HORSEPOWER & HEELS

My trip originally was supposed to start tomorrow, since all of my other coworkers are arriving Saturday, but since the NHRA race was in town this weekend, I wanted to catch some racing before all the work begins.

I had the first flight out of Huntsville this morning at 5:55am. I live an hour from the Huntsville airport, which means that with allowing one hour check in and security time, meant I had to leave my house at an ungodly 4am. Being the night owl that I am, that's not a pretty sight for me.

I made it through to my connecting flight in Cincinnati and all the way to Las Vegas relatively trouble-free. I've never seen the west coast really, so I was a little surprised at what the landscape really looks like.... a cityscape plucked in the center of a giant baseball diamond. There is nothing green... foliage, trees, grass, nothing... to be seen from the air. They aren't kidding... it really is a desert! Its like it just pops out of nowhere.

The AH-HA moment aside, I land and start to try and figure out my ground transport issue. I had hoped to catch a ride with a fellow Nitromater straight to the track, but never got my plans set with all the craziness from work. That left me grabbing my luggage and hailing a taxi to my hotel, since the company wasn't providing rentals for our trip.

Another new experience.... I've never hailed a taxi before. And what an experience it was! The taxi cue line rivaled a Disney cue, minus the fans, cue line estimates, cheesy music and misting water sprays. An hour wait, and I'm headed to the Tuscany Hotel. Unfortunately, it also meant that the racetrack was out of the question, because by the time I pay the airport taxi to take me to my hotel, check in, leave luggage and get another taxi to the outskirts of Vegas for the track, it would be astronomical fares and midway through the day. I've got a racecar to build and I'm on a budget....

The hotel seems pretty nice... not one of the high-rises that you hear all about, its more of a suites resort in old-Italian theme, and not located on the Strip. Its closer to the LVCC, where the NAB show will begin on Monday. Not eating all day, I was starving, and have no transportation. I thought about walking a few blocks to the hotels I can see from my room-- the Mirage, Harrah's, the Imperial Palace-- to check things out, but then, I had a strange encounter that officially freaked me out.

Maybe its been that I've lived in the bible-belted South too long now, and have come to expect my very southernly hospitable neighbors, or maybe I'm just going soft... but when a man comes up to me as I'm walking to my building and tells me that I have "Very pretty toes" and then tries to touch my feet while rambling about my "exquisite foot bottoms", I am a little freaked out.

This guy was no Mr. Deeds-butler-Emilio type. And the worse part? I really need an pedicure right now, so I'm even more mortified that this man is drawing attention to my little piggies!

Debating whether I wanted to deliver my little piggies swiftly up his rear, I opted instead to cry wee-wee-weeeee all the way to my hotel room. I am now held hostage in my room by foot-freak, and scared to walk the street alone to get something to eat. Welcome to Las Vegas!

Up since 4am, no racing, no food, no entertainment-- and trapped within the confines of my room. I'm MAJORLY bummed. My coworkers arrive tomorrow, hopefully it will be a better day!

PS.... I've been in Vegas all day and have yet to play my first SLOT! Time to yank a nearby handle and hope for the best! C'mon JACKPOT! Lets make this trip memorable!