I did the normal procrastinate as any hick from the sticks would, finally got every thing packed up I thought I would need, including my own little coffee maker and coffee and coffemate creamer.  I hate these little piece of shit coffee pots they have in the hotel with a little diaper filled with coffee in a brand that always tastes like it’s a cross between mud and tar – so the answer is to just bring my own.  I’m hooked on Maxwell House French Roast.  Now that I’m writing about it I can hardly wait to have my 1st cup tomorrow a.m.

So, numerous cameras, some clothes and toiletries packed, a shower, and I was ready for the road.  I got out of ‘P’ about 10:30 a.m. and had to make a run up by the old digs to get a USB cable for one of the cameras.  I parked in the Gold Coast ‘hotel registration’ and dragged/pulled half of my stuff to the desk, waited in the Que, and then after the guy searched, he couldn’t find my reservation.  He asked if I’d made it through some other booking company, I asked if he put an ‘r’ in my name.  Nope.  I had to go out to the truck, fire up my pc, and get my confirmation # out of my email.  Of course the line was back in the Que when I came back in.  I got the same clerk, he found me, I was never lost, he said they had me in ‘backwards’ and whatever that is, I have no idea.  He told me he’d upgrade me to one of their new rooms for free for the hassle.  Thank you very much.

I went back to the truck for the rest of my stuff and had the bellman load it up and ship it up.  First, there is no bathtub…not sure why I never remember to ask for one…but living in the coach does not provide a bath either and once every year or so, I’d love to soak.  There is no safe or refrigerator.  That might not sound like much but there is at the Suncoast – same company – and the refrigerator is really handy for a cold soda or water or veggies if one chooses.  I called about the price of a refrigerator, only $15 a day.  SHIT!  No extra blanket in the closet either, I called housekeeping for one.  Then the damned TV was stuck on one option, a bundle deal of movies and internet.

You have to turn on the TV, choose wireless internet from the options, and then receive your password, etc.  It would do nothing except take me to a screen that said if I wanted to watch movies and adult films I had to call the front desk.  Kee-Rist!  I called the front desk…they went through something, rechecking something, and it still wouldn’t work so they sent up a guy with an armful of porn videos…just kidding.  He went through the same thing I did and called the front desk and finally go it straightened out.  By now I’d been in my room for over an hour and I find all of this to be fucking irritating that I can’t get on the internet when I first land.

Riot and momparental were supposed to meet me for dinner.  Oh well.  I know the routine by now, everything changes.  She had a migraine and body pain….

I did some site work and headed for Walmart, picked up a coupla things (including a styrofoam cooler for $2) and ran into Suzie Lederer’s niece in the electronics department, and a Mirage dealer came by, and another guy (a poker player but unknown to me) was at the counter as I was talking to the niece about the WSOP November Nine.  We jabbered for close to 45 minutes.  I picked up my stuff and headed for Bellagio.

I wanted to say HI to a few people and I wanted to see if Phil Ivey was out and about in Bobby’s Room.  Nothing was moving in Bobby’s Room but it was early when I left, around 7:45 so something could still have cranked later.  A lot of the same faces were there, doing the same thing they were doing when I left 2 1/2 years ago.  I’m so glad to not be there anymore.  I did have time to visit with Boly, my longtime Montana friend and dealer, she was getting off shift as I was coming into the room…Nice!  Carmen was stunning with a new do and busy as usual but we did talk for a few minutes.  Still glad I’m not there.

Some pictures of the gardens, set in a semi-Thanksgiving/fall theme, and it was quite disappointing.  There simply was no flair or startling flowers or designs of awe.  The tree trunk faces that were there had been there before – only one of them had a voice and eyes that moved.  There were some large looking venus fly traps – but for what?  They were out of place.  A few gigantic pumpkin/squash things and of course, a few trees that looked like water was raining from them.  Boo!  I have to say the designers underdid themselves on this one.

This is what it looked like coming from the reservation desk:

Beautiful as always – as it should be for over $6M, each piece hand blown – the chandelier above the main entrance in front of registration:

I often wonder if Steve Wynn ever thinks twice about Bellagio anymore.

Tomorrow should prove to be a very long day.  Come back for more pics and jabber from grannie.

And BTW, we are canceling the PokerWorks Family Tourney this Sunday, to resume next week, same time, same station…email sent to everyone I have an address for.