Lost Vegas

Those of you who know me, might know I spent last weekend attending a wedding in Las Vegas. Those of you who don't know me, you now know that I spent last weekend attending a wedding in Las Vegas --- but you still don't know me.

The whole trip was too quick: an afternoon in the sun, a night in the casino and the wedding. Was it worth seven hours of travel? Definitely. Here are some thoughts about the weekend.

--On the shuttle on the way to the Wynn, I rode with two interesting groups. These are people who should not visit Las Vegas. The first group had this conversation:

Woman: Man, I really need a drink. Do you think they have water?
Man: Probably. The first thing we need to do is check out the fitness center to see how much we have to pay to use the gym.

I also heard this exchange:

Woman 1: Last time I was here, I stayed at the Bellagio on the 27th floor.
Woman 2: Cool.
Woman 1: Yeah, I got pretty fucked up.
Woman 2: Cool.
Woman 1: I stayed in one night, all night, and watched the fountains.
Woman 2: Cool. Peace.

--On the plane, I switched seats with an obnoxiously hyper 20-year old so she could sit next to her boyfriend. I think she bounced the entire trip. It was her first flight in 12 years, and her first time out of Atlanta in 8 years. They stayed at the "pyrimid-thingy" and she turned 21 at midnight. I think Vegas might be too much for her.

--Why are hotel TVs and remotes the worst things in the world? How hard to you have to push the damn button on the remote to change channels?

--Gambling psychology is interesting, but penny slot psychology is more interesting. I put in $20 bucks at Casino Royale, a top-notch dive on the strip. After 2 hours and 2 drinks, I whittled my 2000 credits down to about a buck and a half. Suddenly, I went on a hot streak and build my pile back up to about $5. Here I was, wasting $20, and I was excited about making back four bucks.

All in all, Vegas is actually a great place for a wedding, if it's done right (this one was). And, I proved, once again, that I am not a gambler. I just don't have that impulse. I'm too cautious. At least we didn't lose everything. Here's a picture of us with our last $5 chip, which we still have (the betting minimums at the Wynn were $15 to $25).

Stuck in the middle again

Some people are too serious at B-school. Some people still care – even first years. I’m in the lounge right now, with jokers to the left of me, clowns on my right.

The guy on my left is explaining his thoughts on political action and violence to a girl. In his opinion, people now use the concept of justice to disguise violence. He’s went over this line of reasoning three times, and the girl still doesn’t get it.

On my right, there’s a guy in a suit. He had a Dean’s Roundtable Lunch today. I wasn’t even aware these were still going on.

I actually had to wear a suit yesterday, but it was for a much cooler reason: photo day! No, not school-wide photos. And I didn’t get a plastic comb. But I looked good. Since I don’t usually wear suits, someone asked me if I had an interview. I said no. He said good luck on the interview. I said thanks for listening.

Baby, It's Cold Outside

It's cold today. It's March and it's really cold. However, it's not the cold that's the problem: it's the wind. The wind chill is supposed to be below zero for most of the day. It's so windy that the fan in our air conditioner is spinning. And because of the wind chill, it's so cold that the steam from the shower froze on the bathroom window. We have ice crystals on the bathroom window and frost around the metal frame on the window--I haven't seen either before. Maybe I'll stay home today. I only have one class anyway.

Afternoon Update: I just got home from class. It's so cold outside, you could freeze an egg on the sidewalk in a few minutes.

Product Recall

IMPORTANT NOTICE

There has been a product recall on Sour Patch Kids ("first they're sour, then they're sweet"). Please refrain from consuming any more Sour Patch Kids, as an unnerving side effect has emerged (aside from colored tongues).

According to new research by our correspondent, TFMITW, Sour Patch Kids can cause tongue lacerations and rawness, similar to chemical burns or burns from extremely hot food items.

TFMITW knows this because, last night, as TFMITW was watching TV in bed, he ate approximately 26 Sour Patch Kids. The next morning, TFMITW woke up with severe "sugar burns" along his tongue. Additionally, nearly 20 hours later, TFMITW is still unable to taste.

Therefore, we recommend you avoid consuming Sour Patch Kids and monitor your children's eating habits.