Gambling & Outlets: Moneyletting

When Sarah and i originally conceived this vacation, we thought we'd take one of our days and ferry it to Atlantic City for a day at the Tropicana. Expensive boarding fares forced us to reconsider. We drove to Dover Downs instead. Our rule: Spend a total of a hundred dollars between us. If we won anything close to a thousdand dollars, we'd pocket 900 and keep rolling with the other hundred. If we approached 10,000 (i know. i know. you can stop laughing anytime now.), we'd be out of there, no questions asked.

Everything at Dover is electronic, so that was a bit of a bummer. Here's what was striking. It was Monday morning (obviously) and the place was packed. I know some people must have been on vacation (like us), but some were clearly just having a typical beginning of the week gamble fest. Like a "using my unemployment check to make a miracle" kind of thing.

Here's what I learned/confirmed: I'm better at games of chance than those that require strategy. I won 30 bucks on the Lotto Machine (and lost it at the Penny Slots). Sarah won all our money back (we were playing together) at Black Jack (then lost it). We made a comeback at the Roulette Machine, before we proceeded to suck.

all in all, we lost 110.00 (we made a last ditch effort with some slots).

So, after you lose your money to the devil, there's nothing better than retail therapy. no, in all seriousness, we planned to take in the outlets because you get so much more bang for your buck. i got some fun stuff, some necessary stuff (like frying pans from Le Gourmet Chef), and some literary stuff ( The Boy Detective Fails).

In other news, i began thinking through the concept for my Fall 2008 mix. It's trippy. It doesn't care what you think about it, which will make you want it.

We're opening a bottle of wine now. Perhaps, The Black Chook.

Vacation, all i ever wanted

Vacation, for me, has never meant leaving behind my connection to home. in these days of encroachingly encroaching technology, it certainly doesn't mean putting my phone on mute or refusing to check my e-mail. the sweet spot is staying plugged in, yet totally disconnecting. Sarah and i are both grad students, so the laptops are out and powered up--but even if we weren't, we're both techies, so... and hey, now we've both got these phones that check any number of e-mail accounts you want, all day long.

this morning, while i made coffee, the sarah-one (as shown above) was hard at work keeping her blog updated so you'll know what she's (and I am) up to.

i relax more when i have the option of checking in with the world as i know it.

Vacation, for me, is about the comforts of home. It's about having home with me, wherever i am.

it's hazelnut creme coffee first thing; it's pictures of the people and the dog i love; it's my iPod faithfully streaming the playlists i've created for every mood.

that's why renting someone else's home in a strange place appeals. during the day, i go out and explore what i don't know while having the familiar niches of my own life. Vacation is a context in which to more fully experience what i know and to puzzle out what i don't.