Vegas was AWESOME!! and just what the doctor ordered for this seriously overstresed chick! Of course the getting there did not do anything to relieve my stress....

Got on the plane -- direct flight supposedly -- and after take off the pilot comes on the overhead and says "Oh by the way....nothing to worry about (that was VERY reassuring) ...but out nose gear doesn't appear to have retracted after take off."

"HUH?????"

"Not to worry (still not overly reassured) we're going thru some checklists with the mechanics in Atlanta"

"But we just took off from NYC...what good are they???"

"We'll keep you posted, but for now we're going to be heading back to JFK....eventually"

"OY!!"

I have to say...the pilot did keep us posted. But we also did return to JFK two hours later -- after dumping the fuel, doing a fly by of the tower, then getting checked out by the entire JFK emergency response crew. Of course Delta didn't have a plan for what to do with all of us. BUT I was able to get on a flight to Minneapolis, then from there to Vegas. Of course I was stuck in a wondow seat in steerage on the last leg -- not the lovely business class seat I'd booked, but beggars can't be choosers! I arrived 5 hours late, but I arrived. Of course I also had to do an OJ thru the terminals to a) get re-ticketed and then b) to catch my connecting flight. Bit I'm a NY'er and a FAST walker. I outlasted all those joggers without breaking a sweat -- OK I was sweating buckets but it's my story and I get to tell it the way I want. LOL

SO Finally arrived at the hotel at about 4:20. called up my friends who had arrved uneventfully from Denver on time and said....I'll meet you at the bar at 5PM!! LOL OMG Have never wanted a strawberry daquiri so much in my life....and I got it! At the beach side bar! The first night I passed out pretty much after dinner. Probably because I'd not slept the night before. The second day, we did some shopping and had dinner at one of my favorite restaurants in the Paris hotel. Managed to win a packet at the tables as well. My friend Ellen tried snails for the first time -- and loved them. They've always been a fave of mine. Bit more gambling after dinner...won some more.

Of course the next couple days the tables were not so kind until I convinced Terry to try blackjack -- the only game I play. In an hour we'd both increased our chip piles. Friday night we went to see Bill Cosby and he was awesome! Still going strong after all these years and just as funny as I remember him!

My friends left on Saturday and I left Sunday. Monday was spent catching up around the apartment -- supermarket shopping, going thru the mail, laundry....all the sexy post-vacation chores!

Then today it was back to work.....and what a day it was! Came back to find out my boss had decded to ransack my office while I was away. Then she takes some kind of attitude about a critique SHE asked me to write. When I refused to redo it, she took another attitude. As per my last blog I'm totally at the end of my rope, so I've updated my resume, then tonight I think I've found THE job I've been training for over the last 20 years.....part of a national firm's national office on the assurance side. This is THE perfect geek job for me. And here goes karma again...it's in Minneapolis. Is this like the Mogolia bucket list incident last year???? Time will tell. What I DO know is that they WILL be receiving my resume first thing tomorrow morning!

So.....that's all I'm going to tell about Vegas! I'm completely excited about this job prospect!! Even been reading up on Minneapolis and other than the fact that it's REALLY COLD!!!! It seems like a pretty cool city! If anyone knows anything about it -- other than they have a really nice airport -- please share!! LOL