I'm going to Las Vegas this week to see the Utes play in the, MAACO, Las Vegas Bowl. I'm going with my best friend, and we are leaving our wives and children at home! Whoo, hoo! It's, "Vegas Baby! This could get CRAZY!"
Yeah, right. It could have 30 years ago. Now? Not so much. I'll give you a time line. For now, and 30 years ago, before I became a COP. And even though I'm a RETIRED COP now, I'm older, and, sometimes, wiser.
Tuesday morning, 0800 hours. I pick, Phil up at his house in my Audi Quarto. I've had the tire pressure checked, and the oil has been changed. We have a cooler with bottled water in the back seat. Neither one of us has had anything stronger to drink than a cup of coffee or a, "6 Hour Energy Drink" for more than 8 hours. Satellite radio is what we will be listening too. Outlaw Country, Margaritaville.
30 Years ago, I pick up several friends in my 74 Mustang. It's 10 in the morning. We are ALL still drunk. There are several coolers in the car. All full of beer. We stop at Wendy's and have double cheeseburgers for breakfast and head out! Molly Hatchet and Bad Company in the cassette player. Rock On!
Tuesday afternoon. We check into my time share condo, take our cooler and our bottle of Ancient Age bourbon (Which we brought from Utah, because booze is TOO expensive in Nevada these days. Imagine THAT!) and cigars in. Decide where to go to dinner. On the way there, we stop at a convenience store and get a bag of ice, some Diet Cokes and maybe a bag of chips to eat while watching the late, Sportscenter. Have dinner, are back at the condo by nine o'clock. Phil falls asleep by 10, I watch TV until about 11, then I'm out too.
Thirty years ago, hit, "The Strip" at about 3 in the afternoon! Buy gas and beer at, Terrible Herpst and start looking for a stripper bar. Stay there until about eight o'clock. Remember we have to check in at what ever cheap ass, shitty hotel we booked. Try to find it, do, check in. Go do dinner at, "In-n-Out" burger. Back to the stripper bar for three hours. Then buy more beer on the way back to Motel Six on the WRONG side of the freeway. "Whoo, Hoo! Vegas, BABY!"
Wednesday, Phil will wake up at six am, but he'll let me sleep in. We will go to breakfast at someplace that makes a good chicken fried steak and we can get a newspaper. Done by 11 am. Get some ice and beer so our friends that are going to meet us from Portland can tailgate with us and head out to Sam Boyd Stadium, which is so far South of, "The Strip", it might as well be in Arizona.
If we have enough time after breakfast, we will go down to, The Strip so he can get something his daughter wanted at, "The Forum Shops" and I can get my wife some chocolate from, Ethyl M's. And maybe, just maybe, a couple of drinks at the Olympic Garden. To support single mom's ya know. All of those girls are putting themselves through UNLV and majoring in Political Science. Just ask them. But even at that, we are there less than an hour, and no one is going to spend $300.
Then the tailgate lot by about 2 or 3 o'clock, since the game starts at 4 o'clock local time. And it takes an hour to get to the stadium. It's WAY out there, trust me.
Thirty Years ago? More beer from gas stations, and that's just for breakfast. Then? Out to the stadium of course! WHOO, HOO, UTAH! We start tailgating as soon as we wake up.
Wednesday night, we will stay up, watch the highlights on the local news, and ESPN, probably twice, and have a few drinks. Maybe a victory cigar on the patio since you can't smoke IN the condo. Go to bed before 1 am.
Thirty years ago? Who cares who won, we went to a BOWL GAME! Stripper bar, party all night, crash in the motel at whenever.
Thursday morning, Phil will wake up before me, as always. We will make coffee and maybe get a breakfast biscuit at McDonald's on the way to the freeway. On our way by 9 or 10 in the morning. Home by about 5 in the afternoon Utah time.
Thirty years ago. Four or five us all sleep until 11:00. Shower in a hurry because we are supposed to be out of the shitty motel by then. And drive home, with more gas station beer. Eating what ever we buy when we stop for gas. Get home, oh, shit, I don't know. Some time Thursday.
Friday, I'm worn out. Christmas Eve or not, I'm tired. And I wrapped everything before I left. Let my OLD body sleep.
Thirty years ago? We party all night on Thursday, and get up in time for Christmas Eve dinner with the family.
Time, and age, change everything, don't they?
Go UTES! Can't wait to be there!
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