It's Not A Bender, It's A Lifestyle.

I'm done. Done buying stuff before the Xmas trip. I gave up this week on any fantasies about getting the MGM CC paid off, and bought everything I will need to be Vegas-ready. Started with the return flight today. Fares just weren't coming down, and at basically a month and a half out I was concerned that they never were going to drop, so I bit the bullet and pulled the trigger on United for the come-back. $145 one way. Was able to use some points so a little less painful than it otherwise would have been. 4pm flight so not ideal, but I can just add late checkout to my rezzy and it'll be fine. The other reasonable option was Frontier and just, no. So the total cost of flights is about $315. The price of flying on the Sunday before and Friday after Xmas. Also picked up some new jeans for the trip, some new glasses to replace my 3-year old pair, and various needed underwear items. The glasses are a bit bougie, Gucci's, but I'm wearing Prada now so whatev. They are no-l...

A couple rezzy's booked. To take advantage of the windfall of MGM RC we will be luxuriating in on the Xmas trip, I have booked a couple restaurant reservations. 1st one is on the Monday at the lovely Carama in MB, where they have a killer pasta Bolognese. So nice I went back twice on the last trip. And it's MGM, so, points. 2nd is on Xmas night at the reliably great Jean Georges steakhouse at Aria, I've eaten there many a time and never a bad meal. Seems like a steak splurge is always a good idea on Xmas night, and Aria is good place to jump off from for the rest of the Xmas night once the protein is on board. With the RC dump I have to blow through, I will likely add at least one more good meal on the trip, I just don't want to load myself down with too many scheduled reservations. I'll play it by ear the other nights and just sit at the bar wherever I happen to be if I'm in need of foodz. I'd like to use up most of the RC as it will reduce the overhead on ...

Starting to get just a tiny bit of a stiffy for Xmas Vegas. The mantra a month ago was "just get through October", both in a life sense and a Vegas sense. Well, it's just a week and a bit away, and I think I'll make it. Next week is already Halloween, for fuck's sake, so yeah. Then once we're into November it's only a couple weeks until Thanksgiving and then it's almost December and then it's only a couple weeks until Xmas and then it's December 22nd.  I'm not saying I have a full heat on like I will in December, but I'm starting to take note of what's happening in town. Checking the news sites a bit more. Checking the forum a bit more. Just starting to keep an eye on things. Maybe at the start of November I start putting in 50 hands of VP practice a few times a week, to start loosening up. It WILL be a gambling trip, as I will need at least 10K points once I arrive to make Gold again, which should be doable without blowing the whol...