Thanksgiving In Las Vegas (What Happens in Vegas Stays In Vegas Unless it’s in This Blog)

Thanksgiving day started with a phone call from mom at 4:35am. She just wanted to make sure that I would be ready to leave the house on time to get to the airport by 6am. As I was all packed and showered, I anticipated it would only take me about 20min to be ready. So, now since I had extra time, I decided to check for new podcasts, sync the ipod, and pack the laptop. Unfortunately, I should have checked the hotel’s internet access before deciding to take the computer because they wanted to charge me $12.99 per day. No problem, I’ll just surf on the treo because that won’t cost any extra. Nope, that’s not working. All the other features (phone, email, and texting) work, but not the web browser application. Damn hotel really wants that $12.99!!

We had dinner at the Mirage buffet. I started with a plate of Asian food, then had the traditional turkey, dressing, and sweet potatoes. For dessert, mom and I split a plate full of assorted cakes and pastries. It had been a long day, so I think I was asleep by 11.

So, if you’re following my tweets, you know I woke up way too early. No one in her right mind should be up before 10am in Vegas! Mom slept in til later. How does she do that? We made it over to the Tropicana around 11, ate breakfast, then saw the exhibit for body geeks – Bodies the Exhibition. It was pretty amazing to see the muscles uncovered. That gave me some more insight as to how the small piriformis is such a troublemaker for many of my clients. I looked at every single body part there in about 2 hours. If you’re in Las Vegas or anywhere else one of these types of exhibits is available, definitely go see it.

There was a lot of walking done Friday, so Mom and I were hungry by the time we got back to the Mirage. We ate dinner at Stack restaurant. It turned out to be the best meal we had there. I started with a calamari appetizer – not as good as the calamari from Americas, but good anyway. For my entrée I chose the filet. Shocking, I know, but I felt like eating meat.

Didn’t do too much else exciting until Saturday night - saw Wayne Brady perform at the Venetian. It was mostly an improv show with song & dance showmanship. When we arrived & were standing in the lobby waiting to go in, we were given the opportunity to fill out a form with the name of a song that we wanted Wayne to sing. I thought of something that was not only a line from “Sex & the City,” but also an inside joke with bff’s G&L. They got to the songs about 2/3 of the way through the show. The first one they did was to the tune of Creed’s “Arms Wide Open,” which is the Pilates serving arms theme song, and was requested by Susan from Houston!! The song was . . . “They Make a Cream for That.” He turned it into a ballad about an STI/STD. It was hilarious!! Wonder what he could have done with “Wax Me Baby One More Time.”

Didn’t do too much in the casinos. Won a little bit of money, but I’m glad to be home and wash the smoke out of my clothes. Does a smoke-free casino exist? I would love it!! Found it on the way home – the slot machines at the airport. Those are smoke-free, but the people-watching is no fun there. Someone please build me a smoke-free casino!

Well, I’m back home now. Back to reality – work out in the morning, then 6 clients. Next time I go to Vegas with the bff’s so we can enjoy the nightlife. WOOHOO!

The Celebration

Thanks to everyone who made it to my birthday dinner Saturday. There really were no ill effects from the colliding worlds which produced much laughter and joy. There were friends I have known for more than 30 years and some newer friends of less than 3 years. No matter how long I have known you, each of you has a special place in my heart.

Americas is incredible! I'll have to go back another time to try the rest of the menu. We started with calamari, empanaditas, and grilled shrimp quesadillas. I usually don't like calamari, but this was so good. The second course was a salad with cilantro dressing. For the entree, there was a choice of the Churrasco steak, salmon, and chicken breast. The steak was the most popular dish and had amazing flavor similar to the shaking beef at The Slanted Door restaurant in San Francisco. The salmon was also very flavorful and an excellent choice. Maybe the next time I go back I'll try the chicken with plantain, cheese, and over a black bean sauce. Their famous tres leches cake was one of the selections for dessert. The other choice was the Delerio chocolate truffle cake - my choice. You can't go wrong with chocolate.

Thanks again for helping me celebrate my birthday, whether you were there in person or in spirit.

The tragedy of life is not that it ends so soon, but that we wait so long to begin it.--W.M. Lewis

Family Week

Check out my brother's blog, specifically his latest entry all about family. http://blog.mikemonk.com/2007/10/30/family.aspx

Addicted to Blogthings

You Could Be a Vampire... If You Had To

Like most people, the thought of being a vampire has crossed your mind. But you're not sure if you'd do it, even if you could. Living forever doesn't sound half bad, if you could live forever with the people you love the most. But do vampires even love? And would the vampire version of you even be you? It's all too much to contemplate. Luckily, the chances of you ever becoming a vampire are astronomically low. What you would like best about being a vampire: Living forever What you would like least about being a vampire: Blood stained teeth

Could You Be a Vampire?

Your Pimp Name Is...

Brown Sugar Big Spenda

What's Your Pimp Name?

You Should Drive a Yellow Car

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You Are 70% Weird

You're so weird, you think you're *totally* normal. Right? But you wig out even the biggest of circus freaks!

How Weird Are You?

You Are an Animal Print Bra!

Wild, zany, and even a little crazy. You make every date an unpredictable adventure. You want a guy who will constantly surprise you. A relationship that's the most insane ride of your life.

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You Are a Funny Gift Giver

Your gifts are wacky, offbeat, and even borderline naughty. You prefer to give a gift that makes someone crack up... Forget utility. You prefer to give something that's totally hilarious.

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The Part of You That No One Sees

You are powerful, passionate, and dominant. You have a vision of how things should be, and you do your best to make things happen. People rely on you for your strength. You are a rock to many. Underneath it all, you aren't so sure about your passions. So many ideas spark your interest, it is hard for you to get behind a select few. However, you see indecision as a sign of weakness. So you pursue your goals full force - no matter how foolish they turn out to be.

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You Are 36% Girly

You are a pretty hardcore tomboy, and a very free spirit. Gender roles be dammed, you like to do things your way.

How Girly Are You?

As the birthday approaches...

Looking forward to seeing everyone next weekend. it's definitely a case of "worlds colliding." There will be people there from many stages of my life. Most know each other already, and others are brand new. Hope everyone has as good a time as I'm imagining it will be.

See more pics at http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=11512&id=578441304&ref=mf