So, yes, I was on vacation. I don't know why I don't like to just come
out and say it. Well, actually I do. I think it's because I don't feel
like I *should* take vacation so don't like to admit it when I do!
Plus, I know Las Vegas can bring out some strong emotions in people -
some love it, some hate it - and I like to keep most of my blogging
focused on business. But, since I was gone for a whole week, I want to
post a few random musings from our trip.
First, though, let's start with us getting ready to leave -
Apparently,
Bug really wanted to come with us. I had my suitcase out on the couch,
waiting for those last few things to be added, when she jumped right in
and made herself comfortable. She really missed us while we were gone -
she didn't stop meowing for HOURS once we returned! Maybe she was just
trying to tell me about HER exciting week?
We arrived in Las
Vegas Thursday morning, which was unusual for us. We usually like to go
Sunday through Thursday - leaving late on Sunday night and taking the
red-eye/overnight flight on Thursday - so are there for about 4 days.
For some reason we couldn't find cheap enough airfare this year, so we
ended up going Thursday - Tuesday, which amounted to 2 more days than
normal! (The airfare WAS cheap, but we really prefer Sun-Thur.) Another
note about flying - I was *VERY* disappointed to learn that you don't
get the fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies on Midwest flights until
AFTER 10am! Our flight was earlier than that, so no cookies. :(
In
the airport before leaving, I bought a couple of puzzle books, mostly
word searches. I thought they'd give me something to do on the flight
and also take up time when I just wanted to hang out in the room. It
was a smart move and they definitely ended up "saving" me some money!
The more time I spent in the room, the less time I had to lose money!
And,
since money was an issue, I didn't take as much as I have in the past,
and tried to regulate it better. That first day, I don't think I played
much at all. After lunch, and check-in, I played a little and then
Scott did a poker tournament. Usually when he plays poker, I also hang
out in the room. Not that I couldn't play slots, but I was determined
to rest a lot on this trip, so I did just that! Puzzles and napping . .
. not a bad way to spend the first day. We also had free internet in
our room, so I brought the laptop. This really made me less anxious
because at least I could check in every day just to make sure all was
well in Kitty Grrlz land.
One of the main reasons we go to Vegas
is so that Scott can play poker. Going during this time, lots of places
have tournaments that would get you into the big World Series of Poker
which I think starts soon. So, he plays poker, and I play slots. The
funny thing is, he tends to be very unlucky in poker (plays really well
and ends up losing because someone else gets lucky on the river!) BUT
he is SO LUCKY when it comes to slots!!!! He won TWO small progressive
jackpots while we were there!!! They were both won on the SAME kind of
machine I won on last year, and that he won on two years ago. He hit
one early on so was able to do a bigger tournament as well as a couple
smaller ones, and the other one later so was able to come home with it.
He also gave me a little money since by the weekend I was a bit behind
where I wanted to be. This also coincided with our "bum around the
Strip" day. See, we usually stay downtown, but always venture up to the
Strip at least once. We went to the Spice Market Buffet at Planet
Hollywood (our favorite buffet), and then went to a couple casinos. We
weren't really feeling it, though.
BUT, before we had left that
morning (this was Sunday), I made a couple bets on the NASCAR race that
was happening that day. Scott noticed that Joey Logano's odds were
crazy - 80 to 1! - so we bet on him. A $5 bet. I usually do lots of
these sports bets before we go - I take all the crazy long shots on
football and hockey, and a few on baseball and basketball. The thing
is, the last two years I haven't had money to make the bets. It always
becomes one of those, "If I win, I'll make some sports bets." Of all
the crazy sports bets I've ever made, I've not won a single one of
them. Oh, I've come close - I had the Rays last year for the World
Series and have also had teams bet on for the superbowl get as close as
the playoffs. But, no winnings.
Until NOW! Joey Logano actually
WON that race and I finally won a long-shot sports bet!!!! Woohoo!!!
Thank you, Joey Logano, and Mother Nature (since rain definitely played
a factor in the victory.)
That win really helped as then I was
able to get through the last few days way ahead of my "daily limit" and
thus also came home with money!! In my opinion, any time you can come
back from Vegas with money in your pocket, you win!
I also have
to thank Elvis and Star Wars! Those last couple days, I played alot of
Star Wars - they have different machines and I was playing the one for
the first movie, and it was doing things I've never seen before -
hitting 5 of a kind all over the place! I think I got more out of that
machine than I got from the sports bet!
With slots, if we stay
disciplined, we have a system. Start with a certain amount, if you win
and get over what you started with, cash out, pocket the winnings and
put the original amount back in. IF you keep winning (which i was doing
for awhile), you WILL come out ahead - or at least even - because you
are still always working off of that original amount, with the
"winnings" pocketed.
The thing is knowing when to stop.
Unfortunately, I was chasing a bit by the end, so didn't end up with as
much as I could have, but still feel I ended up ahead.
Then,
there was Elvis. One of our favorite places downtown is this little
corner slot place called Mermaids. They have girls out front in
tropical costumes, and they give you beads as you walk in. They also
have the most attentive waitresses - if you want to drink, go to
Mermaids. We are usually barely through the door before they are there
asking if you want anything. This can be a bad thing, though, as
sometimes the goal is to NOT drink. They also have .99 hot dogs and
deep-fried twinkies and oreos! They are also the only place left
downtown (I think) that has slot machines that actually take and give
coins! There is just something so cool about the sound of hundreds of
quarters cascading out of a machine!! We also like it, because it can
take up more time - cash out and feed those coins in one by one!
Anyways, there was an ELVIS machine there that seemed to be doing
pretty well, hitting a lot of the bonuses and just paying out alot.
Usually, though, there was someone playing it, except for the last day.
We finally got a chance to sit down at it. I put in 3 quarters for a
max-bet spin and got the bonus right away! By the time I was done I won
at least $200 on that machine alone. Once it started to slow down on
the bonuses, though, I had to stop.
A few more comments on
Mermaids - I do love it, but prefer it during the day. At night it can
get a little crowded/rowdy and really loud. My favorite time for
Mermaids is mid-day and early afternoon. And, another reason we like it
is because they remember us - the waitresses know what we want and the
manager even recognizes us from year to year. Early on, we were even
mistaken for locals, which I kind of like. It has a lot more "corner
bar" feel to it than "tourist strip" and that is what I prefer.
It's
probably why I like downtown/Fremont Street in general better than the
Strip. The Strip can just be so huge and intimidating and sometimes
crowded. And, since we do tend to go in the summer when it is so hot
(100+ degrees every day we were there, I think), downtown is nice since
you are almost always walking in casinos or under the Fremont Street
Experience canopy (that's the light show - this summer they are doing a
60s theme and also had a Michael Jackson tribute up. the only one we
watched, though, was the "American Pie" one since that is one of my
favorite songs!)
Anyways, we capped off the week with a bit of
Pai Gow Poker. We had sat in on the Craps and Pai Gow Poker free
lessons the first day we were there, but then never ended up playing
either, until that last day. We played a bit, but didn't do very well.
I may play a little more next time we go, though, just because it is
something different than slots.
We ended up leaving for the
airport sooner than usual as neither of us really wanted to spend or
lose any more money. We got there 4 hours before our flight!?! It was a
long 4 hours since we were both exhausted and just wanted to be home.
But, before we knew it, we were on the plane getting our fresh-baked
chocolate chip cookies! (Seriously, I love that they do this and I know
it's just 2 cookies, but it is way better than peanuts!) Our flight
arrived half an hour early and we were home by 6am. Bug sure was happy
to see us, and while I am *definitely* happy to be home, I'm also not
quite ready to get back to reality. I've got a few things I'm going to
try and do the next couple of days, but I probably won't get back to my
"regular" schedule until Sunday or Monday.
Look for new yarns to start appearing in my etsy shop on Monday, hopefully!
In
the meantime, though, I am extending my shipping specials and sale
sections through the holiday weekend as part of the Fourth of July Sale
on etsy.
Kitty Grrlz Hand Spun Yarns - SALE SECTION HERE
Kitty Grrlz Hand Knit Items - SALE SECTION HERE
Plus, Free Shipping in the USA and $5 International Shipping.
All specials will end on Monday, though!
Originally posted on kittygrrlz.vox.com
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Awhile
back, I received this yarn. It is Trendsetter "Flora" yarn in color
"Blackberry". As soon as I saw it, I wanted fiber in the same color so
that I could spin an art yarn and maybe a single ply. I put in requests
to two of my favorite dyers, and in the end received two very different
results. The thing about this color is that there are definite sections
of each color; it is very bold and distinct. The merino that I received
from one of my requests turned out beautiful (and I will eventually get
to spinning it, too) but a little more blended. But, the other request
ended up being a near-perfect match! (I say "near-perfect" because I
don't think *anything* could be *exactly* the same.)
