May 1, 2006

• Vegas, Baby, VEGAS!

  You got it guys. After being the tech guy for a bit, PS finally took me out to the most cherished of tech traditions: NAB. The tech conference only 2nd to the ubergeekdom goliath known as CES. If you want the complete technical breakdown, check out my write up on the PS 260 blog. This is going to be more of my personal view. So we took this horrid 5.5 hour plane ride where my ass ached seven ways to Sunday.
  

  Checked out this fuzzy ultramarketed cab.
  

  And got to my not so bad room.
  

  That had this kinda shitty view. (the Riviera is on its way out, but it was cheap and available and near the Convention.
  

  I took a nap, and then wasted no time to hit my first Vegas poker table.
  

  All they had is limit, and I went up and down a bit, missing a big pot when my trips got trumped by a cowboy’s river flush. But then I scored big when I hit a full house and slow played two players to call me, even to the last reraise at the end. Later that night I would win a lucky flush at no limit, and finish my first night 240 dollars up.
  

  But before the late night sess, we hit the hard rock for an industry party.
  

  What a cool light piece.
  

  I had a dead by heroin tryptich.
   

  Was interviewed by some avid sponsored students.
  

  And got the guitar moneyshot.
  

  At the Mirage, I grabbed some boobies.
  

  Checked out this crazy ball light fixture.
  

  And ended the night with some volcano action.
  

  In the morning I hit the convention floor for the first time, stopping by the wacom booth for a bit of coloring fun.
  

  Only to hit the glorious Mandalay Bay, at the southernmost edge of Vegas for an industry party at the Mix Lounge on the top floor.
  

  This place had an amazing fucking view.
  

  Totally righteous, man. (to think I would ever use that phrase and mean it).
  

  It also had this crazy bubble restaurant.
  

  An amazing wine selection.
  

  And a cool ceiling.
  

  Downstairs, the lobby had an asian infused elegance.
  

  Really old quartz.
  

  A yonic ceiling (bet you didn't know the counterpart word to phallic).
  

  And some haughty Hawaiian princess.
  

  The next day at the convention, I witnessed the true surreal manifestation of this nerd world: NAB is the only place in the world where there is a line for the guy’s bathroom but not the girl’s.    
  

  At night, John took me to the hoity toity Circo, at Bellagio, which had this stylee circus theme.
  

  And another cool wine collection.
  

  Went outside to check out the sights.
  

  And the famous Bellagio fountains.
  

  Then I hit the coolest pokerroom yet, where the dealers didn’t even have to shuffle, they had a machine for that.
  

  Did I mention I had lost 900 the day before, so I was suddenly in a 640 negative hole. I sat down, and played too loose and lost another 200 in about 30 minutes.
  

  Then I regrouped, played tight aggressive and caught some cards to get back to about 600, when I got dealt pocket queens. I raised 15 preflop and got 3 callers. The flop comes king queen six, and I am overjoyed. I bet twenty, chase two people out, and get raised back by the guy who took out my first 200. Since there could be a flush draw, I decide not to mess around an raise him back 100. He calls. A jack hits, but I don’t put him on a draw anymore, but there is enough money in the pot so I raise him another hundro. He calls, and nothing hits river. Another hundro, why not? He goes all in, I call right away, and trounce his two pair with my trip Queens in a 1200 dollar pot. Hells yeah.
  

  I keep playing for a bit and make another hundred, leaving vegas up 460! Awesome.    
  

  Inside this elite room, I saw all sorts of poker celebs doin up their own games: Johhny Chan, Tod Brunson, the guy that just got second on the WPT Li Wang or something, Freddie Deeb, Chang Chiang, what’s-his-name Hanson, the crazy dane. Plus, Steve Dannenmen, the guy who got second on the WSOP was playing two tables behind me. It was crazy.
  

  Then next day at the Con I signed a chess piece for our troops, telling them “come back safe, you are America.” I figured they needed to hear something like that. Its not their fault bush and the neocons are all dipshits, but incredible at influencing the public.
  

  Checked out my quote on the Datanet booth.
  

  Pictured the aramark cups that are exactly the same as the ones I sipped out of for four years back at Wes.
  

  And thus finished off a whirlwind tour. I leave the convention with spunkmeyer.
  

  Say goodbye to the airport.
  

  And arrive at wonderful Manhattan yet again.
  

  Thanks The Vegas.
  

  Who invited you, crazy sweatshirt man?
  

  Friday, Jenna and I decided to cross off one of the NY things we have not done yet, the hallowed visit to the empire state.
  

  She got the tickets. And we survived the line.
  

  The view was fucking magnificent.
  

  Truly incredible.
  

  We even caught some of that awesome gloaming light.
  

  Ahh. What a city.
  

  It never ceases to amaze me.
  

  Necessary snogging shot.
  

  And since it was so close to night time, we decided to stay and witness that too.
  

  And im glad we did, it was just awesome.
  

  Thanks empire state.
  

  Saturday we hit he Brooklyn Botanical Gardens for the Cherry Blossom Festival.
  

  Such beauty.
  

  At every,
  

  Damn.
  

  Corner.
  

  They even had hungry fish.
  

  And more beauty.
  

  More.
  

  It just.
  

  Never.
  

  Stopped.
  

  A perfect day to just relax and take it all in.
  

  We just loved it.
  

  Thanks New York City, for just being that dope.
  

  • 12:55 am
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