The two best holidays (more to come) rolled up in to a neat little package referencing terms only a select few might know...and not because those select few are cool or in some secret society, but because those select few are either (multiple choice-style format, choose from the following answers, only those answers marked on your scantron will count):
a) First Year Students in a College of Veterinary Medicine
b) Delirious from studying Phys II Renal Physiology for 5 hours
c) I don't understand the question
d) Both a and b are possible answers
Hint: the answer is really secret choice answer E! It turns out it doesn't matter what you think the answer is it's some obscure term/phrase/diagram/muscle/action/tissue you did not study. Wah wah.
Nevertheless, you may still continue reading this blogpost. I assure you it will cheer you up. It would cheer the world up if only they all could see it...or at least that's what I choose to believe. It happened late one night in Old Phys. We were studying Renal Physiology a la Dr. J.P. McCann...
Suddenly, Albumin appeared! Don't you know who Albumin is? Albumin haunts me in my dreams, greets me at the door when I come home, waves hello in the halls at school and is on the forefront of seemingly every conversation taking place in our little CVHS world. And yet, it very much feels like Albumin just IS. Albumin needs no introduction. Albumin comes with no instructions or cute little anecdote. Albumin takes no prisoners...a no holds barred kinda guy. Actually, technically, I guess Albumin would take prisoners but we shant go in to that at this time. Anyway, Albumin just IS. No one really talks of what or who Albumin is they just reference Albumin as if we should already know Albumin on a first name basis. Kinda like, "Oh yeah, Albumin, we go way back. Used to hang out after school, snack on a Fun Dip and a dirt cup, play some foursquare. No biggie. Albumin is legit."
Well, regardless of who this Albumin fellow might be, he has reached levels of notoreity I don't even think Dr. McCann could top. We've decided to be Albumin and related structures pertaining to the glomerular basement membrane, like the lamina densa and podocytes, for Halloween...next year. A group of us would get together and be Al-Boo!-min (I actually just came up with this like 20 minutes ago and decided I simply must blog before I forget it!) and dress up in sumo suits and then we'd have people wandering around with chicken wire acting as the lamina densa not allowing us in to a party or room or wherever because we're too big to pass through the filtration barrier and then we'd have other people like holding hands acting as the interdigitating podocytes with filtration slits and a filtration slit membrane! Omg how funny would that be?! Choose from the following (same format as before):
a) Not very
b) I just almost peed myself I'm laughing so hard
c) I don't understand the question
d) I'm still confused about the first question
Answer: (b), obviously. There is no secret answer choice E on this one because it is straight forward and asks you about stuff you actually studied. Score!
Now on to Christmas, which I really only reference because it's close to Christmas but really this word could be used year-round. The word is Cribriform. As in cribriform plate or area cribrosa. They both imply a holey surface...one is in the brain and is part of the olfactory system and the other has to do with the papilla of the kidney. Annnyyywayyy, if one were to replace the word "holey/holy/holier/holiest/hole" with cribriform one would find that laughter soon follows. For example, "Oh, Holy Night" becomes "Oh, Cribriform night." "I dug a hole in the ground" becomes "I dug a cribriform in the ground." "I have a hole in my pocket" becomes "I have a cribriform in my pocket." You get the idea, right?! Also HI-LAR-I-OUS!!! Fo' sho'!
One last anecdote...it's really fun to replace words in rap songs with terms we use too. For example, Fiddy's (50 cent) "P.I.M.P" song can easily be turned in to "c.A.M.P." You're welcome.
11.05.2013
10.29.2013
Los Geckos!
This post will be yet another glimpse in to the laughable moments often experienced in the lab at school (I know, it's all relative). As you know from my last post, #vetschoolproblems, I know approximately 13 of my 82 classmates. Of those 13, five are in my anatomy group otherwise known as VAP 11: Los Geckos! The brilliance of Los Geckos must be explained first and foremost. There are six of us in the group. The first letters of our last names, when put together, actually spell Geckos. Freaking. Cool. I believe Mallory came up with this name. Mallory is a genius. At any rate, the "Los" was added by Senor Stein in an attempt to liven up the atmosphere I assume. I believe it worked. I plan on wearing my jammypack and a sombrero and playing Latin music while consuming a virgin margarita (bc I'll be on campus and we don't want to break any rules) during the last anatomy lab session. It'll be a hit I'm sure.
Over the last 2.5 mos I've spent a lot of time with these ladies. I tend to make mental notes of funny things about people and/or interesting facts. These are my observations about my Geckos groupies...Sara is a killer baker. Rachel likes to give our animals names and bring them to life. Mallory is so quiet I often wonder if she's a spy for another school. Miranda has a really contagious laugh. We all appreciate inappropriate jokes. And then there's Delaina. Delaina is wonderful. Delaina likes to sing-speak. What do I mean by sing-speak? Well, instead of simply saying something like "omotransversarius" in a normal, spoken voice as one might use during conversation, Delaina likes to add just a hint of melody and ever so slightly sing or maybe even chant that same word. She often gives it a bit of rhythm and, if she's really excited about the word, will even throw her hands up in the air as if lifting something just above her head, eyes to the ceiling and sing-speak-proclaim the same word.
Spot. On. Haha oh man it kills me. Everyday I just wait to hear something new. And she often doesn't even really know she's doing it. I almost think she should make a CD. It would be really easy to do bc she'd really only be kind of sing-speaking the names of muscles or bones or nerves or blood vessels. It could be a learning CD for veterinary students. I bet it'd sell like hotcakes. I'm on it.
Over the last 2.5 mos I've spent a lot of time with these ladies. I tend to make mental notes of funny things about people and/or interesting facts. These are my observations about my Geckos groupies...Sara is a killer baker. Rachel likes to give our animals names and bring them to life. Mallory is so quiet I often wonder if she's a spy for another school. Miranda has a really contagious laugh. We all appreciate inappropriate jokes. And then there's Delaina. Delaina is wonderful. Delaina likes to sing-speak. What do I mean by sing-speak? Well, instead of simply saying something like "omotransversarius" in a normal, spoken voice as one might use during conversation, Delaina likes to add just a hint of melody and ever so slightly sing or maybe even chant that same word. She often gives it a bit of rhythm and, if she's really excited about the word, will even throw her hands up in the air as if lifting something just above her head, eyes to the ceiling and sing-speak-proclaim the same word.
 |
| "Omotransversarius!" |
And Dr. Lloyd continues to provide us with laughs in Phys I. Today she posted this picture in the lower-right-hand corner of a slide. She sort of snuck it in, briefly commented about it and then moved on. Haha. Adorbs.
The End.
10.24.2013
#vetschoolproblems
Wow! I can't believe my last post was in January of this year! That feels like a lifetime ago. I guess it kinda is...I'm now living in Stillwater, going to school for what feels like 7 days a week, sleeping never, hanging out with all kinds of different animals, learning more than I ever thought I could, meeting a bazillion new people and continually facing one or more humbling experiences day-after-day. I also happen to be dating this guy who's kinda awesome in every respect. But I miss my girlfriends, family, dogs...everything about normal life.
It's been quite a journey since January 2013 and, likely due to my old age, I can really only remember today. Actually, I suppose I'm not that old but it's been fun joking about it with one of my new vet school friends...who's the ripe old age of 22. We joke about my hearing, my old lady habits and general old lady-ness. You know, the usual...my hip hurts when it's cold, I eat at 500p and really enjoy the cafeteria, I go to bed at 930 or 1000p, if at all possible. Honestly, though, these are sound choices. Who isn't hungry at 500p?! And who doesn't like a nice selection of meats, veggies, breads and desserts at a reasonable price?! And what I wouldn't do to go to bed at 930 omg! I envy my dogs, they get to sleep all day. Alas, my studies beckon and sleep takes a backseat.
But these youngins' really keep me on my toes. They use terms like "pre-gaming." I thought this meant you hung out before a game...like football. As in, "There's a game Saturday we should hang out pre-game - have some food and drinks and then walk over to the stadium." Instead this means, "There is no game, it's a Tuesday and we're drinking before we go out to the bars." When I was their age we simply called that "pre-partying." Times, they are a changing. And I enjoy hearing about the fact that it's now taking them longer to recover from said "pre-gaming" and "gaming" nights. Just wait til you're 29, I say. Just you wait.
I suppose I do actually have some wisdom and foresight to offer seeing as how I have about 7 yrs of experience in life more than most of them. This wisdom often comes in the form of observations about life and factual statements about said observations. For instance, the other day I was in the presence of a classmate and stated with confidence while filling the water bucket for one of the horses under our charge that the water was either on or off there was no in between. I could tell she was moved. You don't get that wise after a mere 23 yrs. Just sayin'.
And although I'm still working on getting to know everyone...I believe I'm up to about 13 of the 82 in my class...I know I'll get there eventually. I believe I've found a good group of people to hang out with and those that I have yet to meet I'm sure I'll like too. Some I've met and, as of this moment, find to be a tad bit exhausting but that's probably because they have more energy than I do. Most of the world does. I think I am part of a fairly eclectic class, though. We've got people from both coasts and everywhere in between, horse people, small animal people, exotics people, don't-know-what-they're-doing-yet people, short people and incredibly tall people. Like I'm talking really tall. So tall they tower over a draft horse (this means that they are really tall). I could see most of their bust while I could only see reaching hands with brushes from everyone else. A bit unsettling these floating brush hands.
That being said I've already gotten the opportunity to experience some pretty cool new things and, surprisingly, I find myself totally digging large animals! Don't get me wrong, I still love dogs (and the occasional cat) but I could get used to working with horses, cattle, sheep, goats and pigs! Note to self: invent some sort of bubble device to wear around your feet in the guaranteed event you get stepped on by said large animal. I got stepped on today by a horse named Newbie. Newbie was a tad grouchy today for whatever reason and one thing led to another and he stepped on my big left toe...which is now even bigger. And blueish purpleish. And it hurts kinda. And I have to wear open-toed shoes to a wedding on Saturday. Awesome. Oh well. #vetschoolproblems
I've met a heifer named Buttercup, a sheep named Eleanore, a pig named Stiletto, a Belgian named Trixie, held adorable baby piglets and goats, been amongst baby cows, milked dairy cows and castrated a goat. All-in-all I'd say it's been one heck of a ride and it's just getting started. I'm applying for an overnight ICU position with the large animal clinic, which I'm really excited about, and I hope to start going over to the hospital more often so I don't forget what live animals look like.
It's also a good idea to keep me busy so I don't buy every single shirt/pullover/hoodie/jacket/headband/wristband/keychain/cooler/bumper sticker/pair of underwear/socks/dog collar/pencil/stethoscope/screensaver/smartphone case/pair of sunglasses that clubs in school are selling to raise money for their members to do wetlabs and have speakers, etc. I swear it's like they wait until just the right moment when we're weak and tired and then they pass the sheets around peddling all sorts of OSU-CVHS paraphernalia. The problem is, I like almost all of them! They've got t-shirts with horses on them and koozies with clever sayings and pants with funny drawings and hats with cute phrases. To be honest, if I had unlimited funding I'd probably buy them all...you know so I'd have an outfit for every day of every week of every month for the four years I'm in school. Like I did with my sorority haha. Not really but same idea. My favorite one thus far truly made me LOL. It said the following, "I found this humerus." And then it had a picture of a humerus bone. Hahahahahaha. I died laughing. So. Funny. I'm dying laughing now. Truth.
It's also surprising the amount of humor we, as a class of nerds, tend to find in our daily grind. For instance, the other day we were shown a video of a macrophage chasing a bacterium. You'd think we were watching a new puppy chase a ball or a small child chase a ball or a kitten chase a ball. No. No. We were watching a microscopic macrophage chase a bacterium. Would macrophage catch bacterium? Would bacterium slip through the cracks and escape certain death? Would this video be better enjoyed if it were put to music? A resounding YES to the latter! Obviously it would but you'll have to watch the video to see the fate of macrophage v bacterium (Macrophage v Bacterium). Spoiler alert: macrophage wins. Anyway, when macrophage engulfed bacterium there was a sigh of relief and what felt like an impending standing ovation for macrophage. We were truly thrilled for macrophage. We, as a group, are not the coolest. #teammacrophage
All-in-all, I'd say things are going well. Here's to those who helped me get here, those who are helping me stay here and those who have yet to help. Can't wait to keep learning and experiencing new things every single day! #vetschoolfun
It's been quite a journey since January 2013 and, likely due to my old age, I can really only remember today. Actually, I suppose I'm not that old but it's been fun joking about it with one of my new vet school friends...who's the ripe old age of 22. We joke about my hearing, my old lady habits and general old lady-ness. You know, the usual...my hip hurts when it's cold, I eat at 500p and really enjoy the cafeteria, I go to bed at 930 or 1000p, if at all possible. Honestly, though, these are sound choices. Who isn't hungry at 500p?! And who doesn't like a nice selection of meats, veggies, breads and desserts at a reasonable price?! And what I wouldn't do to go to bed at 930 omg! I envy my dogs, they get to sleep all day. Alas, my studies beckon and sleep takes a backseat.
But these youngins' really keep me on my toes. They use terms like "pre-gaming." I thought this meant you hung out before a game...like football. As in, "There's a game Saturday we should hang out pre-game - have some food and drinks and then walk over to the stadium." Instead this means, "There is no game, it's a Tuesday and we're drinking before we go out to the bars." When I was their age we simply called that "pre-partying." Times, they are a changing. And I enjoy hearing about the fact that it's now taking them longer to recover from said "pre-gaming" and "gaming" nights. Just wait til you're 29, I say. Just you wait.
I suppose I do actually have some wisdom and foresight to offer seeing as how I have about 7 yrs of experience in life more than most of them. This wisdom often comes in the form of observations about life and factual statements about said observations. For instance, the other day I was in the presence of a classmate and stated with confidence while filling the water bucket for one of the horses under our charge that the water was either on or off there was no in between. I could tell she was moved. You don't get that wise after a mere 23 yrs. Just sayin'.
And although I'm still working on getting to know everyone...I believe I'm up to about 13 of the 82 in my class...I know I'll get there eventually. I believe I've found a good group of people to hang out with and those that I have yet to meet I'm sure I'll like too. Some I've met and, as of this moment, find to be a tad bit exhausting but that's probably because they have more energy than I do. Most of the world does. I think I am part of a fairly eclectic class, though. We've got people from both coasts and everywhere in between, horse people, small animal people, exotics people, don't-know-what-they're-doing-yet people, short people and incredibly tall people. Like I'm talking really tall. So tall they tower over a draft horse (this means that they are really tall). I could see most of their bust while I could only see reaching hands with brushes from everyone else. A bit unsettling these floating brush hands.
That being said I've already gotten the opportunity to experience some pretty cool new things and, surprisingly, I find myself totally digging large animals! Don't get me wrong, I still love dogs (and the occasional cat) but I could get used to working with horses, cattle, sheep, goats and pigs! Note to self: invent some sort of bubble device to wear around your feet in the guaranteed event you get stepped on by said large animal. I got stepped on today by a horse named Newbie. Newbie was a tad grouchy today for whatever reason and one thing led to another and he stepped on my big left toe...which is now even bigger. And blueish purpleish. And it hurts kinda. And I have to wear open-toed shoes to a wedding on Saturday. Awesome. Oh well. #vetschoolproblems
I've met a heifer named Buttercup, a sheep named Eleanore, a pig named Stiletto, a Belgian named Trixie, held adorable baby piglets and goats, been amongst baby cows, milked dairy cows and castrated a goat. All-in-all I'd say it's been one heck of a ride and it's just getting started. I'm applying for an overnight ICU position with the large animal clinic, which I'm really excited about, and I hope to start going over to the hospital more often so I don't forget what live animals look like.
It's also a good idea to keep me busy so I don't buy every single shirt/pullover/hoodie/jacket/headband/wristband/keychain/cooler/bumper sticker/pair of underwear/socks/dog collar/pencil/stethoscope/screensaver/smartphone case/pair of sunglasses that clubs in school are selling to raise money for their members to do wetlabs and have speakers, etc. I swear it's like they wait until just the right moment when we're weak and tired and then they pass the sheets around peddling all sorts of OSU-CVHS paraphernalia. The problem is, I like almost all of them! They've got t-shirts with horses on them and koozies with clever sayings and pants with funny drawings and hats with cute phrases. To be honest, if I had unlimited funding I'd probably buy them all...you know so I'd have an outfit for every day of every week of every month for the four years I'm in school. Like I did with my sorority haha. Not really but same idea. My favorite one thus far truly made me LOL. It said the following, "I found this humerus." And then it had a picture of a humerus bone. Hahahahahaha. I died laughing. So. Funny. I'm dying laughing now. Truth.
It's also surprising the amount of humor we, as a class of nerds, tend to find in our daily grind. For instance, the other day we were shown a video of a macrophage chasing a bacterium. You'd think we were watching a new puppy chase a ball or a small child chase a ball or a kitten chase a ball. No. No. We were watching a microscopic macrophage chase a bacterium. Would macrophage catch bacterium? Would bacterium slip through the cracks and escape certain death? Would this video be better enjoyed if it were put to music? A resounding YES to the latter! Obviously it would but you'll have to watch the video to see the fate of macrophage v bacterium (Macrophage v Bacterium). Spoiler alert: macrophage wins. Anyway, when macrophage engulfed bacterium there was a sigh of relief and what felt like an impending standing ovation for macrophage. We were truly thrilled for macrophage. We, as a group, are not the coolest. #teammacrophage
All-in-all, I'd say things are going well. Here's to those who helped me get here, those who are helping me stay here and those who have yet to help. Can't wait to keep learning and experiencing new things every single day! #vetschoolfun
1.13.2013
Eat. Drink. Vegas.
I love Vegas. The thought of Vegas warms my heart and brings a giant smile to my face. I've had so many good visits and created so many memories there that probably couldn't be created anywhere else in the world. Vegas is so uniquely awesome you just have to experience it for yourself if you've never been. Each trip takes on its own identity and life that you really can't ever plan for Vegas other than by packing enough of a variety of clothing, shoes and accessories and cash to cover any of a number of situations. This particular trip was no different.
My friend Big Kate, a name she took on when we were in the throwes of sorority life at KSU back in the day on account of she was my Mom/Big and I was her Dot/Lil, is a professional event planner for Bayer. She gets to go to lots of neat places (and some not so neat places) to plan conferences or events for the employees of Bayer. Over the years I've met her in various places around the country...Nashville, Chicago, Vegas. This was actually our second trip to Vegas and I was very much in need of Big Kate time and Vegas time so the timing was perfect! She's recently engaged so we had much to discuss, especially since I have yet to meet the future Mr. Big Kate. However, after a wonderful text response from said fiance on NYE in light of the fact that Kate had already passed out and couldn't respond to my text, I already suspect he's a keeper and perfect for BK. More on him later. The short version of why Kate was in Vegas centers around this Potato Royale event that was going on and I think Bayer was a sponsor (I've slept and drank more between now and when Kate and I had the convo re: why she was in Vegas). The signs for the Potato Royale were all 007-ey. I suspect this was an attempt to cool up the event which, while I know nothing about it, is obviously about potatoes and I just don't know that potatoes and the people that work with them or around them are all that cool. I'm not really judging because I was an accountant in a past life and we often threw events that we thought were way cooler than they really were because we totally geeked out on accounting. I suspect the same is true for these potato geeks. At any rate, the PR is what brought Kate to Vegas and thus me to Vegas.
My first few hours were spent unsupervised as Kate had to work. This was not a good idea. I quickly headed to Munchbar and grabbed a salad w/ tomatoes, banana and cherry peppers, feta, red onions, grilled steak and balsamic vinaigrette and 3 sides of vodka sodas w/ lime. The meat wasn't any good but the rest of it was! I love banana and cherry peppers and I don't often find them on salads so that was a nice surprise indeed. I don't know exactly how long I was at this little restaurant before I wandered out into the casino and quickly threw away a couple hundred bucks on Sex and The City slots. Damn my love for SATC and my being a sucker for the flashy lights and lure of the possibility of winning big money!
Once Kate was done working we got ready to go out. She had made reservations at Tao, which is Asian food but really really good Asian food. They're well-known for their Giant Fortune Cookie w/ chocolate and white chocolate mousses as filling. Yes, we ordered one. Yes, it lived up to the hype. The cookie part was even good! It seemed like it was freshly baked - not hard and stick-to-your-teeth like the ones you get from carry-out restaurants. It came with a side of fresh fruit and a chocolate drizzle. We ordered the tuna tartare w/ crispy rice squares as an app. It was unbelievably delicious. Our main courses were the Lobster Pad Thai and the Miso-glazed Chilean Sea Bass with grilled veggies and a flight of cold Sake. I've only ever had hot Sake but these were really premium Sakes so they were really quite nice to sip on while eating and were very effective because I remember at one point looking across the table at Kate and thinking to myself, What the heck are we talking about and how long have we been talking about it and what did I just say? No lie. We also had had a couple of cocktails at the bar before being seated and I still had the three vodka sodas from lunch in my belly so it's no wonder really.
After a lovely, three plus hour dinner we headed back to our room for some shut eye so we could tackle the next day and night. Friday we awoke and had a quick bite to eat at Starbucks before heading to The Fashion Mall. Kate needed some new yoga pants and I'd never been to that mall so it sounded like a good idea. Plus, we were both in need of a good walk and some fresh air. Surprisingly, it was quite chilly in the desert! And windy! It was definitely coat and gloves weather. After shopping we headed to the Wynn because Kate had never been inside. It's very pretty, as most of the interiors are, and decorated with lots of fresh flowers and brightly-colored tile inserts in the floors.
It was about time for lunch so we headed to La Cave - a classy wine bar that serves tapas located inside one of the many wings of the Wynn. It was fabulous! And expensive! But mostly fabulous! Kate enjoyed a few glasses of wine while I enjoyed a Bloody Mary and a couple more vodka sodas. We ordered three tapas and shared - the warm, salt-roasted beets with melted goat cheese and pistachios, the mixed greens w/ shaved goat cheese, farmed onions and yogurt vinaigrette and the steak, mushroom and bleu cheese flatbread w/ carmelized onions. Holy balls they were divine! And approximately three hours later we were done eating and visiting and drinking and had racked up a $125 bill so we decided it was time to head back to the room. On our way we stopped by Walgreens and picked up vodka and club soda for room drinks. We were now ready to get ready!
We turned on some PJs (party jams) and got ready to go out. We made reservations at Comme Ca, a French restaurant inside the newest hotel on The Strip - The Cosmopolitan, which is very Mad Men and very cool. It will definitely be where I stay next time I'm in Vegas. It was filled w/ chandeliers and swing bands and over-the-top wall coverings and floorings and furniture. Very cool and hip and young. Comme Ca is located on the third floor of the hotel so you have a very good view of The Strip and all its bright lights and glory. We ordered a Raspberry/Lemon Drop and Cosmo for cocktails and then had one glass of white wine each with dinner on account of our three or four vodka sodas in the room. We are trouble. Anyway, they brought out crusty mini-baguettes which were warm and perfectly chewy. We ordered escargots for an app. I'd never had them before but I'm always up for trying new things and turns out they were delish! Kate ordered the mussels w/ Chorizo and spicy tomato broth while I ordered a side called The Forager and an app of calamari. The Forager was warmed cremini mushrooms, arugula and carmelized onions and came in a tiny little Dutch oven. The calamari, well, it wasn't what you typically think of when you think of calamari. It was totally delish, grilled and came with a cracked caper sauce. Yum. I'll let the pics speak for themselves.
So three hours later we were done visiting and eating and drinking. We were walking back through the Bellagio when we were approached by a manager for The Bank nightclub. He gave us his card and said the club opened at 1030p. We'd get in for free and there was an "open bar" until midnight. We kind of jumped at the idea but we already fading so we thought if we were going to try and go we'd need another drink in us to keep us awake. We stopped by Fix and grabbed a vodka soda, chit chatted some more and then called it a night. LOL. We didn't even attempt to go to The Bank we were just too tired and full of rich, French food. And we're probably too old to be clubbing with the youngins' in Vegas anyway. We headed back to Caesar's to climb into our warm beds and go to sleep.
I found that our night chatter was just as entertaining, if not more so, than our day chatter. Friday night's topic of discussion was living with a guy and having farting contests. Apparently this is what happens when you've been dating for a while and then move in together. Romance goes out the window. Moral of the story, Kate maintains she was not the first to fart in the relationship, Ben was. However, her first release of gas was when she was asleep, which then woke her up but she quickly closed her eyes and pretended she didn't know it happened and that it didn't wake her up. Awesome. Just awesome. She cracks me up.
So another successful trip to Vegas under my belt and a good catch-up visit with Kate. Add in some beautiful pics from the clouds on my way into Vegas, out of Boise and in to Denver and it was pretty much a perfect trip.
My friend Big Kate, a name she took on when we were in the throwes of sorority life at KSU back in the day on account of she was my Mom/Big and I was her Dot/Lil, is a professional event planner for Bayer. She gets to go to lots of neat places (and some not so neat places) to plan conferences or events for the employees of Bayer. Over the years I've met her in various places around the country...Nashville, Chicago, Vegas. This was actually our second trip to Vegas and I was very much in need of Big Kate time and Vegas time so the timing was perfect! She's recently engaged so we had much to discuss, especially since I have yet to meet the future Mr. Big Kate. However, after a wonderful text response from said fiance on NYE in light of the fact that Kate had already passed out and couldn't respond to my text, I already suspect he's a keeper and perfect for BK. More on him later. The short version of why Kate was in Vegas centers around this Potato Royale event that was going on and I think Bayer was a sponsor (I've slept and drank more between now and when Kate and I had the convo re: why she was in Vegas). The signs for the Potato Royale were all 007-ey. I suspect this was an attempt to cool up the event which, while I know nothing about it, is obviously about potatoes and I just don't know that potatoes and the people that work with them or around them are all that cool. I'm not really judging because I was an accountant in a past life and we often threw events that we thought were way cooler than they really were because we totally geeked out on accounting. I suspect the same is true for these potato geeks. At any rate, the PR is what brought Kate to Vegas and thus me to Vegas.
My first few hours were spent unsupervised as Kate had to work. This was not a good idea. I quickly headed to Munchbar and grabbed a salad w/ tomatoes, banana and cherry peppers, feta, red onions, grilled steak and balsamic vinaigrette and 3 sides of vodka sodas w/ lime. The meat wasn't any good but the rest of it was! I love banana and cherry peppers and I don't often find them on salads so that was a nice surprise indeed. I don't know exactly how long I was at this little restaurant before I wandered out into the casino and quickly threw away a couple hundred bucks on Sex and The City slots. Damn my love for SATC and my being a sucker for the flashy lights and lure of the possibility of winning big money!
Once Kate was done working we got ready to go out. She had made reservations at Tao, which is Asian food but really really good Asian food. They're well-known for their Giant Fortune Cookie w/ chocolate and white chocolate mousses as filling. Yes, we ordered one. Yes, it lived up to the hype. The cookie part was even good! It seemed like it was freshly baked - not hard and stick-to-your-teeth like the ones you get from carry-out restaurants. It came with a side of fresh fruit and a chocolate drizzle. We ordered the tuna tartare w/ crispy rice squares as an app. It was unbelievably delicious. Our main courses were the Lobster Pad Thai and the Miso-glazed Chilean Sea Bass with grilled veggies and a flight of cold Sake. I've only ever had hot Sake but these were really premium Sakes so they were really quite nice to sip on while eating and were very effective because I remember at one point looking across the table at Kate and thinking to myself, What the heck are we talking about and how long have we been talking about it and what did I just say? No lie. We also had had a couple of cocktails at the bar before being seated and I still had the three vodka sodas from lunch in my belly so it's no wonder really.
After a lovely, three plus hour dinner we headed back to our room for some shut eye so we could tackle the next day and night. Friday we awoke and had a quick bite to eat at Starbucks before heading to The Fashion Mall. Kate needed some new yoga pants and I'd never been to that mall so it sounded like a good idea. Plus, we were both in need of a good walk and some fresh air. Surprisingly, it was quite chilly in the desert! And windy! It was definitely coat and gloves weather. After shopping we headed to the Wynn because Kate had never been inside. It's very pretty, as most of the interiors are, and decorated with lots of fresh flowers and brightly-colored tile inserts in the floors.
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| Kate and her classy pink cowboy hat. |
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| A slot game I played in the Wynn. All in Espanol! |
It was about time for lunch so we headed to La Cave - a classy wine bar that serves tapas located inside one of the many wings of the Wynn. It was fabulous! And expensive! But mostly fabulous! Kate enjoyed a few glasses of wine while I enjoyed a Bloody Mary and a couple more vodka sodas. We ordered three tapas and shared - the warm, salt-roasted beets with melted goat cheese and pistachios, the mixed greens w/ shaved goat cheese, farmed onions and yogurt vinaigrette and the steak, mushroom and bleu cheese flatbread w/ carmelized onions. Holy balls they were divine! And approximately three hours later we were done eating and visiting and drinking and had racked up a $125 bill so we decided it was time to head back to the room. On our way we stopped by Walgreens and picked up vodka and club soda for room drinks. We were now ready to get ready!
We turned on some PJs (party jams) and got ready to go out. We made reservations at Comme Ca, a French restaurant inside the newest hotel on The Strip - The Cosmopolitan, which is very Mad Men and very cool. It will definitely be where I stay next time I'm in Vegas. It was filled w/ chandeliers and swing bands and over-the-top wall coverings and floorings and furniture. Very cool and hip and young. Comme Ca is located on the third floor of the hotel so you have a very good view of The Strip and all its bright lights and glory. We ordered a Raspberry/Lemon Drop and Cosmo for cocktails and then had one glass of white wine each with dinner on account of our three or four vodka sodas in the room. We are trouble. Anyway, they brought out crusty mini-baguettes which were warm and perfectly chewy. We ordered escargots for an app. I'd never had them before but I'm always up for trying new things and turns out they were delish! Kate ordered the mussels w/ Chorizo and spicy tomato broth while I ordered a side called The Forager and an app of calamari. The Forager was warmed cremini mushrooms, arugula and carmelized onions and came in a tiny little Dutch oven. The calamari, well, it wasn't what you typically think of when you think of calamari. It was totally delish, grilled and came with a cracked caper sauce. Yum. I'll let the pics speak for themselves.
I found that our night chatter was just as entertaining, if not more so, than our day chatter. Friday night's topic of discussion was living with a guy and having farting contests. Apparently this is what happens when you've been dating for a while and then move in together. Romance goes out the window. Moral of the story, Kate maintains she was not the first to fart in the relationship, Ben was. However, her first release of gas was when she was asleep, which then woke her up but she quickly closed her eyes and pretended she didn't know it happened and that it didn't wake her up. Awesome. Just awesome. She cracks me up.
So another successful trip to Vegas under my belt and a good catch-up visit with Kate. Add in some beautiful pics from the clouds on my way into Vegas, out of Boise and in to Denver and it was pretty much a perfect trip.
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