VEGAS 2007

Friday:
I worked a half a day and then headed home to go to Vegas. Finish packing and errands before going to the airport which is only 10 minutes from home. We missed the tailgate party with working. L We flew to Vegas and found our way to Planet Hollywood where we stayed in a room looking over the strip. My wife got plane sick and we spent a little time in the room waiting for her to recover. From there we went to the brew pub in the Monte Carlo where the night’s party began with an FAC. I bought some Nachos and a big tower of Beer. My glass never ran dry there for 2 hours. We then went to the Craps table where I ordered beers 2 at a time for a couple of hours. Down $130 with my last $10 I converted to the black side and started betting against the people at the table. When I left most people had lost and I had recovered my money and was up $6. J Off to a bar called Diablos where more drinking, dancing, grinding in the isles, good music ensured. I even talked to women in our group that are normally very quiet and reserved which was a great chance to get to know them better. Travles then headed to Excaliblur where I was sitting on the side of the room, almost passed out. Then a gal beside me began asking me questions and I was talking to her when my wife, which I barely saw most of the night except across the room came and said your all alone here the group is moving. I got up and followed and we headed for home it was 4am. I think I pretty much passed out in the bed.

Saturday:
I ended up praying to the porcelain god in the morning. After a while I made it to the pool with the group where we hung out in the sun and everyone was having beers but me. They offered though. I had to get ready for the night as this is the night we ate at Binion’s steakhouse. The best food, atmosphere and group of friends someone can ask for. We ended that night with more craps table action and some dancing back at Planet Hollywood. Back to room around 3am.

Sunday:
Sunday we again got up early and went to breakfast at this Mexican place that is awesome for a cheap breakfast. We messed up and were there to late and with all the activities I didn’t get my football wagers made on time. So in an attempt to make sure I bet I entered a couple anyway. I lost on 1 and won on the other basically covering my bet to break even. We then traveled off the strip and gambled with some locals that again showed how fun it is to get away from the tourist and hang with locals. They are comically the best entertainment. The wife even gambled on craps here and ended up a winner. J We ended that with watching some football with friends that lost over $1200 in football bets collectively. We had dinner at the Madalay Bay and over paid the waiter $10 on our group bill. So we took our $10 and put it on the Hard way bets on Craps and won $40. Woohoo winners leaving Mandalay. We ended the night again at Planet Hollywood around 3 am.

Monday:
We Flew home with the group and crashed for the night.

SEX POOL:
Okay the whole reason your reading all this wondering. Here are the rules.
1) Have to have a big group to play it with.
2) Couples can participate or not participate.
3) All couples travel at different times so each couples time starts at security on flight in and flight out. This allows for mile high memberships.
4) Every couple pays $5 to participate and guesses a number of how many times the group as a whole will have sex. Each person gets a guess so both my wife and I chose our own numbers.
5) Last year’s number was 43. I choose 47 for this year.
6) Then at the end of each couples trip they put $1 in a group envelope for each time they had sex.
7) When all couples have been marked off the front of the envelope that they have paid, coupld be $0 could be $10. Then the dollar bills are counted. However many dollars are in the envelope is the collective times the group that participated had sex.
This year’s winner with a guess of 63 hit it right on the nose. She took home from the sex pool $143. She is also the winner from last year and we have already decided she will be in a shirt labeled Sex Pool goddess for next year. That should get her some looks and talking when in the casinos.

Vegas Time

I had a few minutes before I jet off to Vegas for this years trip. I figured Gator would be crying soon so this will get a quick post out there for you. I promise to write about the trip with more details when I get back OR at least the details I can share with the rules of what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. Have a good weekend everyone as I know I will be starting NOW!

I was aGrease Monkey all Weekend

About two weeks ago my son’s car was ticking when he got home. He asked me why and I went out and looked. The first think I did was check the oil and found it was way over full and was like gooey chocolate. Well I think I found out why you had a low coolant light come on also. The antifreeze is leaking into the oil.

So I personally think that is a head gasket in the engine. We take it to a garage and have them look at it. They tell us that after running a pressure test it is the Intake gasket and the ticking lifter is bad and will need to change them. It will be around $850 for the gasket fix and another $350 for the lifters to be replaced for a grand total of near $1200 to be put into a car we paid $3500 for. NOW WHAT?

Well we went and got the car home a week ago to decide what to do. Trade it and use the $1200 to upgrade to a different car? Sell it and let the people know about the problem? Or take it back to the same garage or a different garage if we can find a better price?

During this time my wife and I are again making sure he has a ride or having to drive him places. On nice days when I can drive my buggy he is taking my truck. Now there is a problem. I am a bit weird here as it is no special truck but it is MY truck and I don’t really like people driving my truck. My wife can take it but as a whole she stays to her van and I keep my truck. SO I have motivation to get the car fixed to lessen the getting him around on my wife and to keep him from driving my truck too much. He is a 16 year old boy who seems to talk about speed all the time.

I ordered a gasket kit on Friday. Then on Saturday while he was at band practice I pulled his car in my garage and torn the engine all the way down to the heads. I found a split in the intake gasket between the oil and coolant side and believe that is where the problem was. I then called my brother in law who is a mechanic and begged for his help to put this engine back together correctly. He came down and all day Sunday he and I put the engine back. When we got it completed it started and the boy is driving it today. I think we fixed it in by spending a long weekend of playing grease monkey and around $250 in the end with parts.

I am happy with the turn out. The son thinks the car is faster now; although, all we did was replace a gasket, and change the spark plugs and cables. He is happy with his car back cheaper, wife is happy to not have to run him to school, and I am happy he is not in my truck. That makes for a successful weekend.

Running Update

As previously mentioned I saw the doctor on Thursday. As I sat there waiting in the room for him I had received an email from TB making fun of me possibly sitting there in a gown. YEAH right I was wearing shorts to see a doctor about my knee. The doctor walked in and we talked for a bit about my running etc. He had me get up on the table so he could look at it and said “thanks for wearing shorts.” HA

He first looked at my right knee working it, bending it, poking and prodding.

Doctor: This is a really good knee with no problems.

Me: That is great but this is the knee that hurts. (as I pointed to my left knee)

He then started doing the same procedure to my left knee all the time asking if it hurt doing what ever he was doing.

Doctor: This knee is good as well.

At this point I was worried he would say next “if it hurts when running then quit running.” I would have my out to retire.

Doctor: You have Anterior blah blah blah.

He then had me hold my legs straight out in front of me and showed me the differences in my leg muscles. My right leg inner muscle by the knee cap is much bigger then the left leg. That small muscle needs to be worked to get it stronger. That will allow my knee cap, (Cubed this is CAP not CRAP, as I just read you’re hearing things a little off) to begin to track correctly. Right now it is rubbing in the groove it travels in inflaming and causing my pain.

Me: Okay so what is the fix for this? I ask.

Doctor: Biking is great. Get on your bike and go ride up some hills getting out of the saddle and peddle hard. OR, you can put on a brace to hold the patella in place and run up hills to build that muscle.

Great I think he just told me my knees are in great shape and that to fix my problems I have to start running and or biking in harder location to build my muscles even more to fix my pain. That is like adding pain to cure pain?

I went out for over an hour bike ride, near 12 miles, on Friday night. I felt that muscle burning so I know I worked it. I then had a friend run with me Saturday morning for 4 miles. I had a brace on and my knee didn’t hurt but that muscle was again burning. As yesterday continued and even now though there is a bit of pain in my knee. I am resting today and maybe try either a bike or small run again tomorrow.

Post for Post Sake

Gator caught me online and nagged the crap out of me to make a September post. So here it is. As I told him I didn’t have anything to really post about right now but will when I go to Vegas. He brought up Smarter (Cubed). Cubed is showing me up apparently by posting almost daily. Well the way I see this is Cubed is a lot like a rabbit. He makes quick short bursts but will burn out. I on the other hand have the stamina to continue but at a slower rate of posts. Does this count.

Update on my running. I have now run a total of 8 miles in 3 weeks and when I tried a mile on Tuesday my knee again went into pain. Moral of the story DO NOT EVER run a marathon. It is for thin small people not fat nerds like myself. It has possibly ruined me from running. At least that is the way I feel right now. I will be going to the doctor this afternoon to see what they say.

Update on my daughter. She made the varsity team for her junior high school. All the 8th graders but 1 made it and a couple of 7th graders. As you know from posts she is a good little player in the completive league. Well for her school they have moved her to pitcher. This is going to be a great time to watch and her first game is Friday. I can’t wait.