A Stressful Time

Sorry to have been out of communication for a couple of weeks, but we've had a tough time recently. 

I had to take Helen into Mountain View hospital last Saturday when a problem developed with her catheter. Because of COVID rules, I was not allowed to go into the hospital with her, so I waited out in the car for 5-and-a-half hours until she was finished. All is well, though.

While waiting, I got a sad call from my buddy, Nick to let me know that our friend Charlie's wife had passed away on Christmas Day. A retired nurse, Diane was a sweet, compassionate person, a caring soul who will be greatly missed. Nick and Lois, Charlie and Diane, Helen and I shared many fun times, many fun dinners together. 

Then yesterday I got a text from Lois that Nick had been hospitalized and was in the ICU at Munson Medical Center. He's battling pneumonia and a problem with a heart valve that he had replaced years ago. 

I guess these things happen as we age, but it's still stressful to have friends suffering and being so far from them. We're keeping in touch via text and phone calls and hoping for the best. Plenty of prayers and positive thoughts heading Nick's way. 

On the gaming front, things have been going pretty well. For example, since Dec 20 I've only had one losing blackjack session and 7 winning sessions. Haven't played poker since Dec. 17 and no big news there. 

I did meet a couple of interesting characters recently. One is "Mickey," a blackjack dealer at the Rampart. Mickey is one of the rare Las Vegas residents who actually grew up here. Most people here are from somewhere else and it's unusual to find one who never left. 

Mickey has lots of stories about growing up in Sin City, but one of my favorites was about his first job, as a busboy at the Desert Inn. Before Bellagio, before Aria, before Venetian, the DI was the most elegant, classy joint on the Strip. I played there several times back in the '80s, but never stayed there due to "budget constraints."

Anyway, Mickey says on his first day there he was due for a lunch break and asked his boss where to eat. 

"Kid, ya got $2?"

"Sure," said Mickey, pulling two crumpled singles from his pants pocket. 

"Gimme those and go back and see Lenny in the kitchen. Tell him I sent ya for lunch."

Mickey went back to the kitchen and found Lenny who told him to stick out his hands. 

"He put a huge 8-pound lobster tail on a plate and handed it to me," recalled Mickey with a laugh. "It must have been a $100 meal. At 16, I felt I was in Heaven.." 

That was the beginning of Mickey's casino career. He's been dealing BJ at four or five places, now at the Rampart. 

Also at the Rampart, I met Ozzie, a Vegas cab driver. We played BJ at a table together and he's an outgoing guy who loves to hear himself talk. He also likes to narrate the BJ game, calling out the cards that everyone needs to beat the dealer. "Need an Ace here," or "Let's have a King Please." Always chatting it up, that's Ozzie. 

So when he revealed that he'd been driving a cab for 15 years in Vegas, I couldn't resist. 

"Oh really," I answered. "So we have a lot in common. You drive cab and I've ridden in cabs!! Small world, huh?"

That got a big chuckle out of Ozzie, a fun quirky guy who didn't really share any cabby tales, even though I asked more than once. 

Las Vegas is one of the Vanity License Plate leaders in the U.S. and I've photographed a few during my limited travels around town. Unlike recent years, I haven't been to the Strip in about a month and limit my outside ventures. Anyway, I have a few plate pics I'll be posting in the next day or two. 

And so our adventure continues...