On our way...

 After an early, early start in Fort Wayne (up at 4am picked up by our Uber driver at 5am) we have arrived in Chicago. An uneventful flight although, if you count the runway time, it felt like we were driving most of the way. But we're here now. We have had brunch, not as good as Klem's but the coffee helped a lot. Now we are in the business class waiting area for our Tokyo flight. My Wonder Spouse did a great job of guiding us to the right terminal and gate. 

About that Uber driver... he was waiting when we opened the garage door (the easiest way to get the luggage out) and later as we drove admitted that he had been waiting since 4:30 having driven up from Muncie or maybe Cincinnati (it wasn't quite clear).  He was cheerful and seemed competent but his car really needed a visit to Mike's. I wondered how he could see out the windshield. Using the wipers just seemed to smear the murk around.

But enough about Ralph. We are on our way and that's what counts. 

Travel Time....

 'Twas the night before trip day and all through the house

Not a creature was stirring, 'cept me and my spouse.

Our bags, neatly packed, stand ready to go

and we are just hoping the Uber guy will show.

We will go to bed early and try to sleep fast

While vizions of conveyors belts keep moving past.

Will our suitcases be there, will they ever arrive? 

We will be up at 4 and ready by 5.

Our driver will come and off we will go.

Will we get there on time?  Will our driver be slow?

Will it all come together, as smooth as can be?  

I'm going to bed now.  We'll just wait and see.

                                                        His, mine

                                    and ours, ready to go.

Eureka!!!

 I knew it could be done but it took my brilliant Wonder Spouse to figure out how.  I am now able to write this blog from my phone which means I will be able to continue my daily blogs during our up coming trip or at least all those days of the trip which are in the US.  We will be at sea for several days and in the mysterious Orient for part of the time so I can't guarantee anything, but please keep checking in. 

Yo Yo packing....

 I am not literally packing yo-yos but there has been a lot of up and down and in and out going on in my packing process this week.  My wonder spouse and I are leaving on a month long trip beginning this Friday, and that involves a lot of clothes. 

Now I am no novice to packing for trips. I have been doing it almost all my life.  When I graduated from high school my parents gifted me with a set of Samsonite luggage (olive green which will give you an idea of the era we're talking about).  I packed up everything I owned and headed off for college. 

However, packing for this upcoming trip has been presenting some challenges.  We will be cruising to some places where the average daily temperature is above 80 degrees so summer clothes, right?  But we will also be visiting some places where the average daily high is about 55 degrees. So do I take winter weight outer wear or lighter weight multiple layers?  I've decided to go with the multiple layers which means lots of separate pieces to be rolled and fitted into my big suitcase and a fair amount of in and out while I decide what goes with what.  My wonder spouse, whose biggest decision is wearing a short sleeved or long sleeved shirt, has trouble understanding my plight.

Add to that the fact that I decided to pack my suitcase on the first floor so my spouse wouldn't have to carry it downstairs (ever thoughtful, that's me).  Instead I am carrying armloads of clothes down stairs and, inevitably, some back upstairs.  Lucky for me my packing area is the first floor guest bedroom with a nice big closet where I can hang my clothes while I contemplate my choices.  My biggest fear is that after ten or 15 days at sea I'll end up wearing my bathing suit with boots or something else equally rediculous.  

Ah well, at least the food will be delicious.  

cousins

 My granddaughter and I have had quite a text discussion about cousins yesterday and today.  It all started when I accidentally said that my great grandson was her nephew.  I realized that was wrong when I remembered that she and little MJ's father are cousins not siblings. So I corrrected myself by saying that they are second cousins. 

This is where it gets murky. She responded by saying that technically he is her "first cousin once removed."  she went on to explain that being removed comes from a generation gap.  Since MJ is the son of her first cousin he is her first cousin once removed.  His children (little MJ's that is) will be her first cousins twice removed. 

"So where do second cousins come into the picture?" I asked. "Second cousins are the children of your parents first cousins."  So since MJ's father and she are first cousins, any children she has will be MJ's second cousins.

I think I get it now and I realize that cousins I always thought were second cousins were actually first cousins once removed, the children of my 17 first cousins.  At this time I only know of one first cousin twice removed.  She is the great granddaughter of one of my first cousins and a little cutie.  Maybe she and MJ will play together someday.  I will have to ask my granddaughter what kind of cousins the two little ones are.  When do cousins become kissing cousins?  I'll let you figure that one out.  

More about Beethoven....

  With a little more reading after last night's blog I discovered two more interesting facts related to Beethoven's Symphony 9 in D minor.  First, and this is the part most of you already know, Beethoven was deaf when he composed this, his final and most ambitious symphony. He completed it in 1824 but never heard it performed.

Second, I was surprised to learn that "Ode to Joy" incorporated into the finale of this work was actually composed by Friedrich Schiller.  Those of you who are much more knowledgeable about classic music have probably know this all along.  I decided I needed to find out something about Fredrick Schiller.

Here's what I found. Isn't Wikipedia wonderful?

Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller (German: [ˈjoːhan ˈkʁɪstɔf ˈfʁiːdʁɪç fɔn ˈʃɪlɐ], short: [ˈfʁiːdʁɪç ˈʃɪlɐ] 10 November 1759 – 9 May 1805) was a German playwright, poet, philosopher and historian. Schiller is considered to be one of Germany's most important classical playwrights.

He was born in Marbach to a devoutly Protestant family. Initially intended for the priesthood, in 1773 he entered a military academy in Stuttgart and ended up studying medicine. His first play, The Robbers, was written at this time and proved very successful. After a brief stint as a regimental doctor, he left Stuttgart and eventually wound up in Weimar. In 1789, he became professor of History and Philosophy at the University of Jena, where he wrote historical works.

During the last seventeen years of his life (1788–1805), Schiller developed a productive, if complicated, friendship with the already famous and influential Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. They frequently discussed issues concerning aesthetics, and Schiller encouraged Goethe to finish works that he had left as sketches. This relationship and these discussions led to a period now referred to as Weimar Classicism. Together, they founded the Weimar Theater.

They also worked together on Xenien, a collection of short satirical poems in which both Schiller and Goethe challenge opponents of their philosophical vision.

The above was interesting, but didn't answer my question about who actually wrote "Ode to Joy."  I dug a little deeper and found the straightforward simple answer.  Schiller, a poet, playwright and historian, wrote the poem "Ode to Joy" in 1785.  Beethoven set it to music in his 9th Symphony.  So there you have it.  The music is all Beethoven's.

Joyful, Joyful

 This evening was the final concert of the Fort Wayne Philharmonic for this season and it was a smashing success.  All Beethoven, all beautiful, played to a full house.

The evening began with Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major, Op. 73. "Emperor."  It was lyrical, lovely and beautfully performed. The solo pianist, Jon Kimura Parker, was excellent.

After the intermission we heard Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125, "Choral" performed by the full orchestra and the Fort Wayne Philharmonic Chorus.  The Chorus is celebrating their 50th anniversary this year and they did not disappoint.

I will continue this blog tomorrow after I have time to do a little research into Symphony No. 9. Meanwhile "Ode to Joy" will be running through my dreams tonight.  

please pass the chocolate

 I am not a chocoholic.  I mean I am not actually addicted to chocolate.  However, if someone offers me a piece of chocolate, especially dark chocolate, I can't remember ever saying no.  Chocolate is, after all, one of the basic food groups on its own, and it is a vegetable (it's made from a bean).  

When my west coast brother informed me that today is "National Chocolate Chip Day" I cheered, and then I realized that we didn't have a single chocolate chip in the whole house.  I really didn't search the whole house, just the pantry, but I'm pretty sure my presumption was correct.  

Sadly I didn't have time to go to the grocery store, and I'm pretty sure, if I asked my wonder spouse to go to the store, just to buy chocolate chips, he might have jumped to the conclusion that I planned to bake chocolate chip cookies.  I didn't have time to bake cookies either.  And yes, I can bake cookies, even though all my friends and family know that my spouse does most of the cooking.  

So I did what any chocolate loving person would do.  I raided a bag of candy left over from Halloween (yes, I know it's May but it was a big bag of candy) and ate a Tootsie Roll.  It's kind of like a whole bunch of chocolate chips rolled into a log.  Kind of.

Hummm, maybe it's not too late for a bed time snack.

It's not working.

 When is a blog not a blog?  The answer, when technology refuses to cooperate.  For the last hour my wonder spouse and I have been trying to write today's blog on my tablet, to see if I would be able to take the tablet with me and use it to blog on our upcoming trip.  I don't want to take my laptop.  Packing enough clothes for a month is challenge enough.

The tablet worked on our last trip but it's not cooperating today.  I have decided to go low tech instead, so I am taking a different kind of tablet.

In addition to the roses, the necklace, the picture and the lovely note, the mother of the boy I tutored gave me this tablet.  It measures 9"x7.5" and is half an inch thick, all made of paper with lovely lined pages.  I had already decided to take it along to make quick notes when I want to remember something to blog about later.  Now I think that 'later' may com after we get home from our trip.  Actually that will be fine.  I will have plenty of pictures and experiences to share and time to do a good job of writing about them when I get home. 

So, if in a few days you stop seeing my nightly blogs you'll know that we are off adventuring again.

PS If you're thinking "Why doesn't she blog on her phone?"  It's because I haven't tried that yet.  Maybe???

Here doggie, doggie...

Did you know that there are  coyotes living in Chicago? My wonder spouse first heard of this and passed the information on to me.  I think that it's fascinating to think of coyotes living in a city and decided to share this information with you.  Some years ago, when I lived in a rural area north of Fort Wayne, we would occasionally hear coyotes howling in the distance, but that was in the country well away from people.  But now I've learned that "coyotes are well-established, year-round residents throughout the Chicago metropolitan area, with an estimated population of 2,000 to 4,000 thriving in both suburban forest preserves and dense city neighborhoods. They are highly adaptable, nocturnal 'ghosts of the city' that typically avoid humans and help control rodent populations. __ Populations are relatively stable, but sightings often increase in late winter/early spring (February–March) due to mating season, and again in late spring when they are feeding pups. __ Lack of foliage and increased foraging for pups makes them more visible during the day, though they are usually active at night. __ Chicago coyotes often use railways, alleys, and golf courses for travel, and cemeteries or parks for dens. __ They generally avoid people and are rarely aggressive, with over 95% of urban coyotes causing no issues."

 "The Urban Coyote Research Project, initiated in 2000, is the leading study on these animals. Researchers have found that Chicago coyotes actually have higher survival rates than rural counterparts due to the lack of hunting/trapping, and they rarely consume human food, preferring natural prey like rabbits and rats."

I hope you've enjoyed this brief look at city-dwelling wildlife.

For more information you can visit the Urban Coyote Research project website.

 My west coast brother, who happens to raise goats, provided me with this limerick because today is "Limerick Day":

A goat on a stroll near a brook

Found an old movie film and partook. 

"Was it good?" asked his mate.

Said the goat "Second rate!

Not nearly as good as the book."

I responded by sending him this limerick:

On a date a young lady from Wheeling

was having an unusual feeling.

She wasn't quite sure his intentions were pure

As she lay, gazing up at the ceiling.  

While my brother admitted that his was not original, but found on the internet, I was able to inform him that the one I quoted was actually one I made up (except for the first line) and sang in my only ever singing role in a play.  I only sang that one song and, because I was playing a drunk over-the-hill actress it didn't matter at all that I can't carry a tune.  

The end of an era

 Today was my last ever day of tutoring.  For 12 school years I have tutored a series of elementary school students through the Fort Wayne Community Schools Study Connections program.  A group of volunteers from our church have been meeting with students at South Wayne Elementary for an hour on Monday afternoons during all those school years.  Each adult works one on one with the same student all year.  For the last three years my wonder spouse has also volunteered.

Next year they are tearing down the school where we have been tutoring, the students will be dispersed to several other schools and no one could tell us where tutoring sessions would be held.  My spouse and I decided that this would be a reasonable time to retire from tutoring. The fact that we're not getting any younger also factored into the decision.  

So it was with mixed emotions that we headed for 'party day,' the last tutoring day of this school year.  I took a gift and a good bye letter for my student (whom I have worked with for two years) and assumed that this would probably be the last I would every see of him, as had happened with all my other students.  It's the way the program works.

But today was different.  My student brought me a bouquet of red roses, a beautiful necklace (called an Arrow Shot necklace) and a note from his mother saying how much she appreciated my work with her son (who, by the way, was an absolute sweetheart and easy to work with) asking if we could keep in touch and enclosing her address and phone number.  I checked and made sure this is ok with the school and it is, since his mom reached out to me.  I am so excited to think that I can follow up with this student. I'm not sure how it will play out.  I doubt that I'll be around long enough to see him graduate from high school.  But somehow, some times, along the way, I will get to see him.  I couldn't be more pleased.  

PS the Arrow Shot necklace came with this verse "Words are like arrows shot.  They have no wings, but fly far."  A good reminder to speak kindly.

mommy moments

 Yesterday I told you how I celebrated Mother's Day a day early with my great grandson.  Today I have decided to look back on some memorable moments in my career as a mother.  

We had a music festival in church today and as I sang I was reminded of one moment that still shines clearly in my mind. I was rocking my one year old daughter to sleep one night and tried singing her a lullaby. She opened her eyes, looked at me and said "Don't sing, Mommy." Ouch, that hurt.

Fast forward two years.  I had my "My child would never do that." reality check when I looked out the window and saw her running around naked in the front yard.  Happily we lived on a quiet street and no one saw except my best friend next door neighbor.  She though it was hilarious.

Years later their father and I were invited to Earlham College to watch my daughter play in a co-ed Rugby game.  A rough sport but she was six feet tall and strong.  My son was a senior there that year and my daughter was a sophomore.  At half time I got a close look at my daughter and saw that she had shaved the sides of her hair.  She explained that this was so she could tape her ears back so they wouldn't get hurt in a scrum.  When she let her hair down it covered the shaved areas completely. Thank goodness for thick hair.  While we were sitting on the grass (there were no bleachers) my son who was also watching the game stood up to go get some water and three girls who had been sitting behind him started giggling and pointing out how tiny his butt was based on the imprint left in the grass.  They seemed to find this very masculine, almost swoon worthy.  I was amazed that my baby boy (now a long and lean 6'5")  had become a chick magnet.

I could go on and on about fun times and rough times but that's enough Mommy musings for one night.  Thanks for indulging me.

Celebrating Mother's Day...

 I hope all of you who are mothers or had or have mothers, or loving grandmas or dear aunts or very special mothers-in-law find your own special way to celebrate Mother's Day tomorrow.

As for me, I celebrated a day early.  My wonder spouse and I shared a pizza supper with my grandson and granddaughter-in-law and my two- month old great grandson.  

 The last time I held him he was only six days old.  It's amazing the change in two months.  He is much livelier now, considering the world around him with eyes wide open. He's also physically stronger.  He weighs nine pounds so he's getting to be the size baby I'm used to. 

Here we are enjoying rocking chair companionship, and here's a picture his mommy took to celebrate his two month milestone.

I'm pretty sure that he's the cutest baby in the whole wide world, but if you are also a great grandma you have the right to disagree. 

More together time.  Happy Mother's Day everyone.

In my home town...

Today is May 8. What's so special about that? I'm glad you asked.  There are many, many things that can be celebrated on May 8. Some serious, some just for fun.   

It's the 81st anniversary of "V-E Day" marking the end of  WWII in Europe, obviously serious.  

It is also "Fintastic Friday" which encourages the conservation of sharks skates and rays.  It happens that I have a great niece-in-law who has her doctorate in marine biology and spends a great deal of time in large pools filled with water and sting rays.  She loves it.

On the fun side it's "No Socks Day" and "World Donkey Day." I didn't see any donkeys today but it was warm enough to go without socks.  It's always fun to start wearing sandals.

But my favorite day locally is "National Public Gardens Day." Over a hundred years ago generous benefactors contributed a very large amount of money to the city of Fort Wayne for the development of public parks and gardens throughout the city.  There are now 97 parks (open daily from 6:00am to 11:00pm) covering 2,840 acres of parkland and 120 miles of trails. 

My favorites include Headwaters Park, Promenade Park, Johnny Appleseed Park, Moody Park and the Rose Garden. Not just pretty to look at, our parks offer picnic spaces, golf courses, splash pads, sites for festivals and much more.  So get out there.  It's a great time of year to start enjoying the parks.

packing my bags...

 Today is "National Tourism Day."  This one I found on my own because my west coast brother was still too busy contemplating his very own D*****mit Dolls, received from our mutual friend, to think about special days.

"National Tourism Day" is a perfect day for my wonder spouse and me to celebrate.  While most of our tourism is being done internationally these days, we each have our own fond memories of travels throughout the United States from our childhood on.  

In fact one memorable trip was a shared experience with our first spouses while they were still alive.  Our friendships go way back. We were all newlyweds at the time (aka before children).  The trip we took together (four people and our luggage in a rather small car) involved sleeping in a large green boy scout tent, put up, with some interesting expletives, at a different campground each night, and by daylight enjoying the natural wonders of the rocky coast of Maine.

For thirteen years my first husband and I travelled throughout the US with our two children and two dogs in our faithful VW bus camper conversion.  We took them to all of the contiguous 48 states.  We camped in national parks and forests and KOA campgrounds.  My spouse had similar experiences with his first wife and two sons (minus the dogs).  We were reminiscing over coffee this morning and agreed that those travel times were excellent.  We also agreed that these days we prefer cruising with Viking.  A very different kind of travel adventure.  

In two weeks we will be leaving on our next cruise.  While our accomodations and dining experiences will definitely be a cut above camping, we will still be national tourists, at least part of the time with several stops in Alaska and a family visit in Washington state. 

As a national tourist I have been to all 50 states.  After this coming trip to Alaska my wonder spouse still needs to add Hawaii to his list. 

I am anxious to help him reach that goal.  Aloha, everyone.

What is it??

 Actually "What on earth are these?" is what I asked when I opened a box that arrived in the mail from my pen pal yesterday.  I know that sending snail mail is an old fashioned idea but my friend, who lives on the other side of the country, doesn't use a cell phone or computer so we are pen pals.

This is what was in the box. Four very peculiar looking dolls (for want of a better word).  At first glance I thought they were Voodoo dolls but they are not.  According to the letter she enclosed her latest hobby is making these "theraputic (get rid of agggression and frustration) 12 inch tall Dammit Dolls."  She is making a whole bunch of them and keeping them in her truck to give to anyone she meets.

Each stuffed paper doll has a message in a heart on its chest.  The message reads 

"Whenever things don't go so well 

and you want to hit the wall and yell 

here's a little dammit doll you can't live without. 

Just grasp it firmly by the legs and find a place to slam it,

 and as you wack the stuffing out yell damn it, damn it, damn it."

I will never be able to use these.  My mother will be rolling over in her grave just knowing I'm typing such words, let alone saying them out loud.  So if any one can use a doll or two, or four, please let me know.  I will send them your way.

I must admit I think it's funny that my friend is keeping these in her truck and carrying them with her.  Can you imagine being stuck in a traffic jam and having someone tap on your window and hand you one of these, or being given one while standing in a long line at the grocery store? 

Depending on your mood, it might or might not be well received. Either way there might be some slamming going on....

A tale of two plants....

 This all started a few days ago when my brother-in-law asked me if I would like a cutting from his Dieffenbachia plant.  It was getting too tall and he needed to cut it down.  Years and years ago I had a lovely Dieffenbachia plant which I remember as being pretty easy to take care of. My kind of house plant.  So I said sure.  He said that if we had a pot and some dirt we could come and get the plant this evening.  He was also offering part of the plant to his great niece.  

So this morning my wonder spouse and I took a trip to Menards for plant soil and pots.  We bought enough of everything to share with his great niece.  We still have more than half of the bag of potting soil left.  

We bought quite a large bag of potting mix and two pretty pots, one for her and one for us.

My brother-in-law gave us the top of the plant as well as three pieces of the stalk. It turned out that his great niece couldn't take any of the plant home because it's toxic to cats, so we got all of it that he wanted to share.  I was doing a little reading about the plant after we got it home and read that you should always wear gloves when cutting it because of the toxic sap.  I did not know that but figured it out when my left hand started itching and burning.  Happily, after lots of hand washing it's feeling much better.   

The Dieffenbachia is a tropical plant, native to Central and South America.  It likes a warm humid environment and bright but indirect light.

Little did this lucky plant know that it has just come home to the perfect environment.  We have an indoor pool in a room with skylights, shaded windows and a lovely touch of humidity. All of our plants live in our pool room and thrive there.  Doesn't it look happy already snuggled up with some new friends. It's almost like being at home in the jungle.  I'm anxious to see if the pieces will sprout.  

Star Wars...

 Today is 5-4-26, aka May the 4th.  To those of us who have know and loved the Star Wars series it is also known as Star Wars Day because of the well know line in the movies "May the force be with you."

I have been a fan of the Star Wars series since the very first one, originally simply called "Star Wars," came out in 1977.  The subtitle "Episode IV A New Hope" was added to the title for a re-release in April 1981 to align with the release of the second Star Wars movie "The Empire Strikes Back." A series was born.

My first husband and I took our children to see the original movie when it first came out because we wanted to see it ourselves and thought our kids might enjoy it.  We were hooked from the first blast into hyper-space, but the true joy was watching our son.  He was five at the time. Our daughter (three years old) slept through most of the movie but our son literally sat on the edge of his seat through the entire show.  He was hooked.  

Over the years we've enjoyed all of the Star Wars movies together, but more than that.  That first taste of 'space travel' led to 12 years of involvement with Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama first as an attendee, then as a counselor.  Since college every job he has had has been space related.  He never became an austronaut but he has experienced weightlessness, and helped countless children enjoy learning about space.  

If he called me tomorrow and said "There's a new Star Wars movie coming out. Do you want to go see it?" My answer would be an instant "Yes!"

Bloomsday???

 My west coast brother lives near Spokane, and he has informed me that today, in Spokane, is "Bloomsday."  He described it as "a springtime ritual in Spokane where 50,000+ people risk heat stroke while chasing a dozen or so Kenyans around a 7.5 mile course, snarling downtown traffic for several hours." He also informed me that he has avoided participating for the last 50 years.  Since this is the first year that he has ever mentioned this event to me I thought I might look for a few more details.

The Lilac Bloomsday Association sponsors a major 12K (7.456 miles)  road race held in Spokane on the first Sunday in May.  Today's was the 50th running of the race. The purpose of the race is to promote fitness, sports and community well being and to celebrate the enduring spirit of the "Lilac City." I did not know that Spokane is the "Lilac City" but I have seen some beautiful parks when visiting there. The event, which attracts thousands of participants every year, winds through some very picturesque and scenic areas of the city. 

On the other hand today was also "Lemonade Day" and "Garden Meditation Day."  My brother decided, wisely I think, that these were a better use of his time.

watching on TV

 It's a really good thing that I was not at the Kentucky Derby this year.  Of course I never have been to the Kentucky Derby so this year was no different.  I watched it on TV as usual.  It's fun to watch on TV but I would like to wear one of those amazing hats.

The reason it's good that I wasn't there is becaise this way I didn't loose any money.  If I had been there I would have bet some money on Great White, the physically largest horse in the race.  I liked his looks. Sadly all my dreams for Great White were shattered while they were still getting the horses into their gates.  As they were trying to get him in, Great White reared up, threw his jockey, fell over on his back and almost rolled over on his jockey.  Great White was a non-starter, out of the race before it began.  They wouldn't let him run after that fall because there wasn't time for a vet to check him out thoroughly to be sure he hadn't injured himself.  I presume they checked out the jockey also but the commentators didn't say anything about.

It was a very exciting race though.  Golden Tempo came all the way from the back of the pack to win the race.  It was amazing to watch. Golden Tempo was trained by Cherie Devaux, the first woman trainer to win the Kentucky Derby.  The jockey who rode him, Jose Ortiz, had his first Derby win in 11 trys.  Hooray for all concerned.  It was a great day at the races.

a delicious dessert...

 My west coast brother told me that today is, as well as being "May Day" which we all know about, "Bread Pudding Recipe Exchange Day."  Evidently my west coast sister-in-law makes her bread pudding from day-old Cinnabons.  That does sound delicious to me, but I will not be asking her for her recipe.

My interest in bread pudding is all about the eating, not the making.  This will come as no surprise to those of you who know that my wonder spouse does most of the cooking in the family.  He does make fantastic fudge but has never yet made bread pudding, at least since we've been married.

As a matter of fact, I had never even heard of bread pudding until I accompanied my then boss to a Century 21 Realtor's Convention in Las Vegas.  This was about 40 years ago.  We stayed at the Golden Nugget Casino Hotel - a beautiful fun glitzy place on the old downtown strip.  My boss not only introduced me to the yummy bread pudding which was on the buffet every evening but also taught me to play Black Jack, a game I have loved ever since.  Happily I live some distance from Las Vegas which has probably saved me quite a lot of money.

In case you're wondering, yes we actually did attend several motivational and educational sessions while we were there, but always made time for bread pudding and Black Jack.