Is it hump day already?
This week is going by quickly for me, but I plan on slowing it down today. I'm definitely going to spend a few more hours here in my toasty warm nest, sipping hot cocoa with a splash of schnapps, and doing lazy-day things like reading and surfing the net.
Oh, I may get up and get some breakfast at some point, but I'm not hungry enough to pull the covers off from over my head and get dressed. Yep, you should see me--I'm like a critter in a cave with only my hands sticking out, and then just far enough to reach the keyboard. I could live quite happily like this for some time. And I would, too, except that I have to head back to work in about 18 hours.
Yesterday was tough on me. I woke up much too early in the day, didn't get enough sleep, and was already tired when I got to work. And day shift isn't nearly as much fun in the poker room as graveyard is. Day shift is full of expressionless grinders, while graveyard is full of jovial drunks. Of course that's a massive generalization, and I get my fair share of retards late at night, but overall, yeah, graveyard shift offers me much more for my entertainment dollar.
And it seems that I work a lot harder on day shift than I do late at night, yet the money is never quite as good. Oh well--I'll take any shift I can get my grubby paws on at this point. Speaking of which, my boss was working at the designated floor person yesterday, and I haven't seen her in almost a month. But she went out of her way to apologize for not letting me get home for Christmas, and said that I'm top of the list for any time off I want in 2009, so yeah, next year for sure. And I'm taking time off for March Madness, a cruise, and maybe a couple of long weekends thrown in the mix too.
Anyhow, while I'm scheduled for four days over the holiday week, she said she'll likely work me like a mule all week long. One dealer resigned the other day, and another one left early on Monday, not feeling well, went to the doctor, and is having triple bypass surgery today and will be out for six weeks or more. Plus there are about five people off next week, too. So Mikey won't be around much--I'll be either working or sleeping all week long, which is fine with me, because as much as I love Christmas, this year is just a big pile of suck as far as I'm concerned. I *really* thought I'd be back in Tennessee, and the let-down has bothered me more than I thought it would.
Even though I've been feeling like a total Ebenezer this month, my loyal and generous readers have been doing their best to help me keep my chin up. When I got home from my exhausting day at work, there was yet another delivery from the UPS man. Actually, there were two of them.
Kevin the weatherman sent along a Dean Martin Live From Vegas CD, which will go into rotation immediately. And Lisa Lisa the One I Adore hooked a brotha up! She sent a couple of books of of my Wish List (one was a collection of pirate stories, and the other one a perfect-for-browsing reference book that already has a place of honor on the porcelain bookshelf!), additionally, she sent a CD of old-school lounge music that makes me want to bust out the cocktail shaker and wear a skinny tie. If Lars ever gets off of probation, it'll be the soundtrack for our next martini-and-cigar night.
So as much as that made my night, it was the notes and well-wishes from everyone I've gotten lately that have improved my mood the most. It's good to know that people are thinking of me this holiday season and just as bummed about me being stuck here as I am. It means a lot.
At that point, I was spent--seriously, once I got home from work, I really didn't want to go out last night. I like Jen and all, but I don't like her like her, so I was tempted to just call up with some excuse, make myself a rum and Coke, and then fall asleep listening to my new music. I was really droopy by then. But I gutted it up and hopped in the shower, and as soon as I got out, I saw that I had a missed call and a voicemail message on my phone.
It was Jen, saying she was just pulling into Green Valley Ranch and wondering where I was. So I called her back, saying I'd be there in about 20 minutes. Luckily I live really close.
I got dressed in some of my new duds, and hustled on down to the casino. I found her wandering around outside of Hank's with a glass of Merlot in her hand, so we headed on down to the ballroom. We checked in at the registration desk, got our wristbands for the free drinks, and hit the bar.
The party was actually really good this time around. The ballroom was packed, because I think it was the Christmas party for three different casinos in the family all at once. On the downside, however, I heard the DJ playing the Macarena twice within the first half hour. That's never a good sign. But we found ourselves a table with a couple of other people we knew and sat down and chatted for a bit.
Eventually, everyone wanted to hit up the buffet lines and carving stations, so I offered to sit and guard the table while they went on a food run. Of course, as soon as they left, the waitress came around, so I ordered another round for everyone. A few minutes later, they were back carrying a couple of plates of goodies each. There were salads, cheese, crackers, pasta, carved prime rib, turkey, and ham, plus our favorite Chicken Cordon Bleu Balls, and they'd also hit the dessert line too--lots of Christmas cookies and such.
So we hung out noshing for a bit, and a few of our other friends came by to say hello and drop off some extra free drink tickets for the cash bar, in addition to our wristband tear-off tickets. It turned out to be an enjoyable evening. Once we finished our food, we wandered around a bit, getting a few more drinks and just walking around talking to people. By then, I was hitting the wall, and the DJ was so damn loud that it was almost impossible to carry on a conversation. That, coupled with hundreds of bodies dancing (ours included), made the main ballroom ridiculously hot, and everyone was sweating and needing a break.
So we headed back out to the lobby for some cold water bottles and then chilled in the quieter and more mellow overflow rooms, where the vibe was much more relaxing. But I was just dead on my feet, and yawning every two minutes or so, so I told Jen that I'd had enough. Besides, she had lots of other friends there to keep her company, so I didn't feel too guilty about pulling the ripcord (besides, every single one of my favorite gals were working that night an unable to come to the party, so I didn't get to see any of them, which kinda took something away from the evening).
I headed back upstairs, but on my way to the parking lot I ran into a buddy of mine who I used to work with . We started talking and decided to sit down at an empty Pai Gow table. We played for about a half an hour, and after all that time, I was up $2.50. So I left it for the dealer, colored up, said goodnight to everyone, hit the cage, and headed back home. I was in bed, asleep, by 1:00.
I wish I wouldn't have been so tired, because the evening truly had potential for some epic buffoonery, but man, I just didn't have my A-game with me. I was just too tired.
Oh well. I still managed to have a bit of fun and have a nice dinner, and it was good to see folks dressed up and out and about away from work.
Today is gonna be somewhat mellow. I've caught up on my sleep, but I may try and put some more in the bank--I know I'm gonna need it next week.
Mikey
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