Really Large Pictures

This picture I took so you could see the strong wind in the palm tree. However, the thing I notice most about it, is the horrible gas prices.




This is the bell tower that I see from the parking garage at the Golden Nugget. What you can't see is that there are no bells in there but rather a bell shaped speaker. Ah, technology really romanticizes everything.




Here is the church that houses the bell tower. Apparently, there is a saint that can make fireballs with their hands.

I feel I should put something in my journal just because I haven't for a while. So, sit back and get ready to read a boring entry.

Work has improved recently. I haven't been in the high roller room for a week and the people that I have been dealing to have been nice. All of the dealers noticed that the people over the past two weeks have been just awful. Isn't it funny that all the jerks go on vacation at the same time.

Greg said that he is tired of thinking that the "grass is greener on the other side". Now that he got a job at Whiskey Pete's as a server, he's thinking that he isn't going to try to apply to another job for a very long time. I, of course, think that a job in town would be better than a 41 mile drive each way (that's 82 miles a day for the hopelessly math impaired). I figure after some experience and after he tires of the drive and gas prices, he will apply for a server job in town. He kind of wants me to adapt the same attitude as he, but I can't. I can't be a dealer the rest of my life. The older dealers that I work with are "burnt". They hate their jobs and they hate life. Also, I don't want to be working until 4AM for the rest of my life. I'm not sure what to do next, which has always been my problem all along. It's too bad that Greg doesn't enjoy job and city hopping as much as I do. Oh well.

Well, that is all for now.

Bad Day

So, I had a bad day. I really didn't enjoy today in the least. I've been down about work lately, mostly because we have had a lot of rich golfers playing. So, tip money has been way down. And, as you know from my rantings about golfers, I haven't been treated very nicely either.

Well, the golfers were gone today. I haven't been in the high limit pit all week (I think they know I'm pretty burned out on it). So, they've been keeping me on $25 dollar tables in the regular pits. Today, I started dealing like a zombie not really wanting to put on a show, but the customers were great. They were some of the nicest people I've dealt to in a long time. Not a lot in tips, but some tips. That's what a dealing job is all about. I stopped being so down about it. Then, I was tapped out and told to take out Pai Gow Poker for twenty minutes. I really didn't know why. I haven't dealt Pai Gow Poker for almost a year. I get there and no one is friendly and one guy is betting $200, more than I have ever dealt to on Pai Gow. So, I decided to go a little slow and make sure I do everything right. Well, at the end of the twenty minutes, I laid out my hand incorrectly. The floor supervisor came over and said "straight" quietly (actually, he doesn't really speak english. All I heard was a grunt.) Then the dealer came over back from break and said "straight" as well (also, not an english speaker). And then I saw that I had a straight. Well, I already gave the first $10 better a push. That means that they get off without losing due to my fault. Well, the person betting $200 had his hand spread out when I rearranged my hand to a straight. (It helps if you understand Pai Gow Poker to get what I'm talking about). Anyway, that turned his winning hand into a losing hand, but I thought it was a push. I heard "loss" and realized that I should take his money, so I did. (Actually, I'm not suppose to take his money, because his hand was spread out when I rearranged my hand. That's Nevada gaming law.) But I took it, not thinking because I'm never over there and I had no instruction from my supervisor, not even in the form of grunts. The guy started incoherently yelling and yelling, insisting that the supervisor call the camera. So, I laid out his hand again and then he said he was wrong and that he did lose. That ended that ordeal as I went on break.

I asked the pit boss what was going on, why did I have to go to Pai Gow? He said that they needed to get a statement from the dealer because they were going to arrest that man (the large better) for past posting. (Past posting is when a person adds money to their bet after they learn that they are going to win). The man was arrested shortly after.

Anyway, I went back to my table after my break and the people had all changed. It turned into one of the worst tables I have ever been on. I have to constantly tell two drunk people to not use two hands on the cards. One of them would instantly drop the cards like they were hot potatoes. The other one would yell, "Jeez, why are guys so mean?" I was actually really nice about it. The people were winning and still acting like they were taking a beating. One drunk lady constantly said, "You suck!" to me. And everyone was complaining about the cards even though the lowest player was up $100 and some players were up $1,000. I really can't describe how horrible it was, but trust me it was horrible. And, of course, no tips.

The person relieving me came to take me out 40 minutes 'til the end of the shift, which means a 20 minute break and then back to the table. He told me just to go home and that he would take care of the table. That never happens. Dealers don't do that. Dealers don't voluntarily work an extra twenty minutes, but I think everyone could see that I had it. Near the end, I even said while dealing, "Jesus Christ, what have I done to deserve this table?!" I never do things like that. It was taken light-heartedly by the table though, as I knew it would.

Then on top of that, my break coincided with someone that I can't stand. I really can't stand this guy and I can tolerate almost anyone. I can't stand his voice or is face. I sometimes walk around him just so I don't have to hear him say "hello". I always try to avoid getting the same break as him. I think he is an idiot for so many reasons. I can't stand idiots and he is the cream of the crop.

So, he sat down by me today as I knew he would and made some small chit chat that I could tolerate. He then turned it into a tirade about what Louis Farrakahn said in a speech. He said that Farrakahn said that black people should strap bombs on themselves and blow up white people more so than the terrorists. I know that Farrakahn is known to make outrageous statements, but I knew exactly where this was coming from and so I calmly pointed it out after he finished yelling about it. (Oh, and there was a black man at the table next to us). I said, "What is the source on this? It sounds like Fox News." He said that he was sure it was on all of the channels. I said, "Well, it really sounds like Fox News. They like to take statements out of context. I know that Farrakahn says some crazy things, but it really sounds like Fox News blowing something out of proportion." He said, "yeah, well, he's crazy. And if you turned on the news today you would have seen it on all of the news channels." I replied truthfully, "well, I watched the news today and I didn't see it, but I didn't watch Fox News." This left him speechless until he said it was time to go back to work. He didn't approach me again that night.

4.....seems low

Your Life Path Number Is 4

4 You are the most trustworthy, practical, and down-to-earth of individuals; the cornerstone members of society. The goal of your life path is learning to take orders and to carry them out with dedication and perseverance. You always demand as much from yourself as you do from others, and sometimes a lot more. You have the kind of will power that is often mistaken for sheer stubbornness. Once a decision is made, it will be followed through to the conclusion, right, wrong, or indifferent. You are very set in your ways and determined to handle things the way you are so certain that they should be handled. Your tenacity of purpose and ability to get the job done borders on obsession. You are an excellent organizer and planner because of your innate ability to view things in a very common sense and practical way. You are a wonderful manager with a great sense of how to get the job done. Loyal and devoted, you make the best of your relationships, and you are a dependable business partner. Friends may be few in number, but you are very close to them and once friendships are made, they often last a lifetime. The number 4 is solidly associated with the element of earth from which it gains it strength and utter sense of reality. You are one of the most dependable people you know. If patience and determination can ever win, you are sure to achieve great success in life. The negative side of the 4 can prove dogmatic to an excess, narrow-minded, and repressive. A lot of superficial people turn you off, and you lack the tact to keep your feelings from being totally clear to all around. Additionally, the negative 4 has a bad tendency to get too caught up in the daily routine of affairs. If you're not careful, you'll often miss the big picture and major opportunities that come along once in a while.

What Is Your Life Path Number?

Day One

"Do you deal roulette?"

Oh god, I thought. I do deal roulette. I hadn't dealt it in a year. He's going to put me on roulette and some jerk is going to bet some horrible amount on splits, corners and straight-ups and I'm going to be screwed. "Uhhh..." I stalled as I looked over at the roulette game. No players there. "Yes, I deal roulette."

"Hmm," he spotted my obvious tactic. "That dealer needs to go home. It's only for an hour. Go take her out."

I like standing behind the roulette table. I like playing with the checks on a dead game. I shuffle them, cut them out, and stack them back up. It beats standing dead on a blackjack game. There's nothing to do on a blackjack game, but stand and direct people to the bathroom or the exit.

A customer approached. He was a short, rotund man with an obvious comb-over of grey hair. He wore a cheap dark blue windbreaker buttoned up all the way to the top. I knew he was either a small player that I could handle or the type of high roller that looks like a small player until they whip out a stack of hundreds.

"So, what do they do here?" He said looking with his crossed eyes all over the layout of red and black numbers.

I knew then that I wasn't going to be in over my head. "This is roulette," I smiled. "Are you familiar with roulette?"

"No, what is it?" He sounded very innocent and sincere. I was a little surprised that he hadn't heard of roulette, but it looked like maybe he spent his life in his mother's basement playing Dungeons and Dragons. I'm not making a judgment here, I would probably have done the same if I liked Dungeons and Dragons and my parents had a basement.

I happily explained, "You bet on numbers and if the number you bet on comes up, you win. It's very easy."

"Oh, I tried playing the game with the dice and I didn't do very well. Maybe this is better. How much do I have to bet?" He asked eagerly.

"Well, the minimum right now is five dollars and that means you can bet five dollars on one section or you can spread five dollars around on all of the numbers."

He pulled out exactly five dollars. I gave him five chips and explained the different ways to bet on more than one number at a time. He understood readily and decided to bet on splits (two numbers at a time) to cover a total of ten numbers. I noticed as he bet that his index finger on his right hand had previously been a toe that was sewn on in place of a finger. It was mesmerizing and surreal to see a toe where a finger should be.

I spun the ball. He looked over at the wheel as if he just saw it for the first time. "What happens now? Do I have to wait for that to stop?" Before I could answer, the ball dropped on a loser. I dropped my shoulders, marked the number and swept up his five chips. "Did I win?" he sounded hopeful.

"No, I'm sorry. You lost."

"Oh," he said. "I lost. Well, they say the only way you can make a small fortune in Vegas is by coming with a large fortune." I laughed. I'm sure I heard that one before, but I always try to make it seem like the I'm hearing it for the first time.

He pulled out a twenty. I gave him twenty chips. This time he bet on ten splits for a total of twenty numbers. I explained that he was betting ten to win seventeen, but it didn't really register which was OK. I lot of people play that way. I spun the ball. Again, a loser. He set up his last ten chips. I spun the ball hoping to give this poor guy something. I even muttered, "come on winner" under my breath.

He got one. "You won."

"I won," he said flatly.

"Yes, you won. Here you go. Seventeen plus you keep the chip that won, so now you have eighteen dollars."

"Oh, I think I better stop now." He said holding his chips tightly. "Do you cash them?"

"No, I don't cash them, but let me exchange them for chips that you can take to the cashier." I was a little disappointed he didn't want to go one more spin. I figured I could probably get him back to even at least. The way he was betting, it had a possibility.

"Are there any other casinos in the area?" He asked innocently.

"Yeah, just go out the front doors and there is one across the street and four that way and eight that way." How could he miss them?

"Oh, are there any restaurants in the area? I mean cheaper ones. I just got here today and I'm staying here. I went the cafe here and I got a turkey sandwich and it came to thirteen dollars." Mild outrage surrounded the words, "thirteen dollars". I explained that a lot of casinos in the area have much cheaper places to eat and that we tended to be the most expensive. He replied, "that will be good I could go eat there and spend more here." I chuckled appreciatively on the casino's behalf. I felt bad for the guy. He obviously didn't come prepared for the expenses of Vegas. He didn't even come prepared for the expenses of gambling. He plans money for vacations like I do. I always underestimate expenses horribly and end up in debt. Poor guy. Vegas is going to eat him alive.

He gathered up his eighteen dollars. "Thank you for your help. I'm sure I'll see you around. I'm going to be here for six days."

I've been deceived

I listened to Elbow online and I really liked the following song:

http://www.rathergood.com/independent_woman/

I mean it has horn, xylophone, and an accordion. With a combination like that, how could you not have hit after hit? Music practically writes itself. So, it follows, that a CD of their music would be filled with gems. I broke down and bought one. There is not one horn, accordion, nor is there a xylophone. The majority of it was mostly trying to sound like Peter Gabriel's "Red Rain". You know, "meaningful", but not really. Let's call it faux meaningful, which means long and bland with strained vocals. Ok, I'm not giving it credit. There are actually a couple of songs which I can tolerate and maybe grow to like. It turns out the song that I did like, which isn't on CD, is a remake of a Destiny's Child song.

But wait, I was deceived again. I also bought a CD by Yeah Yeah Yeah's. (Stupid name, I know). I really liked the song, "Maps". Nice Radiohead-esque song, but with female vocals. You know the type. You could probably poke them with a stick and they may or may not respond because life is full of people poking you with sticks. Again, the hits practically write themselves. I figured that it was such a good song that the rest couldn't be that bad. The rest of the songs were horrible, screeching, "I'm-a-bad-ass-girl" songs. Just horrible.

No wonder I don't buy CD's anymore. I really miss buying a CD and loving almost every song. What happened to bands like that? Are musicians getting worse? or is it me?

Proverb

When you need to knock on wood is when you discover that the world is
made of aluminum, vinyl and fiberglass.
-- Fulton's Law

It has happened to me so many times.