FRIDAY!!!

Friday!!!

Woke up this morning to a business call, which I immediately put into voicemail. As it turns out, it was actually good news. The deal that has been ruining my life for the last two weeks is finally closed. Whoo hoo!!!!

On account of all this, I've decided to make it one of those Fridays where I basically take things easy. First off, I'm having lunch with a co-worker who's retiring and leaving today. Then, back to the office for a few more hours, and then off to Happy Hour with Jessie and Andrea (aka AJ) at Chaya, where it's 1/2 off sushi or something. Later, we're going to see Matt's sketch comedy show, which will be awesome of course.

I don't have any big plans for the weekend except I plan to tackle the carpet on Saturday. Max and I love having people over but one of the drawbacks is that it's really hard to keep the carpet clean. Anyway, since I did the kitchen and bathroom last weekend, it's the carpet this weekend. Exciting!! (Sadly, that's not meant to be sarcastic, I am really excited about getting the carpet clean - I nerdily researched carpet cleaning tips on the Internet for an hour last night)

Other news to report - I'm going to Denver to visit Max next weekend!! I can't wait and am really excited but somewhat nervous about the ghost in his apartment. Yes, he said he thinks he has a ghost in his apartment. I was so mad that he told me. Apparently, on both sides of the king size bed, there are these lights that turn on when you touch the base of it and one night, in the middle of the night, he woke up with BOTH OF THEM ON!!! And there was no way that he had rolled from one side all the way to the other side to have turned them both on. Sppooookkkkyyy.

So now I just have to figure out what to do with Pig. Anyone (besides Krazy Karen) want to take care of a lovable and talkative dalmatian over the weekend??? :)

Hump Day

Last night I dreamt that my brother "Theo" and his girlfriend "Justine" were Animaguses. Animagi. Whatever. They showed up at my apartment in their animal shape - Theo was a brown pitbull/boxer mix and Justine was a golden retriever. They also brought along a dalmatian puppy, who was also an Animagus, but who refused to reveal his human form. So we had no idea who the hell he was. So I started thinking about Wormtail and was trying to figure out what spell Sirius or Lupin had used to make him turn back from a rat to a human and how one of us needed to perform that spell so we could figure out who this dalmatian puppy was. And then I woke up. It's Harry Potter madness, I tell you.

I think I was dreaming about Theo and Justine, because they sent me some awesome marinades from Crate & Barrel, a few of which we used last night, when Kate, her mom Mrs. G, Gerrie (Mrs. G's friend), and Jessi came over for Season Your Own Salmon night at chez moi. The marinades are really good, and I've used them on several other occasions and was glad that everyone seemed excited to try them as well. Everyone seemed to think that SYOS was a really fun idea, kind of the way little kids feel about Make Your Own Sundae parties. I liked it because I didn't have to take any responsibility for how the salmon tasted so I didn't have to worry about messing it up. I had a great time and I think everyone else did too so that was good. Plus my watermelon sorbet seemed to go over well, so I was extra happy about that.

Anyway, I don't feel so much in the mood of going into all the inane and silly things that have happened to me since I last posted, which was - wow - several days ago. There are days when inane and silly things just aren't really on my mind, and this is one of them. I'm very concerned for a friend, but I don't want to make her uncomfortable by pointing a big sign to her, so hopefully she knows I'm thinking of her and hoping for good news next week.

Peg Leg Pig

Well, not the greatest morning so far, but all things considered, I'm actually in a decent mood. First, I got a work related phone call before 10:00 a.m., which I'm not even fond of on a weekday, much less on a Saturday. Next, while Pig and I were playing fetch with Wilbur (stuffed toy that looks like a pig - named Wilbur because obviously, it couldn't be called Pig - too confusing), she suddenly let out a yelp and got all gimpy. I think she's either pulled a muscle or sprained something. Something's definitely wrong with her front left leg. Then I talked to Max and learned that no, the show is not moving to LA. The network wouldn't approve the budget and unless he finds something else, the long-term relocation to Denver is still a possibility. Very disappointed here. Sigh.

So, not a great start to the weekend, but I'm hanging in there. I started a new book called The Sunday Philosophy Club, written by the author of the No. 1 Detective Agency series. So far so good. I'm also thinking about tackling the kitchen and bathroom floors with a good brush and a bottle of bleach. Thinking being the key word here. It will happen only if I can't find anything decent to watch on tv, and as we all know, my standards for "decent" are pretty low. Luckily I got my poker fix last night (played 3 short handed games - won one, yay!) so I'm not as inclined to spend the whole weekend watching every. single. poker. show on tv. Not this weekend, at least.

On a funny note, the editor Max is working with has a ton of religious posters and pictures taped up in her editing bay, and a signed photograph of George & Laura Bush with "Thank you for your donation" written on it. I find this highly amusing as Max is a die-hard atheist and liberal. Haha.

Oh Crap

MUST LOVE DOGS doesn't open until next weekend.

It's Friday!!

So it's finally Friday. Max has been gone officially for a week. I really could have used his help this morning - there was a GINORMOUS cockroach leering at me from the bathtub. Now, I know I'm prone to exaggeration, but this thing was HUGE. Seriously - its body was the length of a bobby pin. Add long legs and antennae to it and you get the idea - GINORMOUS. I could have kept it as a pet for Pig, it was that large. Anyway, I felt kind of bad about killing it with the my roach spray. When you kill something that big, its, um, death, is really apparent. Oh well. It was probably very germy anyway, and it's not like I really wanted to catch it in a cup and set it free, only to find it, or its millions of relatives, returning back to my apartment.

Anyway, it's Friday. I hate to admit it, but I'm totally going to go see MUST LOVE DOGS this weekend. There - I've said it, it's out there. It looks terrible, and I'm not a fan of Diane Lane, but I love romantic comedies. Even bad ones. If you are in the mood to see it as well, but are too ashamed to ask your boyfriend/roommate/other friends, let me know. Otherwise, I plan to make a digusting Girlie Me Day out of it. Brunch with Pig somewhere with a patio (if it's not too hot), manicure, pedicure, shopping, MUST LOVE DOGS, and maybe I'll make some bellinis (had it at a very posh spa yesterday - champagne plus fresh peach puree) and settle in with Freaky Friday in the evening. I fear that this weekend, the true extent of the girlie grossness that resides within me will be rearing its hot pink & lavender scented head out. If I get really bored, I'm going to make potpourri sachets to put in the dresser drawers. Max's gym t-shirts are in for a lovely surprise!

Boot Camp

Bootcamp is a challenging, fun and effective fitness program designed to deliver maximum total body results. The class structure is suitable for people of any fitness level. We combine activities like: push ups, agility exercises, resistance training, abdominals, power squats, speed drills, obstacle courses, and endurance challenges to create a fun and rewarding total body workout.

So, I saw this advertisement online, and thought, hey did this could be cool. Maybe if I actually signed up and paid for boot camp, I wouldn't bail on exercising every the morning. I was pretty interested until I saw this part:

There are individual exercises and team-oriented drills set up to motivate you and promote camaraderie. At the end of each camp there are awards given for performance and other merits of worth. We hold a “graduation” ceremony and honor achievers with rewards. The program is 5 weeks long and classes are held 5 times per week

Why - WHY - must there always be teamwork? Instantly flooded with memories of bad gym classes. Great - not only will I look stupid running through an obstacle course, but I could let down my "team." Camraderie?? More like unnecessary anxiety and self-esteem issues...

Golden Palace

It ain't Golden Girls, but I'm still pretty excited. I think I caught 1 or 2 eps when it aired on CBS - and I remember them sucking, but...I'm still pretty excited.

http://lifetimetv.com/shows/golden/palace/

Hump Day

Woke up this morning and was actually well-rested. Go figure. Must have had something to do with the fact that I didn't have to get up and pee in the middle of the night. I HATE that. Also, possibly because I didn't have an anxiety dream last night. Now, this is not a pity-me post or a cry-for-attention post - I just want to point out that I have the most UNORIGINAL anxiety dreams. In the last two weeks, I've dreamt that:

1.) I'm back in school, I don't know where my classes are, and when I get to them, I discover I haven't done any of my homework for an entire week. And my notebook is all filled up, so I don't have any clean paper to take notes with.

2.) While shopping at a department store, I lose my purse full of money, credit cards, and all my jewelry.

3.) I'm in a school musical, but I don't know the words and don't have the right costumes, but get stuck going up on stage anyway, so I have to try to pretend to sing along by mouthing to lyrics I don't know.

4.) My teeth are loose and about to fall out and I can't find my dentist's name and number in the yellow pages.

So, I am expecting, in the next few nights, to show up to work naked, and get chased by a monster and not be able to run away from it.

Boris in "Doggles"

The following two pics are quite possibly the cutest pics. Ever.

Am SO going to get "doggles" for Pig. Even though she doesn't swim. Or fly airplanes.

 

Good News

Max left me a message last night on my phone - I guess I missed his call when I was in the shower. Anyway, he said something about having some good news, so when I finally picked up the message, hours later, I immediately called him back.

At first, I thought it must have something to do with his apartment. He's being put up in a really really sweet apartment but it's not the one with the jacuzzi. So maybe they were switching him to another one?

Anyway, I got him on the phone and he's starts telling me, but in typical Max fashion, he's sort speaking slowly and drawing it out..."Yeah....So......(*sigh*)....Um...." and I really wanted to strangle him through the phone but I've learned to be patient because not everyone talks as fast as I do. And then it hit me - I bet his "good news" is something about the Lions. Max would totally call to tell me about how the Lions have picked up some great player or drafted something or another - anyway, something Lions related.

But I was wrong!! He did have legitimate good news!!! Apparently, the show he is working on in Denver will move to Los Angeles in September. There's no chance he'll be relocating to Denver for eight months!!! So if all goes well after this ten week stint, he'll be back in LA working on the show here!!!! Whoo hooo!!!! I can't even get over how happy I am about that!!!!!

Not to say that the Lions picking up a great player isn't "legitimate good news" of course.

Sareet & Pig's Big Beach Adventure

Having spent my entire Saturday on the couch reading Harry Potter and recovering from my cold, I woke up this morning and decided that yes, today I needed to get out of the apartment. It had become a necessity. Mainly because I was getting cabin fever having stayed in for so many days, but also because I was down to 1/2 a sheet of a paper towel. No toilet paper, no napkins, no kleenex, no paper products of any kind. No newspaper, no wrapping tissue, nada. This was it - 1/2 a sheet of paper towel. If I had to sneeze and piss at the same time, I'd have biohazard situation on my hands.

So after going to the grocery store and spending a few more hours online reading articles written by my new poker crush Daniel Negreanu (yeah he's 140 lbs, but he just seems so genial and personable - adorable!) I decided that Pig and I should spend some quality time together and check out the Dog Beach I read about earlier online. Kate and I had made plans to do this the following weekend, but I figured checking it out this weekend could be helpful, just in case it sucked.

So, I slathered on the sunblock, packed a backback with some dog necessities, grabbed the directions I had carefully copied from the website (so I thought) and took off. The Dog Beach is actually just a small stretch of Huntington Beach. Mapquest said it was about 37 miles away, maybe a 45 minute drive. Well, sadly, it took me 55 miles and two hours to get there, having gotten lost several times...having forgotten to actually put the directions in my bag...and having a serious lack of ability to figure out the Thomas guide.

No matter though. The beach was awesome. Pig seemed to really enjoy herself and ran around trying to find some washed up seafood she could eat. Luckily, she wasn't successful. She dug holes in the sand and played with some other dogs. Unlike most dogs, Pig has no love for water. She sidesteps every sprinkler and hops over every little sidewalk stream. She was very good about avoiding the ocean, but I think she suddenly got curious and ran out once towards it. A big wave came splashing in, and suddenly she froze, tail lifted high in the air, franctic look in her eyes. The water came up to nearly her back but she didn't move at all, even though I tried calling her back. I realized - dude, she can't swim. My dog can't swim!!! Is that possible??? Anyway, it was really funny.

So that was it. Our big beach adventure.

AHHHHH!!!! IT'S HERE AT LAST!!!!!

WHERE IS MY BOOK, DAMMIT????

Harry Potter Day!!!

So this morning I woke up before my alarm clock even rang, because I was so excited about getting Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince today!!! I'm such a nerd. I'm a little worried about it actually getting here - our front gate is broken so I have to leave it open in order for UPS to get through, but there's always SOMEONE who shuts the gate as soon as they see it open. Frankly, that someone is usually me (doesn't anyone care about security in the building???) so I'm really hoping there's isn't another person like me here. Just in case though, I've left a note with specific instructions that should the gate be closed, LEAVE THE BOOK BY THE GATE!!! (for the love of god!!!!) They have until 7 p.m. to deliver the book....I hope it gets here soon.

The Harry Potter book will make up for a pretty crappy day yesterday. I could barely sleep the night before, as I kept having to blow my nose. (i'm sure you all appreciate the details of my bodily functions on this blog...) Max got up at around 6:00 a.m. and left for Denver so that was sad. I spent the morning in a Benadryl anti-histamine induced daze and basically napped for hours on the couch. Woke up at around lunch, watched RUNAWAY JURY, which I think I've actually seen before but forgot, and decided to just pop in the office to check my email and handle a few loose ends.

Well, that was a mistake. There was a work disaster lurking around for me, and frankly, when I'm sick, not wearing make-up, greasy hair in a ponytail, wearing my red Johnny English t-shirt, gray sweat pants that have pilled up around my ass, and blue flipflops, I'm just not the Me Who Can Handle Work Disasters. It's like my defenses are super low and my emotional energy level at zero. Anyway, there was some crying in my office, some crying in someone else's office, and I finally managed to table things until Monday. So yay, Monday...I can't wait.

There was one nice thing at the office though - a very sweet email from Max's sister, which I appreciated very much. Thanks again, Lala!! (obviously not her real name)

Got back home, ordered enough Chinese food to last the weekend, and proceeded to watch several hours of random tv. My exciting plans for the evening - two Benadryl, a hot shower and an early bedtime. Everything went according to schedule until I had to take Pig out. She's been really weird lately about going out to pee at night. At first, I thought it had something to do with her getting scared of the fireworks from July 4th. The following two nights after the fourth, every time I took her out for the "last pee," which happens just outside my gate in the gardeny/shrub area (which is gross, I know, but everyone in the building takes their dogs out there) she'd refuse to go. She seemed really nervous. When I tried to force her into the shrubs, she wouldn't move and would just press her nose by the gate, waiting to get back inside. But after those first few nights, she's been fine, except for last night when she started up again. I took her out at around 9:30 and she just would. not. go. pee. Tail all drooped between her legs, she just waited by the door. When I tried dragging her, she splayed out her claws and tried to hold her ground. I took her back inside, and tried again, half an hour later, to no avail. So finally I just gave up and walked her all the way down the street - the nearest patch of grass is one long block away - where she finally peed.

I have three theories on why this is happening.

1.) She remembers the fireworks every so often, and gets randomly scared.
2.) She knows that if she doesn't go by the gate, I'll eventually take her down the street and she gets an extra walk that way.
3.) She misses Max. (this only happens when he's gone.)

Anyway, it was rather annoying and we both went to bed grumpy with each other. Which seemed a fitting end to the crappy day.

But today - today will be glorious!!!

Dammit, where's my book?

I Don't Mean to be Gross...

But good lord, where is all this snot coming from????

Is there some reservoir of runny-nose-stuff in my head that has suddenly burst open????

Damn summer cold - I've gone through several rolls of toilet paper today and my nose is about to fall off. My garbage can is overflowing with "wontons," my mom's nickname for used bunched-up wads of kleenex. Funny. I guess they do kind of look like "wontons."

Why I never order wonton soup...

Hump Day Sick Day

Had to call in sick yesterday. The minor sore throat I had on Monday, which turned into an uncomfortable sinus-y mucus-face feeling on Tuesday, blossomed into a lovely summer cold Wednesday.

Amazingly, I am feeling much better today, so that's good. And Max, who is driving off to Denver tomorrow, seems completely fine, so that's even better.

Not much to talk about right now. I spent much of yesterday on the couch watching mindless TV. Ran a few errands with Max and then settled down to watch a four hour poker tournament on FSN. I'm itching to play so I'm secretly hoping Amol will organize a game tomorrow night. Or maybe I can drop enough hints to get him to do it. Although I already did that last week, so maybe I should just hold back and be patient and wait and see....

Corrections, Retractions, Clarifications

To clarify, after having spoken with my Aunt Laura this morning, the "bent umbrella" mentioned in the post below was the result of a defensive shielding motion, rather than from her hitting someone on the head with it.

No retraction of the story though - as I explained to her, "It's a proud moment in our family history."

By the way, she still gets carded in Vegas and she's, well...I won't tell you how old she is.

I, however, did not get carded EVEN ONCE in Vegas. Time to slather on the eye wrinkle cream.

Manic Monday

Well, there is nothing quite like starting off the work week with a screaming match.

Pig and I were just minding our own business, humming Hollaback Girl on our way to the office, when we nearly got hit by an idiot driving a BMW. An UGLY OLD BUTT-FACE IDIOT driving a BMW. I don't know quite how to describe it without illustrations, but we were walking straight down a sidewalk and had just stepped off the curb to cross the little residential street, when this UGLY OLD BUTT-FACE IDIOT WHO CAN JUST GO FUCK HIMSELF had decided to make a left turn onto our street and nearly hit us. Which was bad enough but when I gave him a nasty glare, he gave ME a nasty glare, and then STOPPED his car, rolled down his window and proceeded to yell at me. I, of course, had plenty of choice words to scream back at him and rather shrilly (because I was so furious) reminded him that pedestrians have the right of way. Which they do (copied from the CA DMV website):

A crosswalk is that part of the pavement where the sidewalk lines would extend across the street and it is set aside for pedestrian traffic. Every intersection has a pedestrian crosswalk whether or not there are painted lines on the street. Most crosswalks are at corners but they can also be in the middle of the block. Before turning a corner, watch for people about to cross the street. Pedestrians have the right of way in crosswalks.

I half hoped that he'd get out and really try to start a fight because the one thing my family is good at is fighting with random strangers over traffic and then threatening to call the police and press charges. Once, in Hong Kong, my mom and her four sisters got into a screaming match with this nasty couple over a parking spot. I seem to recall one of my aunts walking away with scratches on her arm, and another with bruises. And a bent umbrella. (although I don't remember if the bent umbrella was a result of one my aunts hitting someone with it...) They left me, my brother and sister in the car, so I never really got a good understanding of what happened. I always just found it hysterical that all five of them, plus three kids, were in the same car - clown car style.

Anyway, I have no problems telling off random people, although I'm glad that this time, it didn't result in an angry racist homeless man spitting on me (I've told that story somewhere here on this blog, right? I'll have to go through the archives)

What a way to start the week.

Karaoke Saturday

So yesterday was a most excellent day.

Picked up Max from the airport, had Subway for lunch, watched a Netflixed Cheers Season 4 DVD, napped and then went to Fogo de Chao for dinner, which is this awesome Brazillian churrasco (sp?) style restaurant that just opened up in Beverly Hills. I had gone to one in Chicago with my family last winter, and was super excited about taking Max to the one here. It's pricey but awesome.

Afterwards, we headed to our old haunt, Boardwalk 11, for a fairly last minute "Max is going away for 10 weeks/Amol's Birthday was Earlier This Week/Josh's Birthday is Sometime in the Future" party. I had managed to get reservations so we actually had a table, which was nice. Sadly, few of our group actually got to sing - some of the other people there must have put in tons of songs as soon as they got there so we kept seeing the same few karaokers on stage over and over again. I didn't mind the group who looked like the cast of a UPN sitcom, but I really hated the group who kept singing show tunes from the Wizard of Oz musical, which I didn't even know existed. Blech....

Best part of the night was when, in the middle of these two girls giving a rendition of Beastie Boys "Paul Revere," Max suddenly joined them on stage. I'm not sure he was actually invited up, but he knew the lyrics forwards and backwards, and these girls were doing such a shitty job (had no idea what they were doing up there) he just felt compelled to help them out. I don't think they really wanted his help though - this one girl just would not let go of the microphone. Really hsyterical. When Julia sends them to me, I'll post up the pics of microphone tug-of-war that ensued.

Anyway, we helped close out the bar and got back a little after two. I didn't have the guts to go up on stage to sing any Carole King (I'm a private room type of girl when it comes to karaoke places), so Max kindly humored me and listened to me warble out several CK songs in bed ("So Far Away" and "It's Too Late"), not to mention other 70's Light FM songs ("When I Need You" and "Long, Long, Time") before drifting off to sleep.

A most excellent day.

Birthday Wishes to Kate

Who's out of town at the moment, but Happy Hygiene nonetheless!!!

And We're Off to the Races!!!

So yesterday, Thode called up and told me all excited that there was $1 beer and $1 hotdogs at the Hollywood Park Race Tracks that night AND (best part), Morris Day and the Time were giving a concert afterwards. "Morris Day and the Time!!!" she shrieked.

Erm...frankly, I had no idea who they were.

"You know...from the Purple Rain video...?"

And to save myself from further embarassment because I still didn't know who she was talking about (I don't think I've actually ever seen the Purple Rain video) and besides, I was already sold the second she even called me, having spent much of week reading Prisoner of Azkaban, watching Seinfeld re-runs, and falling asleep by 10:00 p.m., I just said "Oh, yeah" and agreed to meet at Amol's at 8:30 p.m.

Sadly, because AD needed to SHOWER AFTER WORK (collective "huh?" because it's not like he chops wood for a living or something - the man's got a desk job) we didn't get there until right before the very last race. So I only got to make one bet, and I decided to wing it and bet $2 for Kootchie Green to win. Based entirely on its name. Kootchie Green.

And Kootchie Green came in second to last!! KG came very close to being in last place, and only pulled ahead at the very end, which I found really ironic.

Anyway, some thoughts on the racetrack...

I knew enough to figure it wouldn't quite look like Seabiscuit, but for some reason, in my head, I thought it might look like that scene from Pretty Woman where Julia Roberts is wearing that cool brown dress with the polka dots and the hat, which now, as I'm typing this, I realize that was a polo game at a fancy country club.

Polo game at a fancy country club this was not.

I mean, I still think that it would be really fun to get a group of friends together and hang out there for an afternoon/early evening, but the place was kind of...gross. The floor was littered with shredded up bet tickets, spilt beer, and all sorts of other crap. Really ugly flourescent lighting. And the people there were kind of thuggy. And I heard the hotdog was no good.

But Morris Day and the Time were good. Turns out they're some sort of funk band from the 80's. Best known for a song called "Jungle Love." Huh. Go figure.

And I kind of liked that I got to do something that I figure my grandpa on my dad's side and my great-grandpa on my mom's side, did a lot. I seem to recall hearing stories about how they would go to the tracks. And also what Dorothy Zbornak on the Golden Girls liked to do, but she liked to do that a little bit too much and had to keep rescheduling her interview for a teaching job because she spent all her time at the tracks and then she owed all this money so Rose lent Dorothy her ATM card to borrow money for a "surgery" and Dorothy felt guilty and it turns out Rose knew all along that Dorothy didn't need money for "surgery" and but just hoped that Dorothy would have a hard time taking advantage of a friend and then Dorothy finally she admits that she has a gambling problem. Which I really hope that I don't have, because, damn, placing that bet was really fun and watching the race was really really exciting!

So Wrong, but it's True

Just saw the commercial and I totally want the "Carole King - The Living Room Tour" two CD collection set.

How is it possible?

That I sleep for over 11 hours and wake up tired?????

Hump Day

Well, here it is again. Hump Day. Doesn't really feel like it though - I keep thinking it's Tuesday. But hey, no complaints here.

Woke up half an hour earlier than usual. I'm too embarassed to tell you what "usual" is...so let's just say I actually woke up at a fairly reasonable time this morning. Which was good, because I actually WORKED OUT!! Amazing. I did Kathy Smith's Time Saving Upper Body Weight Lifting work-out video. Good ol' Kathy and I "pumped it up - yay!" this morning. I've been trying to get back into exercising and have, for the last several days, walked to the office and back, twice a day. Which is pretty darn good, in my opinion, but I'm sure the five plates of food I ate at the Bellagio Buffet negated all the hard work. But it was worth it.

So Max always says that I leave food out in the kitchen and he has to put it away for me (not complaining, just matter-of-fact), and I've always said he's full of shit and that I put my food away, but yesterday I came home from work and discovered I left out the ketchup, the mustard, and a full package of hot dogs on the counter after lunch. All afternoon. In the sweltering Los Angeles heat.

I'm going to have to adjust to that over the next few months, or else the grocery bill is going to get awfully high.

Weekend Recap - Long Ass Recap

VIVA LAS VEGAS!!!

I had such an awesome Vegas trip that I don't even know where to begin. Well, I suppose I do -Saturday 4:00 a.m. Yes, that's when I got up. Good lord, that was early. In an effort to avoid traffic, Julia and Reggie picked me up at 4:45 a.m. Stopped for gas, picked up Kate, and headed off. First stop was McDonald's drive thru - here Julia demonstrated a near angelic amount of patience while ordering what turned out to be a rather complicated combo of menu items and off-menu items. (for the vegetarians out there - apparently you can order a Bacon Egg & Cheese McGriddle without the bacon but that's how you have to order it - not just an Egg & Cheese McGriddle...) We made great time on the road and got to Vegas in about five hours. Would have been faster except there were a few traffic accidents that held everyone up.

First stop - Treasure Island - or what my Aunt Laura affectionately calls "her bank" on the grounds that she does well there and readily walks away with money. Reggie, Julia and I sat down to play 3 Card Poker, which quickly became my new favorite casino game. It was so much fun, and I had nearly doubled my stack in ten minutes, but, like all compulsive gamblers, I couldn't bring myself to leave the table until I was down about $15 . (*I can hear the collective "tsking" from my relatives as I type this...*)

Next we grabbed lunch and headed over to Imperial Palace. Broke even playing blackjack against a Dolly Parton impersonator dealer, but lost some the second one of the Blues Brothers impersonator dealers came on board. Bastard. That guy really sucked.

But, I made it all back and some more when playing 3 Card Poker again and I hit trips!!!! Three 8's!!!! If that's not a lucky Chinese number, I don't know what is! Anyway, I made about $200!! Whoo hoo!

Played some more there (of course! just cuz you win, it doesn't mean you should stop!) and then headed to our hotel to rest a bit. Had dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant called Pho Hoa and then we were off to what turned out to be the Best Clubbing Experience Ever. Apparently Reggie "knew some people" and got us into Pure, one of the hottest clubs in Vegas. It's the club in Caesar's Palace and it was awesome. Had several dance floors and even a rooftop level where you could see nearly all of Vegas. Awesome awesome awesome.

But our next stop, in my opinion, was even more awesome. For the first time in my life, I got to see what it's like to be a celebrity. Or a gangsta. Reggie "knew some people" and got us into the VIP area of Tangerine, the club at Treasure Island. So, not only did we have our own booth in this velvet-rope-sectioned-off area, but we also got free bottle service. So as soon as I sat down, this waitress brought over a complimentary bottle of Grey Goose vodka, carafes of various juices, and cans of Red Bull. Having not quite gotten over the hangover from last weekend (actually, I was over it, but alcohol was not agreeing with me at all and I spent most of the weekend declining cocktails and drinking Diet Coke), I asked for water. And the waitress came back with multiple bottles of Fiji water. My favorite kind! The kind I buy only on rare occassions because it costs more than double! Incidentally, we pocketed all the bottles of water and cans of Red Bull and took them back to the hotel.

Anyway, the club was so awesome and Kate and I even danced on a little stage in the VIP area that overlooked the main dance floor. We finally left at 3 a.m. and crashed until 10:00 a.m.

Thank god I didn't drink the night before because we were off to the Bellagio Buffet the next morning. No Vegas trip is complete without a stop at the Bellagio Buffet. It is well worth the 2 hour wait and the $35 fee. I think I ate about $34 worth of food and more shrimp cocktail than anyone else there.

Afterwards, we headed off to Fremont Street where, accordingly to Amol, "the locals and compulsive gamblers" go. He wasn't kidding. The advantage those casinos is that the minimums are really low - the disadvantage is that there is a rather desperate and unhappy energy there. And weird patrons. However, on our way out, we did get to sample Deep Fried Oreos at one of the casinos, so that was cool.

Dinner was at Quark's, the Star Trek themed restaurant at the Hilton, where Kling Ons and Ferengi's are the waiters. Amol and AD are big time Trekkies and they looked like little kids in a candy store. Anyway, it was really fun and ended with a group rendition of "Proud to be an American" which had been playing non-stop for 24 hours on 104.7 in Vegas.

After dinner, Julia, Reggie, Kate and some others headed back to Tangerine, but I couldn't do it. Part of me wanted to go back to the hotel and sleep (I was exhausted by this point), but SOMEHOW I ended up at Bally's with Amol and Annie. I learned how to play roulette, and then played some craps. Then it was back to the hotel.

We all woke up with "Proud to be an American" stuck in our head, which was a nice change from the "Fanta, Fanta - Wanta Fanta?" song that had been stuck in our heads earlier. We left at around 8:30 and amazingly, there was no traffic on the way back. This time it was who Reggie demonstrated near angelic amounts of patience ordering breakfast at McDonald's. I got back at around 1:30 p.m. just in time to drive Max to the airport.

After getting back from the airport, I had about five hours to kill. I figured I'd resist napping, and go to sleep at nine. But Pig apparently had other plans. Other plans that involved freaking out about the fireworks, which started at nine. After running around for a bit, trying to push her way into the closet, knocking the books off my night stand in an effort to fit UNDER my nightstand, and putting her face under the pillows in my bed, Pig finally calmed down when I decided just to camp out on the couch in the living room, with the tv blaring and all the lights on.

Sleep at last.

I AM SO EXCITED!!!

So, Vegas tomorrow. AHHHHHH!!!!! I'm so so so excited!

Am REALLY hoping that I play better at the casinos than online. I've been practicing with fake money all morning and so far I'm down about $150 in blackjack, down $300 in craps, and down about $200 in Caribbean Stud. Last time I went to Vegas, I was up in fake money before I left, but lost real money, so maybe this is a good sign?

Gamblers are so superstitious.

Today's been a good day so far, except for the bit about Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. Boo.

Max and I are going to catch a movie later and do some shopping. He needs new clothes for his Phoenix shoot, and I need some shoes that look cute but are comfortable. Also, some hootchie tops for Vegas.

DID I MENTION I'M SO EXCITED!!!!

I plan on bring a deck of cards and our craps game set on the trip. Gotta practice in the car too.