I’ve gotten over my obligatory 12-15 hour period of post travel hate and acclimation to new things (“Fucking hell, shit is different here. I hate change.” – me, the first 12 hours I am anywhere new) and am now settling in on the part of the trip that I actually enjoy. Hit the conference and registered and got all the crap they handed out, plotted my day of events tomorrow, and feel ready.
Did some tooling around- picked up some fruit (lots of good apples and pears), a lot of water and other assorted drinks, and on the advice of the valets and the cleaning lady, drove 15 mins out of town to a taco stand in a gas station and ate some damned fine tacos. Note- when the sweet Mexican woman has a concerned look on her face and tells you “only use a little bit of the hot sauce,” you should listen up, Gringo.
My travel partner is stuck in Omaha. Apparently her plane caught fire and had to be emergency landed. At first the reports were that someone had been smoking in the bathroom, and I’m pretty sure there would have been a lynching on the plane if that had been true. Turns out they were actually legit on fire. They’ve deplaned and the airline ordered pizza for everyone, so I told her to just call me tomorrow and I will pick her up at the airport then.
I forgot my shirts (figures, the one town I go where they wouldn’t notice or care if I wore pants I remember them), so I am heading to the outlet mall on the outskirts of town to pick up a couple polo shirts size fat, then heading to Lotus of Siam for dinner. Turns out one of my fraternity brothers is also in town, and we have not seen each other for 20 years so we are going to meet up and hit the town.
*** Update ***
Dinner was pretty good. Had the green papaya salad at a 7 out of 10 on the heat scale, and then had crispy prawns with drunken noodles, which was tasty but a bit mild. I think tomorrow I may go back and get the Panang curry with crispy duck.
At any rate, I didn’t forget all my shirts. I brought button down short sleeve shirts for the conference and some grey t-shirts for bumming around the room, but not the Polo shirts I like to wear around at nightish.
BillinGlendaleCA
No shirts, did you remember pants this time John?
Omnes Omnibus
How the fuck do you forget items of clothing every time you travel?
Shrillhouse
You remembered your pants, right?
Baud
At first I thought this was a euphemism.
Mary G
Cole cracks me up. So many people recommended Lotus of Siam that I want to go to LV just for that now.
larimegimp
I’ll be drawing caricatures in front of the Bellagio fountains from about 7pm to midnight. Stop by!
BillinGlendaleCA
@Omnes Omnibus: Do you really have to ask this question, this is the man that injured himself mopping naked.
Cacti
How you know you’ve found a good Mexican eatery:
There are as many or more Hispanic customers as there are gringos.
BillinGlendaleCA
@Baud: True, the Clark county limits are about 15 minutes out of town.
Roger Moore
Maybe you need a travel checklist to make sure you pack everything. It should also probably involve checking suitcases for sleeping pets before closing them; I’ve heard about cats getting unexpected vacation trips that way.
BillinGlendaleCA
@Roger Moore: Is there and app for that?
raven
Travel partner?.Didn’t you get enough of that shit in the Green Machine. I’ve made it clear with my people, no fucking roommates.
redshirt
@Omnes Omnibus:
He’s “fachkin’ retahded”, is my official Masshole diagnosis.
Gravenstone
Just make sure the town doesn’t hit back, too hard.
redshirt
How many concussions have you had Cole?
rikyrah
Just finished Quantico – I liked it.
rikyrah
glad you are ok, Cole.
The Pale Scot
But what about the bats?
BruceFromOhio
Only in a Cole* world. Glad she’s okay.
*C’mon, seriously. You can read sixteen jillion posts on a million other blogs and never hit a ‘graf like that one.
Mnemosyne (iPhone)
@Omnes Omnibus:
I am infamous for forgetting prescription medications when I travel, so my dear spouse has gotten to see pharmacies in Kauai and Illinois that he didn’t plan to visit.
When I was in Florida, I was 100 percent convinced that I forgot a prescription and drove out to the 24 hour CVS to refill it (early, at a charge). Then I found it in my bag when I got back to the hotel.
Turned out that what I’d actually forgotten was socks.
Mnemosyne (iPhone)
@BruceFromOhio:
Also, too, stories like that one are why I make sure to have my phone, ID, and credit card in my pocket when I fly. That way, if something weird happens and I have to abandon my carry-on, I can still call people to say I’m okay and buy a drink.
jibeaux
Lotus of Siam ! He does read the comments!
Corner Stone
This is fucking impossible. It’s like DougJ trolling a Young Conor with a fantastic reader’s email or some shit. It.Can’t.Happen.
Listen. Unless your house is on fire while packing this is fucking impossible unless you really need help & daily assistance.
Corner Stone
@Omnes Omnibus: Whoa. Take it easy there, hardass.
NotMax
Nothing to do with Lost Wages, but a 15 second video too oddly whimsical not to share.
Proving nobody doesn’t like New York pizza.
Omnes Omnibus
@NotMax: He has four hungry turtles to feed.
redshirt
@jibeaux:
Only when mocked.
NotMax
Two steps to better packing.
1. Print out a short list of essentials.
2. Affix it to the inside of the lid of the suitcase.
Anna Granfors
DUDE. The Lotus Of Siam…I envy you. Very possibly the best Thai restaurant in the US–their Isaan dishes, especially, are to die for.
redshirt
@NotMax: I always imagine scenarios, and pack for that; morning, evening out, sleeping, swimming, skiing, etc.
First I lay it out on the floor and evaluate. Enough socks? Enough underwear? Swimwear? Shoes? Etc.
Then I pack. And to 48 pounds like a ninja pro.
MomSense
Only Cole could forget to pack shirts.
Have fun you big dope!
JPL
I’m confused. When I travel, I pack outfits that compose of tops and bottoms.
geg6
Jeebus, Cole. You forgot your shirts? Seriously? How the fuck do you pack? Blindfolded in the dark with rubber gloves on?
Corner Stone
@JPL:
Well in that case…
Germy Shoemangler
@Mnemosyne (iPhone): I’ve always wondered if airport x-ray machines and porno-scanners have any affect on the prescription medicine that gets zapped by them.
Roger Moore
@Corner Stone:
It’s easier than you think. If you pack in a big hurry, it’s easy to forget something important. I’ve never forgotten shirts or pants, but I’ve forgotten socks and underwear.
gene108
John, your folks live close by. Ask them for help while packing. Or at least to make out a check list for you.
1. Clean underwear for ‘X’ days.
2. Dress Pants for ‘X’ days at conference.
3. Shorts / Casual pants for ‘Y’ days not at conference.
4. Dress shirts for conference
5. T-Shirts while not at conference
6. Socks for ‘Z’ days, as needed.
7. Toothbrush
8. Toothpaste.
9. Shampoo
It helps.
My problem is I tend to want to over pack, which is a big no-no with airline travel these days.
Exurban Mom
I think we should come up with a travel/packing list for Cole and have it made into a dry erase board or notepad form. Top of list: pants.
Virginia (fka Abo Gato)
@Mary G: @Mary G: Well, they are right. That place is just freaking awesome. We eat there any time we go to LV. Everyone should try it.
Goblue72
@redshirt: ha!
redshirt
@gene108:
John should also probably have his name, phone number, and support person’s phone number pinned to his clothes. Or maybe stitched on so he can’t tear it off and eat it.
Baud
I’m glad Cole doesn’t have kids. Home Alone is supposed to be a fictional comedy.
schrodinger's cat
How can one forget to pack shirts, the mind it boggles.
ETA: If John were a woman I would suggest that he wear dresses. One piece and you are done. Add a jacket or a shawl for cool nights.
Corner Stone
@Roger Moore:
I’ve also forgotten things, but they were usually like peppermints for on the plane while taking off/landing. That kind of thing.
First, he wasn’t in a hurry or should not have been. There was a 200+ comment thread up after he said he had to go to LV in a couple days. And even if he got distracted with work or some other thing, packing goes like this – undies, shorts, shirts, socks, medication, what am I wearing on the plane.
Germy Shoemangler
@schrodinger’s cat: Perhaps dressing only in onesies is the solution.
Pink, yellow, blue…
Baud
@Germy Shoemangler:
Overalls would go well with John’s West Virginia persona.
redshirt
I helped change the lights of Vegas and eventually the world and it makes me proud.
Corner Stone
@redshirt:
He should have it tatted on his body like the lady on Blindspot.
Germy Shoemangler
@Baud: It worked for Kim Davis’s husband…
Goblue72
@Omnes Omnibus: Maybe his subconscious does it to force Cole to periodically buy new clothes
Cole: My polo shirts seems to have a lot of stains and holes…Oh well, whatever.
Subconsciousness: Note to self – forget polo shirts on next trip.
BillinGlendaleCA
@geg6: Rosie does the packing.
schrodinger's cat
@Germy Shoemangler: American Horror Story!
Germy Shoemangler
@Corner Stone:
But the support people are constantly resigning and being replaced. You’d have to keep adding new tattoos.
Goblue72
@Germy Shoemangler: then he’d forget his onesies and be unable to leave the hotel room.
Baud
@Goblue72:
But the floors would be clean.
Corner Stone
@Germy Shoemangler:
Plenty of real estate.
BillinGlendaleCA
@Germy Shoemangler: Well, there are folk who enjoy the process of getting the tat as much or more so than the resulting tat.
ETA: I’m not one of these folk.
Right to Rise
Campaign fundraising figures for the last quarter are going to come out soon, and when people see Jeb’s haul, their eyes are going to light up!
All capped off with a series of high dollar fundraising dinners hosted by Columba, George P., and even Old 43 George W. in varying high dollar locations.
They’ll need brinks trucks to get all the money in.
Brinks. Trucks.
redshirt
@Right to Rise:
Thanks for the UPDATE, friend!
BillinGlendaleCA
@Right to Rise: Old 43 sounds like something George W used to drink.
Right to Rise
@redshirt:
No problem, it’s great keeping the other side informed about the next President of the United States.
After Jeb gets the nomination you’re going to listen to me more because you’ll wonder how I nailed this back in September when everyone was beginning to wonder if Bush was dead in the water.
It’s the Benjamins.
The Benjamins.
That’s what matters.
fordpowers
@johngcole
I said it on the last thread, but i thought that freemont street wasnt that terrible.
Check it out if you get a chance
:)
now, for some reason, i’m reaaaaal hungry for breakfast buffet
HA
Germy Shoemangler
Medications going through airport x-rays and porno-scanners: do they lose potency, or do they mutate into a more powerful drug that causes one to sprout extra limbs and eyeballs?
Mnemosyne (iPhone)
@Goblue72:
I suspect this may be the answer. Plus ADHD.
NCSteve
Used to be free, but airlines charge extra for on-plane smoker lynchings now. Bastards.
Roger Moore
@Germy Shoemangler:
No. SATSQ.
Right to Rise
Asmcnkl sllsdfkl fckqbvr;
rikyrah
hope you get to see some shows, Cole.
Go see the Bellagio night light show.
The Pirates show.
Go look at the Venetian.
The casinos themselves are spectacles to behold.
and, go see some shows..the shows in Vegas are terrific.
Mnemosyne (iPhone)
@Right to Rise:
That’s what Meg Whitman and Carly Fiorina thought, which is why they won their elections in California.
Of course, I think you’ve already admitted by default that Californians are smarter than the rest of the country because we figured out that Whitman and Fiorina were empty suits no matter how much they spent. Meanwhile, national Republicans are making Carly “Golden Parachute” Fiorina into their front-runner.
Mnemosyne (iPhone)
@Roger Moore:
I usually start packing at least a day or two ahead if I can. The spouse mocks me, but it means I don’t get into a crunch and panic.
Thoughtful David
One time when we went camping, we got where we were going, then realized. Forgot the tent.
Roger Moore
@Mnemosyne (iPhone):
I try to avoid packing too far in advance because it upsets my cat. Forgetting stuff isn’t something that happens to me a lot- I forgot socks once and underwear once- but I understand how it happens. IMO, the hard part about packing is deciding what to bring; actually getting it and packing it is quick. That’s where a checklist comes in handy; it lets you do the thinking part well in advance, so you can do the physical part quickly when the time comes.
raven
Outfit. Right.
redshirt
@Right to Rise:
Jsddhfgssw! sdhsd; loknssdhdos!!!
Tyler Forrest
if you don’t get the crispy rice app and the Thai beef jerky, you have failed.
Thoughtful David
@redshirt: I’m always amazed to see the people who have spent so much time learning Klingon. It’s something I’ve just never been able to do.
BillinGlendaleCA
@redshirt: I guess R2R is Scott Brown. How the mighty have fallen.
PurpleGirl
@NotMax: I used to do that when I was packing my Peekskill friend for his business trips. He claimed that the way I rolled up his clothes meant they didn’t get wrinkled and he looked better in the business meetings. Then I began to pack him and his wife for their vacation trips — again with lists of what they needed to take with them.
John Revolta
Hey John, I’m in Omaha about 15 min. from Eppley. Lemme know if I can help out.
Right to Rise
Sorry my cat walked on the keyboard.
@Mnemosyne (iPhone):
Fiorina got fired in a boardroom brawl. Plenty of people have been fired and they will relate.
Carly Fiorna would make a great VP for Jeb. A real attack dog who can rip the bark the fuck off Hillary and not come across as a sexist. It would be fantastic to watch.
joel hanes
when the sweet Mexican woman has a concerned look on her face and tells you “only use a little bit of the hot sauce
Ah.
I’m guessing either La Yucateca or Yucatan Sunshine.
Yes, those are actually hot.
BruceFromOhio
@rikyrah: Was going to pass that one by. Wow. It’s like a better ‘Black List.’ The twist was…. twisty. Who *do* you trust?
PurpleGirl
@Thoughtful David: I once went to science fiction convention and walked around all day Saturday in a Klingon forehead/wig. People tried to talk to me in Klingon and I told them “Please, English. I’m on vacation and here to practice my English.” People thought it was a great answer and the Klingon look was cool.
ETAS: I never did try to learn Klingon but I borrowed the forehead/wig from a friend for fun.
BillinGlendaleCA
@Right to Rise: I’m sure Barbara Boxer would be more than happy to share her notes on her run against Carly with Hillary.
ETA: I think they’re actually related by marriage.
Denali
My strategy for packing is to pack and then to make the list. Then I can check off the list because the packing is already done. Also, I pack light and never check bags.
trollhattan
@redshirt:
Yeah, phew, NOW i CAN SLEEP.
trollhattan
@Right to Rise:
Oooh, make it so!
Damaged Goods backing Damaged Brand(tm) FTW!
SiubhanDuinne
.
SiubhanDuinne
@Right to Rise:
Finally, making sense.
BruceFromOhio
@Right to Rise: Hmmm, let’s review. Jebbie’s state horked the vote count that put his bro in power to appoint the Supreme’s that opined on Citizens United that made those Brinks. Trucks. perfectly legal. Strikes me as positively Rovian in its elegance.
I believe this chapter ends with guillotines, or some political semblance thereof. See also, history, presidential elections, Romney, Mitt. Because guess what being prez means? Having the stones. The real ones, not the kind you can buy with Brinks. Trucks.
Think of America as a great topiary, where the real, honest, hard-working folks trim the Bushes. See you November, 2016, friend.
gogol's wife
I’m sorry, but I cannot pack enough clothes for a three-day trip into something that would be a reasonable carry-on bag. I am not going to be one of those people we all have to wait for who have ginormous suitcases they’ve crammed into the overhead bins. So I check a bag. But my husband reminds me that they managed to lose my bag on a nonstop flight from Hartford to Cincinnati. And this week’s flights are not non-stop. I am dreading it so much.
trollhattan
@BillinGlendaleCA:
If pink leather hotpants are in any way involved I am suing everybody!
trollhattan
@Mnemosyne (iPhone):
Interesting note about Fiorina: Boxer mopped the floor with her without we California voters knowing half the shit about her that we do at present, and also, too, her “personality” was significantly throttled compared to the venomous Skeletor circa 2015.
Donut
@Right to Rise:
Wow. That’s really awesome how you keep repeating pieces of phrases and stuff. Great writing technique, friend.
Scintillating.
Really awesome. Great technique.
Do you want a cookie? When my gifted six year old acts that cloying, he usually is after a cookie.
.
Corner Stone
@gogol’s wife: I just don’t get the obsession with going only non-checked bags. Much easier to check something. I know it costs more now on some flights but it’s just the cost of doing business, IMO.
ETA, how am I supposed to bring two suits, multiple dress shirts and two pairs of shoes in a carry on?
asiangrrlMN
Cole, you are hilarious. I would love to travel with you sometime. You’d be a mix between someone’s cranky old uncle yelling at the kids to get off your lawn and that guy who’s dancing on the table with his shirt wrapped around his head at three in the morning. Though, probably not so much the latter now.
Calouste
@gene108: If you travel more than a couple of times a year, spending $20 or so on an extra set of toiletries, comb, toothbrush and whatever you need to just leave in your carry on, is a serious time saver.
Paul T
“Deplaned?”
Get off the bus: “debus”.
Get out of the car: “decar”.
Get off your bike: “debike”.
Get off the plane: get off the damn plane!
Aleta
How to forget shirts: Put your favorite ones in the wash the night before leaving. Switch to dryer and go to bed. Forget to go get them in the morning.
But of course all JC has to do by now is pretend he forgot something or tripped and be entertained by the horrified response.
gogol's wife
@Corner Stone:
Only by bringing something too big and cramming it into a too-small compartment.
Usually the checked bag gets there with me, and I don’t mind the fee.
trollhattan
@asiangrrlMN:
Hey you, long time no read.
And yeah, after the DNC chronicles with AWB I think JCole could become a misadventure tour guide. Or have his own reality show.
schrodinger's cat
@Roger Moore: BJ commenters, vicious jackals and hyenas or crazy cat ladies?
BruceFromOhio
@gogol’s wife: Curb check with a skycap and tip him/her $5 a bag. Your luggage will be there when you arrive, unless you are flying Frontier, in which case you are kinda out of luck anyway. You could also UPS all your stuff to your hotel ahead of time – that’s what the golf/scuba/motorcycle kids do.
BillinGlendaleCA
I sit corrected Tony Rodham was married to Barbara Boxer’s daughter, they divorced.
BruceFromOhio
@schrodinger’s cat: Vicious, crazy, hyena cat jackal commenter ladies?
Well, sometimes, that’s actually how it feels. On the inside, anyway.
Still reeling from Quantico…
satby
@gogol’s wife: I always check a bag, but I carry my purse in a larger tote that fits under a seat and I carry an extra shirt, socks, and underwear rolled up in it. And I always wear pants on the plane made of a travel friendly material. Airlines lost my luggage twice, but I had a change of clothes and stuff I could wash and dry overnight in the hotel. You can last for a few days and still have clean, though boring, outfits.
Cervantes
@Paul T:
Amen.
barbequebob
@The Pale Scot:
They’re hanging out with Dr. Gonzo and Savage Lucy in their soundproof suite at the Fabulous Mint Hotel
Central Planning
@Corner Stone:
Apparently you’re supposed to roll your clothes to fit more in the carry on.
schrodinger's cat
@gogol’s wife: Losing luggage on an international flight is the worst thing evah!
Corner Stone
@Central Planning: I actually do roll t-shirts and polos, along with other casual items. But for semi or formal wear, not so much.
J R in WV
When we visited Santa Fe, NM we just drove around one morning, and found a little restaurant in a working class part of town, South American / Central American food, wonderful! We had to wait a few minutes for a table, which is how we knew it was gonna be good.
Not like Mexican at all, but still kind of a little similar… then we couldn’t find it again!! Only open for breakfast (really early!) and lunch, tikl 2 or 3 maybe. People were getting carryout for supper by the time we were finishing up. Very reasonable.
That’s our favorite, to find a local place with different style and try it out. We ate in a really nice Indian place in Toulouse, FR, very interesting, small modest place in what was almost an alley behind the fancy hotel the group was staying at.
schrodinger's cat
@Corner Stone: I carry at least two pairs of shoes, sneakers, and comfortable heels. Wear flats or shoes with about 1 inch heels on the flight.
redshirt
I roll all my clothes as well. Far easier to pack.
manyakitty
@Thoughtful David: Ha! Glad to hear I’m not the only one!
Mnemosyne (tablet)
@satby:
I don’t roll my clothes, but packing folders changed my life. I even use them on weekend trips. It’s AMAZING how much more will fit in your bag when you use them.
catclub
@schrodinger’s cat:
All you need for Haj is two sheets.
catclub
@Thoughtful David:
I think we either loaned a tent and did not include tentpoles, or we borrowed one without them. haha
Gian
@Germy Shoemangler:
footie pajamas
Susan K of the tech support
Posted a coupla museum recommendations in the previous thread. I’ll mention them here, Just Because:
The Neon Museum
The Nat’l Atomic Test Museum (because hey, Nevada Test Site is in these parts)
More deets elsewhere.
Sloegin
An interesting book to read after you’ve done Vegas would be ‘Last Call’ by Tim Powers.
mclaren
kdaug
@Thoughtful David: One time (I was about four) my mom and her friend decided to take us kids, six of us total, to the state fair. Made it all the the way to the parking lot, ballpark two hour drive.
Forgot my little sister.
Saw mom a couple weeks ago, spent a week with her. 45-odd years later, it came up at some point…
she’ll never forget or forgive herself.
kdaug
@BruceFromOhio: And yet we keep coming back
dianne
Another side trip (if you can rent a car and have a few hours to spare) is north of Vegas up in red rock country. We saw amazing petroglyphs and a tiny canyon with a spring which was a hideout – Mouse’s Tank??? – I think.
I always insist on side trips. Gambling is worse than watching paint dry but way more expensive.
Cervantes
@dianne:
I’m with you.