Sabbatical 2013, Day 9

Well, it’s Thursday, so you know what that means: Cap’n Crunch for breakfast. Now, as we all know, Cap’n Crunch is delicious, but also basically empty calories. So I did the responsible thing and quickly had some guacamole and chips for a snack 30 minutes later. Nutrients keep you healthy!

I was a bit afloat with no schoolwork in front of me, so the morning sort of drifted away. Around 10, a friend called to ask if I wanted to go to the casino. Well, it’s important to get out of the house, so I had to say Yes. I picked him up at 11 and we dashed off to Rivers Casino to see how slowly I could lose my money.

My friend is one of those people who never seems to lose money at a casino. He doesn’t usually win huge sums, but he always seems to walk away with a profit. I planned to lose $100 at most, so I passed on sitting at a $15 blackjack table with him; I was looking for a $5 table. About the only option available was a Four-Card Poker game, but no seat was immediately available. I didn’t know the game, so I decided to watch it for a while to study it.

In Four-Card Poker, you are given five cards, and have to make the best four-card hand you can. The dealer, meanwhile, is given six cards to make the best four-card hand possible. Pretty obviously, this is a terrible deal for the player. But it was so cheap! After a few minutes, a seat came open and I went to take it, but the dealer explained there was a waiting list, and the seat was given to the person on the list.

I added my name to the list, but it took almost an hour before a seat was finally open. I won a couple hands, but the money dwindled pretty quickly, and I didn’t last more than 20 minutes. So much fun! Meanwhile, my friend had come over from his blackjack table, where he had turned a tidy profit. He wanted to play some craps, but I had spent my entertainment dollars for the day, so I instead went to the noodle shop for some lunch.

After a lovely bowl of duck noodle soup (approximate sodium level: 40 times the daily limit), I met back up with my friend, who had won more money playing craps. After that, we headed home.

I took Gemma and Cecilia on a walk in the afternoon, but at separate times. Gemma is too fast and energetic compared to Cecilia, who looks for a more leisurely pace. Cecilia didn’t quite have the gas for this trip, though, and I ended up carrying her home the last quarter mile. I’m sure she was just trying to make sure I got in some strength training.

That night, I attended a meeting for the Chicago Marathon. I work at the marathon every year, putting out and setting the clocks at each mile. We have a meeting every year the Thursday before the event to make sure everyone understands their assignment and where and when to show up. Not much changes from year-to-year, so there isn’t much to discuss at the meetings, but they have free pizza and beer, so you’d be crazy not to go.  It’s like someone from the casino putting money back in your pocket.

The meeting runs a little past 8 p.m., and by that time it’s too late to really catch up on the Bears game. Oh well.