So here I am on my first trip to Las Vegas. I chose to stay downtown because it was cheaper than the strip. Back then downtown was considered a rough side of town. It boasted some well known casinos but was still called a toilet by many, and bears little resemblance to what you would find today. There was no Internet to check room prices, so you had to use a travel agent or call each airline and hotel in Vegas to get room...

It was my first trip to Vegas. I was single and decided it was finally time to visit the place that so many of my friends and relatives had raved about. There was no Internet to check room rates back them, but the travel section in the Sunday paper always showed which agents had junkets to Vegas and the prices. After a few calls and one visit to a local agent I found one at a great price and booked it. The anticipation an...

Well truck driving school is finally over. I have attended the mandatory hours and have satisfactory completed all the maneuvers, the only task that remains is to take the State administered test. There are a number of companies that are empowered by the State to administer the final driving test. The school pays all fees for the first test, if you have to retake the test then its out of pocket for the student. So en rout...

Well here I am reporting for work on the haunted house project, it’s the day after my birthday and I am not in the best frames of mind. If you read the first installment you will remember that none of my so-called friends would honour any of my requests for a ride home. This despite the fact that anytime anyone of them needed a ride I responded without hesitation. I was so angry that I left the house and I walked. I got c...

Idiosyncrasies or quirks, we all have them and some are more annoying than others. Mine is my car. Example; I am out with a group of friends and we decide to move to a more lively venue, I will not ride with anyone nor allow anyone to ride with me. Many believe I am a selfish person, but nothing could be further from the truth. During the glory days of my time co-chairing the haunted house project, I was the one to ensure...

It had to happen sooner or later and during the assignment sessions about two weeks later I was told to grab my log book and report for road training. As I approached I was in awe. These are full sized sleeper cabs with trailers and are the mirror images of what you see on the highways and byways, although the sleeper compartment of the training rigs has been modified so there are three seats in back for the students not...

The second week is dedicated to two of the most difficult maneuvers, the alley dock and the off set back. If you ever been to a truck stop and were observant you will see rows of tractor trailers parked, the alley dock is designed to simulate parking your trailer in such a lot. You actually go past the open parking space and then your attempt to put your trailer between the trailers already there. The slightest mismanagem...

Well here I am 5 weeks later reporting to the yard office. The senior trainer has an attendance list that must be signed to indicate that you are present and ready for instruction, forgetting to sign in will cause you to be reassigned to another instructor and to a task that you may not like as much. After signing in we report to the gazebo to enjoy our Morning coffee and cigarettes amid robust debate about current events...

So there I was. The casino would not rehire me, I could not return to law enforcement, and unemployment benefits weren't going to last forever. I needed to find a job. Now, I had driven trucks in my younger days and enjoyed it, but the times have changed in the trucking industry. Now almost every employer wants Class A and not Class B drivers, and there's a difference. Confused? Let me explain. You have seen those big rig...

Anyone that knows me is aware that I always hated school, and that's a hate with a capital H. Such was my disgust at the way I was treated by students and staff that I quit in my Junior year. As I said in an earlier story there were no bullying laws in place, complaints about being picked on and targeted by the school toughs were answered with a "You better toughen up".Students that did well were praised, those of us that...

As quickly as it began my career was over. It wasn't an easy job, but it was a job. Yes, we had to walk a good six minutes to the smoking area and we barely had enough time to finish one before we had to hustle back and relieve the dealer that gave us our break so they could break others. Yes, we dealt with the unwashed and intoxicated masses on a daily basis. But was a paycheck. I made many friends during gaming school,...

October 31, Halloween night. The haunted house will be closing for the season, and what a season. The final night was another night of record breaking crowds. The Jaycees had taken a gamble and it had paid off. Now I was older than most of the other actors by a least a year or two, but my real world my experiences made me seem much older in their eyes. Most of them were still in senior high and some in Junior high, but th...

Some wedding couples need to remember that their bridal costumes will not give them a super human tolerance to alcohol.Example: At one reception I was asked by the groom how soon could we start the bridal dance, I was puzzled as dinner had just started. When I asked him why I was informed that his bride probably would not be on her feet much longer. It seems she had enjoyed champagne with her breakfast to cheer her specia...

All through the Fall, Winter and Spring months I continued to deal blackjack. While in the academy we romanticized what the job would be like, and all too soon we realized that we had deluded ourselves. Ninety percent of the time we dealt to the flotsam and jetsam of the intercity dwellers. They would seat themselves at my table change one hundred dollars into chips and start betting.They would tap the table constantly wh...

After receiving word that I had been offered a position as a dealer, I was automatically scheduled for a 3 day orientation class. Thankfully all my friends were also there, so it was tolerable. After that ended, we returned to the gaming academy to learn more card games, except now we were being paid to attend.I was among a small group that were fitted for uniforms almost immediately, it seemed there was a shortage of uni...