This morning we were busy getting the apartment ready for a visit by Helen's friend Gail.
Helen did some cleaning and laundry, while I vacuumed the place. Our humble abode is looking nice and clean for our visitor.
By 10 a.m. or so, Helen sent me to the Suncoast to stimulate the Las Vegas economy. I was happy to oblige. After making the short drive to the 'Coast, I found a nice $5 blackjack table and sat down with four other players. I was making some hands and the dealer was busting, so I quickly got up $60-70 or so. Thanks to the dealer's generosity, all of the players were doing pretty well.
But the highlight of the table came when a guy walked up and laid three crisp $100 bills in the betting circle and said "money plays." Since the rest of us were betting $5-15, this move caught our attention. So the dealer pitched the cards and Mr. Big Bet showed a blackjack - he won $450 on his bet!
So after that he was betting $100-300 per hand, while the rest of us doddled along with our smaller bets. Still, we all kept winning.
Eventually Mr. Big Bet shoved out a bet of $400 and was dealt 8-8 while the dealer showed a 9. All good bj players know to ALWAYS split 8s, and this guy did. On one eight he caught a 10, on the other he caught, yep, another 8 - which he split again! So now he has three bets of $400 each. On the second 8 he got a face card for 18. On the third eight, he caught a 6 for 14 and hit again, snagging a 4 for his third 18 - all against the dealer's 9... Well, the dealer showed a 7 in the hole (16) then slapped a 6 on top - BUSTED! The table erupted as we all high-fived the guy's good fortune on his huge bet. He won $1,200 on one hand!!
Soon after, he cashed out - a $2400 winner. I left the table a little while later, a $130 winner, and had a comped buffet lunch - grilled chicken, green beans, fried rice with orange chicken and chocolate pudding.
While playing bj, I was talking with a pit boss about this new promotion they have where if you log 12 hours of table play you get a free Suncoast jacket. My punchcard had about 6 hours of play on it and I asked her to give me two more hours worth. Instead, she punched out the remaining 6 hours and sent me over to get my new jacket. It was a nice gesture, the kind that the Suncoast staff seems to understand is good for business. They ARE friendly there.
Tonight we're heading out to McCarran Airport to pick up Gail. She was originally supposed to arrive at 9 p.m., but her flight out of Detroit was delayed and now she's arriving at 11 p.m. We plan to hit the Strip for awhile, grabbing some food at Toby Keith's I Love This Bar at Harrah's. Then we'll drive her down the Strip to see the lights and crowds. It'll be fun, especially since this is Gail's first visit to Las Vegas.
Tomorrow, Gail and Helen will be doing a lot of shopping and I plan to play a lot of poker. So it's pretty probable that this adventure will continue...
Monday, February 16, 2009
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Valentine's Weekend Update
Our Sunday began with an 8 a.m. service at the Lakes Lutheran Church which is only a couple of miles from our Sahara Avenue apartment. We were home shortly after 9 and I made us a pancake breakfast, complete with Knott's Berry Farm Strawberry syrup. Pretty tasty.
We just relaxed a while, watching some TV, until about 1 p.m. when we hit the road for a couple of errands. When we were in TC, Helen had helped one of Natalie's girls, Brandi, put together a doll house. Since Brandi's birthday is Feb. 25, Helen wanted to get her some dollhouse furniture to furnish the house that the soon-to-be 15-year-old already has. So we hit the road in search of a hobby shop that sold doll furniture. Helen had found one in the phone book and called them to make sure they were open on Sunday.
The place was about 10 miles away and in a less-than-elegant part of Las Vegas. In fact, I'm glad we were going there in the afternoon and not at night. After a little searching, we found the place, which actually had a pretty nice selection of doll stuff. Helen was enjoying it, I could tell.
Helen found what she was looking for and we were headed off to our next stop - Target - which is less than 2 miles from our apt. Helen needed a few things and we were soon heading home.
The rest of the afternoon was spent cleaning the apt. in preparation for the arrival tomorrow night of Helen's friend Gail. We also watched a little TV before I whipped up some chili dogs for dinner. Not that healthy, but pretty tasty...
On Saturday we shared our Valentine's Day tradition. Early on in our marriage, Helen and I started a tradition of privately exchanging cards and sharing a box of quality chocolates. We've rarely done the "Big Dinner Out" type of Valentine's Day celebration. It's just not for us. Anyway, this year I found a delicious assortment of chocolates at the Ghiradelli shop on the Strip and we really enjoyed it last night.
Earlier in the day, I had gone to Bally's for some poker. During a 5-hour session, I eked out a $51 profit, but with a break or two it could have been several times that. I lost a $300 pot when a guy hit his flush draw on the river beating my K-K Q-Q. Lost another $100 pot when my straight was beaten by another river flush draw that connected. It was an up and down day. In fact, I was only $15 up when I won $36 on the second-to-last hand that I played.
Tomorrow night we'll be heading to McCarran Airport to pick up Gail when she arrives, sometime around 9 .m. They'll be shopping maniacs for a couple of days and I'll be logging some serious poker time as our adventure continues...
We just relaxed a while, watching some TV, until about 1 p.m. when we hit the road for a couple of errands. When we were in TC, Helen had helped one of Natalie's girls, Brandi, put together a doll house. Since Brandi's birthday is Feb. 25, Helen wanted to get her some dollhouse furniture to furnish the house that the soon-to-be 15-year-old already has. So we hit the road in search of a hobby shop that sold doll furniture. Helen had found one in the phone book and called them to make sure they were open on Sunday.
The place was about 10 miles away and in a less-than-elegant part of Las Vegas. In fact, I'm glad we were going there in the afternoon and not at night. After a little searching, we found the place, which actually had a pretty nice selection of doll stuff. Helen was enjoying it, I could tell.
Helen found what she was looking for and we were headed off to our next stop - Target - which is less than 2 miles from our apt. Helen needed a few things and we were soon heading home.
The rest of the afternoon was spent cleaning the apt. in preparation for the arrival tomorrow night of Helen's friend Gail. We also watched a little TV before I whipped up some chili dogs for dinner. Not that healthy, but pretty tasty...
On Saturday we shared our Valentine's Day tradition. Early on in our marriage, Helen and I started a tradition of privately exchanging cards and sharing a box of quality chocolates. We've rarely done the "Big Dinner Out" type of Valentine's Day celebration. It's just not for us. Anyway, this year I found a delicious assortment of chocolates at the Ghiradelli shop on the Strip and we really enjoyed it last night.
Earlier in the day, I had gone to Bally's for some poker. During a 5-hour session, I eked out a $51 profit, but with a break or two it could have been several times that. I lost a $300 pot when a guy hit his flush draw on the river beating my K-K Q-Q. Lost another $100 pot when my straight was beaten by another river flush draw that connected. It was an up and down day. In fact, I was only $15 up when I won $36 on the second-to-last hand that I played.
Tomorrow night we'll be heading to McCarran Airport to pick up Gail when she arrives, sometime around 9 .m. They'll be shopping maniacs for a couple of days and I'll be logging some serious poker time as our adventure continues...
Friday, February 13, 2009
Friday the 13th Unlucky? Not So Much
Our Friday the 13th started with our usual morning routine of coffee and watching the Today show.
Shortly after 10 a.m. I took Helen to a nearby salon to get her hair cut by her favorite LV stylist, April. I dropped her off at the salon, which is not even a quarter-mile from our apartment, and drove home to do some reading while she was getting her hair done.
I have just started a great baseball book "Crazy '08" by Cait Murphy. It's about the rollicking 1908 baseball season and is a terrific glimpse of how the game was played a century ago.
Just before noon, Helen called and I picked her up from the salon. We returned home and I whipped up some lunch - a turkey sandwich on pita for her and chicken salad on pita for me. Then Helen spent two hours solving the problems of the "Desperate Housewives" while I headed to the post office to mail a package, then on to the Suncoast to solve the mystery of their blackjack tables.
Arriving at the Suncoast, I found a seat at a $5 table and bought in for $100. There were two other players at the table and we all started winning. I was betting $5 to $15 and slowly built up a nice stack. After about 45 minutes, I was up $70 and decided to take my profit and walk. I stopped by the sports book and decided to invest $20 of our winnings in a 2-team money line hockey parlay. If the Wings and the Blackhawks both win their games, I would cash a ticket worth $52 (my original $20 +32 profit). Sadly, the Wings (with the best record in the NHL) lost to Columbus...
Anyway, we had a $50 profit and decided to celebrate with a takeout dinner from Del Taco, some really tasty Mexican fast food. Helen opted for steak tacos, while I took on their manly Macho Burrito.
Now we're watching some TV and making some plans for tomorrow. It'll be a busy Saturday - Helen's going to cut my hair, I have to return some library books and hit the grocery store for a few items. It may sound mundane, but the adventure continues...
Shortly after 10 a.m. I took Helen to a nearby salon to get her hair cut by her favorite LV stylist, April. I dropped her off at the salon, which is not even a quarter-mile from our apartment, and drove home to do some reading while she was getting her hair done.
I have just started a great baseball book "Crazy '08" by Cait Murphy. It's about the rollicking 1908 baseball season and is a terrific glimpse of how the game was played a century ago.
Just before noon, Helen called and I picked her up from the salon. We returned home and I whipped up some lunch - a turkey sandwich on pita for her and chicken salad on pita for me. Then Helen spent two hours solving the problems of the "Desperate Housewives" while I headed to the post office to mail a package, then on to the Suncoast to solve the mystery of their blackjack tables.
Arriving at the Suncoast, I found a seat at a $5 table and bought in for $100. There were two other players at the table and we all started winning. I was betting $5 to $15 and slowly built up a nice stack. After about 45 minutes, I was up $70 and decided to take my profit and walk. I stopped by the sports book and decided to invest $20 of our winnings in a 2-team money line hockey parlay. If the Wings and the Blackhawks both win their games, I would cash a ticket worth $52 (my original $20 +32 profit). Sadly, the Wings (with the best record in the NHL) lost to Columbus...
Anyway, we had a $50 profit and decided to celebrate with a takeout dinner from Del Taco, some really tasty Mexican fast food. Helen opted for steak tacos, while I took on their manly Macho Burrito.
Now we're watching some TV and making some plans for tomorrow. It'll be a busy Saturday - Helen's going to cut my hair, I have to return some library books and hit the grocery store for a few items. It may sound mundane, but the adventure continues...
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Poker For Fun & Profit
For the second time this week, I rolled down to the Strip to play poker at Bally's.
The Bally's poker room is not really a room at all, but a section of the casino separated from the other table games by velvet ropes. It's not very luxurious, but it's functional, fun and - most importantly - profitable for me.
I arrived around 9:30 and the room was dead silent. I spoke with the mgr. and put my name on the list for $1-2 No-Limit. Within 15 minutes, there were six of us playing and soon the whole table filled up. Originally, I was going to sit in the #5 seat, across from the dealer. But I had some luck from the #1 seat on Tuesday and decided to sit there again today. It was a good choice. After buying in for $100, I started the session by winning the first three hands and was immediately up $60 or so.
My biggest hand came when I looked down and saw K-4 of Spades. I put in $2 to see the flop, which came K-K-7 with two Hearts. I raised to $10 and got only one caller. The turn was the 4 of hearts, giving me a full house. I bet $20 and the other guy went All-In, shoving $55 into the pot. I called. The river card was a small diamond, 2 or 3, I think, no help for either of us. The guy showed Q-9 of Hearts, giving him a heart flush. I showed my full house and the dealer shoved the $150 pot my way.
That was the only HUGE pot that I won, but I won several in the $40-50 range. After about 3 hours of play, I was up about $260 and thinking of trying to push it to $300. I lost a couple of hands and decided to take my profits and leave. I walked with $224 in profit, then went to have a chicken salad on rye sandwich (comped) at the Nosh Snack Bar.
Before I drove home, I stopped by the sports book and bought 3 basketball tickets - Louisville, Buffalo and UCLA. As of right now, two of them have lost...Louisville and Buffalo. Go BRUINS!
Then I drove home, a happy winner.
While I was playing poker, Helen logged some quality phone time with her friend Sherry, Lois Edson, sister Natalie, daughter Anna, and granddaughter Katherine. For dinner, I whipped up some scrambled eggs and hash browns. Breakfast at night...
Thursday is one of our favorite TV nights, with the NBC comedy lineup. So we'll just chill out for a while, but tomorrow our adventure continues...
The Bally's poker room is not really a room at all, but a section of the casino separated from the other table games by velvet ropes. It's not very luxurious, but it's functional, fun and - most importantly - profitable for me.
I arrived around 9:30 and the room was dead silent. I spoke with the mgr. and put my name on the list for $1-2 No-Limit. Within 15 minutes, there were six of us playing and soon the whole table filled up. Originally, I was going to sit in the #5 seat, across from the dealer. But I had some luck from the #1 seat on Tuesday and decided to sit there again today. It was a good choice. After buying in for $100, I started the session by winning the first three hands and was immediately up $60 or so.
My biggest hand came when I looked down and saw K-4 of Spades. I put in $2 to see the flop, which came K-K-7 with two Hearts. I raised to $10 and got only one caller. The turn was the 4 of hearts, giving me a full house. I bet $20 and the other guy went All-In, shoving $55 into the pot. I called. The river card was a small diamond, 2 or 3, I think, no help for either of us. The guy showed Q-9 of Hearts, giving him a heart flush. I showed my full house and the dealer shoved the $150 pot my way.
That was the only HUGE pot that I won, but I won several in the $40-50 range. After about 3 hours of play, I was up about $260 and thinking of trying to push it to $300. I lost a couple of hands and decided to take my profits and leave. I walked with $224 in profit, then went to have a chicken salad on rye sandwich (comped) at the Nosh Snack Bar.
Before I drove home, I stopped by the sports book and bought 3 basketball tickets - Louisville, Buffalo and UCLA. As of right now, two of them have lost...Louisville and Buffalo. Go BRUINS!
Then I drove home, a happy winner.
While I was playing poker, Helen logged some quality phone time with her friend Sherry, Lois Edson, sister Natalie, daughter Anna, and granddaughter Katherine. For dinner, I whipped up some scrambled eggs and hash browns. Breakfast at night...
Thursday is one of our favorite TV nights, with the NBC comedy lineup. So we'll just chill out for a while, but tomorrow our adventure continues...
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Visits to Suncoast & Red Rock Casinos
Our Wednesday began with me drinking some coffee, paying some bills online and then taking Helen to her Bible Study Class at the Lakes Lutheran Church at 10 a.m.
After dropping her off for the 90-minute class, I drove to the Suncoast where I was able to rack up a blackjack profit of $61 in about an hour. Not content with that, I took $40 of it and bought two $20 basketball parlay tickets (which both lost...aaargh). But I still had a profit of $21. Then I headed back to the church to pick her up and return to our apartment. By then it was almost lunch time, so I whipped up a couple of chicken salad sandwiches.
At noon, Helen likes to watch her two-hour block of "Desperate Housewives" so I headed over to the Red Rock Casino. When I arrived, they had only one $5 table going. The rest were $25 and $100 tables, so I didn't play right away. I did sit down at a video blackjack game, shoved in a $10 and ran it up to $15 before I cashed out. By this time I found a seat at that $5 table, so I sat down and bought in for $40. I was never able to get a run going and eventually I frittered away my buy-in. It was time to leave...
By the time I got home it was around 4 p.m. and I just checked my emails and started to get ready for dinner. Nothing too special tonight...leftover spaghetti with Italian sausage. It was still tasty.
After dinner we made a Birthday call to our son Scott, who turns 38 today. You know you're getting older when your kids are approaching 40.:)
Tonight we're reading and watching some TV, but tomorrow the adventure continues...
After dropping her off for the 90-minute class, I drove to the Suncoast where I was able to rack up a blackjack profit of $61 in about an hour. Not content with that, I took $40 of it and bought two $20 basketball parlay tickets (which both lost...aaargh). But I still had a profit of $21. Then I headed back to the church to pick her up and return to our apartment. By then it was almost lunch time, so I whipped up a couple of chicken salad sandwiches.
At noon, Helen likes to watch her two-hour block of "Desperate Housewives" so I headed over to the Red Rock Casino. When I arrived, they had only one $5 table going. The rest were $25 and $100 tables, so I didn't play right away. I did sit down at a video blackjack game, shoved in a $10 and ran it up to $15 before I cashed out. By this time I found a seat at that $5 table, so I sat down and bought in for $40. I was never able to get a run going and eventually I frittered away my buy-in. It was time to leave...
By the time I got home it was around 4 p.m. and I just checked my emails and started to get ready for dinner. Nothing too special tonight...leftover spaghetti with Italian sausage. It was still tasty.
After dinner we made a Birthday call to our son Scott, who turns 38 today. You know you're getting older when your kids are approaching 40.:)
Tonight we're reading and watching some TV, but tomorrow the adventure continues...
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
A Sad Start to the Day Then Things Look Better
Our day started at 7 a.m. when Helen got a phone call from her friend Gail, who is coming to visit us next week.
Before visiting us, Gail is flying to Florida on Friday to spend the weekend with her mother who has been very ill for a while. Sadly, Gail's mother died this morning. She had been in poor health for months, but it's still a shocking thing when one of your parents dies. Helen spent a long time on the phone with Gail, who is still going to Florida on Friday and coming to see us on Monday. She arrives around 8:30 Monday night...
After talking with Gail, Helen encouraged me to go play some poker, so I headed to Bally's. The poker room was quiet, with only 1 table going. I was able to get right into the game, but the only seat available was the #1 seat, to the immediate left of the dealer. It's one of my least favorite seats, but I took it.
I bought in for $100 and for the first half hour, I didn't really play much. Then I looked down at Q-Q and found myself involved in a pot with one other guy. When things settled, I had shoved all but $20 into the pot, which I lost to his pocket K-K.
I re-bought for another $100, determined to play better and I did. I was able to win a few small pots and eventually I had built my stack up to $180, only $20 short of being even. Then came a hand that set the tone for the next hour...
I was dealt K-10 of Spades and bet $6. Four players called and the flop came K-K-4 with two Hearts. I bet $25 and two guys folded, while the other guy raised me to $50. I called. The turn card was 10 of Hearts, giving me a full house. I bet $50 and the guy shoved his whole stack of $150 into the pot. I called and showed the full house...he had the Ace of Hearts for a flush. I won the pot of more than $300. Ironically, just a few days ago I lost an Ace High Heart flush to a similar full house...poker can be strange.
The guy was steaming and he rebought for $200. A few hands later, we tangled again... I held a J-10 of Spades when I bet $10 and he was the only caller. The flop came A-K of Spades and the Q of Diamonds. This gave me a Straight with two shots at a Royal Flush (which would pay a jackpot of $3,200). I bet $10 and the guy raised me to $50. I called his $50. The turn card was a 4 of Diamonds. I checked, the guy bet $50 and I went ALL-IN. For the second time in 10 minutes, he shoved his whole stack in against me. The river card was a 2 of Clubs...I showed the Straight...he mumbled and mucked his hand...
By this time, I had built a stack of over $800 and just kept winning hands. Eventually I had $1,060 in front of me - a profit of $860 when I cashed out at about 3 p.m. So five hours of poker was pretty profitable today...
Leaving the poker room, I went to the sports book and put a $30 bet on MSU -4 over U-M. Go GREEN! The Spartans rolled and I'll be cashing that ticket in a few days.
When I got home, Helen and I decided to celebrate with takeout from the Cheesecake Factory. Helen had the Chicken Tacos with beans and rice, while I chose the BBQ Chicken Pizza. CF never fails to please the palate...
Helen is on the phone with our Grandson Alan, whose birthday is coming up in a couple of weeks. The namesake will soon be 16. We're just kicking back watching some TV, but tomorrow the adventure continues...
Before visiting us, Gail is flying to Florida on Friday to spend the weekend with her mother who has been very ill for a while. Sadly, Gail's mother died this morning. She had been in poor health for months, but it's still a shocking thing when one of your parents dies. Helen spent a long time on the phone with Gail, who is still going to Florida on Friday and coming to see us on Monday. She arrives around 8:30 Monday night...
After talking with Gail, Helen encouraged me to go play some poker, so I headed to Bally's. The poker room was quiet, with only 1 table going. I was able to get right into the game, but the only seat available was the #1 seat, to the immediate left of the dealer. It's one of my least favorite seats, but I took it.
I bought in for $100 and for the first half hour, I didn't really play much. Then I looked down at Q-Q and found myself involved in a pot with one other guy. When things settled, I had shoved all but $20 into the pot, which I lost to his pocket K-K.
I re-bought for another $100, determined to play better and I did. I was able to win a few small pots and eventually I had built my stack up to $180, only $20 short of being even. Then came a hand that set the tone for the next hour...
I was dealt K-10 of Spades and bet $6. Four players called and the flop came K-K-4 with two Hearts. I bet $25 and two guys folded, while the other guy raised me to $50. I called. The turn card was 10 of Hearts, giving me a full house. I bet $50 and the guy shoved his whole stack of $150 into the pot. I called and showed the full house...he had the Ace of Hearts for a flush. I won the pot of more than $300. Ironically, just a few days ago I lost an Ace High Heart flush to a similar full house...poker can be strange.
The guy was steaming and he rebought for $200. A few hands later, we tangled again... I held a J-10 of Spades when I bet $10 and he was the only caller. The flop came A-K of Spades and the Q of Diamonds. This gave me a Straight with two shots at a Royal Flush (which would pay a jackpot of $3,200). I bet $10 and the guy raised me to $50. I called his $50. The turn card was a 4 of Diamonds. I checked, the guy bet $50 and I went ALL-IN. For the second time in 10 minutes, he shoved his whole stack in against me. The river card was a 2 of Clubs...I showed the Straight...he mumbled and mucked his hand...
By this time, I had built a stack of over $800 and just kept winning hands. Eventually I had $1,060 in front of me - a profit of $860 when I cashed out at about 3 p.m. So five hours of poker was pretty profitable today...
Leaving the poker room, I went to the sports book and put a $30 bet on MSU -4 over U-M. Go GREEN! The Spartans rolled and I'll be cashing that ticket in a few days.
When I got home, Helen and I decided to celebrate with takeout from the Cheesecake Factory. Helen had the Chicken Tacos with beans and rice, while I chose the BBQ Chicken Pizza. CF never fails to please the palate...
Helen is on the phone with our Grandson Alan, whose birthday is coming up in a couple of weeks. The namesake will soon be 16. We're just kicking back watching some TV, but tomorrow the adventure continues...
Monday, February 9, 2009
Hey, Let's Go Stimulate the Economy
Today was devoted to doing what we could to stimulate the stagnant American economy - I hope you all felt a little tingle.
Helen and I set off about 10 a.m. to exchange some bedsheets at Wal-Mart. We were there yesterday and picked up twin sheets when we really needed queen-sized sheets. Mere details, right? Let me say right up front, Wal-Mart is NOT my favorite store. I just don't like the vibe I get from shopping there. Anyway, the Great Las Vegas Sheet Swap went smoothly. We were in and out in about 15 minutes.
I brought Helen back to the apartment and set off to the post office to mail a birthday gift to one of Natalie's foster girls, Chelsea Stewart. It was a little after noon when I arrived at the P.O. and the parking lot was jammed - bad sign. Inside, you'd think it was the pre-Christmas shipping rush. There were literally two dozen people ahead of me in line for the 3 windows. I checked the time, just to see how much of my life would be wasted in this line. Twenty-two minutes later, I finally made it to the counter. Anyway, the package is shipped and I hope Chelsea enjoys it.
Then I had some grocery shopping to do. Seems like every Monday I find myself heading to the local Albertson's for a few things...$92 later I hauled out eight bags of groceries. If I didn't mention it, food is pricey here. It's almost cheaper to eat at a buffet, but they can be pricey too.
While I was out stimulating the economy, Helen was on the phone talking with our niece, Katie, and putting new sheets & pillows on our bed. I got back to the apartment around 2:30 and just played on the laptop for awhile, then got ready to get dinner started.
Tonight's main course was Spaghetti with Grilled Italian Sausage and Onions in a hearty marinara sauce. A fresh crusty sourdough bread went perfectly. Now we're just kicking back, watching some TV and catching up on some e-mails and Facebook.
But tomorrow, I'm pretty sure, the adventure continues...
Helen and I set off about 10 a.m. to exchange some bedsheets at Wal-Mart. We were there yesterday and picked up twin sheets when we really needed queen-sized sheets. Mere details, right? Let me say right up front, Wal-Mart is NOT my favorite store. I just don't like the vibe I get from shopping there. Anyway, the Great Las Vegas Sheet Swap went smoothly. We were in and out in about 15 minutes.
I brought Helen back to the apartment and set off to the post office to mail a birthday gift to one of Natalie's foster girls, Chelsea Stewart. It was a little after noon when I arrived at the P.O. and the parking lot was jammed - bad sign. Inside, you'd think it was the pre-Christmas shipping rush. There were literally two dozen people ahead of me in line for the 3 windows. I checked the time, just to see how much of my life would be wasted in this line. Twenty-two minutes later, I finally made it to the counter. Anyway, the package is shipped and I hope Chelsea enjoys it.
Then I had some grocery shopping to do. Seems like every Monday I find myself heading to the local Albertson's for a few things...$92 later I hauled out eight bags of groceries. If I didn't mention it, food is pricey here. It's almost cheaper to eat at a buffet, but they can be pricey too.
While I was out stimulating the economy, Helen was on the phone talking with our niece, Katie, and putting new sheets & pillows on our bed. I got back to the apartment around 2:30 and just played on the laptop for awhile, then got ready to get dinner started.
Tonight's main course was Spaghetti with Grilled Italian Sausage and Onions in a hearty marinara sauce. A fresh crusty sourdough bread went perfectly. Now we're just kicking back, watching some TV and catching up on some e-mails and Facebook.
But tomorrow, I'm pretty sure, the adventure continues...
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