A funny thing happened on the way home from the airport...

Vegas is an amazing place. As I have overstated, I simply love going there. I also love leaving there. The anticipation builds ups over the day before you get on a plane to go and drink and gamble and forget the life you have behind. But I do not dread having to leave. A relaxed feeling comes over me as the plane lifts off the ground, leaving the Las Vegas strip behind. All the debauchery is left behind, as well as the broke people trying to find some more money to pile into the slot machines or maybe the tables.

I caught the act of one of these assholes this morning. I had about a half hour before I had to leave so I decided I would eat at the Hooters diner (if the Hooters restaurant was open I would have been eating wings at 7 in the morning) before I headed off to the airport. I barely start drinking my coffee when this dickhead starts yelling from the restaurant entrance. "Hey, is anyone out here going to come and seat me!?!?!". I turn to see this youngish guy trying to be all thuggish, demanding someone come and give him a place to sit. As a waitress came forward, he got even worse, bitching about no one is there to seat him and how he has been standing there for a long time. In my head I am thinking this guy is full of shit as he was there for a couple minutes top.

He keeps bitching to the waitress as she sits him in a booth. Guy is still ranting on about how the pitboss sent him over here to eat because he just spent 3 grand in the place. Spent? Probably lost it all on the craps table so the pitboss got your whiny little ass to go away by appeasing you with a free buffet. Your 3 grand is now worth $9.95 you dipshit.

But he isn't done just yet. He is going on and on about how he isn't going to pay for it. Though my back is turned to the show, I hear him listen to the waitress explain he was being comped for the buffet and a beverage, yet he was trying to get other stuff. I could hear and understand what she said. She explained what she could do for him. When she was done he goes off on her saying he didn't understand a word she said and again, how he wasn't paying for anything but she was trying to charge him. The waitress took the time to explain how she wasn't charging him but how she had to ring things up.

She walks away and he apparently goes to get some food. My steak and eggs show up and I get ready to eat. That is until he yells across the room to his waitress how he wants some apple pie too. How he isn't paying for that either and he wants it boxed up to go. Why won't this guy just shut up already???

I quickly ate up and got out of there. This asshole was beginning to annoy me. I felt sorry for the waitress that had to put up with his shit. I am willing to bet he didn't leave a tip, not understanding that it wasn't part of his comp. Poor lady put up with that crap for nothing.

Kind of like the guy who had to deal with the white trashy looking family at the Sahara cafe. I ate there before playing in a poker tournament. As I did, I watched this family sit around. I wasn't sure what they were doing as they appeared to be done eating. There were 5 adults, 1 kid around 10 or so, and a baby. Nice, people left the trailer park for Vegas and brought the kids. I was necessarily shocked by the southern drawl in their voices as much as I was amused. I did watch them leave and felt sorry for the waiter. He was dumbstruck at the mess they left behind. The baby had dumped a lot of food on the floor, along with napkins, spoons, and a keno crayon. I watched the waiter carefully to see if he was picking up any money. Nope. Unless they tacked it on to the bill, he got stiffed on the tip and had to do a lot of cleaning just to get the tables ready for the next customers.

Sad part is these types are all over the casinos. The glitz and glamor you see on TV are all there just to cover up the seedy side. If you all ready Pauly, you have heard it before. Trips like this reinforce the things I read. And it makes me glad to leave it all behind for another couple of months. Thankfully I can go shower the filth away.

Flight back to Milwaukee was smooth and on time. Got delayed for 4 hours on the way out. That is a different story. Getting back was nice. It also led to a strange occurrence. Driving home from the airport, I actually stopped by the bank to make a deposit. Yep, the trip did very little damage keeping me in a prime spot to head back in a couple of months.

More tomorrow. Right now I am wondering who drank my beer while I was gone and left the bottle on the stove top.