Invisible Vegas
Dylan and I had to get up and around - before 2pm! - because we were going to a time-share presentation, which is how we had gotten the three night free in the Riviera. We drove down to where the presentation was, which was very near a condo we had stayed at for our 5 year anniversary (in 2007) and also had gone to a time share deal, although that time we were lucky and the guy told us to go have fun because he knew "we weren't going to buy anything." I guess looking back maybe that was sort of an insult but we didn't care, we were just glad that we didn't have to sit through it.
This time we were both a little irritated with having to do the time share thing... we've done many of them before and I guess we are just to that point where it's just really annoying. We got there and the place was so busy that they stuck us in this room with a video projector showing this reel about the resorts they have and these families talking about how great there lives were now that they had their timeshares.
Finally, the group came in to watch a presentation - most of them had already had been talked to by the salespeople - and the guy who did the talking was actually pretty good. He actually said some things that made sense. It got me thinking about how much Dylan and I love traveling but how we usually just cobble some places together to stay at, whether cheap hotels or hostels, or friend's places, etc. I started thinking that I'm a grown up and I have a new job, and I want nice places to stay when I go on vacation.
Which is exactly what they WANT you to think! They got me in the right mind set. When we were let out of that room we met with a sales guy who started going over the details with us, including the pricing. It actually did not seem that expensive compared to other time shares we've looked at. We still were resistant, so they brought in the "closer" - this gruff guy who scribbled all this stuff on a piece of paper until he finally got a number that didn't scare either one of us... Dylan sort of looked at me like, "should we do this?" I told him that right now I didn't have any money that I could put down, so he would have to make the down payment, but that I would split it with him when I had money. He looked like that wasn't the answer he wanted, so I said, "well, I'm not going to talk you out of it." After awhile we finally agreed that it was a good deal, after they threw in a couple free cruises and some other goodies. Minutes later, we were signing the contracts.
Afterward we weren't really sure whether to feel happy, or bamboozled, but we decided to just go with the happy. We went to Mirage to see my friend Jeremy, who works there in a restaurant called Japonais. He was pretty busy but he came over to say hi, and that he was going to try to make it to the show tonight. He also recommended a club later that night there at the Mirage. It was definitely a trip seeing him again for the first time in well over 10 years. The last time I really remember seeing him was when I had just graduated from high school and lived on the farm for a couple weeks and he came out there with my good friend Laura, as they were dating at the time. Anyway, Brandon and Angie met us there for happy hour and finally Luther and Andy showed up right before we were about to leave.
I still needed to get my cymbals and something to wear, so after Brandon and Angie took off, I left Dylan with Luther and Andy, and took Dylan's car to find the Sam Ash. When I got there, they had been closed for just about 15 minutes. Drat! I drove around this part of Vegas I'd never really seen before, looking for another music store. I saw a Best Buy and I didn't think they had instruments but I wasn't sure, and I needed a charger for my new blackberry anyway so I stopped there. I got the charger, but the only cymbals they had were in a complete drum set kit (and probably were really crappy). I asked the checkout girl if there were any other places to get instruments and she only knew of Sam Ash.
I decided just to wing it with my cracked, crappy cymbal. Then I sped over to Ross to go clothes shopping and ended up getting these black great Pepe Jean shorts with red and white threading on the back pockets and a bunch of rhinestones! Perfect for me+Invisible Material+Vegas. I called Dylan; he was down at the Flamingo with Luther and Andy, so I went down to pick them up and we all went back to the hotel.
Brandon, Angie and I left for the club, which was called the Doubledown, and was located right in the same area as the gay bars. It was about 100 feet away from the parking lot where Shitting Glitter had played (and frozen our arses off) for Coming Out Day a couple years ago.
The show was awesome! I was able to borrow a ride cymbal from one of the other bands, since they needed to borrow my entire kit (except for the cymbal obviously). The only problems I had were that my bass drum kept sliding forward and I'd have to pull it back towards myself at the end of each song, and of course my weird arm problem. When I drum, I get nervous I guess and my arm freezes up. It's very strange. I dropped a stick several times but luckily I was able to grad another one pretty quickly each time. The crowd actually seemed to really like the show.
Afterward, I hung out for a little while talking to Jeremy, who had only been able to make it for the last couple songs. It was nice to finally have a chance to talk with him when he wasn't at work. We talked a little about our hometown and people we knew, family, etc and what we had been doing for the past 10 years. A lot to fit in to a very short conversation!
Then, we headed for the Mirage for the club at the pool. It was hilarious because when we FINALLY found it, the bouncer told us "it's an alternative lifestyle event, you're OK with that, right?" with no hint of sarcasm or humor. He's looking at me, Dylan, Luther, and Andy and saying this. We all busted out laughing.
Unfortunately, the pool was covered by a dance floor, and they wouldn't let us get into the hot tub! We had fun anyway and when they played "Acapella" by Kelis I went crazy dancing. That is my song of the summer! Well, one of them anyway (I have to also count "All the Lovers" by Kylie, and the amazing new Devo album which we listened to on the drive out, and several times while driving around Vegas).
Jeremy never made it to the club cause his partner had friends flying in from somewhere else. So we just stayed til the club closed and then drove back to the hotel.
Brandon, Angie, and Dylan still felt like going out, so they went to Slots of Fun, where Dylan won a little money - enough to take them out to breakfast at Denny's, while I slept.
Hello 2010, goodbye junk!
NEW YEARS RESOLUTION LOG ENTRY 169
A box of corn starch that was who knows how old.
This time we were both a little irritated with having to do the time share thing... we've done many of them before and I guess we are just to that point where it's just really annoying. We got there and the place was so busy that they stuck us in this room with a video projector showing this reel about the resorts they have and these families talking about how great there lives were now that they had their timeshares.
Finally, the group came in to watch a presentation - most of them had already had been talked to by the salespeople - and the guy who did the talking was actually pretty good. He actually said some things that made sense. It got me thinking about how much Dylan and I love traveling but how we usually just cobble some places together to stay at, whether cheap hotels or hostels, or friend's places, etc. I started thinking that I'm a grown up and I have a new job, and I want nice places to stay when I go on vacation.
Which is exactly what they WANT you to think! They got me in the right mind set. When we were let out of that room we met with a sales guy who started going over the details with us, including the pricing. It actually did not seem that expensive compared to other time shares we've looked at. We still were resistant, so they brought in the "closer" - this gruff guy who scribbled all this stuff on a piece of paper until he finally got a number that didn't scare either one of us... Dylan sort of looked at me like, "should we do this?" I told him that right now I didn't have any money that I could put down, so he would have to make the down payment, but that I would split it with him when I had money. He looked like that wasn't the answer he wanted, so I said, "well, I'm not going to talk you out of it." After awhile we finally agreed that it was a good deal, after they threw in a couple free cruises and some other goodies. Minutes later, we were signing the contracts.
Afterward we weren't really sure whether to feel happy, or bamboozled, but we decided to just go with the happy. We went to Mirage to see my friend Jeremy, who works there in a restaurant called Japonais. He was pretty busy but he came over to say hi, and that he was going to try to make it to the show tonight. He also recommended a club later that night there at the Mirage. It was definitely a trip seeing him again for the first time in well over 10 years. The last time I really remember seeing him was when I had just graduated from high school and lived on the farm for a couple weeks and he came out there with my good friend Laura, as they were dating at the time. Anyway, Brandon and Angie met us there for happy hour and finally Luther and Andy showed up right before we were about to leave.
I still needed to get my cymbals and something to wear, so after Brandon and Angie took off, I left Dylan with Luther and Andy, and took Dylan's car to find the Sam Ash. When I got there, they had been closed for just about 15 minutes. Drat! I drove around this part of Vegas I'd never really seen before, looking for another music store. I saw a Best Buy and I didn't think they had instruments but I wasn't sure, and I needed a charger for my new blackberry anyway so I stopped there. I got the charger, but the only cymbals they had were in a complete drum set kit (and probably were really crappy). I asked the checkout girl if there were any other places to get instruments and she only knew of Sam Ash.
I decided just to wing it with my cracked, crappy cymbal. Then I sped over to Ross to go clothes shopping and ended up getting these black great Pepe Jean shorts with red and white threading on the back pockets and a bunch of rhinestones! Perfect for me+Invisible Material+Vegas. I called Dylan; he was down at the Flamingo with Luther and Andy, so I went down to pick them up and we all went back to the hotel.
Brandon, Angie and I left for the club, which was called the Doubledown, and was located right in the same area as the gay bars. It was about 100 feet away from the parking lot where Shitting Glitter had played (and frozen our arses off) for Coming Out Day a couple years ago.
The show was awesome! I was able to borrow a ride cymbal from one of the other bands, since they needed to borrow my entire kit (except for the cymbal obviously). The only problems I had were that my bass drum kept sliding forward and I'd have to pull it back towards myself at the end of each song, and of course my weird arm problem. When I drum, I get nervous I guess and my arm freezes up. It's very strange. I dropped a stick several times but luckily I was able to grad another one pretty quickly each time. The crowd actually seemed to really like the show.
Afterward, I hung out for a little while talking to Jeremy, who had only been able to make it for the last couple songs. It was nice to finally have a chance to talk with him when he wasn't at work. We talked a little about our hometown and people we knew, family, etc and what we had been doing for the past 10 years. A lot to fit in to a very short conversation!
Then, we headed for the Mirage for the club at the pool. It was hilarious because when we FINALLY found it, the bouncer told us "it's an alternative lifestyle event, you're OK with that, right?" with no hint of sarcasm or humor. He's looking at me, Dylan, Luther, and Andy and saying this. We all busted out laughing.
Unfortunately, the pool was covered by a dance floor, and they wouldn't let us get into the hot tub! We had fun anyway and when they played "Acapella" by Kelis I went crazy dancing. That is my song of the summer! Well, one of them anyway (I have to also count "All the Lovers" by Kylie, and the amazing new Devo album which we listened to on the drive out, and several times while driving around Vegas).
Jeremy never made it to the club cause his partner had friends flying in from somewhere else. So we just stayed til the club closed and then drove back to the hotel.
Brandon, Angie, and Dylan still felt like going out, so they went to Slots of Fun, where Dylan won a little money - enough to take them out to breakfast at Denny's, while I slept.
Hello 2010, goodbye junk!
NEW YEARS RESOLUTION LOG ENTRY 169
A box of corn starch that was who knows how old.
Comments
you think that would get an honorable mention...