I just got a picture from our writer Katie Lindsay (check out the article she just did on Vanessa Rousso) of the Aruba beach, and it struck me like a smack in the heart. I’m not in Aruba this year. My first miss in four years. I’m missing it. Not the damn plane ride that’s for sure. I won’t get to see Gene this trip either and that’s about the only time I run into him, other than a Vegas blogger event, or a single, hurried moment at the WSOP. Hang in there, Gene! Stay well and have fun!

There are other things going on in Vegas though. The IRS is definitely involved in all the tournament toking now. Things are afoot at Bellagio – like the dealers have to clock in under a different code when a tournament’s in the room, and they are taxed on all of their tournament downs (can’t remember the % right now), although they get the tournament envelope intact, the taxes are deducted from their paychecks. That means that the % withheld from the buy-ins to pay the dealers is taxed along with the tips left by players. OUCH! The industry’s getting tougher. What’s next?

So I’m missing Aruba, I’m missing Turks and Caicos, but I’m not missing the incredible, fan-fucking-tastic weather that’s going on in Vegas right now. It’s unreal. If the weather stayed exactly like this, all year round, everyone in the world would want to live here.

The truck driving sis and beau were in town this weekend. We slammed the 5c machines at The Wild, Wild West (hey, it’s a truck driving hangout/parking with bennies for truckers) and I won! hahahahahahah, beat those damn machines out of over $300. NICE. We went to the Black Angus for steak and lob…that was ultra nice too.

Where, oh where, has my favorite little monkey gone? No news in a long time. Guess I have to spring for the price of a phone call, bud. You probably have came and went from Vegas three times since I talked to you last – and just DIDN’T call your ol’ buddy Linda. I’ll kill you if you did that. Remember, women from Montana carry guns! Heh-heh.

I’m off to visit Bellagio in a few hours. G’nite!