High Rollin'

So I've been sort of reprimanded (again) for the blogging dry spell. I go through these periods where I blog every day. Then I lose interest. But I only lose interest in my own life. I'm still reading other people's blogs. You know who you are.

Today, I met the delightfully worldy Josie and the sickly Meladuck at the educational Magazines West day of seminars. Last year, Meladuck and I freeloaded a day of seminars after enduring a few months of volunteer hell. Meladuck had called on me for support in coping with one particularly bitter event organizer. The mental scars are still healing. We tried to make ourselves feel better by absconding with as many gratuitous copies of magazines as we could carry. They are still in a pile on my desk, unread.

Ironically, or perhaps insightfully, this year's seminars are meeting at the River Rock Casino and Resort. Feeling lucky? Wanna have a career in magazines? You might as well place a bet, roll the dice, and sell your soul. Oh, yeah. The drinks are free.

I felt lucky. I managed to arrive early. I hadn't had a stroke in traffic. Things were looking up. But I had some time to kill, so I hit the slot machines. The first machine, which seemed to call out to me, was called "Barking Bucks". It features a family, including a son named "Rob" and a dog. Perfect. I fed it my $20, and after a few rounds, I won $70. Not bad. I'm up $50. I still had some time to kill, so I switched to another machine. I fed it another $20, and won $40. I quickly did the math. I was ahead $70, which means that I had more than paid for the afternoon seminars.

It was seminar time, so I left. Our favourite grammarian (for whom we have theoretically have formed a Fran Club), spoke brilliantly about grammar traps and myths, and about how the English language changes. She was funny and informative. Meladuck was excited. Frances had given her some ammunition for work.

I ate 4 delicious River Rock biscotti, and then Meladuck and I dove into the left over tiramisu. After one spoonful, we talked about bringing the bowl back to the table. We were only half joking.

When the seminars were over, I walked with Meladuck and Josie back to the parkade. We talked some more, and then parted ways. I decided to use the washroom before diving into the traffic jam that was surely between me and home. I couldn't resist stopping by the Barking Bucks machine one last time. I fed it a $20. I pushed some buttons, and I won another $102. Knowing that I had just made $150 over the last few hours, and knowing that I could easily lose it again, I decided to brave the traffic, take my winnings, and leave.

The traffic was very light. I got home quickly with my heavy wallet. In all, it was a pretty good Thursday.