Friday Update

It's been a while since I last posted, so I'll give a quick rundown of the last week or so...

On Tuesday, Helen and I went to see "True Grit" at the nearby Suncoast theater. Every Tuesday is Senior Day and we were able to see this great movie for only $4 each. Both of us liked this version better than the John Wayne orignal, which netted "The Duke" his only Academy Award. The cinematography is vivid and everything seems genuine to the Old West. Great acting by the young actress who plays Mattie and, of course, by Jeff Bridges as Rooster Cogburn.

After getting out of the matinee, about 3 or so, we hit the casino's Grand Cafe for a bite. We both had the daily special - chicken marsala with two large chicken breasts atop a pile of mashed potatoes, corn and salad. For $7.99 each, it was a bargain. But even better I was able to pay with my players card points, so it was comped!

Wednesday was Anna's birthday, so we called her to wish her a Happy Birthday. Always great to talk with my girl. Then I drove to the Strip, parked at Ballys, played poker at Planet Hollywood and won $62. Took $22 of that and bet it on San Diego State vs. UNLV. It was a winner, so for the day I netted $82.

Yesterday I ran some errands early, including a stop at Target for mouthwash, etc. then drove to Mandalay Bay to check into buying tickets for The Lion King. Helen wants to take Scott and his family to the show when they visit Feb. 22-28. I had heard that the MB offered special deals for locals, so I thought I'd look into it.

When I got there I got into a line with about 10 people ahead of me. After about a 10 minute wait, I was at the counter where I explained that even though I lacked a Nevada ID, I had a gas bill and cable bill to show I lived on West Sahara. That was no problem and she quickly started the process of choosing the date and 7 seats for us. The end result was I scored the tickets, which go for $115 each, for less than half price!

I called Helen to let her know I had the tickets in my sweaty little fist and she was thrilled. She's been wanting to take the Grandkids to this show and I racked up a few "spousal points" by snagging the tickets.

Then I drove to Ballys, lost $15 in video blackjack and used my comp points there to enjoy a chicken salad on rye, chips and a diet coke - an $11.50 value - FREE! Love those points...

Then I took a walk, through Bill's, past the Flamingo, right by O'Sheas and into the Imperial Palace where they always have a huge stack of "Vegas Live" magazines. I grabbed a few that have Sinatra on the cover, in honor of some Sinatra show on the Strip. These will eventually go on ebay. Last year I sold several for $2-10 that had celebs on the cover. It's like free money!
On the way back, I stopped at Bill's and bought a $25 money line parlay ticket on Purdue (vs. Minnesota) and North Carolina (vs. Va Tech). Purdue lost by 3, so I lost the bet. Net loss for the day was $40.

Returned home about 3 p.m. and watched some TV before making cheese omelets and grilled potatoes for dinner.

Today I plan a return to the Strip for poker and finalize my football bets for the playoffs tomorrow and Sunday. And our adventure continues...