Hmm. Unemployment looms. Obviously a travel oportunity! I look forward to it, I guess I stayed too long. I had never a job for more than 4 years, (and I still have never lived in the same place for more than 3 years). But this job - 7 years! What will I do? where will I go? Don't know yet, but I definitely want to go somewhere warm. Here in PA the snow can't be far away now. I've only been here one winter, but Ughhh. Didn't like it.

I want to pack up my golf clubs, roller blades, and bicycle - and just start driving south. Oh yeah I need to bring a few of my cameras (digital still and video, 35mm, laptop to download them) GPS that hooks to the laptop. Nissan could be kind of full. I guess I better check out some kind of insurance for this stuff too. I'll need to get a listing of wireless hotspots. Maybe I'll get one of my websites going as a travel site. I've been wanting to do that for a long time. I had started a site for my place in Brazil, but haven't updated it in a year. www.360natal.com and www.360rn.com These have some neat 360 degree panoramas. take a look

Who am I? I was thinking about buying one of those new Nissan Z cars. Then I (unfortunately) began thinking about why. I'm startled to realize it's mostly about what people think about me! I mean what benefits do I receive from spending $35K or so? Faster? don't need it. I can and do (hypothetically officer!) exceed the speed limit quite easily although it might take a second or two longer to get to 60MPH. My Altima has a good CD player, power everything, remote door/trunk etc and only 30k miles. No complaints about the comfort etc. Well you get the idea, even though I can afford it, I can't really see anything behind my desire to have this car other than what my friends (and strangers) might think about me. It's really a pain being a thinker! Shit, it gets worse, I mean then you can start thinking about WHAT is it that you want people to think ABOUT you! Bummer - Sometimes I need to turn the thinker off. Heck, I could of had that amazingly beautiful car - AND all the hot chicks. (Yeah right! :-))

BTW. Just in case anyone reads this stuff. Among the dozens of things I've done, I was a craps dealer at the LV Hilton and the Flamingo Hilton for about 4 or 5 years.

Flew to Vegas. Or strolled home? Lived there for about 18 years but not sure where "Home" is. Interesting to be a tourist for a change. I've been back a few times in the seven years since I left, but that was for business - convention stuff.

One part hasn't changed. Everything is changed. That's been going on for a long time. The changes that surprised me were the prices and the kind of people in the casinos. The prices were up and the average age seemed to be down. $200 for a Saturday night at the Rio! About 10 years ago I stayed at the Stardust's (then new) tower for $20 (kind of a little vacation in town) - A suite with a Jacuzzi tub and a fantastic view and they threw in a show and a dinner buffet for two! Shows today? Figure on $50 - $100 or more per person. Golf, had been $30 to $75. I played Angel Park last week (and it was great) for $130. I've heard MGM has a course for $500 a round. Wow, Vegas HAS changed.

Lot's of Clubs now, and in the Casinos. When I lived there we had only a few choices for locals to go "clubbing" but I guess that could be said of many cities 7 years ago. Is that what's pulling a younger crowd or are the clubs there because of the younger crowd? I'm not a Vegas insider anymore, so I'm kind of clueless :-)