Monday, April 16, 2007

who knew this barrel of laughs would be a powder keg?

Let's see. Anything new and interesting? Not especially, I'm just bored, mostly. Mom came to Deadwood on Saturday to hang out with me and some people from her leadership group after she "drug me around town before dropping me off at work" as she said to her group. I won $10 at 3 Card Poker, which is impressive, since I wasn't entirely sure what to do at first, having only played once.

Today was a beautiful day and Aaron and I went to the City Park here in Spearfish and took a walk around the D.C. Booth Fish Hatchery and the park to see what all they had re-done since the last time we'd been there. It was so warm outside, and since it was a weekend, everyone was out with their puppies and babies and small children darting about into traffic.

Small children are weird, scary, and a little gross. No, change that; mostly gross. I watched a daddy give his little girl a drink of his Propel Fitness Water bottle today, and as she slurped and drooled all over it, I shuddered. Gross. That's all they do mostly, drool on stuff and get their little germies everywhere. Actually, parents give their children the germies by sharing foods and drinks and silverware with them, not the other way around. Apparently babies are sterile in that sense when they're born, and the parent gives them those germs. Gross.

And kids are just loud and stompy and demanding and drooly. If I wanted to hang out with people like that, I'd go to the bar and talk to the drunks. At least you don't have to change diapers that way. Usually.

Aaron and I are still trying to narrow down where we want to live when we grow up. We've got some states weeded out, but there's still plenty of places to choose from. We just need to print a map for each of us, then decide where we'd not want to live, compare, and find the states we BOTH wouldn't mind living in. It's a start. Except my printer is out of ink, and I don't want to buy a cartridge for $20-30 just for that. I could get a whole new (cheap) printer for that much money WITH an ink cartridge in it!

Well, I really didn't have much to say, I just realized that I hadn't posted in about a week and thought maybe I should while I was up and about. Auf Wiedersehen!

Sunday, April 08, 2007

Happy Easter

Happy Easter to everyone. Although it doesn't feel like Easter to me because I have to work at the casino.

Aaron and I have been babysitting a pit bull for one of his friends' parents since Wednesday over at their house. Her name is Sam and she's about the happiest dog ever, and doesn't try to eat me when I come home late at night from work, so she's okay in my book. It's been a LONG few days because it seems like we don't spend enough time together, or in the apartment, or doing anything except going between the house and the apartment and work. Today is the last day we're looking out for her, and last night was the last night we spent there with the dog. And thank goodness, because the bed we were sleeping in was just about the most uncomfortable thing on the planet.

Things have been busier and busier at work, and I guess a lot of new things are going to start happening this month at the Player's Club desk, so that's going to be interesting. A lot more people are coming out and staying at the hotel and taking trips to the area, so we are keeping busy, which is a nice change from the doldrums of winter time.

Anyway, that's about it for now. I'm going to go lay down in my OWN comfy bed and relax before getting started for work.

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

blehh

Well, work has been okay the last week, but only because we've "scared off" certain guests from coming up to the Player's Club while we're there (we being me and another girl my age), so we don't have to deal with them too much anymore. This weekend at work is going to be crazy. It's our big $25,000 giveaway, plus a big poker tournament, PLUS an arm wrestling competition. I bet the arm wrestlers are going to be belligerent. How exciting.

We got a nice bit of rain today, which might turn to snow tomorrow, but we need the moisture. The Big Horns in Wyoming got quite a bit of snow, and most of the roads and schools are closed in that area.

Aaron and I watched "Stranger Than Fiction" with Will Ferrel last night. It's the first movie we've rented in about a month, and it was pretty good. Better than I thought it would be, but only because it was not as silly as I was expecting it to be.

I've realized that I really don't have much to say anymore...so I'm going to go now.

Sunday, March 18, 2007

babies

When was the last time you saw adults (senior citizens) act like they were deceitful, hateful, backstabbing little junior high kids? Well, I get to see it every weekend at work. I get to see guests in our casino talk bad about each other. I see them lie to each other, to try to scare the others out of putting their entries into the drawings so as to have a better chance of winning. I see them put down people, form alliances with people, and then gossip about them to someone else. I see them make up stories and spread those rumors around the entire casino.

Money does strange things to people. Sitting at a slot machine fro 13 hours a day will warp your brain. I have never seen people act like this before until I started working at the casino. I cannot believe the utter bull that goes on in that place. Or what people are allowed to get away with. I am sick of it.

Since the beginning of 2007, things have only been getting worse. Each month we add something new to try to help our guests, to give back to them. It's not enough. Now it's too much work for them to get their free things. They should be entitled to more. They shouldn't be compared to other people who aren't at their ranking. February was bad because we got our new system and were just worn out from telling everyone how it worked. March is turning out to be worse so far. Every weekend they get worse, the regulars. Every weekend I dread coming into work more and more.

Work shouldn't be like this. We shouldn't be treated like this. We have feelings, too, you know. If I could give each of those guests a piece of my mind and let them know exactly how they have made me feel over the last two or three months, I probably wouldn't have a job there anymore, but at least those people would know what pieces of dirt they are to us. Let them see what it feels like to be put on the spot and questioned and harassed on a nightly basis. Let them see what it feels like to make a mistake and get yelled at night after night. See how they like it. See how it feels to be treated like that.

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. The golden rule. I'm going to tell someone that the next time they treat me like a piece of dirt on the floor that they can walk all over.

Stupid stupid people. Tonight was the first night I have ever really HATED my job thanks to them.

Friday, March 09, 2007

update

Well, so far the gym experience has been going well. Since my work schedule is a little weird some weeks, I've only been going twice a week, but I'm trying to get out of that habit and go at least three times each week now. As far as weight loss, I don't know how much progress I've made, but I do know that I can finally get my ring off my finger that's been stuck there for months!! So that's got to count for something, right?

Kettlebells is by far my favorite class, just because we have a lot of fun while we're there, and it seems to be the one that works the best as far as strength and flexibility go.

Work is still work; guests are still greedy and certain ones are being manipulative to get their way, or to get better chances of winning against the others. You just have to take it with a grain of salt and let the supervisor know about it so it can be dealt with.

Next week is Spring Break for most of the college folks, so my old roommate, Jill is going to be coming out to Spearfish to visit. I haven't seen her in almost two years, so it's going to be a lot of fun. I'll have something to do while Aaron is at work and I'm on my days off. My sister is also going to be coming home for Spring Break, so she and Mom might come to Deadwood for the day before I have to go to work, and I can hang out with them.

Aaron and I decided that we need to start visiting my parents more often, since they can only come up here once a month or so. We're going to try to go out to Gillette every couple of weeks for dinner with them. We went on Wednesday this week and had a good time. I'm glad we decided to start doing this, 'cause if we move within the next year, we're not going to have as many chances to see my folks after that.

Also today marks the 2 year anniversary of Aaron and me being together, so that's pretty exciting. Okay, exciting isn't the right word, because we're both working today; Aaron is currently working, and before he gets off work, I will be heading to Deadwood to work. What happened is we didn't plan anything early enough so we couldn't get any time off. Whoops. We still don't have anything planned, but we'll come up with something eventually.

And that's about it for me!

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

I'm going to pump...you up!

So I decided I was tired of being out of shape and round. Oddly enough, all of my extra padding goes straight to my stomach and makes me look like something I'd rather not be, that starts with a "P" and signed up for a club/gym here in town. There's no free weights, no treadmills or elipticals, just classes. Yoga, Pilates, Stability Ball, Russian Kettlebells, Raquetball, and Step Aerobics. So far, Stability ball and Kettlebells are my favorites, but man, they kick my butt hardcore.

I did Kettlebells for the first time on Saturday morning, and by Sunday, I could barely move my legs, walk down stairs, or sit down in a chair without being in a great deal of pain. Sitting on the toilet was a ton of fun! It's the kind of seat that you can't just flop down on. Ouch! But I did the Kettlebells again tonight and it was much easier, and I could walk down the stairs without fear of falling down them due to my legs giving out on me.

I have no idea how much I weigh right now, or what my waist size is, and that's not really what I'm going to focus on. I'm just going to focus on feeling better, fitting into old clothes that I can't fit into any more, and just doing something better for myself for once. The only reason I never started working out earlier is because of school and being busy and too tired to do anything after 5 days of school and 4 days of work and no days off! Now that I'm out of school and only working 5 days a week, I have a TON more free time and ME time to do something good for myself!

Wish me luck in my goals of self-improvement!

jackpot!

Usually after I get off work on the weekends, I pop a little money into a slot machine before I go home, just in case I'll get lucky. Lately, it's been the Wheel of Fortune machine. But I haven't been very fortunate when I've played it.

Tonight, I went to the cashier's cage to trade in some old bills for some crisper ones. I told Jerry the slot tech I was going to go win some money on the Wheel, and he said, "Good luck, it just paid out $900 last night." Well crap. Now what? He says if he knew what machines to play, he'd be a rich man. True, very true, I think.

In my moments of indecision, I hang out at the three card poker table for a while and watch a guy play a few hands. I'm not allowed to play cards at the casino I work in, so I just watch and talk to him and the dealer. Then Jerry comes back. "Go ahead and play the first machine you think of. It has something to do with luckiness." Well good, I wanted to play the Wheel, anyway.

So I head on over to the Wheel of Fortune, stick in the last $15 I have, and spin.

First reel: Wheel of Fortune. Good.

Second reel: 5x. Good.

Third reel: Triple bar. Great!

But it's not doing anything! There's no credits wracking up or anything! I turn around, and there's Jerry again. I tell him, "Shouldn't I get at least SOMETHING for this combo?" He points back at the machine, and I see on the little screen: "Jackpot! $375"

WOW! I know that's not a lot of money compared to what I could have won, but that's my first jackpot ever, so I was pretty darn excited!

And that's my story!

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

amnesia

I was going to write about something, but by the time I got here, I forgot what it was...

I'm thinking it had something to do with work, and how tired I am of explaining to senior citizens how our slot machines work over and over again. I don't mind explaining it to anyone, no matter how many people, just one time. But it's when I have to tell the same people over and over again how it works, when there are clearly slot techs, floor supervisors, and GIANT billboards all over the casino that tell them how to do it, THAT'S when I get irritated.

This new system is cool. It's high tech. It's got security features on it. We're trying to make life easier for people. Before, if you wanted to get cash back on your card, you had to have at least 20,000 points on your card to get $100 back. And you had to come up to the player's club desk to have it done. Now, anyone can get cash back, and they can do it for themselves, right on their slot machines! All you need is a PIN number and a few menu options to get you there on your slot machine. It's really quite simple. If you leave your card behind, have no fear, no one can get to your points/cash because you have a PIN number! If you (or someone else) enters a PIN in too many times that is wrong, it locks it! You don't have to worry about people getting your cash now.

But do people see it that way? No. They see it as an inconvenience to them that they have to remember yet ANOTHER PIN number! Oh jeez, use one you've used before! We tell you to make sure it's something you remember! We'll even demonstrate for you on a slot machine how it works! It's really that simple!

Also, the entire month of February (thank God it's the shortest month of the year), if you turn in your old player's club card for a new one and a PIN number, you get five free dollars of slot play. The first weekend of February was jam packed full of people who you never see in the casino, but only came to get their five free dollars. Then they bitched at you 'cause they couldn't cash it out, and that they had to play it on the machine. Boo hoo. Go home then.

Well, it looks as though I've remembered what I wanted to talk about. Cheerio!

Thursday, February 08, 2007

Dirty Laundry

Have you ever been doing laundry in your apartment building or dorm building, waiting for the dryer to open up because someone's stuff is drying in it? And have you ever come back and hour later, to find their belongings STILL in the dryer? This has been a recurring theme for my laundry day the last month. I always do laundry on a certain day of the week, just because it seemed at the time that I wasn't running into problems with other tenants of the building doing laundry at the same time. This all changed recently.

Every time I go up to put my clothes in the washer, there is a basket sitting on the floor, empty, and a dryer full of clothes (that isn't even running anymore, btw). Twenty minutes later I come back to put my clothes in the dryer, and guess what? That dryer is still full of clothes! So I put one load in the one open dryer, and leave the other load in the washer. I come back 50 minutes later to get my first load out of the dryer, and believe it or not, the other person's clothes are STILL IN THE STUPID DRYER! They're not even warm anymore!!!

How hard is it to keep an eye on the clock to make sure your clothes are done? It's not even an hour wait to get your clothes dried, and yet here they sit, week after week, in the dryer, not even warm anymore, for hours!

Sometimes I want to leave a note: "Please be more considerate of your fellow tenants in the building who also want their clothes dried. The dryer cycle is only 50 minutes. Thank you."

Would that be rude? Would I risk having my clothes thrown in the garbage because the person got mad at me for leaving a note? Maybe they would spill something all over my clothes. Or steal my socks. Who knows. I have had my clothes moved from a dryer back into a washer before, which sucked.

It's just irritating, mostly. And rude of the other person, and judging by the clothes that are in the dryer, it is a girl, and it is the same girl each week. Maybe I DO need to put a note, so she realizes what she's doing. Maybe she thinks the dryer takes longer than it does. Or maybe she decides it's time to go grocery shopping while her clothes dry. Maybe there was a family emergency or something weird like that. Who knows what it is. I don't want to step on anyone's toes, but for Pete's sake, keep an eye on your laundry!

Saturday, February 03, 2007

oofta

On Monday the casino started getting its upgraded system put into order. First off, all the slot machines were fitted with new touch screens and card readers so that players can access the points on their cards and turn them directly into cash, along with being able to put cash prizes directly on their card for play on the machines. That took about three days (a day longer than it should have).

Secondly, the cashier's cage, black jack pit, and poker rooms were fitted with new touch screen computers for their gaming needs, and the player's club desk was set up with a new patron management system. We had our training on the new system last week, and our "go live" date was February first, Thursday.

Things are going pretty OK. We have new player's club card designs, and when a player turns in their old card for a new one (and a PIN number), they get $5 in credits to play on the machines that gets added directly to their cards. If someone wins a Hot Seat drawing or a spin of the wheel prize, we add that money to their card instead of giving them a voucher or cash (this ensures they will play the money, since it cannot be cashed out and walk out the door), also, this prize money has an expiration date of a week, so use it or lose it, I tell 'em when they win it.

Everything is pretty cool, and I think the customers are liking it, but everything is just so time intensive! We are explaining things to EVERY customer, not just new sign ups. I was jogging up and down the casino floor all night to try to fix problems people were having with their machines or their cards. Before work today, I had a handful of cashews to munch on, thinking I was going to eat dinner at work. No such luck. Already it was 11:30pm and I hadn't eaten anything, nor did I have the desire to eat so late at night. Nor was I really that hungry, anyway, for some reason. Oh well.

Plus, they've been having me on the schedule as working 3pm to 11pm, but I end up staying until midnight or later due to everything that's going on with the new system. I guess that's good 'cause I'll be getting some over time and bigger paychecks, but I also don't get to sit down at all in a 9 hour period. My legs are killing me!

And that's about it for me tonight. I'm pooped and need to go pass out in bed.

Until next time!