As some of you know I just finished up another trip to Las Vegas. This time I added a new adventure to my usual Vegas playbook. While not in the category of "The Hangover" this none the less was pretty exciting for me.
I flew in on Wednesday by myself because my husband was on a business trip and was joining me later that evening. I made my way to my hotel (Paris) checked in, unpacked and set out to go play poker. The weather was a balmy 107 degrees so walking down to the Venetian where I wanted to play would be impossible. I knew there is a bus on the strip called the Duece (has a second deck) that goes up and down the strip and costs $7 for a 24 hour pass, but I had never used it before. I considered doing this because the last cab I took for a two block ride (2am in the morning) cost $40. Not wanting to be ripped off again I decided on the bus which stopped right in front of my hotel. Got on and without any problems jumped off at the Venetian.
I played in a 7 pm tournament and was knocked out around 9:30 pm. My husband was arriving at 11pm so I needed to get back. Again, I didn't want to walk by myself at night and it was still 100 degrees so I decided to jump on the "Duece". Found the stop and the bus came by shortly after. I had a great time riding, talking with nice tourists and reading the funny signage along the way. My favorite was a tatoo parlor named: " The Precious Slut". Before I knew it we were heading north and I began to worry when I heard the bus driver say next stop Fremont Street. For those of you familiar with Las Vegas, Fremont Street is the old part of Las Vegas, the one you see in the movies, where the Golden Nugget resides. This part of Vegas is fun and they now have the "Fremont Experience" which is great if you have never seen it. HOWEVER, comma, this is also a high crime area and a pickpockets haven.
As the bus rolled to a stop the driver announced that this was the FINAL destination - everyone off. WTF? I need to go to the Paris Hotel now about 3 miles away. I asked the bus driver if I had to get off (I was the only one left sitting on the bus) and he said yes. I asked where the other bus was that I needed to go south on and he pointed toward an alley. I reluctantly got off the bus clutching my cell phone and purse very tightly. I started walking where the bus driver pointed and quickly figured out that it was a parking garage. I decided to retrace my steps and go toward the crowds. After some searching and walking admid what surely must have been a carnival act, but turned out was just tourists, I was relieved to find the bus stop in one piece and waited for the southbound "Duece". It finally arrived and after boarding began to breathe again. I enjoyed talking with a couple from Ohio who showed me pictures they took of themselves and Gordon Ramsey, who was in the restaurant where they were eating. We exchanged tidbits of information, where to eat, what shows to see, etc. This was fun for about 20 minutes then I wanted to hurry up and get back. After traveling through a pretty shady part of town we reached the Strip again. I looked at my watch and noticed it was now 11 pm. Knowing my husband would be landing and wondering where I was I held my phone waiting for the call. The bus inched forward and stopped every 100 feet or so and waited for 10-15 minutes for loading and unloading. Agony.
Then the call came. "Where are you"? he asks, "funny you should ask", I say. I explain my bus ride and tell him I may be a little late. "No problem, I will meet you at the hotel" he says. What a great husband I have. Then the bus inches forward - after an hour and a half later I arrive in front of Ceasars and walk across the street to my hotel. I meet my husband as he walks in from the parking garage and all is well.
The rest of the trip was great, some highlights include seeing "LOVE" the Cirque Du Soleil act done to Beatles music - FANTASTIC! Going to Primm outlets and acquiring a new Coach purse, cashing in a big tournament at the Venetian where I was the only woman and eating breakfast at one of our favorites Bouchon.
I would however like to leave you with some lessons learned:
1. Know which side of the street to catch the appropriate bus.
2. Don't try to save money in Las Vegas.
3. Wear appropriate shoes.
4. No need to have a sweat shirt when its 100 plus degrees.
5. Eat before getting on the bus.
6. Take a bottle of water with you.
7. Go TO THE BATHROOM before getting on the bus.
BEE SMART
I'm not sure when it happened, that corner you turn when all of sudden you are doing things that you laughed at when you saw your parents and grandparents do them. I can remember as a child watching my grandfather nod off in his recliner in the middle of the afternoon. I thought "how could anyone sleep right now in the middle of the day"? Then in my thirties I remember seeing my father nod off in his chair while watching television during the day, sometimes while watching his favorite - golf. Now granted that could have been from the cocktails and secondly watching golf is like, dare I say it, watching paint dry, so I chalked it up to that. I personally have never been able to take a nap during the day even after a night or two of insomnia with only a couple of hours sleep. But lately I have been watching "my stories" in the early to mid afternoon and find myself putting my head back and dosing for about 20 minutes. That's it - my life is officially on the downslide.
I have been fighting the age thing with my creams, potions, lotions, vitamins, hair color and fashionable clothes. I do think the 60 and 70 somethings of today appear much younger than they did when I was a kid. For the most part grandma and grandpas were white haired and wrinkled and moved slowly. Today that notion is turned upside down as people are living longer and better.
But there are a few things I do now that I never thought would happen like:
1. Bending down to get something from a bottom shelf and not being able to get back up without putting my hands on the floor to push.
2. Getting out of bed two to three times per night to pee.
3. Onions give my indigestion. My grandmother's words haunt me now "I love onions but they don't love me". I have a full appreciation of that now.
4. My arms hurt when I blow dry my hair.
5. Bifocals
6. Memory - short and long term. I make notes for everything.
7. I get winded vacumn cleaning. (Of course some of these problems could be rectified with weight loss).
8. My feet, knees, back and neck are almost always in pain.
9. There are things growing on my skin - brown, ugly blotches and tags.
10. I have to clip NOSE HAIRS! and I am a fairly hairless person who shaves her legs about once a month.
11. I have grey hair other than on my head - enough said.
12. I say things my mother says. This may be the worst old age indicator.
13. We tend to stay in at night, and are home before nine if we go out for dinner or a movie.
14. I put my pjs on around 7pm.
15. I have my television lineup memorized and the dvr set.
16. I look forward to "Dancing With The Stars" as a weekly highlight.
17. My doctors and dentist are so much younger than me.
18. My 40 year high school reunion has come and gone.
19. I can't wear high heels anymore and really never even consider it - and I have a pair of Crocs.
20. Some words used in our household: gas, gout, arthritis, snoring, icepack, heatpack, hemorrhoids, indigestion, cholesterol and too tired.
21. and last but not least my "granny panties" are finally in line with my age.
Life really is an incredible journey that goes by so fast. Seems like yesterday that we were a young Navy family. We have made the most of everywhere we lived and had alot of fun along the way. If there is a lesson to be learned about growing old, I think it would be is take advantage of the opportunities to do things when they are presented to you because there may never be a second chance.
So now I'm exhausted from thinking and typing and I need a nap. Pay no attention to the time I posted this.
BEE Young.
Everyone has them. Most of us won't admit to them. The older I get the less I take myself seriously which frees up my ability to share things I never thought possible when I was younger.
Let's start with an easy one - Television. I am an advid watcher. Under the heading of guilty pleasures I would put:
Soap Operas - ALL MY CHILDREN & ONE LIFE TO LIVE (since 1970 and 1968 respectively)
My theory is all actors start here. There is an impressive line up of big names that have started here. Tommy Lee Jones, Kim Delaney, Sarah Michelle Geller, Ryan Phillippe, Mischa Barton, Kelly Ripa, Eva LaRue, Josh Duhamel, Hayden Panettiere, Tom Berenger, Nathan Fillion (currently Castle), Judith Light, Dixie Carter, Lawrence Fishburne, Faith Ford, Blair Underwood, Mario Van Peebles, Phylicia Rishad and Marcia Cross to name a few.
Daytime - REGIS & KELLY (again Kelly Ripa alumni of All My Children), THE VIEW, THE DOCTORS, all HGTV shows, and the FOOD NETWORK.
Reality - DANCING WITH THE STARS, SURVIVOR, PROJECT RUNWAY, SHEAR GENIUS, DESIGN STAR, THE NEXT FOOD NETWORK STAR, TRAUMA LIFE IN THE ER, BOSTON MED, THE RACHEL ZOE PROJECT, THE APPRENTICE, TODDLERS & TIARAS (the worst of the guilty pleasures), and an occasional MAN VS. WILD.
Premium TV - DEXTER, TRUE BLOOD, BIG LOVE, WEEDS, NURSE JACKIE, THE UNITED STATES OF TARA, ENTOURAGE and one that just finished - THE TUDORS.
Regular TV - MAD MEN, HIGH STAKES POKER, POKER AFTER DARK, WORLD SERIES OF POKER, WORLD POKER TOUR, (all poker shows), THE OFFICE, 30 ROCK, MODERN FAMILY, LOST (crap its off), CASTLE, THE GOOD WIFE, GREY'S ANATOMY, FLASH FORWARD, THE GATES, THE CLOSER, FLASHPOINT, ROOKIE BLUE, V, HOT IN CLEVELAND, RESCUE ME, LOUIE, RENO 911, & LAW AND ORDER (all of them).
Movies - I like a wide variety of movies from drama, to comedy the following is a list of Guilty Pleasure Movies:
CLUELESS, BEST IN SHOW, MR. MOM, MULTIPLICITY, X-MEN, IRONMAN, WEDDING CRASHERS, 40 YEAR OLD VIRGIN, SUPERBAD, THE HANGOVER, THE WIZARD OF OZ, THE NUTTY PROFESSOR (Eddie Murphy version), MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD, WORLD, ROUNDERS, GREASE, SOAPDISH, ROCKY, TOP GUN, CHRISTMAS VACATION, OLD SCHOOL, 4 WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL, AMERICAN GRAFFITI, THE OMEN, GHOSTBUSTERS, BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA, PRIDE AND PREDUJICE, THE PRINCESS BRIDE, LEGALLY BLONDE, NAPOLEON DYNOMITE, SHREK MOVIES, THE IN-LAWS, YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN, INDEPENDENCE DAY, BULL DURHAM, FERRIS BUELLERS DAY OFF, BORAT, and SWEET HOME ALABAMA. There are many more, but just a sampling to see how diverse or perverse I am.
Other guilty pleasures happen every day. Love to play on-line poker, sleep in late, stay up late, eat popcorn for dinner when my husband is away, shop at Ross on Tuesday to get my senior citizen discount, sit out on my deck and read a murder mystery when I should be doing housework, eat the crispy skin off the Costco roast chicken, reading the Star and the Enquirer at my mom's house, playing poker while my husband is working, and watching all the mindless programs/movies above instead of reading a good book, volunteering my time or in general doing something constructive with my time.
In conclusion, I have probably wasted a lot of time on guilty pleasures, but I managed to help raise two great kids, keep a clean household and support my husband for 33 years without too many complaints. So like another guilty pleasure of mine when I was a kid would say "WHAT ME WORRY"?
P.S. Almost forgot my biggest guilty pleasure - hint - it has to do with a particular leather handbag. For further insight see the blog below.
Leave a couple of your guilty pleasures for me to enjoy.
BEE HAPPY!
My obsession with Coach purses is legendary. I have owned and/or carried nothing but Coach purses for about 20 years. After a recent trip to a Coach outlet store, I came home and decided to organize and store them in my handmade amish cedar chest. Out with the sweaters, in with the purses, who cares if the moths eat my sweaters, my leather babies needed a good home. I have never really counted them before cause it's a number you really don't want to know or I might have to go to Coach rehab or worse STOP buying them. I did count them and the range is somewhere like two per year. Did you know they are lifetime warranted? Anything goes wrong just send them in and they will fix it. Love that, and I have done it, it really works.
I recently was visited by my two nieces, 10 and 13 years of age. We gave the 13 year old a Coach purse for her birthday. Then we took a trip to the Coach outlet store (there aren't any in Oklahoma) where they each purchased purses for themselves. I had to wait until I was 30 something before I got a Coach purse, but now it is all the rage for the pre-teen and teenage set. Didn't know I was so cool. My nieces came into my bedroom and right away admired my lineup of Coach sneakers in all their dazzling colors. I love sneakers (cause I'm old and can't wear heels - and they look stupid in a poker room), and enjoy matching my jeans, hoodies, Coach purses with my sneaks. They were impressed. I have hats, wallets, wristlets, laptop bag, overnight bags, makeup bags, jewelry bags, sunglasses and a coat. If they gave out reward cards I would be a diamond/VIP member. My Coach habit is out of control. I do however, have a Coach pimp. He enjoys buying them for me and enables me and my obsession. He also owns several Coach wallets, shaving kit bag, carry-on duffle bag, briefcases, writing pad book, belts, and various other acessories. If he goes with me to the outlet store (I never buy retail) I come home with at least one more purse or item then I would if I went by myself. You may say I am spoiled, but he makes it up on his end with his obsession - WINE - for which we have a whole room devoted to and has it's own air-conditioning system. I may have to store my purses in there soon.
I have started trying to buy only limited edition purses now, those that you rarely see anyone else carrying. Look around while you are out, one in five women at a mall will be carrying Coach. Seems like a good stock to buy. They have good sales at the outlets, most will be 50 percent off retail with another 30 to 50 percent off for the outlet price. Put the extra 20 percent special coupon on top of that and you have a bargain. Monday holidays are best weekends for lowest prices. I have been to outlets where they had lines outside the store and only let a few people in at a time because the fire code would only allow so many customers inside at once. FANTASTIC.
Here's the best part about a Coach purse - it doesn't judge. I don't have to slip it over my hips and hope that its doesn't make them look huge. It's never too tight and doesn't shrink in the wash. I don't have to wait to lose five pounds so it will fit. They rarely go out of style and they remind me of horses because of its logo, leather and detailing. I will never own a horse, that dream has passed but I am satisfied with my leather "saddlebags".
I know it is indulgent, try not to judge, think of it as being cheaper than 20 years of therapy.
