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

Despite being in a good place financially right now, need to reign in the spending pre-trip. Have been, as is wise, putting most of my spending on my Mlife CC. Just makes sense, grab up all the points you can with daily spending, then convert those points earned into sweet sweet Ex Comps in Vegas. But lately I've been earning too damn many points , if you pick up what I'm putting down. Weekends out in the City have become a thing again, I'm able to do most of a normal Saturday out again, though most venues are still outdoor seating. I've become a bit of a tip monster though, doubling or more my tab in gratuity, basically due to wanting to be supportive of the 'tenders and bars and just generally being grateful to be able to go out again. It's causing the CC to get a wee bit overloaded, nothing I can't handle but more than I should be spending pre-trip. So, from now til I'm back from the trip, I'm an indoor boy on Saturdays. It's only 3 weekends u...

Vaxxed. 2nd dose went in the arm today. Feeling pretty good about it, I think I got in before it's going to get crazy with demand and maybe lack of supply as this week anyone 50 and older and those with health conditions can get it. All adults in mid April. Those lines are going to be loooong.  As it was today, I parked in the SFG garage, walked over, got processed, stabbed, assessed a waiting period, and was out the door in about a half hour. About as painless as could be expected. Same for the 1st dose. SF has a lot of detractors, but when it comes to organizing stuff like this and cutting through the red tape bullshit they do a pretty good job. The City does seem to prioritize HHS issues. And the whole thing cost me $3 to park in the garage today. The timing is great for Vegas trip one too, as the 2nd dose apparently takes full hold in the body 2 weeks after it goes in, and that'll be just before the birthday trip. I'll still be as masky as possible to protect others, bu...

  Time to lay out the potential deets for the Birthday Bash Bonanza coming up in a few short weeks. There will be at least one virgin involved. Wednesday Assuming the Southwest flight is on time, I'll be in, cabbed over and at Aria around 2p. Just about perfect check in time, should be able to head straight up and dump off the bags, freshen up a bit and get going on a mostly full day one. Normally I would be holding back a bit on day one financially, so that I don't overextend the save for later in the trip but there will be no such concerns this time. It's all go from lights out this trip. Probably will head over to Cosmo to get a snack, a drink or seven and some gambling going. No reservations for the day so free to ramble, no going up to V/P to do the Dorsey/Electra run, they will be closed, so the rest of the day/night are open to the winds. No plans, no restrictions, it's all on the table day one. Fuel in there somewhere, most likely. Thursday Thinking this might b...

Less than a month away, time to crow about all the Benjamins I saved by not being a filthy Vegas plebian. -5 nights at the lovely Aria, $410 all in, would be $998 if I had no status, savings of $588. -$50 Mlife Freeplay and $50 Resort Credit as part of package, plus another $95 in Ex Comps, $195 in savings. Free gambles and foodz. -$45 in Identity resort credit at Cosmo, sure to be more by the time I use it on the Friday, likely to be something like $65 minimum accrued, enough for an entree at least. -$75 in potential savings in Restaurant.com certs, say I use one so $25 saved. Think I have about $30 left on my Yardhouse GC, so call it $55 in food savings. So around $900 in savings on this trip assuming I use it all up. Not an all-time barn burner of a 'Bies trip but tidy. As usual for new, improved, more affluent me, I could have cheaped out on the room and gotten another $50 in RC from Luxor or The Ex, but then I would have been staying at Luxor or The Ex. As it is I got a great ...

At long last, a true countdown can start for trip one of 2021. Has seemed like a long-ass time since Vegas, and for me it has been. By the time I'm wheels down it will have been 4 months. Seems like longer, maybe due to all the pandemic bullshit. Sporadic weekends out, not really doing anything aside from work and home, and the general rut that engenders. It's all so tiresome, and seemingly no real end in sight at least until fall, assuming no surge. So, I now have something to imminently look forward to again. All the hype can start to build, I can start putting final touches on the plan, and start getting my head into another Vegas trip. Nothing has changed on the trip specifics, it's Southwest for the flights and Aria for the room. Can't think of anything that would change with that at this point. $30/night at a 5-star and less than $90 base fare round trip too good to beat. I did add Early Bird Check In with SW, helps beat the cattle call a bit with boarding. Should...

Created a shitstorm at work today and the end is probably near for this jobby. I took an offhand slight and reacted to it like I usually do, getting all defensive and blowing it out of proportion. I do feel rightful that I was wronged, but the other party does have a point they could press too, which they no doubt will. Especially since they are basically my bosses bosses boss (but also a direct report, contracting is weird). I made a big stink though and I'm probably going to have to eat some crow or hold the righteous line and walk the fuck out, and soon. I halfway feel like I'm sabotaging this job on purpose. I keep feeling uneasy and unsupported and uncomfortable in this job, even 2 years in. I keep losing sleep over stupid shit that isn't in my control. I keep feeling undermined and the longer I work there the more political it gets, which I hate more than anything on a job. And just generally I don't want to be there anymore. Which all adds up to "it's pr...

And here we are, sports fans, it's the yearly "I'm tired of being fat and I'm going to get into shape even though I say that every year and never do", post. Since COVID lockdown began a year ago, I've been a disgusting glutton. When it started I was off work for a couple months, and did nothing but stay inside, eat, drink 5 nights a week and exercise basically not at all. In the months since about August, I've been onsite daily and have at LEAST been getting some steps in every day, but my diet has stayed horrendous, consisting of daily bad GrubHub choices, junk food snacking, and little activity outside of the 4 hours a day at work. The drinking has dropped off, as I'm now back to just Fri/Sat with that, but the overall effect on my health is starting to tell. My blood sugar over the past year has spiked up to Uranus. It was more or less under control pre-COVID and now it's in the danger zone. I largely haven't felt the effects of my diabetes ...