The infamous vodka fresh off the boat from Russia!
Though, I am no Nicholas Cage. I have to say, I’m quite happy to be on my way HOME to my beloved. My beloved being NYC, of course. Not so happy to realize I’m only there for a few days before heading to Austin, Texas… but I’m not complaining. !!&@$-/;( Really.
Currently, I am 30k feet above middle America, watching Little House on the Prairie. Seriously, I have not watched this show (or TV for that matter, aside from Chelsea Handler and 30 Rock) in forever. When was the last time any of you watched Little House on the Prairie? That Olsen family is a freaking piece of work! What assholes! Pompous. I think I grew up watching this show, though, but like much else of my young childhood, I don’t really remember. I have to say I’m a bit impressed with little miss Laura Engle. Nellie and her mom are douche bags, with their ‘feather hats flown in from France’. Mary, she is such a peace keeper, so even keeled, though she does need a backbone. Willie is a little jerk-off.
Attached is a picture of Russian vodka. It’s the only picture I took in my week’s fill of Las Vegas. I was attending a conference, first time, for a luxury travel brand, of which I am an affiliate. I’ll get to those details in a bit.
So I arrived Hell Vegas on Sunday afternoon, completely ignorant of what lay ahead of me. Unrelated to this Vegas mayhem, I was managing four board meetings, for clients, in Chicago and New York. Wrapped up a four-day meeting in San Fran last week, and negotiating for one next week is Paris. Plus day-to-day LMC work. Thursday was a French bank holiday. My threatening French phone calls did me no good (unlike my successful “nous avons deux gris goose martinis avec olives, s’il vous plait, merci” with my AJ at Le Meurice last November). [side note to AJ- ‘our’ bartender at 228 was promoted to sales and said to say hi! Oy!] The Virtuoso conference’s structure is that us travel agents (~5k) sit at a small table within the Bellagio’s massive conference facility, and we have 82 four-minute ‘appointments’ each day. Speed dating for travel. It was intense. For me, part of the tension was having to associate myself with travel agents and their pathetic stigma, which I do not consider myself within the same caste.
Wait, wait… I’m off topic from the vodka! Perhaps it’s due to my third in-flight vodka now! Despite my intense workload and lack of spare time, I went to a restaurant on Sunday afternoon for a late lunch/early dinner at Todd English’s Olives. I heard some people to my right talking about Pittsburgh, which I LOVE. So I inserted myself into this couple’s conversation and made friends. This guy apparently flies choppers for one of my favorite client’s assets, and CBS Pittsburgh… amongst other things. Long story short (ha), it was my Louboutin’s that roped him in and we met on my night two with his ‘friend’ and he was like short-man-syndrome-guy with two hot babes in their red-bottomed heels. Kept insisting on the $25 1/2 shots of vodka fresh off the boat from Russia. This was after an intensely long day of those 4-minute appointments, so I was tired and needed to manage my business, those board meetings, marketing and schmooze time with the CEO of my host agency, whom I have known since I was 19 years old, so I was ‘relatively’ well-behaved. To bed super early and up really early for Paris and NYC.
Anyway, Vegas is classless, travel agents can be tacky and four days of that crap was trying. Again, consider the other elements of LMC Direct Executive Travel & Events that must coexist. I was invited to a night-time event and whilst it was great to meet with my pals from the Maybourne hotels in London, my biggest take-away from that night was an Israeli stalker, who tried to lean in to kiss me (gack) and sort of spit when he talked. I freaked out and bailed. He stalked me the next three days. Incessant phone calls, emails, messages on my hotel room voice mail!!! Yeah, I was in Israel last year and his 60+ year old aggressive advances reminded me of what I disliked about the country.
On a positive note, I was so fortunate to spend a huge amount of time with my agency’s CEO, who simply adores me. Now. 🙂 He didn’t adore me so much back in my day. But I was able to enjoy a fair amount of time with he and his fabulous wife all week. I learned (as I was also informed while visiting with them in Scottsdale in June), that they wanted to nominate me for an award, as a ‘rising star’, representing their agency, for Virtuoso. But, I’m not so compliant with the online bullshit Virtuoso requires, or even compliant in general and therefore they did not pursue it. Plus this was my first show. Instead, they had me invited to a very elite luxury travel meeting in Cannes this December. Anyone who knows me knows that I believe things work out for a reason. Last night I fell in love with the CEO’s wife, learned that he has the same freakish attention to astrology signs (not horoscopes) as I do. Besides, had I been nominated, I would have had to endure a process, much like the Oscars or Golden Globes, where they reveal a winner of five nominated, at the gala, ON TV!!! Um. I would have freaked out. I do NOT do well when put in the spotlight and suffer from severe stage fright… until I don’t (i.e., lots of grey goose).
Last night, after the gala awards dinner, and after the agency CEO and LMC love-fest, plus the group Vueve toast… we went to the after-party. Fantastic. Great schmooze time and great conversations from potential mentors… but it was getting late and it was my last night. I wanted to play craps!!! I have a limited tolerance for gambling, but my incredible friend (who I will forever consider my BFF) taught me the intuition and the right way to play craps, many years ago. Besides, I’m a chick, I can hold my old… in a miniskirt and 4 inch heels… I know how to make the table fun. All I know (after a LONG crazy week) is that I started with $280 cash. I played for probably 1 1/2 hour, only threw down $100… but this morning, I awoke to discover 5 Benny’s + !!! I think I made like $300 off $100! Or turned $100 into $400. Something like that. Super fun. Knowing when to quit is a good, solid trait!
This Little House on the Prairie is irritating me. What the F is wrong with Ginny’s mom, she is such a bitch!!! Loosen up FFS! Although Mrs. Olsen probably takes the cake. Wow, been a long time, kudos to United for having free DirectTV in first class.
Anyway, love to you all. Can’t WAIT to BE home. A bit bummed I have to leave again Thursday. Oh! I provided my neighborhood Le Steak with a whole new ‘playlist’… courtesy of my auntie and Billy boy (happy anniversary!) introducing me to Pink Martini. PS: you created a monster!
Next week, moi coeur arrives in NYC and I am so excited. Follmers rock it like no other, and Siegel chicks are the BEST ever!
