, getting ridiculously trashed in the process. I ended up sleeping at NYNY because of my south strip wandering and was back up bright and early at 9 to pack up and head down to the PHo.
I dropped all my stuff at the room and changed to head down to the pool for awhile since I chose to walk from NYNY to PHo and it was already like 90some degrees out. I get down to the pool and find no chairs in the 18+ pool, so I head over to the other one and manage to snag a lounger. I hated how packed together the chairs were and the fact that there were like 8 cabanas, only one of them which was being used, which was the way it was all weekend. Take that shit down and put some more chairs out!!
I fell asleep in my lounger for a bit and about jumped out of my skin when a big loud Russian guy who was so hairy he looked like he was wearing a fur coat plopped down beside me. Shit, it's late!! I need to get to the airport and meet Chip! I head back up to the room to clean up and get my ID because I know he'll want to have drinks as soon as he lands.
Wait a minute... What the fuck? Where is my ID??? I threw everything all over the room looking for it. It just wasn't there.... I remembered that the night before when I got back to the hotel I took off my jeans and dumped the pockets. Fuck. I bet it fell under the bed or something. My stomach is in knots and the headache is coming back. I need to leave now though, to get to the airport on time, so I head downstairs and catch a cab to the airport. When I get there, I find where I'm supposed to meet him and call NYNY. No ID turned in there and they won't send someone up to the room to look and see if it's there. I'm sick. She tells me that if they find it in the next couple of days they'll call me. Ugh. Think Tara, think. After I was done getting Chip we could go to NYNY and call the room and have the new occupants look I suppose. Ugh. Then it hits me, the last place I had it out was Tropicana. I look up their number and call. They send me through to security and I almost cry when they tell me they have it. Awesome! I tell them I'll be there shortly to pick it up.
I wait around for another 20 minutes and I see him come down the escalator. My partner in crime has arrived! I know that I've talked about Chip before, but not at much length. Actually, I'm not even sure I mentioned that he drove four hours to Kansas City when I was there to hang out with me for the one night I was in town. If you just read that old post about me wanting to know if our connection was as intense in person as it is over the phone, well it is, and I don't even mean that in a sexual way. We didn't even do it when we were in Kansas City. When I decided to take a vacation, he was the first person I called and asked to go with me. I knew we'd have a blast, but he said he didn't think he could swing it and I left it at that. We didn't talk about it again until about 10 days before the trip when I told him I was going by myself because Brandon didn't want to go and that I wished he could come with me because we have so much fun.
I didn't expect to get a "get on Alegient's website and see if they have a cheap ticket, I hear they do from here." Sure as shit, there were still tickets open for around $250 when everyone else was quoting around $600. He had me book it right then.
We were going on vacation together......
I had decided on Sunday that I wasn't going to work on Tuesday because it would just be a countdown looking at the clock all day and being unproductive. Honestly, I knew after two nights closing down the bar I would need a little rest before heading out on vacation. I called Southwest to see if the direct flight out at 3:45 was still available. As luck would have it, it was still available and since it was a free ticket, they changed it at no charge and even gave me $2.50 back in security fees because I no longer had a stop on my way out. Woo hoo! Score 1 for me! Brandon took a half day off work so that we could sleep in and indeed we did. Oops, maybe a little too late seeing as I hadn't packed or anything. Ugh. I just really didn't think about getting myself put together over the weekend while I was trying to get rid of everyone else. I mean it really couldn't be that difficult, throw some shorts, tank tops, bathing suits and a nice dress (just in case I hit big) into a bag and I'm off. I have lunch with Brandon and I'm off to the airport.
I park waaaaaaaay out in the economy parking because my car will be there for 6 days and I couldn't find anyone who would be around Monday to pick me up. I get on the shuttle and head into the airport. As soon as I get in the door to the airport I realize that the smaller bag with my money and ID are still in my car. What.The.Fuck? I'm running super late with only about an hour until my flight, so I really can't get back on the shuttle and wait for it again to come back into the airport. I end up grabbing a taxi and taking it out there to get my stuff. Tara -$20 before even getting to Vegas. I was hoping this wasn't an omen of things to come, but I know me better than that....
I get back to the airport, through security and to the gate just as we're getting ready to board. Awesome. I hate waiting. Unfortunately even with paying for early check-in I'm still unable to get the coveted exit row seating, so I settle for a couple rows in front of them and promptly fall asleep because I have a huge splitting stress headache.
When I wake up I see that I'm sharing a row with an early 20's girl and a middle age woman. Yay, that's fun.... NOT. I remember that I have drink tickets somewhere and dig around for them. I offer the girl next to me a drink and explain that maybe that will help my headache and we get to talking. She's a 21 year old heading to California to be a horse dentist. I had no idea horses even needed dentists. We proceed to talk about her travels and that she's staying on a ranch with some rich guy who has people come out and work in year long cycles, all expenses paid to take care of his animals. Kind of creepy, but her friend had already been out there doing it, so she was excited. To each their own, ya know? Anyway, we arrive in Vegas and I'm a little bummed it's daytime because I like to see all the lights at night. I grab a shuttle to NYNY, where I'll be spending my first two days of vacation.
Vacation never hits me until I walk in the door to my hotel. This time was no different. I proceed past the ridiculously long check-in line to the invited guests desk where nobody is waiting in front of me and get checked in with a quickness. I don't try and con the guy out of a better room or anything, because quite frankly, I don't care. It's just me there and I've seen it all before. I get a room with a view of the mountains and the roller coaster. Woo hoo. I'm starving again, so I head downstairs to get a slice of pizza and piss around on the slot machines. The slots are unkind as usual and I'm in bed by like 10pm Vegas time because I'm still exhausted.
Back up and at 'em early, like 6am early. Yuck. I lay around for quite awhile not really knowing what to do by myself during the day. By 9 I'm incredibly bored, so I head down to the pool. I try no make a habit of not gambling during the daytime and being as my bankroll for this trip was incredibly small in the first place, I didn't want to lose it before everyone else got there. I hang out by the pool most of the day, then head down to Planet Hollywood to check-in there.
I was double booked room-wise on Wednesday night. It was free, so I thought that wherever I decided to gamble for the night, I'd be close to a room. The check-in line for Planet Hollywood (PHo) was ridiculously long, so I went up to the Miracle Mile ABC Store and got a bottle of Limon and a can of Red Bull. I went back down and got in line hating the fact I'm only a Gold member with Cesaer's Entertainment and stood in line with the common folk. While waiting I polished off half the bottle of Limon and the Red Bull. I'm pretty sure there were people in line tweeting and facebooking about the girl that kept dumping liquor into her Red Bull can in the check-in line. Oh well. I was amusing myself. I get all checked in there and head up to the room to check out the view. This is what it was
I laid down for a little bit because that headache was back and when I woke up, headed down to check out the pool. I was thinking it was going to be something really great and full of beautiful people. Ehh, not so much. The pools are average with a huge tanning area in between them. One pool is for everyone, one is 18+. Seating around the pools is only about 30 loungers. I knew if there would be any pool time here it would have to be first thing in the morning so I could get a seat by the pool and not in the middle where you'd be sure to fry.
After the pool I headed north on the strip, stopping at pretty much every casino along the way. My mission was to get playing cards for my friend Chris at Wynn. I got a player's card while I was there and the King Cash (my favorite) slot machine took me for $100 in like 10 minutes playing at quarter level. I didn't even get the 150 points for the two free buffets!! Ugh. I can't catch a break! I walk across the street through Fashion Show Mall for a bit, licking my wounds from Wynn and then decide I should probably head back down towards NYNY. I casino hopped all the way back down, only this time on the other side of the street. Once I got back to the hotel, had some dinner at my favorite Mexican joint, Gonzalez y Gonzalez and head up to the room to nap. I sleep for a couple of hours, because that's all I can do anymore, and am back up and ready to go.
I ended up wandering around and playing at Luxor (loss), Mandalay Bay (small win) and Excalibur (didn't play) before I got to the Tropicana. The Tropicana is waaaaaay nicer now than it used to be. It's very well lit and clean and they serve Limon and sugar free Red Bull, so I was happy. I sat down to some $10 blackjack and played for quite a long time, getting ridiculously trashed in the process. I ended up sleeping at NYNY because of my south strip wandering and was back up bright and early at 9 to pack up and head down to the PHo.
I dropped all my stuff at the room and changed to head down to the pool for awhile since I chose to walk from NYNY to PHo and it was already like 90some degrees out. I get down to the pool and find no chairs in the 18+ pool, so I head over to the other one and manage to snag a lounger. I hated how packed together the chairs were and the fact that there were like 8 cabanas, only one of them which was being used, which was the way it was all weekend. Take that shit down and put some more chairs out!!
I fell asleep in my lounger for a bit and about jumped out of my skin when a big loud Russian guy who was so hairy he looked like he was wearing a fur coat plopped down beside me. Shit, it's late!! I need to get to the airport and meet Chip! I head back up to the room to clean up and get my ID because I know he'll want to have drinks as soon as he lands.
Wait a minute... What the fuck? Where is my ID??? I threw everything all over the room looking for it. It just wasn't there.... I remembered that the night before when I got back to the hotel I took off my jeans and dumped the pockets. Fuck. I bet it fell under the bed or something. My stomach is in knots and the headache is coming back. I need to leave now though, to get to the airport on time, so I head downstairs and catch a cab to the airport. When I get there, I find where I'm supposed to meet him and call NYNY. No ID turned in there and they won't send someone up to the room to look and see if it's there. I'm sick. She tells me that if they find it in the next couple of days they'll call me. Ugh. Think Tara, think. After I was done getting Chip we could go to NYNY and call the room and have the new occupants look I suppose. Ugh. Then it hits me, the last place I had it out was Tropicana. I look up their number and call. They send me through to security and I almost cry when they tell me they have it. Awesome! I tell them I'll be there shortly to pick it up.
I wait around for another 20 minutes and I see him come down the escalator. My partner in crime has arrived! I know that I've talked about Chip before, but not at much length. Actually, I'm not even sure I mentioned that he drove four hours to Kansas City when I was there to hang out with me for the one night I was in town. If you just read that old post about me wanting to know if our connection was as intense in person as it is over the phone, well it is, and I don't even mean that in a sexual way. We didn't even do it when we were in Kansas City. When I decided to take a vacation, he was the first person I called and asked to go with me. I knew we'd have a blast, but he said he didn't think he could swing it and I left it at that. We didn't talk about it again until about 10 days before the trip when I told him I was going by myself because Brandon didn't want to go and that I wished he could come with me because we have so much fun.
I didn't expect to get a "get on Alegient's website and see if they have a cheap ticket, I hear they do from here." Sure as shit, there were still tickets open for around $250 when everyone else was quoting around $600. He had me book it right then.
We were going on vacation together......
Gavin and Spain
Wow, I just looked back at my last post. I didn't realize it had really been like two weeks since I last posted. I suck. I'd like to say that with Gavin and I both back from our trips that life is slowing down. Truthfully, it's not. I'm still working just as much, then we go and throw soccer training in there and the weeks just fly by. So let's see, where to begin?
Gavin's trip was good. We still haven't got into too much detail as to what he did the whole time he was there. Honestly, I haven't really seen a whole lot of him. You know 13 year old boys. "We had fun mom. We went to the beach and played soccer. The food was gross, but I do now know I like mussels. We went to a nude beach. You were right, the naked people were scary. The south of France sucked. It was boring."
Yeah, that's about all I got out of him. I do know from the team Facebook page that the opening ceremony for the soccer tournament was held here
and was elaborate, much like the opening ceremony of the Olympics. Here's a picture of the team
My boy is the 4th one from the left in the front row, holding whatever that is they're holding. And finally, this is where they got to play their games, which was most certainly nicer than any field he's played on in Central Ohio.
He came home with very few souvenirs. He didn't even buy his mom anything for all the blood, sweat and tears she put into getting him on the trip. That's a teenage boy for you! He did get a cool jersey from the soccer tournament that I don't think he's taken off since he got home and there are a bunch of Euros floating around the house that Little E keeps trying to eat. Fun stuff.... Anyway, he had a good time.. Let's move on....
Actually, let's split this up. Part 2 coming directly after this...
Gavin's trip was good. We still haven't got into too much detail as to what he did the whole time he was there. Honestly, I haven't really seen a whole lot of him. You know 13 year old boys. "We had fun mom. We went to the beach and played soccer. The food was gross, but I do now know I like mussels. We went to a nude beach. You were right, the naked people were scary. The south of France sucked. It was boring."
Yeah, that's about all I got out of him. I do know from the team Facebook page that the opening ceremony for the soccer tournament was held here
Actually, let's split this up. Part 2 coming directly after this...
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Absent
Yeah, I know, I haven't been around much. I've had a lot going on and then there was that whole vacation thing. I don't really have a whole lot of time to write anything today, but I did want to check in and let those of you who aren't my Facebook friend know that I'm still alive... I'll get back with you probably tomorrow and you can hear all of the weirdness that is my life right now, but today I'm going to sit back and try to enjoy my birthday.
Between working both jobs and a mediation session between me and dickhead that is....
Between working both jobs and a mediation session between me and dickhead that is....
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