I was lucky enough to connect through Las Vegas this month for a few days, on the way to speak at a Senior Circle event at Mesa View Regional Hospital in Mesquite NV. Knowing I'd soon be writing another edition of Bin There, Recycled That, I tried very hard to "Play Attention" during the trip so that I could recycle some humor. Here are my findings:
 
1. Southwest Airlines ROCKS! Could it be that these folks have so much fun at work because they get to wear khaki shorts and sneakers? Who knows? But I do know it's delightful to fly Southwest. 

 
Seating process: absolutely ridiculous (no seat assignments), but somehow, it works. Boarding in numerical order, rather than seat order, makes me feel like a fifth grader who's lining up for lunch.

Safety instructions, usually a rant of pre-flight boring drivel, are sprinkled with humor, such as, "Make sure you keep your oxygen mask on for the free-flowing alcohol, I mean, oxygen!"

Cabin-cleanup in preparation to land: "The flight attendant will make one more pass down the aisle to... (one expects him to say, "to collect any remaining trash") but instead, he said, "the flight attendant will make one more pass down the aisle to make sure your shoes match your outfit today!"

  

Announcement from the back of the aircraft:  "Ladies and Gentlemen, we, at Southwest Airlines, want to remind you, that as you prepare to land and greet your loved ones and dear friends on the ground, PLEASE FIX THE BACK OF YOUR HAIR FIRST... it's a mess!  You should see it from my angle. (Remember, he was in the back of the plane).

 
And, upon landing, all we heard from the pilot, over the P.A. system, was a huge, "WHEW!"  It was great.  "Welcome to Las Vegas, or as we say here, "VIVA LOST WAGES!"  A smile on every face.  How about that American Airlines?
 
2. Murphy's Law of Vegas:  I'd hoped to look fabulous, down to the last detail, but I couldn't find my earrings. A desperate search, through every zipper pocket of my suitcase, (who designs these bags?) turned up nothing.  Theft was not a possibility; my jewelry wasn't that great.  Short on time, and long on desperation, I whipped into Dollar Tree and purchased faux-diamond studs.   They were at least two carets (each earring!) and the clerk complimented my choice.  So there I am, living the Las Vegas life for a couple of days, in $1.08 earrings.  No, wait, there were two pair on the card.  Make that 54 cents each.  I gave the clerk the other pair off the card, winked at her and left.  Cheap is only a frame of mind.

 

Ticket to Mamma Mia!    $98
Dinner at Benihana         $42
Diamond Earrings           .54
Dazzle Factor                Not so much!
 
3. Dinner and a movie.  Make that dinner and two shows, for the price of one! I stopped at a half-price ticket booth on Las Vegas Boulevard and chose two shows, both showing in the same theater.  The clerk suggested I also take advantage of dinner at Benihana, also at the same hotel for 25% discount. Since I was traveling solo, this seemed like a prudent way to take on Las Vegas. I'd never dined at Benihana; for some reason, my husband, Jeff, would never indulge me.  When the hostess snaked through the restaurant and arrived at my table, I remembered why.  You get to sit with nine strangers. That doesn't scare me though. I sat with two young nurses from Mississippi. They were delightful ladies and we became fast friends; we even took pictures together. Gina is getting married Saturday. I need to mail her and Buddy a card. That's his name. His real name is Lloyd, Jr., but when his daddy, Lloyd, Sr., held his baby, he said, "Are you gonna be my fishin' buddy? Are you gonna be my huntin' buddy?  Mama said, "Lloyd, why don't we just call him 'Buddy'? And they did. Instant Buddy. To hear this story, told in Gina's sweet, southern drawl, was precious. I was glad we were table buddies that evening. Benihana is not for the introverted, but it can make for Instant-Buddies.