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Spinette's Long-Distance Rocket Mission! 2/22-2/28

Discussion in 'Vegas Trip Reports' started by spinette, Feb 21, 2020.

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  1. spinette

    spinette True Aficionado

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    My Trip Report

    Incoming message from Star Command!

    * * * * * STAR NOTICE * * * * *

    To: Spinette, Superstar Pro Tem
    From: Fleet Admiral
    Re: Extragalactic Survey, Outer Realm

    The existence of exotic planets and galaxies is supposed beyond the reaches of our most detailed maps--regions Zeta, Upsilon, and Phi. The admiralty has granted you the privilege of, and means to discover, what lies in these protracted realms owing to the doomed-rocket circumstance of yesteryear.

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    ...so they did find the smoldering rocket.

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Tomorrow begins a 7-day jaunt through my favorite adult playground, Las Vegas :thumbsup:

    Here's some of what's on tap:

    -- Beer on tap
    -- VP galore*
    -- Pizza pizza party!
    -- Vicinity bar crawl
    -- Food food food :feedme:

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------

    C Notice the asterisk (*) by "VP galore." This jaunt is going to be VP heavy (heavier than a 787 heavy...oh yeah), and if you're an aficionado, you'll want to stay tuned, as there'll be plenty of statistics, updates, and captions for the connoisseur.

    C In fact, I had a chance to see the instrument panel of the rocket I'll be blastenhoffing off on, and there's lots of widgets, dials, gauges, lights, alarms, numbers, and probably a few bugs. It looks about as complicated as your cable remote, but rest assured--as a seasoned rocket engineer with at least a few doomed rockets under my belt, I've made sense of the madness before.

    C This fish is getting excited. T-minus one day until launch!!
     
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  2. 3OfDiamonds

    3OfDiamonds Waiting For “Very Good” Video Poker @ Rio…

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    Woohoo - VP space voyages are the best space voyages :thumbsup: Have fun, and may variance tilt in your favor :jester:
     
  3. Drewm1972

    Drewm1972 VIP Whale

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    Have fun my friend... sounds like you are about to have a awesome epic trip!!! Following along
     
  4. tringlomane

    tringlomane STP Addicted Beer Snob

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    Good luck!
     
  5. spinette

    spinette True Aficionado

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    Holy thunderstorms Batman...look at the weather. At top: about 20 minutes after some very heavy rain. At bottom: just 10 minutes or so after taking the first photo.
    IMG_20200222_105441318.jpg

    IMG_20200222_105918262.jpg

    My flight was scheduled for today late. Wrong!! :whistle:

    Maybe it was the high-rising CB (cumulonimbus) clouds; or the mottled green, yellow (and even some red) on the radar...or could it be that well-defined leading edge? The good news is that this particular airline has cheap fares...and even cheaper change fees. With weather like this forecast into the night, I did something that is far removed from my credo as a rocketeer...

    I actually postponed the flight :blink:

    ...well, at least this'll give me some time to spruce up the rockets for when fair sailing does return!
     
  6. spinette

    spinette True Aficionado

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    Prelude

    Hmm...nothing on LiveATC.net about the storm in the area, although it is still 2 hours before I was supposed to take off originally. United yaddya-yaddya what's your current speed...two-seven-eight knots...united slow down to two-five-zero...United yaddya yaddya. One report of light turbulence, but nevermind...the weather's supposed to be out tomorrow morning, so it'll likely be no worse than "not such a big deal." I'm such a flight chicken :eek:
     
  7. spinette

    spinette True Aficionado

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    It's 3:30 A.M. now and I'm glad I waited out the storm. Catching a 6 AM flight out for 7:15 AM arrival at LAS. Will likely miss the WAX, and while I could take an Uber/Lyft, I'd rather catch my breath and grab a Starbucks or something and just wait the hour and save $5-$10 to ride the bus. Also have the LVA and ACG, and based on others' experience, I may be able to double up on some of them, but am not sure. Also plan on getting match plays at D and free play/match play/free drink at El Cortez for flying this time :trophy:

    IMG_20200223_033926180.jpg
     
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  8. spinette

    spinette True Aficionado

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    The Flight

    I figured if I reserved a Lyft at 4 A.M., it would get to the airport at 4:45 or so, but even after security (and after losing my boarding pass on the conveyor!), and after getting it reprinted, I was 80 minutes early. Of course :D

    Plane is likely a 737...some smaller jet that's iffy in weather but decidedly good enough when it's clear and steady. Got boarding group B...would like an aisle seat but could be first-come, which likely means if I get in line first in the group, I'll get a "decent enough" seat. There's another factor, though: it's February, and I'm not sure how sick people are. Jets tend to be arboreta for bacteria and viruses, and I want to minimize time on jet because everyone might have colds or the flu. Wish me luck! :poke: :vomit:

    Now: how about some $4.00 coffee? :jester:
     
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  9. spinette

    spinette True Aficionado

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    Landed (hard) about 20 minutes ago. Talked to Delta pilot about turbulence on approach..."it's the thermals, especially in the summer." So that's it... it isn't just occult turbulence o_O Thought it had something to do with the mountains...
     
  10. Flowers

    Flowers VIP Whale

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    This is such a pretty photo. :)

    Wishing you a fabulous trip!!!
     
  11. eliza

    eliza Creepy Vegas Friend

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    Good luck!
     
  12. cvkelz

    cvkelz Extremely Low Roller- like, I barely roll at all.

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    Those bumps from the heat are no joke.
    The last time I flew out of Vegas in the summer was in June and the turbulence was so bad for the first 30 minutes my fitbit had me registered as doing cardio my heart was hammering so fast. :haha::haha:

    Good luck on your trip!!!!
     
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  13. spinette

    spinette True Aficionado

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    First Realm: Hypercluster Zeta

    Star Command's rockets frequently receive first-in-class reviews. Here's what people are saying:

    I really love the 256-speed transmission... zero to sixty in just 8 days!
    -- W.T. Thrust, Hypercluster Theta

    Only took three quarters of a tank to get to the edge of the Milky Way...and this was without the negatron flux capacitor!

    -- V.G. Rattlinoff, Quadrant Scorpio

    Flies like missile yet smells like cigar...I wonder if they have a compact model?
    -- H.K. Blastinov

    Needless to say, us rocketeers are well-appertained :D

    It makes sense, then, that when on an exciting trek across a large part of the known universe, the good folks at Star Command are the choice of first order.

    First, it was off to the D to check in to my room for a four-night three-night stay at the D. I had called the day prior and asked if I could check in the next morning because I didn't want to fly in the storm, and they said "yeah, we have rooms available." Great! So I go to check in that morning and they say I can't check in until 3 P.M. Haugh? :blink: Told them I called (and they even made a note), but they wouldn't let me check in. But no biggie...I left my bag with the bellman and went to four queens for some double double bonus.

    10/6 DDB is (99.96%, 41) -- that is, the return is almost break-even and the volatility is 41 bets squared with good strategy. For comparison, several common games are presented below:

    JoB (99.54%, 19.5)
    BP (99.17%, 21)
    NSUD (99.726%, 25)
    BPDW (99.45%, 28)
    Bdlx (99.64%, 31)
    DDB (98.98%, 41)

    These are listed in order of volatility, not return, and each is the "full pay" version. The QQQQ version is actually DDB+, but the variance is about equal. As a sort of heat indicator, you might use the following:

    < 20 : Little to no turbulence
    20 - 30: Mild turbulence
    30 - 40: Moderate turbulence
    40 - 60: Severe turbulence
    > 60: Extreme turbulence

    It's not surprising, then, that seasoned rocket engineers seek out the safety of Jacks or Better or Bonus Poker after watching the wings of their spacecraft nearly snap off in pockets of bad luck. Needless to say, when I was on my way to spheroid blue, a star deep within Hypercluster Zeta, it made sense to lower the lap bar, fasten the seatbelt, and hope there wasn't too much shaking on the lift hill.

    Warning! Warning! Severe turbulence in this zone.

    Buzzers sounding like mad and a disco of alarm lights! Panels being ripped from the rear boosters and flying into outer space. My legs are mashed into the heavy cloth of the seatbelt and, at the same time, knock hard against the lap bar. Eight hundred gone quick on about seven thousand in. With freefall like this, I can only raise my hands in the air and wave them like I just don't care! :headbang:
     
    Last edited: Feb 26, 2020
  14. spinette

    spinette True Aficionado

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    Next, it was off to Procyon Rd to get my copy of the LVA. Wait a minute... don't you already have one. It's...it's in the photo! Nope, lost that too, but they were nice enough to give me another one, which had two $100 coupons in there for Sagos, a local bar. Actually, there were two: one for their Spring Mountain bar and another for Fort Apache, which is pretty far out there, but closer by via WAX.

    I was within walking distance (1.5 mi) to the former, so I decided to walk from Huntington Press to the bar. There was a huge Chinese-themed galleria on my side of the street, and I wanted to grab a picture, but was not really able because of the angle and the light. I kept going, passing the jack in the box, and then going in at about 11 in the morning. Not surprisingly, I was one of only two people there (the other a portly bearded fellow), and I was able to get going right away.

    Another unbelievably bad flight, with precipitate drops throughout and an unusual 65-70% return over about 400 hands. It was so bad that I thought it was rigged, and even hinted at it to the bartender, who was texting surreptitiously over in a corner. He came over, and I made mention, and afterwards, I played another hand thinking maybe it really was bad luck, and I got three aces. He looks at me and the screen, hoping I get the fourth ace, and Bam! A-5 fill in for $400, leaving me ahead all of $5. He congratulates me and says there'll be $100 of free play on the card after 24 hours. When I made my way to the door, the lady bartender (unseen until now) said "bye," and that was it.

    Phew! Sometimes these rocket missions leave me freaked out...how in San Houston could I have lost at more than 30% when 20% is considered catastrophic? Oy...could there be a villainous force out there from the reaches of an evil nebula?

    Onward to Fort Apache. Again, dead as a doornail, but the bartender was much nicer and gave the machine that little extra rub to ward off those bad news bears! About $2500 in this time and a $200 loss...ouch, but fives stop the madness and it's a near double take. This fish shall return!
     
  15. spinette

    spinette True Aficionado

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    Next, it was off to Procyon Rd to get my copy of the LVA. Wait a minute... don't you already have one? It's...it's in the photo! Nope, lost that too, but they were nice enough to give me another one, which had two $100 coupons in there for Sagos, a local bar. Actually, there were two: one for their Spring Mountain bar and another for Fort Apache, which is pretty far out there, but closer by via WAX.

    I was within walking distance (1.5 mi) to the former, so I decided to walk from Huntington Press to the bar. There was a huge Chinese-themed galleria on my side of the street, and I wanted to grab a picture, but was not really able because of the angle and the light. I kept going, passing the jack in the box, and then going in at about 11 in the morning. Not surprisingly, I was one of only two people there (the other a portly bearded fellow), and I was able to get going right away.

    Another unbelievably bad flight, with precipitate drops throughout and an unusual 65-70% return over about 400 hands. It was so bad that I thought it was rigged, and even hinted at it to the bartender, who was texting surreptitiously over in a corner. He came over, and I made mention, and afterwards, I played another hand thinking maybe it really was bad luck, and I got three aces. He looks at me and the screen, hoping I get the fourth ace, and Bam! A-5 fill in for $400, leaving me ahead all of $5. He congratulates me and says there'll be $100 of free play on the card after 24 hours. When I made my way to the door, the lady bartender (unseen until now) said "bye," and that was it.

    IMG_20200224_114156095_HDR.jpg
    Phew! Sometimes these rocket missions leave me freaked out...how in San Houston could I have lost at more than 30% when 20% is considered catastrophic? Oy...could there be a villainous force out there from the reaches of an evil nebula?

    Onward to Fort Apache. Again, dead as a doornail, but the bartender was a lot more upbeat. I had the street tacos and a 7-up (which was to become the signature drink for this already-in-trouble rocket disaster :kiss:)
    all for the privilege of losing another $300 before fives fill in to make it "only" $200 or so for a drink, two tacos, and some chips :blink:

    Then, it was time for a huge bus ride all the way from one side of the valley to the other, and then down Boulder highway to Skyline for some VP. I went inside and found a seat at the bar and asked for a hot tea with honey and lemon, and a bingo card. Their VP is pretty good: JoB prog (99.54%, 19.5) with 0.5% meter rise and an extra $400 on the RF that added another 0.40% to the return at the time I started. Add to this an 0.875% SC and a bingo card with about 1.00% of value, and this is a good play. I was lucky, hit four quads, and cashed out for $220 after about $1500 in and then went onward to Emerald Island to spin the wheel of cash for $15 (there's a $25-$100-$25 sector of the wheel that I tried to land on, but I didn't realize the axle had so little friction that it spun around several times :nono:). Then, it was off to the bar to take advantage of a 25x multiplier that would, after maybe two hours, get me a free dinner :feedme:

    By this time, the stars were starting to fade and the panoramic cockpit view only showed the twinkle of a few of the brightest ones in the galaxy--it was clearly late evening in outer space :whistle: Thus--and without knowing the bus schedule because my phone died--I took a cab back to my room and tried sleeping off what I thought was just a teeny bit of beer, but with my having had probably two stout beers (and little tolerance o_O), I ended up throwing up all over the sink and left a mottled red and blue mess (the latter from brushing my teeth) that clogged the drain. I don't think housekeeping was happy--either at the hotel or aboard the rocket :evillaugh:

    Next: What foibles does this fish reel in gallivanting about Hypercluster Eta? Only time will telllll...
     
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