Been a rough week. So many thoughts flying through my head these days. Trying to listen to my heart but that is telling me a different story every hour. Why can life be so confusing? Isn't it just easier to say screw it and just do it? Apparently i thought so but for some reason it is just not working out. I just wish there was some sign out there that would let me know that what I am doing is right or wrong. Just waiting for it.

Waiting.

Waiting.

Vegas. What can I say about Las Vegas. I could give the short version like most everyone else who has visited that city of sin and just say how much I won or lost and that I am just chalking it up to entertainment. But that's not my style. Anyone who has ever listen to me tell a story they know that is is reminiscent of their aging grandmother. I habitually beat around every bush in sight and then conclude with the soup to nuts version that you never really cared to hear about in the first place.

I like to relive my stories and the best way to do that is to give the ol' play by play.

Thursday

7am EST - Wake up and pick up Boo (named have been pseudonized to protect the innocent) and we head to work.
1pm EST - Leave work like bats out of hell and head back intown to pick up Wolf. Head back to my place. Pack. Have first Captain and coke. Head to MARTA.
2pm EST- Meet Walzer on MARTA downtown en route to the airport.
3pm EST - Meet the bachelor (PMo) at the Sam Adams brewhouse in the T concourse. Two tall Budweisers and 3 captain doubles.
5pm EST - Grab coke aka mixer at the Wendy's walking to the gate. Mix captain. 2x.
6pm EST - On plane, the actual captain has removed the fasten seat belt signs and of course we proceed to make friendly with the flight attendant and 5 of us take over the middle galley in the
767-200. We had the surrounding 10 seats so there was little resistance. Proceed to devour airline beers and mix about half the 750 of captain before we land.
7:45pm PST (10:45 EST)- Land at McCarron International Airport. Proceed to mearly get left by group and have a quarrel with Walzer. Hawkins calms everyone's nerves and we pile into a van. (At this time i thought the captain was in my bag. Later do i find out I left he half full bottle in the seatback pocket of 17D. Some lucky flight attendant is drunk right now)
9pm PST - We hit the tables at the Flamingo. Lose a bit but not too bad. Decide to head to Bellagio to meet the others.
10pm PST - Me, KP, JMcGraw, Prim, Fun Bobby and Tittie get a cab to the Palms to try and hit the Rain danceclub. Line was hour long so we decided to hit the tables there. Fast forward.
FRIDAY
5am PST (reminder 8am EST, been up over 24 hours)- Only the strong survive. Looking around it is only KP, Tittie and myself still at the Palms. We are working that casino like it is nobody's business. Doing shots with the bartender, talking to anything that is breathing, male or female ( mostly male since the place was crawling with dudes looking for Real World leftovers) Did see one girl bust ass flat on her back as she was hammered at a blackjack table. The dealer just stood on her pair of 8's for her. Nice guy. About a 15 drinks more.
7:45am PST- We somehow remember that we were supposed to meet everyone at the breakfast buffet at Flamingo at 8:30 so we start to head back to the Strip. Proceed to walk outside to morning daylight. Wasn't expecting that. Walked back across the highway. Cabs are for wussies.
8:30am PST- Meet the guys at the breakfast buffet. KP and I already have a plate full of food and two Corona's to wash it down. Good times.
10am - Head to the Mirage sports book. Hit the tables and immediately start losing. Rapidly. Credit it to the 20 some odds drinks i have had since Thursday afternoon and the no sleep for 30hrs so far.
2pm PST - Playing blackjack the the Mirage apparently i start dozing off at the table. After being awoken a couple of time by Walzer and JMcGraw and told to hit my cards, i decided it was time to leave.......and hit the pool. Stumble back to the Flamingo and change into my suit. Stumble back to the Mirage pool and meet up with KP and some folks we met on the plane. Mainly just headed to the pool bar and watched this bartender who was making drinks at a feverish pace. Struck up a conversation with this dude about how crazy it must be to work there and we just stood there in awe of the bartender. She was on fire. He bought a round of Volcano's and i was on my way. Sidenote: Volcano's are topped with 151 rum. Don't need to say much more.
4-5pm - Can't quite remember much here.
5:15pm PST (8:15pm EST)- Somehow made it back to the Flamingo, got the key card to open the door on the second try, pulled back the covers and passed out. Vitals: Probably about 30 drinks and no sleep for 37 hours. Probably should've been dead.
8pm - Dinner with the group of 20 at the Venetian and night on the town. Needless to say i didn't make it. Thanks Fay and Walzer for trying.
Saturday
1am - My roomates, Fay and Walzer get back to room from the night out and are drunk and ready to hit the sack. I decide to take a shower, get dressed for the evening and head on out.
2:30am - Meet Wolf, Gam, Pistol and Hoffer at Bellagio. Hit the dance club Light. I have officially rallied. Dance, drink, and gamble the night away.
8am - Make it back to the Flamingo to wake up Fay and Walzer. We hit Denny's breakfast buffet. Hit Treasure Island, Venetian, Mirage, and O Shea's and that is when my day is done.
11:30am - Back in the room. Pass out watching basketball. Apparently we sleep in shifts in our room. Me during the day and Fay and Walz during the night. Worked out well.
2pm - Head to the Bellagio pool with Pistol, Hoffer, Gam. KP, Bobby and Prim join later.
4:30pm - Back to the room to sleep again. Still not quite caught up from the 37 hour bender.
9pm - Fay and Walzer come back to the room from Downtown old Vegas and they are about as drunk as I have seen. I pack my bags and head to the airport. I was smart and got out Sat night on the redeye. Didn't need to lose anymore money or liver cells.
11pm - On the plane, fast asleep. Arrive at 5:30am. Get home and back to sleep.

What a weekend.

Water tasted normal again on Tuesday.

My last major post was March 10th. That was more than two weeks ago. Alot has happened since then. Sig other had her b-day. St Patty's Day festivities. Vegas trip with the boys. My b-day. And now this weekend is chock with events.

To recap, two birthdays, my favorite holiday and my favorite place to lose money all in two weeks. And you ask how in the world could I not have anything to write about. Someone said I tend to be secretive. Well, perhaps I am, not because I don't feel like sharing but simply because I guess I don't think people really care to hear about me. But after reading a fw other friend blogs, 1,2,3, I can't but help to think that they don't care if people read so much as them having an outlet to write. And if anyone needs an outlet these days, it is certainly me.

Ok, i am vowing to post to my blog at least once a day. I usually think I have nothing notable to say but the more I think about it, I can just ramble on here and who cares. Not me. Not you. So here we go. Hang on, could get bumpy.

Got XM radio for my birthday. I love it! So many stations, and so little time. At home I listen to The Mix. A mix-of-all rock channel. At work I listen to Frank's Place. Crooners and dames. One of my favorites. However, this leaves me with the strangest songs in my head sometimes. Oh well. That is why I love music so.

Song in my head: "Que Sera, Sera" - Doris Day

Visited my friend Ben this past weekend. We played golf at this course where I had my greatest one day turnaround in a junior tournament, Bow Creek Golf Course. Very nostalgic. I was 14 years old. My grandfather was following me around the first day of the tourney and it was either a 24 hour virus or the fact that my grandfather gave me a rootbeer first thing in the morning immediately after I brushed my teeth, but I fell extremely ill on the back nine of the course. So much so that I yaked on 3 of the last 4 holes and took a snowman (eight) on 15, 16, and 17, for a total of 92. Day two I was in the back of the pack and no where near contention when I teed off at 7:45am one of hte first groups. Well, after telling my grandfather, "No thanks" to the rootbeer, I went out and shot a 75 that day and secured 5th place in the tourney. A miraculous 17 stroke swing. I have since never played so differently from one day to the next. I have a had a coulple of 15 stroke swings from the front nine to the back (50, 35) but those are stories for another day.

Let's get caught up.
Last weekend came and went. This week has passed and now we are at today.

So I am heading out of town this weekend to visit my good friend Ben. He and his wife, Sherry, just recently bought a house in Norfolk, VA. They did a lot of self improving and I am anxious to see their first home together. Couple that with Sherry hosting a baby shower at said house and Ben needed to be rescued to save his male genitalia. So I am flying up Sat morn to hang out and we are playing golf Sunday morn at a course I have fond memories of from my adolesence. Although i hear from my grandfather that holes 11 and 12 have gone under serious changes since I last played it 13 years ago. I can still remember every hole.

Golfers have this unique ability, regardless of educational backgroud, IQ, or aptitude for remebering things, they always can seem to remember courses they have played. I mean, usually hole by hole. Sometimes even as far as remembering shots taken on a specific round. Aside from the red letter shots such as my hole-in-one on June 20, 1990 on the 180yd 5th hole at Salisbury CC in Midlothian, VA around 11:30AM using a 5 iron and catching it thick and watching it roll over the hill in the green somewhere near the flagstick but not actually knowing it went in until my friend Kevin Hetzel walked up to the hole and did the obligatory touchdown-arm raise, "It's in!". But there are other shots and rounds of golf that i remember vividly even so far back as 15 years ago. Uncanny if you ask me. I guess that is what sport does to you. It just leaves such an impact and impression on your life.