See ya, City of Angels - I'm off to Sin City (a SoCal to Vegas Relocation Report)

Beautiful cloudy morning to start off work day #3!

 

I'm so happy for you that the new job is starting out so well!!

 

Congrats on your new job. Best of Luck. Sounds like you can start a side gig as tour guide. Looks like MikeO needs a rest after all the running around. Lol

 

Hoping your week ends as well as it started. Sure sounds like you're much more comfortable in the new job! Fingers crossed the positive vibes continue.

 

Shoutout to @MikeOPensacola for a fantastic "congrats on the new job" dinner! Always nice to celebrate with a good friend!




The shrimp appetizer was good, but I still favor Jaleo's









Also saw some cool stuff at work today - checked out Ghostbar, the steakhouse, a super awesome Italian resturants that's not yet open.....along with some other hotel floors.








The pool area is cool too:




Tonight we got a little rain and some awesome pics walking around the Strip

 

(Also dinner was super amazing, my chicken was real tasty!!! We got a lot of good catch up time inbetween and I'm glad we got one final Strip walk in!)

 

If the guy who's opening that restaurant is who I think it is, the food is going to be excellent. He had two restaurants in Atlantic City and the surrounding area that we LOVED. We were so sad when he left for the west.

 

Had an absolute blast hanging with you for 9 out of my 11 days here Kiddo. This trip would have been completely different without all the meals, drinks, laughs and sightseeing with you. Looking forward to doing it all over again in October. Maybe by then the sidewalks on LVB will be cool enough to take your kittens for a bona fide strip walk….

 

Chlo-chlo would love a Strip walk! Jax might have to be in a backpack hahaha. Maybe I'll just have a dog by then!

Day 4 of being back in the gaming industry is in the books!

Took the golf cart out (owned by another dept, apparently every dept keeps asking for it) to Palms Place to pick up some computers.



Pool at Palms Place, and the area overall, looks real nice!

Then I went to hang with @MikeOPensacola one last time (shit, feels like he just got here! Where did the time go!?). For a quick tasty dinner at Holstein's!

I got egg rolls and a yummy salad

His cheeseburger looked pretty fantastic:




Now home, chillin with some kitties!

 

I would update you all on an awesome Friday night but Jaxie is just too tired.

 

Shoutout to my bud @44inarow for letting me know about this show at Cosmo last night! One of the last US stops for AJR on their OK Orchestra tour.


Initially, I was skeptical. Open minded and down to check em out, but skeptical because my god, all my last concerts have been ska, metal or rock. What's the crowd for a indie/pop band even like?!

I didn't need to worry, AJR were fuckin' awesome! The opener was: https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/boywithuke-tiktok-toxic-interview-1235033472/amp/

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The Chelsea is a rad venue that has long been on my list but until last night, I'd never made it to any shows! The ladie's room had a hilarious "etiquette sign" (see below).

I would definitely get pit tickets here again. The bouncy floor (made possible by spring underneath) is fucking awesomeeee! It was soo fun with everyone jumping. Glad I finished my beer before that.


This background was cool with occasional lightning


All of the brothers were entertaining and looked like they were having a blast.

We even got a special Vegas exclusive....The Blue Man Group came out and played for a bit - that was so fun and awesome! I'd never seen them live either, so that was exceptionally cool.






The ska kid in me loved the horns with a lot of their tracks! This gal on trumpet was badass!

(That's one of my favorite pics from the show. The enthusiasm was infectious)







Having the fire alarm go off (again) during "Burn the House Down" was hilarious. And we just kept going.

Overall the show was super awesome, really fun, the discussion on mental health was important and I like that nothing was made political. The darkness and positivity were just what we all needed, coming out of this pandemic. It felt refreshing to have fun at a show. I found some new favorite songs, and had a great time with a favorite friend! Their light show was amazing too, I got some videos of tracks that I have no idea how to upload here and am too lazy to add to YouTube.....for now.

And like their song goes (which I identified with way too much, especially thinking about this recent move),
"Don't you love it,
don't you love it?
No, I ain't happy yet -
But I'm way less sad.

Well, I can't fall asleep and I'm losin' my mind,
'Cause it's half-past three, and my brain's on fire...
I've been countin' sheep, but the sheep all died.
And I'm tryin' too hard, but I can't not try."

 

And let's not forget my favorite of their recent lyrics:

It's suddenly cloudy
But there's one thing I know
That if you're fucking racist
Then don't come to my show

 

Thank you again for coming along! They've been one of my favorite bands for quite some time, and I bought tickets as soon as they went on sale (I had access, through a friend, to very good tickets and some of the VIP perks, but I really, really wanted to be on the floor). Just fantastic from start to finish.

For anyone not familiar with them, check them out! Great music, and also amazing creativity -- they use the NYC subway announcer for a couple voice-overs on their new album, for example. And Morningside Heights represent!

 

Thanks again for the invite! I was definitely impressed and diggin' their sound! Also a treat that I got to hear a lot of live stuff before diving into the albums.

Also #3 & #9 on the dude's (oh sorry, gentlemen's) restroom sign is hilarious.

 

Hijacking to share a story about hair-washing: I worked for a firm on the top floor of one of Seattle's higher buildings (44th floor), and one morning one of our traders (who came in earlier than the rest of us to coincide with the markets) entered the women's restroom to find a hooker coloring her hair at the sink. They exchanged "good mornings" and just minded their own business. Within a month, however, our floor had restricted elevator access as well as pinpad access to the restrooms.

 

Had a mellow day, headed to the Strip in the afternoon to grab a coffee and a snack.






Scoped out other cool stuff too. So nice to live close to an Eataly with some tasty stuff for cooking at home!


Coffee and a snack were fabulous as always!

 

My local friend, S, came over for dinner. "New gnocchi recipe!" was all I had to say.

She's vegetarian so I made hers with mushrooms instead of chicken and she loved it!




Then we shared drinks on the patio


Chlo was chillin


Jaxie wanted to come hang out haha.

 

Since there's no beaches anywhere near here with a nice ocean to stare at and contemplate life, I went for a night drive over to the Strip for some clarity (& before texting a dude something I'd regret (or just to prevent being stupid). Proofread, it's important!).


Lookin' good Cos, lookin' good.





And I made it!


First song was Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" - how fitting.





It was busy over here, but I managed to snag a good spot and not punch anyone or mow down any small children.

The second track was that one Cher song I always forget the name of. Wtf Las Vegas, what are you doing to me.






Then it was time to head home

Not that home, unfortunately. The place I actually pay rent at with 2 kitty cats.

Also.....I know I didn't drink that much today, does this look like a dog to anyone else? Cause I've walked past this a bajillion times and just noticed it.

 

I see a pig, but I can see how it could be a dog.

 

Omg it looks like a pig too!