So after our pretty tame weekend, I had to go to work on Monday morning. After having breakfast at Marino's restaurant (I personally think he'd be horrified if he knew how bad it was), I grabbed a cab and went to the Renaissance Hotel where our Dealer Meeting was being held. Getting there a little earlier than I intended, I immediately saw a couple of our dealers, so I chatted with them for a few minutes. Then Debra, an SS from the Chicago District found me and we grabbed coffee and chatted for a bit until Sue, Cindy and Kristi got to the hotel. After everyone got their luggage put away (we couldn't check in until after 1pm), we grabbed a bus and went to the Wynn hotel, which was actually a stone's throw away - but it was windy, and with that wind came some COLD air.
This was my first time in Wynn's (as was for everyone else). What a luxurious hotel! We walked in from a side enterance, into the casino - it is all very open with super high ceilings. We walked down the corridor and found a restaurant called Tableau. Wow, what a great lunch, with a fabulous view of the pool area. Oh, I should mention that they have no "real grass" there, but have some pretty authentic looking synthetic type of grass. We all chatted, where I decided to ask questions about the SA position. I know it brought up some questions with Sue, who is my counterpart in Salt Lake, as well as a mentor. I'm thinking she was a little iffy with the idea. Anyway, I came back with some positive feedback, so started to mull over the possibility of taking on that SA position.
When we got back to the hotel, it was time to start preparing things for the meetings. We had to put together name badges, double check rooming lists, etc. This is where all of the tough stuff happens - as long as no one on the outside knows what is going on, then we know all is good.
That night, Skip and I decided to take some guys to dinner. We took 9 people, all Premier Dealers, to a restaurant at Caeser's Palace called Joe's Stone Crab and Steakhouse. It was a great dinner, awesome company and a HUGE bill - over $1300 for 11 people. If Skip hadn't kept plying everyone with wine, I could have kept that down quite a bit. By the time we were finishing up, Gino was getting pretty schnozed. He had us laughing so hard before we left . . . once we got back to the hotel, it just kept on going. JD, another one of our dealers, who seems like a pretty reserved older gentleman, is actually pretty fun. He doesn't get excited about anything, but around 11pm, had brought several of us together for a game of "Quarters" on the lobby floor of the Renassaince. We picked a line (all was in marble) and would slide our quarters across the floor - the one closest to the line got all of the left over quarters. By this point, I had drank 2 glasses of wine and 2 white russians. Then my boss, Todd, got involved and the guys kept getting me more drinks - whether I wanted it or not. Oh, and then there is the VP of Residential operations, Rob. Not the typical executive who is stuffy or even shy. He talks to everyone and partied pretty hard himself. He was having thumb wars with Deb and hugging all of the other SS's that were there - telling us we are what makes the company go round. . .I know he meant it, but sometimes I'm not sure how much the company really values us. Anway, I escaped at 12:30, feeling VERY light-headed myself. Tuesday morning brought on a pretty good headache. Oh, and my gut hurt from laughing at Gino pretty much the entire time.
The next two days were pretty smooth, with a couple of "hiccups" along the way. I met the President of our company, Todd Bluedorn which is huge for any employee - we have well over 3000 people working worldwide, but I hear he does remember people he meets.
Our last day was a "hurray!" day. . . it was over! Waiting for cabs to get us to the airport, some of the guys (variety of our customers) were near the front of the line and invited me to join them on the ride to the airport - so we took a limo (cost $60 for a 10 min ride, go figure). While at the airport, I spoke with Skip about me taking the SA job. We "walked and talked" for quite a bit. He thinks I would do well in the position. I felt that his opinion would be key to me thinking more about the possibility of taking on the new job. As we walked through the airport, we found a place to sit for awhile and have lunch with customers (we were about 3 hours early for our flight). So, I bought beverages (beers and sodas) for them and Skip actually picked up the tab for the food - he got off really cheap on that one.
So my 5 days in Vegas came to an end. The girls and I talked about making this a yearly trip, and taking it around April/May when it is much warmer, but not too hot yet. We'll stay at a different hotel each time and try to see 1-2 shows while we are there. Heck - just the people watching is enough to keep you busy!
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Vegas Part One
Probably going to do this in pieces - so much has happened in the last 4 weeks that turning it into one blog entry would put Sleeping Beauty right back to sleep - without drugs!
So, the big birthday was pretty uneventful. Had dinner with Karen, Kirsten, Kim and Shannon at TGIFridays at Northfield Stapleton, good to always get with the girls. Kim bought my dinner, that was nice of her. Last year, no one bought my dinner - but we ate at the Aquarium and it was a little expensive, so guess I don't blame them on that one. Anyway, Shannon and Kirsten met last summer when she went with us to the Rockies vs. Yankees game. None of the girls believe that Shannon has 4 kids, she still looks like she's in her 20's. Pretty good for being in the late 30's! After we ate, I did a quick trip to New York & Co. to see if they have anything I couldn't live without - they didn't, so no more money spent.
The following Saturday then started with me getting my weekly "homework" workout in, came home, took shower, finished packing, went to David James to get my hair cut (damn, did it look good - glad I did it RIGHT before we left!), then went to the airport. Kim called me just as I was coming up to the Sky walk to see where I was. Then, Tish was standing in security as I got there, so that worked out well! We found Kim, then went over to Quiznos where we saw Bill, one of my company's customers. We sat with him as I ate some lunch and the rest of them drank. Then we saw Dave from another company. When we sat at the gate, saw Jim and his wife, so everyone sat together. Then came my boss, so I introduced him to the folks he hadn't met yet (all but one he was familiar with). Kind of fun having so many people you know on the same flight.
Once we got to Vegas, it was *whew* and *let's get started* all at the same time. It was still daylight, and Tish was already in awe as we were driving to the hotel - which was literally on the backside of the airport. Our room even faced the airport! Once Kim, Tish and I settled into our rooms at the Hooters Casino (and hotel), we went downstairs to check out the casino and little shops - place was pretty small, but cute. Pool area was pretty cool as well, but didn't get to really hang out there. Then we walked over to the MGM across the street, where we got something to eat at this really classy "Mexican" restaurant - had these killer Pomegranite Margarita and an appetizer. We were meeting Tish's dad, son and neice at the Rio a couple hours later, but we were famished so needed to get a little something before we headed over there. Tish was once again in awe of the Casinos - we came in the side where the Lion habitat is, and ended up way on the other side where the restaurant was. Wanted her and Kim to see all they could.
We took a cab to the Rio, where we caught up with Jane, Phil, Ryan and Amber. I hadn't seen the kids in about 2 years, so it was great to see them again. Apparently they flew in Friday night (Phil and Judy had been there all week already for business) and got pretty hammered on Friday night - Ryan wasn't feeling all that well. They were in a nice sized 2 bedroom suite near the top of the hotel - it was VERY nice. Being on a conceirge floor is always fun, since they leave stuff in your room almost everyday. Kim wasn't hungry so she played down in the casino while we got something to eat. We went to what we thought was a restaurant, someone told Phil they had good steaks. Got there it was a piano bar - we didn't mind it, but it was noisy and you couldn't talk to each other, so we went to the huge "world" buffet. I had always heard about this place, but never went to it (usually has a 1-2 hour wait to get in). Since Phil was considered a "valued customer," he had one of those fast passes that gets you by the lines (kind of like in Disneyland, but with food). We got in within 10 minutes of arrival. This place had SO MUCH FOOD - different cuisines, I think it had like 10 different food bars there. I only made it to 4 of them. It was good food, wouldn't call it the greatest, though.
After that, Phil, Tish, Kim, Amber and I went downtown to Fremont Street so Tish could experience that. Again, in total awe. Phil had been teaching Amber how to play cards, so we went into a couple of places before the big show started. It was fun and flashy. Then we went to the Bellagio to watch the fountains, but it was too windy (and damn cold), so we went into the hotel to see the lobby part (that in itself took a 1/2 hour - see cool huge standing figure at left). Then we went back to our hotel - I went to bed around 12:30, Kim was up playing Texas Hold'em until sometime around 3am! You go girl. . .
Sunday, we just cruised around a little more around our corner of the strip - I was up early as usual, so went downstairs to play some slots (they usually pay better in the mornings). I was up $130, but of course, lost that during the course of the day. We went back to the MGM to play a little, went to the M&M and Coca-cola stores (guess Tish didn't believe me when I told her it was 3 or 4 stories tall). Then we walked to the Harley Davidson Cafe for lunch. On the way back, we stopped at a Hawaiian mall and looked around - got hooked into getting foot massages. I'll tell you what - that was the best $20 I spent all weekend! It made the rest of my day go so much better! Once we got back to the hotel about mid-afternoon, we were pretty tired, so we all went up and took naps. We then went down to the actual Hooters Restaurant to eat - I remembered why I don't eat hooters wings after awhile. Then we went across the room to see Bobby Slayton. That was an interesting show, he was funny, but spent a lot of time just busting women's chops, as well as Gays, Mexicans and the like. It was all about cutting down everyone. I have to say, it did get old after awhile. After that was over, since I had to go to work the next morning, I went ahead and went to bed.
The following couple of days will be put into a separate blog later today. I'm currently home with a respiratory infection - bored as hell!
So, the big birthday was pretty uneventful. Had dinner with Karen, Kirsten, Kim and Shannon at TGIFridays at Northfield Stapleton, good to always get with the girls. Kim bought my dinner, that was nice of her. Last year, no one bought my dinner - but we ate at the Aquarium and it was a little expensive, so guess I don't blame them on that one. Anyway, Shannon and Kirsten met last summer when she went with us to the Rockies vs. Yankees game. None of the girls believe that Shannon has 4 kids, she still looks like she's in her 20's. Pretty good for being in the late 30's! After we ate, I did a quick trip to New York & Co. to see if they have anything I couldn't live without - they didn't, so no more money spent.
The following Saturday then started with me getting my weekly "homework" workout in, came home, took shower, finished packing, went to David James to get my hair cut (damn, did it look good - glad I did it RIGHT before we left!), then went to the airport. Kim called me just as I was coming up to the Sky walk to see where I was. Then, Tish was standing in security as I got there, so that worked out well! We found Kim, then went over to Quiznos where we saw Bill, one of my company's customers. We sat with him as I ate some lunch and the rest of them drank. Then we saw Dave from another company. When we sat at the gate, saw Jim and his wife, so everyone sat together. Then came my boss, so I introduced him to the folks he hadn't met yet (all but one he was familiar with). Kind of fun having so many people you know on the same flight.
Once we got to Vegas, it was *whew* and *let's get started* all at the same time. It was still daylight, and Tish was already in awe as we were driving to the hotel - which was literally on the backside of the airport. Our room even faced the airport! Once Kim, Tish and I settled into our rooms at the Hooters Casino (and hotel), we went downstairs to check out the casino and little shops - place was pretty small, but cute. Pool area was pretty cool as well, but didn't get to really hang out there. Then we walked over to the MGM across the street, where we got something to eat at this really classy "Mexican" restaurant - had these killer Pomegranite Margarita and an appetizer. We were meeting Tish's dad, son and neice at the Rio a couple hours later, but we were famished so needed to get a little something before we headed over there. Tish was once again in awe of the Casinos - we came in the side where the Lion habitat is, and ended up way on the other side where the restaurant was. Wanted her and Kim to see all they could.
We took a cab to the Rio, where we caught up with Jane, Phil, Ryan and Amber. I hadn't seen the kids in about 2 years, so it was great to see them again. Apparently they flew in Friday night (Phil and Judy had been there all week already for business) and got pretty hammered on Friday night - Ryan wasn't feeling all that well. They were in a nice sized 2 bedroom suite near the top of the hotel - it was VERY nice. Being on a conceirge floor is always fun, since they leave stuff in your room almost everyday. Kim wasn't hungry so she played down in the casino while we got something to eat. We went to what we thought was a restaurant, someone told Phil they had good steaks. Got there it was a piano bar - we didn't mind it, but it was noisy and you couldn't talk to each other, so we went to the huge "world" buffet. I had always heard about this place, but never went to it (usually has a 1-2 hour wait to get in). Since Phil was considered a "valued customer," he had one of those fast passes that gets you by the lines (kind of like in Disneyland, but with food). We got in within 10 minutes of arrival. This place had SO MUCH FOOD - different cuisines, I think it had like 10 different food bars there. I only made it to 4 of them. It was good food, wouldn't call it the greatest, though.
After that, Phil, Tish, Kim, Amber and I went downtown to Fremont Street so Tish could experience that. Again, in total awe. Phil had been teaching Amber how to play cards, so we went into a couple of places before the big show started. It was fun and flashy. Then we went to the Bellagio to watch the fountains, but it was too windy (and damn cold), so we went into the hotel to see the lobby part (that in itself took a 1/2 hour - see cool huge standing figure at left). Then we went back to our hotel - I went to bed around 12:30, Kim was up playing Texas Hold'em until sometime around 3am! You go girl. . .
Sunday, we just cruised around a little more around our corner of the strip - I was up early as usual, so went downstairs to play some slots (they usually pay better in the mornings). I was up $130, but of course, lost that during the course of the day. We went back to the MGM to play a little, went to the M&M and Coca-cola stores (guess Tish didn't believe me when I told her it was 3 or 4 stories tall). Then we walked to the Harley Davidson Cafe for lunch. On the way back, we stopped at a Hawaiian mall and looked around - got hooked into getting foot massages. I'll tell you what - that was the best $20 I spent all weekend! It made the rest of my day go so much better! Once we got back to the hotel about mid-afternoon, we were pretty tired, so we all went up and took naps. We then went down to the actual Hooters Restaurant to eat - I remembered why I don't eat hooters wings after awhile. Then we went across the room to see Bobby Slayton. That was an interesting show, he was funny, but spent a lot of time just busting women's chops, as well as Gays, Mexicans and the like. It was all about cutting down everyone. I have to say, it did get old after awhile. After that was over, since I had to go to work the next morning, I went ahead and went to bed.
The following couple of days will be put into a separate blog later today. I'm currently home with a respiratory infection - bored as hell!
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