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Went to Mohegan Sun last night for Peterman's bachelor party, just four guys having a good dinner and then trying their luck for a bit. I played a really boring "bet on black" roulette strategy for a long while and ended up even, Peterman had a bit more flamboyent strategy and more than made up for some poorer luck at other games. (Betting on a color like I did doubles your money if that color comes up (shade under 50/50 chance) or takes your money if it's the other color. I took that strategy for nostalgic reasons, I once wrote a roulette simulation to demonstrate to Lena that the seemingly foolproof strategy of betting a fixed amount when you win, then continually doubling your bet when you lose until you win again (thus making up for whatever you lost) fails without a well-nigh infinite bankroll, and quickly runs into house limits before then. Also, it's a vey easy to follow strategy, and I'm a bit of a gambling retard.)

It's so funny how the Indian-run casinos can't put up highways signs, so you end up going on these fairly unlabeled backwoods roads for a while, 'til finally these giant buildings spring up like the Star Destroyer at the start of the first Star Wars movie. The styling is kind of odd, as if Epcot center had a "Native American" section in its international section.

It seemed like there were a higher percentage of people in wheelchairs there, which adds a certain air of pathos. Overall I've decided I don't like gambling very much, I just find the stressful repetition off-putting. (Maybe in the long run I'm fortunate, I've heard that one of the worst things that can happen to a newbie is to win big the first time out...that sets you up to lose a lot trying to repeat that first big event.) Maybe my protestant upbringing intrudes, and talks away a certain joie de vivre from the whole thing for me.

Today's title ("why just waste time when you can waste money too?") is what I said a few times previously when I was tempted to cash out after struggling back to the break even point...but I was never up by more than 40. (If I had been up by 60, doubling my starting amount, I would've walked away.) Finally though, the night was getting a bit long, Peterman sensed it was time to go for him.

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Quote of the Moment

Don't bring me back anything.

I think that that line is a really witty mix of permission-granting and boundaries-setting that works on a couple of levels, almost like a phrase-based pun.

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Links of the Moment
100 Years of Design...some products do have such a grace and elegance to 'em...lots of pictures, and some interesting background reading too. Fun to contrast and compare that to Tack-O-Rama, a survey of some of our cultural's tackiest stuff.