VEGAS--The Aftermath

I got home Thursday at 9:15am and I was beat. I won't do it like that again.

But in the beginning, everything I was doing seemed like a good idea. My flight was actually a few minutes early coming in to McCarran International Airport. And, the place, for the most part, is easy to navigate.

I took the #108 bus from the airport to very close to the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. I had my messenger bag but I didn't look too out of place. The Hard Rock is very "clubby"...but I really didn't have to deal with that because after getting my player's card...I went straight to the poker room. This was about 11:30pm PST.

The poker room is NICE. I'd read on CheapoVegas that the weekend games were soft. I had about a 20 minute wait to get seated at the $1-2 no-limit table. One of the only three going at the time.

Initially, the table was full of older guys and I thought that I might be in trouble but no. They were as soft as predicted. I was tight-aggressive and doing pretty well. My second hand dealt was Pocket Aces...that held up and a couple of those older guys followed me all the way to the River.

By about 6:30am PST the table had gotten harder and I had gotten tired and pretty drunk so I left to go to the Rio to meet a former editor/publisher. I had been up since about 6am EST and had only had sleep on the six hour flight. And that was uncomfortable sleep.

VEGAS!!! Part 2 of several

As I was saying, I started with CheapoVegas because the site pretty much walks you through everything. There are sections for "bargain bin" airfares and hotel rates which show $12/night hotels and $150 round trip airfares.

One of the links/partners/whatever on CheapoVegas is i4Vegas.com which, from all my research, including all the main travel sites: Orbitz, Travelocity, etc., had the best hotel rates and the prices included taxes and fees.

Again, the bottom line: total outlay - total winnings = net profit/loss -- where, total outlay is the price of travel, lodging, transportation, and meals plus the bankroll.

I checked around everyday and the lowest airfare I found from the Miami/Ft. Lauderdale (MIA/FLL) area was $127 round trip (RT) on Spirit Air. But, I messed around and let that one slip by because I wasn't positive about my dates. FYI: I booked about three-and-a-half weeks prior to departure. And, the middle of October in Vegas is supposed to be slow.

I did, however, get almost as good of a rate about a week later at $148 RT plus a $2 fee of some kind...so $150 RT;non-stop on Spirit from FLL...FYI the Ft. Lauderdale airport is about equidistant from North Beach/North Miami/Aventura as MIA. At the very least, you don't have to deal with the clusterfuck of the Miami Airport.

A word of caution: I have never flown Spirit. I am only taking a carry-on bag. I did not "purchase" a "seat" in advance. This could have potentially added about $30 to the price.

I think all that stuff is a bunch of bullshit anyway. But, my reasons for not doing this are only partly related to an extra $30. For one, I don't care if they seat me between two screaming kids -- I intend to be drunk or asleep for the entire flight. And two, I intend to gamble and drink, not take in a show or lounge by the pool. My itinerary requires about three changes of clothes. All of which fits perfect in my Timbuk2 Messenger bag. Hell, I could fit my laptop and all that stuff in that Messenger bag.

Lastly, I booked three nights at the El Cortez through i4Vegas.com at a rate of about $17/night plus taxes and fees...I was charged a little less than $62. The most I expect to pay in "unexpected" fees is possibly the Nevada resort tax. That might end up being another $20 or so.

The point: the El Cortez is in the downtown/Fremont Street area north of the Las Vegas Strip. The gambling is cheaper downtown. That is, about the only time that a player is "even" with the house is when betting the odds on (behind) the Pass Line at the craps table. And, the House loses more edge as the amount of odds the player can bet goes up. On the Strip, it seems that 5X odds is about as good as it gets. Downtown (and elsewhere off-Strip), however, the odds can be 10X or better. For a more complete explanation of odds on casino games see The Wizard of Odds.

Furthermore, I don't intend to use that room more than about five hours a day to sleep and shower.

At this point, total outlay is $150 + $62 = $212. Another FYI: I could never find a "package deal" for airfare/hotel on any travel site that was less that this number.

VEGAS!!!

I'll be in Las Vegas starting this Saturday (the 17th) for four days/five nights.

I am a pretty hardcore gambler, but to me, gambling should be done for the gain, not "entertainment."

This generally culminates in the bottom line: total outlay - total winnings = net profit/loss.

Here, total outlay is the price of travel, lodging, transportation, and meals plus the bankroll.

For once, I think that I've done the proper research. I went to Costa Rica in 1999 with little or no idea of what to expect. I stayed almost three years and, at times, it was a struggle. I was in Guatemala a couple of years ago for six weeks, but that was a no-brainer because I took everything with me that I would need. Obviously, this was a lesson learned from the Costa Rica travels. Also, I had a friend/old editor there so he already knew the ropes.

This time, I have an old editor who lives in Vegas (Henderson really) but I'm probably only going to see him on Sunday. Besides, I really needed to figure this out for myself.

So I started looking around in the middle of September for "deals" on airfares and hotels. I have never been to Las Vegas so I do not have the luxury of hotels there sending me promotions and offers. More about this later...

The first place I started looking was www.CheapoVegas.com -- I've been following this site for a couple of years now. The site is simple, straightforward, and smarmy. And, I like that.

I'm procrastinating again

And, I can't afford it. Tomorrow is the deadline.

Julia Child is a school girl from the temperance movement

I was just thinking that because:

1. I like Julia Child. (RIP)

2. I cook.

3. The redhead in the new movie "Julie and Julia" is hot. (She's also in Talladega Nights.)

And since I cook, why shouldn't I give a little back to the foodie establishment?

Yeah, all you upturned snot noses can kiss my ass. I don't want to be a chef, but I might own a restaurant one day.

So here's what I did off the cuff tonight for dinner.

I took a chicken tender. Yes. That is a "cut" of chicken.

Anyway. I seasoned some flour (I used salt, pepper and Adobo). I diced the tender into bit-sized pieces; dredged it in the flour, then milk, then the flour again.

I pan fried that chicken in a little bacon grease and butter.

I put on some pasta (linguine in this case). And, I took the opportunity to use my small cast iron skillet to throw in some extra v. olive oil and red pepper flakes--and sweat some garlic and onions in that skillet. When the chicken was crispy, I threw it in there as well.

I drained the linguine; threw a little olive oil in the bottom of the pasta pot and incorporated all ingredients.

Music time: something angry like Ice Cube, GNR from back in the day, etc.
Prep time: as long as you need (cooking is relaxing for me)
Liquor time: probably about 5 beers. Be careful with the knife.
Rest time: after incorporation, let it sit for about 3 minutes, then eat.

Let me take this opp. to say that the most amiable/people person chef in Miami is Michelle Bernstein. Most of the others are pricks. That's just my two cents.

And, to be quite honest. It's my blog so whatever.

Monday Hangover Monday

Mondays means I have to sober up and get ready to do some work...which is sometimes a chore.

I have (along with my writing partner)to produce the first 30 pages of a screenplay due by this time next week for a production company.

Yeah, yeah, stop me if you've heard that one before. But, no, really, this is all true.

I am "BORED-ER than hell"

It's so damn hot in Miami (Beach) right now that if you have to walk more than a block to anywhere, then you might as well take a change of clothes. That means I can't really go outside. At least the liquor stores in my neighborhood deliver.

Have I ever mentioned that I hate Miami?

I hate Miami.

I hate it because people aren't friendly, don't speakie the Englie and make fun of you if you don't speakie the Spanie.

Now, one thing to consider: I am Latino and (while it is not my first language) I speakie the Spanie.

There are old Cubans here who left before 1959 when Castro took over Cuba and they STILL no speakie the Englie...nothing.

This is why you get that bastard accent. Hell, I didn't make it up. It's true.