Up $95

The empty nest syndrome was in full swing this afternoon. Big Al and I headed to the Casino.

Mind you, the boys were way happy to have their sappy, doting, overly interested parents out of the house for a couple of hours. They had experienced just about enough of our overt attention in lieu of missing their big sister. It was time for major junk food and video games.

I first tried the horse track screens, but my very elaborate betting idea - name of the jockey, plus name of the horse, multiplied by the colors the jockey wore (I bet the most if they were wearing orange, pink, purple - or really big if it was a combination of the three). No duh, but this "method" proved really dissapointing.

It wasn't too long before I was bored and up strolling through the cavernous structure. It's impossible to keep track, from my perspective, of how many slot machines there were on the main floor.

Somewhere near the back cashier stand, I ran into my neighbor and friend Donna. She coached me on the penny slot machines (won $42) and the video poker (won $53).

It was good way to burn a couple of hours, but even now, four hours later, I can still smell the cigarette smoke on my clothes and hair. Time for a shower, then to clean up the dinner plates, after the steak dinner I bought with my winnings.