Mau ketemu ama ica disitu, terus ke bank. Beberapa menit kemudian ica datang. Pas mau nyebrang, ada bapakbapak pake peci, berjaket gelebergeleber, bawa kantong keresek besar dan amplop. Bapak itu nanya kalo ke Gasibu naik apa. Gw jelasin deh, secara gw udah tau ke Gasibu naik apa soalnya udah pernah ama ica ke KICKFEST. Gw getoo. Terus bapak itu bilang lagi "ngga salah kan?", gw jawab ngga. Terus bapak itu nanya, "mau kemana dek?", gw jawab mau ke dago. Udah aja si bapak itu nyebrang. Gw ama ica nyusul nyebrang beberapa saat kemudian.

Tiba" ketemu lagi, soalnya bapak itu jalannya rada lama, gw ama ica buru" soalnya takut bank-nya tutup. Hal geje pun terjadi... Bapak itu bilang, "sok, jalannya duluan aja". Yaudah gw ama ica jalan duluan. Kita pake jalan nerobos, belok kiri, sekalian mastiin bapak" itu ngikutin apa ngga. HAAH! Ternyata ngikutin donkksss..... Padahal tadi gw kasi tau jalannya lurus aja terus naik kalapa-dago. Huaa....gawatzz bangedzz! Gw ngga mau jadi korban mutilasi! Apalagi gw belom beli baju lebaran, dapet angpao lebaran juga belom!

Gw langsung gerak jalan sehat, kecepatan 400 km/jam. Terus, gw ama ica juga membaur dengan orangorang yang lagi jalan. Pas udah jauh, orangnya udah ngga keliatan lagi! Hahahah! Kita lolos dari bapakbapak setengah baya itu. Siapa suruh mau mutilasi orang bawa bawaan kayak mau mudik!

Naek angkot, kirikiri depan Dago Plaza, masuk ke Bank Niaga cabang dago, nyetor duit, Tridaya ampe jam 4.

Udah gitu keliling keliling nyari BARAN (baju lebaran). Dari UNKL347, eat347, invictus, manalica, collabo, NLs, blackjack, COSMIC, screamous, diery, opium, badger, arcane, ouval research, gw kunjungin semua. Gw dapet cardigan coklat di ouval. Tau ngga si looo...gw bayarnya pake Kartu debet niaga cerdik loooo! tinggal gesek boow, terus tandatangan. Ica nemu yang bagus di arcane, sweater gitu. Tapi di sana ngga nerima pembayaran kartu. Jadi ngambil dulu ke superindo cepetcepet, atas saran pa satpam kalo atm yang paling deket disitu. Terus pake atm bersama deh, tapi bakalan dipotong 5000 sekali narik, kalo ngecek saldo 2000.

Foto: Ica ampe gigit" dompet soalnya takut kartunya ketelen glek.. glek..

Selese ngambil, gw nawarin danti kalo buka puasanya di Pizza Hut Dago, ntar dibookingin. Eh, ternyata di sebelah superindo tu bank niaga. Ada atmnya pula. Ludes lah uang ica 10.000 soalnya ngambil uang duakali di atm bersama. Udah wee ke Pizza Hut Dago. Bilang ke mbaknya, meja buat delapan orang, terus duduk. Gw iseng buka hape, eh ada sms, isinya "dila d hokben aja, udah pada di situ ." Oh mai gat. Muka gw mau gw taro mana?? Mana udah sok sok-an pesen meja buat 8 orang, tau nya ngga jadi!! Gimana keluarnya nihh.. Udah aja gw ama ica keluar dari Pizza Hut dengan muka merah nan panas layaknya api cinta membara.

Gw ama ica pun melanjutkan perjalanan untuk membeli sweater dambaan ica di Arcane, pas dicobain taunya kurang cocok, ngga jadi beli deh. Ya udah akhirnya kita jalan dari trunojoyo ampe hokben merdeka.

Abis makan, gw, ica, danti, ebhe, dhira, gya, ke diery merdeka. Gw beli iket pinggang blackjack, tinggal gesek juga bayarnya *bangga. Terus ke BIP, liat" topi, ke skaters. Ica nemu sweater bagus, ehh ngga ada yang s nya. Ke Rockster, gw beli baju, ukurannya s, gambarnya keren. Abis gitu ke Folker, terus ke Sharks. Liat" ke stroberi, udah gitu keluar dari BIP. Depan BIP ada topi koboi catur bagus, gw beli. 55 ribu berdua ama danti, jadi 27500 satu. Danti belinya topi reggae. Oh iya, kali ini gw bayarnya pake uang tunai. Abis gitu ke moutley terus ke sportmax, liat".

Udah jam 20.02, pulang de. Nyampe di terminal, mama belom dateng..gawat..serem banget..mana banyak masteng lagihh.. Untung aja masi bisa nyampe ke rumah, ya setelah nungguin mama 2 menitan.

Yours,
Jack

Back to the 1st movie I watched which was 21. As the title and poster shows, its about blackjack, or more appropriately a group of high intellectuals from a highly educated background playing the game for profit. Based loosely on the novel "Bringing Down the House" by Ben Mezlich, which in turn is adapted from a true story, the movie shows the adventures of a group of smart undergrads from MIT who goes on a high roller gambling weekend at Vegas. The protagonist of the show is Ben Campbell, played by Jim Sturgess. He has just been accepted at Harvard Medical and is an applicant for some scholarship to pay the hefty fees. One, he has to 'dazzle' the interviewer with an out-of-the-ordinary life experience or two, he gets a huge sum of money and not take the scholarship. At which point, his advanced math class professor ropes him into the team that the professor has assembled to bring down the casinos of Vegas. Initially, the seemingly innocent Ben was just aiming to get his share of three hundred thousand to foot his studies, but as he starts on his new life outside college, he realizes the temptation and changing direction of his own life. This brings in new challenges in the relationships he has with his best friends as well as his relationship with one of the team mates who happens to be a female student that he likes from the start. What's truly smart about the show was the twists and turns in the ending, and the satisfying finale. The cast of Kevin Spacey as the professor was one of the best acted parts of the movie, and all this combines to make it worthy of a movie to be enjoyed!

Next on the list was Wall-E, movie that I awaited, not only because it was made by Pixar. This studio has produced some of my favourite movies of all time from Toy Story, Finding Nemo, Cars to Ratatouille. Its the quality of their offerings that pushed me to watch Wall-E. It didn't disappoint, but I wouldn't go as far as saying that it exceeded its previous productions. The storyline shows Earth sometime in the future, over-filled with rubbish, and being too intoxicated for humans to live in, forcing the evacuation of mankind into a huge space shuttle that just cruises around space. So who was designated to clear the mess on Earth, which humans themselves created? Wall-E is the answer, and yes, this 'cute' little thing does the same old routine of charging his solar panels at dawn, and begins munching garbage, excreting it into small cuboids that are assembled into skyscrapers. That is until another robot from humans were sent from outer space to scan for the possibility life forms on Earth. The first part of the show could be nearly referred to as a silent movie with 'walllleeee' and 'eeevvvvaaa' being remotely the only dialogue. But the special part was the great animation work done which manages to show the emotions of these 2 robots even with the least meaningful of words. The movie was also meaningful in bringing out the 'Save the Earth' message to us humans, and hopefully brings out the environmentalist in all who watches the show. Do use Earth's resources sparingly and avoid wastage... lest our Earth becomes like that depicted in the animation in times to come. 

Next on the show was Iron Man, a movie that I have heard rave reviews from. Everyone seems to be complimenting on how good the show was. To tell the truth, I was kind of tired of all the Marvel Comics characters being made into movies, as I wasn't a Marvel comic fan in the first place. My choice of comics as a kid was the Dragonball series, Martial Arts series (風雲, 神兵玄奇, etc...) and those by Tony Wong (龍虎門). Iron Man is about the ultra-rich Tony Stark as the majority owner of Stark Industries, the main defense contractor of the US Government. On an excursion to Afghanistan, the tycoon got captured, and he uses his engineering ingenuity to power his own heart, saving himself from the grasp of the mercenaries whose intent is on continuing chaos for their own benefit. Upon returning to the States, Tony Stark wants to close down the weapons manufacturing division of his huge empire, an idea which was met with discontent from the shareholders of the company. A good plot with a relevant storyline to today's events, and the special effects certainly didn't disappoint. Several concepts of the character was similar to that of Batman (rich tycoon, engineering ingenuity, assistance of butler, amazing cars...) The movie's momentum was also very nicely done, with action packed scenes throughout the show, but ultimately, it might just be another of those 'superheroes' movie. To me, it is nicely done - better than what I had expected - however, it is not extra special. 

The last show of the review, was perhaps one of the biggest surprise for me. Wanted, is a show to catch even just for Angelina Jolie acting in it. But I didn't have any particular push to watch it with the other blockbusters that was showing alongside it, like Hulk, Dark Knight, and Red Cliff. Maybe it is because I went in with little expectations that I got 'wowed' by the movie. This story about a young, everyday lowly accountant who was drafted into a fraternity of assassins is also based on a comic (found out about it after watching the movie). With Angelina Jolie acting as this guy's mentor, the movie packs a lot of punches and has lots of amazing effects like bullets whizzing, extraordinary slo-mo scenes, and slick moves. The narrating perspective provided for the user was a nice touch for viewers! One of the best action movies that truly deserves a praise!

So ganz ist uns das zwar nicht gelungen. Ein Abend an dem man aber mit +15 Euro nach Hause kommt, kann durchaus als erfolgreich gezaehlt werden. Nach dem die ersten fuenf Dollar beim Roulette durchgebracht wurden, wollte ich mein Glueck noch einmal herausfordern. Mit den naechsten fuenf Dollar sollte es also besser werden. Und tatsaechlich: die von mir gesetzte Null kam! Jaa, wir waren reich. aus einem Dollar wurden so ganze 36! Nach einer Pechstaehne habe ich dann bei 30 Dollar aufgegeben.

Bemerkenswert war jedoch ausserdem mein Nachbar zur linken! (Zur rechten hat Carina gesessen, die den Laden ebenso hochgenommen hat. Die ist ebenfalls mit 15 Dollar auf der Habenseite aus dem Casino marschiert) Nachdem ich meine ersten 10 Einsaetze gemacht habe, hatte er schon seine ersten 120 Dollar verloren. Wer nun meint, man sollte es dann mit dem Spielen bleiben lassen, hat vermutlich recht. Nicht aber so dieser fluchende Herr, der wiederholt das f-Wort um sich warf. Auch das beherzte Klopfen auf den Computerbildschirm brachte nichts. Was macht man also? Genau! Fuettert die Maschine wieder mit 120 Dollar..... und nochmal......!

Als wir schliessliche triumphierend nach Hause gegangen sind, sass dieser nette Herr vermutlich noch immer dort und hat gerade beim Pokern sein Haus verspielt.

¿Por qué al Blackjack? Porque me parece uno de los juegos menos abusivos dentro de un casino. Las probabilidades de perder no son tan espectaculares como en la ruleta, se puede decidir qué hacer (odio los juegos en los que te encomiendas a tu suerte y ya está) y la banca juega siempre de un modo determinista.

Humm, azar, determinismo, probabilidades... si nos van los números, puede molar, ¿no? Parece que no soy al primero que se le ocurre, de hecho hay hasta una peli sobre el tema:

Pues bien, estuve un rato practicando la estrategia básica con el Gnome Blackjack y al lío.

¿El resultado? Entré con 50 euros en el casino y salí con 115 :-)

Pensándolo bien, quizá haya sido verdadera mala suerte haber ganado el primer día. Pensándolo mal, tengo 65 euros para jugar sin que me dé toda la rabia perderlos :-D

Disclaimer: no soy un flipao, sé que ha sido muuuuuucha potra, pero jugando más o menos bien al Blackjack no tienes que tener tanta potra como con la ruleta o la lotería. Hay auténticos profesionales del tema, aunque en Europa es bastante complicado ganar mucho dinero porque hay más reglas que favorecen a la banca.

Type: Game

Cost: Free

Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ 8/10

Review: This is a pretty fun game and is one of my favorite on the app store.  This game incorporates some of the rules of blackjack with a twist.  The game consists of 5 rows where you try to place cards to add up to 21 (or as close as you can get).  The free version the game is made up of 3 rounds each consisting of 30 seconds.  The next card to be played is always placed up near the top of the screen and if you don't like it, you have the chance to skip one each round.  Your score is calculated based on your five rows and the total that is added up from the rows.  If you score at least 95 points on the 5 rows you will also be eligible to receive bonus points for time left, blackjack bonus, hand of 21 bonus and all rows 21 bonus.  The only option/setting for the free version of this game is to change the background but the $4.99 paid version allows you to change the number of rounds, number of seconds in each round, starting cards in each row and change the position of where the row total is displayed as well as keeping track of your high scores.

Screenshots:

Verdict: Fun free game but if you don't feel there are enough settings and you enjoy the game enough you might wish to buy the paid version.

Link: BlackJack Run Lite

Yours,
Jack

Just like any other insurance, this will protect you from risk. The risk here would be when you have a strong feeling that the other dealer has an ace and would end with a blackjack. So, you would have the insurance to protect you. Remember, there is penalty when your suspicion is wrong.
The amount paid for the insurance would be half of what is in your wager. If the other dealer gets a blackjack and wins, you only pay 2:1 from the insurance. At least it would have minimized the loss.
6.    Playoffs
If you happen to have cards that are more than 21 in value, you lose the game. All the others who have similar values as the dealer have a tie and those who have cards with lesser values also lose.
It is much advantageous to play blackjack at one of the best online casinos. Sometimes you can be at your house. There would be no one watching you. You can apply a strategy that you feel would help you win and also refer when possible.
However, you must be careful with how you bet all through the game. You must bet conservatively as blackjack is very tricky. Now that you know the options, you can start with free games and see how you do.

Here’s the story of “Bring down the House:”  A bunch of smart MIT students join a clandestine blackjack team.  Basically, they take a simple card counting technique and add a team component in it to make it more profitable and harder for casinos to detect.  (Card counting is legal in Vegas and Atlantic City, but they’ll throw you out if they think you are doing it.)  In order to keep their enterprise rolling and avoid detection and banishment by the casinos, they use fake names, wear disguises, and bounce around to different casinos.  Over the course of the story, they live the life of high rollers, to include parties and women.  They are also chased by locals, physically threatened by casino employees, and have an entire company (the Giffen Agency) devoted to shutting down the team. Ultimately, greed, fear of violence, boredom, and restlessness break up the team. 

How can you screw that up?  Vegas, women, money, violence….  Well, here’s how the “21” writers chose to screw it up.

- In “21” the main character, Ben, is a MIT student genius/nerd who wants to go to Harvard Medical School.  He can’t afford the $300K fees. After declining several times, he decides to join the blackjack team, but only to cover his medical school fees and to be near a girl for whom he has a crush.  The problem with this working class twist is that it’s completely unnecessary and takes up roughly 30 minutes of valuable time.  Why do I care why boy genius wants the money?  I signed up to watch a bunch of nerds win a bunch of money and party down with hot chicks and strippers.  This whole thing just wastes my time.

- It seems like nothing gets out of Hollywood without a love story, and “21” is no exception.  This love story is really half-assed and wastes more time.  They kiss a couple times and go at it once, but otherwise, it’s just there.  The girl, Kate Bosworth is hot, but we never get to see her naked.  I was rooting for Ben to have a completely meaningless but fun to watch relationship with a stripper.  Instead, “21” offers “After School Special” light petting.  Again, I’m not here to feel good about the world; I’m here to watch Vegas in all its glory.

- The blackjack team head, Professor Mickey Rosa, turns out to be a bad guy.  Sort of.  Honestly, I’m not that sure.  I was so bored by this point in the movie I didn’t really care what happened, and was thinking about products I might want to purchase.  Suffice it to say, here was one more plot elements that distracted from what should have been the point of the film.

The more I think it over, the more disappointed I am.  The non-fiction version of the story was better than the spruced up fiction version.  Overall, I paid $3.99 to watch a movie about card counting in Vegas and instead got a morality tale with crappy love story thrown in at no extra charge.  Take my advice and just read “Bringing Down the House.”  And if you hate reading, then watch the History Channel’s documentary about the MIT blackjack team.  It’s shorter and more entertaining.

*New to Bellacroft!*

Fashioncraft recently introduced their new line: WELCOME TO FABULOUS LAS VEGAS!

This line includes:

• Candle Favors
• Place Card Holders
• Set of 2 Coasters

Guests will love your "Vegas" theme!

Bellacroft suggests adding games such as: Poker, Roulette and Blackjack to complete the event!

Fashioncraft Fabulous Las Vegas Candle Favors

Getting into Vegas was quite bland, and incredibly hot. I think I saw it at about 110º F. The strip, however, is a different story. All I have to say is Las Vegas is a monster. There is definitely no other city like it. Everything is pure tourism, and pure gambling. There is nothing more, nothing less. I checked into the Excalibur and found out I was on Floor 8 and in Room 8. Yes, the lucky numbers were already taunting me from the moment I stepped into the hotel. After checking out part of the strip by myself, I picked up Nick (friend from college) from the airport later that evening. We had dinner at the Excalibur, and we stayed by the 2 cent slots to get free drinks and practically gave away our pennies in the process. Over the weekend, Nick played $5 minimum Blackjack, while I played Roulette. Rapid Roulette was the coolest. There was a roulette table in the middle, with a dealer spinning the ball, etc. However, instead of placing your bets on the roulette table, everyone has their own computer touch screen (I think each Rapid Roulette table holds about 15 or so players), and they make their bets on the screen. The minimum bet is $2.50. What was cool about this version that they let you know all the percentages. You could see how many times the ball landed on Red, Black, Odd and Even, so all the counting was done for you. They also showed which numbers were cold (how many turns went by without it being landed on), and which numbers were hot. I basically played the trends and doubled my money. I guess the lucky numbers were right, as I gambled about $10, and got $20 back. I lost $5 in slots though, which means I left Vegas $5 up! I know, I'm not much of a gambler. On Saturday, we had brunch at Monte Carlo, which took forever, because they were making my spinach and artichoke dip from scratch. Later that day we got Gelatos at the Bellagio. I got Pistachio on top of Chocolate in a waffle cone. This was an interesting experience: the lady accidentally left the paper liner from the previous cone inside my cone, and put the ice cream on top without noticing. When I finished my top scoop and got to the cone, I noticed that I was not able to eat my ice cream because of the paper lining in between my ice cream and the cone itself. I pointed this out to the lady, and asked if this was normal, and she looked at me like I was retarded, and asked me if I wanted a spoon. Later that day, we ate dinner at Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill with Janina (friend from Cranbrook), which was located at MGM Grand. The food was quite good, but a little pricey for my taste. I wanted to take pictures and to witness the fountain show at the Bellagio at night, but the last showing was at midnight, and I arrived 5 minutes after. It's a shame, because that was what I was looking forward to the most. It's also a shame that there was no "$5 Footlong" at Subway, since all the 6" subs were $6 or more. I ate fish tacos at Rubio's instead.

After a quick lunch at The Kitchen Buffet (cheesy focaccia and ice milk with M&M's- delicious!) we perused the Diamond Joe's offerings.  This was my first time to a casino and I was a tad nervous that I would embarrass myself violating a code of gambling conduct and they'd chuck me out so I clung to my mother's side (Chris too) as we weaved around the electric lights, scoping out the action and feeling for any good vibes.  

The action was pretty slow, being only a Monday afternoon.  Most gamblers were retired farmers and old ladies with canes- even most dealers were well passed 45.  A good thing, my mother said as anyone would be willing to help and teach us to play whatever game.  Chris and I were by far the youngest people, my mother a close third.  She immediately hit on an empty blackjack table.

"Oooooh!  You wanna play?"  We changed our $20s and a very friendly, very patient dealer named Pamela helped me and Chris hobble through the rules, and tolerated both of us hissing to my mother, a Blackjack enthusiast "Wha-What should I do?"

"Well you have 18.  Do you really wanna hit?"

"Um.  No."

We twiddled our fingers over the cards, wiling an Ace and King to show up and the dealer to bust out.  My mother was a tad more outspoken: "bust out bust out bust out...yahooooooo!"  

Feeling confident, I doubled my bet and started stashing my winnings in my bag so I wouldn't get carried away.  When I walked away from the table, I had pile of chips in my bag, more than double what I originally started out with.

We hung out at the craps table, watching a group of men cheer on the shooter, a petite women in exercise clothes, "she's one of the best shooters," one of the men exclaimed before he shook his fists in the air and emitted a  "yeessss!" as a hefty stack of chips was pushed his way.

My mom and I left Chris there and wandered through the maze of slot machines, feeling out any vibes.  We stopped at the one where her and my sister won $500 a few weeks back.  We settled on a similar machine nearby.  I was dazzled by the complexity of these machines- how many lines do you want to play, how much do you want to play?  1 cent, 5 cents, 25 cents?  All I wanted to do was pull the lever!  My mother had a better grip on the situation- she put in a twenty and watched the wheels spin with their 7's and bars and cherries, chanting "come on baby big bucks big bucks big bucks!"  We talked nicely to the machine, we petted it lovingly.  We went down to $10 and up to $25 and down to $6 in small increments of 40 cents, $1.10 before we finally hit on a big one: $60!  Not quite $500 but, like seasoned gamblers, we knew when to take the money and run!

We found Chris still at the craps table, a shooter!  And with quite the stash!  When he finished, the three of us tried a game of Super Fun 21, similar to Blackjack.  I wasn't feeling it, said goodbye to a few of my chips.  I wandered back to the machines since I had good luck last time.  The trick, so I decided from that one experience, was to not give up so easily.   Feeling cocky, I plopped down at one that I thought gave off a good vibe.  I stared at the buttons asking me how many lines I wanted to do, how much I wanted to bet and pushed a few buttons.  I talked nicely to the machine and petted it lovingly and promptly lost a large chunk of what I won on the Blackjack table.  Good vibe, ha!  Defeated, I sulked back to mom and Chris, who actually made out quite well at Super Fun 21.  Drat.  

We stopped at the Roulette table and I was transported to Rick's and there's Humphrey Bogart, looking ever so sexy in a bow-tie, observing the goings-on of his gambling hall.  If only we were draped in jewels and evening clothes, drinking scotch...  

I tried Blackjack again, confident that I would do as well as my first time.  I had experience!  The dealer easily took my money after three Blackjacks!  Chris didn't duplicate his luck with craps either.  After circling the casino for several minutes, we found my mother stewing at a slot machine, in the process of losing $20.  

"I should have left when I was up to $30!" she moaned.  But just ten minutes ago she was saying, "I feel it, I feel it!  Big bucks big bucks!"  I know, Mom.  If only I would have stayed at the first Blackjack table.  How much money I could have won!  

We finally emerged from the smokey casino into the bright cornfields after nearly four hours of gambling. Ultimately, all three of us came out ahead, Chris the big winner with $100. In this cutthroat world of chance and luck, what more could you want?  Las Vegas, here I come!

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We arrived at the Orleans at around 8:00 PM, and checked into our room after failing miserably at the $20 trick at the registration desk. The room was a 10th-floor Strip-view accommodation, significantly larger than your typical cheapo room. We were pleased to discover that the shower had a small window that you could open and yell at passers-by on the sidewalk below. Screaming “Hey, I’m naked and I have shampoo in my eyes!” just never gets old, trust me on that count.

After futzing with the air conditioner for several minutes, we came to the revelation that only the climate controls on the wall work, not the control panel on the air conditioner. Anyone who’s stayed there might pass along the sage advice that this information is printed on the air conditioner’s control panel cover; however, I would quickly reply that this particular cover was no longer one with the air conditioner, but rather propped up beside the unit.

We headed down for the seafood buffet (excellent, and all the sweeter for us having used a 2-for-1 coupon), and commenced to playing some 3-hand 9/6 Jacks or Better video poker. It had five-hand video poker as well, but we did not rally our courage enough to attempt this until the following day.

We returned to the room and prepared for bed. During this time we discovered that closing the curtains to block out the lights from the Strip meant also blocking the air flowing from the AC (which is not an option in August in Las Vegas), so it was a little bright at night for our tastes. However, it was cool seeing the New York, New York faux skyline during the seven hundred times that I generally get up during the night to pee.

Restful slumber eluded us: the bed was hard, and the pillows were wafer-thin, the sort of pillows I imagine one is issued in prison. Also, we discovered that some manner of insect had feasted on us both during the night. In all, sleeping at the Orleans is much like a camping trip.

Saturday, August 9th

We arose fairly early and left a note for the housekeeping staff for a couple of extra pillows and, proof positive that tipping yields results, they were on our bed by the time we returned to the room.

We made our way to the Orleans breakfast buffet (again, quite good, though the bacon sucks; however, another 2-for-1 coupon lessened the sting). We played some more 3-hand video poker; I tried out 5-hand video poker and discovered how quickly one can lose in this mode. A couple of quads were my salvation, and we retreated to the safety of the 3-hand variant of the game. We decided that since we’re in Vegas, it would be not only acceptable but encouraged to begin drinking before noon, so had a couple of mimosas. As per tradition, April could not make her way through the drink.

We caught a cab to the MGM Grand, whereby the cab driver pointed out the semi-secret parking garage entrance to the Monorail, which saved us countless footsteps throughout our trip. We then took the Monorail (which, by the way, we love despite its checkered past) to the Sahara, and caught a cab to the Stratosphere to cash in on the $200 free-play they advertise as part of their players club. However, what they fail to list in their many, many ads is that you don’t get this upon sign-up as you would with many/most places, but rather doled out at various increments as you play and rack up points. We didn’t fall prey to their scam; instead we went to the bar and played a little bar-top video poker and had a couple of bloody maries. They were not only very good (and we are aficionados of the bloody mary), but the bartender was a credit to his profession and was quick at bringing me refills. Plus, I was able to finish April’s, as she was unable to do so herself.

Somewhat discouraged with the futility of our trip to the Stratosphere, we took a cab back to the Hilton. We attempted to stop by our favorite bar, Quark’s, but as the Star Trek convention was going on at the Hilton Convention Center, there was no getting anywhere close to Quark’s; the line was huge. We instead entertained ourselves by playing some 9/6 Jacks or Better video poker. We were happy to note the Hilton doing the socially responsible thing to cut down on the number of arrests for public drunkenness of patrons leaving the casino; drink service came by about once an hour, and this was on the dollar machines. I can only imagine how dry were the throats of those on the nickel slots…

While walking around the Hilton, standing in the aisle among the slot machines talking with a lady was none other than Walter “Chekov” Koenig from the original Star Trek series. I was crass enough to ask him if I could take a quick picture with him; he refused, stating that people pay big money to have their picture taken with him. I told him I understood, and walked away all the more comfortable in my opinion that the original Star Trek was the worst series of the franchise.

After we had put through what we deemed a respectable amount of coin-in, and April had played a bit of 7-hand video blackjack (much like me, it makes her angry, yet she loves it nonetheless), we took the Monorail to the Bally’s/Paris station. We each had a Tom Collins while playing some bartop video poker (8/5 paytable, but we still ended up with only a cumulative $5 loss, not a bad price to pay for a couple of drinks). After I finished April’s drink, we walked to the Planet Hollywood and bought a shot glass for our collection, which was broken before we even packed for our return trip home.

With a bit of time to kill, we stopped into Trader Vic’s, to which we’ve never been. With all due respect to the original, we discovered that the waitstaff have a far higher opinion of their establishment than was merited by the frat-boy and aging yuppie clientele. We shared a tiki bowl, during which point I ate a petal off the orchid floating in the middle for shock value. I also had a sling, which was quite tasty.

For supper, we partook of the Spice Market Buffet. Having been to it back in its Aladdin days, I was skeptical as to whether the quality would carry over under the new regime; it turned out that my fears were in vain. It was the best food we had during our trip.

We caught a cab for Caesar’s Palace. We stopped into the Forum Shops and made the requisite stop at Fat Tuesdays, then with jumbo drinks in hand, we headed for nearby toy store FAO Schwartz (alcohol is a necessity when dealing with small children). We had heard a rumor that they had a juice bar that was modeled after the Star Wars cantina, something we wanted to verify prior to our December trip with April’s brother, who is a huge Star Wars fan. Alas, like all good things in Vegas, it had closed down. We played a quick game of air hockey, in which April’s poor skills but great luck garnered a victory for her. For some reason, I cannot seem to win a game of air hockey in Vegas, as proven at the Luxor during a prior trip.

We made our way to the theater for the Jerry Seinfeld performance. He’s no Carrot Top, but the show was quite good. The theater, however, was hot, which diminished the enjoyment a bit. Plus, we had the poor fortune of being seated directly in front of people who:

a. Apparently learned how to whisper in a helicopter, and

b. Should have been given their drinks in sippy cups, as at least three people in the party managed to drop their drinks during the performance

After the show let out, we went to hail a cab back to our hotel. On a Saturday night. After a big show just let out. After seeing the length of the cab-stand line at Caesar’s, we thought we’d be clever and make our way to Bill’s across the street. Unfortunately, we were not alone in that notion. Likewise the Flamingo. As we were by that point so close to the Monorail depot, we picked up the Paris/Bally’s line to MGM Grand, where the line for a cab was shorter (though by no means short) and made our way back to the Orleans to crash.

Sunday, April 10th

We were originally going to head to the Mirage for their Cravings champagne brunch, but awoke feeling buffeted-out, so decided we’d just grab a bagel at the little coffee shop in the Orleans, then proceeded to play some more 3-hand video poker. Other than the discomfort of the beds (and the infestation of biting insects), we did like the Orleans, and wouldn’t mind playing enough to potentially get some comp offers. Over the course of our stay three of our cab-drivers mentioned that they too like the Orleans (one of whom said it was his favorite place to be); if the locals are that enthusiastic about a place, you know it’s got to have something going for it.

We hung out by the pool for awhile, wondering at the source of the stench that occasionally wafted through the area. It was more rank than an ocean beach, but not quite as rank as a septic tank explosion. Most curious indeed.

We showered and got changed, made a quick stop into Big Al’s Oyster Pub for oyster shots and an appetizer platter, then caught a cab to the MGM Grand, where we stopped into Rainforest Café for an exotic drink (I am proud to report: April finished hers!) and another appetizer to tide us over until our evening festivities.

We took the Monorail to the Hilton and did some further gambling, periodically checking the lines at Quark’s Bar. Finally we decided to brave the crowds; fortunately the line moved quickly. With my wonderful meal, I had a mini Warp Core Breach and a mini Borg Sphere; don’t let the “mini” prefix fool you, however – I was feeling the effects well before the meal was over. April accused me of being drunk, which never fails to piss me off, especially when it’s true.

The costumed characters were out in full force that evening harassing the patrons. We were able to get several of them to record a message for April’s brother, who in addition to his Star Wars fandom is also a Star Trek fan, who will be unable to make it to the Experience before it closes on September 1st. On an editorial note, I will sorely miss Quark’s Bar – I have ended up drinking there every night during past Vegas trips, and it has become the keystone of Vegas visits. It’s the kind of place that you can always strike up a conversation with the person sitting next to you, and continue the discussion over several drinks. I can only hope to see the Star Trek Experience (and equally as importantly, Quark’s Bar) open elsewhere in Las Vegas; it would certainly draw throngs of Trekkies (Trekkers: get over yourselves) to a location such as Downtown.

After a bit more video poker, we caught the Monorail to the Sahara, and from there we ventured across the street to the place touted as the World’s Largest Gift Shop, the Bonanza, where we picked up some generic Las Vegas-branded souvenirs (including more shot glasses for our collection). We returned to the Sahara, and as we had a bit of time to kill, did some wandering around. I have to say, it exceeded my expectations; I anticipated something similar to the Stratosphere (the term “slumming” leaps to mind), but it was actually quiet nice. I’m not sure if this is a result of the recent change in ownership, or it’s just one of those places that’s easy to overlook with all the Strip’s glitz and glamour. We stuck around long enough to have a couple of drinks and play the new low-limit blackjack games with the full-sized video screen dealers that look around creepily while dealing (glances which might have been a little more poignant were there more than just us at the console).

Our final stop of the day was Palace Station for the Habitat for Humanity charity auction hosted by Robert “Holographic Doctor” Picardo, who actually sat at our table and discussed the merits of his seersucker suit. He was funny, engaging, and very approachable (though I did not repeat my social gaffe by asking if I could have my picture taken with him). Garrett “Ensign Kim” Wang, also from Star Trek Voyager, was a surprise guest. Also appearing were an Elvis impersonator, a remarkably bad ventriloquist (although, much like mimes, I refuse to believe that there exists such a thing as a “good” ventriloquist), and one of the main reasons we came, Alien Warrior Comic (a costumed stand-up persona portrayed by the actor who also plays ChuroQ at the Star Trek Experience). While the night was long and we were exhausted when we left, we did manage to walk away with a couple of Star Trek commemorative plates for which we paid too much (but at least have a story to accompany them).

We caught a cab back to the Orleans, and got too little sleep.

Monday, April 11th

We arose, quickly packed, and took a cab to the Hilton, where we proceeded to have the slot club desk attempt to summon a casino host for us so we could see what our gambling had earned us in comps. The woman at the counter picked up the phone and got through to Tad, about whom we had heard good things (we considered ourselves lucky to have eluded Gloria, about whom we have heard almost nothing but horrible reports). The slot club attendant handed me the phone; I was a bit put off by the fact that Tad couldn’t be bothered to come down and speak to us in person, but perhaps he has some manner of Phantom of the Opera-esque disfigurement that causes him to be more of a phone person than a glad-hander.

I asked how many points it would take to get to the next tier of the slot club; he hesitated, and said that we currently had 68 points… and that it would take 2900 to get to the next level. Shocked, I stammered, “I guess video poker isn’t the way to get to the next tier, huh?” He agreed, but stated he did have our figures in front of him, and saw the time we had put in and our theoretical losses. I told him that we would be returning in December, and asked how much more play it would take to start accruing comps; I was delighted when he informed us that he would be able to comp our rooms in December, and offered us a couple of breakfast buffets as well. The Hilton breakfast buffet’s bacon rocks, but when you’re eating it for free, it’s just that much better.

After our comped breakfast, we decided to play a final round of video poker and video blackjack. We went and did some souvenir shopping in the Promenade section of the Star Trek Experience, and hoped to be able to get in on a final round of drinks at Quark’s before departing for the airport, as it would be our last opportunity to do so before it closed for business. However, a fairly large line had formed prior to Quark’s even opening, and we didn’t want to risk missing our plane. We stopped long enough for April to play some of her lucky slot machine, Avalanche, and headed to the airport for our return home.

NEVER PLAY BLACKJACK! I PLAYED 3 ROUNDS AND LOST ALL 3 DUE TO 21'S AND BLACKJACKS!

!!

We left on lucky Friday, 8/8/08 - for a "sneakend weekend" as my hubby dubbed it - from Rapid City, SD to Las Vegas.  Thankfully, the flight was on time (I get giddy like a kid as time draws closer) and I thought it was a nice touch that the pilot flew directly over Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse, intentionally or otherwise.  

We are lucky enough to have a discount airliner in town that flies directly to Las Vegas (Veejas if you're nasty).  Allegiant Air isn't for everyone - they do charge extra for checked luggage and assigned seats, and they have a limited flight schedule (Mondays and Fridays only for us).  We are able to work within their limitations as we only take carry-ons and the Monday/Friday flights fit our schedules just fine. We've yet to have to sit apart on the plane either.  We managed to nab flights for approximately $200 round trip for August, while our upcoming December flight was only $79/each way.  Allegiant has recently expanded their service locations to several places, including my hometown of Tampa/St. Petersburg, FL. 

We arrived in Vegas late in the day (sadly, too late to take advantage of the 8x points on 8/8/08  ) and made our way by taxi to our hotel - the Orleans.  Walking in, the place was alive with people, but lines were short and moving quickly. We tried bribing the front desk clerk with a tip for an upgrade, but she declined politely and advised that all upgrades come with an extra charge and she offered to check on the price for us. We in turn politely declined and the clerk assigned us a lovely room on the 10th floor with a great strip view.

The Room:
Our room was a standard non-smoking king but was larger than the standard hotel room.  It looked just like the picture.  It had a standard 32" TV, unlike the plasmas that have started to grace the mid-level and higher hotels, but it was adequate just the same.  The full size couch, chair and coffee table near the picture window were nice touches. The bathroom was a decent size with a tile floor and there was a small etched-glass window in the shower that opened to the outside.  The towels were average - not scratchy like a motel using cheapo towels, but not the super plush cotton either. They were just fine - no complaints there. The water is definitely hard in the shower, but I prefer it that way - I dislike feeling like I can't get the soap off in soft water. They had shampoo, conditioner and lotion in addition to face soap and body soap. I only used the soaps: the face soap was a standard hotel selection, but the body soap was great - it was molded with little massage bumps and was kind of a soft exfoliating soap. I was happy to continue to use the one from the first day and take the others home!

The view was great - we could see all the way from Mandalay Bay to the Hilton, including a great view of the Rio.

The bed was the only part of the room I can really complain about. Honestly, if the bed were a little better, this place would be a contender for our every stay & play. The bed was too firm for my body, and the pillows too flat for my husband. After the first night, we requested (and they quickly responded with) two extra pillows. The under-bedding felt like it had one of those plastic sheets (the ones you put under someone who habitually wets the bed) covered in felt. The linens were mid grade - not high thread count sheets, but not cheap scratchy ones like you'd expect at a bachelor pad. Honestly, I could look over everything except the firm bed. I like soft & cushy.

At one point, we noticed a generous flyer on the in-room desk for 1/2 price tickets to see Travis Tritt.  No offense to his fans, but I'd just as soon see New Kids on the Block (oh, yes, they're playing Vegas too) than Travis Tritt.  I'm as big a fan of country music as I am of children in Vegas.

Our first night at the Orleans, we took advantage of their Friday night French Market Buffet Seafood Extravaganza. (Thank you LVA 2 for 1 coupon!)  Though I'm not a seafood lover, my hubby is and he gladly partook in a smorgasbord of crab legs, oysters rockefeller, and steamed clams. Their buffet is broken into the different cultural dishes, as is popular in many buffets. With their seafood night, they stayed true to their varied ethnic varieties, but incorporated them with seafood - example: Mexican station: Seafood Enchiladas. There were plenty enough non-seafood selections for me to fill myself beyond full. All was a very good quality with some original and unusual (but delicious!) choices.  The service there was fantastic - before we had to ever ask for drinks, napkins, etc., our server anticipated our needs and brought us all we needed.  

 After the dinner buffet, we signed up for Players Club cards, where they greeted us kindly and welcomed us with 3 strands of Mardi Gras beads each.

That evening we stopped at Brendan's Irish Pub for the Dueling Pianos show. Both gals who played and sang were very talented in their own right, but despite my initial shameful hating on the young, 100-lb beauty who sauntered in wearing skin-tight, gold snake-print pants with spike heels, who I assumed was no-doubt hired for her lovely looks, turned out to be amazingly talented. Her knowledge of songs and her emcee abilities were well beyond her young years and her talent was unquestionable. In a word - she was a natural.  Sad to say, they overlooked our recommendations of "Baby Got Back" (tribute to Michele) and "Ridin' Dirty" in their selection of songs. 

Before bed, we searched out the Triple Play 9/6 Jacks or Better machines we'd identified thanks to vpFree, and tried it for the first time.  I'll tell you - I think it's my favorite now.  While I'll likely stick to $.25 play for the meantime, it was a blast. 

After a hard night's sleep on the aforementioned bed, found ourselves back at the French Market Buffet, ready for breakfast, ACG 2 for 1 coupon in hand. The breakfast was mostly delicious. The coffee was great, the service was again fantastic and the place was mostly empty. They did a good job of not putting all the eating patrons grouped in the same area - that was nice. My fave on the buffet: Sweet Potato Pancakes. They were so good, I could almost forgive their terrible bacon. Almost.

We played a little more Triple Play JoB and though my luck was average, my hubby managed to hit dealt quads, which was a nice little boost. He bravely tried the Five Play for a short time, but quickly realized that's a quick way to dwindle your bankroll.  He managed to hit several more quads over the course of our trip, but the elusive RF is still out there waiting for us.

We headed to the Stratosphere where we intended to sign up for their Player's Club, coupon in hand for "$200 in free play and comps your first day of play".  Upon signing up, the boothli...um...Master of Boothery slyly brought out another flyer, similar to mine, but with a lot of fine print. She advised right away that the signup doesn't come with ANY free play - there is no up-front, sign-on bonus. We decided that we had no real incentive to play at the Stratosphere then, but since we were there, ordered bloody maries and played a little bar-top JoB.  Surprisingly, we've managed to stop at the Strat for Bloody Maries on both of our last 2 trips and both have been excellent.  You'd kind of expect Caesars Palace quality (omg bad), but there actually quite good.  Not good enough for a special trip, but definitely a good drink order if you find yourself slumming there.  :)

We left the Stratsphere and stopped by the Sahara since we'd never been there and got another shot glass for our collection. We didn't stay there long before moving on to the Hilton.

Our first choice was to stay at the Hilton, but the Star Trek and Trade Show conventioneers pretty well booked the place. $250+/night is a little hard for us to justify for just a simple (though very nice) room. Despite our residing at the Orleans for this trip, we wanted to put some play through at the Hilton in the hopes for some decent offers for our December trip.

We also wanted to try to visit Quark's Bar & Restaurant one last time before they close on September 1st.  Quarks is an extraordinary place for us. Not only do they have some of the best-tasting drinks we've ever had, some of the most unique drinks we've ever had (the dry ice trick is way cool), and some of the best food, but everything about the place is comfortable and makes you feel as though you're home away from home.  It's a nice change of pace from the crazy, frenetic casino floor to sit back with a cold drink and lose yourself in an episode of Star Trek. It's also a fun and unique experience when the costumed characters (paid by the establishment) come around and chat and engage you in some friendly banter and harassment. From the smell to the sights to the sounds, I will sorely miss that place. It held a special place in my heart.  Unfortunately, on our first full day there, it was much too busy with the Star Trek Conventioneers' patronage for us to get a table. We put our hopes into the next day.

We played some dollar 9/6 JoB and some 7-hand video blackjack at the Hilton before making off to the monorail to MGM Grand where we enjoyed drinks and an appetizer at the Rainforest Cafe.  (Yes, I finally finished my drink - it was delicious!)  We don't have a Rainforest Cafe, so it's a nice treat for us.

From there, we hoofed it to Planet Hollywood and the Miracle Mile Shoppes to have a drink at Trader Vics.  We were greeted by a lovely litle waif who asserted that she'd have to see if there was room for us at the bar.  I felt as though perhaps she didn't think we thirty-somethings were quite the young L.A. Jet-setter clientele she was aiming for.  Though they have misters setup outside to help beat the heat, there weren't any takers - everyone had retreated to the cool refreshing air and seats at the bar with a blue glowing bartop. We ordered a Tiki Bowl - an orangey-boozey drink that was so-so, but had a lovely arrangement in a tiki bowl and a real orchid on top. My husband, the goofball that he is, took the beautiful orchid and ate a petal. Yes, he really ate it for no good reason. 

We left there and entered the P-Ho, but just barely.  A friend of mine recommended the penny slot machine "Shake Your Booty" to me, in which your goal is to reach the bonus round where a myriad of pirates allegedly shake their "Booty" and you collect the "gold" that falls. Now, I've never actually made it to the bonus round. Sadly, for me, this game is very entertaining, despite my bad luck. If mermaids show up on the screen they do a little "WoooOOOOoooo" sound like they were going over a dip in the road. When you get 3 blonde cabin girls, they holler, "Aaaall Meeeen oooon DEEEEEECK!" (my favorite part.) This game has never been kind to me, but yet I so enjoy playing it. There was a Shake Your Booty slot in a slant-top right at the mall entrance to the P-Ho, so of course, as we had some time before the buffet opened it and my husband, knowing my penchant for this game, popped in $40 for me. I tell you what, it was the loudest stinkin machine I've ever heard - one guy just stopped to watch as it was so loud! The sound level may have been enough to drive others away, but it just amplified those beloved sounds and increased my overall enjoyment! WooooooooOOOOOooooo!
When we were done there, we went to eat at the Spice Market Buffet. Oh...my...gosh...the food! They were broken up with the standard Italian/Seafood/Mexican/etc stations, but the also included (my favorite) a Mediterranean station. Though my plate had a speckling of Italian edibles, it was largely filled with delectables from the Mediterranean. Unfortunately, I didn't make it to many of the other stations. My husband told me if I had room to go back for anything, the Italian stromboli was to die for. While my belly could hold no more entrees, I always seem to find some small little pocket for dessert! The flaky home-made chocolate eclairs and mouth-watering warm brownies (with caramel sauce, hot fudge and fancy whipped cream topping) were scrumptious, but the chocolate-covered strawberries won my vote for favorite!

From there, we waddled our way out to the street and took a cab to Caesar's Palace.  We walked through the Forum Shoppes and stopped at Fat Tuesdays for a couple of Hurricanes. We sat and watched what seemed like an endless parade of underage kids coming in to get mudslides, pina coladas and jello shots. Ok, so it wasn't just the kids getting the jello shots. My hubby had never tried one, but realized with one slurp that he wasn't missing much. Maybe the kids weren't that young, as my hubby said they were checking everyone's IDs, maybe it's just me getting old!

We sauntered down the mallway and into FAO Schwartz, where we'd read that there was a Star Wars Cantina that served non-alcoholic drinks on the third floor, but sadly it is no longer there.  We did take the opportunity to entertain some kids watching us play air hockey.  Who was it that won again?  I can't remember...  :) 

We sat in the comfy couches near the entrance to the casino and just people watched for a while.  A silly game we play is identifying people that slightly resemble other people.  You know, "that guy kind of looks like he could be Russell Crowe's older, uglier brother", or "that gal looks like Goldie Hawn 30 years ago."   Terrible, I know, but it's almost instinctual.  We also love watching the people who hobble by, regretting their choice of footwear.  Cute, slightly uncomfortable shoes are great at the right venue.  Vacationing in Las Vegas is not one of them. 

After people watching and enjoying our drinks to their max (a little too sweet to finish), we made our way to the Caesar's Palace Showroom to see Jerry Seinfeld! At the entrance, they had a metal detector (which surprised me) which helped them identify all of those offenders with cameras, which they quickly confiscated with an exchange of a ticket which was to serve as your identifier to pick up your camera post-show.

We got to our seats about 25 min early, which were positioned dead-center, towards the back of the first level. As the parade of people trampled by to their seats, an overly-energetic group sat directly behind us. The first offense - they had a difficult time hanging on to their drinks. Three - I kid you not - THREE drinks were spilled between the four of them throughout the show, each one with a loud clattering of heavy plastic on cement. That was tolerable, compared to the second offense - the loud interjections of one gal, who felt she so identified with the jokes, she needed to share this vital information with all the members of her party. She also helped them to identify which ones of THEM should identify with the jokes, "OMG, I've so totally DONE that!  Do you remember when I DID that?  OMG, that is SO FUNNY!"  "Mike - Mike - That is SOoooooOOO something you would do! Hee hee hee! You! That's SO YOU, MIKE!!!" Unfortunately, my glare of ice didn't quiet her down at all, as I believe she was wearing the kryptonite-like glasses of beer.
It took a little bit of time to get out of the theatre, but it was bearable.  I enjoyed the soothing crooning of the Sinatra music they played before and after the event.  Upon exiting the theater, the frenzied cluster of  all the tourists attempting to retrieve their confiscated cameras was something to behold. It was like a bunch of bees buzzing in a hive - all trying to move at once.  It was the first time I've ever been really uncomfortable in a crowd. Luckily, my husband is 6'3" and a good shield. They didn't do a very good job directing or informing the crowd. When you recieved your ticket, they said just pick it up after the show. I guess I figured I'd pick it up where I dropped it off, but instead they moved all of the cameras to the box office, of which I had no idea where it was, so I stayed nestled, moving with the herd slowly along the casino perimiter until we reached the Box Office. I heard one person say there was no waiting in the far lines, of which we were too far away to see and verify.  If they were indeed there, getting to them was another story. My husband and I parted company with plans for a meeting place post-chaos. I did my best to act like the little wiggle worm I'm often accused of being and use it to my advantage to get to the rumored lines on the far side, using another worm as a buffer, and by George, I made it. I had bettered my position from being about 40-deep in line to being third in line, where no one was waiting. I got my camera and we got the heck out of there.
We aimed for the closest exit to get a taxi, which proved more difficult than we imagined. First, the exit we took had a sign with an arrow that said Taxi, but there were no taxis there - just a lot of confused people. We decided to try to cross the street to the Flamingo to get a cab there, but as we walked into an area we thought would open to the road and sidewalk, it was simply a parking lot with very high walls. Too high to climb. So, we walked back to Caesars. At this point, we finally see where waaay around the corner and down a ways from where we were, there were taxis. And hundreds of people waiting to get into them. So, we walked around the parking lot, out to the street and up and over to the Flamingo. Since we didn't see any real spots to catch a cab there either, we just walked back and took the monorail to MGM and a taxi from there. While standing in the taxi line at the MGM, we got to see the after-effects of too much alcohol on a young gent as his friends stood by and laughed.  Back home at the Orleans, our sore feet were ready to go to bed, along with the rest of us.

Sunday morning, we'd planned on having breakfast at the Mirage Cravings, but were a little buffeted out. We opted instead for coffee and a bagel at Seattle's Best at the Orleans. We relaxed a little bit and then took a relaxing dip in the pool. The tall room tower on one side provided shade to about 1/2 of the area, giving a little shelter from the heat. The pool was nice and cool. It was very relaxing, save the man in the Speedo that SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN WEARING a Speedo. ((shiver))  Between that and the occasional waft of a disturbing stench, we went back and cleaned up, then went down and played a little more Triple Play VP and then headed out to the Hilton.

At the Hilton, we played some more Jacks or Better VP there and a little more 7-hand Blackjack.
We checked back every so often at Quark's to see how long the line was and finally bit the bullet and waited in line. Luckily it moved quite quickly.  We were seated in the dining room closest to the casino, with a great view of the Star Trek Enterprise from the Star Trek Museum directly above us.  The costumed characters were out in full force, and we thoroughly enjoyed our banter with them.  On the level to our left, and about 2 tables away sat Zachary Quinto - currently on the show Heroes and to play Spock in the upcoming Star Trek movie.  Looking back, we think one of his dining companions may have been the guy playing Kirk, but we're not positive.  We enjoyed our meal, as usual there, with my Flaming Ribs of Targ being my choice of a meal.   Delicious.  After our meal, we sat and had a drink or two and just enjoyed the ambience for a while.  Sadly, my brother will never get to experience Quark's, as his virgin trip to Las Vegas will be with us in December.  As he is a big fan, the costumed characters were gracious to send him well-wishes via video.  They were hilarious - so true to their characters.  They have/had some fine actors and actresses there.  I hope they are met with some other great opportunities once Quark's closes.

After a little more play at the Hilton, we made our way to the Sahara, which was surprisingly nice.  The casino floor had kind of a homey feel, and it was not dingy or dirty in any way that we noticed.  We played a little of their semi-creepy table video blackjack - the ones that have seats around table, with the dealer replaced with a series of video clips.  I could only take so much of the video clip dealer in a corsett leaning over and happily saying, "Dealer buusts!", despite it being in my favor each time! We chose the Sahara to make our "drunk-dial" to our favorite podcast, Five Hundy By Midnight", in which David gave an splendid trip report.

From there we headed to Palace Station for the Charity Auction Dinner hosted by Robert "The Holographic Doctor" Picardo from the Star Trek series.  While we anticipated a large event, there were in reality only 7 tables in a small conference room.  Each table had 6-10 people at them - it was very cozy and personal.  Robert made efforts to visit each table and converse with them.  I have a feeling he'd have spent a little more time at our table if it had not been the big ball o crazy he unwittingly sat next to.  This lady was something - she was asking him questions like, "Do you know my name?  Try to guess!  Nope!  Guess again!"  He was very generous in tolerating the level of crazy she was throwing at him.  She monopolized the conversation somewhat, but I did get in time to compliment his suit, which we discussed a bit.  Apparently seersucker is the bomb in the heat. 

Another fella that lit up our crazy detector was the head of the Star Trek fan club in Las Vegas.  He didn't want anyone in the conference room early for some reason, but his decision was trumped by the two older ladies taking the tickets.  They brushed him off and let everyone in.  My favorite part about this anal fella was when Elvis was singing.  He threw off all inhibitions and danced and sang to each song, obviously trying to channel Elvis himself.  Man, did he boogie.  Not well, mind you, but damn he sure tried - he put his whole self into it.  I've got some token pictures, just to remind us. 

Though the night was long (auction ended after 11pm) and the bizarre company was abundant, we had a blast.  The Elvis Impersonator was fantastic (sang a couple with the host), the Alien Warrior Comic was in great form (and had the perfect audience for his material), and the hosts were hospitable and generous.  A nice surprise was to see "Ensign Kim" - Garrett Wang there to assist with the festivities. 

After the auction, we headed home to the Orleans and fell fast asleep.  We woke in the morning, packed and ready and headed to the Hilton for breakfast.  Before we ate, we stopped at the Player's Club and asked to speak to a host, preferrably Tad, as we'd heard good things about him.  He talked with us via phone and we inquired as to our status.  Apparently, points do not add up so quickly with Video poker, because we were a loooong way off of "Elite" status.  We'd barely even scratched the surface.  Hoping at that point to get a buffet comp, Tad granted that request (called it into the VIP room for us to pick it up), and indicated that if we call him prior to coming in December, our room could be comped, at least partially.  (*Side note - my hubby was a little put off by the non-personal service - he didn't enjoy standing in the lobby, leaning over the Player's club desk to have a detailed conversation - so he emailed Les Thacker (whom we've heard very good things about) upon our return home.  He explained that he'd like to get aligned with him and book our room through him, if possible for our trip in December and asked when would be a good idea to start that process.  Les promptly called him back and advised he'd already taken care of all 4 nights for Dec - all booked and comped in an upgraded King room!  We are thrilled!)

I, personally, really enjoy the Hilton Breakfast Buffet.  They have good ready-made cheese omelettes and great bacon.  They have an ample supply of fresh fruit - not canned.  Any buffet that manages good bacon, fresh pineapple and fresh blueberries gets a good grade in my book.  They also serve up a great selection of pastries and donuts, as well as cheese, salmon, biscuits and gravy and more. 

After breakfast we went back to our favorite JoB Video Poker machine and played a little more.  We hoped to get into Quark's quickly before we had to leave for our plane, but sadly the line was still too long.  I played one first and last winning round at a slot machine and we headed off.  

Something to note - Dave and I both play together on one machine, taking turns.  We find we both enjoy the wins and can console and encourage each other with the losses, plus it takes longer to lose!  When we order drinks while playing, we order drinks for both of us, even though, technically only one of us is playing.  Every casino has been extremely generous and always given us both free drinks.  Hey, thanks Las Vegas Casinos! 

Our plane trip back was a little interesting.  We were seated in the very back of the plane, with a view of the engine.  I'd never had a seat where you couldn't see at least one window to judge your position.  I can't say it was my favorite.  We were also seated next to a pair of children - I'm guessing ages 7 & 9 - travelling on their own for the first time.  They were fairly well behaved, but craved entertainment.  I spent the next 2 hours listening to, "Excuse me miss, could you tell me how much longer?" "Excuse me miss, do you know when they'll come by with food"  "Excuse me miss, where do I put my garbage?"  And my favorite, "Excuse me miss, have you heard of Metallica?  My brother can play "One" on the guitar."  The flight attendants skeptically allowed the children to purchase the following:  A snack pack, consisting of chips, crackers, cookies, and M&Ms, 2 sodas, a frappuccino (for a seven-year-old!?!?), more M&Ms, 2 mini cans of Pringles and more I can't think of.  Both of their tray tables were COVERED in snacks.  The boy says to me, "I just LOVE to fly!  I hope we don't land soon!"  Note - 2 sodas and a frappuccino takes its toll quickly on young, small bladders.  Thank heaven we were seated right in front of the loo, as it was nearly a consistent parade of one or the other traversing to the restroom.  My husband kept me sane, as the children asked me questions, he'd give me smart-alek answers whispered in my ear, just to make me laugh.  Example:  Child:  "Excuse me miss, what do you like best about Las Vegas?"  Dave (whispering in my ear):  "Legalized Prostitution." 

We arrived home tired, feeling like we'd once again had our rear ends kicked by Fun and Las Vegas, and glad to see our own soft, cushy, comfy bed.  And of course, the dog. 

We were pleased to see that our house/dog sitter (namely by brother) managed to keep the place in one piece, until I heard a holler from the bathroom, resulting from Dave's finding my brother's underwear hanging from the curtain rod.  Don't ask.  What happens at Dave and April's, stays at Dave and April's.  :) 

Take care and happy Veejasing!

April

I was terribly bored by the end of this film. Even though the premise could have resulted in a watchable film, screenwriters Peter Steinfeld and Allan Loeb turn this into an exercise in tedium. The intelligence of this kid is hammered to us time and again but it would have been better if the intelligence of the script came through. Stock characters and mostly uninteresting situations bring this film down and director Robert Luketic (Legally Blonde) isn't really able to use the inherent charm of Vegas and making easy money.

I am sure a lot of people watched this film due to the presence of Spacey. I wouldn't have checked it out if not for Spacey but he isn't on screen for as long a time as you might expect. He doesn't get scope to impress and Laurence Fishburne is wasted but Sturgess does manage to do well.

Casino Royale sold Poker to me. 21 couldn't do the same for Blackjack. I wouldn't recommend this film.