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

  Threw a "why not" reservation on for Xmas. 6 nights at W Las Vegas, Dec. 22nd - 28th. 4 nights comped, $120/$100 booking package, all in cost $120. Strip View King Suite. I figured what the hell, might as well get something on the books, if my offers go up after June I can rebook with no penalty, and if my offers go down, I'm locked into a great resort and a good package. As previously chronicled, I love the Mandalay Bay complex and it's always a good time to stay there over Xmas week. Have done it a couple times now, I like the remoteness of the resort on the strip that week for some reason, it's like a retreat to come back to at the end of the day. TheHotel/Delano/W (make up your fucking mind) rooms are nice enough, a step up from a standard room anywhere else in the MGM pantheon. I will have MGM Gold locked in well before even hitting ground in December, so I may very well book somewhere else if I get a tasty offer. Maybe FB or RW, since those are the only 2...

  June is coming up fast.  Just over a month now. It'll be a skinnier trip, no crazy upgrade like last time, no flouncing around with an Emerald suite, and no big spending in general. I'll be having JUST the number on per-day cash spend budget. And right now, I have a good terrace room at Cosmo locked in for a little over $120 all in, no reason to dick with that unless my offers go up in May or June, pretty significantly ( UPDATE : they didn't, at least in May). 3/$120/$50 and just over a hundy all in out of pocket for my favorite resort and a non-standard room with a terrace (even if it's just looking at the ass end of Aria) is nails. I like being paid to stay in a top-tier resort in Vegas. This will be, while skinnier, a pretty relaxed trip money-wise. If I do come back with some pay it forward funds and I haven't wrecked the CC, then a late summer/early fall trip may be doable. If not, and my ass is handed to me, I can just shrivel up into a ball and financially...

Going big air for JuneVegas. Decided against doing a questionable road trip over 4th of July week, and booked a fairly posh flight/parking package instead. Will be going in with a pretty much ideal arrival time of about 11:30a, 2nd row aisle seat on Southwest. The out leaves at 12:20p, so no early fly out day wake up, 3rd row aisle seat. I'll have early group boarding so can get on/off in a jiffy. Will be in the very posh Harvey Milk terminal too so may be able to use Priority Pass on the Sunday. $350, so ouch, but I was just really worried about driving on a holiday weekend, especially on the trip back.  Instead, the car will be parked in International Garage 1 at SFO, about a 10 minute walk from the gates. $220, also ouch, but it's again me paying to minimize inconvenience. I could park in an uncovered offsite lot for a lot less, but that's either a wait for a shuttle or an Uber to and from the airport to parking. I just want to get in and out of the airport as quickly as...