I lived the dream, thoroughly.
Everything I wanted to do I did, and then some. Of course everything I did bread more interest & desire, but it was the way I approached it, the way I knew it was going to end, and how... a short-term follow through with a long-term plan...
I am now an expectant father :) We're due May 15th.
One never truly knows the exact origin of these things but I’m guessing August 22nd. We knew she was ovulating, I was super busy all day with Dad’s 67th birthday BBQ in Solana Beach and then work, we were launching our prime time sports show for its fourth season and I was the veteran member of operations.
Something told me to make it home for my break, so the crew & I busted ass during the early part of our shift and got “Football Night in San Diego’s” set built & lit, for the most part.
I remember it because it was with a purpose, not some late night drunken accident - she didn’t expect me home for break till I texted her an hour or so prior - but she was prepared... she had made a to-go Tupperware of meatballs & sauce just in case I didn’t have time to eat it in the dining room. I barely noticed it on the table as I crashed through the door & rushed up the stairs while removing my clothes. She peeked her head out from the bedroom and I saw the ears, she was dressed as a sexy bunny. One of the costumes she’s acquired on our path to sexual deviance, it was hot & cute...
I thought about my bachelor party, a time I knew Dorothy was the one. The weekend started simple enough, a few of us met at the airport for our AM flight to Vegas and we started with the bloody mary’s, always good when you don’t see much food in your future. They went down fast
We weren’t the only group, a bachelorette party was also gathered a few tables over starting their weekend with mimosas. We killed time with a game while I took in the moment; I really like hangin’ out with these guys. We live in the same city yet the past few years we rarely see each other. Children landed on their scene & we walk different paths, for now. I was made well aware of their restriction when I pitched a camping trip rather than a Vegas weekend for the bachelor deal, they never get away. My relationship with their wives is strong enough that they consider this event important enough to allow their husbands some time to play. Sweet.
So the day was here, my best man had made it all happen - fronted the cash and coordinating everything from the room to my plane ticket, I was gonna have to dig deep when this guy decides to take the plunge ;) A few months back I had asked him privately, not “what should we do?” - the question was phrased, “What do I need for my bachelor weekend?? Time in the woods with buddies, maybe a good hike, how about we all go party in Costa Rica, or... Vegas?”
He waited a few hours before getting back to me, “You need Vegas.”
OK, ‘nuff said, I guess Nepal was still fresh on his mind, it wasn’t even a year earlier that we were on a path no vehicle has ever attempted, and only rescue helicopters fly over. Vegas Bachelor Weekend was born because that was the activity I’d done the least of over the past five years.
The plane ride “flew” by (accompanied by some generous flight attendants) and we arrived in the Nevadan desert just in time for noon... it was hot and I immediately needed another drink. My phone kept ringing so I did my best to direct the late-comers to our party with info on what time we planned on hitting the bar or finding food. A short cab ride took us to the Planet Hollywood, we checked in & a nice bottle of Maker’s Mark materialized on the bar. We spent the afternoon quenching our thirst in the nicest suite we had ever had the opportunity to trash; it had two bedrooms each a normal hotel room by themselves with huge beautiful bathrooms,
the common area connecting the rooms was setup with all the amenities including 2 large flatscreens, bumper-pool, fuze-ball, leather couches & chairs, thick glass tables, another bathroom & an iPod jack for our soundtrack... the black, white & red decor was complimented with fatty-Patty the blow-up doll, she was inflated and propped inside one of the two “cages” hanging against the rooms walls - we were set, which is the main reason we didn’t get out until well after Game 4 of the Stanley Cup was over. Flyers over Blackhawks, the PA & Delaware members of our group were happy.
Once again the best man kicked in, he knew the party had no direction and had invited his local bro up for the game, this guy was dialed in and gave us the low-down on Vegas that night - we all decided to hit the Foundation Room, a “list-only” club in the Mandalay Bay that promised the best views.
We all got cleaned up and made our way downstairs to the “Pleasure Pit” - another PH amenity, gaming tables with a twist, there were dancers on poles amidst the gambling and the dealers were dressed in Lingerie. We enjoyed that atmosphere for a bit, I think I won some money... eventually we caught a limo up the strip to the Mandalay Bay.
After dropping the right name we were escorted up the elevator to our “area” and proceeded to enjoy bottle service, Skyy vodka being our bottle of choice. It was at this point that the evening starts to get blurry.
I remember a great view of the strip, and more dancers on platforms, and people. We got there and it was empty, but after about an hour the place filled up and I was really appreciating the bottle service. I kept drinking, for once it wasn’t making me tired just buzzed - I think the adrenaline kept me going. I caught my friend out of the corner of my eye as I returned from the toilet, it looked like he was falling asleep at the bar? Fuck, according to the clock it was approaching 1am - now we get into that gray area - I was at my bro’s side, he seemed confused which caused the bouncer to inform him that it was time to go.
I explained that I was with him, and as soon as I gathered our belongings I would escort him out. I let the group know we would be downstairs and took the elevator to the casino. Once out of the crowd we clued our drunk friend in, he had no idea what had just transpired... to kill time we played a few games which seemed to level him out a little. Fire with fire right?
Most of the group re-joined us and we caught another cab back to the suite, the rest of us were in our groups “limo” that had just arrived from Santa Barbara - they were getting supplies for more room raging into the early morning...
The next morning I hadn’t really slept, and still couldn’t, so I made my way to the pool for a dip & a blended alcoholic beverage - something to replenish the vitamins I’d used up the day before. An hour or so in the sun and it was back to the room, more people were arriving including my father and I wanted to clean the place up a bit so the old man could see how our generation does it, apparently we do it right since the room was trashed after only a few hours of our presence. We met up downstairs and had some food in the Sports Book, at this point I get the call: “Bikini Contest, pool, now.”
Click. I shared the info with Pop & we made our way down through the Spa entrance - there was in fact a contest for bikini-clad amateurs wanting to strut their stuff for the pool dwellers, the runway was on the water and we proceeded to stock up on buckets of beer for our time half-submerged in the audience.
The smile on my Dad’s face was priceless, he was good. He’s no stranger to Vegas but his most recent years have been in his town home in Henderson, an “investment property” that has kept him out of the dirty glamor of the Las Vegas Strip. His son’s bachelor party, with one random Saturday afternoon casino event, was totally worth the drive... I’m sure he was skeptical when I threw the invite out, but any of that was dispelled once the winner, a golden skinned curvy blond, made her final tour of the narrow runway on the “Pleasure Pool.” We finished our beers and started our walk back to the room, but Dad was cool, he found a nice lounge chair and spent a few more minutes watching the people disperse - we would be meeting him later for dinner so we continued back to the room to get cleaned up.
That evening was nice, a little more gambling at the Pleasure Pit & some shopping on the “Miracle Mile” for potential wedding attire. Dad had our limo pick him up and eventually we met everyone at a Brazilian Steakhouse for dinner. The fifteen of us had some good times around the table while the servers brought various grilled items; cow filets mixed with high quality sausage, lamb & chicken speared with four foot sword skewers; around for each of our choosing. Meat was the perfect solution to my alcohol soaked bloodstream. Once everyone started to fill up “What’s next?” started to pop-up, so some of us worked out that a club might end up too expensive, why not invite some dancers back upstairs, since it was such a nice room and all ;) I played a few more hands on my way back up and had a few cocktails while waiting for the five girls to arrive.
They came, the lights went out, I was stripped & ordered to lay on the floor while the girls stuffed dollar bills into my boxers. This seemed to be the “thing” to do, they had entertained large groups of men before... the music finally made its brief appearance and the ladies performance, including the removal of all those balled up bills from my shorts with their teeth, began.
“Keep it together Jason,” I kept telling myself. I thought maybe my Dad’s presence would hinder my arousal but when I glanced at him he was laughing and having a grand old time, obviously no reason to feel self conscience here. Everyone was entertained, I was being touched by five almost & some naked girls at once, it was a nice feeling but something wasn’t right, the vision was enticing but the actual action was disturbing, I’m not that comfortable around strangers, I thought of my Donia...
We’re on my bed, it’s August 22nd & we concluded what we both consider a fantastic performance. There was no time to have dinner at home so her foresight to pack the meatballs “to-go” was true, and after a quick shower back to work I went. I had no idea that was the time, I still don’t and probably never will. Dorothy insists that if it’s a boy it was conceived on a Sunday - I guess we’ll see.
I know I want a child because I know Dorothy wants to reproduce, I want Dorothy forever and she requires a mate. She has approved of me filling that role. Simple enough; I reduce everything to its most primitive definition for ease of comprehension. (my own comprehension) I was up to the task but only after I knocked a few items off that “to do before obtaining real responsibility” list. I did that, it took about six months, add a few more months for insecurity allowing real commitment to kick in and we were engaged, living together in a new condo submerged in real life values... no longer checking each bands tour schedule in order to book vacation time, actually planning to stay home in order to save for the future.
I spent a Lot of June working for NBC, I had already booked my wedding and honeymoon time-off so they knew I was only available to cover till then, returning about a month later. Yeah it was a bit much for an unemployed guy, but I had my fiancee behind me and why the hell should anyone rush back from Europe for a part-time job? She was off for the summer so our plan was to milk it, which we did, 20 or so days worth. NBC came through with some much needed extra cash before my summer break and we concentrated on crossing all the t’s & dotting i’s - the big day was approaching, along with the fourth of July family had already started to arrive!
Something very big was about to happen, so on the Tuesday before my wedding I got my Toyota detailed. I love that truck, she’s been with me since the odometer read 000011.6/7 and I hope to keep her forever. The detail is always a proud moment for me, it brings out that feeling of trust one gets when purchasing a new Tacoma, knowing if properly maintained it will run as long as you let her.
Of course there’s also that moment, usually somewhere high, in the mountains possibly near water, when the 4x4 is completely filthy from deep muddin’ through the worst maintained truck trails in range. That same type of moment but different, because you no longer have to trust... you just Know your pickup will always get you where you need to go.
This trust is how Dorothy & I now felt, we knew that the next week of our lives would be full of emotion, and regardless of what went down we would have each other forever and officially in front of everyone in the end. Our life transcends the trust, we just know, the rings are a symbol that can always be polished, just like my truck, just like life.
I had already purchased everything we needed to provide for the wedding or reception but we still needed to do some shopping. Her Mom & Dad joined us & we found a Russian Deli to stock up on those special eastern European meats which were required for bigos, a main attraction at the family BBQ on Thursday. The race was on, I was all over my calendar handling last minute supplies and picking people up from the airport - it was happening and I was ready, I hoped. I stopped by Vons and picked up another six bottles of Pinot :/ Just in case.
The out-of-town visitors all congregated at the Point Loma Tennis Club’s Pool Picnic Area the following day for our “Pre-Wedding Meet & Greet,” we had paid our association for the use of the area and a security guard to maintain the peace... it went smooth, her Dad BBQ’d up some great food and the initial introductions were under control. That evening I had my last night in the U.S. as a single guy, we closed the Arizona (bar) and I was up chatting with old friends till the wee hours.
To be continued...
Everything I wanted to do I did, and then some. Of course everything I did bread more interest & desire, but it was the way I approached it, the way I knew it was going to end, and how... a short-term follow through with a long-term plan...
I am now an expectant father :) We're due May 15th.
One never truly knows the exact origin of these things but I’m guessing August 22nd. We knew she was ovulating, I was super busy all day with Dad’s 67th birthday BBQ in Solana Beach and then work, we were launching our prime time sports show for its fourth season and I was the veteran member of operations.
 |
| Courtesy, B. Prom |
I remember it because it was with a purpose, not some late night drunken accident - she didn’t expect me home for break till I texted her an hour or so prior - but she was prepared... she had made a to-go Tupperware of meatballs & sauce just in case I didn’t have time to eat it in the dining room. I barely noticed it on the table as I crashed through the door & rushed up the stairs while removing my clothes. She peeked her head out from the bedroom and I saw the ears, she was dressed as a sexy bunny. One of the costumes she’s acquired on our path to sexual deviance, it was hot & cute...
I thought about my bachelor party, a time I knew Dorothy was the one. The weekend started simple enough, a few of us met at the airport for our AM flight to Vegas and we started with the bloody mary’s, always good when you don’t see much food in your future. They went down fast
So the day was here, my best man had made it all happen - fronted the cash and coordinating everything from the room to my plane ticket, I was gonna have to dig deep when this guy decides to take the plunge ;) A few months back I had asked him privately, not “what should we do?” - the question was phrased, “What do I need for my bachelor weekend?? Time in the woods with buddies, maybe a good hike, how about we all go party in Costa Rica, or... Vegas?”
He waited a few hours before getting back to me, “You need Vegas.”
OK, ‘nuff said, I guess Nepal was still fresh on his mind, it wasn’t even a year earlier that we were on a path no vehicle has ever attempted, and only rescue helicopters fly over. Vegas Bachelor Weekend was born because that was the activity I’d done the least of over the past five years.
The plane ride “flew” by (accompanied by some generous flight attendants) and we arrived in the Nevadan desert just in time for noon... it was hot and I immediately needed another drink. My phone kept ringing so I did my best to direct the late-comers to our party with info on what time we planned on hitting the bar or finding food. A short cab ride took us to the Planet Hollywood, we checked in & a nice bottle of Maker’s Mark materialized on the bar. We spent the afternoon quenching our thirst in the nicest suite we had ever had the opportunity to trash; it had two bedrooms each a normal hotel room by themselves with huge beautiful bathrooms,
 |
| The Pleasure Pit |
We all got cleaned up and made our way downstairs to the “Pleasure Pit” - another PH amenity, gaming tables with a twist, there were dancers on poles amidst the gambling and the dealers were dressed in Lingerie. We enjoyed that atmosphere for a bit, I think I won some money... eventually we caught a limo up the strip to the Mandalay Bay.
 |
| Bottle Service |
 |
| "Hangin' loose" in the cab back to the PH |
Most of the group re-joined us and we caught another cab back to the suite, the rest of us were in our groups “limo” that had just arrived from Santa Barbara - they were getting supplies for more room raging into the early morning...
The next morning I hadn’t really slept, and still couldn’t, so I made my way to the pool for a dip & a blended alcoholic beverage - something to replenish the vitamins I’d used up the day before. An hour or so in the sun and it was back to the room, more people were arriving including my father and I wanted to clean the place up a bit so the old man could see how our generation does it, apparently we do it right since the room was trashed after only a few hours of our presence. We met up downstairs and had some food in the Sports Book, at this point I get the call: “Bikini Contest, pool, now.”
 |
| The Pleasure Pool |
The smile on my Dad’s face was priceless, he was good. He’s no stranger to Vegas but his most recent years have been in his town home in Henderson, an “investment property” that has kept him out of the dirty glamor of the Las Vegas Strip. His son’s bachelor party, with one random Saturday afternoon casino event, was totally worth the drive... I’m sure he was skeptical when I threw the invite out, but any of that was dispelled once the winner, a golden skinned curvy blond, made her final tour of the narrow runway on the “Pleasure Pool.” We finished our beers and started our walk back to the room, but Dad was cool, he found a nice lounge chair and spent a few more minutes watching the people disperse - we would be meeting him later for dinner so we continued back to the room to get cleaned up.
They came, the lights went out, I was stripped & ordered to lay on the floor while the girls stuffed dollar bills into my boxers. This seemed to be the “thing” to do, they had entertained large groups of men before... the music finally made its brief appearance and the ladies performance, including the removal of all those balled up bills from my shorts with their teeth, began.
“Keep it together Jason,” I kept telling myself. I thought maybe my Dad’s presence would hinder my arousal but when I glanced at him he was laughing and having a grand old time, obviously no reason to feel self conscience here. Everyone was entertained, I was being touched by five almost & some naked girls at once, it was a nice feeling but something wasn’t right, the vision was enticing but the actual action was disturbing, I’m not that comfortable around strangers, I thought of my Donia...
We’re on my bed, it’s August 22nd & we concluded what we both consider a fantastic performance. There was no time to have dinner at home so her foresight to pack the meatballs “to-go” was true, and after a quick shower back to work I went. I had no idea that was the time, I still don’t and probably never will. Dorothy insists that if it’s a boy it was conceived on a Sunday - I guess we’ll see.
I know I want a child because I know Dorothy wants to reproduce, I want Dorothy forever and she requires a mate. She has approved of me filling that role. Simple enough; I reduce everything to its most primitive definition for ease of comprehension. (my own comprehension) I was up to the task but only after I knocked a few items off that “to do before obtaining real responsibility” list. I did that, it took about six months, add a few more months for insecurity allowing real commitment to kick in and we were engaged, living together in a new condo submerged in real life values... no longer checking each bands tour schedule in order to book vacation time, actually planning to stay home in order to save for the future.
I spent a Lot of June working for NBC, I had already booked my wedding and honeymoon time-off so they knew I was only available to cover till then, returning about a month later. Yeah it was a bit much for an unemployed guy, but I had my fiancee behind me and why the hell should anyone rush back from Europe for a part-time job? She was off for the summer so our plan was to milk it, which we did, 20 or so days worth. NBC came through with some much needed extra cash before my summer break and we concentrated on crossing all the t’s & dotting i’s - the big day was approaching, along with the fourth of July family had already started to arrive!
Something very big was about to happen, so on the Tuesday before my wedding I got my Toyota detailed. I love that truck, she’s been with me since the odometer read 000011.6/7 and I hope to keep her forever. The detail is always a proud moment for me, it brings out that feeling of trust one gets when purchasing a new Tacoma, knowing if properly maintained it will run as long as you let her.
This trust is how Dorothy & I now felt, we knew that the next week of our lives would be full of emotion, and regardless of what went down we would have each other forever and officially in front of everyone in the end. Our life transcends the trust, we just know, the rings are a symbol that can always be polished, just like my truck, just like life.
 |
| So many groceries |
The out-of-town visitors all congregated at the Point Loma Tennis Club’s Pool Picnic Area the following day for our “Pre-Wedding Meet & Greet,” we had paid our association for the use of the area and a security guard to maintain the peace... it went smooth, her Dad BBQ’d up some great food and the initial introductions were under control. That evening I had my last night in the U.S. as a single guy, we closed the Arizona (bar) and I was up chatting with old friends till the wee hours.
To be continued...
