The plan is revealed

We woke up to a stunning view of the airport and mountains beyond. Around nine we made our way down to the jogging track around the pool area and took about eight laps of the half-mile track. This whetted our appetite for Mandalay Beach so we rinsed off and came down with bathing suits and room keys to use the fabled wave pool. We watched some kids to figure out how to do it and eventually found the right place to wait to body-surf the wave and be washed up on shore. Every time the wave came and swept up away we would lie sprawled in the shallows laughing our heads off.

After a couple hundred waves we decided to try the lazy river. Being practiced as well as naturally buoyant, I had no trouble floating on my back with my toes sticking up all the way around the track. Hunnybear was laughing so hard from watching me that she had trouble staying afloat.

We cleaned up and went down for some Pai Gow Poker. Hunnybear picked the game up right away and liked it since it went much slower than Blackjack, meaning she lost her money slower. I held my own until Hunnybear went off to take a break but then hemorrhaged quickly. She returned at 3:30 and I told her we’d go after this streak. It turned into the best streak of the day and I recouped all but a few bucks of my losses with several consecutive power hands.

I had a 4 p.m. appointment at Bally’s Studio 15 to get my hair done by John. We arrived about 15 minutes late because of my streak but I made it up to him financially. We were going to do the traditional million-dollar slot pull (“I wish I had a million dollars. Hot dog!”) but the line to get new players cards printed was too long so we just drove the Sebring across the street to the Forum Shops. We headed straight for La Salsa for a yard of Herradura Ańejo top-shelf margarita. Armed, we went across the hall to my favorite shoe store to buy a new pair of Asics. This place gave a discount if you sang karaoke and always had great deals. I was surprised to find out that they had changed hands and no longer had karaoke or bargains. We declared that it was now suck store and saw no reason ever to set foot in it again.

We walked around the Forum Shops awhile longer and then Hunnybear drove back to Mandalay Bay while I finished off the yard of margaritas. I told Hunnybear I was cold and wanted to change into long pants so we went up and changed for the evening. She wanted to rest a bit but I said I wanted to hit the Pai Gow Poker table with her as my good-luck charm so we went down about 7:30. But then I told Hunnybear I wanted to explore the hotel a bit so we headed down a corridor we hadn’t been before.

“There must be something here,” I said. “Look at all the people.” Hunnybear said she thought maybe this was where they were having the show. “What show?” I said. “You know, the Steely Dan,” she said. We continued and came to a line of yellow-jacketed ticket takers. “That’s definitely what it is,” said Hunnybear, making to turn around, but I went right up to one of the ticket-takers and said, “What is this?” She looked confused. “What’s going on here?” I said. “I need a ticket,” she said. “Steely Dan ticket.” Well, I reached into my pocket and pulled out an envelope. “Well what do you know?” I said. “I happen to have a couple of tickets right here!”

Only now did the full complexity of the Hunnybear Day plan reveal itself. Hunnybear learned that the entire point of Hunnybear Day had been to surprise her with tickets to the Steely Dan concert, which I knew was her favorite. When I had been here with Dave Rottweiller the Zip-Code Man I had learned of the concert and quickly played a few hours in the casino to build up my player rating so I could beg for VIP tickets. They were happy to sell me a prime pair in the casino block, right above the stage on the left side. Our seat opponents were the guys who made the red jackets that the ushers wore. Hunnybear asked them if they also made the yellow jackets and they looked ashamed. “No,” one said. “We lost that business.”

Steely Dan played two one-hour sets mixed between their new album Two Against Nature and their hits with two Walter Becker songs thrown in to keep him happy. Donald Fagen’s voice was as great in person as it was on disk and Hunnybear commented that he still sounded awesome 30 years into his career. Most of the big hits came in the second set, including “Deacon Blues,” “Peg,” “My Old School,” and “FM.” We both loved the concert and were glad to have had the chance to see one of the great artists of our lifetime in full glory.

Though we had split a $5 hot dog at the show (they had an odd pricing policy: everything was $2.50 or $5) we were famished by 10:55 when the show ended so we headed for Border Grill, which was located right outside the Mandalay Bay Events Center. We sat outside, across the jogging track from the Lazy River, and ordered an excellent tamale appetizer and some more Herradura Ańejo margaritas. Hunnybear had a chicken that she said was the best she’d ever had. I ordered the roast duck special, which was good, and made a note next time to finally try that chicken everyone was talking about. We go to the Santa Monica location frequently.

It was after midnight so Hunnybear Day was officially over. Hunnybear thanked me for putting together the nice surprise for her and we retired to our House of Blues room for the night.


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[This message has been edited by QuietLion (edited 06-11-2000).]