// 10.31.09 // 16 Comments » // Thriving
They say “What Happens In Vegas Stays In Vegas.” Well, I know some guys that have perhaps taken that to an extreme.
I twittered a few times about my wonderful trip to Las Vegas for SITScation, Blog World Expo, and a much-needed get-away with my husband. The vacation was fantastic, except for the plane ride.
We arrived at the airport in Providence, RI for our 7 am flight. We made a stop at Starbucks and I noticed a man asking every flight crew staff member if they were on the flight to Vegas. He was explaining that he and his friends wanted to buy all of them coffee. It was a nice gesture, but for some reason, this guy really annoyed me. He was loud. And seemed like the type that really liked himself and wanted the world to know. My judgment was right on track.
We got to the gate and there were six or seven guys with him. All loud. All well-built and well-dressed. All wearing feather boas. I silently hoped I would not be seated near them, but they were right behind me when we boarded the plane.
They started drinking right away. They passed feather boas out to the flight attendants. And they got louder. Apparently these guys get together every year in Vegas. They’d known each other since childhood and even had a pet name for their little band of brothers. First they talked about their bodies. Their weight training, dieting, tanning, teeth-whitening and chest-shaving. They talked about the “shenanigans” (this was apparently their favorite word since they said it about 10,000 times) they were going to get into in Vegas. They talked about the blow-up doll they brought. They talked about the women they picked up and the lesbians they slept with, while chatting about their wives and teenage children in the same breath. Then they debated whether or not they should wear their wedding rings. One of them said, “I won’t wear it, but I won’t lie if they ask me.”
Lovely.
I know everyone has had to endure loud, obnoxious people on an airplane, but these guys totally blew my mind. To talk about this stuff in such a boisterous, proud way was truly repulsive. When I saw one of them at the airport for the flight home, I cringed. But thankfully, only a couple of them were on my flight and they were much quieter.
So that’s the long-awaited story of “Assholes On A Plane.”
The rest of the trip was fantastic. This was the view from our hotel room. I love the mountains and the way Vegas is just planted in the middle of a desert.
We stayed at the Venetian Hotel, which was amazing. This is the shopping area and the gondolas. And this is INSIDE. The lighting was so cool – it looked like dusk all the time.
We strolled up and down the Strip and I had to get a photo in front of Vince Neil Ink. Love me some Motley Crue.
And SITScation was excellent. I truly enjoyed the cozy learning environment of this smaller conference and the women I met are so smart and supportive. (Be sure to check out SITS to find new blogs and share some comment love!)
I’m off now to put on my costume (it’s a T-shirt that says, “This is my Barack Obama costume. Now hand over your candy for me to redistribute!”) and get ready to trick or treat… most likely in the rain. Which is awesome because, you know, we haven’t had nearly enough rain in the northeast this year.
Happy Halloween!
