And I just got back from it. There's just SO MUCH that I have to share from my time away that, in lieu of writing 20 different long, drawn-out stories, I am forced to (once again) rip off the Monkey's blog style for today's entry. Ready? here we go...

My wife and I traveled to Las Vegas last Monday to spend some time with family and friends. It seems that there are more and more people to see every time we go out that way, with the most recent addition to Sin City being Andy, whom you all know from the clever comments which he leaves from time to time. This Andy is not to be confused with Andy C., just so's you all keep things straight. THIS Andy, Andy K., recently landed a job at SKG advertising as a copywriter. Way to go, Andy!
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And speaking of Andy (We were), his wife Andrea paid him a surprise visit on Wednesday, which we were all aware of, but had to keep a secret, for obvious reasons. IT'S SO HARD TO NOT SPILL THE BEANS! Luckily, nobody ruined the surprise, which turned out to be a "good one." When she arrived, Andrea took a cab from McCarran to SKG, snuck up behind Andy and gave him a "kiss." Andy was scared to turn around, as he said, because when Andrea kissed him, what started running through his mind were all of the girls that had been nice to him...AND ONE GUY! He said that, if it HAD been the guy, he was prepared to "punch him."
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Backtracking to Monday, I had booked our flight on a "low-fare" airline called Allegiant. I booked the hotel with them as well, part of a package deal for which I paid an insanely low price. Sometimes, it is true that you "get what you pay for." Upon arrival at the Colorado Springs Airport, it was clear that, even though we got through the security and check-in process with plenty of time to spare, not everyone would be as fortunate. Allegiant, being the cheap-asses that they are, subcontract out the check-in and United, being the cheap-asses that THEY are, only allotted Allegiant one very slow station which was, in turn, "staffed" by one very slow individual. The check-in line extended far beyond a very far away place and things looked very bleak for an on-time departure. All of this "crap" conspired to put us a full hour and a half behind schedule. In addition, when we finally made it to our hotel, good ol' Allegiant, it seemed, simply failed to make our hotel reservation. Perhaps you can imagine my displeasure when I was told that, according to the Orleans, I didn't exist. Apparently, during the tirade of curse words which I followed THAT revelation up with, I must've hit on some "secret password" because we not only got a room soon after, but we were given a significantly better room than the folks around us who also were checking in (and existing) got.
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Speaking of crappy, low-fare airlines (oh, we were), Allegiant Air is officially "on notice" to "watch their ass." Listen here, you jerks! I've already utilized my (considerable) psychic powers to put Vanguard Airlines out of business and, believe me, I won't think twice about using that shit on you...
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On a lighter note, We (myself, my wife, Andy, Heather's Sister Shannon and Shannon's boyfriend Aldie) got together at P.F. Chang's on Monday evening. If you've never eaten at a Chang's before, I highly recommend doing so. If you HAVE enjoyed Chang's fare prior to reading this entry, you know what unbridled food-related bliss the whole experience can be. Say it with me..."Lettuce wraps."
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By the way, the whole "not having a hotel reservation" thing DID get cleared up, but I'm still not backing off of Allegiant. Someone's getting a letter, dammit.
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In addition to Chang's on Monday, my wife and I joined Andy (and Andrea) for dinner on Wednesday at Diego, which is in the MGM Grand. I will admit, I was a bit leery of "gourmet Mexican" fare going in but I'm a believer now. Two words for you folks. Well, 3. No, make it 4. "Guacamole, prepared fresh tableside." Oh holy crap, THAT is some damn good stuff. Unfortunately, for Andy, it was his first experience with guacamole. He enjoyed it immensely, as did we all, but I assured him that after having THIS particular guacamole, most others would really suck by comparison. Also, we had goat barbacoa. That is some good stuff, lemme tell ya.
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Well, that should be enough for now. Later on, I'll fill you all in about things such as how I participated in an actual poker tournament, how many presents my wife got from her dad and stepmom (enough to pop the seams in our luggage) and perhaps more dining experiences, since we go to Las Vegas primarily to eat food and get fat. Until then, I hope you all had a great holiday and, if you're back at work today, I hope you can make the best of it. If you're NOT back at work today...Well...Sleep in...Or somethin'...I dunno.

Labels: blatant rip-offs, get outta town, I eat food, indignities, poker