I don’t drink, I don’t gamble so what the heck am I doing in Vegas?
Whirlwind doesn’t even begin to describe this month. Got back from Chicago June 22 and went straight back to work for a few days before I jetted back out to Vegas for the weekend.
It definitely wasn’t for fun. I had some work to do.
Oh sure, I got to hang with my buddy Buck Wargo — one of Times Community News’ all-time best reporters, IMHO, who now works for the local rag in Vegas — but I don’t drink and I don’t gamble so Sin City holds little allure for me. I was there because Buck was introducing me to a very interesting woman who wants me to help her write a memoir. Since I’m waiting to see if another book proposal of mine gets picked up I have the time to work on another project. I’ll let you know if it all comes together. I sure hope so. It’s a pretty exciting story. (Sorry to be so coy, I don’t want to give it away just yet).
The highlight of my trip, aside from my successful meeting, was spending an afternoon at the Pinball Hall of Fame. Right when I got back, coincidentally, the LA Times did a feature on this terrific little institution.
I’m usually not too interested in nostalgia. I prefer to enjoy the moment — it’s a little bit Zen, a little bit carpe diem. But I inadvertently found myself immersing myself in nostalgia at the Pinball Hall of Fame. How could I not? This HOF features hundreds of pinball machines from every era. I saw so many games from my childhood and, best of all, I got to play my all-time favorite, “Star Trek” (which I blogged on earlier). Buck, I’m sorry to say, beat me every time we played it!
Afterward, Buck and I headed to one of the casinos to watch the Cubs-Sox game on a huge video screen. On the way there, we passed a 7-11 and I couldn’t resist asking Buck to duck in there with me so I could get a Slurpee. Now, I haven’t had one of those silly things since I was a teenager. They were a regular part of my diet the summer I ruled the roost on “Star Trek” and won the Pinball Wizard contest. But I had to give up junk food like that years ago after I struggled with an ulcer, etc. I’m in much better health now so I thought I’d take a chance. Man, did that bring back memories. So, sadly, did that damned Cubs-Sox game. The Cubs lost … just like the bad old days!
Oh well, I was due for disappointment. I’ve been on a nice little winning streak lately. Did I brag yet that I jumped 11 places in my pinball league after last month’s tournament?
