MotherReader

I’m back, tired and a little bit poorer, because no, I did not win money. But I did come home with some valuable knowledge about myself, gambling, and Las Vegas.

I realized that I want to be rich, but only on vacation. Ninety-five percent of the time, I don’t particularly want to be wealthy. I don’t crave $500 shoes or $5,000 purses. I enjoy seeing big, well-decorated houses, but I don’t strive to live in one. Fancy cars, diamond jewelry, and designer clothes don’t do it for me. However, on vacation I would LOVE to be one of those people who don’t think about money. People who go to $100 shows every night and start their gambling stash with $1,000. I also wouldn’t mind being rich enough to take lots of vacations in the first place. Mercedes, Tiffany’s, and Prada? No. Milan, Tahiti, and Peru? Yes!

I finally understand gambling. I’ve played slot machines a couple of times, but I always had in mind what I was comfortable losing. So if I was out all night and lost thirty dollars, it didn’t matter. I knew I had gotten thirty dollars of entertainment plus the free drinks that they bring around, so I was fine with losing. I’d rather win, but I could afford to lose.

This trip I decided that I was going to play at the tables at least once. When my group went to the Bellagio one morning, the chance came to me. There was a blackjack table open with a friendly dealer and two nice women. I thought if I was going to lose money — and I fully expected to — I’d rather lose it in this classy, serene casino with pleasant people. The table had a ten-dollar minimum per bet. Oh boy. As I played, I realized that this was gambling. To get that rush, you have to put in more than you feel comfortable betting. I never understood that, because I never tried it. I suspect, too, that as you get used to that set amount — whatever it is for you — then you have to bet higher and higher to get the same charge. No wonder gambling is so addictive.

As for me, I played for about thirty minutes with nice people in a classy, serene casino. I was up by twenty dollars at one point, and down by fifty at another. In the end, I lost twenty dollars, but I left feeling good because it was such an interesting and exhilarating experience. Sometimes it’s worth it to leave your comfort zone for a little while.

Now, Las Vegas. Even though I was one of my group to suggest this vacation, I didn’t quite understand the attraction of Las Vegas. I do now. It’s a combination of a frat crawl and Disney World, but for adults. People walk through the streets carrying beers like it’s one big party. At ten in the morning! While bars in D.C. seem to be for the twenty-something crowd, in Las Vegas all ages seem welcome. Also like a frat party, people go out of their way to meet other people. (I got chatted up a bit, to the amusement of my friends.) Then there’s the Disney World element of replicas of fabulous places — but instead of Cinderella’s castle, it’s Parisian streets or Egyptian pyramids. Top it all off with a sense that your parents Wouldn’t Approve — a exciting/nervous feeling that you may not have had since high school — and there you have the winning combination that makes Las Vegas special.

Anyway, I had a great time and I’m looking forward to going back with Bill. Or hey, maybe for a Kidlitosphere conference?

With all respects to the King, here’s my slightly altered, more poetic version of a classic song.

Oh, bright light city
Set my soul on fire.
Piles of money to burn
Raise the stakes higher.
Viva Las Vegas
With your neon flashing,
And your one-armed bandits
Crashing
All those hopes
down the drain.
Viva Las Vegas
Turning the day into nighttime,
Turn the night into daytime.
If you see it once,
you’ll never come home again.

Yes, I’m off to Vegas today. Nope, not bringing the kids. Nope, not the husband either. I’m going with my friends from college and we’re celebrating twenty years of friendship with one fabulous trip. There’s some gambling on the itinerary, which also includes finding an Elvis impersonator and seeing the largest gold nugget in existence. Maybe it’s really more of a scavenger hunt than an itinerary. In any case, wish me luck. With the gambling, not the gold nugget search.

Poetry Friday round-up is hosted by Jama Rattigan.

When my family does something, we really do it to the max. A couple of years ago, when we visited a friend in New York City, she was amazed by how much we packed into three days. When we went to Niagara Falls a couple of weeks ago, we totally did the Falls. We walked all over the New York State Park, taking in every angle of the river and the waterfall. We did the Maid of the Mist and the Cave of the Winds tours. We went to the movie, the discovery center, the aquarium, and the observation tower. We drove to Canada and looked at the view from that side. Oh, and we fit in MarineLand too. What the hell, here’s a picture.


(Don’t you like how I slipped in our vacation summary? I said I would, hadn’t done it, but covered it now. I rock.)

So anyway, when I was tagged for this song meme by Big A, little a, I knew I would have to leave some time to do it right. Contrary to popular belief, I do not have a mind like a steel trap. More like a steel colander. I had to look up more than half of the songs on iTunes — and some of them I still didn’t recognize. 

After my husband got hold of my post (and somehow messed up the coding — thanks, honey), he then felt compelled to add the links to the iTunes Store. Oh, if only we could use our thorough, obsessive nature for house-cleaning, or say, real estate investment.

Here’s my key to the song titles:

Green = I loved it!
Black = I liked it (meh)
Red = I hated it!
Blue = I can’t remember it

1. That’s What Friends Are For, Dionne Warwick, Elton John, Gladys Knight, and Stevie Wonder
   
2. Say You, Say Me, Lionel Richie
   
3. I Miss You, Klymaxx
   
4. On My Own, Patti Labelle and Michael McDonald
   
5. Broken Wings, Mr. Mister
   
6. How Will I Know, Whitney Houston
   
7. Party All The Time, Eddie Murphy
   
8. Burning Heart, Survivor
   
9. Kyrie, Mr. Mister
   
10. Addicted To Love, Robert Palmer
    
11. Greatest Love Of All, Whitney Houston
    
12. Secret Lovers, Atlantic Starr
    
13. Friends And Lovers, Carl Anderson and Gloria Loring
    
14. Glory Of Love, Peter Cetera
    
15. West End Girls, Pet Shop Boys
    
16. There’ll Be Sad Songs (To Make You Cry), Billy Ocean
    
17. Alive And Kicking, Simple Minds
    
18. Never, Heart
    
19. Kiss, Prince and The Revolution
    
20. Higher Love, Steve Winwood
    
21. Stuck With You, Huey Lewis & The News
    
22. Holding Back The Years, Simply Red
    
23. Sledgehammer, Peter Gabriel
    
24. Sara, Starship
    
25. Human, Human League
    
26. I Can’t Wait, Nu Shooz
    
27. Take My Breath Away, Berlin
    
28. Rock Me Amadeus, Falco
    
29. Papa Don’t Preach, Madonna
    
30. You Give Love A Bad Name, Bon Jovi
    
31. When The Going Gets Tough, Billy Ocean
    
32. When I Think Of You, Janet Jackson
    
33. These Dreams, Heart
    
34. Don’t Forget Me (When I’m Gone), Glass Tiger
    
35. Live To Tell, Madonna
    
36. Mad About You, Belinda Carlisle
    
37. Something About You, Level 42
    
38. Venus, Bananarama
    
39. Dancing On The Ceiling, Lionel Richie
    
40. Conga, Miami Sound Machine
    
41. True Colors, Cyndi Lauper
    
42. Danger Zone, Kenny Loggins
    
43. What Have You Done For Me Lately, Janet Jackson
    
44. No One Is To Blame, Howard Jones
    
45. Let’s Go All The Way, Sly Fox
    
46. I Didn’t Mean To Turn You On, Robert Palmer
    
47. Words Get In The Way, Miami Sound Machine
    
48. Manic Monday, Bangles
    
49. Walk Of Life, Dire Straits
    
50. Amanda, Boston
    
51. Two Of Hearts, Stacey Q
    
52. Crush On You, Jets
    
53. If You Leave, Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
    
54. Invisible Touch, Genesis
    
55. The Sweetest Taboo, Sade
    
56. What You Need, INXS
    
57. Talk To Me, Stevie Nicks
    
58. Nasty, Janet Jackson
    
59. Take Me Home Tonight, Eddie Money
    
60. We Don’t Have To Take Our Clothes Off, Jermaine Stewart
    
61. All Cried Out, Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam With Full Force
    
62. Your Love, Outfield
    
63. I’m Your Man, Wham!
    
64. Perfect Way, Scritti Politti
    
65. Living In America, James Brown
    
66. R.O.C.K. In The U.S.A., John Cougar Mellencamp
    
67. Who’s Johnny, El Debarge
    
68. Word Up, Cameo
    
69. Why Can’t This Be Love, Van Halen
    
70. Silent Running, Mike and The Mechanics
    
71. Typical Male, Tina Turner
    
72. Small Town, John Cougar Mellencamp
    
73. Tarzan Boy, Baltimora
    
74. All I Need Is A Miracle, Mike and The Mechanics
    
75. Sweet Freedom, Michael McDonald
    
76. True Blue, Madonna
    
77. Rumors, Timex Social Club
    
78. Life In A Northern Town, Dream Academy
    
79. Bad Boy, Miami Sound Machine
    
80. Sleeping Bag, ZZ Top
    
81. Tonight She Comes, Cars
    
82. Love Touch, Rod Stewart
    
83. A Love Bizarre, Sheila E.
    
84. Throwing It All Away, Genesis
    
85. Baby Love, Regina
    
86. Election Day, Arcadia
    
87. Nikita, Elton John
    
88. Take Me Home, Phil Collins
    
89. Walk This Way, Run-D.M.C.
    
90. Sweet Love, Anita Baker
    
91. Your Wildest Dreams, Moody Blues
    
92. Spies Like Us, Paul McCartney
    
93. Object Of My Desire, Starpoint
    
94. Dreamtime, Daryl Hall
    
95. Tender Love, Force M.D.’s
    
96. King For A Day, Thompson Twins
    
97. Love Will Conquer All, Lionel Richie
    
98. A Different Corner, George Michael
    
99. I’ll Be Over You, Toto
    
100. Go Home, Stevie Wonder

I’ll tag Bill (who has probably already started), Mitali, Adrienne, and Minh. You can find the song lists here. Have a happy trip down musical memory lane!

This morning I was very excited to see Rebecca Stead’s book First Light as the suggested book in the Washington Post’s KidsPost section! For my money, this place in the paper is much better for a kids’ book than the official book pages, so like, “Yeah, Rebecca!” I really liked First Light — not to mention the author herself — so I’m glad to see the book get some buzz. Remember how I mentioned the Al Roker book club call, Rebecca? You may want to prepare.

In other book news, Fuse#8 alerted me to the presence of a book trailer for Robin Brande’s book Evolution, Me, and Other Freaks of Nature. Very cool. I really enjoyed the book, but Bill reviewed it because he won the coin toss. Let me add to his review that I particularly like the humor throughout the book, which kept a heavy topic from taking over the tone. For instance, a description of a yoga position that “can only come in handy if you ever want to shave your own back.” One more thing: I think that the opening paragraphs set up the book so perfectly. Here they are, as a MotherReader bonus, so you’ll check out the trailer, the review(s), the first paragraphs, and get yourself this book — now available at a bookstore near you (or at Amazon, duh).

I knew today would be ugly.

When you’re single-handedly responsible for getting your church, your pastor, and every one of your former friends and their parents sued for millions of dollars, you expect to make some enemies. Fine.

It’s just that I hoped my first day of school — of high school, thank you, which I’ve only been looking forward to my entire life — might turn out to be at least slightly better than eating live bugs. But I guess I was wrong.

In completely unrelated news, my favorite maker of T-shirts is having a sale through tomorrow. Many of the fantastic Threadless styles are on sale for $10. I’ve talked about the Haiku shirt, the Shakespeare Hates Your Emo Poems shirt, the I’m a Noun! shirt, the Spoilt shirt, and now I’ll point to the Stupid Raisins, Stay Out of My Cookies shirt. It has no literary connection, but it makes me laugh.

I had meant to write about my vacation to Niagara Falls because it was fabulous. Maybe later. For now I’ll give you my favorite photo from the trip. It’s a baby Beluga whale at MarineLand, and it’s waving goodbye to summer. (Click on the photo for extra cuteness.)