Weekend Report

Well, my weekend was great!

Meeting Michelle finally after talking to her for the past 2-3 years was great. We got along just as we have via e-mail, chat, and on the phone. She is a great lady. Sorry to report that I was not allowed to take any pictures. She told me about one guy that she used to date that would take her picture all the time when she wasn't expecting it, and she hates having her picture taken. I honored her wishes.

We stayed at the Luxor, which I probably will not do again, only because of how the place is arranged. It was very disorienting. We had a lot of fun checking out some of the sites in Vegas. Our legs were tired from walking the concrete. I didn't do much gambling around her as she isn't much into it. The last thing I wanted to do was have her get bored.

Sunday was kind of uncomfortable. We have been good friends for quite some time, and finally being together made it obvious that we are very compatible. But then comes the time when you have to part. She drove there from Arizona, so she had a few road hours to do. She needed to get on the road around 3 pm. My flight wasn't until after 11 pm, so I was on my own.

Although she promised before we met that she said she wouldn't cry when she had to go, there was no stopping it. She apologized which in turn made me tear up as well. She is a great lady, and for some reason has the same problem I have meeting someone locally that is "right" for her. It was a sad moment in an otherwise great weekend.

Should I not ever do this again? If there is no chance in a relationship, does meeting people this way only cause eventual pain? In the case of Michelle we both have known for a very long time that we like each other a lot, but a relationship beyond good friends is impossible. I have quite a few friends on-line, some I talk to on a regular basis. Most of them are women. Not on a sexual level, just as good friends. We talk about work, kids, family, dating, just like I do with friends I have here. Sometimes the conversation delve into sex, but more of a guess what happened to me talk more than a flirtation with each other. Yes, there is sometimes the flirtation going on. I have been told I am a big flirt at times, but it is really just in play. Everyone understands that and they do the same.

Sometimes we fantasize about the what if, but never take it all that seriously. Am I giving mixed signals even though there isn't a chance of a relationship past a friendship? I know that sexual attraction plays a part in our relationship (even bigger now), but are we doing more harm than good to ourselves? We've always been very supportive of each other when we are dating people, but now this is probably going to change. I will always remain her friend, and I hope that our meeting doesn't change that.

I hit the blackjack tables again after Michelle was on the road. I was already up almost $100 from an earlier time at the tables. I sat at one table and lost a quick $50 and moved to another table quickly. I found an almost full table with room for me that had a good bunch of people. I played there for a couple hours. The dealer assigned to our table was an Asian lady named Lally. She was a crack up. It's always more fun with a good group of people and a fun dealer.

I was down, then up, then down again. We were telling the pit boss, John, who was also cool, that Lally was killing us. He said he'll have her taken out back and beaten. She then went on a break. Her replacement dealer was another nice lady named Mary that was the type to give hints of advice to the players as to how she would play a certain hand. For the 15 minutes she was there I was suddenly up a lot. Not that she influenced my hands much, but she helped the others to play smarter as well. Regardless, I was up about $150 for the day.

Lally returned, and everyone kind of groaned. It was really funny, and she didn't take it bad. She gave us as much shit as we gave her. My stacks of chips was starting to fluctuate again. It doesn't make sense to me that the dealer could have that kind of influence on the game. I was holding my own, but I wasn't gaining anything. Suddenly, it was time for Lally to take another break. Up walks Mary, I screamed "Hurray!", but only in my head. I started winning again. Freakish luck is the only way to explain it.

When Lally returned from her break I was up around $300 for the day. Me and most of the folks at the table started yelling for the pit boss not to let her come back. We were all just kidding around... sort of. John was laughing his ass off (at the same time probably working up a promotion for Lally). This time around I actually was gaining more with Lally. I was up around $350. I suddenly felt the need to leave the table. I don't know if it was hunger, or intuition. I stepped away and headed for the restaurant. I hate eating alone.

It wasn't time to leave for the airport, but I also didn't want to squander my winnings. Well, I headed back over to the table I was at before. Everyone that had been there for the previous few hours was gone, including Lally and Mary. Did I get away just at the right time?

I went to another table that looked promising. The people there were laughing it up. I figured what the hell. I sat and played for maybe a half hour. The guys were ego maniacs and the girls listening to their bullshit. It was kind of uncomfortable. In 30 minutes I lost a quick $100. I figured that was enough.

I left for the airport early. I knew it was going to be busy even though it was such a late flight. I went to the AmWest area, and saw the line from hell. I was thinking holy shit it's good that I came early. Just getting an e-ticket boarding pass without checking bags took me close to an hour. I got to my gate and figured I at least I wouldn't have too long of a wait there. Well, my flight was delayed minutes before we were to board due to mechanical problems. I sat in the stinking noisy airport with slot machines going off behind me for hours. I finally fell asleep once everyone stopped playing those damn one armed bandits (I really hate them). Then maybe 15 minutes later we started boarding. We were the last flight out. I think it was close to 2:00 am.

I was not able to sleep on the plane. The girl next to me was nervous, and her new husband, who was sitting across the aisle from her, wouldn't ask the guy next to him to switch seats with his bride. I was trying to sleep but then I felt her leaning on me. She fell asleep. I couldn't sleep with her pushing against me, but I didn't want to wake her either. She finally woke up and apologized for leaning on me. She said that she was freezing and that she tends to move toward warmth... trust me, I am very warm.

Well, I finally got to my house around 5:30 am and got ready to go to bed. I was supposed to go to work in a couple hours, but there was no way I could do that. I sent my boss and another manager an e-mail saying I would be in around noon. I slept good until around 8, then tossed and turned, finally giving up on sleep around 10.