40 Years, Friends and VEGAS

40 Years, Friends and VEGAS

“YES!!!... NO!!!....COME ON JUN!!, COME ON BABY!!”

 “You boys are so loud.  I have for boy at home and I know how boys are.’”   

Her name was Jun (pronounced June) a sweet old mom from Taiwan, but tough as a bulldog and she was working us as the Blackjack Dealer at the Bellagio Hotel on an early Saturday morning.  We didn’t care she was giving me and my friends the evil eye of embarrassment.  Even at one point, we said “Jun, please take an Excederin, everything is fine.”  If some of us were going to make multiple trips to the ATM, a random dude at the table was hitting stiffs into stiffs (that’s when the dealer is showing 2-6 and the player has 12-16) we could say whatever the hell we wanted.. but in a nice way. 

“YES!!, NO JUN!! NO!!,”  .. And that was just ONE hazily remembered morning for our trip to Las Vegas at the Bellagio to celebrate the 40^th Birthday of one of our old friends with a total of seven couples.

Let’s REWIND it back <- 

Each Vegas trip is your own animal of survival and adventure.  This weekend even with couples was no different.  I tip my hat to the mastermind of the whole plan, my friend’s wife who organized everything (Rousing applause!!)   

Our trip went off without a hitch and the beauty of it was the spouses could have fun on their own and the guys could do our thing separately, but in the end all couples would meet up, making it a tremendous team effort. 

Highlights in Some particular order: 

ü  Mixed drinks on the flight to Vegas

ü  Waiting stretched limousine with champagne to go to hotel

ü  Surprise friends from around the country meeting at hotel

ü  Early morning run or walk on the Vegas Strip

·         perfect way to start the day and get rid of previous nights alcohol toxins, watching the sun shine low off of Mandalay Bay and jogging by the famous “Welcome to Las Vegas” sign, scenic, peaceful and a must

ü  One husband meeting an old college buddy from LA the night before and passing out at a slot machine at 9:00 AM 

ü  6 Casino Couples Roulette Game

·         Fun game because you get to see different casinos, walk outside in between and take in the Vegas architecture and strip energy. 

·         Each couple puts down $60 into the pot and has a favorite number to always use (ours was #14) 

·         Next, go to six different casinos and place $10 on your number at each one.  When one number hits, always double down on the same number for the very next roulette wheel roll (THIS HIT TWICE ON #19 at ARIA!)

·         All in all the couples earned over $1,300 in winnings going 3 for 6 at Roulette, and this is the fun of Vegas instead of collecting, we all put forth our winnings to the payment of the reserved Pool Side Cabana for the next day’s activity, perfect and everybody wins

ü  Pool day at pool side Cabana – perfect fun in the sun and relaxing and incredibly therapeutic in the water with mixed drinks and food

ü  Sports Betting at the Sports book – Ex. 7 team, 7 for 7 team parlay = 84 -1, I didn’t win.  BUT, it was sort of close for a while!  Fun to always have action going..  

ü  Blackjack – JUN.  Winning and losing, back and forth, knowing when to get out and enjoy throwing down $60 and walking away with $550

ü  Comedy Club at the Tropicana

·         Think Golden Girls Retirement Community in Florida, nice hotel, and a solid young  and older crowd.  But this night had TERRIBLE acts, ex. One guy really felt re enacting Michael Jackson’s moves from “Beat It” video and pretending to get pummeled by the gang was funny…hilarious.  The best part was seeing everybody’s face in the audience and throwing the guys a bone for laughter, but still very fun to hear live comedy and kudos to them for getting up on stage.  

ü  Techno Club Hakkasan at the MGM Grand

·         Shoulder to shoulder kill or be killed territory dominance to see Chain Smokers (who I had never heard of, and still don’t know who the hell they are?  I realized I was out of my realm when all the twenty something’s pulled out their phones and recorded their entrance)

ü  Shake Shack at New York New York Hotel and Casino – Maybe better than In and Out Burger

ü  Birthday Shots of Petron Tequila

ü  Bloody Mary’s – anywhere, all the time

ü  Nice Dinner at Harvest in Bellagio

·         The culmination of the weekend’s activities in a great restaurant with excellent food and wine and desert and to stamp the final 40^th Birthday toast

ü  Early bird flight out of Vegas and to get the dang “Wheel OF Fortune” ring out of your head

ü  Try and recover and go back to work the next day 

Whew..  That about sums it up.  An amazing couples trip celebrating #40 with old friends from long relationships and childhood history.  We are 40 and we are still here.  

Just another weekend on the strip..   

90-80% A-B (this one depends on if you break even or not)

Thanks for reading,
The Family Man

76,000 of your closest friends

Arrowhead Stadium: A KC Chiefs Game Day Experience

Kansas City, MO

 

A pleasant fall Sunday in Kansas City with 76,000 of your closest friends OR to put more simply..   

A huge back yard barbeque with a long list of different people and personalities from all different walks of life who are united as ONE with the same goal in mind = Tailgate HARD and a Chiefs WIN.

…Flags fly valiantly throughout as the cool morning breeze kicks in as you pull in with your crew into the Truman Sports Complex parking lot at about 8:50 AM.  Crack your first cold beer or take a drink from a spicy bloody marry with just the right amount of worsheshere and pepper.  Open the bags of chips, plow through them until you get serious and have to help set up the chairs and get your area set up to enjoy this Chiefs Sunday with your friends and family.   

Next, and probably the most important thing, get the football out.  Lick your fingers find the grip along the laces, feel the tact of the worn leather, do a couple of arm swings and tell your friend to go deep.  Footballs are flying everywhere where you take your place in the fray of competition with old athletes and younger ones just beginning their journey.  

As the sun rises higher in the east providing an invisible surge of power, the atmosphere in the complex is changing, metamorphosing, and taking on a life of its own.  You actually FEEL like you are a part of a living, breathing thing with its own rhythm and heartbeat, it’s incredible. 

The anticipation for game day, matchups, rivalries, hope, play-off aspirations, deep conversations, reminiscing about good stories of the past, jersey’s, team colors, team hats, sunglasses, THE COLOR RED, pumping music, trembling base, delicious smells of food in the air, taking a shot, chasing it down with another beer, barbeque, laughter, pictures, washers hitting the concrete and rolling around, more bottle caps falling and the sound of “ting” as they hit the ground with hundreds of others; A daring cook sets out their famous chili and insists it’s even better over your hot dog you are eating.  And then an errant pass wobbles into your zone from another group..the person apologizes to be cordial, but why?  You are now friends with everybody.  WE are Chiefs fans. 

“NO PROBLEM, I got this, Just go deep.”

It’s at this moment, when you take a seat, take in the beautiful morning and embrace where you are, Football USA.  You crack your last beer and get one ready to take with you as you prepare to make your way towards the front of the stadium.  But don’t forget..eat a couple more of those homemade brownies, “Who the hell made these?, they are awesome!!”  

A sleeping giant has just been awakened and they are your 76,000 Chiefs fans.  Make your way to your seats, settle in, fire up your vocal cords and cheer as our team bursts through the stadium tunnel.  The crowd noise is deafening and the game is about to begin.  You are in Arrowhead Stadium, home of the Kansas City Chiefs where memories have been and will continue to always be made. 

98.9% A+

Special Note:  As today is the 15^th anniversary of 9/11, I can’t imagine the pride and respect our NFL cities and fans will give when the Star Spangled Banner is sung in stadiums around the country.  Special thank you and hats off to our local Whiteman Air Force Base when they send out their military fly over today.  We will feel it in our bones.

Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice

Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice

It's here.  The huge movie blockbuster you have been waiting to see for years, and from what I learned it cost Warner Bros. Studios $400 million dollars to make, and as a sci-Fi and comic book movie fan in all spectrums this movie ...

DELIVERS.

I will do my best not to give anything away, but Ben Affleck is solid as the new Batman. Henry Cavil, great performance as Superman (Vs. the timeless Christopher Reeves)., One thing you have to understand is these new and forthcoming DC comic book movies are NOT like the happy go lucky and often at times comedic Avenger character movies. DC, Batman has always been dark, violent and criminals will be unmercifully disposed of. This movie follows that path. Trust me you will gasp in awe in one particular scene when violence is like candy, but awesome.

My advice is do not allow your 6-10 year old son see this flick. This is an adult super hero flick, very entertaining once it gets going. The only part that sucks is how Zack Snyder the director trys to make it a serious drama with deep emotions and confuses the hell out of you at times, but.. Once it gets rolling it's bad ass, especially the epic battle between B vs. S. Jessie Eisenberg as Lex Luther is good, Gal Gadot as the new Wonder Woman is another good choice, and all the other characters have a good place. This movie is massive and I would love to be a fly on the wall in a secret Hollywood office and hear their plans for the next Justice League in a couple years.

88.6% B+

Family Man's Escape: Restuarant Review - STROUD'S

A great day of work between me and my wife on a regular Wednesday turned into celebrating with our family at Stroud's in Independence, MO (The restaurant's newest location near Lees Summit, MO)

I had not been to Stroud's in KC for at least 20 years, and my expectations were high because everybody talks about their fried chicken and how you have to wait a little longer for it to cook, so that's exactly what I was getting!  Unfortunately, the food was good, not great.  I have had this meal several times over at various grandmother's houses and regular kitchens with average cooks.

It's pan fried, but there was nothing really special about it.  It came out within 40 minutes after ordering it which was right on, it was moist and tender, I ate over 3/4 of my plate of food, but the main star, the chicken had NO real flavor.  The Green beans were ok, mashed potatoes and gravy all the same.  The house made cottage potato fries were also bland and mundane, plus when I picked up one and had to shake off oil that was resting at the bottom of it and my plate, it was over.

I will say their "Choker Chicken Drink" is really good and will sneak up on you.  It is listed with all of the beer selections, but is actually a cocktail.  It's a take on a hurricane drink you would order in Memphis, TN.  If you get invited to go there with your family or for another occasion order that.

My next visit will be to Rye in Mission Farms, KS.  I understand they have excellent fried chicken with some unique flavor.  Keep an eye out for my review on that soon.

Stroud's = 74% C

Have a great Easter weekend everybody, thanks -