It’s just around the corner, hanging over my head, ready to rip freedom from my grasp one more time. Tomorrow at this time, I’ll be spinning out the tickets, sliding chips across the green felt, and convincing myself that I can do this for awhile longer. Forget the wine…give me whiskey! Gallons of it! OK…OK! I’m just kidding. Of course I can deal – and like it. Of all of the jobs I’ve ever held, it’s the one I like the best…and the only one I can envision myself doing on a daily basis. But damn it! It’s tough to think about going back to having to be somewhere – at a certain time – for a specified amount of time – five days a week.

*****

If you have a weak stomach oruncontrollable body functionsbother you, you shouldSTOP reading now. I had brunch with Carole today at Mimi’s on Rampart and Charleston. We both like the food and service. Mimi’s has four sections for food service and a great waiting area with small bistro type tables, andisfrequented mainly by locals.We finished our leisurely meal, paid our check and decided to head for the restrooms before hitting the road. In order to go to the restrooms, one must walkalong a small beverage bar and enter a doorway almost in the corner of that section at the end of the bar.A door opens into a hallway that houses the entrances to the restrooms. A very elderly gent was leaning on a cane, pointing at something on the carpet to one of the waiters of the establishment. It was two ‘plops’ of poop, about a foot and half apart. He kept pointing at it, and let us know it was there, on the floor. We opened the door to the hallway. More poop plops led the way into the women’s bathroom; the trail went across the floor to the end stall which was handicap. Carole and I threaded our way around the plopsand used the other two stalls.

Hey…we’ve raised children, husbands, and a few others along the way. When we stepped into the hallway, I did whisper to her that if I didn’t have such a long way to drive, I’d definitely pass on the bathroom trip. We watched our step going out of the stalls, washed our hands, and the door behind us opened. I turned to see a woman in dress and sandals enter, I pointed to the floor, “Watch your step.”

She didn’t act to squeamish about it either. We told her which stalls were open and she took one. We headed back out into the hallway to find an employee wiping up the tile with giant handfuls of paper towels. The elderly gent with the cane was standing in almost the same spot, ready to direct anyone around the paper towels that were now on the carpet in front of him. I admire the hell out of him for taking care of the situation as best he could.

I felt a huge pang of painful embarrassment for the woman hidden in the stall at the end of the bathroom. Sooner or later she had to come out of hiding and pass the people in the restaurant and the staff. Maybe she should wear undies if she’s going out in public??? Or perhaps even Depends?

Judging from the man waiting for her, she must be quite elderly also. Who the hell started that crappy (pardon the pun) rumor about the ‘Golden Years’? I wonder if this cat ever had a tale called ‘the poop plops here’.

*****

I spent most of the day trudging around in the Vegas heat. It’s the 31st of August and it’s still 109 degrees outside. Kee-rist! Cool down already. But during my travels, I found some kewl pics. I found this up on Alta, off of Decatur – wonderfully ‘pink’ wrought iron surrounding these beauties:

I suppose I haveway too many visions of strange things flipping through my head – but I could see all kinds of thingswaiting to happen while cruising down Rampart withthis in front of me:

It’s just a little bit more interesting when you see it close up – there were some mighty fine teeth sticking out:

Heading East on Tropicana gave me this lovely shot. It ain’t about the traffic so look close:

And then I got to have an evening meal with my bud, my pal,the one that called to offer mefinancial aid andrescue me from the demon money snatchers while I was on vacation in N. Idaho. Wayne– ain’t he cute?

Wayne brought along a new acquaintance, James, a future Vegas poker dealer and he’s a pan degenerate. Looks like we could end upwith a pan game again one of these days. Woo Hoo!

G’nite Vegas! G’nite poker people on Earth and those in outer space! G’nite Linda!