This was my third trip to Vegas. Previous trips were spent with family. We enjoyed the sites, hotels, food, a slot or two, but that was the extent of the excitement. I view a slot much like a video game, and have never been that interested, and if I am, I play only as much as I plan to lose...which isn't much! There is so much to see and do in Vegas, but you do have to wade through a lot of filth to do it. As you walk up and down the strip, especially as it gets later, people stand and try to force cards into your hands advertising some of the activities that most states ban. It's annoying. I think before I spent less time out in the late hours. The girls and I also have different agendas on vacation, so it was a little/lot about compromising again and waiting for them to do what they wanted to do, or stepping away if it wasn't something I was interested in doing. Day two, we go up late, and headed out to Serendipity...again. The plan was to rent a car and go out to Hoover Dam, but it took soooo long for everyone to get up and ready, by the time we got our car (24 hour rental from Enterprice-fabulous customer service), it was too late to miss the 5 o'clock traffic, so we parked and planned to head out early the next morning before we needed to return the car. We stood outside the Bellagio and saw the fountains dance to music while we waited for the next little Vegas surprise. This was the week of the National Rodeo (so we saw lots of cowboys hats), but it was also Nascar Victory week. The top ten finishers this year did a lap around the strip (it was closed down), and right in front of the Bellagio there was a place for a pitstop. All ten of the drivers stopped to have their tires changed before they peeled out again. Jason's drive, Tony Stewart was in the running, so the girls humored me while I took a few pictures for his benefit, plus, regardless of your interest in the sport, it's neat to see famous people so close, even if you don't really follow them....at least that was the argument I used that worked.
The other girls all decided they wanted to get tattoos. Uhhh....suddenly I'm outside of my comfort zone here. First, I am just not a very impulsive person, I'm a planner, second-I've spent the last 18 years of my life trying to be as different from my brother as possible, and so I don't think I can get any more scandalous than the one piercing in each ear. It was a big joke in the family when they had to tattoo my Mom for radiation, and later during reconstruction that I'm the only untattooed family member, and....I want to stay that way, despite the girl's best attempts. OK, to be fair-they all have previous tattoos-one for Kelly, and Lauren, and 7 for April. I still thought it was perhaps something to think about more than 10 minutes, but...it was decided. I suggested making at least sleeping on it, but the voice of waiting was stiffled, so it was a lot of sitting and waiting that afternoon while Kelly, and Lauren were tattooed. The tattoo shop was owned by some guy who plays for a band called Lincoln Park, it was very expensive. We ran out of time for April, and she was scheduled to return the next day. Here is where lots of compromise comes in b/c there were many things I'd rather be doing, but I'm sure I'll remember this more clearly than anything else. I didn't do anything I didn't want to do, but...I also had to sit back and wait, which is hard for me. I'm friends with Kelly's Dad on facebook, so I posted a picture for his benefit (and her suggestions), which I'm sure made several of my friends question what was going on. Her parents seemed OK with it, though Lauren's husband, and April's boyfriend were less than thrilled, which made for some interesting phone calls (maybe Vegas is best experienced single?). I've never seen anyone get a tattoo, other than on Miami Ink on TLC, but....I still don't feel the pull. To each his own, I know most of my brother's tattoos were on impulse, I guess you either want ink, or you don't. He says he doesn't regret any, but he isn't really the type to have regrets, though I have given him plenty of suggestions for things he might think about regretting over the years ;o). It's hard for me to commit to an outfit for the day, much less a lifetime of ink. No Thank You!
After two tattoos, we headed to the Venetian, and Emerald's restaurant Table 10. This is where April and her boyfriend began discussing her upcomnig tattoo, so it turned into a three hour dinner. The food was fine, very southern, with lots of fish, and a high price tag. I liked the rolls (surprise). Again, we had good service (it's definitely a service oriented town minus one hotel encounter).
After dinner the girl's had talked about going to another club, and so I was planning on heading to the hotel, but after April's phone calls, they stuck with me, and we played a few slots, and stopped by a table (something I've never tried before, and then headed in for a relatively early night (if that's what 2 am is called).
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