Vegas trip, July 29-August 01:
in the beginning
I was not in the best of moods going into the weekend. Circumstances in life had put me in the mindframe that life was confusing, unfair, and... well just plain sucky. I wanted nothing more than hide under my bedsheets. But Angelina promised that this was exactly what I needed so I reluctantly packed my bag.
the crew
We made excellent time, everyone involved arriving around the same time. We stayed at the MGM Grand with a huge discount from Spencer. Originally the plan was 4 guys (Spencer, Matt, and 2 of Matt's friends) and 4 girls (Me, Angelina, Cathy, Ariane) but somehow it turned out to be 6 guys because Matt's friends brought 2 other guys. You'd think that would work out ok from a girl's perspective but actually not so much. One guy was instantly dubbed "Snoring guy" and I think we spent a disturbing amount of time figuring out ways of silencing him. (Some ideas were to "permanently" silence him).
Some of our more interesting ideas:
* Find suitable "snoring stick" and poke him when he starts snoring
* Find rollaway bed and roll him into hallway when he falls asleep
* Rollaway bed idea too nice, just drag his ass out and introduce it to Cold Marble Floor
* Cold Marble Floor idea too nice, just kill him with pillow
Don't feel sorry for the guy, if you were there, feeling the walls vibrate with his snoring, and you're awake after only 4 hours of sleep to begin with, you will see our point of view.
the pool
Most of our day was spent at the pool. Memories that stand out are: Drunk guys doing cannonballs whenever a group of girls floated by on the endless river, Matt stealthily stealing an innertube, Spencer stealthily flirting with 19 year old lifeguard (just kidding, not that stealthy), drinking very strong drinks and walking around the river with Angelina, Cathy avoiding all forms of contact between water and belly button, Ariane being pitched into the pool over and over again by Matt, beach balls galore.
slow motion fo' me
We went to Studio 54 at MGM the first night and Rain at the Palms the second night. It's a close race, but I'd have to say Studio 54 rocked more by a slight margin. It wasn't as crowded and quite honestly, I liked the gogo dancers better. The girls at Rain looked positively bored whereas 54's dancers looked like they were having fun and there was actually this one guy who did quite well receiving dollar bills from the dozens of bachelorette parties going on. Rain had the crazy effects but with a million people on the dance floor, fire is the last thing you're looking for. 54 had crazy acrobats. Oh and before I forget, 54 also had the nicest bartender who plied us with free drinks all night. Oh and 54 felt less of a meat market. I just danced with more people at 54, but at Rain I could not believe how obvious people were about checking you out. Although it worked in some peoples' favor didn't it, Angelina? ;)
big money (lack therof)
No gambling. None. I even told myself I would spend $20 on Wheel of Fortune, but nada.
back to reality
I was so exhausted I slept most of the way back. Sorry I couldn't talk to you more Angelina! But it was fun to hear snippets of conversation between Angelina and Cathy. I still even remember one sentence I heard. "It's all about the power struggle."
Towards the end of the ride, it started to hit me that I had to go back to face my reality again and I guess I got kind of sad and Angelina and Cathy both noticed. They were great to talk to though and on the way home I talked to Patty too.
I think being distracted is the key to getting through the week (through the day, through the hour) for now. I'm just so tired of forcing myself into activities and I'm really looking forward to realizing that I'm just living life again.
For more on the Vegas trip:
Spencer's take
Matt's take