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

http://www.vice.com/read/las-vegas-is-the-most-depressing-place-on-earth-to-be-alone?utm_source=vicetwitterus Couldn't disagree with the premise of this article enough, what a tired re-hash of the stereotypes of solo travelers. If you travel alone, you must somehow be broken, or sad, or depressed, or unlovable, or desperate. Just the mere suggestion that someone may actually CHOOSE to travel, or god forbid, LIVE alone is unthinkable to this writer. So condescending and shallow. Just like media and society portray single people over the age of 30 as damaged, or crazy, or surrounded by dozens of cats in a small apartment. Media and advertising naturally reinforce the "nuclear family" trope. Families buy a lot more useless shit than single people. Think about it. In my 8 trips, I've never once felt alone or lonely in Vegas...you're surrounded by, for the most part, friendly people of all ages and from all walks of life who typically are in town for a few days o...

Check out THIS hilarious thing. HE'S a big guy, no? This is what Genting is "planning" to build on the dusty plot next to Circus Circus on the north end of the Strip. This was already under construction as something called the Echelon project that was summarily executed when the '08-'09 financial crash hit Vegas hard. Apparently it's going to be re-imagined into a massive, $4 billion, 3000 room Asian themed mega-resort with all kinds of bells and whistles. It's also vapor ware. Sure, SOMETHING will get built, construction is under way, but if you see as much as half of what's in that rendering when all is said and done I'll be surprised. There's a reason the north end of the Strip is a wasteland right now...it a FUCKING HAUL to get there from the heart of the Strip. I made the mistake on my second trip to Vegas of staying at the Stratosphere, north of Sahara Blvd. Just getting from there to the site of the old Sahara is a long walk, it...

The Cosmopolitan has been sold to a group that also owns and runs the Hilton and Wyndham hotel chains. Not a lot of details yet except that Blackstone now will own and presumably run the property. Hoping that this doesn't see the property lose its "Identity". The Cosmo has carved out a niche as the "young, hip, edgy" venue on the Strip, and the place really does have a different feel to it than the other, mostly MGM resorts on that side of the Strip. The clientele is different, celebrities hang out there, the rooms are all pretty unique and modern (and pricey) and the vibe is amazing on a weekend night. You don't see a lot of older (i.e. older than me) guests and there are few of the mid-western shlubs in cargo shorts and fanny packs roaming about, and if there are, they're lost and don't stick around. Ladies tend to dress up (or down) to the nines. When you walk into an MGM resort like the Bellagio, for example, it's nice and all, you fe...

I've already established in this blog that I'm an amazingly selfish person. I'm self absorbed, self centered and don't play well with others. This has translated to other aspects of my life as well; I've gravitated to solo sports like tennis and golf as opposed to team sports, and at work I tend to find a way to be isolated as much as possible. If I do well or badly at something I want it to be all on me either way. But I still do, for some unknown reason, want to be liked, at least on some level, by other people. As this pertains to gambling, I think I gravitate toward slots because it strikes me that nobody likes a winner on table games. If you're a good poker or blackjack or baccarat player and you're winning a majority of hands, the other players on or around the table, unless they are family or close friends, may feign happiness for you but in reality secretly hate you and wish you would be eaten by rabid yaks. Look at the best poker players in th...

I turn 45 in a few days. I suppose this is some sort of milestone on the (hopefully) long road to death, but I'm not really making a big deal of it and don't feel like it really IS a big deal. I certainly don't fit the normal societal "norm" of a 45-year-old. No house. No debt. No wife. No kids. Not even a fucking cat. No worries? Not quite, but about as damn near as you're allowed to be in this society at my age. I'm supposed to be the "responsible adult", fit that BS stereotype. Instead I've done about as much as possible in life to shun responsibility, personal or otherwise. When it comes down to it, I don't want a lot of responsibility. Responsibility equals commitments and time and stress and diminished personal freedom. I guess, in short, that I just wanna have fun, like Cindy Lauper. Is that shallow? Am I immature? Or am I one of the lucky few who has this "life" shit figured out? Vegas the last 3 years has proba...

Ok, so I'm getting in Vegas pool shape by the time I...get to Vegas in July. Because, as in the above completely realistic and "sure this happens every day" ad photo by NYNY, I want to frolic with multi-cultural in-shape people while apparently laughing at the funniest joke ever told or having a seizure; whatever it is they're doing, I want in. Also, fedora. In the pool. That will happen. No, really though, I need to get in shape for health reasons anyway (borderline diabetes and basic chubbiness), and the fact that I will be arriving during literally the hottest time of the year (historical average high temp, 105) will see me wanting to get me some pool on. And I don't want to be the token fat, old guy at the pool. Well, I have no choice about the old part, but at least I can be svelte. Plus, wearing a fedora takes 10 years off of you. True story. I've been a little disgusted for a while now by my diet anyway, and eating healthier will not only be a...

Whelp, that didn't take long. Going back to the LV in July to see NIN and Soundgarden. First time seeing them both. Excited to see NIN, they have become a top 3 band for me over the last 5 years or so, and SG has also been a fave over the years. The new NIN album is really good too, and it looks like they've been putting on great shows on all the tours supporting it. This will be the first show of the SG/NIN tour so there should be some amazing energy. Have already requested and been granted the time off at work, including an extra day at the end in case I want to stay an extra day. Don't have a resort lined up yet, but already have offers in hand for 2 nights at both Mandalay and NYNY, so just going to wait a few weeks or so until the 3rd night drops in somewhere. Worst case scenario I'll just have to get one night of the three. Flights are already hovering around $220 and will no doubt drop in the coming weeks. Show ticket is paid for, so the only expense co...