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T h e A d v e n t u r e s o f C h i c a g o J o

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The Arithmetic of Vegas

2004-09-23� � 1:47 p.m.
Not normally updating on weekends + Being in Vegas for four days = No entry for six days. Get the panties out of the wad you�ve balled them in. I�m indeed alive and well.

So Vegas: Crowhihs and I have known each other since our early days of Diaryland, frolicking in the proverbial daisy-filled meadow since early 2002. Her on the left side of the map and me in the middle, slightly to the right (Did thoughts of political agendas fill your head there?), we met a bit south and in-between the two of us.

Waiting at the airport for someone you�ve never met (and in my case, she who I�d never seen a picture of) was a bit odd, but things warmed up quickly. Lots of fun and funny moments were shared. Crowhihs and Jo Part 2 will one day have to be planned.

Two moments where the look on someone�s face will always be remembered:

Due to the suckitude of AT&T and my current cell phone, I didn�t have the cell on me except for one evening. After a long charging and intentionally not using it, I called Benito while we were in the cab on our way back from dinner. When Benito answered, I immediately shouted, �Britney Spears got married, and you didn�t call me!� The cabbie gave me a look of, �You�ve got to be kidding�� Um, well, partially Cabbie.

At some big dinner with fancy food and recognition to those in Crowhihs� company who sold the most widgets, the CEO was giving his rousing speech about their hard work being appreciated. �We�d like to send you off with something so you will always remember your trip to Vegas...� He inserted a pause to build suspense, and I (with no filter on what comes out of my mouth) filled his silence with a simple, �Tattoos?� One lady at the table almost blew milk from her nose, and those within earshot got a round of the giggles.

Besides meeting Crowhihs, the Vegas trip was filled with a bunch of firsts. Were I not so damn tired, I�d be able to list more, but off the top of my head: going to Vegas, gambling, drinking gin and tonics, eating at PF Chang�s daily, seeing Hoover Dam, being in the desert, and, um, some other stuff. (Dang flight came in late last night, so the ol� noggin isn�t working too well.)

On our last afternoon together, Crowhihs and I hit up Aladdin, our favorite casino, to try to win me some money. Playing penny machines, she�d accumulated a good $18.50 in vouchers. I, however, hadn�t been so lucky. But on my last day there, I stuck a dollar into a slot machine and walked away with $10 in nickels.

Crowhihs� departure was an hour and a half before mine, so I wandered the strip with my winnings and seven extra dollars in my pocket. Since the $10 was freebie cash, I went into NY NY and rode their rollercoaster.

Without hitting a single ATM machine and arriving with an entire $80, I left Vegas with $2.

I know you�re doing math. $80 cash. Lunches, taxis, penny slots, tipping waitresses, and riding a rollercoaster. With only $10 in winnings, you�re asking how I came out so well.

Well, when�s the last time you rode a rollercoaster? I�ll admit that I absolutely hated it. The tossing around, the sudden stopping and going, the pounding in my head -- Oy. I figure that I just saved myself from ever asking Benito to go to the Six Flags park north of us, and admission and lunch would surely cost at least $35 each.

I started with math, so let�s end with math:

$70 saved + $10 won - $78 spent = $2.

Go Vegas!�



Miss something?

Moving Day - 2008-02-15
Working from Home is Glorious - 2008-02-13
Speaking in Tongues - 2008-02-07
I Have My Reasons - 2008-01-25
Got an Itch, Fix it, Shine it Up, Sing it Out - 2008-01-23

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