Yesterday Sheila and I did some driving around and we saw some neighborhoods west of here that we liked. They looked a lot like my neighborhood in Tucson, with the only drawback that I could think of was that it would take me some time to get to work since I'd be further away from the freeway. I'll need to explore a little more of North Las Vegas and Henderson. There's plenty of time for that later on, as that my next few days will be spent making sure that my new digs will have the utilities turned on effective my move-in date of 11/24. I may rent where I'm at now for that whole week in the event that something goes wrong. I'm thinking it might take two trips from "here" to "there" to move the things I've acquired since I arrived here.
Sheila is back in Tucson, and me, I feel like I'm away from home on a business trip, like I've been so many times before. I spent several weeks in San Diego once when I was managing a satellite tracking facility that was set up at Qualcomm. I spent three weeks in the Waco area of Texas providing launch support. I've had three trips to Japan, the middle one being five weeks. I've had more trips to Los Angeles than I can remember. I am no stranger to hotel rooms or long term residence inns, but there is no place like home, and I look forward to being in my own bed Thanksgiving weekend.
A lot of people who know me are somewhat on the envious side that I have a job in Las Vegas and they don't. I know of some people here who really enjoy living here. If I could have one of those houses in a nice neighborhood like I saw yesterday, I could enjoy it here, and not miss my house in Tucson since I would have an equivalent or better one here.
I can understand why someone who doesn't live here would love to vacation here. Las Vegas is famous all the world over; I'm sure due to legalized gambling and the movies that feature this city. In the mid 80s I really wanted to come here bad for a trip to see what it was all about. I got to do that in 1986 and again in 1993, and although I enjoyed it, the reality is that three days in a casino district is enough and you want to be somewhere else.
I might be in the minority here, but I'm thinking that the Las Vegas of the 50s and 60s was in some ways a lot better. The slot machines were mechanical and paid out in coins. I've read where silver dollars circulated here. I'm sure Glitter Gulch, a nickname for Downtown, was quite the exciting place to be. All of that's changed now. In some ways I like the change and in other ways I don't.
I'm sure that Sheila and I will be having lots of date nights Downtown. There are a few places on the Strip that she still wants to check out. She hasn't yet been inside the "Pyramid" (Luxor Hotel). There's still Venice and the Bellagio to check out (I've been to the real ones in Italy). I plan to take her there on her future visits. When the kids come for the weekend, I want them to see the saxophone player Downtown, Carl Ferris, who performs there almost every night. I might just end up being one of the few residents who vacations here from time to time.
As for gambling........a few words here.
There was a time in my life, such as in my early college years, that I thought gambling was great. I wasn't yet 21 but I couldn't wait until I was so that I could go to Nevada and gamble. I saw Nevada as a quick means to make a lot of money real quickly, and to have fun doing it.
At the age of 19 we went to Nebraska, in the summer of 1978, and I remember begging my dad to try out a slot machine since there was this chance of getting a whole lot of free money out of it (we had stopped in Reno for gas). He relented and put in a quarter, or maybe it was a dollar bill, came up empty, and then asked me if I was happy. We were then on our way to Nebraska.
On the return leg of that trip, we had stopped in Winnemucca. I knew that I wasn't old enough, but I really wanted to try out some slot machines that were across the street from where we were staying. I announced my plans.......my dad was going to go ahead and let me learn the lesson while my mom cautioned me to be safe since Nevada has a higher crime rate.
I walked into that casino, acting like I owned the place. I went to the cashier and asked to buy a roll of nickels. She said "good luck to you" as she handed me the roll, and I went on my way to make some free money.....or so I thought.
I went at it with a nickel slot machine. At one point the security guard was looking at me, like maybe I wasn't really old enough to be playing the machine......which I wasn't. I glared back at him with a "you leave me the **** alone!" look and he never came over to challenge me. I continued at it, getting small payouts here and there.
Then I ran out of nickels. They were all gone. After the course of ten minutes or fifteen minutes or whatever it was, I had lost $2.00. I then decided to walk back across to the motel. I felt like I was cheated. The casino was rigged. They cheated me out of two dollars, and I was somewhat torqued over that. The bastards stole that money off of me, and I wasn't going to get it back.
It wasn't until some years later that I gambled again in Nevada, although legally. I probably should tell you some more gambling stories in the posts ahead.
As for whether or not I'm gambling now.........let's just say that as a soon to be resident, I tend to view casinos more for their dining and buffets and people watching more than for anything else.
I can't see the point in gambling, as that it's a good way to be separated from your money.
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