What happens in Vegas ends up on the internet

Refreshed and ready to go, we met early at Starbucks for caffeine fortification for the day. We opted out of breakfast, knowing we’d be heading to one of the traditional buffets for lunch, so we just got coffees and yogurt. Eager to start the day right Nicola told them her name was Spartacus and we all waited giggling for our great plan to work out. I even considered pulling out my phone, certain a video of our great wit would go viral.

The woman behind the counter called out “two tall lattes,” not even attempting to pronounce “Spartifus” as the guy taking our orders had written on the cup, and we were crushed.

We rallied and headed to a blackjack table. The dealer that approached us began chatting incessantly and quickly mentioned things like our president not wanting her to keep her gun and we were all worried it would be a long morning. But very quickly Rose’s quicks became charms and we appreciated her slow dealing, patient strategy teachings, and constant teasing. Jill was the biggest beginner of our group, though none of us is particularly experienced, and her knack for getting blackjack annoyed us all. No matter that she couldn’t win a single hand that wasn’t just dumb luck. Nicola, the smartest of our group, at least when it comes to statistics, was frustrated with all of us. Tiffany and I were doomed to 12s and 14s at practically every hand. Rose commented on the string around my wrist and I mentioned that it was tied there by Buddhist monks in Thailand and it would be considered bad luck to remove it before it fell off. How is that luck working out for you? she asked while swiping away another chip I’d lost. Later at lunch, it was cut off with great ceremony.

And what a lunch. The Vegas buffets are legendary, of course, but mostly crap. The Aria had a very expensive, highly rated  buffet touting all you can eat crab legs. They knew nothing of Tiffany when the promoted that. Because of my room snafu we’d been given a $50 credit, so lunch was $15 a person and we made good work of it. Typical of a buffet, some was great, some was not, but between the four of us, we tried it all. Tiffany reckoned she’d eaten probably three whole crabs at the end. Stuffed, we went for a walk around the pool to aid digestion, before heading back to a new table to play a bit more. Out stakes mostly depleted and the dealer not nearly as fun as Rose, we left quickly. (I’m not a particularly superstitious person, but I do think the energy at the table matters and Rose made us enjoy losing).

A nap later, we donned glitter and feathers and gathered in Jill’s room to drink the bottle of Veuve that Nic and Tif had brought me from London duty-free, but that I didn’t want to check back to NYC. Then off to GaGa. The crowd was vibrant and excited. All manner of costume was presented and we couldn’t determine the gender of a rather large percentage of the audience. The concert was as expected – great fun, very high concept, very showy. She channeled Frank-n-Furter a couple of times and told heartfelt stories about being a misfit. What surprised me was that most of the time, she presented herself a smart, interesting woman, not a character. And she is much prettier in person than she photographs. We danced and sang til we were hoarse.

We bid Nicola and Tiffany teary goodbyes after the concert. They left early this morning. Jill and I met for breakfast. I got to the cafe late and apologized saying I had to wash off the glitter. And how well do you think you did at that? she asked with a  twinkle. We decided I’d be better off just buying clothes to match that trying to get it off, I was so caked in it.

I’m packing up my room now and getting ready for a long day of travel. I end where I began – I am so, so lucky to have the friends I have. We laughed and sang for 3 days straight and left loving each other even more than when we arrived. One of the things I really value in friends is the ability to find joy in the moment. And this was a trip of pure joy.

We are planning the next one – it looks like I may have just booked my self for london and Paris in March. In the meantime this was

So.Much.Fun