...I found...

No self-respecting Grand Finale would be complete without at least a few compilation lists - Best Of, Worst Of, etc. So here we go.

---------------------------------------------

Vegas visitors/guests:
Mike Chang and two buddies
Chris, Kerry, Kerry’s mom
Amy
Joe and Eileen K.
Heather, Nikki, Sara
Frank P.
Cecile and Bryant
Scott and Aimee
Dave, Mat, Jeff

I hope I didn't forget anyone!

---------------------------------------------

Song guessers:

Chuy (7):
Heartache Tonight (Eagles)
Voodoo (Godsmack)
Dream On (Aerosmith)
Death in Vegas (Dead Elvis)
Like Suicide (Soundgarden)
Coming Undone (Korn)
Train of Consequences (Megadeth)

Rob M. (4)
Patience (Guns & Roses)
Piranha (Lord Tracy)
I’ll Be There For You (Rembrandts)
King Of Pain (The Police)

Lan Whu (4):
Question of Balance (Moody Blues) *
Domination (Pantera) *
It Makes Me Ill (N’Sync) *
Rapper’s Delight (Sugarhill Gang) *

Jeff L. (3):
Ace of Spades (Motorhead)
All Apologies (Nirvana)
Mark Snow (X-Files music director)

Amy (2):
Back In Black (AC/DC)
Loser (Beck)

Limber Lips (2):
The True Man’s Poker Epic (“name that show” post)
The Gambler (Kenny Rogers)

Jim S. (2):
Cigarettes and Alcohol (Oasis)*
Superstitious (Stevie Wonder)

Scott M. (1)
Los Angeles (Frank Black)

Joe M. (1):
Enter Sandman (Metallica)

Jeff C. (1):
“that's a monster of a tell” (Godzilla caption contest)

No one:
Use Your Fist, Not Your Mouth (Marilyn Manson)
Take The Power Back (Rage Against the Machine)
“There is no other way” (quote from White Zombie movie)
All Or Nothing (Whitesnake)
Just Walk Away (??? This was Cecile’s song quote)
The Illusion of Power (Black Sabbath)
Self Destruction, Part 2 (Nine Inch Nails)
Rootin’ Tootin’ Cowboy (unknown)
Punish Me (Rammstein)

* Songs marked with an asterisk were found using illegal Internet searches - or at least, people who admitted they were using Internet searches at some point. They claimed to be unaware of the rule at the time, but frankly, I don't trust anyone who's involved in a poker blog in any way. Ha!

---------------------------------------------

Things I hope to never see and/or experience again:

1. Having blood come out every time I blow my nose for 5 weeks straight (the air in Vegas is really dry).
2. Losing with pocket aces.
3. The “My Sharona” house/techno mashup tune they played every half an hour or so at the bar next to the poker area at the MGM Grand.
4. Smelling smoke as I walk into the place I live every day.
5. Removable hand-held shower heads, heavy and with metal protrusions, perched upon the most precarious of supports, such that the slightest touch could very well send it crashing down upon the top of your foot, resulting in a bloody, painful mess.
6. The “Men: The Show” promo flyer so thoughtfully given to me by Sara (one of my cousin’s friends). **
7. Mat Lew’s voice in the morning.
8. The food at the “best Thai restaurant in the country”, Lotus of Siam in Las Vegas. I give it a D+.
9. The AC/DC – Guns& Roses mashup tune they played every other half hour or so at the bar next to the poker area at the MGM Grand.

** This flyer was responsible for a pretty embarrassing moment. A week before I left, my landlady brought by a potential new tenant to show him the place. I had cleaned things up rather nicely that morning, but had completely forgotten about that flyer. It proudly bore a brace of bare-chested beefcakes, and was prominently displayed on the refrigerator. Of course, it was only as they were walking in the door that I noticed it and hurriedly took it down. A few minutes later I found out the guy was coming to Las Vegas to be a vocalist/entertainer, so I put it back up (ha – just kidding).

---------------------------------------------

Worst misspelling of my name, which in full is “Jerald Eric DeMars”:
Erec Gckars, Jerac (Wynn hotel – on a food receipt)

---------------------------------------------

Best money-making opportunities in Vegas:

$2-$4 limit hold ‘em at Binion’s. I played for one round (approximately 20 minutes), with the intent of playing at the birthplace of the World Series of Poker, and also impressing the girlfriend. Pulled in $37 for an hourly rate of about $111.

Star Wars penny slots – a $1 investment was increased by 100% in about a minute, for a $60/hour expectation.

Bettting against whatever my former co-worker Mike Chang is betting on in basketball – approximately $150/hour rate. Meeting with Mike and his buddies after Day 1 of their March Madness trip, I found out that he was 1 for 9 on his wagers to that point. Never one to pass up a good deal, I offered to bet $5 against him on whatever his next wager was. I’d say the entire transaction required less than two minutes. Easiest money in Vegas, baby.