My first half marathon- the longest 3 hours and 17 minutes of my life UPDATED

Well, after 6 months of training (and 15 pounds), I finished in 6,942nd place in the Las Vegas Half Marathon in less time than I was predicting. That surprised me because I walked miles 11 and 12. Aside from my calf not causing a problem I am most happy that I actually ran the last mile and finished with a relatively strong kick. I must have recalled a first marathon story where the writer said she thought all the people she was passing on the last mile were stupid for not walking the previous mile so they would be fresher for the finish where all the spectators were, because that's exactly what I did.

I set everything up before I went to sleep to make sure I forgot nothing- easy to do when you have ADD.
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I am convinced that running slowly, a 14 minute per mile pace, is more painful than running my natural pace of about 10 minutes per mile. I feel each step much more when I am just jogging. It would feel much better if I actually ran the race.

A few minutes before the start.

I was dreading the cold, having seen the erroneous forecast of 38 F. It never got below 43 and there was absolutely no wind, although it was overcast I saw once the sun rose. I had complained for weeks about the marathon being started so early. The New York Marathon started at 10 am which is perfect for a cold winter-like day. I moaned that the Las Vegas Marathon was only doing this so they could do the fireworks thing and castigated it to be mere Las Vegas hype. But running at that temperature wasn't half bad. I did hear, though, that last year it was too cold.

The start was nicer for us Las Vegas Roadrunners because we were given head of the line privileges. They had a ballroom just for us to gather in and 15 minutes before the start they marched down to a corral just behind the elites and, of course, in true Las Vegas style, the Running Elvi.

I was amazed that I ignored the excitement of the start and the million runners passing me by as I jogged my tortoise pace even during the first mile. I jogged from mile 2 to 5 with my young padawan co-worker/running partner, Missy. She also has ADD and was chomping at the bit to go faster than my tortoise jog. I was convinced she needed to stay at my pace because she had never ran farther than 5 miles and she had cheap running shoes. After 4 miles of me chiding her I told her to go ahead but to walk for a minute every mile marker and not run too fast. She did fine though, finishing 17 minutes ahead of me.



The first two miles it seemed everybody was passing me up. But after six miles there were a lot of walkers and I was passing quite a few half marathoners to my great relief. A middle aged man doesn't need constant reminders of his weaknesses. I was taken back by how this one older man was walking almost as fast as I was running. I called out encouragement to him and he promptly picked up his pace and left me behind- not so good for my male ego.

At around 6 miles I also saw a gal who had a horrible pigeon-footed stride and asked her if she had the right running shoes for her overpronation. She said she did but that these were her "comfies." I hoped they didn't hurt her too much by the end of the 13 miles.

I saw a guy about my age who had medicated pain reliever patches on his calves and asked him about his calf problems. He had tightness like I did. A mile later a younger gal overhead me commenting about my calves and indicated she had the same problem and that was why she was walking. I am trying to find a definitive solution to my too tight right calf.


My best friend, Mark, was the only one to come out and support me. He is the one I think about when reflecting on the proverb about a friend who sticks closer than a brother. After a couple of phone calls (yes, I used my smartphone extensively on my run) I told him to forget about trying to see me both halfway in the run and at the finish line. I did make my mom promise after the run was over to come see me if I run the LV full marathon next year.

While I was walking I met a young Canadian gal who was limping. She told me she had IT band problems and it went out on her at mile 10. I asked if she was doing treatment for her and she assured me that her physical therapist who does this fancy metal device therapy on her (she showed me the big bruise on her thigh to prove it) told her she would be just fine. Poor honey....


I had used electrical tape to print TIMAAY on my shirt and got a few shout outs. Well, this pair of girls shouted it out to me and they looked remarkably familiar. I wracked my brain and then recalled they were two very fun customers of mine on the blackjack table the previous Friday night! Such a coincidence! They were there supporting one of their mothers' who had just passed them doing the full marathon. We walked together for a few minutes laughing about their time at my casino and how one of them got kicked out of Harrah's because she resembled a prostitute Security had previously busted.



So, after 30 minutes of doubt-filled walking at miles 11 and 12 about my ability to continue running I took my last of 4 gels and started running again for the last 1.1 miles. I slowly built up my speed closely monitoring how my calf felt and since it was not tight at all at this point I ramped up to a 10 minute mile. That went so well that once I turned the last corner at the rear of Mandalay Bay with the highly motivating Japanese taiko drums doing a hundred BOOMS a minute, I turned it on full bore for a healthy kick.


I high-fived 6 Running Elvi and promptly went way over to the left just next to the drummers, my heart pounding and pace picking up. I searched for where Mark said he would be, about 50 feet after the taiko drummers and it seemed like I searched every face for 200 feet and I wondered if he had turned away from the exact minute that I approached. But then I saw him and high-fived him too with a big grin on my face.

I turned it up even higher as I was about 50 yards from the finish line and stared at the digital clock readout as I crossed that was shining 3:17:05. I crossed myself like I saw the Kenyan runner who won the Beijing Olympic Marathon and slowed down to get my medal.

When I was walking those two miles with aching feet, a sore back and heavy fatigue I sent a twitter update wondering how on earth people did this for over 26 miles. But it was only a few minutes later that my mind was devising a strategy of how I could train to overcome my specific challenges for a full marathon. I truly believe that endurance athletes are a bit unhinged.

That reminds me of one of my favorite parts of The Spirit of the Marathon documentary, that I drove to LA to see, where this lady is standing at about the 25th mile with a big sign reading, YOU ARE ALL CRAZY.

So Mark and I went to have breakfast and then I came home with 2 bags of crushed ice and took a way-too-cold ice bath. I really felt I was crazy as I was preparing the tub for an icy dip. I promptly learned that while 10 lbs of cubed ice is not enough, 20 lbs of crushed ice is far too much. Parts of my anatomy were in physical pain! UPDATE: But let me tell you about the advantage this gives a runner. The next day my legs were only a little stiff, no pain or fatigue at all. Not one bit. I see now that my legs feel better after a 13 mile run with an ice bath than they do after a 5 miler with no ice bath. Apparently the cold not only reduces inflammation but it forces out the lactic acid filled blood and then when the muscles warm up only fresh, clean blood fills them up. A neat trick, I am toying with the idea of an ice bath even after my 5 milers. They felt that good.

So, my running team is gonna meet for another round starting Sunday, January 4th, and I'm thinking about running the full marathon for the San Diego Rock and Roll Marathon on the last day of May.

Here we go again....

UPDATE: Oh, and the man who sold me my awesome running shoes introduced me to the idea of opening up an Athlete's Foot franchised store here in Vegas. He says the valley is crying out for three more stores. Folks, the first job I ever loved, and there are only two, was running a specialty retail store. So, I am dreaming a bit about becoming a Las Vegas merchant of athletic wear. Hmmm....
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Counterattack

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Well, I really have to congratulate Barack Obama on a clear victory last night. And to all his supporters, especially to black Americans, this can do nothing but make them feel they are a solid part of the American story.


I was dismayed when I saw that McCain lost and was getting close to panicking when I heard two co-workers say it was a landslide. For a couple hours the implications were staggering me. But I looked it up in Wikipedia when I got home and was relieved to find out an electoral landslide was more like Reagan's 489 to Carter's 49, much different from Obama's current 349 to McCain's 161.

Whew, so, America is not giving the Democrats a mandate from the people. They haven't totally repudiated conservatism, the Republican Party and Sarah Palin completely.


Then the fears swirled around in my head: economic ruin, military defeats, no freedom of speech from the fairness doctrine, self-prostituting judges, 24 hour Chris Matthews and a return to partial birth abortions, among others....

Then came the impulse to declare myself as Obama's loyal opposition, veeeery loyal to him and veeeery opposed to his every liberal thrust. That brought me to thinking more and more about the future which caused me to consider the past. What's the best thing to do when losing a battle? Counterattack!


In my opinion, the best response we could take following a disaster of a liberal presidency after he totally tanks the economy- and I'm not talking 6% unemployment and one quarter of economic downturn, like we have now, I'm talking about double digit unemployment, widespread company bankruptcies, quarter after quarter of negative growth, sort of like stagflation under Jimmy Carter, where the whole country is dominated by a general malaise, then it would be up to us to reassert conservative principles into the public narrative.


So, God help us, true Republican reformers in 2012, like Sarah Palin, people who have already KICKED corrupt Republican ASS, can lay into the Republican leadership and the Democrats too, reform government on the federal level and usher in a new Reaganism, that may just provide decades, once again, of freedom and economic prosperity. It could just happen.




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Comments are open, but be CIVIL, otherwise you're comment will be happily deleted by the admin, ME. So, no insults, cursing or personal attacks, thank you very much.
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More good news

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Talk about relieved and happy. For years my pulse has been around 100 to 110 beats a minute. Until recently I thought the norm was 60 to 80 and I felt there was something wrong with my heart though, like a typical male, I didn't do anything about it except worry.

Last month I googled about heart rates and found out that the norm was actually 60 to 100, and also that at 110 I may have a slight tachcardia. More anxiety. WELL, this morning while getting that all checked out at the VA Clinic, during my EKG I was happy to find out my pulse was all the way down to 71!!!


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Wow, what a difference! I'm so surprised that 3 or 4 months of running would have such an effect on my cardiovascular system. Can you imagine what getting up to marathon level would do? Right now my longest run has been 9 miles. 26 miles, wow, I will be able to exert myself like a freight train!
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The Gut

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For decades I have been plagued by the Gut. My body shape was inherited from my father. I remember as a child remarking several times to myself how big his Gut was and how it just stopped at his beltline as if all his fat suddenly stopped by a very strong strap of leather.

Well, I was fortunate enough to gain the same body shape. Lovely. I remember a pregnant gal at work who was 8 months along looking at me one day and saying, “You look more pregnant than I do.” A lovely young lady.

Years later another gal, this time a friend of mine, remarked on the Gut, saying, “It seems like it's not really a part of you.” Now there's a truly lovely gal (no irony this time). It's an accurate statement, my arms are very skinny and my legs are nowhere near fat. It's just that this big Gut hangs on the front of me.

Well, now that I've lost 17 pounds and am training for a half marathon, when I see my dwindling Gut in the mirror I say, “I'm gonna get you, sucka!”

In fact, the other night, I was lying on my back in bed and noticed that for the first time my belly was nearly flat with gravity sucking it in. Wow, I can really lick this monumental appendage to my body, I began to think.

Tonight I examined my body's profile in the mirror and saw that instead of bulging in a complete sphere the Gut actually had a flat aspect to it, after the initial bulge. I squinted my eyes at the mirror.

“I'm gonna get you, sucka!”
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McCain's grand slam finale

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I'm going to fight for my cause every day as your president. I'm going to fight to make sure every American has every reason to thank God as I thank him that I'm an American. A proud citizen of the greatest country on earth. And with hard work with strong faith and with a little courage great things are always in our reach.

Fight with me! Fight with me! Fight for what's right with our country. Fight for the ideals and character of a free people. Fight for our children's future. Fight for justice and opportunity for all.

Stand up to defend our country against its enemies. Stand up for each other. For a ++++ beautiful _____ America. Stand up! Stand up and fight! Nothing is inevitable here. We're Americans! We never give up! We never quit. We never hide from history. We make history!

Thank you and God bless you and God bless America.

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Announcing my crazy ambition

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From couch potato to
marathon runner!
Follow my progress on my blog!
www.vegasbaby8.blogspot

Can a fat slob transform himself into a long distance runner???
Is he crazy, obsessed or just plain determined to achieve such a personal milestone?

Well, we're gonna find out. I have always loved long distance running ever since my freshman year in high school where I raced in cross country competitions. In my early twenties while stationed in the Navy in San Diego I ran a 10k race. Then in my late twenties while living 100 yards from the UNLV running track I got up to 6 mile runs.

Then began the long dormancy and now, 27 years later, I am determined to finish the entire 26.2 mile Las Vegas Marathon on December 7! I have jogged for a couple months now to get the kinks out and plan on joining the Las Vegas Roadrunners' training program for the next 3 months.

I am looking for sponsors to help cover the costs of the race, training program, garments and equipment. Will you help?

The race and training program and package is $155.
Garments are approximately $40
Running shoes are approximately $100
Equipment costs are approximately $45
6 Sponsor tee shirts approximately $100

Total cost approximately $440

Any amount you can help me with will be greatly appreciated.

contact me
TimPoet2002 at yahoo dot com
My paypal account username is the above email addy
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A sendoff

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My best friend and roommate's daughter is about to leave for a year of university work in Italy. We are having a sendoff for her this Saturday so I composed this for her:

Katie Kay


She is not a wanderer,
Lo, the young maiden is an adventurer
True soul, quiet and still, so strong.

A woman with a purpose
A young lady soon to stretch her soul
and take residence abroad
To see new sights
Make new friends
To learn
To teach.

And we, all gathered here,
In our love for her,
Bid her godspeed
to Italy
and then godspeed
home.

Katie Kay
Traveler over the seas!
Katie Kay
Beloved of our hearts.

Haste, haste away
and when the year is done
Haste, haste to home!
Where we shall gather again
and drink to your name.
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Today...

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Just got done jogging. 20 minutes non-stop. Gonna make it an hour 3-5 times a week come November. This month's goal is 30 minutes- hell, maybe 45! I am going to take control of my body. I will shape it the way I want it to go. No longer a couch potato!

Likewise, my addiction. I'm going to take control of my lusts just as my body. I will shape my soul into a winner's soul.

Still trying to convince ex I am not a toy, but a man who acted like a boy and hurt her terribly, but still have real feelings and deserve to have those feelings respected.

Be careful when you say you stand, lest you fall....
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Love sucks...

Wow, isn't it amazing how his voice sounds just like it did in 1975??? Lol...

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So, beautiful Old Flame, aka Singerbabe, and I had sushi to catch up on the latest. She had a miraculous reconciliation with her long estranged father- got me misty-eyed to hear about him holding his sleeping grandbaby.

We concluded that love sucks, is hard and even like war.

"Some tell me that if it's real love then it's easy and I just don't believe it," she said.

She also pointed out that I couldn't have been in love with dreamgirl at first kiss because I didn't know her at that point. After her dissing me last time she was with me I'm beginning to wonder if I ever really knew her. I have an incredible imagination and, apparently, a great capacity to deceive myself.

And this makes me think. When I met Old Flame years ago I fell in love very quickly. None of that 'don't say the word, love, for 6 months.' And I was quickly in love with Annie from England and last December I was getting very loving towards Singerbabe again during the 5 weeks we were seeing each other even though it turned out she was no longer interested to me in that way.

So, am I merely in love with the idea of being in love?

Hmmmmm....
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Loneliness and Pain

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Its like a black thing,
Dark and heavy, this pain....

It steals my breath
Makes me sweat
When it's not hot.

I see a young couple
And it slowly grinds deeper
On my dull and lonely heart.

Every pretty woman
Reminds me of my failure
To love that woman
As she deserved,
As I deserve.

Oh God, may this be the last time
I ever feel this lonely pain-
The very last time...
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More thoughts

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Still wondering if she deliberately mislead me out of fear of losing my companionship.
And to give her number to him, that is pure DISRESPECT. Total disregard for my feelings. She treated her ex better than that. Her eyes were totally self-centered.... Dark thoughts. Darker feelings.
It's lovely having met Dutchess, she is going through the same things....
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Thoughts and deeds

Short jog today around ghetto neighborhood. They're opening a grocery store on the corner. Lost 15 pounds!!
Decided to be accountable to Mark, 24/7 for my inner life.
Two days ago all hope for her died. Bereft and yet looking forward to meeting new women. Stopped crying. Wondering if she led me on deliberately so as not to lose my daily companionship- or am I blame-shifting?
Trying to voice chat with Rhyannon who wants to visit me, perhaps.
Met Dutchess today via Twitter and she plays poker semi-professionally and loves the NFL!!!
Dark days and bright moments....
It all will work out.
This is my year.

Things are looking up

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It hasn't escaped my notice that many of these blogposts are rather dark and negative. Not too attractive, it seems to me now.
Well, things are looking up.

I have concluded that I am in my season of love after several years of being the lonely man. Now I am the lucky man and things are looking up not only in the romance department. I have completed a year of dealing at the Imperial Princess and may get promoted to full time soon. I am already working full time hours and with this I will be able to have cheap health insurance benefits and be eligible to get pulled a day or two to the Big House where tokes are higher.

And it looks like I may be able to triple my income in the next 6 months. That is, if I can figure out why so many casinos are not giving me interviews like they are to my co-workers. I'm worried that my 26 year old offense is blocking me or the sod who stole my identity with his arrest warrants tagged to my name. That would suck if Bellagio wouldn't hire me cuz of that crap.

I started jogging and using the elliptical in the gym. I hope to run the Las Vegas Marathon in December. It would be so cool if I could reduce my pot belly in half. I already lost at least 7 pounds! Took my belt in two notches and am at the last one and my pants are already loose on me. That is welcome news, indeed.

Now, if I can just find my gracious lover....
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Changes In His Life

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Some of Vegas Baby's dreams die and others survive.

The woman he loved decided she wanted to go back to her ex when she found out how grave her cancer threat was. However, she was rebuffed by him and she came back to Vegas Baby apologizing for hurting him three days after he broke off contact, telling her he didn't do love triangles. But, nonetheless, she still wanted to reconcile with the old flame.

So Vegas Baby took the hint, and decided to move on with his life, although the gravity of her health demanded he support her through her sojourn through the valley of the shadow of death until she came clear of it and walked in the light of day again.

He was troubled, for he loved her so and felt so bereft, and he wrestled with his soul for days until he realized that his only option was indeed to go on with his life as she urged him to do and seek to make his life as good as he can and find a woman to love who was ready for him. She was even openly encouraging him to seduce another woman and all so, obviously, she was over him.

So he found the wherewithal to go on when a man advised him to thank her for bringing an end to the lover relationship and agree with her that it would be a good idea for them to go their separate romantic ways. It all became so clear to him.


He had beautiful Rhyannon in Second Life who was full of wise advice and clarified for him the truth behind the dynamics between him and her and her ex. They had a 4 year history together and she loved the guy and he only had 5 months of a torrid (at least for him) romance with her. There really was no comparison.

Sure, she had mentioned love and marriage and babies at one time- but that was in passing. He mistook her meaning and got carried away. He envisioned decades of love and all that goes with it. But the truth soon caught up with his foolish fantasies and she let him know where her heart lay. It shook him- shook him deep, but warm Rhyannon was there to kindly explain it to him and even offer comfort and she may even visit him in real life at his casino (she said she wants to bring him a bottle of his favorite scotch).

He has opportunities for romance and ardor in Second Life and at work with Sasa and Korean Mary and with some friends from his past. Vegas Baby's ex-lover was right- he needs to get on with his life....
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Improve your life!

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Walk/jog

Lose 14 lbs

See a therapist

Bear down on roulette

Call your loved ones weekly

Make $80,000 a yr

Love a beautiful young woman

Drive a red Corvette

Raise beautiful children and grand children!
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I think the dream is dying, folks...

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It looks like dark times are ahead for Vegas Baby. He just completed a weeklong foray in talking to casino shift bosses all over town. What he found is ominous.

Station casinos recently laid off dealers so all the job openings listed on the Net were going to go the returning dealers.

Golden Nugget shift boss said because of the economic downturn she didnt see any openings for the rest of the year.

There was only one part time job opening he discovered and that had tips that were way too low to help him.

Then today the Treasure Island shift boss said the entire MGM/Mirage casino group had an indefinite hiring freeze, ffs! His juice casinos are under that umbrella. This doesn't look good. Not one bit.

There's a possibility of a decent income as a Dealer-Tainer where he would impersonate a celebrity and get to keep his own tips. But that's only IF his casino will lift the black-listing (as they promised to do) that they imposed on his junior casino dealers in time for him to make money before they take Vegas Baby away in shackles.

His romantic interest has told him that he can;t do some of the things he wants to with her until his finances stop listing to starboard (and who can blame her?). And hours later he realizes that the Vegas Baby dream may be dead.

Dark days, folks... dark days.
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If I never saw you again

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If I never saw you again
I'd weep an ocean of tears
I'd wail to raise the dead
I'd mourn forever.



If i never saw you again
I'd never look at a woman the same
I'd wander the wilderness aimlessly
If I never saw u again
The stars would wane dull
The winds would barely be a breeze
The oceans would lie still...


If I never saw you again
I'd know I caressed the face of an angel
I'd see that I was the luckiest man
I'd recall forever the best days of my life with you
If I never saw you again...

The State of Vegas Baby

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Vegas Baby is on the edge...

Two unpaid tickets have gone to warrant with another pending. Bank just mentioned repossession of his new car, he cant afford to register it, his bank acct crashed again and is $200 in the hole and the gas tank is empty and his 2 angels are done helping (not that he blames them) and he's got $5 for the next 6 days...

His millionaire ex wife is still hitting him for hundreds a month for back child support. His impoverished ex wife lends him $40 here, $100 there and cheers him on.

Vegas Baby is not a lazy man. Most men and women will roll up their sleeves and get another job like Vegas Mom used to literally scream at him to do. Vegas Baby's been resisting working a second job because bipolar kicks his ass when he does.....

He's had a knife pulled on him before

The last time he worked two shifts a week, when he was still pit clerking at the MGM Grand and going through Imperial Princess's orientation he couldn't recall anything seconds after receiving verbal instructions, his eyes burned for days, mania began to set in, his personality changed and he starting getting violent.... When he informed Vegas Mom about all this she said, "Well, then, you better quit your MGM job...."

Though it makes him cringe, sometimes Vegas Baby has to pause and admit to his innermost self that even though at times he is rather functional and has never had psychosis, nevertheless, he is indeed seriously mentally ill. His ruined Naval career stands as dark testimony to that as well as a dozen other dismal monuments.


Vegas Baby's only 6 months from getting the verifiable 12 month experience the posh casinos want at which point he can get juiced in to his $80,000 plus a year glorious dealing job. But can he make it?

The parent corporation of the Imperial Princess has some rule going and they won't let him transfer to their other properties and they haven't given him more than 3.5 days a week of work for months now.


He's in a dire race to beat the jailers and repo men to the finish line; its getting awfully close and doubts assail him. Then he hit upon a plan as he was adding up the hundreds and hundreds of dollars he needs to get himself out of the hole.

So, he went to the casino boss, Johnny, who originally hired him, an affable upfront guy, who, unbeknownst to him until the day he was interviewed, used to play golf with Vegas Dad when he was a dualie at the same casino years earlier. He told the boss that his finances were going down the tube and he was about to drown and asked him for help getting a full time dealing job at another casino.

He specifically asked to not be promoted to the sister casino where IP dealers got promoted to, because he didn't want to generate hurt feelings of his fellow dealers. But Johnny told him he couldn't lift the blacklist to other properties. He said he would see if he could get him an audition at the sister casino.

Later that day he spoke with Vegas Mom and she said to not worry about what others may feel. That he had to think of himself first. He had to get himself established in Vegas and pay his bills. That this sort of thing happened all the time.

He spoke with Vegas Daughter and she pointed out that any of his dealing friends would do the same thing if they got offered a boost up.


So, perhaps things may turn around for Vegas Baby before he gets thrown in jail or his car is repo'd. It will be about another month before the auditions start. He did go to the Tuscany and audition for a full time job, though he thinks the boss had already ruled him out before he started because he didn't audition him on roulette like he did the other 4 prospective dealers before him.


In the meantime Vegas Baby is looking for a second job at Slots A Fun and Dealer's Employment Agency hoping he can ride the bipolar wave without hurting someone on the road.


If he does get promoted to the sister casino then his income would increase two and a half times. Vegas Baby is crossing his fingers and saying his prayers....
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