Vegas - Food

A week ago I was in nice sunny Vegas and now I am sitting in my living room in sweats with the fireplace on. Spent most of the weekend watching football - course none of my teams won - WSU lost - Seahawks Lost - Redskins Lost - Cowboys lost. Dang - I so need to find new teams to root for.

Vegas - Food!!

Sunday night we met up with the rest of Colleen and Lindsay's running group at Tao inside the Venetian - if you follow Hollywood Gossip then you know that this is one of the night clubs that celebrities go to - nobody was there when we were though as it was still set up as the restaurant. So - we all get there and the hostess comes to take us to our table - up 2 flights of stairs! All but Tony and I had run in the marathon the day before - when they saw the hostess go up the stairs they were all like - you've got to be kidding me! They moved very slowly. The food at Tao was very good - Beigel and JJ ordered for everyone and we aye family style so it made it easier. The best was Encrusted Chilean Sea Bass - those of you that know me know that I am not a fan of seafood - this was really really good. We had it on sticks as a appetizer and then bigger pieces for the meal. I tried a Tao Tini - the first half was good but I'm not a big fan of rum - Colleen was drinking the same thing so when she was talking to John I just added the rest of my drink to hers - she didn't notice!

We had breakfast one morning at the Coffee Shop at Treasure Island. As we were waiting to be seated Colleen picked up a USA Today - the host asked if she was paying for that now or at the table - table. We got shown to our seats and that gal asked if she had already paid for her paper or should it be added to the breakfast bill - uh the bill. When the waitress came to take our order - that's right - she asked if Colleen had already paid for the paper. You must be thinking that this paper is very expensive in Vegas - nope - they were very worried that Colleen wasn't going to give them their .75 cents - that's right 75 whole cents!

The one place Lindsay wanted to eat at was Margaritaville - a restaurant all about Jimmy Buffet. Both Colleen and Lindsay had a Margarita in a collectors glass - Tony and I stuck with beer. We ordered Nachos to start and then our food. I had a Cheeseburger In Paradise - told ya it was all about Jimmy Buffet! Colleen ordered a Cheeseburger In Paradise without the cheese - our waiter told her that in Vegas they call that a hamburger! She replied with the fact that they don't have a hamburger on the menu - because there was no Hamburger In Paradise. After walking all day the food hit the spot!!


Monday and Tuesday night dessert was at the Bellagio - they have a pastry chef there that makes the most incredible concoctions- I enjoyed - Imperial - creme brulee covered in chocolate, Raspberry Cheesecake wrapped in a thin sheet of white chocolate, and Key Lime Pie that had real chunks of key lime.

Most of the other meals were just fast food stops on our walks and of course Starbucks every morning!

De

Hotels!

We stayed in two different hotels in Vegas - Treasure Island and then The Bellagio. Colleen and Lindsay said with each move we were moving up - the hotel they stayed in for the marathon was the bottom of the barrel.

Treasure Island was nice- it is connected to the Fashion Mall which was nice - we were able to go over to the Mall and to a real Starbucks. There was a Starbucks in the hotel but they don't take gift cards and my drink wasn't the same. The room was nice and the bed was really comfortable - there was also a flat screen TV so watching the football games was nice. It is located at the far end of the strip so be prepared to walk quite a bit to see everything.

The Bellagio - what an elegant place to stay. Colleen and I got in line to check in - we ended up choosing the wrong line because the people in front of us were having issues - I don't think they were getting everything they wanted. as we were standing there wondering if we should move a Bellagio employee came up to us and apologized that we had been in line for so long - she had just been made aware that there was a problem - she took us out of line and moved us over to a special check in area. The rooms at the Bellagio are very elegant - marble shower - separate tub - comfortable beds with lots of pillows. They come in the evening and turn down your bed and leave chocolates!

We walked the strip and did go in to some of the other hotels. I liked Mandalay Bay - the wave pool there was used in some of the scenes shot for the TV Show Vegas. Ceasars Palace is nice inside - you can tell it's been there for quite a while as it has that old time elegance. I saw NY NY and MGM Grand form the outside and they look like they would be nice places to stay. We went in to the Luxor - I was looking for Criss Angel - and I wasn't that impressed with the hotel or the casino - definitely an example of a hotel that looks cool from the outside but not that impressive on the inside.




There is construction going on in between the Bellagio and NY NY - I can't remember what was there a few years ago but they are building a huge complex that will include hotels, condos, casinos, and shopping. During the construction the tram that ran from The Bellagio down to Mandalay Bay is not running so we did a lot of walking.

I woke up this morning to 32 degree weather - that's right - 32 Degrees. I guess we won't be easing in to Fall/Winter this year. I am bundled up in sweats right now contemplating whether I should crank the heat, turn on the fireplace, or get a blanket. What a shock to the system - less than a week ago I was sitting poolside with a strawberry daiquiri enjoying the 80 degree heat. I think I need to go back!

Tonight's topic - either food or shows!

De

**L update - she is off with her bff Kelley and bf Brian this weekend. She is getting her second tattoo today - gee I'm so proud. I will get a picture of it when she comes home and post it later.**

People - Vegas

I thought about how I would write about my vacation in my blog - there are so many things - too many to write in just one posting. I am going to break it down in to categories!

Tonight's Topic - The People I Met and Watched In Vegas

When I got to the airport and my gate on Sunday there all these guys just laying around in chairs and on the floor - they were all in the same sweats and shirts so I figured they were a sports team. The shirts said DSC Football - they were on my flight down to Vegas and I sat next to two of them so I found out that DSC stands for Dixie State College and they were up here playing Central Washington University - DSC is located in St George UT where Colleen and Lindsay ran their marathon - it's a small world. The football players were very nice - one helped me get my carry on up in to the overhead and another got it down for me when we reached Vegas.

Sunday night we went to dinner with the group Colleen and Lindsay ran with - they are the only two girls in a group of 9. It was a great group and very diverse - they all had running in common. One thing I learned at dinner - when talking about a runners time you never ever round up!!! Lindsay's time was 3:20:03, she placed 6th in her age group, and is Boston Qualified. Colleen's time was 3:24:56, she placed 9th in her age group, and is Boston Qualified - I learned my lesson about rounding from her because I said her time was basically a 3:25!!! No No No - you never round up! Colleen is now getting ready for the NYC Marathon on Nov 2. This from a person who said after her first marathon that she was never going to do that again! Look for her and Lindsay in the crowd at the Today show on Nov 3rd!



People of Vegas - there are guys on the sidewalk that try to hand you cards as you walk by - they are advertising girls who are just waiting for you and will come to your room. These guys have a very interesting way of snapping the cards to draw your attention. A few years ago when I went to Vegas for the first time it seemed that most of the visitors were from around the US - this time there were more form other countries - I heard so many different languages and accents - Chinese, Japanese, Australian, Italian, Spanish, and I think Russian. Vegas seems to be quite the destination.

Tomorrows Topic - Hotels!!

De

**Note - next time I go to Vegas it needs to be after the Musielak girls have run a marathon because they walk slower so I can keep up with them - the first time they walked me to death and this time it was so much easier!!***

I've Returned

I have returned from the land of glitter! Las Vegas was a lot of fun. I need to unpack though and get my thoughts all sorted out before I blog about the trip. I will answer some of the more pressing questions though.

1. I did not win it big so I will be heading to work.
2. The house was in one piece when I got home.
3. Muppet survived with L taking care of her.

So - I will get organized and let you know all about Vegas - well almost all - What Happens In Vegas Stays In Vegas!

De

From Q3 to Vegas!

Going to work early this week and staying late worked out - the big push helped me to meet my Q3 deadlines!! Now I can head to Vegas and not worry about work!! I am sooo excited!! Colleen and Lindsay are already down there - they ran in the St George Marathon today - Lindsay beat her Mom and qualified for the Boston Marathon.

Today I have been finishing up cleaning house - laundry and dishes are all done - I like to leave a clean house when I go one vacation so that when I get home I can relax. Of course - that all depends on whether L can keep from trashing the house while I'm gone. Now it's time to pack - my flight leaves at 600 tomorrow morning. It feels weird to pack for hot weather when it is so dang cold here right now - it's raining - cold - the wind is blowing and there are some strong gusts. I think I will set the alarm on my phone tonight as well as my clock - I would hate to sleep through my flight because the power went out. Gotta love Fall in the PNW!

I am not bringing my computer with me so my blog will be quiet for a few days - I'll blog all about my trip when I get back.

Vegas Baby!!

De

What Is That. . . . . . .

Those that know me real well should know the answer to this question - What is one of my biggest fears? What am I deathly afraid of? What do I make intriguing contraptions to get rid of? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

SPIDERS!!

Last night when I got home L was not here - no big deal I was home late and she was out with friends. I go to my room and put my stuff away, change in to comfy clothes - my sweats and Hasselbeck Jersey - and head beck to the kitchen to get Muppet. As I am walking down the hall I notice Buffy sniffing as something on the rug - I figured it was one of her many mice that are around the house - as I got closer I realized it wasn't a mouse - it was a Spider!!!!! Not just any spider but a really big Spider!! I stopped in my tracks and just stood there - no screaming just staring. I watched it for a sec - it wasn't moving - hmm maybe L killed it and just left it there because she didn't want to pick it up. I decided to move a little closer and take a better look. Now - I am wearing my contacts, I have been staring at a computer all day so my vision is a little blurry, and I am very tired. Is this real Spider? I certainly looks real enough but I am starting to wonder if it might be fake - but how do I check? If it is real and I touch it - ewwwww I get shivers up my back just thinking about it - it could crawl up my hand - it could bite me - it could feel just plain oogy! So - I come up with an idea - not necessarily a good one but an idea - my phone charger is plugged in to the wall right next to this spider - so I grab one end of the cord and kind of drop the other end next to the spider to see if it moves - nothing - I drop it right on it - again nothing. OK - so it is either dead - playing dead - or fake. I decide to do the daring thing and actually touch this thing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

FAKE

OK - it looked really real so stop laughing!!

I picked up my phone and texted L - ha ha very funny! My phone rings and it is L - ha ha very funny what? - You didn't leave the fake spider on the rug as a joke - a bit o laughter and then a No! The spider is mine and I saw it on the floor when I left to go to friends but I didn't put it there to freak you out. I did think about it though! When she got home she asked where I had put it - Wouldn't You Like To Know!!

Side Note: One of the best contraptions I came up with to get spiders - I got a broom - put a red plastic cup on the end of the handle - used this to trap a spider on the ceiling over my bed and slid it across the ceiling and then down the wall - then I used a shoe to smash it when I got it to the ground. Some have asked why I didn't just knock it down off the ceiling - oh right - so it could run under my bed and then sneak up in the middle of the night to bite me!

De

Quarter 3

I got home after 800 last night and was just too dang tired to write. Yes - Quarter End has started again - I know - seems like we just had this. These are just coming around too fast - Christmas is less than 3 months away!

If you are a regular reader you know I have issues with the gal that reports to me - she's young, has no work ethic, and pretty much just doesn't give a damn. Well - last night at 530 she came to my desk to say she was going to go home - Day 1 of Quarter End - she never stays late and is always behind on her work. I told her that we have discussed this before and not staying late during close is not acceptable - she said that mornings are better for her and working weekends - I said - well, if mornings are better for you then you need to be coming in earlier than 800. I told her it was her decision but she knew where I stood. She stayed another 1/2 hour and then came back to my desk - crying of course - and said isn't working weekends the same as staying late because that would work better for her - I told her it depends on when the weekend falls during the close process and seeing as she needed to get her entries done by Friday working this coming weekend on close processes wasn't going to work. She was not a happy camper and just turned and left for the day. To my surprise - when I got in this morning at 700 she was at her desk working! Amazing! Of course, when I walked in - if looks could kill! She has this way of not turning her head to look at you just moving her eyes so she's giving you this sideways evil eye look.

Now - if you think I was being too hard on her let me tell you - Tuesday when I left work I noticed piles of checks and back-up at her desk - not matched up just piled together. I had talked to her back in August about the August checks not being filed so I figured these must be the checks she cut in September - they were both months - all piled up, not stapled together, in no order to assist finding anything. Now we are at a Quarter End trying to get everything entered by Friday ans she is 2 months behind on her filing and October checks being cut at the beginning of next week.

OK - enough venting! I have Quarter End work to do!

De