Seattle, Alaska and Vegas

It's been over 2 weeks since the last entry. Since that time, I’ve been on vacation in Seattle and an Alaskan cruise, Las Vegas for a brief business trip and taken a weekend real estate broker exam cram course. Cruising through an Alaskan fjord between towering cliffs and dodging icebergs was awe-inspiring. At the other extreme, the two-day cram course for the broker’s exam was coma-inducing. On the first day, I downed 3 Red Bulls and was still nodding off. C’mon, how often do you really need to know that there are 43,560 sq feet in an acre?!

The visit to Vegas reminded me how exuberantly people spend money left and right in this town. At my roulette table, some college kids were betting hundreds of dollars (tuition money no doubt) on red or black. The line for the $35 seafood buffet was close to an hour long. Tickets for headliner shows start at $100. I couldn’t find a single $5 blackjack table at the Rio. Keeping up with the Joneses is getting expensive.

Thursday 7/28
$40 taxi from Sea-Tac to downtown hotel
$250 9 days of housesitting by my niece

Friday 7/29
$35 lunch for 3 at pier restaurant
$54 admission for 3 to Experience Music Project and Science Fiction Museum
$9 roundtrip monorail tickets for 3
$45 dinner for 3 at Red Robin

Saturday 7/30
$7 breakfast for 2
$12 fresh fruits from Pike Place farmers market
$31 lunch for 3 at artisan cheese maker at Pike Place (macaroni and cheese and grilled cheese sandwich)
$52 2 shirts at Ross
$36 Gap
$15 taxi from hotel to cruise terminal

7 day cruise
$6 drinks in Ketchikan
$27 admission for 3 to fish hatchery and eagle refuge in Ketchikan
$16 treats for the office in Juneau
$66 Alaskan king crab and fish & chips lunch for 2 in Skagway (the best fish & chips I’ve ever had but mediocre king crab as apparently it’s not king crab season)
$9 trinkets for colleagues at office
$30 socks, underwear and t-shirts in Prince Rupert
$1900 3 helicopter excursions, 3 Yukon Pass train excursions, daily tips for 3 for 7 days, surplus dining charges for special ship restaurants, drinks and miscellaneous charges on the cruise
$150 in additional tips for the cabin butler and concierge

Saturday 8/6:
$33 taxi from cruise port to Sea-Tac
$6 snacks at Sea-Tac
$13 taxi from John Wayne Airport to parking lot at work (saved $100 by parking at work 3 miles from airport instead of at airport parking)
$0 frozen dinners

Sunday 8/7:
$63 Supermarket (saved $26 in coupons)
$32 photo paper and book from Amazon
$13 lunch for 3 at Green Burrito
$0 prepared dinner

Monday 8/8:
$7 lunch with colleagues
$19 dry cleaning
$0 frozen dinners
$80 housecleaner

Tuesday 8/9:
$8 lunch with colleagues
$53 dinner for 3 at Lonestar Steakhouse (saved $16 with Entertainment card)
$50 service call co-pay for A/C repair through home warranty service
$160 replaced swimming pool solar blanket cover

Wednesday 8/10:
$0 lunch and dinner expensed (on business trip in Las Vegas)
$85 service call co-pay for plumbing stoppage through home warranty service
$11 misc souvenirs at Rio Casino (won $90 in roulette)
$240 yard cleanup (new gardener after the previous one disappeared off the face of the earth)

Thursday 8/11:
$0 expensed lunch for 2
$13 takeout dinner for 3 from KFC
$7 4 tiny pieces of artisan chocolate at Wynn Casino (after winning $210 in blackjack)

Friday 8/12:
$105 ortho
$0 brought lunch
$40 dinner for 3 at Dosa Palace (saved $9 with Entertainment card)

Saturday 8/13:
$99 two day cram course for real estate broker exam
$5 lunch
$3 extra large Rock Star caffeinated drink to keep from dozing off in class
$11 dinner for 2 at Café Chin Chin (saved $8 with Entertainment card)

Sunday 8/14:
$71 supermarket (saved $17 with coupons)
$6 lunch
$0 prepared dinner

Monday 8/15:
$7 lunch with colleagues
$0 prepared dinner
$3 sudden urge to rent The Shining from Blockbuster

Tuesday 8/16:
$23 treated ex-boss to lunch at Waters (saved $9 with Entertainment card)
$18 dinner for 2 at Mimi’s (saved $10 with free gift certificate)
$29 glassware at Marshalls

Wednesday 8/17:
$48 gas
$0 leftovers for lunch
$40 dinner for 3 at Maggiano’s (saved $10 with coupon)
$75 3 tickets for Pageant of the Masters in Laguna Beach
$9 3 coffees at show

Thursday 8/18:
$12 lunch at Yujean Kang’s at South Coast Plaza
$5 3 Red Bulls
$0 prepared dinner

Friday 8/19:
$9 lunch at Indian buffet
$248 11 dress shirts at 50% off and 2 pairs of boxers at Sak’s Fifth Avenue
$105 2 shirts and 2 sweaters at Guess$14 fastfood dinner for 2