So far, so good! Our Goodboys weekend has been a lot of fun. Not much time to delve too deeply into all the places we’ve been and the things we’ve seen, but here’s a brief review of some of the highlights thus far:

* While Red Square at the Mandalay Bay provided a wonderful meal and vodka sampler as usual, it had a strange vibe about it. The pretty girls from last year seem to have been replaced by a bunch of pretty boys (something we found true at most of the MB bars), and our cocktail waitress was run over by an inconsiderate boor who was only chastised after we forced the issue on one of RS’s security dudes. Have marked the MB as ‘off the list’ for future Goodboys visits.

* The Palms Hotel and Casino was very crowded. While many of the Travel Channel programs about Vegas tout the Palms as a hot spot for a younger crowd, at least from our brief look-see, it seemed like your typical Las Vegas casino.

* The Golden Nugget is just about the only place worth visiting the downtown area for. Plenty of $10 single-deck blackjack and open tables – and this was on a Friday night. We didn’t actually see the Fremont Street Experience, but the area was jumpin’ with with crowds listening and dancing to a variety of live music acts. Judging from the number of people, it seemed many like that kind of thing, but I feel more comfortable with the feel of The Strip and the action that comes with it.

* Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville Las Vegas remains a great place to go for lunch or dinner, and it has one of the best gift shops around – especially if you know someone who’s a Parrothead. My favorite (and Killer’s as well): the “The Weather is Here, Wish You Were Beautiful” T-shirts.

* The Kokomo’s Bar at The Mirage once more lived up to our expectations, and the recent additions of new restaurants and lounges, including the fab Revolution Lounge (complete with go-go dancers!), has brought the Mirage back onto the A-list of must-see Strip attractions. I can’t wait to take Tracey there so she can see for herself how cool they’ve done the place up since we last visited.

* And of course, the Fireside Lounge at The Peppermill did not disappoint for the ultimate Las Vegas lounge experience. The cocktail waitresses were still tall and lanky, their long, black cocktail dresses making them a tall cool glass of water, indeed (if you now what I mean).

I’m not much of a gambler (I prefer to stick to $2 across-the-board bets on the horses and a little slots action here and there), but while learning how to play blackjack was a fun experience, it sure is interesting to watch others play. Last night, I was watching this Panamanian dude playing blackjack and on one heck of a losing streak. He had quite a roll of $100 bills with him that he kept peeling off one after another, so it didn’t seem to bother him much. Until, that is, when the streak finally got the better of him, at which point he just swore and walked away from the table. It was then I had the words to Keb’Mo’s song “Flat Broke and Busted” (from the Tin Cup soundtrack) in mind:

Flat broke and busted, just don’t seem fair
The Man in Heaven won’t hear my prayer
These dice are loaded, but I still can’t win
Flat broke and busted, crapped out again

Maybe tomorrow, I’ll see the light
And know the difference between wrong and right
My ship is out there, but it can’t come in
Flat broke and busted, crapped out again

Ah, Vegas, where fortunes are made and lost in the twinkle of an eye. When it comes to pure adrenaline and action, there’s nothing like it!