February 12, 2015
(This is part of a 365 project during my 70th year where I write and
illustrate a blog on each day's gift.)
My
husband and I just escaped from zombie land tonight, $82 richer than when we
arrived. It reminded me of a night many years ago when we were walking through
a Las Vegas casino and decided to drop a few quarters into a machine. I loved
the sound of the $80 worth of quarters falling all at once. Our quarters paid
for the garage concert we were headed to.
I
consider casinos to be sensory-overload environments filled with dazed zombies sitting at machines
that spin around and around and sing a cha-ching boom chant. Tonight David and
I were invited to a business-networking event at the Horseshoe Casino in
Baltimore. We got free drinks and appetizers and then a card with a $30 credit
to play the machines. I am not fond of gambling but if someone gives me the
money and says, “Spend it”, I can do it.
I found
everything very confusing. Whatever happened to one-arm bandits where you put
in a nickel, pull a lever and hear coins chinging down? Tonight I couldn’t even
figure out where to insert my card with my free bucks or which buttons to push to
play. One machine refused to work even with a staff member stroking it.
However, we finally figured out how to work the operational machines and we watched
our free money disappear within minutes. We are smart players though and quit
while we’re ahead. The sounds programmed
into the machines were good and maybe they are part of the addiction some
people feel to continue but the sound of winning was disappointing. We pushed
the “cash out” button and a ticket rolled out quietly with the amount of money
we had won. I prefer the clinking of real coins. It is so visceral. So
satisfying.
When we
were finished, we inserted the winning tickets into yet another machine that
spewed out bills and a little change. We walked out with smiles on our faces and
cash in our pockets. Not a bad way to spend two hours every twenty years or so.
(Addendum: At home one of the gift lottery scratch off tickets netted us $7 more.)
(Addendum: At home one of the gift lottery scratch off tickets netted us $7 more.)
My gift tonight is $82.81.
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