I'd like to say that another long day is behind me, but I've got to go back to work in a few hours. Seriously, this graveyard shift is wearing my ass out. I can't complain too much--the money is usually really good, but being On Call 24/7 kinda sucks. When the schedule comes out every week, I'm only scheduled two days a week--barely employed. The first time I saw that a month ago, I about shiat a brick. But even though I'm only scheduled for 16 hours, I'm on call the other five days, and I usually end up working four or five days after all is said and done. It's not an ideal situation, and my take-home pay varies wildly from week to week, but the good days seem to outnumber the bad days.
Last night was a good day, money-wise, I was locked down at one table for the entire shift, not getting any relief until 8:00 this morning. It was a fairly juicy 4-8 game, and after seven hours, I'd made three Benjamins in tips. The day shift floorman cashed me out, and as I tossed him a twenty-spot, he asked "So, how you likin' graveyard? Bet you'll never come back to days now, huh?"
He's right. On graveyard shift, I have to put up with obnoxious drunks and a lot of asshattery every week, but the money is worth it, and the games are so much more fun than the old fart's limpfest every morning. In fact, even though I'm usually scheduled until 9:00 am, I *try* and talk my way out before 7:30, just so I don't have to spend the last hour of my day dealing that boring-ass game. Usually by then, I've made my money, so picking up an extra twelve bucks or so for doing a down on that table just ain't worth it.
Graveyard is feast-or-famine, usually with more feast. Days, at least, were more consistent. Consistent, but not very lucrative. So comparing my summer schedule to what I have now, I really can't complain.
Anyhow, once I finally got out of work--good lord it felt good to finally stand up--I headed back towards the house. I stopped and got a bottle of juice and sausage McMuffin, ate my breakfast, then took a shower and went to bed. Of course everyone I know wanted to call me today, so my phone never stopped ringing. I guess it's nice to be loved, but damn, I wanted to sleep!
I finally got about four hours of uninterrupted sleep, and woke up around 3:00 this afternoon. I was moving pretty slowly, and didn't get out the door until 4:15 or so, and it was already getting dark. That kinda sucked, because to me, dark=work. But I drove down to Kohl's to go watch shopping.
Like I said before, I haven't had a watch in four years, and when you work in a place with no clocks, it can be kind of frustrating. Actually, the common myth is that there are no clocks in Vegas casinos, which is true, I guess, out on the floor. But in the poker room, there are clocks on the wall. Unfortunately, I don't like to wear my glasses when I deal, and my blind ass can't read the digital clock over the desk without them. So I never have any idea what time it is, or how deep into my down I am. Some tables I could deal all day and never get up, other tables, ten minutes is too much.
Anyhow, I was all set to buy a Citizen watch. I've owned two watches in the past twenty years, and both of them were Citizens. Loved 'em both. As far as I was concerned, that's the only watch I'd ever wear unless I got stank-rich and bought myself a Rolex someday. But even then, I can't imagine paying that kind of money for some wrist-bling, no matter how thick my bankroll is. So I drove over to Kohl's, and they had a pretty nice selection. And as luck would have it, all of their watches were on sale this week, Citizens being 25% off. I looked at and tried on a few, but nothing really spoke to me. I didn't like the stopsign-looking bezels, and I hate hate hate that new look where the band gets as fat as the watch face at the ends, then thins out to normal size. It just looks cheesy to me. I don't like flashy, and I certainly didn't want any gold, either.
One thing I learned when I first got into this business from an old-school dealer is that you never want to wear rings, bracelets, or watches that look really expensive, because then people will be less likely to tip if you if they think you're making too much money. Well, I've never been one of these Guidos that are so common around this town who wear pinky rings and gold bracelets when they deal. Their outlook is that since people are always looking at their hands, they have to 'bling it up'. F*ck that. I'll forego the jewelry and just go with a nice manicure--people seem to notice that, anyways, and they appreciate it. Whenever I see some douchebag with pinky rings and gold chains, I think "Loser", and I'm sure I'm not the only one.
So I just wanted an understated stainless steel watch with a straightforward look to it. But nothing on the Citizen display really grabbed my attention. Each one I looked at had something about it that I just didn't like--I swear, for a minute I felt like Seinfeld and the watches were girlfriends. None of them were quite right.
Right next to the Citizen display, however, they had a bunch of cool looking watches by Wenger. I'd never heard of them before, but the gal behind the counter said that they were Swiss-made by the same people who did the Swiss Army Knives. That sounded good, so I took a look. Just a few minutes later, we had a winner.
It was perfect--nice looking, simple, no gaudiness at all. And the Wenger watches were 40% off, too, so when I found the one I liked, which, by the way also fit my fat wrist, the deal was closed. I ended up paying only $105 for it, so I was more than satisfied.
I ended up having the sales girl just cut the tags off and remove the protective paper from the clasp, and once the transaction was done, I just wore it out of the store. I'm still getting used to it--I haven't had a watch on my wrist in almost four years, so it still feels kind of strange. But I really like the way it looks.
While I was standing in line, my phone started going off, playing Push It by Salt-n-Pepa at an obnoxious volume. Andrea was stuck in traffic and was spending her time texting me profanity laced tirades about tourists in rental cars. I kept hitting the mute button, but then, a few seconds later, another text would come in, setting my phone off again. Since I was the only dude in Kohl's at the time, I got a few funny looks from all the old women shopping in there.
Once I got out the door, I called her back, and I sat in my truck laughing my ass off for a few minutes listening to Andrea go off. Talking to her is always good for a chuckle, and once she unloaded her frustration, we had a nice conversation for about ten minutes or so while I was sitting in the parking lot. After hanging up, it was safe to drive again, so I headed back down to WalMart. I'd been in there two or three times this week, and I saw something that I almost bought the other day, but decided against it. However, it's been gnawing at me ever since, so I decided to go back and get it before it was too late.
Y'all know how I'm thinking about getting a new home theater system and a new HD TV, but it's just not in my budget right now. I mean, I could do it, but then I'd be broke-ass again and I hate feeling like that. Well, right now, my current TV is just sitting on these two pushed-together ghetto-style end tables that I've had forever. There are no shelves, so the extra components have to sit on the floor and the cable box is balanced precariously on top of the television. It's a crappy setup, more suitable for a college dorm than for the comfortable retreat of a Gentleman of Leisure like myself.
And if you've priced TV stands recently, you'll see how they're about the most overpriced piece of furniture on the market. There's just nothing good for less than around $250, and most of the stuff for sale is gaudy assed glass-and-metal eighties throwback cheese that Tony Montana and his gang were doing blow off of. But there was a decent-looking entertainment stand at WalMart, of all places, that I really liked, and it was only about a hundred bucks. It's perfect for my room, will hold my components, and once I get my new stuff, it'll work for that, too. So I bought it.
Of course it weighs a ton, and hauling it up the stairs was no fun. Actually it only weighs about ninety pounds, but it's so bulky that it was a pain in the ass to move. But I'm not gonna tackle it tonight--I'm off tomorrow, and now that I've declared a moratorium on spending money until Sunday when I take T-Rev, Alicia, and Lynda to dinner at Grimaldi's, I'm gonna spend my day assembling furniture (I've still got another bookshelf that I've never put together, too) and re-arranging my room.
That's about all for now. I'm gonna spend the next hour or so watching the Chargers beat down the Raiders, then I'm gonna try and catch a quick cat-nap before I head back down to the casino. If tonight is half as good as last night was, I'll be happy.
Mikey
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