#020 - Yet another Mike and Brian Story: Las Vegas (Part 1 of 2)
#020 - Yet another Mike and Brian Story: Las Vegas (Part 1 of 2)
GooooooooooooooooooooooD MooooooooooooooooorninG blog nation! Well, its 10:05, so I still consider it morning. Morning officially ends when McDonalds stops serving breakfast. About 5 years ago mornings ended at 11am, but Ronald obviously had some brainstorm that people would like to choke down one dollar double cheese burgers at 10:30 in the morning. It really makes no sense to me at all, but who am I to complain? (OK OK, I know I complain a lot, but that ISNT the point!) I can barely eat a doughnut in the morning, I really don’t know if I could stomach 13 ounces of grease 4 ounces of meat and 2 grease soaked buns with cheese at 10:30am.
So my poison Ivy isn’t getting any better, Well, It IS getting a little better, now that I am using the rubbing alcohol and Benadryl treatment. Monday will be the 2 week anniversary of when I realized I had some itchy bumps on my arm….good times man…good times. I’m going to give it until this coming Monday before I finally break down and call the doctor. Hopefully it starts going away over the weekend, I really really hate going to the doctors, and I hate needles even MORE! Once again my I reiterate that Benadryl is possibly the strongest sedative next to a lawn dart to the skull. I’m about ¾ asleep over here right now! Also, I’ve been working *gasp* while I’ve been writing this, and its now 10:31…its officially afternoon in McDonald Land. Remind me to find Mayor McCheese and kick him square in his McNuggets one of these days.
So as usual, on every Friday I try to recall and remember a great Mike and Brian story. This is a good one actually, it involves a plane only using one engine, delays at the airport, Las Vegas, and me riding 40 foot statue in front of a building that looks like a Pyramid. It goes a little something like this…
I won through work (at that time I was a Kitchen Coordinator at the Texas Roadhouse) a trip to any destination on this pretty little map. Originally I thought New Orleans, or Mississippi on the Gulf, but after careful thinking and contemplation, I decided I needed to go to America’s adult playground, and head on out to Las Vegas. It was a trip for 2, so who I was taking was a no brainer, Mike of course. If I am going to head to any state where prostitution is actually LEGAL, and you can walk down the street carrying a beer or Jim/Jack and Coke, I’m going to have Mike by my side!
We set the arrangements and looked forward to this trip for a LONG time. Finally the big day came, Mike had just gotten off of work (the late shift, and made his way over to my house to catch out 6am flight to Las Vegas, I went to bed at like 6pm that evening so that I could be awake when Mike got there and we could finish packing and such. We also planned out that our friend Jessica (the same one from the great pregnancy prank in blog # 010) to pick us up at my house in the morning, so that we could get to the airport. (Something actually SMART on our part, imagine THAT!) We arrive at the airport, check in, get out tickets, and go to the gate with Jessica (this is PRE 9-11). Now we decided to take the trip in February, not a bad time for Vegas, its not super hot, or super crowded, pretty much a primo time to head out there. The only problem is, we had a connecting flight in Chicago, at the Midway airport. The only problem with THAT was that it was a connecting flight, in February, in Chicago…with ICE on the runway. So our plane traveling from Chicago to Ohio, never made it TO Ohio. Needless to say, our 6am flight was moved to 6:30, then canceled all together. So Mike and I sort of went into a semi panic mode. We went to the ticketing counter, were both very calm, and told the America West representative our problem. We were not checking any luggage, we just wanted to get to Chicago in time to catch our Las Vegas flight. So being the great woman that she is, (she gets greater later on in the story) she gets us boarding passes for the next flight out of Columbus to Midway. We would still be there 30 minutes from the scheduled boarding time of our connection.
So we go to the gate, and the people in front of us have a LOT of stuff, I mean a LOT of stuff. Like they were traveling to a large box and accessory party or something. As we approached the ticket counter, the woman (who I believe was directly spawned from Satan himself) told us in a not so nice manner, that putting us on the plane would make it too heavy to fly safely, and the reason was because these people in front of us checked about 2000 pounds worth of luggage and boxes. On that note, we walked back to the ticket counter again. The nice woman behind the counter seemed VERY surprised that we had come back. Se calmly once more tell her about the Soprano family in front of us and the 2000 pounds of “whacked” bodies they packed to take home with them. Finally she says the best thing anyone traveling can hear…”Can you 2 behave?” Any other day of the week I would look whoever asked that dead in the eyes and tell them no, then spout off about 20 stories about WHY we couldn’t behave. At this point it is nearing 7:30am, and we are both exhausted. Mike had not slept in almost 24 hours, and I had been up since 3am. So we both tell her yes, and she books us on a direct flight to Vegas, that will get there earlier than the connecting flight in Chicago, and…it will be a 1st class ticket! Now how lucky can a fat kid and his sidekick get? So we head to the gate, and wait for the 8am flight to Las Vegas.
As we sit there, an announcement comes over the loud speaker, its something you DON’T want to hear at an airport, and I Quote: “There seems to be a problem with the plane today folks, the captain is refusing to fly it because of this problem, we will keep you updated on the progress of fixing that problem”. Can you say strike 3?? Finally after about 30 more minutes we got clearance to get ON the plane. By this point Mike and I did not CARE that the plane we were getting on was broken less than 30 minutes prior. SO we take out nice cushy 1st class seats, and we order a beer. (why not, I think we both deserved it!) About time to take off we both have a beer in our hands, mine is almost done, his is ¾ of the way full, the stewardess asks us to get rid of them in preparation for take off, so I swig down my drink and ½, and Mike chugs his ¾. As we finish and had the bottles to her we notice her eyes are huge. I guess that chugging beer doesn’t constitute good 1st class behavior. But she laughs and tells us we are silly and goes along her merry way. We are in the 1st row of the 1st class section of the airplane, We see all, hear all, and as we are approaching the runway preparing for takeoff, we hear THIS from our captain. “If you hear a noise over the left side wing, that’s just the second engine trying to kick on, we imagine it will when we get to cruising altitude”. Uhh…did he just say what I think he said?? Mike immediately looks at the stewardess and tries to franticly order a beer, it seems that we can’t have a pre death drink. But we take off and the engine DOES kick on, so life once more is good. I had my breakfast on the plane, washed down with a screwdriver with every course they brought. (I had to have some OJ in the morning man!) Mike falls asleep between ever course and I have to elbow him to wake him up. We land, and VIVA LAS VEGAS!
Thus ends part 1 of the Mike and Brian Las Vegas Adventure. I will post part 2 probably at the beginning of next week. I am not sure yet. Hillarity as always, ensues in Las Vegas also. SO now, I feel the need to leave you with…..THE QUESTION OF THE DAY!!!
Am I the only heterosexual male in the world who likes the movie Zoolander. I think it is flippin HILLARIOUS, yet everyone who I let borrow or watches it thinks it may be the dumbest thing they have ever seen in their lives. I LOVE that movie man!
GooooooooooooooooooooooD MooooooooooooooooorninG blog nation! Well, its 10:05, so I still consider it morning. Morning officially ends when McDonalds stops serving breakfast. About 5 years ago mornings ended at 11am, but Ronald obviously had some brainstorm that people would like to choke down one dollar double cheese burgers at 10:30 in the morning. It really makes no sense to me at all, but who am I to complain? (OK OK, I know I complain a lot, but that ISNT the point!) I can barely eat a doughnut in the morning, I really don’t know if I could stomach 13 ounces of grease 4 ounces of meat and 2 grease soaked buns with cheese at 10:30am.
So my poison Ivy isn’t getting any better, Well, It IS getting a little better, now that I am using the rubbing alcohol and Benadryl treatment. Monday will be the 2 week anniversary of when I realized I had some itchy bumps on my arm….good times man…good times. I’m going to give it until this coming Monday before I finally break down and call the doctor. Hopefully it starts going away over the weekend, I really really hate going to the doctors, and I hate needles even MORE! Once again my I reiterate that Benadryl is possibly the strongest sedative next to a lawn dart to the skull. I’m about ¾ asleep over here right now! Also, I’ve been working *gasp* while I’ve been writing this, and its now 10:31…its officially afternoon in McDonald Land. Remind me to find Mayor McCheese and kick him square in his McNuggets one of these days.
So as usual, on every Friday I try to recall and remember a great Mike and Brian story. This is a good one actually, it involves a plane only using one engine, delays at the airport, Las Vegas, and me riding 40 foot statue in front of a building that looks like a Pyramid. It goes a little something like this…
I won through work (at that time I was a Kitchen Coordinator at the Texas Roadhouse) a trip to any destination on this pretty little map. Originally I thought New Orleans, or Mississippi on the Gulf, but after careful thinking and contemplation, I decided I needed to go to America’s adult playground, and head on out to Las Vegas. It was a trip for 2, so who I was taking was a no brainer, Mike of course. If I am going to head to any state where prostitution is actually LEGAL, and you can walk down the street carrying a beer or Jim/Jack and Coke, I’m going to have Mike by my side!
We set the arrangements and looked forward to this trip for a LONG time. Finally the big day came, Mike had just gotten off of work (the late shift, and made his way over to my house to catch out 6am flight to Las Vegas, I went to bed at like 6pm that evening so that I could be awake when Mike got there and we could finish packing and such. We also planned out that our friend Jessica (the same one from the great pregnancy prank in blog # 010) to pick us up at my house in the morning, so that we could get to the airport. (Something actually SMART on our part, imagine THAT!) We arrive at the airport, check in, get out tickets, and go to the gate with Jessica (this is PRE 9-11). Now we decided to take the trip in February, not a bad time for Vegas, its not super hot, or super crowded, pretty much a primo time to head out there. The only problem is, we had a connecting flight in Chicago, at the Midway airport. The only problem with THAT was that it was a connecting flight, in February, in Chicago…with ICE on the runway. So our plane traveling from Chicago to Ohio, never made it TO Ohio. Needless to say, our 6am flight was moved to 6:30, then canceled all together. So Mike and I sort of went into a semi panic mode. We went to the ticketing counter, were both very calm, and told the America West representative our problem. We were not checking any luggage, we just wanted to get to Chicago in time to catch our Las Vegas flight. So being the great woman that she is, (she gets greater later on in the story) she gets us boarding passes for the next flight out of Columbus to Midway. We would still be there 30 minutes from the scheduled boarding time of our connection.
So we go to the gate, and the people in front of us have a LOT of stuff, I mean a LOT of stuff. Like they were traveling to a large box and accessory party or something. As we approached the ticket counter, the woman (who I believe was directly spawned from Satan himself) told us in a not so nice manner, that putting us on the plane would make it too heavy to fly safely, and the reason was because these people in front of us checked about 2000 pounds worth of luggage and boxes. On that note, we walked back to the ticket counter again. The nice woman behind the counter seemed VERY surprised that we had come back. Se calmly once more tell her about the Soprano family in front of us and the 2000 pounds of “whacked” bodies they packed to take home with them. Finally she says the best thing anyone traveling can hear…”Can you 2 behave?” Any other day of the week I would look whoever asked that dead in the eyes and tell them no, then spout off about 20 stories about WHY we couldn’t behave. At this point it is nearing 7:30am, and we are both exhausted. Mike had not slept in almost 24 hours, and I had been up since 3am. So we both tell her yes, and she books us on a direct flight to Vegas, that will get there earlier than the connecting flight in Chicago, and…it will be a 1st class ticket! Now how lucky can a fat kid and his sidekick get? So we head to the gate, and wait for the 8am flight to Las Vegas.
As we sit there, an announcement comes over the loud speaker, its something you DON’T want to hear at an airport, and I Quote: “There seems to be a problem with the plane today folks, the captain is refusing to fly it because of this problem, we will keep you updated on the progress of fixing that problem”. Can you say strike 3?? Finally after about 30 more minutes we got clearance to get ON the plane. By this point Mike and I did not CARE that the plane we were getting on was broken less than 30 minutes prior. SO we take out nice cushy 1st class seats, and we order a beer. (why not, I think we both deserved it!) About time to take off we both have a beer in our hands, mine is almost done, his is ¾ of the way full, the stewardess asks us to get rid of them in preparation for take off, so I swig down my drink and ½, and Mike chugs his ¾. As we finish and had the bottles to her we notice her eyes are huge. I guess that chugging beer doesn’t constitute good 1st class behavior. But she laughs and tells us we are silly and goes along her merry way. We are in the 1st row of the 1st class section of the airplane, We see all, hear all, and as we are approaching the runway preparing for takeoff, we hear THIS from our captain. “If you hear a noise over the left side wing, that’s just the second engine trying to kick on, we imagine it will when we get to cruising altitude”. Uhh…did he just say what I think he said?? Mike immediately looks at the stewardess and tries to franticly order a beer, it seems that we can’t have a pre death drink. But we take off and the engine DOES kick on, so life once more is good. I had my breakfast on the plane, washed down with a screwdriver with every course they brought. (I had to have some OJ in the morning man!) Mike falls asleep between ever course and I have to elbow him to wake him up. We land, and VIVA LAS VEGAS!
Thus ends part 1 of the Mike and Brian Las Vegas Adventure. I will post part 2 probably at the beginning of next week. I am not sure yet. Hillarity as always, ensues in Las Vegas also. SO now, I feel the need to leave you with…..THE QUESTION OF THE DAY!!!
Am I the only heterosexual male in the world who likes the movie Zoolander. I think it is flippin HILLARIOUS, yet everyone who I let borrow or watches it thinks it may be the dumbest thing they have ever seen in their lives. I LOVE that movie man!