Some Good News, Maybe

Helen was awakened this morning at about 6:30 a.m. by a phone call from her doc's office in TC. The nurse there, Katie, left a message that Priority Health has agreed to cover Helen's care at an ortho doc here in LV.

But the doc they agreed to work with - Dr. Kim - has declined to care for Helen because he's a shoulder specialist. So we need to find a LV ortho doc who specializes in ankles/feet and we assume Priority will step up and cover part of the cost once we find the right specialist. Of course, the holiday season makes that search more difficult, but Helen is relentlessly working the phones and online today to find a doc who will see her.

Yesterday was an interesting day. I had a winning hoops/football ticket to cash, so I went to Red Rock about 9 a.m. to cash it and get some action on the NFL games, which begin a 10 a.m. here. Then I returned home and watched the early games with Helen.

During halftime, I went to the local Albertson's market and loaded up on $70 worth of groceries and snacks. The place has a heated Wings Bar, featuring six different types of chicken wings. I had to try some of them and I was not disappointed. Veggies, cheese, crackers and Arizona Ice Teas also filled the shopping cart. They had our Folger's coffee on sale for $5.99, so I grabbed a pair of them. That ought to keep us caffeinated for a while! Then back home to watch the 2nd half of the early games.

I ended up winning two of three tickets, cashing them for $215, a profit of $170. So about 5 p.m. I rolled back to Red Rock to cash the tickets and play a bit of blackjack. I joined a Pair Square table and was up and down for an hour or so. Then a woman in her 50s joined the table, buying in for $500. She began betting $25 to $75 a hand and playing the Pair Square for $15to $20. She got on a roll and within 5 minutes she hit two SUITED pairs (which pay 25-1) with a $20 bet for a win of $500.  She played it smart and within about 30 minutes she cashed out for $2,000 - a $1,500 win.

After two hours of playing, I left down $32. So between fb and bj, my profit for the day was $138, not too bad.

We're not sure what today will bring. I need to get to the Middle Eastern Market and get some fresh pita bread. And Helen has a prescription at WalMart that I need to pick up. And so, our LV adventure continues...