Tuesday, October 24, 2006

Fallen Icons

Okay, I'm back and have been back for a week, but was just too busy last week to post. I did start an entry, but didn't have the time to finish it. Here it is (now finished):

Yes, I had fun in Vegas. No, it did not make up for NOT being at Comerica Park for Game 4 in a seven game series where My Boys swept! Yup, swept the Oakland Athletics under the rug. We have our first AL Pennant in 22 years. And dammit, I'm buying one! Do they still make actual ALCS pennants anymore?

My flight was 30 minutes late getting into Vegas on Friday which isn't a huge shock really. Thankfully it was a nonstop, so I didn't have to worry about catching a connecting flight like Edmonton. It was the HOTTEST friggin' flight I've ever been on, however, so as soon as I got to the hotel, I took a shower and changed into my Tigers gear. With the winter-like weather in Michigan, game time had been moved up from 8:05 to 4:30 (Detroit time) or 1:30 Vegas time. I made sure that the sportsbook was going to show the game and got my butt there by 1:00 (actually, I think I was there by 12:30 to stake out a good table). Little Brother (LB) had taken his friends to their hotel over on Fremont Street and they were late getting back (really late), so I'm sitting in the sportsbook all by myself watching something with no sound. I kept wishing I had brought my book with me, but I knew if I got up I would lose my front row table.

I spotted a guy wearing a Tigers shirt and he came over and we discussed game watching issues. Then his friend walked in and I recognized him from somewhere. We chat and figure out we went to the same university. Small world. They went off to gamble or find food or something but promised to come back for the game. I wanted to watch the game with a group! If I couldn't be in Detroit, I was going to be with as many Detroiters as possible, dammit! A short while later, I spotted a guy in a Tigers hat (or shirt, can't remember). I was wearing mine, so they came over and asked if the game was going to be on. I tell them that I was told it was going to be, but didn't know what TVs. They were part of a bachelor party of 20 guys. Out of all those guys only 3 were cool and fun. The rest all acted as if I were a pariah or something. Whatever. I don't need to travel in a pack. LB showed up with the A's fans (Lupe, Antoinette, Jose, & Jorge) in tow three or so innings into the game and I had to give them a hard time because the A's were already losing by the time they showed up. Jose & Jorge got tired of the game pretty quickly and went off to gamble, but Lupe & A sat with us. At one point, they gave this weak little cheer when the A's did something that didn't suck. I turned around and told them that if they were going to cheer for their team I wanted them to cheer! I wanted to hear them! The Long Island iced teas kicked in and they got some real cheering going for their team – not that it mattered because Kenny Rogers was on fire for the second Friday night game in a row.

If you will remember, my reason for going to Vegas was to go hiking at Red Rocks Canyon and that was planned for Saturday morning as the damn baseball game had been pulled ahead to 4:30 (amazing how it was the "weather" that required the pullahead time, when the weather this past weekend was even more hideous and it didn't get pulled ahead) which was 1:30 Vegas time. It would have been a short hike, but at least it would have been something, but no, I woke up Saturday morning to a raging thunderstorm (thunder, lightning, pouring down rain). *sigh* Yeah, I wasn't happy.

It was harder to watch the game on Saturday because of all those stupid college football games. We didn't even get sound for the baseball game, as some stupid college football game was considered to be more important (whatever). Have I ever expressed to you all how much I hate football? Much less college football? I literally couldn't care less about it. The bachelor party showed up again, and instead of Mark and Rob (the guys who went to my college), we had Justin and Ron join us. We weren't an overly rambunctious group while the game was tied, although we cheered every good play, but when Maggs hit the walk-off 3-run home run in the bottom of the ninth to win, we went a little crazy. The A's fans had thought they had a chance, so they were especially bummed, but they recovered quickly enough. Mom called to say Yay Tigers, but then I found out that she called the LB first! I yelled at her! "They're MY Tigers and you call him first. He didn't even care which team won." He wouldn't even participate in Gum Time when I broke out my pack of Major League Chew and shared it around. I had to hug relative strangers (they weren't really strangers anymore after watching two baseball games with them). Then DWD called to celebrate – he was excited because the bastard was at the game using what should have been my ticket. Yeah, I'm happy for him, but I still wish to God I had canceled the trip to Vegas and stayed home. How often do I wish to stay in Detroit wintry weather? NEVER, that's how often, but I would rather be nowhere right now, not even in St. Louis.

Sunday we went to the Grand Canyon and that was an extremely long day. We stopped at Hoover Dam so that LB and Friends could catch up to us, but that didn't work out as we waited 45 minutes for them, on the AZ side of the dam, and they stopped on the NV side to do whatever. HRH is not the most patient of people, so she decided we would press on and meet up with them closer to the Grand Canyon.

It took us a bit longer to get the GC than originally thought when you factor in HRH being pulled over by a Nevada cop for doing 86 mph in a 70 mph. This works well if you're from another country and they know they'll never get any money out of you. She got a written warning (which she's keeping with her written warning from Indiana that she got on our way to Road America a few years back). Then there was her obsession with Route 66. Every time we saw a sign that said "Historic Route 66" on it, we had to leave the highway and check out the tiny little towns that have absolutely nothing going for them except that they're on Route 66. As you can see from the pictures, some of them we didn't get to until after dark.

I had been to the Grand Canyon back in 1978 (North Rim, according to the LB), but HRH had never been. We went to the South Rim this time (because the weather report for the North Rim included a certain four-letter word that indicates frozen precipitation). HRH was blown away by it, even though she claimed on the trip there that she didn't care about nature. She said all the pictures that she has seen over the years do not do it justice. Check out the link above for my pics.

Now you would think that after an entire day spent in the car driving more than ten hours we would have fallen right into bed. And if it had just been me, I would have, but HRH wanted to gamble. We learned how to play Craps from some nice casino workers and then got chased to bed by an asshole casino worker who had the biggest chip on his shoulder ever in the history of the world. By this time, it was 4:30 a.m., so it's not like we shouldn't have been there already.

Monday we had brunch at Paris (fantastic buffet), LB and Friends left for the Bay Area and I went to lay out by the pool. HRH & I then went over to the Mirage to see the white tiger where we were mistaken for lesbians. HRH was playing Craps, again, and I was watching, as usual. Frank from Wisconsin, one of the craps table casino people types, said to HRH, "You need to win money to buy her more rings." I just said, "I can buy my own rings." HRH said, "I don't think so." It's impossible for two women to travel together anymore and not be mistaken for lesbians. I guess we need to travel in a pack.

Once we got back to our hotel, I went to the room and packed as much as I could. I might have gone back down briefly, but essentially I was beyond tired of cigarette smoke and just plain tired. I knitted and watched shitty network television until bedtime.

I'm not sure this entry was worth a week's wait, but it's all I got. At least, you can enjoy pictures of the Grand Canyon.

9 Comments:

At Tuesday, 24 October, 2006, Anonymous Anonymous said...

It's always worth it for you, m'dear.

 
At Tuesday, 24 October, 2006, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Well, Kathleen, don't be disrespecting college football! You have your races, some of us have football. ;-)

Sounds like it was a fun time, though - I've never been to Vegas, so perhaps I would have felt about it differently.

 
At Tuesday, 24 October, 2006, Blogger Heather said...

Don't like football? :( That's cool that you found some Tigers fan to watch the game with - - it's amazing how sports can get you talking to a perfect stranger!

You made me want to go back to Vegas - it sounds like you had fun!

 
At Wednesday, 25 October, 2006, Blogger fakies said...

Glad you had a little fun, even if you couldn't be at the game. Love the pics of the tiger!

 
At Thursday, 26 October, 2006, Blogger LL said...

Sounds like a fun trip. But no wagers on the Tigers winning? I thought you were a fan... :P

 
At Friday, 27 October, 2006, Blogger Scott said...

I don't care much for baseball, but I think my apathy towards the sport doesn't approach your hate for football. Personally, I don't watch college football either, and I don't get into pro unless its my team, or a team that affects my team.

I've never seen the Grand Canyon. Unbelievable since I've driven right by it on several occasions.

Also, you should check out the Pixar movie Cars. It's got racing and a dilapidated town on Route 66.

 
At Friday, 27 October, 2006, Blogger LL said...

Sorry darlin. Too many throwing errors finally caught up with them.

 
At Monday, 30 October, 2006, Blogger Heather said...

I just found out tonight that your boys lost. I'm soooo sorry!!

 
At Tuesday, 31 October, 2006, Blogger Ben O. said...

Well, it's worth at least 5-6 days wait.

:)

SOunds like you had a good time - Ben O.

 

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