8-12-04 Reno, Nevada
Stand down days at the Peppermill Casino in Reno.
The last time before Reno that I was in a casino was in Las Vegas, with my family. We walked over to the Hilton to see the Star Trek exhibit. The high point of the visit and trip was walking past a dead body, sprawled in a wheelchair, stuck in the automatic doors and surrounded by two bored guards and yellow tape. It was a Star Trek bummer.
I played a few ponies to kill the time (and lost – the only thing dumber than race horses are
the people who bet on them). I'm not a fan
of casinos. I'll waste a few nickels, but only to kill time. I'd made a dumb move last night
at a poker nickel machine, and that's about my speed. I hit
“Max Bet” thinking it would be 5 nickels.
It wasn’t; it was 50 nickels.
I couldn’t figure a way to back out, so I hit “Deal”. I pulled 2 pair: at least I would get my money back I held the 2 pair and pulled a 3rd
match on the redeal for a full house. I cashed out
$15 ahead. The winnings went into a couple of beers. The bar had Anchor Steam on tap.
I bet across the board on the Del Mar 1st race; the horse came in but went off at 5/3. I made $2 total on a $6 bet. I wasn't going to retire on that action.
I played another horse in the 6th, the favorite “StarTel”. He didn’t show up. So much for picking a horse for its name. Star plus Telephone? Hey, I'm a star, and I work with telephones. Nope. Wrong number.
Eventually, I wandered out of the casino and found a used book store nearby I bought a light-reading paperback and headed for the pool. I enjoyed the book and pool until scattered desert thundershowers moved through with lightning and rain. I took the book back to my room to read the final chapter.
There wasn't much to do… and I don’t like to sit.
I did manage to find time to roll the bike onto its centerstand and grease the chain.
The power flickered. I was lying in bed with my shoes on… this wasn't home; this wasn't my furniture.
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