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

Stuck in the Vegas no-go zone. I'm more or less mentally recovered from the posterizing Vegas gave me in June. The wallet, on the other hand, is still barking. The loss of the nearly $5K cash and the sodomizing of the MGM CC is nearly recovered, at great literal cost. By the end of this Friday I will have paid off $5100 in charges on the card since late June, again mostly from the trip. I can finally now, starting in August, begin to start recovering enough to entertain another trip in my head. However, the spectacular financial failure of JuneVegas has me now in the desert , just not literally, for a while. I can't responsibly even think about another trip now until Xmas. Assuming that will be a 7-night trip, which is how much time I've asked for at work, it'll be a $6500-ish save meaning I will need the entire Aug-Sept-Nov-Dec span to build the funds up again. No opportunity to squeeze in even a weekender trip unless some unexpected windfall comes my way, which is hig...

Oof. Can't lie, that pretty much sucked. Not much to say about this one but that. Some quick impressions I guess. Flights: No issues, both on time and was actually able to get an a hour earlier flight on the out so that was all good. Rooms:   Mostly OK, got into the Aria room right away on the Saturday, got upgraded to a Strip View, fine but boring as always there. The check in line for Cosmo was hellacious on the Sunday, stood there sweating for nearly an hour before finally getting up to the room. Room was fine, PH view, little smaller than I remembered from the first stay but still a very nice room. Housekeeping was a constant issue at Cosmo, one time didn't show up until 9p. Other than that a good base for 5 nights. Food: Almost non-existent. I think I only had 2 sit-down meals the whole time I was there. Flaked on the one reservation I had. Ended up living on Chex Mix and Snickers a couple days. Really bad. Drinking: A lot. Body: Barely hung on. Several nights I came home ...

  2 days ya bishes. Not much left to do. The laundry's done, bag is nearly packed, devices charging, the balls are shaved...pretty much all that's left is to pull a little money out of the bank Friday and GO. That money will be fine. Paid down the MGM CC so it'll be under $1K on go day, meaning I'll have over $7K of available credit for the trip. Not that I'll remotely need it. Just need to hit the bank Friday and pull out $1600 so I can have the usual $1000 per full day plus $700 for the short Saturday night. Leaves me with over a grand in the bank. Hopefully can add some back when I return. If nothing else the save was painless, thanks to April. I'm checked into the room for Saturday. Aria. Will check when I get there to see if I have a Gold upgrade but on a sold out (to plebes) Saturday it's not likely. Have to do actual physical check-in on Sunday at Cosmo but hoping it's painless, again will take advantage of late check out at Aria and try to get th...

Quite a good haul this time on savings. Shall we? -5 nights at Cosmopolitan in a Terrace One Bedroom Suite, special rate w/no resort fees: $1055, would be $2600 with no Identity rate, savings of $1545. -1 night at Aria in a Deluxe King, comped, no resort fees, night's not avail to book so not sure how much savings, another Saturday in June is $409 so we'll charitably call it $360 for the 10th, I added late check out so we'll say a $300 savings. -$50/$50 Freeplay/Resort Credit in the Aria booking package, $100 savings. -$117 in Freeplay built up from MGM Rewards, $117 value. -$57 in MGM Rewards Points (Resort Credit) available to use, $57 value but will increase with play by the time I use them Wednesday, call it $75. So that's a grand total of $2119 saved. And people ask me why I always go to Vegas on vacations. I also saved some $ by using some miles on the United flight but I can't be arsed to look it up, and also still have that $55 in Buffalo Wild Wing's GC ...

8 days from...NOW, I will be on a plane to The Vegas. All is well. Have done a little shopping pre-trip as I do; got a couple more polos to wear as a couple of my old standards are a bit naff, and got a new pair of Adidas so that will be the trip shoe. Will check them out tomorrow to make sure they're comfy but I have an almost identical pair in another color and they're nails. So, as per usual, jeans, sneaks, 4-5 polos and a couple tees, and one dress shirt for my date night (with myself). James Bond I am not, but James Bond wallet I have not. The weather looks to be really good. Summer has happened there and we all know what that means, but mercifully it looks like it will never get much above 95 highs so not too stifling. Enough to melt that mountain snow that was still there in April but not enough to melt me. Lucked out a bit on the Knights schedule in the SC Finals - the only game that could impact me is game 5 which would be the Tuesday I'm there, so if I just avoid ...

Added a night to June Vegas. Figured why not, the money will be in a good place and it'll set me up for a more relaxed Sunday. I'll get into town now at around 6:30p on the Saturday, same fly out day on Friday. Aria comped me the night so it was an easy decision, it'll be $0 for the room and I added late check out so I can relax and not have to try to rush over to Cosmo early Sunday morning. Maybe stay in the room until 12:30-1p and then head over next door to check in there. The flight was an easy switch, no change fee on United and actually got a refund on the date change, then upgraded to a mid-cabin seat so it was basically a wash. It'll also be a more relaxed airport day, won't have to wake up at the ass crack to get to the airport on a Sunday morning. I'll drop the car in the work garage again and just Uber to the airport from there, easy peasy. A later in the day flight brings up the possibility of a flight delay but just have to roll the dice and hope.  ...

Here we are, hovering a few scant weeks away from another Vegas. Doing this one right, room-wise. We are suite-ing at the fabtastic Cosmopolitan (with a side of Aria). The Terrace room not the biggest room I've stayed at in Vegas. Not the newest room I've stayed at in Vegas. Maybe not even the "best" room I've stayed at in Vegas, but surely my favorite. So, here's the plan... Saturday Rolling in around 6:30p if all goes well with United, over to Aria to dump the bags and with any luck out to the strip by 7:30p. No plans, can get up to anything and can go deep if need be as I don't have to be up early the next day. Will have $50/$50 to spend on VP/food in the Aria package that I have to use that night so may stick there to soak that up, then it's off to the races on a Vegas Saturday night. Sunday Sleep in, recover, nice relaxed morning then head over to Cosmo around 12:30-1p to get checked in there. If I have to wait at all, maybe hit Vesper if a friend...