My blow-by-blow account ... finally ...

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This posting is from: annie
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Sorry this is late, gang. I actually started writing this as I was
sitting in the airport Sunday after DLV waiting for the flight. I've
been working on it off and on since. I also caught what Densie appeared
to have, and I've been feeling really yucky since DLV. I actually had
to go to the Dr. last week because of it. :( Anyway ...

Overall, this was about the smoothest DLV I can remember. Very few
issues or problems, low maintenance and very relaxing. :)

Anyway, here's my blow-by-blow account ...
. . . . .

Saturday, May 1: I flew in early semi-unexpectedly, so I attended the
informal unofficial pre-pre-pre-DLV get-together on Saturday evening.

Although I was fashionably late, a bit after 7, as I had stopped at
Kinko's to copy some junk, I didn't see any familiar faces right away,
so I played a bit in the San Remo and lost. :(

At about 7:45 I looked again and saw Tootsye and Nora, so I went up and
joined the group.

All of a sudden I felt some large hands massaging my sholders. "I'll
give you just 25 years to stop that!" :) I turned around and it was
Steve ("Tiny Bubbles") Daly who was just out of the early show.

He got a few of our people some comp tickets to the later show. Thanks,
Tiny! :)
. . . . .

Sunday, May 2: Let's see ... I'm sure I woke up. Yep, I did, but don't
remember it. I think I had breakfast, but don't remember it. :) I do
remember meeting Densie and Tony in the casino just before it was time
to take off to Happy Hour at Freezone. I do remember I was confused
about the time. Maybe I was going prematurely blonde. :)

Densie told me the story of how she was driving the semi-restored
funeral coach up from Tucson, and it ran fine all the way to Las Vegas,
but when she was heading down the Strip to the Sahara, all of a sudden
>>>>BANG!<<<< an air conditioner hose blew, making one hell of a noise,
right on the Strip, as if the hearse itself did not attract attention,
an exploding hearse certainly did!

We had a few drinks at Freezone and walked over to Milano's for din-din.
The waiter recognized me again, but he didn't ask if I would be having
the Rubber Chicken. :)

Again, we totally overwhelmed the place!

We then rode down to Spotlight where a number of others joined us. It
was Tony's b'day, so we got a chorus to sing Happy Birthday to him.
ASCAP did not chase us down for the royalty. I wanted to put him thru
the spanking machine for his b'day, but Densie wouldn't let me. :) I
don't remember what we did after that.
. . . . .

Monday, May 3: We went on the trip to Rhyolite, but first we found a
shop that claimed to know how to repair auto air conditioners and left
the hearse off with them. I wonder what they thought when we wheeled in
there with that thing. :)

The start of the Rhyolite trip was uneventful. We stopped for brunch at
the Pahrump Nugget and had a very "ok" (ok???! I think we can do better
than that!) meal at the buffet.

We headed out from Pahrump Nugget and all of the vehicles were with us.
When we got to the junction south of Amaragosa (sp?) Valley we stopped
to let the other vehicles catch up with us and it was painfully obvious
that Aiko was missing. We waited about 10 minutes, and we decided that
our vehicle would go back and be sure they were not stranded out in the
middle of nowhere. We drove all the way back to Pahrump, with no
Aikomobile to be found. Well, we went on, doubled back and had a great
repeat trip to Amaragosa Valley. We headed up towards Beatty and stopped
at the old Carrera townside, which is really nothing more than some
concrete rubble, and then went up the road to the old abandoned cement
plant. Densie noted that it has seen recent use as a paintball site. :)

When we got to Rhyolite, we noticed that Aiko had signed the guest
register, and we assumed she had just missed that left toin back at
Albuquoique. We drove around Rhyolite for a while, I took quite a few
photos, and headed back with a quick peek at the neighboring town of
Bullfrog.

We had a quite uneventful trip back to Las Vegas, but since we were
running late the air conditioner shop was closed so Densie couldn't pick
up her hearse.

Densie and Tony were tired and wanted to crash for a bit, so I left them
off at the Sahara and I went down to Hamburger Mary's for Happy Hour and
dinner. I had a few drinks in the bar.

When I was finally seated for dinner I asked the waiter how long it
would be since I had to pick up some people and they said they were
running 1/2 hour behind, so I just went down the street to Milano's by
myself for a quick bite. "Oh no, don't tell me you're all coming here
again tonight???!!!!"

Anyway, I stopped by the Sahara to pick up Densie and went off to Flex.
I was totally out of film for That Damn Camera<tm> so I had to walk over
to Wally World for more. Densie sang Uneasy Rider and Sweet Transvestite
during Karaoke. I forget why Tony didn't come with us. We did meet him
later for early breakfast at the Sahara.
. . . . .

Tuesday, May 4: I think I got up and had breakfast. :)

I took Densie and Tony to the AC repair shop to pick up the hearse.

Aiko, Yvonne and I all had appointments with Stephanie Williams for
makeovers for the NSD side trip so I met them down by the San Remo and
we took off. Aiko had to take Yvonne back to change, so we took two cars
and I told Aiko just to "follow tight" right behind me.

There's one thing I pride myself on, and that being that even though I'm
not a "Local" (I learned the hard way not to use the expression
"Townies" to refer to LV residents :) and that is knowing how to get
around in Las Vegas. So, we are driving up 15, Aiko following tight, and
I took the wrong turn in the spaghetti bowl and ended up downtown.
Fortunately I *did* know how to get back on, but I almost took a wrong
turn AGAIN in the spaghetti bowl! Prematurely blonde again!

Yvonne and Aiko went first so I just hung around and shot the sh^H^Hbull
and played with the dogs. I was astounded at Yvonne's new look. A
complete transformation!

When it was my turn, Stephanie made me over as a blonde, again with a
look that was almost unrecognizable. She does a fantastic job, and if
anybody wants a makeover session for a complete transformation, I would
highly recommend her.

I went over to Aiko and Yvonne's suite to change into my "dove" outfit,
as there's no way I was driving alone half way across town during rush
hour in that get-up. :)

I changed and went over to the rendezvous spot at San Remo and got there
just as Densie and Tony were pulling up in the hearse.

We were just about to take off when Sr. Densie, RSM, told me that we
needed some gas for the coach, so we headed a couple blocks away for
some gas. I think somebody got some pics of me in my "dove" outfit
pumping gas into the hearse.

We met the group back at the San Remo and took off.

Densie had just got the hearse out of the air conditioner repair place,
and they said they had fixed it, so I was expecting a nice cool
comfortable ride up to the cat house. WRONG!

When Densie turned on the AC -- SQUEEEEEEEE-ERK-ERK-ERK-ERK-ERK-K-K
sound of belt slipping. It never really blew cold air, more like
luke-cool at best :( so about when we got to the Blue Diamond junction
we decided to just ride the rest of the way using the 4-60 air
conditioning. It wasn't too bad since it was a bit cooler at the higher
altitude and I really wasn't wearing much. :) I kinda felt sorry for
Densie, as she was doing the Sister Act. :)

The sun was setting over the Pahrump valley as our entourage pulled in
to the parking lot with a hearse (Sr. Densie in the pilot seat), a limo,
a minivan, and several other assorted vehicles all carrying 37 assorted
Soiled Doves and one token straight. :)

As we assembled for group photos "no, wait, one more!" a crowd began to
assemble on the porch, and they cheered when we finally rang the bell
for admittance.

(BBBRRrrrringgg! "Hey, can't you read?!" "What sign?" "Bell out of
order, please knock." knock-knock-knock)

As we entered, roses and Peeps were given to the ladies present,
champagne corks popped, hors d'oeuvres were served, and cordial but
guarded introductions quickly turned to vivacious girl talk as the group
mingled, noshed, imbibed, and got to know each other. We did appreciate
the "Welcome DLV" banner above the bar. :)

Some of us were lucky enough to go on a guided tour of the rest of the
facility. "Now this is my office ..."

The hour seemed to end right after it began (I do think we stretched it
a bit) as 37 assorted "doves" climbed back in to the vehicles and
headed off back to Las Vegas.

Two words describe the facility and the ladies: PURE CLASS!

I really didn't know what to expect. I had never been to a facility of
its type before. The ladies were attractive, bright, and cordial.
Nothing at all sleazy or seedy about this place! All very classy!

I guess Michelle (NZ) pulled a Margeth on the way back from Pahrump. Now
I don't feel so bad about pulling a Margeth myself at Pinkfest last
year. :)

I think about half of the vehicles made it to the Sonic drive-in, which
will never be the same. :) I also think I, Tony, and Densie were the
only ones who actually got out of the vehicles to sit at the tables on
the patio. I ordered chicken lumps and a soda, since I wanted something
that wasn't too messy to eat, and it took a LONG time for our food to
arrive!

Overall, the Night Of The Soiled Doves side trip was definitely the
killer activity of DLV 2004!

We then took off in the hearse, bound for one of LV's most elegant and
exclusive hot spots, the Las Vegas Lounge. (Yeah, right!)

Contrast the class of the Ranch with that of Las Vegas Lounge, and LVL
is strictly school's out! :( What a dump! Last year I thought there was
no way the LVL could go down hill any more. I was wrong! It was a total
$#!+hole! In fact to call it a total $#!+hole is to compliment it! I
borrowed the handicapped stall in the ladies room to change back into
street clothes and I overheard the "working girls" talking about such
things as obtaining recreational substances and directions to where to
meet a "trick" at midnight.

The LVL was hot, dark, icky, and not too friendly, so we followed the
lead of others and split for Goodtimes.
. . . . .

Wednesday, May 5: I remember sleeping very late and hearing the tale of
Densie showing the owner of the AC repair shop the bad belt and telling
him to go hang the mechanic with it. :)

Hard rock ... Yeah, it's loud, crowded, and not cheap for what you get,
but it's a lot of fun and you do get a lot of food which is all quite
good! (Hey, calories don't count in Las Vegas, right?) :)

There was some kind of restroom issue. I don't know the details, but one
of the HR employees was definitely playing traffic cop.

On to Goodtimes ... :)

Several of our people did karaoke, but I kinda listened and hung out on
the patio. I think this is the night we went to the Sahara coffee shop
with Ginger and she spilled out her guts regarding Galiano [sic].
. . . . .

Thursday, May 6: I woke up reasonably early and hungry, so I phoned
Densie and Tony to see if they wanted to do the buffet or something.
Tony said Densie was zonked, but he was hungry so Tony and I went to
the Sahara Buffet, which was very "ok" as usual. Just as we were
finishing up somebody tried to phone me a couple times, but it was
total static, so I said to wait 10 minutes and try again. I went
up to my room, which did have a very good cell signal, and it was
Andie, my designated Little Sister.

I met Andie in the lobby of the Sahara and we went to the bar to have a
drink and get acquainted. We ran into Densie and Tony at the bar, and
joined them for a while. Turns out that Andie and I graduated from the
same university, but a few years apart. :)

I went down to Glamour Boutique for the Open House, and I really
expected to see a mob scene like it had been the past years, but it
actually was not crowded at all. People kinda came and went over the
hour or so I was there. The staff said they had a big crowd the day
before, however.

Back to the Sahara to change for the show. :)

Since we were going directly from the show to the limo tour, Densie,
Tony, and I took a taxi from the Sahara over to the Aladdin, met Anya
there, and had the buffet just before the show. Yes, it's expensive, but
very good. You don't realize the contrast between the cheaper buffets
and the nicer ones until you try one of the nice ones. Everything was
very tasty, no gross items at all.

Densie and Tony hadn't planned on doing the show, but they decided at
the last minute to go to it, and had no trouble getting tickets.

We were almost fashionably late for the show. Was it "V" or was it
Ovation? I think it was "V" which had absorbed part of Ovation in the
process. :) It was very good. Russ Merlin and that mask act always
cracks me up! :)

After the show we went downstairs to the Aladdin main entrance to wait
for the limos. Finally they got there. :)

The limo tour is always one of my personal faves. It is sooo relaxing
just to ride around watching the people and other scenery, drinking way
too much, and just having a good time. For some reason this year's limo
tour seemed to run much smoother than last year's. It sure ended way too
early. :)

First we went off to the Four Queens downtown but there were always more
than 4 queens under the sign. I went in to use the ladies room and as I
was walking out I overheard this couple saying "Oh, it must be a wedding
or something" while pointing to the limos and the dressed-up people
outside. There was this wino passed out in a stairway, so people took
turns posing in their evening gowns with him. He never woke up! :)

Mirage ... "Do you think it will erupt while we're here?" "Yeah, between
slim and none with slim outa town!" rmrmrmrmWOOOOOOOOOSH!

We bribed our driver to take us to the Sahara instead of letting us off
at the Aladdin. Densie was tired, so Tony and I took off in a taxi for
the Charles Bar at the Bellagio.
. . . . .

Friday, May 7, 0-dark-30:

We walked into the Bellagio and found several of our people sitting in
the lounge area up front and not at the Charles Bar. They said they
asked and nobody who worked there knew what the Charles Bar was. Well, I
pointed out the Charles Bar to them on the map and Tony and I took off
to the Charles Bar and had a few wayyyy overpriced drinks. :) Charles
Bar is fun but ex$pen$ive! Most of the others never seemed to make it
back to the Charles Bar for some reason. I vaguely remember taking a
taxi back to the Sahara. I think I woke up around noon on Friday. :)

Carluccio's is a very nice restaurant. We always seem to get a good
crowd there and always seem to have a very good time. Good food and good
company. :)

Densie was feeling yucky, so Anya took them back to the Sahara and I
went over to Goodtimes after going down to Walgreens for some more film
for That Damn Camera<tm>.

I know the Annual Mixer at Goodtimes is not the most exciting thing
that happens at DLV, but I really enjoy just having a few (too many)
drinks and circulating and shooting the sh^H^Hbull with the others.
They said the new dance floor at Goodtimes would be ready by Friday,
but it was not, so the dance people took off for Gipsy and I just
stayed at Goodtimes and had a few more drinks. :)
. . . . .

Saturday, May 8: Tony and Gina went flying Friday, and somehow they
managed to punch a hole in the wing of the plane, so on the way to the
Garden Party we stopped at a hardware store for some of that sticky
metallic tape. We asked the Asst. Manager and he didn't know what we
were talking about, but we still managed to find it. :)

"Oh what a cute little plane, did you make it yourself?"

"Yeah, and another landing like that and I'll have enough parts to make
another one!"

The Garden Party is one of those things that sets DLV off from the rest
of the t* events. It's a nice informal gathering in a real house in a
real neighborhood complete with kids, dogs, and neighbors. :) It's also
a very nice low-key morning and early afternoon following a not so
low-key evening. :)

Following the Garden Party I went back to the room and took a nap since
I was starting to feel a bit yucky myself, but after a few hours I was
all ready for the Saturday evening things. We had a nice time at San
Remo and a few drinks over at Flex as we shivered in antici ....

Rocky Horror Picture Show! Yes, it's back in Las Vegas, with a blended
cast at the same theater. I met Densie and Tony and the three of us took
off in the hearse for RHPS. It was a fun trip and a good show. I pointed
out that Tony was a virgin so he had to stand up there on stage and make
an ass out of himself, but it was not as good as Margeth and Ricky a few
years ago. :) (And certainly not as good as Tammy C. on stage in Oakland
a while back. :)

Oh well, I was feeling tired and knew I was coming down with something,
so I just crashed right after RHPS. I woke up, had breakfast, packed,
and ... holy $#!+, where is That Damn Camera<tm>????? So I unpacked
everything, nope, dumped my purse, nope, rummaged thru the room, nope,
checked under the seat in the car, no That Damn Camera<tm> to be found!

Ok, so I kinda backtracked mentally ... I took photos at RHPS, but I
used the Real Camera<tm> since I knew the flash on That Damn Camera<tm>
would not carry in the theater. Last I remembered using it was at the
Garden Party, so I phoned Mindy and {whew!} it was still there, so I
just drove down there on the way to the airport and picked it up.

That's about it for 2004. I'm already looking forward to 2005! :)
Thanks again, gang! :)

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(This posting was entered by annie, an external user of MyDLV.)