The Vegas Diaries

March 20, 2004

It's my last day in Vegas. What a trip! I spent the last four days watching March Madness, from the morning till sundown. Too bad the Bruins weren't playing. Oh well. Oh I won 25 bucks playing craps! So exciting! Can't wait to come back next year...

March 21, 2005

Vegas trip's been cool. Sucks that UCLA lost in the first round. Puts a damper on things. That's ok. We'll get them next year. Had a few drinks at Margaritaville after the game. Don't remember much after that. You know, there's so many people here at this time of the year. It's like Spring Break. Can't complain. Lots of eye candy to go around. And so many dudes with striped shirts and orange skin. Hahaha

March 23, 2006

Vegas was OK. Lost $500 in craps. Lost $100 on UCLA. Never bet them in the 2nd round, stupid. Although I must say, the women here are hot. Got some play from the ladies when I told them I co-starred in "Take the Lead", with Antonio Banderas. Note to self: Next year, I'll tell them I was Rufio in "Hook".

March 22, 2007

God, this place smells like ass. There are so many douchebags on the strip right now. Where did they come from? Is there a D-Bag Expo at Bellagio? Geez. Went out to PURE with my friends. Spent forty bucks on a Midori Sour for a girl named Vixen. She bailed. I drank it myself. It was pure crap. This city bugs.

March 23, 2008

I hate this effing place. I paid fifty bucks at the Wynn just so i can eat fancy crap like chilled shrimp. They're the cockroaches of the sea. And I ate fifty of them. I haven't slept in four days. I reek of cigar smoke and stripper perfume. I've hocked up loogies the size of tennis balls. I caught a dude pissing in the bushes in front of the Mirage. I'm not coming back next year. Vegas sucks. I'm taking the money I usually save up for Vegas and buying a Wii. At least I'll be entertained in a douchebag-free environment. Good-bye, Vegas. And good riddance.

March 24, 2008

Found a $1 chip from Bally's in my pants pocket. Will have to go back next year to cash it in. Start saving up now.

Plans

I haven't traveled in forever. And I've been reading a lot of friends' blogs about their vacations, and yes, I'm mad jealous.

But every so often, I take time out and just plan my future trips. And it's great to just plan:

- March 2008 - Vegas. Ahhh, Vegas in March can only mean one thing. And really, there's nothing like sitting, or more likely standing, in the Sports Book at Caesar's while 12+ hours of basketball flash before your eyes. And you have action on every game. Truly, March Madness.

- April 2008 - San Antonio, Texas. Talk about acting on faith. That's right. I've booked a flight at the site of this season's Final Four. My first trip to Texas. I couldn't be more thrilled.

- May 2008 - Philippines/Thailand. The big one. Original plan is to spend at least a week and a half with family in the PI, and spend a week in Thailand hanging out with family and friends. Philippines is confirmed, Thailand is iffy. This could be very well be my first solo vacation. The thought terrifies yet excites me at the same time.

And I'd like to take some side trips in between. I'm thinking Bay Area, East Coast, all over...

And it's great to plan long-term as well. To dream:

- 2009 - Back To Europe. I really want to spend a good three weeks there, in Spain, Portugal and Italy. And yet, there's so much left to see!

- 2010 - South Africa. World Cup. It'll be insane. And if I'm going to Africa, this is my shot to do it.

- 2011 - Wow, who knows? I kind of want to go somewhere random. Not too random like Antarctica (now THERE'S a thought!) but I'm thinking some place that's just crazy. Like India. Or Detroit.

And the next thing I know, it's 2012 and I'm thinking about going to London for the Olympics. Meanwhile, there are places in the US I've never been. Places in CALIFORNIA I've never been. Heck, there are places on the Westside that I've never even touched, and I've lived here for eight years.

And while I've laid out plans, I have no idea what's going to happen over the next three to four years. But it's still a joy to just plan, and dream away.

A Family Affair (A Weekend in Vegas)

My brother and I are sitting on the top floor of Margaritaville. It's Saturday night, right when the clubs up and down The Strip start to open up and let the hedonism in. We can see Pure right across from us. The Strip is alive.

We down cup after cup of semi-watered down brew called Land Shark. Around us, clusters of people chatter in raised voices to rise above some Jimmy Buffet wannabe blaring through the loudspeakers.

Everyone's in high spirits. A randy bunch of dudes and semi-hot chicks at the table across from us are especially high. Or drunk. Most likely drunk. They drink from the weirdest looking alcohol-containing contraption I've ever seen, probably built for the sole purpose of producing embarrassing pictures that'll show up on the Internet. Two of the chicks are seated on one guy whom my brother dubs Stifler. He had me going. I really thought that was him. Another girl is seated on another dude's lap. They make out for five minutes straight. The waitress as she gives us the bill notices the two of us staring at the couple is disbelief. "Apparently, they just met," She snorts.

Ahhh, Vegas.

I go to Las Vegas twice a year; Once in the Spring to partake in the glory of March Madness, and once in the fall to immerse myself in football, college and pro. This time however, the brother was graduating UNLV, so Mom and I made the drive through the unforgiving Mojave Desert. Here's a tip, unless you absolutely need to, don't go in August. Unless you plan on spending your time buck naked, which I'm absolutely positive some people do. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

But ANYWAY, this trip was a family affair, so no wild and crazy partying this time around. However, Vegas with Mom is not as dull as you might think. While thinking of things to check out in LV, I jokingly suggested Thunder From Down Under. "What is that, a play?" She asks me. If only.

I admit, the options of things to do in Las Vegas with your mother are slim. But when you're talking about MY mom, there are three; Gamble, eat and gamble. Fortunately, I enjoy all three, so I didn't have a problem finding things to do.

However we did find some time out of our busy schedule to check out the Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay. If you're not into gambling, or if you have kids in tow, I would definitely recommend checking out the Reef. They have a lot more than sharks, they have stingrays, jellyfish, barracudas, and so much more. The kids will go nuts.



This is the Lionfish. Why it's called the Lionfish...I'm not sure. I guess I'm not too good in aquariums either.

And that's the extent of what my family and I did in Vegas. I could tell you about the slot machines that robbed me senseless with their cute cartoon characters and Star Wars motifs, or the travails of playing craps with surly old men, but that's not that interesting. Not compared to walking down the Miracle Mile Shops and having mom attempt to pronounce the name of this boutique:



"Fa-CUCK!!"

Yes, mom.

Ahhh, Vegas.

Hotter Than Hades

The forecast for Vegas this weekend:

• Thursday: Sunny. Highs 104 to 108F and lows in the low 80s.
• Friday: Mainly sunny. Highs 105 to 109F and lows in the low 80s.

Good grief.

I just have to change my plans. Instead of doing a tour of off-strip Vegas, I just might tour all the Resort Swimming Pools.

By the way, there are European-style swimming pools on the Strip now.

Now there's a thought.

Vegas Ideas?

I'm hittin' up Vegas in a week and half, and I need help.

If you know any cool things to do in Vegas, preferably things off-Strip, drop me a line.

Or, I'll just do what I usually do when I'm up there...

Thanks.