Puerta Vallarta

I'm back..i thought i'd never get home (i'll talk about that at the end) but it was an awesome time! The weather was beautiful for all but about 4 hours...85 degrees and sunny. The people that worked there were VERY friendly and helpful, the hotel was beautiful and clean.

The food was INCREDIBLE! Really one of the best parts of the trip was how every meal was spectacular. Gourmet at it's best. There was an italan restaurant, a seafood restaurant, a grill restaurant, a mexican restaurant and a cafe' which was a huge buffet. At all of these places the food was top notch and as good as anything you could find in the Ann ARbor area....really awesome.

The alcohol was all top notch...all the name brand stuff, no 5 o'clock vodka or anything like that and it was VERY available. They offered it at breakfast for crying out loud. Alicia and I did our share of drinking...tons of frozen drinks...dirty monkey's..passion punches, etc...and TONS of corona. That stuff was like sand to the beach down there. I need a break from Corona. Thursday nite we decided (well, i decided to make sure we each got hammered) to tie one on. We drank from about 9am while we were out on a whale watching tour where we saw some humpback whales and dolphins (sadly, no sperm whales) all the way till we passed out at 9:30pm. At the end of which we alienated ourselves at the seaside grill with our complete drunkeness....great day. Other then that, we drank our share, for sure, but within reason.

The beach was great..it was a private beach, so for guests only and we never had problems with congestion in looking for lounge chairs on the beach, or by any of the 3 pools. OH, speaking ofwhich, the pool bar was great..one of my personal fav's..i never had to get up to go to the bathroom! Speaking of which, peeing in the ocean, ain't easy....even after several beers..the waves were so big that you had to really concentrate on what you were doing out there in order to go.

I would say it's safe to say i spent more time riding the waves then any other 12 year old boy out there this week. They were awesome on wed/thursday and you could ride one 30 yards....of course, cause they were so large, if you miss timed it, you got nailed into the ocean floor, i did both. I was good...that was the closest i'll ever get to being like Patrick Swayze in 'Point Break'..besides with the fact we've each made out with Demi Moore of course.

Overall, Can't say enough good things about the Dreams restort there. I highly recommend it.

What i don't recommend is the PV airport. It's a joke. Each airline had lines that wrapped around the terminal as there weren't enough people working to check everyone in, and at northwest, they don't scan your luggage..they individually search EACH bag before you check in..making the lines worse. OH, and the search? They just check each corner of the main compartment in the bag and let you go..it was a real rouse. Half Ass all the way, anyone could have snuck ANYTHING on board..no problems...unless.....

you were alicia, who, after walking thru the metal detector before the gate (after the 90 minute check in line was over) was told it was no problem to carry her water thru. Well, she went back out later to get us some coffee (as the plane was delayed for another 90 minutes) and upon re entry was told no fluids allowed...serioulsy...they had shops that sold all beverages on BOTH sides of the detectors. Freakin' morons.
Then, the plane, never had a gate, we just saw the boarding was delayed for 90 minutes...then out of the blue, our plane was here and boardin right now 30 later. Which, as best as i can describe it was like waiting to get on the subway, no chairs at the gate, just lines of people waiting to get on a bus. i couldn't wait to get the F out of that mexican flea bag of an airport.

The flight home was only 3.5 hours...it was almost 5 on the way down there..and the last thing i wanted to see when the plane landed...i saw. A snowstorm. The roads were covered...traffic was Uber slow, and, after being awake for nearly 24 hours, no food in my stomach for 13, i had to have my hands at 10 and 2 all the Fn' way home from detroit going no faster then 50 mph...and usually closer to 40...you couldn't see the road..it was totall covered.

Finally got home around 4:30...made myself some eggs and went to bed. I"m tired...but man, other then the return trip, i feel awesome. That vacation was great.

What I did in Mexico

Tuesday 2pm: Plane lands in Mexico...i race past timeshare offers and little kids trying to sell me hand woven bracelets. Make way to bus, head to reort.

Tuesday 4:30pm: Head outside after getting settled at resrot and hit the bar/a bar/mini -bar in room/whatever and start checkin' the place out while acuiring my first buzz of the trip.

Tuesday after 4:30pm: Same thing as above, only start forgetting things, have trouble walking (more then normal) and develop a strange sense of bloated self esteem and worth.

Wednesday Wake up: Hit the mini bar in the fridge, head down for some breakfast..spend all day outside, doing nothing, but drinking, swimming, drinking, swimming..probably getting sunburned, develop that same problem as mentioned above with the trouble walking and bloated sense of self esteem and worth.

Thursday: Same as above

Friday: Same as above

Saturday: I"d like to go golfing this day

Saturday nite: Head home.

Basically, i'm looking forward to a week of no responsibility, stress, obligation or worry. I can't wait. It's been a LOOOOONG time since i've had a trip like this and never one all inclusive. I can't wait.

I downloaded season 1 of the office to watch on my ipod along with texas hold em' to play ( i'm already addicted) so the flight should be manageable.

I'll have a good report and prob some pics on my next post.

24

I FINALLY got into this show this season. I've been hearing how awesome it is for years, but every year, something came up (usually kid related) and was never able to get into the series. By the time i would be able to it was like 4 episodes in (thanks in large part to the 2 hour back to back season premiere's...that's just a lot 24).

And, I really like it. I look forward to the show. i'm INto the show and can't wait to see what happens next. It's on par with me for prison break....last nite's 2 shows really had me into them from start to finish. So much, that i'm going to back and rent the first 4 seasons from the video store in town and catch up..evenetually. Same time, I think Jack Bauer is a bit over the top corny at times..and i do have a hard time coping with the fact that he's like 5' 2" in real life. Also, Chloe and Morris bug the crap out of me. I can't stand chloe..she looks just weird.

Jack's nephew josh is a douche bag too....but everythign else...especially the bad guys..are sweet characters.

Man, i hate february at work

so slow this time of year here..the days drag....

anywho, after years of hearing from others like 'hey, if you knew as much about sports as you did about money, you'd be rich!" or "why do you know that and not anything about the stock market?" i'm deciding to get straightened out.

I"m putting in time in learning and understanding in becoming an amatuer investor. And, i have to admit, it's kinda fun. Granted, i don't know much about what i'm doing, but it's coming along. And with things like two girls going to college and getting married one day....i think the more i can save, and earn, the better i'll be.

11 more days till i leave for mexico! can't wait for that. I neeeeeed a vacation. I'm tired of the same old routine and can't wait to drink and be a slob for 5 straight days.

Tomorrow is the company profit sharing dinner....the last one as we are losing profit sharing....which was only a matter of time as we were the only thomson affiliated company with it still. I'll just do the normal "get the check and go" thing.

Can't wait to leave today....i think i'll take the girls to chuck e. cheese tonite....they'll love that..and i love their pizza.