Meeting the Bloggers

I was finally in the great city of Vegas a few short minutes away from meeting all of the people I felt I knew. As we drove towards the MGM grand we passed some of the other sites of Vegas. It was 11:30 at night and the town was in full swing. Lights were everywhere. I passed the Disney World of Vegas: The Excalibur, with it's Disney like castles reaching for the skies belaying a darker more dangerous underbelly than Walt could ever imagine. I saw the huge neon signs showing different stage shows that sold one thing: Sex. Vegas was supercharged with both gambling and sexuality. A good combination in anyone's book. I passed NY NY which far surpassed the real city. I have been to the Big Apple and I was much less impressed. Finally we pulled into the towering green building that was the MGM, right across from the Hooters.

I quickly checked in with only two problems. The idiots at Travelocity sold me a package with a meal comp I could not possibly redeem. Someone should have told me that before. I will let you know how my complaint with those morons goes. I am more than willing to forgive if they pay me back. The second problem was my room. It was on the 13th floor. I was not sure if this was an additional omen but it put me on edge.

As for the MGM rooms themselves.. well, it was just another hotel. Nothing special. It was clean. Neat. Had a good view of the strip and was centrally located. It SHOULD have had some free HBO or something with the rates they charged. Even Hotel 6 gives you some movie channels for free. Not that I was going to spend much time in my room. The food was excellent too.

I hurried to my room and unpacked before giving MiamiDon a call. Apparently all of the Bloggers were in the MGM playing mixed games, drinking, and having a grand ole' time. I hurried down to the poker room and tried to find Don. He said he was sitting at a mixed game at table 15. I squinted my blind eyes and tried to spot him but to no avail. I did not see anyone. Finally I bumped into Don and he quickly swept me up in what would become a whirlwind of excitement. The next half hour of my life was a blur of activity.

As I was pushed over towards the bar a diminutive individual with a stature far exceeding his height came and shook my hand. I had finally met the legendary Blogfather. In many ways totally different than I expected however in the important ways I think we connected and got each other. It was truly a great experience.

Garth shouted out a "Hello Mate", the picture of an aussie rugby player. Soon afterwards I found the Canadian Double Trouble twins groping my hair. I would soon find out that this was because Ick had not yet shown up. He would set a bad precedence by passing out instead of hanging with the bloggers.

Carmen also caressed my hair with her long luscious fingernails. At least that’s my story and I am sticking with it. What a beautiful woman, only really overshadowed by the exquisite relationship she has with Don. I am truly jealous.

I also got the pleasure of meeting one of the most down to earth guys in the world for a second time: Dr. Pauly. Every time I get to stand in his presence I feel blessed. He truly makes you feel like you’re the only person in the world. If he ever decides to run for office he has my vote for King.

I was caught up by Carmen and brought to the 1/2NL signup. As I was whisked away I passed Felicia and waved to her. I saw AlCantHang, someone bought me a drink, Mr. Dreamy, The Lovely and talented Change100 told a real LA "story" saying she read my blog, I posed for pictures, met Veneno for the first time. It was a real pleasure. I am sure I am missing so many people but it was a real blur. Names. Faces. Shouts. Extremely fun and overwhelming to the mind.

Carmen took me over to the signup board and started what would become a common occurrence on this trip. No, not hand jobs under the poker tables – the inability to signup for any game or use my real name in any way, shape, or form. No blogger would allow me to utter my birth name. It was and always will be the one and only WAFFLES!

Next Episode: My Second Live Game Ever.