I haven't posted in a while and I recently took a vacation that possibly no one else will blog about so I will go into it in detail to make it up to my fanbase.
Since Tom and Jay are such close friends they decided to do a joint bachelor party in Vegas this past weekend. Bachelor parties have always been hit or miss for me. Sometimes they are an enjoyable way to spend a night hanging out with friends, other times guys use them as excuses to act deplorable and stupid. In conclusion, Las Vegas is a land of contrasts.
My flight was scheduled to leave Chicago Friday evening around 8pm. Cass was loving enough to drive me to the airport and wish me luck. It was a nice sendoff. Unfortunately we overplanned and got me to Midway just after 6pm. I got through security in about fifteen minutes so I would have a good wait for my flight. Since Cass was also loving enough to buy me and iPod for my birthday I wouldn't have to spend that time watching local news and Wheel of Fortune, which was fortunate news for me.
The flight took off close enough to on time that I didn't notice the slight delay and we were in Vegas reasonably quickly. I had hoped to sleep on the plane but couldn't quite get myself to doze off so unfortunately I wasn't as rested as I had hoped for a full night my first night in. I got off my plane and was at the gate to meet Jay, Tom, Ross, Uriah, and Phil by 10:30 pm. Zach and I met up there just before the boys got off the plane and we snagged Newman on our way out of the airport while Jay, Uriah, and Phil got their bags. Since I'm on the subject I just brought up, who checks bags nowadays? This is silly. The size of bag they let you carry on now is ridiculous and they let you take two of them. I know you can't bring certain things but just get new shampoo or use the hotel shampoo for your one shower of the weekend.
We got to our hotel in a limo somewhat accidentally. We just bumped into some guy who offered us a ride there for ten bucks each and we agreed before realizing he was a limo driver. All in all, not a bad experience. The doorman at our hotel seemed cordial and eager to help, a concept I will get to in a second. We checked in with only the slight snag of the hotel being confused as to which Tom rented the room and were ready to roll by midnight.
When you get to Vegas, should you ever go, you will notice everyone is ready to help you out. They will give you their card and say anything you need you call me, be it a ride, a pass to a club, whatever. These people are doing this to make money. You are expected to tip everyone and chances are they make a percentage on everything. Do not feel obligated to trust any one person and don't believe someone who tells you they will get something done for free. They aren't doing it to be nice. This is lesson number one for Vegas. Lesson number two is don't trust the guy with two fingers.
By the time we hit the floor, Marty and Tom's brothers were already drunk and in the hole. Several of us were very hungry after long flights. The marquee at the Hooter's Casino advertised 25 cent wings between midnight and 6 am. Since it was past midnight, we made our way there to take advantage of this fantastic offer. We made it there and Tom's brothers sat at the bar while we waited for our table. While waiting we took advantage of the time by playing some tables and drinking. I ended up losing a little bit of money ($20 or so) in the two centuries it took for our table to be ready. I don't know what was going on as there were plenty of empty seats when we were finally seated. Regardless, the wings were large and excellent; nigh 200 were consumed. It was actually Dan Marino's restaurant inside the Hooter's Casino for those interested. Also for those interested, avoid the Hooter's Casino. It's a small casino with little going for it. The girls there are less attractive than those at your local Hooter's since attractive girls in Vegas have plenty of places to work and revealing outfits are the norm for cocktail waitresses anyway.
After getting our much needed replensihment in the form of dead baby chickens, we returned to the Tropicana to finish out the night. Some of our group decided to venture to other casinos however Tom, Marty and I played out the night on the blackjack table. I finished up down about $100 but had a good time catching up and getting wasted on free booze. I turned in around 6:00 followed a half hour later by everyone else. I hated to turn in early but tomorrow was a big day.
