This cold and Vegas

Being sick has sucked big time. I know some people would love to lie on the couch for an entire weekend and watch movies, but not me. And by "watch movies" I mean catch the opening credits, fall asleep, wake up when loud things happen, fall asleep and somehow wake up for the very end. I think the ends of movies must be louder to wake up the people sleeping in theaters. At least I know that I've turned the corner.

The bad news is that my Vegas trip is less than a week away and I've pretty much done nothing except decide which shoes to take. And I can't just take shoes. I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but I never wear anything twice. Without washing it, I mean. So packing for a trip means you must have a clean and fresh everything for every day. I'm jealous of people that can pack one or two pairs of jeans and wear them over and over. Of course there is the laundry service, so for 12 bucks or so I could have some jeans cleaned, but it takes some serious planning when you are drinking around the clock. Also, one of the pairs of jeans I want to take are not even here yet. I ordered some Tommy Hilfiger jeans from Macy's (two pair). They were too large and I sent them back and they only sent me one pair back in the new size. The broad on the phone did promise they'd be here by this Friday - I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

I would like a couple of new tops, but don't know when I can get around to looking. Maybe Wednesday or Saturday. It's always fun to have a new top for a trip. At least for this trip, I have solved the problem of "How to carry your stuff." I never take a purse on a vacation. I have lots of reasons. They go like this: 1) Carrying a purse is a mundane thing you do in day-to-day life. 2) My particular Duke purse is so cool that I would be more upset if someone snatched it than I would be about its contents. 3) yeah, that purse-snatching part in general would suck. 4) a regular shoulder purse requires a bit of balance to keep it just sitting there. I've tried the fanny-pack, which worked well, but I've read so many fashion jokes about them it's made me paranoid. Ideally, it would be chilly on my vacation and I would wear my Levi's denim jacket - which holds everything I need. But for Vegas I have the answer. Last Thanksgiving when my sister-in-law and I went to New Orleans, she had the perfect purse. It's small and compact yet large enough for a camera, cigarettes, wallet, carmex, lipstick and lighter. Also it has the long strap so that you hang it from your left shoulder to your right side - no slipping off and tough to "snatch." She's letting me borrow it. Guys never have to worry about how to carry their stuff. But like guys, I always carry my money in my pocket (front left). And my room key (back right).

Just typing all this has gotten me more in the mood to go. I hope to see my favorite bartenders, poker dealers and blackjack dealers. It's always amazing when I walk up to the poker room and they yell out my name. I mean seriously, how many people do they meet in a year? How on earth do they remember me? And the blackjack dealers and bartenders probably go through even more people. I may have posted this before, but one lady blackjack dealer told me it was because I was a good tipper. If that's the case and I'm tipping enough for them to remember me years at a time, everyone else must suck at tipping. Oh and maybe it's my "Dude! You're not going to tip the dealer!??!" that I say to winners. Heh, heh. Maybe that's it.

I'm hoping to have this cold thing conquered soon. I'm pretty sure I picked it up at the doctor's office. I wish they could reimburse me for the 4 boxes of kleenex I've obliterated. I have to go back Thursday and I'm going to pour that antibacterial hand stuff all over my hands the minute I walk out the door. I hope some people are walking in and give me funny looks. I'll just look them in the eye and say, "Trust me on this."