Much of the same

Today was pretty much a carbon copy of yesterday.

Our breakfast in the Aquarius Cafe was comped and each of us had a great meal.  I had french toast, eggs over easy, sausage, coffee and orange juice.  He had the pancakes, eggs over easy and hash.  Nothing too exciting to report other than the ignorant conversation coming from the bench behind us.  All I can say is that in this day and age it floors me that people are not educated enough to speak intelligently and with compassion.  My comment to James in protest to this garbage that was spewed was "Now you know why the world hates Americans".  He laughed and did not object to my out of the ordinary negative comment.  It was well founded.

Our gaming at VP was spotty all day but what I can say is that we do get lots of playing time for our money here.  There is never a rough time parting with our money seeing as we get much more for it.

A walk across the street to Burkes brought out out of the Casino and into the gorgeous heat of the day.  James got a pair of dress pants and he found me some Ryka sneakers.  Hard to beat the prices here and the entire mall has good offers for those that love to shop.

We walked back to our room and succumbed to a long coma which we both were in desperate need of.

After freshening up a bit we continued to play a bit more VP.  One of the sought after games I like to tinker with is the Red Hot Fusion, so we did that one for a bit. I ended up with $100 from twenty and cashed out on our way to getting supper.  Of special note, a slot attendant was right there when I left opening up the machine and doing whatever it is he does.  Sad.  There goes my fun for the future.

Our buffet was comped and it was too bad that neither of us drink as they have wine, beer and margs included in the meal.  Both of us managed to fill ourselves without going crazy and it was funny to see one of the desserts from our Celebrity Chef dinner being served.  I guess it was a leftover.  Hmmmm.

A bit more VP $100 in dollars $0 out and then $100 in triple play .25 and cashed out at $101.25 before I called it an early evening.  James walked me up to the room and he continued to play.  He was up a bit and we are under and in need of some royals badly.

Play, Shop, Play

Yesterday was a little on the quiet side for us.  I woke feeling less than normal and I wondered if it would
keep me in bed all day.  Mind over matter - I made it!

We scooted down to the buffet to use our two Complimentary VIP passes to have a bite to eat.  I love one of the waitresses there as she has the cutest voice known to man.  James says she should be doing cartoon voice overs and I totally agree.  It never fails to make me smile.  The ladies really are great wait staff there and I can always get a great kick ass carrot cake there when I feel the need.

VP called and a short session left us with good point values and a little $ buffer to start the day.  Off we went across the bridge to Beall's Outlet and Big Lots where James was able to get some work clothes.  I didn't find anything that tickled my fancy, but it was nice to get out just the same.  Gas is considerably inexpensive in Arizona, so we fueled up and he got a big cup of some sort of pop concoction. 

A little nap to rejuvenate in the room and away we went downstairs to play more VP and then hit the Cafe.  For supper we had the Grilled Chicken wrap (me) and he had a shredded steak sub that looked yummy.  Only half of mine got eaten and after we ate, James ran it up to our refrigerator.

The evening continued with another 1 1/2 hours of VP and a meager $50 loss between us and a plethora of new points and comps.

Bedtime around 12 and I was able to smile that I made it through another day.

Cue Cards for Life

Moving day again and we made our way over to Gold Coast as planned to see if James qualified for free play from his participation in the tournament the other day.  He finished 29th and was awarded $ 50 free play which he quickly turned into $ 85.  Before he got this we had a light lunch at Ping Pang Pong because Noodle Exchange was not open yet.

Into the desert we went to Laughlin where we would be having our getaway time.  I wish there were cue cards for life because I am anxious about sharing my condition with those that I love.  I have long since made my peace with it and it causes me some grief when I have to recount or explain myself to others.  People know right away that I am not "myself".


Our Host greeted us inn the Executive Check In room at the Aquarius. I wasn't comfortable with telling our Host what was up with me and instead shrugged it off as being too over zealous at the previous night's Duran Duran concert.  There was no way I was going to spoil her infectious mood unnecessarily and have her worry while we were here visiting.  I will mention it at a later date in full once I feel the time is right.  We were presented with two aprons and a Deli Pro knife as part of our gift bag.  There were a few hours to kill before the Celebrity Chef dinner so we grabbed a few zzz's.

Leann Rimes is playing next door at the Edgewater Casino.  Her tour bus is out back.

At 5pm the doors opened and the both of us were amazed at the participation level.  For whatever reason, I had envisioned a group of 30 people or so.  Not the case at all.  Easily there were 250-300 attendees.  As usual, we were by far the youngest guests there.  The GM directed us to the front of the room where we were to see our Host for seating arrangements.  As we stood near the front table full of RESERVED signs, a rather rude woman piped up that the seats that we were standing in front of were "taken".  I looked at James appalled by her lack of cooth and class.

In no time at all we were given a great table facing the stage.  Another younger couple joined us but they were not all that social.  To our right sat a husband, wife and sister (the W's) and they were very nice to introduce themselves and start up conversation.  It was apparent that I would have to explain myself to MRS at some point and I did so with much reserve.  Her eyes filled up with tears as I leaned in to tell her "my story" and bring some answers to the questions which I knew she was too polite to ask.  My hand gently sat on her arm as I looked her in the eyes and urged her not to be sad for me.  I was quick to tell her that I had been blessed with a very full and enriched life for someone my age and that I found my ailment to be a blessing because it would serve as a daily reminder to not waste my life.  As this couple was in their early 80's, it seemed right away that we found common ground where on the surface, there seemed like none.  MRS said to me that it is how they live their life too at the age that they are and it is something that they have no choice but to think about. 

The meal was as follows:

Black Olive Tapenade over French Crostini
Sundried Cranberry Waldorf Salad with Vina Walnuts and Citric Cream dressing
Braisede Filet with Wild Mushrooms, Gorgonzola Cheese and Tawny Port glace de Viand
Chicken Breast Vesuvio with Match Stick Potatoes, White Wine and Pea Beurblanc
Artichoke and Roasted Garlic Duchess Potato
Fresh Vegetable Medley
Cherry Vanilla Cream Tartlet with Brandied Cherry Mascarpone Cheese

While we finished up the amazing dessert, one of the chefs carved an ice sculpture of a fish.

The W's departed but not before Mrs, who struggled to get up, reached over and hugged me while whispering in my ear that she will include me in her prayers and she expressed a "May God Bless You".  I hugged her back and gave her a peck on the cheek.  Both of us were enriched by the exchange of the evening and the ability to share a moment and each others lives beyond normal conversation. 

We stopped to say thank you to our Host on the way out before spending a few hours playing VP.  At 10:30pm we called it an evening and once again I did fine with $100 in and $200 out to offset James' daily loss.   I got on a great machine that provided me with lots of quads, full houses and three sets of 4OAK aces and Bonus threes.

All You Need Is Now

My days are not consistent in any way and I cannot expect anything beyond waking.  Unfortunately, today was not one of my best, so I kept it simple and curled up in bed for the day to conserve my energy for the big concert tonight (September 30th).  This entire trip came about because Duran Duran has always been on my bucket list and James found them playing at the Joint in the Hard Rock in Las Vegas.  With a venue of 4000 it just doesn't get much better for a big name band.

James had a nice lunch at Gold Coast with Gary.  It worked out well because "E" had to work and I was down and out, so it gave the guys an opportunity to hang alone.  After they enjoyed their soups, James caught a VP tournament by accident and ended up scoring quite well in the end.  It means that we will have to stop there on Saturday to see if he qualified for free play,  Hopefully he did.

When he returned, we had take out from the Cafe here before getting ready for the concert.  I had the chicken salad again and he had the turkey dinner.  Yummy.

The parking garage at the Hard Rock was not too busy and we zipped right up to the 5th level and made our way into the concert hall.  As this trip was a last minute thing, our seat selection was poor.  We had a choice of $300 ones or the last row in the theatre.  I didn't care that much only wanting to add Duran Duran to my human experience.  As photos will show, there really are no bad seats in here, but the top few are obstructed by a steel post and some venting.  The vents puff tummy stimulating smells throughout the evening which were not unpleasant at all. I actually enjoyed it.

This was one of the most wonderful experiences of my life.  It was completely bitter sweet in so many ways.  I found my emotions running a bit on the inside as I wondered how long I have left.  Knowing that I got to be a part of this helped bring me around to "the moment" and not worrying about the ticking clock.  Of all the bands in circulation, Duran Duran did not fail to perform in any way.  They have such a long list of hits that they could have easily played for a few more hours.  For two hours they rocked the house and the crowd lapped it up in a big way.




I had a super craving for a milkshake, so James took us to Jack In The Box where we both got shakes before heading back to our hotel and played more VP.  I did $100 and $100 out with a nice set of 7 quads and a plethora of full houses.  James was not so lucky.

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Iti s now Saturday morning.  We looked through our videos from last night and got packed for our next move.  The sky is blue and although they called for rain, it is supposed to be spotty.  We have only one spot to stop here in Vegas then we are off to Laughlin.  If you could, you would see the HUGE smile on my face.  I am sincerely happy beyond words that most people find Laughlin "too slow" and "boring".  It only means that the town is slow to change and with every visit we know what we can expect.

A hot shower beckons and then away we go.

Multi Points

Thursday we spent our day at Sunset Station getting the most of a multi point coupon that James had.  We started our day at the Cafe there having lunch.  So glad that the Cocos are gone and replaced with the more
personal Cafes that we have grown to love.  Who wants chain food on vacation?  Not us.

Not a lot of luck here other than banging out lots of points (which was our plan).  We played triple play VP @ the 50 cent denomination.  A few seats away from us was a button slapper than nearly brought me to madness. It is always sad to see someone "chasing" their losses and getting angry at a machine. It is the lowest and darkest aspect of gaming.

James go tme supper when we returned (a chicken salad sandwich and coleslaw) before he headed out to the Pinball Hall of Fame. I relaxed with my book and got caught up with emails before calling it a night.

Moving Day

Yesterday we enjoyed a complimentary (points) buffet breakfast at the Rio before heading out to our next destination.  During our meal I couldn't help myself and stopped to compliment a ladies beautiful head of hair.  I am sure that I made her day. At least I hoped I did.

The offer we booked through included$50 in free play when you play $50.  Both of us played around on some fun penny slots with a meager loss of $10 between us.  Off to the booth we went before departing, so he could get his $50 cash.

We dropped off a letter to James' Mom via the drop off box on Sunset at the Post Office.  It should reach her place in a few days.

A stop at the 99 cent store stocked us up with a few drinks and munchies to make our trip that much more enjoyable.

Normally I would write about a new place that we are staying at, but almost every time I do the parts that I grow to love about the property become ruined by an increase in traffic.  It is getting very difficult to find a spot that is quiet, void of pool parties, kids and loud music.  Voila!  We hit the jackpot here big time.  Not only that, but we were brought in by a Host complimentary and would be taking advantage of the multi-point days to top up our account.  The pool beckoned us after we got unpacked and as not to disappoint, it was relaxing in the way that I was craving.  A little time to read my book and to wade in the pool without the distractions of blaring tunes and obnoxious pool guests was simply heavenly.  Just what the doctor ordered (or rather...ME!)

James had $42 on his card which we used for a wonderful supper in their Cafe (he had the special Chicken Pot Pie and I had the Baked Ziti and a vanilla shake - YUP) before hitting the machines and getting in the action that would satisfy the Host and our play requirements for stay.  All the while, we were able to watch along to the two baseball games that were simultaneously featured on the televisions around the bar top.  After about 3 or so hours of play, I managed to stay even $200 in and $200 out.  We were able to cycle through two days worth of points in one with help from 4 Aces, a couple of quads and bonus 40AK'S.

The day winded down the gorgeous 100 degree blue sky to a decent temperature that actually allowed the a/c unit not to work in the evening.  We had a peaceful night's sleep and may consider this property one of our new "homes" for future visits.

11:30pm we were hitting the sheets after a productive day.  James lost $250 but I was even for the day.

The Perspectives and All You Need Is Now tour

As I watch the sun come up in the desert from our room at the Rio Suites Hotel in Vegas, I am surrounded by mixed feelings of euphoria.  Let me explain.  After the last trip in the summer I was told by a prominent physician that under no certain terms should I be alive.  A few of you know the story and for those that don't, lets just keep it that way.  I had unknowingly beaten the "odds" and am somewhat of a medical mystery to those who use their books for information and reference.  I on the other hand, equate my life to a miracle.  So, wallowing in my own personal "miracle", I am enjoying my time away in this favorite place with much more vigor than words can convey.

Yesterday went very well with our flight out of Hartford (I can now add Connecticut to my list of visited States) and it is my understanding that the pilot caught onto some sort of worm hole to get us there in such a short time span.  Although we were 40 minutes leaving the gate, he got us there well beyond our scheduled arrival.

In the comfortable 95 degree temperatures our first stop was the rental car facility and despite the lack of vehicles (we got a brand new Impala), there seemed to be nobody in sight.  Where was everyone?  CVS was next on the list where we would get our H20 and a few other necessities.  Flipping a virtual coin between the Rio Buffet or the Gold Coast's Noodle Exchange brought about soup (paid for by B Connected Emerald points) for the both of us.  On the way out we bumped into Mark at the bar.  Big hugs and pleasantries along with hopefully plans to get together this week were exchanged.  It always floors me when you run into people that you know in a City this huge.  As my Mom would say "no mistakes".

Nobody was in the Diamond Check in (our room was comped of course) at Rio so we got in and out of there with no issues.  Although the rest of the town was quiet, it could not be said equally for here.  As James would say about the $15 a night room rates, you are going to attract a certain type of crowd. Trust me, they were ALL here.  Traveling these days is exhausting for me, so we decided to just chill in our room for the evening.  A few phone calls were made and of course the tv was on Storage Wars.  The bath called my name and urged me to bring my achy bones, a book and a bag of Doritos with me.  Ya, I said "Doritos".  There will be no green bananas in my life anymore, so there you go.

The book I am reading somewhat parallels my life, so it was nice to get wrapped up into something that helped me escape my reality for a bit.  At around 10pm my eyes gave way to the end of another day of beating the odds.