So after returning from the Aria buffet four hours after we had started, (it was good conversation and good times), I decided that an early night was on the books for the night.
Now, in the other blog post, I had said that I left a $20 bill for the cleaning lady on the first day of our stay. Well, apparently when I was down playing poker, the cleaning lady came in. Now mind you, Matt wasn’t feeling all that well and was still in the room. I guess she saw the $20 and really went overboard, even going so far as to ask Matt if he needed anything ironed…!!! All I wanted though was to make sure that we never had to worry about running out of clean towels. With that being said, it kind of backfired on us, as we were getting knocks 2-3 times a day from the cleaning lady wondering if we needed more towels. This last morning, I really didn’t want to get woken up…but forgot to flip the little sign that says “do not disturb”…F M L. So, of course, come 8am….
“Knock, Knock…”
Me: “WTF...Oh s***!”
(Door handle jiggling)
(me running full steam in neigh but my boxer shorts for the door)
(Matt passed out on the couch)
I get to the door right as it begins opening. And just due to timing, scare the ever living hell out of the cleaning lady cause all she see’s is a half naked man standing in what was previously an empty doorway.
I apologized, and explained that we were checking out that day and wouldn’t need any turndown service.
*shrug* There goes sleeping in….
So, by this time Matt had gotten up and we started milling around. I had a serious hankering for eggs benedict. I hadn’t had it in ages, and it just sounded….GOOD. Of course, we weren’t going to go searching for a place to go have breakfast. Just order room service.
Then I saw the menu….more specifically the prices.
F*** it.
So after calling down and spending entirely too much on breakfast, this is what I had for my last meal in the Bellagio:
I had to take advantage of the steam shower / Jacuzzi one more time. So after soaking in the steam for a while, we went out and waited for Shannon to pick us up and bring us to “the compound”.
THE FATBOY COMPOUND
Now, as I said above, this could have its own blog post. But I’m going to include it in here.
For those of you who are not a part of the AZBilliards discussion forums, or very heavily involved in the pool and billiards industry in America, you probably do not know who Eric “Fatboy” Petersen is. In laymans terms, he’s a pool fanatic who happens to have made a large, very large, sum of money in business. And he enjoys sharing what he has with others who share his passion for the game. One of those things that he enjoys sharing most is the property that he owns in Las Vegas. It’s situated about 5 miles off the strip, and is a little over 11 acres of land. Pictures cannot do this place justice. I’ve been to the Breakers in Newport, RI. I’ve been to Hurst Mansion south of Big Sur, CA. I’ve been to the Winchester House in the San Jose area of CA. And they can’t hold a flame to this estate. Eric’s girlfriend Kelly was kind enough to give us a tour of the place. It took over an hour to give us a very abbreviated tour. Yeah, that’s what happens when you have over 70,000 sq. ft. of living area. (I didn’t believe it either until I saw it with my own eyes) I’ll just let the pictures do the talking…
Not going to take up a huge space posting individual pictures. Needless to say, I was blown away. What impressed me even more was Eric and Kelly. Just like Sunny and Mark the night before, Eric and Kelly were a breath of fresh air. Eric is genuinely interested in everybody who comes by his place. He loves sharing what he knows he is fortunate enough to have with others. And he has a very strong passion for the game of pool, something I can entirely relate to. I fully plan on going back and visiting with Eric and Kelly another time.
While we were there, Shannon and Eric matched up against two other players who happened to be there in a partners 1-pocket match. We all enjoyed watching the banter back and forth, and watching Shannon, who hasn’t really shot too terribly much in the past few years, make some pretty sick shots. He really is an incredible shooter, and I’m fortunate to count him among one of my best friends.
So, after hanging out with Eric and Kelly, it was time for Matt and I to head on out and get to the airport. So we stopped back at the Bellagio to grab our bags, then ran right on over to catch the first of many flights….three to be exact…to get to CT. (oh yeah, there was a train ride in there too)
Las Vegas to Ft. Lauderdale
Now, the last time we were in an airport to catch a flight was in Atlanta, and I tore the ass out of my brand new Wal-Mart shorts. Definitely a highlight of the trip….just not for me. Well, there was some excitement this time around at the security point as well.
So, Matt and I go to get in line and we get greeted by a USTA security agent with:
“Welcome to the Las Vegas Security Checkpoint! I hope you enjoy your experience!”
Ok, weird…so we get through the line and put our stuff in the bins to go through…I get through without the dreaded beep.
Matt tries, and Matt beeps. And beeps again. And beeps again…this happened five times. Finally they figure out that he has a pack of gum in his pocket and the foil is setting it off. So he sets the offending gum in the little cup and walks through, and it beeps again, just a little longer than before…..
Security guards in unison in a very happy sing-song voice: “RANDOM!”
Yep…Matt was chosen for the random security screening. And the security guards there were just a little too giddy and happy that it happened. For some reason, the joke was on Matt at that point. Well, it went pretty quickly, and we made it on to our gate for a flight on Spirit Airlines.
Ok, for those of you who have never flown on Spirit Air…well, count yourselves lucky. No leg room, seats that are falling apart, and they try and charge for CARRY ON baggage. WTF? Anyways, we get on the plane and of course there are a lot of the younger crowd on the plane. I happen to sit next to a young guy. I’m watching everyone get on, keeping an eye on the kids, hoping that one isn’t next to us. Well, of course, right in front of us, sits a 2 year old.
*sigh*
Yeah…great. So I continue to watch the passengers get on and I see this one chick who was attractive in that “I’m looking for attention” sort of way. So, to make conversation with the guy next to me, I say:
Me: “Oh wow, she looks like she’s a dirty girl”
Neighbor: “Who? Her?”
Me: “ Yeah…”
Neighbor: “She is. She’s a friend of mine”
Me: “Oh shit…wtf…”
Neighbor: “Don’t worry, she’s knows she is.”
We both laugh it off, and the flight, aside from an additional neighbor who was “kid-a-phobic” complaining about the kid in front of us, went by quickly, if not uncomfortably. (no leg space = no sleep) Everything was going smooth…until we landed. Now, I firmly believe that you need to be courteous to the flight attendants. While not at the gates, they are the eyes and ears of the captain, and as such, have a very large say in how comfortable/enjoyable the flight will be for you.
Apparently, one of the younger crowd did not share this sentiment. We had just touched down and were taxiing to the gate. We still had a minute or two before the plane stopped when he got up from the rear of the plane, (before the “it’s safe to unfasten your seatbelts “bing” and light went off) and started walking towards the front.
The head flight attendant asked him to return to his seat.
He kept walking.
She told him in a much sterner voice that he must return to his seat.
He kept walking…and waved back at her.
She gave him one last warning.
He physically turns around, and while walking backwards, waves acknowledgement of her statement.
Flight Attendant: “Ok sir. You got it.”
That’s when I knew he was f***ed. We finally arrived at the gate, the doors were opened, and we filed out of the aircraft. When I arrived to the terminal, I saw our intrepid twenty-something pulled off to the side by airport security, being cuffed. I’m sure there was some sort of “full scope security screening” done when he was taken to the back.
We made it to our next flight and into Atlanta without any problems. Thank god.
Now, at this point we’d been traveling for about 12 hours. We still had a 2-3 hour flight to NYC, then another 3 hour train ride into Mystic, CT. Ok…time to just get it over with.
So the next flight thankfully was on Delta airlines….and we were able to stretch our legs out a little. And no kids either. Land in NYC without a hitch, and catch a ride over to Penn Station for our train.
Which wasn’t leaving for four hours.
*sigh*
At least there were some food places in Penn Station….specifically a pizza joint.
So we finally board the train and head to CT.
(I have to say that I really enjoyed the train ride. Very comfortable seating, much leg room, and very smooth. I will definitely be doing that again.)
BACK HOME!
For those of you who don’t know, I’m originally from Connecticut. Southeast Connecticut to be precise. And, in my opinion, there may be more picturesque areas of the country, (Yosemite, Big Sur, Grand Canyon, Smokey Mountains, etc…), this is the most diversely beautiful area in the country. Especially during the summer months. If you ever get the chance, it’s an area that you should visit.
Anyways…so we get there, and get up to the lake.
This is where we pretty much stayed for the next week. Occasionally we left to check out Foxwoods Casino and the Mohegan Sun.
So, in case you were wondering, yes, Mystic, CT is the same place that is referred to in the movie Mystic Pizza. And yes…Mystic Pizza really does exist.
Now, I have to say that my father is without question my best friend, and he enjoys the occasional game of pool himself. So of course we went out one night and hit the bar to shoot some pool. And wouldn’t you know it…my father showed me and Matt up. He made a few shots that just dropped our jaws. Shots that a very strong player would have difficulty executing. Matt and I were beside ourselves…and Dad couldn’t stop gloating. It was great.
The next morning, Matt and I headed up to Foxwoods to play in a poker tournament. I didn’t do so hot, but Matt ended up winning the thing. Excellent!
The following night, one of my best friends, Meghan, came to join Matt and I at the Lake. I haven’t seen her in a while, so it was good. The same night another friend came down to visit from where he was working up near Boston….Eric “Easy-E” Charlton. We met up at Foxwoods to have a good night of beer and gambling. Of course, it’s never straight forward with Easy-E. So, Matt, myself and Eric decided to wear some offensive shirts. I’m trying to keep this post PG-13 at least, so I’m not going to get into what the shirts said…but they definitely drew a crowd and plenty of attention.
So we ate some Chinese food, drank some beer, played some blackjack, (walked away winner!) We eventually stumbled back to the valet port (where I used to work prior to joining the Army) and retrieved my truck and headed back to crash at the lake.
But we didn’t go crash…we floated some beer first.
For those of you who don’t know what floating beer is…take your favorite beer beverage. Add yourself. And some sort of floatation device…in this case floating pool chairs. Mix and enjoy…and don’t spill the beer.
Yep. 1am. Pitch black. And we’re on the water. Drinking more. In nice warm water that’s warmer than the air was….can’t get any better than that.
After about an hour and 2 six packs later…we decided it was time to pack it in. The next morning was time to go play poker at the Mohegan Sun.
Easy-E was not done with the show…because this is what showed up for poker that morning.
One word to describe it….EPIC.
My father was going to play in this too, so we make it to the poker room and register. And wouldn’t you know it…but I bombed out of this one too. As did Matt. And Eric.
But my father…he won it. Well, he chopped it with 5 players left. But when they chopped, he had more than 1/3 the chips on the table. His choice….I wouldn’t have.
I ended up playing in the 2-5 game there and walked away with a little bit more than I started with. SO I was happy. Matt ended up winning a little bit on the blackjack table. Eric…the Vagitarian…well…not so much. But he had a good time. Eric had to get back to Boston in order to finish a paper for school and get to work the next day, but it was good seeing him again. Another person I’ve met through pool who is just great people.
That night, we had a nice little dinner with my parents, sister, Matt , Megh and me. The Maine course you ask?
I love lobster…especially when it’s done cooking…cause you can eat it.
NOM NOM NOM NOM
Yeah…all was right with the world. I had more lobster in my tummy. I had beer. I had family. I had friends. I was at the lake. Couldn’t ask for anything more.
Matt had to leave the next day, and I brough Meghan back to her place, unfortunately didn’t get a chance to meet her new beau…but that will come eventually.
The rest of the stay went nice and smoothly, and got to see the rest of the family. We had a nice picnic at the lake, until the sun went down and everyone started heading home.
Every time I go home it reminds me how blessed I am to have the family I do.
But as all good things do, this part of my trip had to come to an end. So that Sunday morning, I had to catch a train back to NYC. Before I left I got to see what had become of my father’s gardens and his Dahlia’s, which he grows as a hobby. Here are a few pictures…
And then it was off to the train station for a teary good-bye. It’s never easy for me leaving Connecticut and the family. I can’t imagine what it is like for them. Here’s me and my father right before the train arrived.
Surprisingly, the train ride and the flight back were pretty un-eventful. I got back to Atlanta, and just got a hotel room there. Wasn’t going to go anywhere as I had to be back in town in two days. I did stop at WalMart to grab a few toiletries that I was going to need back in Afghanistan. While I was there, I encountered an old foe…
Decided to go play some pool though at Mr. Cues II that Tuesday. And, just like last time, found out they were having a tournament. Except this time, it was a handicapped 9 ball tournament.
I made it all the way to the finals…and after all that, figured I’d just take the split. We had started at 8 and it was 1:30am. I was tired. So the opportunity to get out of there with more cash than I went in with was a blessing. Before I got back to the hotel though, I had to get one thing…one thing was missing from this trip. And that would be an early morning feast at the Awful Waffle.
I will say that it was good…very good.
So back to the Airport the next day. And another flight. This time…it was back to hell…the dreaded return.
I hope you enjoyed the recap of my R&R vacation. It was an experience I'll never forget. Next week I will be doing an article for Pool Synergy.
I look forward to contributing to their collective mind...until then, as always, take care, and comments always welcome!
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