Manilow, Why Dost Thou Continue To Plague Me?


This is the start of our Winter Trip Log. For many reasons it has taken me some time to get these up, so I will be posting multiple days together. This is Days 1+2. Next and published at almost the same time will be Days 3+4. Days 5 and beyond I will get to when I get to it. If you seriously need them to make it through your holiday season, seek psychological counseling. Or you could pay me. Paying me to write blogs would be cheaper than a shrink, I suppose. I charge hourly or alternatively I have a most reasonable weekly rate...

Day 1:

After approximately 24 hours of washing, organizing, and packing we finally were ready to hit the road around 11:20 am on Tuesday. Even after sending all gifts, winter clothes, and other random odds and ends with my father, the poor Mitsubishi Galant was still jam-packed. Fortunately traffic was real light, so even having to stop and feed the young-uns at a Carl’s Junior in Barstow, we got to Las Vegas in about 5 and a half hours.


Here are the girls sitting on the in-laws couch. They are being good here, but they spent about 3 hours screaming while poor gramma Carolyn was watching them.




Day 2:

We spent Wednesday trying to relax. I popped over to the airport to pick up our trip car, a Jeep Cherokee Laredo. I was a bit annoyed with myself for getting conned into taking some of their car rental insurance, as I always use a credit card which provides that as one of its perks. But they were tricky, asking if I wanted Super Gold Supreme Insurance, Basic Ok-I-Guess insurance, or the minimum. Well, of course I said to myself, the minimum. Except of course the minimum is actually not the minimum. “None, please” is the minimum. Sigh.




Highlight of the day was when we visited gramma Carolyn at her job at the Hilton, present home of Barry Manilow, who I have still not forgiven for stealing Stephen’s emmy. Candy and I both got Channukah haircuts at the local salon. Biggest danger was avoiding the crazy drunken old ladies that milled all over the casino trying to kiss babies with their crazy drunken lips. My parents had some car trouble (battery) so didn’t get into Vegas until late, so a potential multi-family dinner opportunity was lost. We did share some pastries though.