While you were on a couch somewhere in suburbia...
We left for Vegas at about 11pm, Phoenix time. It took us between five and six hours to get there. As soon as we put our bags down, we hit the strip. It was 5 am.
The mere beginning of acting afool all weekend long
We hit a few casinos, and I gambled away $10. It was the only money I lost all weekend. I got two drinks out of it, so I actually came out on top by about $5 or $10. I bought a few rounds while we were hopping casinos, and I paid Vegas prices for them. I brought enough cash, because I also leave Vegas tips.
It wasn't the camera, it was me.
When we finally left another casino to discover that the sun was already up, we agreed to stagger to Denny's before resigning for a while. It was the first time that we had to wait for something in Vegas. Ironically, it was for food, and we waited for a long time- which wasn't shit compared to how long we would wait for dinner on New Year's Eve. We got back to the room as the streets were starting to get busy again. It was 10 am. All twelve of us in our hotel room slept for about three hours that night. I was wedged into a narrow strip on the floor with my sleeping bag and my hoodie. Everyone chipped in $32 for both nights. A steal as far as I'm concerned for two nights in Vegas, even if it means crashing out on the floor like a fucking rockstar. We woke up in pockets of twos and threes and started drinking ice cold beers immediately while each of us waited for our turn to shower. We drank for about five or six showers while channel surfing and talking about irrelevant shit before heading out to buy more supplies- for the BIG evening.
A big fucking bag full of liquor.
each of us bought one.
We then went to a buffet at the Bellagio which cost us $65 and two hours in line, and I was trying to talk myself into believing that it was worth it. Mike and Don assured me that it would be, and they were right. All the food there was awesome, and most of us tried to justify the price and the fact that we waited in line for two hours by eating way too much. Unfortunately, this triggered us to take a necessary break from drinking. We rolled ourselves back to the room for a short break and preparation for the night to come. Preparation involved putting fluids into retrofitted Soda bottles because glass was not allowed on the street. We chrased out for about an hour or so before recharging to go back out. There were four of us- Mike, Aby, Ryan, and myself. At too far past eleven, we finally got out the door. We were a block off the strip, so we were just a short walk away from it. Getting around in Vegas is a major hassle in a vehicle, and especially during a holiday that might be the busiest weekend of the year.
We got to a main intersection that was jammed with people in the closed-off streets. We ended up dead center of four casinos that would set off half a million dollars in fireworks when midnight struck. The streets were crazy. There were always people walking around, and just about every one of them had a drink in their hand. Some places would sell you this ridiculously HUGE plastic beer stein that probably holds a half gallon of beer for like eleven dollars. Most people carrying those around were clearly exploiting the value of it. There wasn't a huge production for the countdown. All of the big screens synched up and started the countdown at 40, and about 300,000 people shouted the numbers down before a twenty minute fireworks display.
Worldwide.
I had trouble holding the camera steady.
Soon after the fireworks ended, there was a vibe in the air like "what now?" To me, it appeared to be the calm before the storm. This was the point that we were all aiming to reach, and now that it had come and gone, what now? "Midnight is fucking early in sin city," I said. One of our crew met up with a girl he knew, and the five of us proceeded to the nearest liquor store. I bought two plastic bottles of beer and one plastic pint of vodka, because they didn't have rum and I didn't want cheap whiskey. Everyone else bought more beer and I shared my vodka with them, though some of them might claim that I pressured them into it. I slide the pint into my back pocket which somehow fits perfectly. Time to turn up the volume.
Some random hottie
yes, she put her arm around me for the picture.
PLAYALICIOUS
I told her I was a basketball player.
We met up with the other half of our crew back at the room at about 2:30 am. Some people went to sleep, and five of us went back out with no particular destination until we decided to turn in. The only thing I remember talking about in that 2.5 hours is that one girl in our party told me that she's a Cancer, which is what I am. Maybe it was just meaningless bullshit that we were talking about, none of it worth remembering. Or maybe I simply was 'not able' to remember. If Vegas had a slogan for that night, it would be "A Night to Forget to Remember." Somehow we made it into our beds around five and slept until about 1 pm. I was in my narrow slot, which wasn't wide enough to spread my arms out too much, but I was certainly comfortable. We all woke up feeling great and terrible. Some of us cracked beers and some of us smoked cigarettes on the second-story balcony, and some of us did both. We joked with a maintanence guy about a lawn chair that had been thrown into the hot tub. "It wasn't us!" I shouted, as the worker took it in stride and chuckled. "Job security," he said with a grin. Since it was Vegas, and since we still had booze left, we started drinking.
BLACK TOOTH!!!!
Still reeling.
After everyone was up and ready, most of us went to Fatburger. I said goodbye to two other girls that weren't going, and that it was nice to meet them. I got along with all the people that were in our room, and they were a good group of people to be with. I'm pretty sure that this is going to be an annual thing.
Again, we waited for food, and we also had to wait for a seat. We all got giant hamburgers and giant cokes. Vegas is all about binging. It was getting late- it was almost dark already and we still had to head back to Phoenix. We split off with the rest of the group before they went to another casino. We said our goodbyes and stopped by the room one last time to pick up our bags. We hit the road just before 6 pm, Sunday evening.
We made it back to Phoenix just before 11 pm, and as we approached the city, I recalled the telephone conversation between my father and I about my new year's eve plans. "You bitch, you!" He exclaimed, clearly envious that I was in Vegas and he was at home. "Being in Las Vegas on New Year's Eve is something I've always wanted to do," he told me. He knows that I have my shit together, so he didn't give me any sort of lecture or warnings. That's one thing that makes it really easy to get along with my dad.
I've never had a job that obstructed my new year's eve plans, and I've done something to celebrate it every year. I told my boss at the auto parts store three months in advance that if he ignored my request off for that weekend that I'd quit. I meant it too. I can still get by without the job. He's a cool guy though, and he was taking the weekend off himself. I feel bad for people who have to work on holidays, and I try to brighten them up by asking how the customers have been treating them. Every now and then there's someone so broken up about it- like the lady at the gas station in rural Arizona- that she won't even make eye contact with you. That could be a product of anything though. At least I tried.
I'll say in all pompousness and recklessness that this was the best New Year's Eve I've ever had.
We left for Vegas at about 11pm, Phoenix time. It took us between five and six hours to get there. As soon as we put our bags down, we hit the strip. It was 5 am.
The mere beginning of acting afool all weekend long
We hit a few casinos, and I gambled away $10. It was the only money I lost all weekend. I got two drinks out of it, so I actually came out on top by about $5 or $10. I bought a few rounds while we were hopping casinos, and I paid Vegas prices for them. I brought enough cash, because I also leave Vegas tips.
It wasn't the camera, it was me.
When we finally left another casino to discover that the sun was already up, we agreed to stagger to Denny's before resigning for a while. It was the first time that we had to wait for something in Vegas. Ironically, it was for food, and we waited for a long time- which wasn't shit compared to how long we would wait for dinner on New Year's Eve. We got back to the room as the streets were starting to get busy again. It was 10 am. All twelve of us in our hotel room slept for about three hours that night. I was wedged into a narrow strip on the floor with my sleeping bag and my hoodie. Everyone chipped in $32 for both nights. A steal as far as I'm concerned for two nights in Vegas, even if it means crashing out on the floor like a fucking rockstar. We woke up in pockets of twos and threes and started drinking ice cold beers immediately while each of us waited for our turn to shower. We drank for about five or six showers while channel surfing and talking about irrelevant shit before heading out to buy more supplies- for the BIG evening.
A big fucking bag full of liquor.
each of us bought one.
We then went to a buffet at the Bellagio which cost us $65 and two hours in line, and I was trying to talk myself into believing that it was worth it. Mike and Don assured me that it would be, and they were right. All the food there was awesome, and most of us tried to justify the price and the fact that we waited in line for two hours by eating way too much. Unfortunately, this triggered us to take a necessary break from drinking. We rolled ourselves back to the room for a short break and preparation for the night to come. Preparation involved putting fluids into retrofitted Soda bottles because glass was not allowed on the street. We chrased out for about an hour or so before recharging to go back out. There were four of us- Mike, Aby, Ryan, and myself. At too far past eleven, we finally got out the door. We were a block off the strip, so we were just a short walk away from it. Getting around in Vegas is a major hassle in a vehicle, and especially during a holiday that might be the busiest weekend of the year.
We got to a main intersection that was jammed with people in the closed-off streets. We ended up dead center of four casinos that would set off half a million dollars in fireworks when midnight struck. The streets were crazy. There were always people walking around, and just about every one of them had a drink in their hand. Some places would sell you this ridiculously HUGE plastic beer stein that probably holds a half gallon of beer for like eleven dollars. Most people carrying those around were clearly exploiting the value of it. There wasn't a huge production for the countdown. All of the big screens synched up and started the countdown at 40, and about 300,000 people shouted the numbers down before a twenty minute fireworks display.
Worldwide.
I had trouble holding the camera steady.
Soon after the fireworks ended, there was a vibe in the air like "what now?" To me, it appeared to be the calm before the storm. This was the point that we were all aiming to reach, and now that it had come and gone, what now? "Midnight is fucking early in sin city," I said. One of our crew met up with a girl he knew, and the five of us proceeded to the nearest liquor store. I bought two plastic bottles of beer and one plastic pint of vodka, because they didn't have rum and I didn't want cheap whiskey. Everyone else bought more beer and I shared my vodka with them, though some of them might claim that I pressured them into it. I slide the pint into my back pocket which somehow fits perfectly. Time to turn up the volume.
Some random hottie
yes, she put her arm around me for the picture.
PLAYALICIOUS
I told her I was a basketball player.
We met up with the other half of our crew back at the room at about 2:30 am. Some people went to sleep, and five of us went back out with no particular destination until we decided to turn in. The only thing I remember talking about in that 2.5 hours is that one girl in our party told me that she's a Cancer, which is what I am. Maybe it was just meaningless bullshit that we were talking about, none of it worth remembering. Or maybe I simply was 'not able' to remember. If Vegas had a slogan for that night, it would be "A Night to Forget to Remember." Somehow we made it into our beds around five and slept until about 1 pm. I was in my narrow slot, which wasn't wide enough to spread my arms out too much, but I was certainly comfortable. We all woke up feeling great and terrible. Some of us cracked beers and some of us smoked cigarettes on the second-story balcony, and some of us did both. We joked with a maintanence guy about a lawn chair that had been thrown into the hot tub. "It wasn't us!" I shouted, as the worker took it in stride and chuckled. "Job security," he said with a grin. Since it was Vegas, and since we still had booze left, we started drinking.
BLACK TOOTH!!!!
Still reeling.
After everyone was up and ready, most of us went to Fatburger. I said goodbye to two other girls that weren't going, and that it was nice to meet them. I got along with all the people that were in our room, and they were a good group of people to be with. I'm pretty sure that this is going to be an annual thing.
Again, we waited for food, and we also had to wait for a seat. We all got giant hamburgers and giant cokes. Vegas is all about binging. It was getting late- it was almost dark already and we still had to head back to Phoenix. We split off with the rest of the group before they went to another casino. We said our goodbyes and stopped by the room one last time to pick up our bags. We hit the road just before 6 pm, Sunday evening.
We made it back to Phoenix just before 11 pm, and as we approached the city, I recalled the telephone conversation between my father and I about my new year's eve plans. "You bitch, you!" He exclaimed, clearly envious that I was in Vegas and he was at home. "Being in Las Vegas on New Year's Eve is something I've always wanted to do," he told me. He knows that I have my shit together, so he didn't give me any sort of lecture or warnings. That's one thing that makes it really easy to get along with my dad.
I've never had a job that obstructed my new year's eve plans, and I've done something to celebrate it every year. I told my boss at the auto parts store three months in advance that if he ignored my request off for that weekend that I'd quit. I meant it too. I can still get by without the job. He's a cool guy though, and he was taking the weekend off himself. I feel bad for people who have to work on holidays, and I try to brighten them up by asking how the customers have been treating them. Every now and then there's someone so broken up about it- like the lady at the gas station in rural Arizona- that she won't even make eye contact with you. That could be a product of anything though. At least I tried.
I'll say in all pompousness and recklessness that this was the best New Year's Eve I've ever had.
VIEW 12 of 12 COMMENTS
score one for the random black hottie.
:]