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

You knew this post was coming. The freebie-discount sitch for the upcoming trip. -6 nights at MGM Grand in a Tower Spa Suite: $124 (!!!) all in. Would be...we may never know. It's not even available to book anymore, either as an MGM Rewards member or as a horrid, worthless nobody with no status. Looks like the last night is not available for that room type - sold out. So I have to do some guesswork; the 5 nights that are available come out to about $240/night and $1592 all in after resort fees, so if you figure another night at $240 and another $44 resort fee, the estimated all-in for 6 nights is $1876. So that's a savings of: $1752 fucking American dollhairs. Wut. -$25 Freeplay, $50 Resort Credit as part of the booking package, plus another $53 in Rewards Points (more Resort Credit) and $125 in Slot Dollars (more Freeplay). So that's at total of $253 of usable free money on the trip. -$100 Dining credit awarded after getting to 75K tier credits, which will happen on the fi...

Wut. I was just able to book a very nice suite at the Grand, the Tower Spa Suite. I've looked at it before, but always decided that, at around $120+ a night when I've looked at it previously, it was just too much for a suite at the Grand. I just booked it for $124 for 6 nights. Total. MGM's booking algorithm must be broken. It works out to something like $20/night, for the suite you see above, along with a huge bathroom with a jacuzzi tub. 4 comped nights and 2 nights at $55/nt. I was actually just looking at a possible rebook for Mandalay Bay, which I thought might have dropped and is why I even cancelled the MB Elite King booking. MB actually went UP, and I was slightly molded that I might have to downgrade in room quality until I saw this gem. The Tower Spa Suite is actually bigger than the Elite King, has the spa tub, is in a better strip location and, oh yeah, is $400+ less all in. Jazzed. No guarantee of a strip view but I will try to hook that up as my "premium ...

Just checking in, as I do. Jonesing for the Vegas, already. The last trip wasn't so great for the wallet but it was an overall good time so I'm already obsessing, 2 1/2 months out. So far only the flight is really locked in, which means the dates are locked in, but other than that no real plans. The week between Xmas and NYE is pretty dead in terms of shows. The normal Vegas shows like Cirque and such will mostly be running but there's really nothing I'm interested in seeing that I haven't already seen. Which means the only attractions I'll likely see for that week will be bars. I may try to schedule a few dinner reservations for the week to keep me somewhat honest, but will hold off on that for the most part until I'm sure where I'll be staying. That decision is very much pending. I have an Elite King at MB booked now, which would be more than fine if that's what I end up with. It's close to the airport for the JSX terminal, it's one of my f...

Going to be arriving to My Town in style for Xmas Eve. Flight prices for basic economy have been hovering around $330 for crappy flight times for the Xmas week. Finally got fed up with it and said fuck it, I'm going chartered plane and finishing out the Vegas year in style. Booked a JSX flight going out of OAK. Small, fast, roomy and no FUCKING TSA to have to deal with. Hop on fare, only $430 round trip so only about a hundy more than flying with the cattle on a major carrier. No having to get to the airport an hour early, can just get there with a half hour to spare and jump on. Then can catch an Uber to the resort, or if I end up staying at Mandalay Bay could literally walk there from the JSX terminal, it's like half a mile. Will have to Uber to and from OAK a couple times but for the charter jet experience it's worth the extra expense. Pretty excited about this. Sure I could probably save a couple hundy waiting for an Allegiant fare to come down but then I'm flying i...

4 days back. Can't quite believe it happened, and that it's over. But here we are. Flights: No issues. Both on time by Alaska and no delays. Getting the 6th row seat both times was worth expense. Got on and off in no time. Seatmates were fine. Played Alien Isolation on the iPad on the way back. Room: Aria, got upgraded to a King with a strip view. was able to check in right away after getting to town, but had to spend an hour switching out rooms due to yet another dead in-room safe in the first room. Me and fucking in-room safes at MGM resorts. But once up there the room was in good shape, everything worked and it was quiet and had no issues with housekeeping. Only gripe would be it took 10 minutes for the water to get warm but a piddly gripe really. A good base for the 6 nights. Resort: Aria its normal, boring, pretty self. It's got the personality of an aged cheese and about as much excitement, but it is nice to look at. They fixed their taxi line since the last time, at ...

Vegas is happeNINg.  The laundry is done. The money is out of the bank. The balls are shaved. There's really nothing standing between me and my sweet Vegas, barring a drone strike or something. The money was a scraper but I got it done. I should apply for food stamps with what is left in my checking account right now, but the full $1K per day save is in play for all 6 days. The Xmas save is going to be a scratch but I'll worry about the Xmas save when (if?) I return from the September trip, thank you. At least I get paid while I'm in town so I won't have to eat crickets when I'm back. Hoping the good juju from the last Aria stay follows me this time. Last time there I bracketed first day and last day $2000 hits...that'd be a nice this time too. Winning a little early in the trip takes so much pressure off, would love to drop that in this go 'round. Praying to the MGM video poker Gods the next 3 nights. But if I spend the whole wad, it is what it isn't. N...

A scant 10 sleeps until we be rollin' on up into the Vegas. Absolutely nothing whatsoever to report, but I'm here reporting shit anyway. Barring some last-second hallelujah rate at an interesting resort, the butt will rest on one of the two queens in the room at Aria. After a brief dalliance with Cosmo I'm pretty locked in now. It's fine. Aria is fine. I'm fine. No drama elsewhere, the job is pretty slow so I should have no issues leaving for a week and being carefree about it. The money will be on point almost to the dollar. It's a good thing I get paid on the last day of the trip or I would have no way to pay rent for the second half of the month, unless I come home with some of the save. Then it's one check and on to the Xmas save. Back in the "save money for Vegas" grind but I guess it's better that than spending it all on drugs. Which, oh, there will be blow on this trip. A buddy unexpectedly hooked me up so there will be a little of that...