Mistakes were made: All by Me; July 9 to 13, 2015

[matt1983]

Mistakes Were Made: All By Me

Prelude:

This is the story of my trip to Las Vegas from Thursday July 9 to Monday July 13, 2015. It was the first time I paid for bottle service, and it was a great learning experience. I had considered writing this report back just after the trip happened, but I think giving myself time to reflect on what happened will make it easier to compose. That and adn232 writing his report made me realize I won't take shit from you guys for being honest about my feelings.

This trip took place the weekend of International Fight Week, that featured not one, but three MMA shows in town from Thursday through Sunday. I was in Vegas to meet two groups of people: folks from JackColton.com to split tables, and friends from WrestlingObserver.com to watch MMA and shoot the shit.

I should mention this trip features multiple JC’ers including: FredBaker, Wat, and most importantly, derekantarctica. Mr. DA was my wingman on this trip, and is a super guy. I feel a little guilty about missing his wedding this month, but too many people at my lab grabbed that weekend ahead of me.

Next: Thursday: Arrive, eat, watch women fight in a cage…


P.S. The story involving: hookers, blow, and drama will be posted in a separate thread after I finish this one, as these need to be written in chronological order to make sense.

[Funkycold]

YAAASSSSS!!!!! Send it bro!

[matt1983]

Day One:

One thing I have to mention right now is that this trip did take place two whole years ago, so there may be some things that I forget. Anyways…

It was Thursday July 9, and I took off from San Jose around 1:00pm, with a flight full of people ready to go crazy in Vegas. I recall at least six guys at the gate who could easily press me over their head with one arm.

This is my return to Las Vegas after a three year hiatus due to unemployment and a lack of funds.

The flight from SJ to Vegas is a breeze, and before I know it I’m in a cab to my hotel. I stayed at Vdara this trip because it looked a nice hotel, and I wanted to be in a quiet place to be able to get away from the action. I do like going clubbing, but I need peace and quiet. Despite arriving around 2:30pm, the front desk told me that my room wasn't ready yet. Weird. The JC's I was in touch with told me I should ask to have the resort fee waived, but I'm not one to complain about something like that.

As I waited for my room, I hit up Walgreens and bought snacks, booze, and protection. The room was better than what I booked. I had booked a corner suite, and ended up with a panoramic suite. They're the same size, but the pano’ has windows that run around the suite, including the bathroom. It makes you feel rich.

By this point, it was 5 O’Clock, and I headed out to dinner. At least two dozen of us subscribers to wrestlingobserver.com were meeting for dinner at Texas de Brazil, South of the strip. We had paid one of us in advance of the meal, so we didn't need separate checks or anything complicated. For those don't know Texas de Brazil is one of those places where it's all you can eat steak and other meats. The food was delicious, and it was nice to see some of these guys for the first time in three years.

Honestly, the best part of dinner was sitting across from Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez, and listen to them talk about the weekend's upcoming shows. It’s like if you had dinner with, I don't know, Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon from PTI, or Bill Simmons, except Dave’s not a homer for any pro wrestling or MMA promotion. It was like a live edition of one of their tri-weekly podcasts.

Afterwards, most of us went to The Chelsea to watch Invicta FC 13: Cyborg vs. Van Duin. It's an all women's MMA promotion. We had standing room only tickets, which wasn’t the best, but we had a great view of the action. The worst part of the show was when Steve Mazaghatti was announced as referee for two of the fights. He's the worst MMA ref, so I made sure to boo the mention of his name. That cracked everybody up. He lived up to his reputation by stopping a fight way too late. A woman was out after two punches on the ground, and he didn't stop it until the eighth.

The show went until about midnight, and I figured I needed to get to bed, since I’d be at Omnia the following night.

Next: Day 2: I reveal personal details about myself; Bottle service at Omnia; A stunning Irish brunette; The mistakes begin.

[AusVIP]

Cant wai to read the rest

[PorkChopExpress]

Nice read so far . . . let's keep it going!!

[matt1983]

Day 2 (Warning: I give away probably too much information about myself in this post than needs to be said on a forum about partying in Las Vegas. Blame adb232 for inspiring me.)

I wake up well rested on Friday July 10, anxious for my fist night of bottle service. Vdara has no buffet, just a cafe/convenience store, so I walk over to Aria to eat at their breakfast buffet. I think I had the usual breakfast dishes: scramble eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes, fruit, and pastries. You know, fuck it, it’s my vacation.

The rest of the day(from the pictures I took) suggest I didn’t do much, but walk around parts of the strip near my hotel.

That evening, I attended the F4W(Figure Four Weekly)/Wrestling Observer Vegas Convention dinner. It was a casual, catered get together with everybody from the site, obviously including those who hadn’t made it into town on Thursday.

After hanging out for about an hour, I headed back to my hotel to shower and dress for the night. I forgot to mention earlier that this entire time, I kept in touch with the rest of the JC group using the app GroupMe. The app is great for keeping people updated while on Vegas trips. Anyways, I was told to meet at Vesper, near the cab line. It was at this point that I texted the group that I was a shy guy, and a little nervous about tonight. The folks who came down to meet me told me not to worry, and that everything would be great. I really appreciated that.

We cab over to Ceaser'’s which is just wall to wall people near the Omnia entrance. It’s at this point that I meet JC member derekantarctica. We start talking, and he’s asking me if I want his help tonight finding women. For whatever reason, I sense I can trust this guy; some combination of being taller than me, in shape, and confident. Yeah, it was the confidence that radiated from him. I tell him about how I’m a virgin who’s never dated, shy, and quiet. It wasn'’t till near the end of the weekend that I mention being autistic as well.

EDIT: (In 2003, I was diagnosed as high functioning autistic. Even in 2015, I held to this diagnosis, but more recently I've come to grips with the idea that I might not be autistic. In 2004, I received a kidney transplant, and in 2011 my sister also received one. The cause of my kidney problems were never looked into because my kidneys were beyond help. My sister's kidney function was tracked for years after my surgery, and eventually a diagnosis of Joubert Syndrome, a brain disorder that can cause kidney problems. I likely also have this. How this relates to autism is that while I may not be autistic, I have some of the behaviors associated with Autism. Hoo boy, this edit went on longer than I thought it would.)

He says he'’ll help me out.

I don'’t remember at all who our host was, but we make it into the club not long after meeting up. We had a balcony table, which is actually really nice. You can easily fit a dozen or so people around it, and have room to dance without fear of falling over to your doom. The DJ that night was Chuckie, and I don’t remember too much about the music either, but it was good. You all know about that crazy chandelier at Omnia, but damn is that thing impressive.

So derekanarctica starts bringing groups of girls over, some I’m into, and some I pass on. I clearly remember chatting up a busty blond from LA, but she and her friends bailed after a few minutes. I’m being asked what kind of girls to bring back to the table, and I think I said something about being close to my height, maybe I said brunettes as well. The third time was the charm for bringing the ladies over, because I was met by two Irish brunettes: one who was pretty, and her friend, who was hot. For the hell of it, I’m going to call her, Miss Ireland for the rest of the story. In my mind I must have said something like, “Wow. I’m done searching.” I introduce myself, and fixed them drinks, I think?

After a couple of minutes, they ask me where the restroom is. I point it out to them, and get a little pissy, thinking that there weren'’t coming back to the table. They say that they'’re coming right back, and I respond with something like, “sure you are. Sure. Okay, ladies.” I waited.

They came back as they said they would. I recall giving Miss Ireland a hug upon her return, but not one to her friend.

The night goes on, with me chatting up Miss Ireland, but not being able to make a move because, well, I really don’t know how. I also leave the club around 3:00am feeling a little sick, without giving her my number, or getting hers.(MISTAKE #1) I’m completely clueless about knowing when to ask or give out a number. I know I’m just supposed to do it, but I’m someone who overthinks things. I guess I kept waiting for the appropriate moment, but it never happened(in my mind, anyway). Luckily for me derekanarctica did manage to find them and get Miss Ireland’s number.

Next: Day 3: More mistakes, but also DeadMau5

[Funkycold]

Great night, even if it was a learning experience for you. Remember; you miss 100% of the shots you don't take! I'm also learning this as I'm currently joining the "40 & Divorced" crowd!

[Funkycold]

Now keep it coming!

[empire55]

Day 2 (Warning: I give away probably too much information about myself in this post than needs to be said on a forum about partying in Las Vegas. Blame adb232 for inspiring me.)

I wake up well rested on Friday July 10, anxious for my fist night of bottle service. Vdara has no buffet, just a cafe/convenience store, so I walk over to Aria to eat at their breakfast buffet. I think I had the usual breakfast dishes: scramble eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes, fruit, and pastries. You know, fuck it, it’s my vacation.

The rest of the day(from the pictures I took) suggest I didn’t do much, but walk around parts of the strip near my hotel.

That evening, I attended the F4W(Figure Four Weekly)/Wrestling Observer Vegas Convention dinner. It was a casual, catered get together with everybody from the site, obviously including those who hadn’t made it into town on Thursday.

After hanging out for about an hour, I headed back to my hotel to shower and dress for the night. I forgot to mention earlier that this entire time, I kept in touch with the rest of the JC group using the app GroupMe. The app is great for keeping people updated while on Vegas trips. Anyways, I was told to meet at Vesper, near the cab line. It was at this point that I texted the group that I was a shy guy, and a little nervous about tonight. The folks who came down to meet me told me not to worry, and that everything would be great. I really appreciated that.

We cab over to Ceaser’s which is just wall to wall people near the Omnia entrance. It’s at this point that I meet JC member derekantarctica. We start talking, and he’s asking me if I want his help tonight finding women. For whatever reason, I sense I can trust this guy; some combination of being taller than me, in shape, and confident. Yeah, it was the confidence that radiated from him. I tell him about how I’m a virgin who’s never dated, shy, and quiet. It wasn’t till near the end of the weekend that I mention being autistic as well. He says he’ll help me out.

I don’t remember at all who our host was, but we make it into the club not long after meeting up. We had a balcony table, which is actually really nice. You can easily fit a dozen or so people around it, and have room to dance without fear of falling over to your doom. The DJ that night was Chuckie, and I don’t remember too much about the music either, but it was good. You all know about that crazy chandelier at Omnia, but damn is that thing impressive.

So derekanarctica starts bringing groups of girls over, some I’m into, and some I pass on. I clearly remember chatting up a busty blond from LA, but she and her friends bailed after a few minutes. I’m being asked what kind of girls to bring back to the table, and I think I said something about being close to my height, maybe I said brunettes as well. The third time was the charm for bringing the ladies over, because I was met by two Irish brunettes: one who was pretty, and her friend, who was hot. For the hell of it, I’m going to call her, Miss Ireland for the rest of the story. In my mind I must have said something like, “Wow. I’m done searching.” I introduce myself, and fixed them drinks, I think?

After a couple of minutes, they ask me where the restroom is. I point it out to them, and get a little pissy, thinking that there weren’t coming back to the table. They say that they’re coming right back, and I respond with something like, “sure you are. Sure. Okay, ladies.” I waited.

They came back as they said they would. I recall giving Miss Ireland a hug upon her return, but not one to her friend.

The night goes on, with me chatting up Miss Ireland, but not being able to make a move because, well, I really don’t know how. I also leave the club around 3:00am feeling a little sick, without giving her my number, or getting hers.(MISTAKE #1) I’m completely clueless about knowing when to ask or give out a number. I know I’m just supposed to do it, but I’m someone who overthinks things. I guess I kept waiting for the appropriate moment, but it never happened(in my mind, anyway). Luckily for me derekanarctica did manage to find them and get Miss Ireland’s number.

Next: Day 3: More mistakes, but also DeadMau5

oooh this I gotta hear.

I know those 2 Irish girls very well (names start with J and C). I've partied with them numerous times both in Vegas and LA. And I can already kind of guarantee you that whatever mistakes you think you made, wasn't your mistake. If that makes any sense. But let's hear it first!

[robtmufc]

Holy wow that girl is incredible!! Post the next day haha!!

[BarrelO]

Shy, autistic, and an Observer subscriber? Are you literally me?

This is shaping up to be a ******1/4 TR. Keep it up!

[matt1983]

First of all, empire55, I don't think Irish C was on this trip. Fast forwarding a bit, I followed Miss Ireland on Instagram for a few months after this trip, and if I'm not mistaken Irish C is a well endowed blonde, right? If that's right she wasn't in Vegas when I was.

Day 3: Saturday July 11^th was a day I was looking forward to, since our group was going to XS to see DeadMau5. I woke up late morning, had some Belgian waffles, put myself together, and headed out to EBC. I bought a presale ticket, but only stayed for a couple of hours because of the medication I take that makes me more vulnerable to UV radiation, on top of being a white guy.

I didn’t feel like taking a cab back to my hotel, so I walked from Encore to Vdara, which in Vegas in July is kind of exhausting. As soon as I made it to Caesar's Palace, I went inside and stayed inside as much as possible. Around 5:00pm, I went over to Bond at Cosmo to meet a few of the group for a drink. We were joined by JC user Wat. Wat if you’ll recall once posted a TR where he wrote that he passed out early one morning while talking to his girlfriend on his PC. Despite her best efforts, he didn’t wake up for several hours. I didn’t bring this up while drinking with him. After chatting with him and the others I excused myself and went over to Holstein’s for dinner. It’s my favorite burger place on the strip.

I met up with part of the group at Cosmo, and we cabbed over to Encore, where we met the rest of the crew, and walked in. If you think of the club entrance as South, and the DJ Booth as North, our table was just outside the East exit. It’s part of a group of tables near the DJ Booth. DerekAntarctica asked me if I wanted him to bring on the Irish girls again, and I said yeah. So he texted Miss Ireland after we were settled, and she came with her friends from the night before; let’s call them Z and C. DerekAntarctica also told me I might be in trouble because our table was right next to one with a group of energetic Irish guys. The girls make it into the club, but are stuck outside some barricades that were erected to separate the club patrons. Derek and I go talk to a bouncer, and Derek gives me $20 to sweet talk the bouncer into letting the girls in. He obliges. We walk the girls over to the table, and in no time Miss Ireland tells me she’s going over to visit with the Irish guys. I don’t try to stop her or talk to her the rest of the night. I end up chatting with her friends about life in Dublin, and while attempting to pour them drinks, I spill some of the cranberry juice on Z’s dress.(MISTAKE) Derek tries to cheer me up by saying that, “you’ll be spilling semen on these girls later tonight.” I will remember that line for the rest of my life.

Yeah, so DeadMau5 came on around 1:30AM, and someone in our group showed us that he’d been asked on Twitter by multiple people to perform an extended set. He ended up playing for two and a half hours. I remember him complaining about all of the confetti he was being hit with, and how his suitcase will be full of it. He also talked about how funny it would be if he set off a bomb inside his helmet, and blew himself up. “That’s what you think about when you’re up here so much, and for so long.” He said. He also complained about how he had to do his best to hold in his urine. BTW, the music from the set was great, too. Near the end of the set, our group was able to find room inside the club to enjoy the end of his show. I had given up on the Irish girls, and didn’t even think to bring any of them with me.(MISTAKE)

So as soon as DeadMau5 left the stage, I said my goodbyes and headed for the cab line. While waiting for a cab, I was entertained by the slurred ramblings of a good looking brunette, who was having a rant/argument with her friends who were heading to Drais. She wasn’t angry or loud or anything, just rambling. I found this amusing.

Next: Day 4; NightSwim, Major Lazer, and plenty of tears


Picture Notes: Irish C, Irish Z, Me;DeadMau5; a photo from the previous night with Me, Miss Ireland, Irish Z, and derekanarctica

[matt1983]

Day 4: Sunday July 12^th , I awake and this is where my memory is a little hazy. From the looks of the photos I took that day, I just took it easy. I think I went to The Wicked Spoon for brunch, a place everyone should go eat at if you’re in Vegas. Nothing, but delicious food. All sorts of cuisine, you won’t regret it. I spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around MGM, NYNY, and maybe Bellagio because I love going to Cafe Gelato as well. Best ice cream on the strip.

That night was NightSwim at XS. I had been there in July of 2012, and it was dead. You could’ve swam laps in the pool that night no problem. However, this night was very different. Major Lazer was playing, and this was just a few months after the release of “Lean On.” We met up somewhere between 10:45 and 11:00pm, and we were inside the club pretty quickly. Whether it was luck, or by plan or whatever, we had almost the exact same table as the previous night. One thing I forgot to mention from Saturday is that our server was a total babe, and just as hot as Miss Ireland.

So, just to restate, I didn’t have Miss Ireland’s number. Derekanarctica did. On this night, he lies to her by saying his battery is low, and gives her my number. I think he also told her we were at XS. Another thing that just came to me is that Derek on Friday night told me that since she was staying at The Flamingo, which is a cheap hotel, could be used to our advantage. I never asked more about his idea, or what he meant.

So, now she had my number and was texting me. I told her where our table was and that I couldn’t wait to see her again. Honestly, this all looks and sounds so stupid right, from her perspective? This guy is after her, but he’s using his friend to keep her in touch and bring her back multiple nights in a row? She must have been laughing about it, right? She’s probably used to it? She might be thinking, "easiest drinks I'll get all weekend." By the time she and her friends arrive, it must have been somewhere between midnight and one in the morning. I forgot to mention in my last post that having a table in that location is a little annoying because people are walking out of XS into the area by mistake all the time. Sorry this post is a little scatterbrained. I’m watching the first night of New Japan’s G1 Climax tournament on one computer monitor as I type this on the other.

Okay, okay. Back to business. Miss Ireland arrives with Irish Z, Irish C, and a dude who’s taller and in better shape than me, but I don’t let it bother me. After hanging out a while at the table, Derek tells me we’re out of alcohol. We didn’t have that high a minimum that night, so we might have only had one bottle of vodka. It also may have been a plan of his to get Miss Ireland to like me more, as he told me to go buy a round for all five of us. I take us over to the bar for a round of screwdrivers.

It’s at this point that the five of us head up to the second level cabanas in the back of XS. We find a vacant one and the Irish ladies sit on the bench to have their photo taken by their guy friend. I take a couple of photos myself. I believe I’m shirtless while this is going on. I took my shirt off before a bought the round. If this sounds weird to some of you, well, that’s XS NightSwim for you. Afterwards, we make our way back to the table, and a whole bunch of us end up near the DJ booth. So yes, around 3:15am on Monday morning I take the chance to dance with Miss Ireland. I do my best to seduce her with my shitty white guy dancing. That goes about as well as you’d expect, but she didn’t laugh at any point, so I couldn’t have been that bad.

After a few minutes of this, she walks away, and I follow. She ends up going to the ladies room, and I escort her over and back. We don’t exchange a word during this. Derek texts me to ask where I went, and I tell him that I don’t want to lose her. He responds by saying that I’ve got her number, and there’s nothing to worry about. I text back that he’s right, but I’m nearly 32, don't get out much and kinda desperate. He tells me to not worry, and to let her do all the work, and let it evolve naturally. It’s at this point that I realize she looks like Kate Middleton, but hotter, obviously. So she leaves the restroom, and we walk back to join the group. It’s here that I decide to use a “hail mary style” pickup line that had just come to me. Wait for it folks, it’s a doozy. In that it’s beyond stupid, and I still can’t believe I said it to her. I was fairly sober when I said it too.

Are you ready? Of course you aren’t, but here it goes. Get ready to laugh and point, folks. I said, shirtless, in my infinite wisdom:

“I’ll follow you to the end of the earth, until you tell me no.”

HeadDeskHeadDeskHeadDeskHeadDeskHeadDeskHeadDeskHe adDeskHeadDeskHeadDesk

It barely registered with her as I can believe she’s heard that and worse her entire life from prospective admirers. So we walk back to the table, as apparently we haven’t shut it down. That’s also good because it meant I could retrieve my shirt. It’s actually kind of amazing nobody took it. (That did happen to me at NightSwim the following year, which will be related in my next TR.) Oh, I also went and texted Derek all that stuff about my pickup line, and the Kate Middleton resemblance as it was happening. While at the table, Derek pulls Miss Ireland over and whispers something in her ear. He tells me that he told her that Matt is a great guy, and that he only deserves the best. I come close to tears as I give him a hug and say that I owe him big time for helping me like this. He says I don’t owe him anything.

I go off with the Irish ladies, and we end up over at the pool where there are a bunch of other guys, who are look bigger and stronger than me. We hang out, talking and singing along to some of the music, though I’m sure Major Lazer is long gone. She gets in the pool, and I decide to hold onto her shawl, and her shoes. Sigh… After watching her swim around with these guys for a few minutes, who may have been the Irish guys from the previous night, but I didn’t pay much attention to them then. I do something as stupid as using that pickup line when I go over and ask her if I need to leave. God did that make me look like the dumbest guy ever. She gave me a noncommittal answer, and I responded by saying that I needed a yes or no. She said of course I could stay. So stupid of me. Not long after this some people from XS come over and say that we need to exit the pool, and leave. It’s around 5:00am at this point, and I’m hanging in there. We’re given a last warning, and as I help Miss Ireland out of the pool she tells me, "“you'’re the only true gentleman here."” I swear this happened.

It’s at this point that we’re going to gather our belongings when Miss Ireland discovers that her purse is missing from the pile that we put down all our other stuff. We all start looking everywhere for it, and eventually an XS employee shows up with it. She looks through it, and she says she can’t find her passport, or her work visa. We all head off to the entrance and I say goodbye to her before she heads up to file a report about her missing passport and visa. That was obviously the wrong thing to do, as she was quite distraught. I also handed over her shawl and shoes to either Z or C, as I had held onto them while the search went on. I head off to the cab line, and go back to my hotel to finish packing, as the sky lightens in Las Vegas.

After I arrive back in my hotel, the weight of everything that had happened over the course of the last few hours, and the entire weekend gets to me. I start sobbing hysterically. I’m sad for Miss Ireland having her possessions stolen. I’m sad because I didn’t get laid this weekend, despite my efforts, which weren’t anywhere close to what you call “my best.” I feeling sorry for myself for leaving like that, since that certainly make me look a complete asshole. I do the best I can by drawing myself a hot bath, and getting in touch with the therapist I meet with every two weeks to discuss my life and my difficulties with Autism. Thankfully she was free to talk to me, and calm me down. After our talk, I packed up, and left for the airport without shaving, or eating breakfast. I did take the time to soap up while in the bath. I may have had something to eat in the airport, and I think I took a short nap on the plane home. I got picked up at the airport, and headed home for a long nap.

Next: The Aftermath, and an epilogue

Pictures: Z, C, and Me, shirtless (you're all welcome); the three Irish ladies in the empty bungalow;

[matt1983]

Sorry about the size of the pictures, everybody.

[Gumbo_Techno]

Great read! Looking forward to the aftermath and epilogue!