Wild Weekend Roundup

So, my long-time friend Carlos headed home to Vegas yesterday. Our long weekend, while exhausting, featured quite the assortment of fun activities:

1. Skiing and Snowboarding: I skied whilst Carlos boarded, and though my skill level is well beyond his, we were both equally worn out and sore the entire weekend. We didn't get in as much time on the slopes as we had wanted, but we did make it up there and had a good time. Also, we managed to not get hurt!

2. Gaming: We got in several rounds of Halo on Xbox Live, with my dad playing as well. Long live team Atredies! Also, Carlos and I played the card game "Flux" for the first time. This wacky card game has become all the rage with my friends, and comes in several different flavors (we played Martian Flux).

3. SLC Nightlife: It is no wonder that, being single and having come from Las Vegas, Carlos was eager to go out on the prowl each night. I think I spent more time in bars and clubs this past weekend than I have in the entire preceding year. It was a total blast, though neither of us had much success with the ladies. I really enjoyed flirting, meeting new people, and tossing around big tips that made the bartenders smile.

4. Shooting: I took Carlos to the indoor range, where we fired CAR-15 and M-9 equivalents. Carlos had only done the tiniest bit of pistol shooting before, but with a few helpful tips from me (I was a rifle and pistol coach in the Marine Corps, after all), he got pretty damn good pretty damn quick. I even saved our targets, mainly because I was impressed with his accuracy.

5. Paintball: Carlos had also never played paintball, so after a quick Google search, we found a good indoor field with remarkably decent prices. We played a total of 6 matches with strangers, about 8 players to a team, and did fairly well. We were always on the same team, and our team won most of the time. Unfortunately, in the second-to-last match Carlos took a shot right in the goggles, leaving him essentially blind for the final match.

....and I think that covers most of it. It was a great time for me, and Carlos seemed to enjoy himself quite a bit as well. My thanks go out to him for coming to visit, and to my family and friends for the generous hospitality they extended to him. We've got a plan in the works now to meet up in Vegas with Dustin...let's hope that works out!