Can You Believe This?

This is the Cook County Correctional Facility in Illinois.
The Homeless could only wish to be lucky enough to be housed like this with 3 squares a day.
What are your thoughts?

Home from Las Vegas

We're back from Las Vegas and first I'd like to apologize for ignoring my EC drops while I was away, I've already started to remedy the delinquency - sorry!!

We stay most often at the Golden Nugget downtown as we like how close all the casinos are to one another, easy to get around the hotel because it isn't gigantic. This time we got a good deal to stay in one of their Gold Club Rooms - don't bother, we weren't impressed. The design diva that was responsible for these updates shouldn't be working in the industry any longer, the rooms are horrible. These are concierge floor rooms, they are large and well appointed if you are in your 20's or 30's.

I was bound and determined on this trip to play only Dollar Slots - guess what, I didn't play even one dollar slot but instead played penny slots and won, won, won!! Probably about 3 hours after arriving in Vegas I won 23,136 pennies (that's $231.36), another two times I won 100,000 pennies ($100) and then there were your penny wins of less in high quantity. I had a ball and came home a winner (as did my dear husband who doesn't even like to gamble but he did on this trip and had a great time).

Weather was fine, on the cool side but for winter in Vegas it was okay. There were plenty of people in town but we continuously heard about the downswing in business everywhere - we didn't see it nor did we experience anything that felt like it.

I'm glad to be home though as the late nights and all the time you spend walking in Vegas is rough.

Las Vegas or Bust

We're headed to VEGAS Baby! In the past, Las Vegas has been one of my favorite destinations for a short trip but that was before I quit smoking 16 months ago. I'm going with my husband and he has never smoked so that will help "some" but that's nothing next to all the smokers I will sit next to at the slot machines and the smell of cigarettes everywhere we will go.
We aren't show people but in warmer weather we are site seeing people, this short,short trip will be strictly for playing the slot machines (husband doesn't gamble either), and eating, a change in scenery kind of trip.

What do you do when you go to Las Vegas?
Do you have a favorite hotel/casino?

Lost & Found - $30.1 Million Dollars

On the local news tonight here in San Antonio, they reported that they have found $30.1 million dollars in accounts they didn't know existed and that some of this money could go back 30 years.
How is this possible? How does government loose track of $30 million dollars while they raise our taxes because they claim they don't have enough money? How do all the financial people, tax people, auditors loose $30.1 million dollars?
Were taxes paid on this money? Was there more before they found this amount? Will someone go to prison because they didn't pay taxes on this amount of money for 30 years?

What Will YOU Do in 2009?

There are so many things I'm interested in pursuing this year and I just don't know where to begin. I never thought of myself as being ADD or if it's even possible for it to develop this late in life but I sure feel like I can't stay with one learning project long enough to complete it before something else takes hold of my spirit to run with.

My husband and I were laughing earlier about it being so tough even now with being retired to find time to do everything that interests us.
I'd really like to spend more time learning about photography, and there are books that are begging me to be read, and I'd really like to go fishing with my siblings, and I'd like to spend more time spiritually, I'd like to travel more, cruise more. I'd like to volunteer and I'd like to spend more time crocheting, then of course there is dealing with downsizing our living - we have way too much stuff even now, and I'd love to spend some time learning more about cooking - sauces, I want to perfect sauces. Then we can't leave out the time I spend on the computer - oh how I love the computer...........where do I start, how do I find the time to do all that I want to do?

This doesn't even account for the many unplanned, unknown issues that will crop up during the year to take my time and effort.

What would you like to do in 2009?

Spiritually Thinking...

Religiously speaking, I don't know what I am. I was raised Roman Catholic but started questioning what had been shoved down my throat later in my teens. I had deep conversations with people about the world and I felt more alive, more awakened than I had ever in my life. While I was in the Army I again had a Catholic awakening and thought I would get out of the Army and go into the convent - yeah, me a Nun - NOT. By the time I was about 25ish I didn't believe in any organized religion, I was feeling controlled. Unfortunately my children did not benefit from any form of religion except the "Be a Good Person" faith. We sent them to Catholic High School not so much for the faith side but more for the private education side.
I am now at a point in my life that I feel very spiritual but not religious. I believe more in A Course in Miracles, Disappearance of the Universe. These "courses" make sense to me, the belief resonates within me like nothing I've ever felt, faith wise. I always felt like something was missing inside me, there was this nagging feeling of more learning that needed to happen. I'm an infant in my study but my understanding grows more by the hour, I have found my Creator.