What A Difference A Day Makes

Or, Friday Was Better Than Monday. Or, When It Rains, It Pours.

Consider this scenario: You go to sleep at 11:59 PM one night, and things are as they have been for half a year. You go to sleep twenty-four hours later, knowing that you’re going to be a father, and knowing that the job you’ve been trying to get for the past year-and-a-half is now yours. Life is funny. Right now, life is also very good.

So I had an interesting time in New York City yesterday. Into LaGuardia at 7:30 AM, out at 10:00 PM—it was a long day. Here are a few events that were of some note:

• On the flight in, the Dash-8 had about 12 people on it (a full flight by Ithaca standards), and we were graced by the presence of Cornell University President Hunter Rawlings, who is exactly like Spalding Gray. (Incidentally, my favorite regional aircraft is the Embraer 145.)
• The shuttle I took from LGA to Grand Central Terminal ran off the road and knocked down three trees and a light post shortly after leaving the airport. All forty of us exited the bus at that point, no one hurt fortunately, had amusing conversations in the light rain, boarded the next shuttle and were on our merry ways again in about a half hour. I was only fifteen minutes late to my first meeting.
• I had something called “Ipswitch Clam Panroast” ($13) for dinner at the Oyster Bar & Restaurant at Grand Central Terminal. This was perhaps the highlight of my day.
• The flight back to ITH was delayed 3 times, finally putting me back home around midnight. While annoying, this did give me the chance to have a nice drink with a friend from Cornell's Real Estate Program. Fortunately, I am married to a woman who is willing to pick me up late at the airport even when she isn’t feeling well.

Typical crappy Monday.

The harsh fiery altar of probability that is Las Vegas:

• Tuesday, at Caesar’s Palace: Gambled $10, won $35, up $25 for the day.
• Wednesday, at Treasure Island: Started with $25, gambled $20, won $60, up $65 for the week.
• Thursday: No gambling.
• Friday, at the Venetian: Started with $65, gambled $20, won $80, lost $60 doing more gambling, still up $65 for the week—held at par from Wednesday.
• Saturday, at the Luxor: Started with $65, gambled $30, won nothing, still up $35 for the week.

So, we left Las Vegas with a stunning $35 more in our pockets than when we arrived. Take THAT, city of sin.

Sidenote: If you ever try to call gambling "gaming" in my presence, I'll smack you.