Walking on the Strip

I realized I haven't said much lately. Sorry about that. Moving is traumatic for all of us, and we're just now getting adjusted.

Today the inlaws went to see Toxic Audio. This is the last month the show will run at 6:00. After March 31, the show will be at the same place, but at 5:30 because they have put some new shows in there and shuffled some others to be a different times, including Toxic. The show, which was great to begin with, has just gotten better. I like the new costumes better, and the cast really looks like they're having a ton of fun doing the show. So I was excited for Tim's parents and sister and her family to see the show.

Meanwhile, we went to look for the "showbot"--a robot that has recently taken up residence at the Miracle Mile that advertises the show. It wasn't there today. The kids and I were disappointed. It apparently is cool enough that it's done a stint at Epcot Center, in Florida, so were were excited to see it. We'll go back another time to catch it, I suppose. We did see the Captain Jack that gets pictures with people outside the V Theater. I don't know if it's one actor or many, but he's really GOOD. Fun to watch, and gets pictures with people all the time for free. We also saw the end of the laser show. We like that--Anda dances to the music on the big dance floor under the lasers. We missed the rainstorm, but had a great time watching the construction equipment working just below the balcony outside the bathrooms.

Anyway, the kids and I didn't see the show tonight, but we were there waiting for everyone else to see (and be in) it, so we decided to walk to the M&Ms store that's just a few stops down the strip. Everyone's always carrying bags from there, so we thought it might be cool. (The other day we were watching the traveling masses pass in front of us at a light and I commented that most of these people weren't locals. Caleb said, "How do you know?" Anda said, "Is it because locals don't carry those M&Ms bags?" I looked, and sure enough, everyone crossing the street in front of us was carrying the distinctive bright yellow bags! It was funny. It was even funnier the next day when I discovered that the kids thought I had said "vocals." "None of these people are vocals." They know vocals. They had no idea what "locals" meant, nor why I would identify vocalists as their product).

What we discovered in trying to get to the M&Ms store is that everything in Vegas has been supersized. So, while the M&Ms store is just a couple of "doors" down, it's more than a mile away from the V Theater. It was an unbelievably long, hot walk. Then the store was so crowded we managed to knock all the puzzles off a shelf, and it was hot, and there wasn't anything worth looking at, unless you are a fan of kitschy fridge magnets.

Hot and tired, we went up to the food court to look for drinks. There was a Wendy's so we stood in line and ordered frosties. Just as the guy said, "7.71", Benjamin peed and it exploded out his diaper. Being a mom, I caught it in my hand. Being Pee, it escaped all over the floor and down my front. The other, clean, hand was holding $25 in cash, so I told the guy to just take that so his hands would be clean. He did. And gave me $2.29 in change. I said, "I gave you $25." He said, "You gave me a ten." I said, "I didn't even HAVE a ten!" So he took the whole $25 and gave it back to me. I said, "Now I have $27 and change, and I owe you for the frosties still." He said, "You do?" "Yes. Here's your change back." Then he was totally confused, even though I had completely negated the entire financial transaction and we were back where we started. He called the manager over, who cancelled it all and started over. "Don't you know math?!" the manager said. "NO!" the cashier said. So they rang me up again. Meanwhile, the line behind me was getting longer and the frosties were melting. They put into the computer that I gave them $25 and they were going to give me $17 or so in change. I said, "I don't have to give you $25. You're just going to give me the five back." Then I looked them each in the face and said wearily, "Never mind." and handed over the $25 and they gave me $17.29 and I took the frosties and we left.

I don't know if it was on the walk there or the walk back when we had just come to a bus stop with a bench. A tall, wiry guy suddenly jumped up and turned to the bench and said, "Watch my stuff, man. Don't let anyone take my junk!" And he dashed away. By then I was up at the bench and I looked over--and there was a bunch of little junk arranged on the bench, and an empty suit coat that completely DIDN'T match what the man had been wearing, and NO PERSON on the bench. I was glad the kids missed the whole thing. I wasn't sure how I would explain that to them!

We saw a guy who was supposed to be a living statue, but he was so busy getting pictures with people that he just looked like a silver man. There was also a couple of live M&Ms and a giant-headed Elvis down there.

We got back to the theater just at the right time, and the show was just done. Gina, who works there and is an absolute angel, had some coloring toys for the kids, so they sat down and colored quietly. Gina has been a mother's lifesaver more than once. That woman deserves a raise for how well she treats guests there. And me.

We had called ahead because we were bringing at least 13 people to a pizza place. It turned out it was a little cart in a casino. Why the lady didn't mention to me that they couldn't even SEAT 13 people because there were no seats at all was a mystery to me. We ended up at the Metro Pizza on Flamingo and Decatur, and they had GREAT pizza. Unbelievably good. The stuffed pizza was my favorite. The kids loved the cheese, pepperoni, and mushroom pizzas. All together it was good and they were extremely good with the kids, and tolerant with them running around and being messy. IT was really fun. In some ways it felt like when both families of a couple get together at the odd "everyone's here and we've already met a couple times" times in your life, like baptisms. Our Toxic family was interacting with our Jones family, and it all went pleasantly, but was really kind of odd to experience and watch. Not at all awkward, thanks to everyone being friendly and relaxed. Just odd.

Inlaws liked the show. We liked seeing them.

It was kind of an insane day, though. Oh, I forgot to mention that lunch was a picnic in the park. We were really busy all day. Now I'm really really tired.