Second Day Pain

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm I'm awake ... really I am.  Okay, not so much this morning, with only 3 hours of sleep.  Nothing, and I mean NOTHING will get me out of bed faster than a dog throwing up.  We raced for the door, threw it open and ran outside to the SCREAM OF MY ALARM SYSTEM.  

I raced back inside, make a nice sliding turn like I was on an old fashioned dirt track and hit the panel.  I'm sure the neighbors woke up.  I smiled.  I know, bad Nancy, but that's once for their last 23 parties.

The other neighbors probably weren't very happy either.  That's when I remembered all those heavy pans I was throwing about at the Elks Lodge.  The second day pain has arrived in spades.  Not pain really, just sore and tired.  I doubt there will be much excitement going on today.  

I arrived at Bingo yesterday just in time to hear there is one of those ridiculous protests going on at the University.  I knew when they started to build that thing that it was trouble.  A bunch of kids from out of town with nothing but liberal teachers doesn't bode well for this small agriculture town.  

Luckily our Sheriff doesn't put up with any nonsense and has already cracked down on them.  No idea how long it will last, but we hope they disappear quickly.  At least they are WAY out of town.  The only ones to see and hear their protest are themselves, and the only thing they can tear up is their University Campus.  Have at it guys!!

Oh wait ... there was a small protest downtown on one street corner.  Protesting what you ask?  Circumcision.  I kid you not.  I'm sure that's worth the MANY thousands of dollars parents are paying for their kids to attend college, yes??  Such an important cause in order to save the World.  

Lucky for me, both of my Castle helpers were back this week.  All I had to do was count the money and pray for no problem children.  This is the calm before the storm ... empty tables.

It was definitely a different crowd on this night.  Here they are gambling away.  We can always predict the crowd by the day of the month it is.  On the first, we are swamped.  Everyone got paid.  The next two weeks we have lower and lower attendance until the last week of the month when I am covered in change from broken piggy banks.  No kidding, we get a lot of pennies, nickels and dimes.

It's always a madhouse when we have new players, trying to explain everything to them as quickly as possible so as not to hold up the line.  On the other hand, there were no lost red tickets.  Yay!!!

I am completely amazed to tell you there were no fights, no packet stealing, no hair pulling and only a couple of torches on this night.  Luckily, they didn't involve me.  It was the old you-are-sitting-in-my-chair problem.  There was a simple solution ... they gave the chair to a third person and told the fighting two to go somewhere else to sit.  Problem solved.

The best part of the entire night ... that one leftover cake from Mother's Day was served up for $2.00 a pop (two small pieces).  It was two pieces of heaven that kept me awake the rest of the night.  It seems like it was a long one, probably because I was achey, but it all came to a peaceful end as I raced out to my truck for a quick getaway.  

With my ears still ringing as I type, I have scheduled a long nap on the couch.  At least until the banging and banging, along with the BOOM BOX WARS, begins.  Yessirree ... the construction crew has their Mexican channel on high and LOUD, to hear over their hammer noise.  That has now been counteracted by the hard rock from the house next door, who I'm sure is trying to drown out the mariachis.  Maybe a sleeping pill will help lull me into a nightmarish filled sleep on the couch.  Until tomorrow .........