Heineken

About a week and a half ago I got a notice through buy-me-a-beer.com that somebody had generously offered to buy me a beer. With feverish anticipation, I opened my email to see what kind soul had contributed to my cause. What I got, however, was a measly fifty cents. I'm not quite sure how to turn fifty cents into a beer, but I did offer to take whatever offer the sender wanted to give and get a beer with it. For some reason, it didn't occur to me that I would actually need a minimal amount to actually get said beer. but a promise is a promise, so I set my mind to it.

The Beer in question is from Ian Del Carmen, who also runs this site and this site. I don't want to look a gift-horse in the mouth, (is that how the saying goes? weird.), so thank you, thank you very much for the whole fifty cents Ian, really, you've made me wealthier beyond my wildest dreams :). I now just have the problem of turning it into a beer somehow.

Luck struck me last weekend though. I took a long weekend and went down to Las Vegas for a little sightseeing, all-you-can-eat buffets, crazy shows, slot machines and gambling. I figured that the only way I was going to be able to get a beer with this fifty cents is if I somehow increased it. I figured the absolute minimum I had to work with was a free beer from one of the cocktail waitress' in a casino, plus a $1 tip, In which case I would need to double my money.

I chose to press my luck at Circus Circus (do not go here if you are afraid of clown) on a roulette machine. I started with a dollar (yup, I fronted my very own fifty cents to play), and let half of that ride on "ODD". This was going to be my one and only chance. If I lost here, I would have to tuck my figurative tail between my legs and tell Ian that I had lost his generous contribution to me on a reckless gamble. I pressed the button and bit my nails and let the digital video wheel spin it's little heart out.

Luck was on my side. the little white video-ball landed on an ODD number and my fifty cent wager was now doubled to just enough to tip a waitress for a beer. I immediately cashed out (taking back my own fifty cents I fronted), and held my shiny new fifty cent piece and two quarters in my sweaty hand looking for a cocktail waitress to spend my spoils.

I got myself a Heineken, and enjoyed, while watching the weird Circus-Circus trapeze act above my head. Yes, they have occasional trapeze acts in the casino. It was a little weird, especially since I was almost directly below them, and all I could really see was some g-stringed butts spinning around above a net. but I was happy, because I came out a big winner in the end.

(Side Note A: I will no longer accept anything less than $1.50 for a beer, It' just to difficult to get one for less than that.)

(Side note B: I ended up re-betting my own fifty cents and raising it up to three dollars before leaving. only to lose it a half hour later on blackjack. I'm a big gambler, I know._