What happens in Vegas ends up in a blog post

Last summer, I went to Vegas.  With family.  When I tell this to most people, they are initially intrigued by the fact that I went to Vegas.  And then soon disinterested when they find out I went with family.  Almost as though they feel sorry for me.  As if it’s so disappointing and such a waste of a trip.  For most people, a trip to Vegas with your family isn’t as fun or glamorous as a normal Vegas trip would be.  But for me, it was.

My grandma turned 80 years old last year.  And she had never been to Vegas before.  So we thought it would be fun to take her there.  She loves gambling, so I was shocked it was her first time there.  Even I had been before, and I hate gambling.  Mostly because I’m so terrible at it.  But my grandma is more of a risk taker and has more luck than I do, so Vegas was perfect for her.  I’m more interested in the shopping and the shows.  And the food.  And the drinking.  You know, there’s always something for everyone.

Apparently my grandma is afraid of flying in an airplane.  This fear manifested a few years ago, when some idiot made some remarks about how flying was unsafe an whatnot.  I think that was the last time she was in a plane because whatever the guy said on that flight must have freaked her out.  So my aunt and uncle had to drive down to Vegas with her.  I can’t even imagine that long and painful drive.  I’m just so glad I went by plane.

So what’s there to do in Vegas with your family?  So many things!  Despite what many might think, Vegas isn’t just all about the pool parties and the night clubs.  I mean I wouldn’t bring kids there.  Although some people do.  Which is ridiculous.  Walking down the strip at like 11pm, you see families with kids.  And wonder why are you out, shouldn’t you be in bed?  Why are you here?  But anyway.  When you’re with family members who are old enough to appreciate it, Vegas is awesome.

The shows are amazing.  I really wish we had more shows here in Vancouver because I miss it.  I went to a total of seven shows while I was there and they were all spectacular.  I saw Terry Fator, Mac King, Nathan Burton Comedy Magic, Frank Marino’s Divas, Tournament of Kings, The Beatles Love by Cirque du Soleil, and Thunder From Down Under.  Did I mention that I saw Thunder From Down Under with my grandma?  They’re Australian strippers.  Yeah, that happened.

I also went to two buffets.  And I went crazy both time.  You know I love food.  And I tend to have no self control when that food is essentially limitless.  So you can imagine what my plates looked like.  I definitely ate too much, but I have no regrets about that.  I also loved being able to drink in public during the day.  I’m pretty sure if I lived in Vegas, I would be a morbidly obese alcoholic with a lot of debt.

I also hung out by the pool and did a lot of walking along the strip.  And shopping.  I did my fare share of shopping at Ross and at the outlet mall.  I did gamble a little as well.  But as I said, it’s really not my thing.  I lost a bit and then gave up.  I just don’t have my grandma’s luck or perseverance.

Stay tuned for future blog posts about the shows, food, drinks, and fun I had in Vegas…

I don’t always take pictures of my food, but when I do, I post them on Facebook

Don’t you just hate those people who take pictures of their food?  It’s so unnecessary, right?  I mean the food is there for you to eat, not to look at.  I used to judge those people.  And lo and behold, I became one of them.  I don’t always take pictures of my food.  But when I do, I post them on Facebook.  I’m not one of those people who has to instagram every single thing she eats.  I don’t even have instagram actually.  Which is probably for the best.

If I’m eating something bland or unexciting, then I see no reason to have to share it with the world.  But when it’s some sort of unique concoction that I know people would either be jealous of or judge me for eating, then I feel it’s somehow justified.  So I just wanted to share with you the fact that I had a pizza burger the other night.  I love when you can get two things in one like that.  The pizza burger is the newest addition to the Boston Pizza menu.  I opted for the pepperoni and bacon one.  Because why wouldn’t you want the extra meat?

Pepperoni & bacon pizza burger at Boston Pizza

I used to be one of those people who always felt compelled to finish everything off their plate.  But on occasion I now find myself bringing home leftovers.  In this case, it’s understandable, because the pizza burger was pretty much like eating a pizza and a burger.  So really it was two meals in one.  Literally, because I ate the rest of it for lunch the following day.

Did you know that Boston Pizza actually puts instructions on their take home boxes as to what to do with your leftover food?  They tell you how long you have before you have to refrigerate it, how to store it, how to reheat it, and how many days you have left before you have to eat it.  And so I put it in the fridge when I got home, as it says to do so within two hours.  When I entered the kitchen, my dad looked at me, saw that I was wearing my boots and my jacket, and said, “Where are you going??” because it was late.  I then informed him that I’d just gotten home.  Apparently he didn’t realize I wasn’t in the house up until that moment.

Thanks for telling me what to do with my leftover food. I wouldn’t have known otherwise.

I also abided by the instruction of eating the food within one to two days.  Obviously.  Why would I leave it for three days?  I don’t have that kind of willpower.  I didn’t bother to divide my food.  It wasn’t a large amount.  And I completely ignored the reheating instructions.  I ate that pizza burger cold.  Because I’m a rebel like that.

A whole new pizza

On Sunday night, I went to Browns Social House for dinner with a friend. I had a Groupon for it. I have tons of groupons. And slowly but surely, I will eventually get through them all. Hopefully before they expire.

My friend gave up beer for Lent, so instead she ordered a caesar. I could have reminded her that Sundays didn’t count for Lent. But I think she was happy with her caesar, since it was on special. I hate caesars. I feel like every time I go out, they’re what’s on special. How annoying. I opted for a glass of red wine. For the health benefits, naturally.

Pizzas are also on special at Browns on Sundays. I ordered the bbq chicken pizza, which is my favourite. The majority of the time, I eat my entire meal, finishing off everything that’s on my plate. Sometimes I contemplate taking some to go, but then I continue eating to the point where it’s not really enough to pack up and so I may as well just finish the whole thing. So I do.

But not this time. I’m not sure why. I loved the pizza. But I really wanted leftovers because I would be needing both lunch and dinner the following day, as I would be out for the majority of it. So I had 3 pieces left of the 8 and I asked if I could have it packed up. I knew I would most likely just end up eating it when I got home.

A few minutes later, our waitress came back with some news about my pizza. It got dropped. And so they were making me a new one. If that’s not a win, then I don’t know what is. Due to the clumsiness of someone other than myself, I got a whole new pizza instead of just a few slices. This had never happened to me before. I felt as if I’d just won an award. Yay for people dropping things!

Normally, I would end this post with a picture of the aforementioned pizza. But alas, I did not take one. Because I didn’t want to be one of those people who takes pictures of their food. But who the hell am I kidding, I am one of those people who takes pictures of their food. Just not this time. When it would have been good for this blog post. Oh well. Getting the pizza was enough of a win. I don’t need the photographic evidence to prove it.

I Am Downtown Shopping Night, Part 1: Cupcakes, Fashion, & VIP Swag Bags

On Wednesday, November 14th, Pacific Centre held their annual I am downtown shopping event.  I hadn’t actually heard about it until this year but now that I know what I’ve been missing out on, I’ll be sure to continue attending in the future.  I was at the food court in Pacific Centre a couple weeks ago with my mom, grabbing a bite to eat before going to the Vancouver Symphony, when I noticed a sign on the table advertising the shopping event.  It intrigued me, but then I forgot about it.  Fortunately, I happened to be at the food court again later that week, getting food before going to the Comedy Mix.  This time, I picked up the sign and googled the event.  I have class on Wednesday nights, but I hadn’t missed one yet, and this seemed like it might be a good enough reason to finally do so.  I thought I would see if anyone was interested in going, and if they were, then I would do it.

I’m so glad I saw this ad in the food court.

I didn’t really know what to expect.  But I knew I wanted to purchase a VIP ticket.  The event was free for anyone, but for $20, you could purchase a VIP ticket that gave you a VIP swag bag filled with samples and coupons, as well as access to the VIP cupcake lounge.  The $20 also went to their partner charity, Coast Mental Health.  There was no reason not to get one.  So I did.

The event ran from 5-9pm, but I arrived after 6pm since I was coming from work.  The swag bag was so worth it.  Best $20 I’ve ever spent.  I got a free umbrella, which was convenient, since I had left mine on the bus just the day before.  I also got a $20 gift card to GUESS, a $5 gift card to Take 5 Cafe, body lotion, a hair product sample, a shoe horn (I know, who even uses those things?), a coupon for a free smoothie at Orange Julius, a Fashion magazine, and an eco bag.  Two eco bags, actually, because there was another bag inside the swag bag.  I also got a $10 shop card for filling out a form that was in my swag bag and redeeming it at Guest Services.

Over by Sears, or should I say where Sears used to be, there was a wheel that you could spin to win prizes.  The first time I spun it, I got an H&M coupon for $5.  Yes, I spun it a couple more times after that, because I could.  We had a few hours so we had time to come back and line up again throughout the night.  I ended up also getting two $5 shop cards from the wheel as well.  I love that wheel.  I wish it was there all the time.  But alas, it was just a one time thing.

My friend and I purchased VIP tickets, but two of my friends did not.  So they couldn’t come into the VIP cupcake lounge with us.  Which was basically an area outside Aritzia with little mini cupcakes from Cupcakes.  So we went in and sampled a few.  And then I took a couple and gave them to my friends after leaving the area.  Apparently the people manning the “lounge” gave me dirty looks as I did so.  But whatever.  I paid for this.  I can share my cupcakes if I want to.  Because I’m a nice person.

Who doesn’t love free cupcakes?

Me and the cupcake tower.

I’m so glad I have a friend who loves cupcakes as much as I do.

Across from the cupcake lounge, there was music playing and a booth from David’s Tea.  They’ll be opening up a location in Pacific Centre some time soon.  They had tea samples for us to try, so I sampled the cocomint cream herbal tea, which was a nice blend of coconut and peppermint.  It was very refreshing and went perfectly with the cupcakes.  The guy there also gave us coupons for a free tea at a David’s Tea location.  I’ll be sure to go redeem it at Oakridge, probably for the cocomint cream.

At 6:30, there was a fashion show just outside of H&M, displaying the men’s and women’s fall fashions of Holt Renfrew and other retailers.  I thought back to when I went to Vancouver Fashion Week, and how skinny the models were.  These ones were super skinny too, but not as extremely so.  In watching this fashion show, I got to achieve one of my goals:  Eating cupcakes in front of models.  I don’t know why, but for some reason getting to do this made me really happy.  The male models were kind of good looking and my friend was sorry she didn’t bring her camera.  I think we got some pretty decent photos with our phones though.

I ate cupcakes while I watched the show.

I really liked this coat and these boots.

I’m sad that this picture came out blurry.

Male models are always nice to look at.

A little black dress is always fashionable.

After the fashion show, we headed downstairs where there was a seminar about how to wear different items of clothing.  You know, in case we couldn’t figure that out on our own.  It was nice because it gave us a chance to sit down.

Listening to the fashion seminar.

And after that, they informed us of the photo shoot area, where we could get our picture taken in front of a Fashion Magazine backdrop.  Two of my friends and I got our photo taken and they gave us each a copy to take home.  We also did individual shoots, which will appear on their website.  I totally felt like a model.  Not necessarily a good model.  But a model, nevertheless.

I so wish this was the actual cover of Fashion Magazine.

There was also a Sweet Court area just below the elevator with various samples.  There were cookies, popcorn, and Orange Julius smoothies.  We went through there several times and my dinner pretty much consisted of cupcakes, cookies, and smoothies.  And a tiny piece of sesame chicken, since there were samples when I walked by the food court.  There were different kinds of cookies and they were all very small, so my friend asked if we could take more than one.  The cookie lady looked upset by this.  The second time I went through, there were only two cookies on her plate, and the two people ahead of me took them.  Instead of taking out more cookies from her box, she just stood there and sort of looked at me.  After I left, she slowly began to put out more.  We didn’t understand why she was rationing them like that.  It was her job to give out samples in order to promote them.  When I saw her put more out, I went back and took one.  Because I deserved it.

There were a lot of sales and promotions going on at the various retailers as well that we were able to check out, but I didn’t actually buy anything that day.  I wasn’t in the mood for shopping at the I am downtown shopping event.  Go figure.  But there was so much else going on that it was okay.

The event was amazing, but the best and most exciting part of the night was yet to come.  Stay tuned to read my next post, I Am Downtown Shopping, Part 2: The Pretty Penny Contest.

I was hungry

This one time, I ate a muffin in the library even though the sign said no food. Cause I’m a rebel like that.

I need to start eating better, she says to herself after she picks up a turkey & beef lumberjack sandwich at Safeway

Turkey & beef lumberjack sandwich

This is kind of exciting, because they actually list the ingredients.  With the regular lumberjack sandwich, it says “may or may not contain” and then lists various meats.  At least this way, I know my meats are turkey and roast beef.  Or so they say.

Today I am thankful for sleeping in and not having to work

Happy Thanksgiving!

Free birthday pasta at Boston Pizza

Two days after my birthday, I decided to use my Boston Pizza birthday deal.  If you sign up for the Boston Pizza email club, you get a coupon for either a free pasta or a free dessert.  Since the pastas cost more than the desserts, it seemed only logical to redeem the coupon for a free pasta.

I met my friends at the Boston Pizza on Broadway after work.  Unlike the Red Robin on Broadway, the Boston Pizza does still exist.  I’m glad I avoided having two fails in a row.  That would have been embarrassing.

I chose spaghetti and meatballs for my dinner.  Simple, yet delicious.  And it came with garlic bread.  The portions are huge, so I still had some leftover as well.  And it’s very rare for me to have any leftovers.

Spaghetti and meatballs

Stella Artois happened to be on special that day.  When I went to Red Robin, I didn’t get asked for my ID.  I was surprised, since I get ID’d everywhere.  I thought maybe now that I was 24, that was it.  But I was mistaken.  I got ID’d at Boston Pizza.  I’m pretty sure my waiter was younger than me too.  Oh well.  He brought me my beer and that’s all that matters.

Stella Artois

When you sign up for the Boston Pizza newsletter, not only do they send you a coupon on your birthday, you also get a coupon for a free starter, just for signing up.  I didn’t want to use two coupons in one day.  I’m not sure if you’re allowed.  So the following week, I went to the Boston Pizza on No. 3 Road in Richmond and got my free Boston Pizza bread with bolognese dip.

Boston Pizza bread

There was no Stella on special that day, so I opted for a cocktail.  I don’t remember what it was exactly.  It was sweet.  And I loved how it came with a gummy worm.  That’s true class and maturity right there.

Cocktail with a gummy worm

The Boston Pizza deal is pretty awesome, since you get an entire pasta and they give you over a week to redeem it.  And the starter is a nice bonus.  The only way it could be better is if they offered free birthday drinks as well.  But that’s probably asking for too much.  I’m more than happy with free pasta and bread.  I love my carbs.

Free birthday burger at Red Robin

The day after my birthday, I decided to continue the use of my free birthday deals.  I knew I wanted to get my free birthday burger at Red Robin.  To do this, you have to sign up for their eclub newsletter.  They should send you a coupon for a free birthday burger seven days before your birthday and it will expire seven days after your birthday.  I like that they give you time to make proper use of it.  But I was eager to redeem it as soon as possible, because I love Red Robin burgers.

I was supposed to meet my friend after work at the Broadway location, because that was the most convenient.  This turned out to be a major fail.  When I got there, I noticed it looked dark inside.  And then I went up to the door and saw that the location had closed down.  I was very upset that this happened without me knowing.

So upsetting

But nothing was going to get in the way of me and my Red Robin burger, so we downtown instead.  The most expensive burger on the menu is the Mediterranean lamb burger.  So naturally, that’s what I got.  And of course I ate all my fries and ordered more, since they’re endless.

Mediterranean lamb burger

My friend bought me a couple drinks as well.  Beer and a burger is always a good combo.  Especially when it’s a giant glass of beer.

Beer

But if you want something sweet and boozy, the flat on your beak drink is really good.  I can’t remember what was in it.  I just remember that I liked it.  It looks really girly but it wasn’t weak like a lot of them are.  I give it my approval.

Flat on your beak

I love the Red Robin birthday burger deal because they give you ample time to use your coupon and there are many options to choose from.  You can sign up for the eclub online or at the restaurant itself when you visit.  Just make sure the location you decide to go to does indeed still exist.

Phone conversations with my brother

I called home after work yesterday to talk to my mom and my brother answered the phone.

Brother: Hi Dominique, did you buy some Lucky Charms?

Me: No. Didn’t I just buy a family size box on Saturday?

Brother: Maybe.

Me: And you finished it already.

Brother: Yeah, it’s a small box.

Me: It’s family size, it’s supposed to last.

Brother: Not when two people are eating it.

Me: Who are the two people?

Brother: Me and Nicholas.

Me: But it’s supposed to be enough for a whole family, not just two people.

Brother: Oh well. It’s a small box. Anyways, what do you want?

Me: Is mom there?

Brother: I don’t know.

Me: What do you mean you don’t know?

Brother: (starts singing the Corner Gas them song “I don’t know, I just don’t know…”) Hey Nicholas, where’s mom?

Me: Is she there?

Brother: Not at the moment.

Me: Where is she?

Brother: I don’t know.

Me, Okay, can you ask her to call me?

Brother: Okay. (Starts singing The Littlest Hobo theme song “Maybe tomorrow…”)

Me: Okay, bye.

Later when my mom called me back, my brother picked up the other receiver and we could hear him whispering something as we talked. He was saying “Lucky Charms” repeatedly.

Apparently family size isn’t big enough for our family