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

All set for pre-birthday Vegasness. Flights booked, room locked in, Gold MGM assured, even a food rezzy locked down. 2 1/2 months out and I have nothing to plan. I haz a sad, but a good sad. Bellagio will be the base of operations, a good one. This room was pretty bomb when I stayed in it a couple years ago and it's been remodeled since then so it should be posh. More than enough room for little big me. Across the street from most of the things I love in Vegas, so it's a great home base, no endless cabbing. Added a seat on Alaska for the in, so it should be no issues with getting on/off and stowing the bag. It's an early flight but that gets me there to maximize day one and hopefully I can check in soon after arrival. Out is unchanged and fine. Not too early and gets me home by around 2:30p if all goes well, so I can find parking here. I imagine I'll just drop coin on SFO onsite parking again like last time, it was expensive but convenient. I loved my filet so much last...

Well having not shit the financial bed (by the skin of my teeth) over Xmas, next Vegas can be confidently planned. The next will be a premature birthday trip. The week of my Bday is prohibitively expensive for some reason, probably some convention or other, so I am going the week before. Another 5-day journey. The PTO is already approved, so April 13-18th it is. Bellagio will be the muse. Now that I'm MGM Gold again I was able to lock in 5 nights there in a Resort Tower King (nice, big, non-standard room) for a tick over $250. Un. Beat. Able. Not even going to look at anything else. As chronicled here ad nauseum, I'm not a Bellagio "guy", but the price/nice/location ratio is not going to be beat anywhere. Flights are a mixed bag. In on Alaska arriving around 8:30a (hope that room's ready!), out on Frontier (ugh) leaving at about 11:30a. Got a bag and a seat on Frontier so it shouldn't be too awful. Total about $200 for both flights. Early in to maximize the 1...

Rode 2024 out on the wings of a Desert Eagle. Or something. Flights:  Both on time, no issues. TSA a POC on both days, despite Xmasness. Room: Aria Stay Well King, stayed well bored. Nothing whatsoever different from a normal room aside from a loud ass air filter that was a good white noise machine. Nothing bad happened, predictably fine. Drinking: Yes. Food: Not much of it, 3 "good" meals, one at Kyu at FB which sucked in food and service, one at Jean George which was a transcendent steak and one at Blue Ribbon which was great pork chop. Not much else eaten. Gambling: Absolute ass all trip until literally 12 hours before I had to be at the airport, hit $3K at Gem bar at Aria. Was down to about $500 of my budget. Could have come home busted, instead have a nest egg for April. Would like to have hit something earlier to enjoy it a bit more, but eh. Also made MGM Gold, which was the goal so all around pos. Body: Hung in OK, never felt destroyed or mentally beat. Slept OK. Over...