Journal Entry for Wednesday, Nov 9th

Buca de Beppo Waiting on Dinner Today Jim and Patrick came over for some wine and conversation before heading to the Strip for dinner and a show. Patrick treated us all to dinner at Buca de Beppo’s, a “funky” Italian ‘chain’ restaurant that is one of his favorites. Though we had an unfortunate experience with the service, the ‘huge’ portions of food, meant to be shared and served family-style, perfect for passing around the table, were very good.  The calamari, coated in zesty breading was fried to  perfection and served with spicy marinara sauce, was the most tender I’ve had in a long time. We all thought the lasagna was excellent, however, the meatballs and spaghetti was just average. Now this is a Sundae! The highlight of the meal was dessert. We opted to share the colossal brownie sundae. Twelve decadent chunks of freshly-baked brownies layered with six scoops of vanilla bean and chocolate ice cream, topped with caramel and chocolate sauces then buried in mounds of whipped cream and topped with a cherry! We were bummed, Connie got the cherry. After dinner we all headed over to the Hilton Casino to see the Greg London show, Impressions That Rock. It wasn’t quite as polished at Patrick was hoping for, however the rest of us really enjoyed. It was a great way to top off a nice day of sharing with good friends. Again, we thank Patrick for treating.

Journal Entry for Tuesday, Nov 8th

Dinner at Luxor Cafe Today we lounged around playing on the computer, reading, watching TV, etc. until mid-afternoon, at which point we finally showered, dressed and headed to the Strip to meet Jim and Patrick for dinner. First, we stopped at Ellis Island where we both had $10 free slot play. Then we headed over to the Palms where Connie had $10 more dollars in free slot play. Connie played slots and I played poker while we waited for Jim to text us with dinner info. Even though we both won money at Ellis Island, we ended up loosing at the Palms. As they were spending a the night at the Luxor, we ended up meeting them for a light dinner at the Pyramid Café. Connie had pancakes, Jim and Patrick both had hamburgers, and I had the chicken pot pie. This was the second time I’ve had this dinner selection, and, as usual, it was excellent. We made plans for Wednesday and then all went our separate ways for the remainder of the evening.

Journal Entry for Sunday, Nov 6th

Brunch With Jim & Patrick After picking up Jim Herring and Patrick at the airport on Friday evening, they took Saturday to run some errands, take care of some things around his house, get in a little gambling and carousing on the Strip, and to take a nightime helicopter ride over the Strip. Today we had them over to our place for a champagne brunch. We started with mimosas and a fruit cup topped with a dollop of French Vanilla ice cream and accompanied with a fresh baked pumpkin bread that Connie had made. For the main course we chowed down on eggs, garlic browned potatoes, bacon, and English muffins, accompanied by coffee and refills on mimosas. After a nice long leisurely breakfast, we retired to the living room for a few more hours of relaxing conversation. It is always nice to spend time with good friends. After making some dinner plans for later in the week and reservations to go see Greg London’s “Impressions That Rock!” at the Las Vegas Hilton, they headed out for a stop at Ethel M’s Chocolate Factory before returning back to Jim’s house. Click on picture to enlarge.

Journal Entry for Friday, Nov 4th

Tower Heist From a low of 43 degrees this morning, to a high of 63 this afternoon with partly cloudy skies, it was just one more very nice “fall” day. After lunch at home, we went to see the movie Tower Heist, a comedy caper about working stiffs who seek revenge on the Wall Street swindler who stiffed them, starring Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy. Workers at a luxury Central Park condominium, they discover that the penthouse billionaire has stolen all of their retirement monies. They seek revenge by plotting a break-in of his penthouse and a heist to reclaim what he took from them. Though a little weak in places, overall we thought it was a fun movie with a very good cast. After all, isn't that why one goes to the movies - to be entertained? We give it 3-1/2 Stars. Before returning home, after the movie we headed over to the “M” Resort for a little gambling action and dinner. I won $350 in the poker room. Later in the evening, I went to the airport to pick up Jim Herring and his friend Patrick, who will be in town for the next week.