(continued from last entry)
…this dining experience was totally worth it. Sure, I’m getting used to spending more money on food, but I’m also letting myself enjoy my vacation without over-worrying about money.
Speaking of that, we went to the casino lasts night. We were bored, and the flying saucer diner wasn’t top on our list, especially after that amazing meal. So, I suggested going to the casino. Benny heartily agreed, and we were off! We quickly walked through the misty rain – the sunlight and clear skies had lasted just long enough for us to have a perfect day – and entered the casino complex. I say complex because it’s not just a casino. It’s also a hotel and an upscale shopping mall, complete with overpriced restaurants. So, we window shopped a bit, and Benny found me a pin-striped suit that she said I’d look amazing in.
We walked in to the casino proper, and the security people didn’t know what to make of us. Me in my floor-length black trench coat and Benny in her blue velvet cloak. We giggled a bit every time a security guard did a double-take. We had originally decided that we were each going to limit ourselves to CAN$20, and be done when that was gone. However, since neither of us was interested in slot machines, we revised our limits upward. Benny had two twenty dollar bills, and I had a fifty. So we went with that. I knew that I wanted to play Blackjack, so we found the table with the lowest limit, and watched the game until a seat opened up. I sat down, expecting to be out in two hands.
An hour later, I walked away from the table with CAN$102.50 worth of chips. Just a little more than doubling my money. What a high that was. So, we cashed out my chips, and Benny tried to decide what game she wanted to play. Poker was right out, and she said that slot machines were boring. Craps and Roulette tickled her curiosity for a little bit, but she ended up settling on Blackjack as well. And, once again, about an hour after she sat down, she left the table with CAN$85. We both doubled our money at two tables with three dealers. We left the casino singing along with the piped oldies and doing little dances on the sidewalk back to our hotel room.
Today, we plan on tackling the outlet mall and the rainforest cafe. We’ll see if we can squeeze in the diner.
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So, we’re at the diner. Heh. We saw it on the taxi ride over to the outlet mall, and decided that it would be perfect for lunch. We got socks for both of us, boots for Benny – the exact ones that she had thought irreplaceable – and a perfect backpack for my grand return to school. By Samsonite. Thanks to our casino winnings, we only had to use the check card for the boots. We have done amazingly well at not shoveling out money hand-over-fist. I’m convinced that it’s the complimentary breakfasts. So, my backpack is perfect. Special padded and braced pocket for my laptop, TONS of room for books and notebooks, a couple of smaller pouches in front – one with a fold-over pass-through for headphones, and side pockets for drinks (water, coffee, pop if you drink it) and cell phones, etc. ANd it’s a Samsonite.
The receipt from the outlet store says something about “Samsonite Seconds-Obsolete”, and I have to wonder why anyone would discontinue such an awesome backpack. Maybe they just came out with a better version. I certainly hope that when I wear this bad boy out, I’ll be able to get something similar.
Yeah, I’m not excited to go back to school or anything. Heh. It’s a side of me that Benny wasn’t expecting. I have the feeling that she thought I wouldn’t want to go back. Heh. Surprise!