Sweet, Sweet Lodging

When Hick and I visit The Pony in Norman, Oklahoma, we usually stay at the Holiday Inn Express. The last time I tried to make reservations, it was booked up. We couldn't figure out the demand that week, but LAST week was move-in day for sororities and fraternities at OU. I didn't even try for a room at the Holiday Inn Express, because I knew they'd be full of freshman parents.

Lucky for me, I had an offer for two free nights at Riverwind Casino. It's less than 10 minutes from The Pony's apartment! Even more convenient than the HIE. And cheaper, too, what with it being FREE!

Hick took an alternate route into Norman this time, rather than going to I-35. We swung by to pick up The Pony before heading to check in. After a brief spate of gambling, the three of us went to dinner. I got to pick (pending Pony approval), and chose Golden Corral. Let me just say that it was terrible this time! The only thing good was the rolls and the catfish. No mushrooms on the salad bar. No fried chicken, but about 20 kinds of chicken wings. Hick said it was okay, but without my favorite items, I was disappointed.

Don't you worry about Val! On the five-minute drive back to Riverwind, on the 2-mile section of I-35, we saw a RAINBOW!

Okay, so it's not so much a rainBOW as a rainTWISTER. The shape is atypical for a rainbow. But we could tell what it was. The Pony and I both enjoyed wins at the casino, he at $290, and me at $200. Hick had a moderate loss in the $50 range. The Pony kept all his wins, plus more, the next day, while I ended up $20 down over two days. Easy come, easy go! At least I had all of my original casino bankroll except that $20.

Now here's a tale of Hick's shenanigans. Hick and I each had a key card for the room. I mainly let him use his, or if he wasn't with us, I let The Pony use mine to get us in, so he could set up my new laptop. Wednesday night, we came back from supper, intending to watch Big Brother in the room, then go to the casino. Hick was ahead of us, and he jabbed his card in the lock. The door wouldn't let him in. So we used my card.

Checking out on Thursday morning, Hick said he was taking out the bags. So he kept his card to get back in the room before I went to the desk. I heard him yanking the door handle, then pounding on the door. It's not like I can teleport. It takes my knees a minute to warm up.

"I was on the way! You didn't have to pound on it!"

"Well, my card didn't work again!"

"Doesn't matter now. Give it to me so I can go check us out." Hick tossed his card on the table by mine. Right away, I saw the problem. "Um. I think I know why your card didn't work in the door."

"Why's that?"

"This is your CASINO PLAYERS CARD! Not the hotel door card."

"Oh. Well. I thought it was the right one."

Heh, heh! That Hick is a real card sometimes!

One of the perks of staying at the Riverwind Casino Hotel was the complimentary cookie(s) on the check-in desk. On the way over to the casino Tuesday night, The Pony declined a cookie. I don't know what his problem was. Maybe he was thinking about that entire Oreo Cake awaiting him back in his apartment. Anyhoo...I had a sugar cookie, as did Hick. I was planning to try the chocolate chip, but time got away from me the next day. I didn't want one on the way to breakfast, nor on the way back. And by the time we came in the back door, after dining at a steakhouse with The Pony's best friend (who went AWOL from her sorority rush for a couple hours)...I did not feel like a cookie.

On Thursday morning, when Hick drove A-Cad around to meet me out front, I was offered another sweet treat by the check-out girl.

A Riverwind Casino chocolate bar! It was full size, maybe a little bigger. Like those fundraiser candy bars. Only FREE, not outrageously priced. Here it is on the dash of A-Cad. I'd have taken a picture of Hick's, too, but he was devouring it at the time.

Free cookies, free chocolate, free lodging. You can't beat that with a stick!