Vegas & The Aftermath - Diary

[tikay]

 my walking boots

Call.

RAISE.

Proper waking boots, like army boots.

[tikay]

I would like to be rewarded with 1% please. It's been  an interesting and enjoyable sweat the last two years, even if I don't understand some of the games you play.

Rewarded? Ha, thank you, booked. Will sort the provisional list soonest. 

A strange turn of expression, Carl.

You spent all that (£40,000, was it?) UKPC money yet? How much did the wife & kids get? New motorbike?

[tikay]

2% please.

xx

Thanks Lisa, & I have replied to your PM, & will do the forum bit once I am caught up.

Almost time we had a new photo of the twins.

Where are you taking them for their holidays this year? How are they enjoying school?

[tikay]

In for the bracelet sweat, usual 1% pls! 

Many thanks Nick, booked as usual, you are a season ticket holder.

You be there this year?

[tikay]

1% please.

Thanks Adam, booked.

How are the family? When does the eldest start school?

[tikay]

2% please, cash in Vegas if possible

Booked, & yes, cash in Vegas is fine.

[tikay]

2%please meant to say earlier

Thanks John, booked.

[tikay]

1% unless you're including the One Drop in your schedule

I wish, the name is Kendo, not Pleno.

Booked, thanks Simon. You be there as usual? I see Orleans are not doing any festival this year, which is rather sad, I enjoy going across there a few times each year.

[tikay]

Can barely believe this, I've not booked Vegas yet, & have yet to finalise what I plan to play, or total spend, & yet the MANTIS arrival & question has seen a little group of investors, & I'm quite touched by it.

It's all provisional so far, & nothing is binding on your parts, but the first stakers list is below.

I'll get in touch with Mere soon, & ask him to be stake Arbitor/Referee, as he does every year, & set up the Official Staking Spready. In all matters, his final say will be binding as to any alterations or confuse-aments. That assumes he accepts the invitation, obviously.  

This seems to be where we are so far, in order of posting....

Brad the Boss 5%

Nakor 1%

KarmaDope 2%

horsey 2%

RedSimon 1%

booder 1%

hhy 1%

Mohican 1%

sonour 2%

Redbull 1%

17% reserved as of now.

[Tal]

Getting grimmed by taxi drivers is one of those things I'm so conscious of in the UK but I pay far less regard to it in Vegas. I go with the best of intentions and give appropriate instructions at the airport to the driver (the old tunnel or no tunnel situation) but once I'm checked in I soon forget about saving a few bucks.

I rarely find myself rushing anywhere, as I'm always early for tournaments and dinner reservations, which are the only two things that are time sensitive in Vegas. So it isn't a case of me being occupied with thoughts of being late.

Perhaps it's a case of being on holiday and not caring too much about a couple of dollars. I think I subconsciously reason I can always tip a bit less, if the number in red feels too high.

I also have little sense of road geography there. I know where all the hotels are and the attractions (well, what I consider attractions anyway; I know a lovely rare bookshop between Venetian and Palazzo I visit each trip, but couldn't tell you where Peppermint Hippo is), but I have no idea about how to negotiate the one way systems and traffic spots to get there, if it isn't a case of going up or down on the Strip. I know Koval is parallel to the Strip on the Harrah's side and there's a Frank Sinatra, a Dean Martin, a Flamingo and a West Harmon, but it's rather like Hundred Acre Wood to me...

Click to see full-size image.

...I know of all the bits but less on the how to get between them.

This all means I'm not confident challenging a sudden right turn off the Strip, because I've no idea whether it's the correct manoeuvre to get to the taxi rank for drop off.

As you might recall, Tikay, you and I shared a cab to watch some rounders last year (where we root root rooted for the home team, they didn't win and it was a shame) with an Elder. The Elder questioned the route taken by the cabbie at one point. I'll get the details wrong but the basics are there.

"Is there a problem with West Harmon today?"

Cabbie glances up at his rear view mirror with a moistening brow. "Huh?"

"It's OK. I was just wondering why we weren't going down Harmon as it's surely just there then right down Sammy Davis Drive."

"There's roadworks that way today. I came from there earlier and it was a total stop"

"Oh right", the Elder said with enough acceptance to end the conversation there but just enough remnants of suspicion to leave the Cabbie in no doubt that future unauthorised changes to the itinerary would not be tolerated.

Ten minutes later, the Cabbie asked where we wanted to be dropped off. I say "we", but I mean the Taxi Captain in the back, who duly obliged with a polite and wilful instruction.

It's a characteristic you see at poker tables with some people. Could be a top pro or a celeb. They turn up, sit down, everyone's eyes widen, they smile at them, then get their phones out (texting, tweeting and whatsapping with a range of discretion). Every joke goes through them for approval. No conversations will be held at the table without their involvement (even if you start one, they'll be sure to join in). And of course, no pot will be stolen from them without consequences. God forbid you if you knock them out; many of the table will be most displeased to lose this charming character, even if he was stifling everyone else's progress.

I'm on the way down to London. I have just been informed that the train manager today is Brad. No doubt that the ETA is a GTA (guaranteed time of arrival); Brad won't let us down.

[redsimon]

1% unless you're including the One Drop in your schedule

I wish, the name is Kendo, not Pleno.

Booked, thanks Simon. You be there as usual? I see Orleans are not doing any festival this year, which is rather sad, I enjoy going across there a few times each year.

Will be there 12th June to 26th, mainly at Binions or the Nugget.

[tikay]

1% please.

Thanks David, good to see the regulars who invest year after year.

How is your health now, all settled down after the scare?

And the motorbike project?

Still got the same job, at the School?

Health pretty good thanks Tony,walking the dog gives me plenty of exercise.

The bike is stored away in the shed ,had a few good rides out but my eyesight has deteriorated pretty rapidly and i no longer feel safe on two wheels .
Still pottering about at the school , we get plenty of holidays  lol


Good to see the diary active again.

Never knew you had a dog, Boo. What make?

Sorry to hear about the eyesight going downhill.

A function of age, I suppose.

I always think it rather odd, the ageing process.

Our eyesight & hearing get worse, we stop growing - in fact, eventually, we shrink - the brain cells no longer reproduce, or at least not as many, the memory starts to get dodgy, we lose our hair, & our bladders shrink.

But......a few items go the opposite way with increasing age.

In the case of men, ear hair suddenly starts to appear in profuse quantities. That has to be a coding error in our genetic make-up, what possible use can a veritable forest of ear hair have?
 
And in the ladies, they suddenly start to grow little moustaches. Again, for what purpose, & why do they appear when everything else is going the other way, & fading, shrinking, falling out or dying?

It's most odd when you think about it.

And that's why I was a little dubious about restarting the Diary. LilDave wants to bet £1,000 on some random golfers with a bunch of muppets, Plenners is playing a WSOP schedule costing 6 figures, Alex is quietly getting the lot, the cantankerous old nirvana is thrilling us by actively managing his £50,000 share portfolio, & Argue is slowly working his way round describing every punter & booker as a mug or a lolzzz. 

And the best I can do is ear hair.

To be fair, it even has it's own Wiki page. I kid you not.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ear_hair


You'll also be fascinated to know, enthralled even, to know that in parts of India, ear hair is very much a fashion thing, & somehow - how I have no idea - they grow copious amounts of the stuff.

[Tal]

My apologies to Brad.

Arrived 4 minutes early.

[hhyftrftdr]

All this book talk has reminded me of that book you sang the praises of (at least I think it was you) a while back, something to do with Vegas and the guy behind Wynn hotel. What was it called? Got a couple of holidays coming up in May and I like to take a book away with me. Contrary to what you might think, we can read in Yorkshire. Some of us anyway

Oh and put me down for 1% if its available this summer, please. No Vegas for me this summer unless I can somehow win a package next door, so might as well punt some cash away on people going invest in a solid opportunity.

Not sure about "solid opportunity", but I'll not argue, & thank you. I'll construct a proper staking list shortly.

The book - see the reply by Skippy. Thoroughly entertaining read.

Man City to win the CL?

If I may ask, as I interact with you quite a bit, here & Next Door, but I've no idea what your day job is. I'm going to throw a few guesses out there though. 

Personal Fitness Trainer

Librarian

Dance instructor

Diplomat with the Foreign Office



Am I close?

I'm Jac35's life coach.

Win the CL? Can but dream. All 4 ties can go either way though, so it's pretty exciting stuff. Both PSG and City can't defend for shit, so I expect plenty more goals on Tuesday. We just gotta outscore them, it'll be like the Keegan years all over again. The optimist in me says City to go through 5-4 on agg....

Will look to hunt down that book before May comes round, sounds an entertaining ditty and anything written about Vegas can't be a bad read. Menorca and Verona next month, Verona booked on a whim in case City make the final in Milan. Yes, I'm an idiot.

[RED-DOG]

 my walking boots

Call.

RAISE.

Proper waking boots, like army boots.

Pics or it didn't happen.