A Gift Tailor-Made For Val

You'll never guess what Hick is giving me for Mother's Day! No...not a $3 pink change purse and two boxes of Sno-Caps. That gift is SO a-couple-years-ago. Hick is pretty crafty. He didn't even have to spend $3 and Sno-Cap money this year. He's taking me to a casino! Okay. So maybe some of you guessed that already.

My gift trip will be on Monday, to the casino where I won the hourly drawing and received $100 cash. I had a choice of that casino, or our regular one, with Hick pointing out that he would also buy me dinner if we went to the irregular casino. Glossing over the fact that we both will get a FREE buffet. He's a keen one, Mr. Hick.

Since we're on the subject of casinos, Val will take this teaching moment to give her thoughts on blog buddy JoeH's casino thoughts last week.

Joe never met a casino loser. He's talked to casino winners, and casino break-eveners, but either the losers shun him, or New Jersey is the place I need to gamble!

Let the record show that while Val may share some individual wins with you, she still makes it clear (if you read the regular-size fine print) that she is not an overall winner. Let's see how I've brought that fact to light on various posts. This detail has been revealed by phrases such as:

CasinoPalooza 3 was NOT a financial success!

[Genius]...took home over half of his gambling stake.
 (still a loss, not a break-even, not a profit)

Let the record show that this was not a profit trip.   

Let the record show that Sis and the ex-mayor emerged winners at the end of the night, while Val and Hick did not.  

Our wallets did not grow fatter on Oklahoma Casino Minipalooza, but our waistlines most certainly did.   

A NET LOSS OF $35.38.   

CasinoPalooza 3 was a blast. I had a great time, even though I parted with some of my tightly-clutched pennies.   

Of course, if I actually win, I'm most certainly going to tell you. Maybe more than once! But here at the (unbagged) cathouse, you'll hear the facts. That's because Val is not taking a chance on violating the Truth in Blogging Law! No siree, Bob! Val ain't goin' up the river to the big house for lyin'! OR risking a negative notation on her permanent record.

As a frequent casinoer, I am bound to have wins on individual machines. That doesn't mean that I left the casino with more money than I took in. Or even the same amount that I took in. Uh huh. Val is not a violator of the Truth in Blogging Law. She sings like a canary, and doesn't take the 5th.

Any time I leave the casino with part of my casino bankroll intact, I consider it a personal victory...NOT A WIN! And I don't break even unless I exit with the exact amount I took in. There's a reason it's called gambling, and not winning.

It's my own money I'm losing, money that I've earned over my lifetime, wagered a bit at a time, and kept cumulative "winnings" separate from household funds. Same as with Hick's junking money now. We're not on the dole, give to assorted charities, and help out local down-on-their luck folks we think could use a hand up, by providing vehicles, food, living quarters, travel money, or restoring electricity.

It doesn't bother me a bit to say that I'm a loser.