Aside from all the political chaos, the events of the last few days have made me feel particularly vulnerable and soft. It never occurred to me that I would only be able to handle 20 hours without power before saying “FUCK THIS.” But I guess I am starting to feel my age, which is still pretty young at 51, but man, the cold hits harder and it takes longer to warm up.
The chill, which went to the bone in my shoulders, combined with me flailing all over the place trying to sleep without a cpap, and my shoulders hurt so bad that it took me 30 minutes in a hot shower to be able to use my arms effectively. Maybe it was because I was still a little sick, but the whole thing just took the piss out of me.
And then the casino. You know, fifteen years ago I would have just gotten hammered and had a good old time, prolly made some friends and won a little money and been bummed I had to sober up and head back to reality. This time, though, it was just fucking depressing. I had a hot shower, was in bed by 8 and asleep by 8:05, and woke up at 7 am. Went downstairs to find a coffee shop and I was the only person there- well almost. There was no one at the front desk, no little shops open, no security that I could see, just a wide open floor with hundreds upon hundreds of blinking machines. There was one drunk, bent over at the waist with his head against the wall, sleeping while standing up.
It was like a scene from a depressing movie. I’m too old for this shit. Are there gated communities for seniors who are liberal in Florida. Might want to just move there now.
West of the Rockies
I find casinos to be mostly sad. The cigarette smoke is terrible and for as someone easily torpedoed by too much stimulus (game noises, light, people, etc), it’s not a great destination. I’ve not been in one for almost 20 years.
guachi
Casinos are sad. They are like strip clubs but without naked girls. You’ll lose money in both places but at least a good stripper can be a lot of fun to hang out with.
Ohio Mom
I think they are called Eco-villages and I don’t think you would last a day in an intentional community like that. Too many other people.
I think it’s low tech cyclist who has an extra generator in his garage he’s offered you. So next time you can stay in your house.
ETA: I’m still in private mode (to go on Twitter), had to enter my nym and address, obviously made a typo and now my comment ins in moderation. Oh well, I should be sleeping anyway.
Raoul Paste
There are a lot of people out here who are wishing you well
Take good care of yourself.
RandomMonster
RandomMrs and I moving SF Bay Area —> Maryland in 2018. My bright idea was let’s make it to Reno first day and get cheap lodgings at a casino. It was already a trip full of so many misgivings, the casino atmosphere checking in at 11pm just made me feel like killing myself.
eclare
I have been to a casino three times, I have no desire to go back. The whole scene is overwhelming to me.
Sounds like you made the right decision for one night, though.
Mary G
Every Democratic vote in Florida helps. Go for it!
sdhays
@West of the Rockies: Years ago, my dad had a tradition that whenever his brother was in town (which was less than once a year) they’d go down to the riverboat casino for an afternoon. They’d enjoy the free food and the ride on the river (until dockside casinos were legalized) and spend maybe $20 on the slot machines or whatever.
My dad told me that one time, a guy next to him won big, say $100. My dad congratulated him, but the guy looked over at him with a miserable look on his face and said something to the effect of “I’m still down $500”.
The whole thing sounded incredibly depressing. I’ve never understood the draw.
West of the Rockies
Don’t Floridian senior communities have the highest STD rates in the nation? I suspect there is a lot of swingery shenanigans going on.
NotMax
51 is the new 16.
In another 20 or so years and that’ll make a lot more sense.
;)
Leto
I’m sorry you’re feeling like shit, Cole. Your pain’s your pain, and you’re dealing with it the best you can, which is all anyone can do. I’m sure all the animals were happy the human heater was home, so enjoy it.
West of the Rockies
@sdhays:
My sister lived in Vegas for about 15 years and knew people who’d lose their paychecks the day they got them. They’d start selling their TVs and furniture to make rent and buy groceries. Sounded beyond wretched.
West of the Rockies
@NotMax:
Minus the acne, one hopes.
Leto
@sdhays: When I first arrived at Keesler AFB, it was a Friday afternoon. We in-processed, were assigned rooms, I found mine, and then went out to the day room (common room) to kind of settle in/meet everyone. There was a guy there that headed out to one of the places at around 7pm, with a grand in his hand. He came back the next day, some time in the late afternoon, with pizzas for everyone. He’d tripled his money. That’s pretty much my only good story in that regards.
Ken
Ah, yes, I remember seeing this progression in Missouri. First the voters legalize the boats, because who can object to the historical romance of riverboat gambling? Then the legislature says the boats don’t actually have to leave the docks. Then “boat” is extended to an immobile slightly-boat-shaped platform mounted on piers.
I moved twenty-five years ago, so I haven’t followed what’s happened. I’d guess by now a regular casino-hotel would qualify, provided it has a fountain out front.
dmsilev
One of the more depressing things I’ve ever seen was in a casino along Lake Tahoe. Elderly woman sitting at a slot machine feeding in coins, just one after another after another. Sitting on the stool at the next machine over, her oxygen tank.
This was in the ‘town’ (technically ‘census-designated place’) of Stateline, whose sole reason for existence is to minimize the number of miles that Californians have to drive to reach casinos.
RepubAnon
I agree, casinos have a very depressing vibe. Work sent me to a 5-day seminar in Las Vegas in the pre-Covid era. The place was designed to keep patrons from finding the way back outside, so I felt trapped in a maze of flashing lights. Gross.
I would suggest getting a small battery backup for your CPAP. They don’t cost much (the ones for computers start at less than $100). They’re nice to have for camping as well as for power outages, and they have some designed specifically for CPAPs.
Here’s a computer back-up power supply for $80 from Office Depot:
CyberPower® CP600LCD Uninterruptible Power Supply, 8 Outlets, 600VA/340 Watt
Florida’s got its own problems – flooding being the big one. Perhaps one of the Carolinas?
Yarrow
I’ve seen several articles recently and the other a day a news segment on how gambling is becoming available everywhere. The news segment was on sports betting, which apparently is legal in quite a few states now. The articles highlighted how there’s gambling within games and how all of it is so accessible because it’s on your phone. Laws prohibiting gambling are being overturned all over the country. Seems like gambling addiction issues are going to be a big thing.
David ? ☘The Establishment☘? Koch
The exact phrases “I’m getting too old for this…” and “I’m too old for this shit” are most known to appear in:
Star Wars (1977) – Ben Kenobi (Alec Guinness)
The Hunter (1980) – Ralph “Papa” Thorson (Steve McQueen)
Lethal Weapon series (1987-98) – Sgt. Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover)
Stripes (1981) – Sgt. Hulka (Warren Oates)
Elf (2003) – Santa (Ed Asner)
Leto
@Yarrow:
Welcome to a decade ago: Gacha Gaming. Just about every major game has that feature, and has had it for almost a decade now. Loot boxes, in-game store, etc… all just gambling. Plenty of studies done on it. Gaming industry went all in on it because why wouldn’t they? Another easy revenue stream. Didn’t need to repeal any gambling laws. Some games do this in a fairly mild manner, then others are hyper aggressive on it. Cole will be well aware of it via World of Warcraft.
Redshift
Cold does get to you more the older you get. Especially with old injuries; really no way around it. Used to be I never felt cold unless I got wet (unless it was really cold.) In college, I was the guy who would go out to the sidewalk to get a delivery pizza in shorts and bare feet in January. Now my feet are cold every night when I go to bed, and I have to have a blanket on them.
Casinos are always depressing, being drunk just hides it.
I wouldn’t head to Florida just yet. You’re not over the hill, you’re just not young-and-stupid any more. Being put out of your house by an extended power failure is a pain for anyone to put up with.
Honus
Was Wilson lodge at Oglebay closed for the season, or the power off there? That would seem more pleasant to me than the casino.
NotMax
@David ? ☘The Establishment☘? Koch
Also too,
Sneakers (1992)
The Freshman (1990)
Adventures in Babysitting (1987)
Cocoon (1985)
To Live and Die in L.A. (1985)
Ralph Bakshi’s Wizards (1977)
(not exact but close enough) A Christmas Carol (1951)
to name a few more.
steve g
All I’m gonna tell you about being 68 is oh I would love to be 51 again. And I suppose there is someone 78 who would say the same thing to me about being 68.
Cathie from Canada
@David ? ☘The Establishment☘? Koch: What kills me when I watch these movies now is how often I realize that this line is being said by someone 15 or 20 years younger than I am – someone in their Gd Dm 50s, for cry-sake! — and I wonder “How did I ever get to be so old anyway?” (72, actually)
Come to think of it, John is only 51. So really…
But actually, what I came here to suggest is that I believe anyone who is living in a location subject to days-long power outages needs to have their own generator set-up – its well worth the money. Here in Saskatoon we never lose power for long – maximum 3 to 4 hours, if ever — but when we lived in BC the wind storms sometimes took the lines down for much longer and we would have bought our own generator if we had stayed there.
Or, if you didn’t already know, I guess there is now a half-ton truck that has the capacity to act like a generator, so maybe that is worth checking out too.
2liberal
move to arizona. we went for biden and have 2 democratic senators. there’s some seasonal lightning with some flash floods but no humidity. we’re up to the eyeballs with ornery old cusses from elsewhere who will understand you.
satby
@2liberal: too hot, no water: bad combo for the long term. Florida is a hell state, but with decent fresh fish and Cuban food. However good the grouper is, I still wouldn’t move there though.
West of the Rockies
@steve g:
Burgess Meredith in Grumpy Old Men giving his long-retired son carpe diem advice: “One day you look around and realize you’re not 81 anymore…”
2liberal
@satby: we have a state income tax. No Skeletor or Rubio or DeSantis. Recreational weed is legal. I agree with you that Cole should bring some water with him …..
Ruckus
@Leto:
When I worked in pro sports we’d have a celebration/awards diner at the end of the year. I’d have to go of course, wear a tux and sometimes give a speech. I’ve stayed in the crappier casino/hotels and in the real nice ones. The nice ones were better but far more snooty. IOW it was not my favorite place to be. Now I did get to eat in some nice restaurants in the nicer places, one’s with famous chefs on my expense account.
That’s the best story I can tell you about Vegas. And it may have been at least a small part of why I quit the job. It sure didn’t convince me to stay….
Tim in SF
Smiles are rare in buffets, nonexistent in casinos. If you want happiness, look elsewhere, my friend.
Also, invest in a CPAP battery. They’re not that expensive, easy to keep charged, and will make you a much happier person. I speak from experience.
Props to you for being able to fall asleep in five minutes. It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to do that. I’m 52.
Redshift
@2liberal: Plus he’d get the satisfaction of voting out Sinema!
Poe Larity
@RepubAnon: That ain’t going to work. My cpap needs about 12 amp hours to last 8 hours. That’s w/o the humidifier. A UPS usually only has power for 10 minutes to cover brownouts.
Unless you’re buying a $$$$ lithium phosphate battery, you probably need a 20aH battery so as to not over discharge. You’ll then need a 500 watt inverter, which will probably have a whiny fan, so get a 800-1000 watt inverter. Then you’ll need a 12V battery charger.
Betsy
Hey Cole, sorry about the tough time. I think we’re all just hanging on by our fingernails at this point, after two years of pandemicking and just trying to get by. It’s not you. You’re not old nor do you have give-up-itis. The last two years have just sucked, big-time.
As far as being cold — let me tell you that only a woman of a certain age can know how it feels to be too hot AND too cold at the SAME TIME.
Hang in there.
Ruckus
John
I’d say welcome to oldmanhood but you don’t qualify. It sounds like you want to but no, you don’t belong.
Yet.
You’ll get there, it will feel like it takes for ever, right up to the day when you KNOW you’ve arrived at oldmanhood. But you aren’t there yet. Because when you get there you will absolutely understand that at 51 yrs old, you aren’t old enough. And of course there is no exact age where you cross over into oldmanhood, but you aren’t there yet. I just arrived last year and I’m just a bit older than you (over 2 decades worth) and when I look around at the rest of the inhabitants of the over 55 complex I live in, I have to say that life is a place you still want to be in. Life, no matter how long, how shitty, is still too short. So buck up, it only gets older from here on out.
CaseyL
There’s no really good warm place to go. The South is humid and has giant cockroaches (not to mention the politics are corrupt and wingnutty); the Southwest will run out of water in 10 years or less (the wars over access to the Colorado River are going to be a lot of fun); California is too expensive.
Get something to make your house more self-sufficient, whether that’s a wood stove, a generator, or a portable charger for the cpap/phone/computer – which, granted, has to be charged up in advance itself.
Did you have a chance to install more insulation when you remodeled? Do you get enough sunlight to justify putting in solar panels?
dm
I came across mention of “portable saunas” the other day. Some of them are like the steam cabinets I remember from old Popeye cartoons, some of them are tents. Some of them look like tanning beds only infrared instead of ultraviolet. Some of them don’t look very portable but do look not-ugly.
Achy joints and tired muscles are making those things look kind-of tempting.
And I was looking at battery backups the other day. One of them specifically mentioned CPAP machines. $400 or so, though — well beyond your basic UPS.
oldster
Look at it this way, John:
You’re getting less middle-aged with every passing year!
John Revolta
The Moon has a few new wrinkles
It shines a bit more silver now than gold
I’m stayin’ young, I’m stayin’ young!
But everything around me’s growin’ old
The house has the creaks and trembles
And winter leaves her shiverin’ from cold
I’m stayin’ young, I’m stayin’ young!
It’s wonderful the way I hold my own
When everything surrounding me has grown so old
I seek not for praise, but I have some days
When I look so young and sporty
I get looks from girls, from sweet things in curls
Some of them as young as forty!
When I meet some friend or neighbour
I say it out of common decency
I always say, “Why, you ain’t changed a day!”
And then I have to laugh if they agree
‘Cause everybody else is growin’ old….
……like me!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9u6dA2yhK28
Jay
Last time I went to a Casino was in the early 80’s.
A friends Dad was a card counter, would head to Reno or Vegas every long weekend, would chose when to lose, when to win, and would win just enough to pay for the trip. He’d be up $100k by Saturday night, and leave Sunday with $1700 in his pocket.
The Casino’s were none the wiser and he was there often enough to get Comps from the Casino’s.
So, we got the use of a Comp one long weekend and did a “boy’s” trip.
We would leave for the desert before dawn, mountainbike or canyoneer, come back to the Casino around 11pm, filthy dirty and stinking, eat all we could eat, shower, crash out and do it all over again the next day.
We drove down in an 8 passenger van, ( my Dads), driving in shifts all night, ( Thursday night after work), and back the same way on Monday night after we got back from the desert, checking out from the Casino at 2am for the drive home.
got dirty looks coming and going but had those gold VIP passes.
buggrit
I think you are being too hard on yourself: the combination of freezing cold, prior injury, and illness will make you feel much older than your calendar age.
Another Scott
@Leto: In grad school we went to a conference at Caesar’s in Vegas. One guy managed to find a nickel slot machine hidden away somewhere there. He won something like $500 after spending a lot of time with it.
But, mostly they are indeed very depressing places. :-(
Feel better, JC. Spring is coming.
Cheers,
Scott.
NotMax
Vaudeville snippet.
“Doctor, it hurts when I do this.”
“Then don’t do that.”
::rimshot::
Reverse tool order
@NotMax:
No shit nailed that one, though I might say the new 25. My seventy first orbit begins on Tuesday. What I used to trust was far over the horizon is now in sight if not in touch. It might seem bad, but not all bad, to wind down from this perspective.
Can’t say it hasn’t been interesting along the way at times, though. Heard the theme song on the radio this evening, Springsteen’s “Glory Days”.
Fair Economist
When I was a boy, my father brought me and my brother a craps layout from on of his trips to Las Vegas. We fake gambled on it using the pennies from his coin box. I quickly learned “the house always wins” and have never much enjoyed gambling as a result.
As an adult I’d go to Vegas with a group of friends, to see the shows and casinos. I set a goal of being the group winner, so I’d gamble limited amounts on low-push slots machines, which I figured had the best chance for a big payout. One time I won several hundred dollars and was indeed the group winner (mostly because everybody else had lost; they don’t build those casinos with people’s winnings). But after that what was the point? So I haven’t gambled since.
jnfr
I’m sorry it’s hard John. I totally get it. I think these years are weighing all of us down right now.
Morzer
Just to give everyone my promised update:
Had the MRI. The neurosurgeon ain’t sure: it could be a minor stroke and some bleeding, which would ultimately reabsorb. It could be lymphoma (she seems to think not) or it could be a glioma (she seems to think it might be this). So, more tests and perhaps ultimately a biopsy needed.
NotMax
@Fair Economist
“Have you tried 22 tonight?”
;)
Jay
@Morzer:
hoping for the best.
Reverse tool order
Yes, you need some serious battery to run a CPAP for very long. Reposting description of what I did to power CPAP + humidifier for 3-4 days. Others might not be willing to put such batteries in their house. I am, only if in the exact type below and in a battery box.
Skip the AC power middleman if you can.
Here is what I did a couple years ago for CPAP battery backup. It will run for 3-4 nights without getting too far into capacity and losing long term battery life. The stored energy per dollar ratio of lithiums didn’t seem good enough.
At least a couple of the most popular CPAPs actually run on 12 or 24 volt DC power from their external AC power supply. It’s more efficient to go directly from DC battery to CPAP than battery > inverter > power supply > CPAP. So, I bought two 12 volt Group 24 (largish automotive size) batteries with these features: sealed cells (no fumes or spills), deep cycle/marine (ok to draw down to ≈ 60-50% of stored energy) AGM design (“absorbed glass mat” is best/longer life type of lead-acid). Convenient but optional are threaded terminals. Group 27, group 31, or whatever size meets your needs is fine. Deka made batteries, including most from NAPA, have a slightly higher reputation than others.
Next, my CPAP maker has a high quality two-part battery to machine input plug kit in place of the AC power supply, though it’s expensive. Hook the batteries up in series for 24 VDC or in parallel for 12 VDC, #12 stranded copper wire is plenty for the jumper(s) between batteries. Finish with a couple plastic battery boxes to protect from shorts and a small “float” charger. Add a 12 volt to USB charger for your cell phone, recharge flashlight, etc.
eclare
@Morzer: Oh gosh I missed this news. Fingers and paws crossed here for you.
Starboard Tack
I feels ya. Some damage never completely heals.
Morzer
Thank you to everyone who has been supportive and kind here. I won’t deny feeling utter terror at some of the possibilities before me, but I am greatly heartened by how good and generous people have been to me. I don’t deserve to know such good people and I feel great gratitude for your kindness.
CaseyL
@Morzer: Fingers crossed for a good outcome!
A friend of mine developed multiple schwannomas in her brain: non-cancerous tumors that grow around nerve clusters, and can mimic stroke symptoms. They were able to reduce the tumors considerably using a gamma knife. I don’t know if schwannomas are a type of glioma, but if not, that might be another thing to look at.
RaflW
Albuquerque. Yeah it has a winter. But it’s short and very sunny. Summer afternoons are hot, but nothing like Phoenix. If you can be in the hills east of Abq, like Cedar Crest, even better.
Morzer
@CaseyL: I am clinging to the fact that the doctor wasn’t sure what she was seeing. I am pretty much open to any and all treatments or sources of survival.
SectionH
@Morzer: best wishes.
Steeplejack
My experience with casinos is Atlantic City (years ago) and Las Vegas (as recently as two years ago). For Atlantic City, I agree with people’s negative views: the vibe there was tawdry and joyless. Can’t even remember which casino I was at; it was at some computer industry trade show. Dreadful.
For Las Vegas, my experience has been much more positive. Faithful blog readers will remember that I used to go out there for three-week house-, dog- and mom-sitting tours while my RWNJ brother went on motorcycle expeditions. The last time was late ’19, right before COVID hit. Before that I used to visit off and on for years, both for family and (before that) computer industry trade shows (COMDEX!).
I like the casinos in Las Vegas! I don’t gamble, except occasionally for the nickel slot machines with my mom. I don’t go to shows. And I don’t go to the casinos down on the Strip, where most of the tourists and out-of-towners (L.A.!) end up. In Las Vegas your “local” is likely to be a casino, not a pub, although some of the pubs are like mini-casinos, with video poker machines built into the bar, some slot machines, etc.
The ”local” casinos have huge gaming areas, of course, but they also have shops, usually a cinema and, always, great restaurants and buffets. Some of them have hotels. If you hang out in one long enough you can get depressed, especially if you’re pissing away your money, but if you think about a (good) casino as a slightly weird upscale mall that’s not too far off.
This reminds me that I haven’t been to any of the casinos over the border in West Virginia. Might have to check one out.
Shout out to Sunset Station in Henderson—that’s my local in Las Vegas. Recommended.
joel hanes
@Reverse tool order:
If you’re short on power, turn off the heater for the humidifier and reduce the temperature of the tubing.
Your CPAP will run a _lot_ longer before the power source is drained.
Morzer
@SectionH: Thank you
Steeplejack
@Steeplejack:
ETA: My mom’s local on the north side (Summerlin) was Red Rock Casino. Also recommended.
sab
@Steeplejack: I agree with you on the local casinos in Vegas. I lived there for about five years, and worked for an accounting firm that audited local casinos.
Our favorite local casino was on the north side. It had some restaurants, some shops and even an ice-skating rink. We could watch middle-aged men from Canada and the Upper Midwest play amateur hockey in their amateur sports leagues.
Chris T.
@Poe Larity: You need a battery designed to work with your particular CPAP. Ours has a 24V DC output with a plug that goes to the 24V DC input on the CPAP unit. So you unplug the CPAP from the wall adapter and plug it into the battery pack. The pack is then good for several days.
They’re expensive though.
Chris T.
@CaseyL:
Not in the US, anyway.
We opted for far northwest, up near Bellingham. Gets cold in winter and as of 2021, gets hot in summer now too, but it’s very pretty and there’s enough water (sometimes too much water!).
Ruckus
@Reverse tool order:
Welcome to the geezer party. We don’t celebrate as hard or as long anymore but we have more reason to celebrate every new day. And being able to say you are in your eighth decade has a certain ring to it.
frosty
@steve g: My FIL had a book on his shelf I saw when I was in my 30s: Oh to Be 50 Again.
Now I understand!
Steeplejack
@sab:
“Ice-skating rink.” Yes! A lot of the casinos have some oddball “only here” attraction. Creates almost a sense of community. One of the things I liked about Sunset Station was that (at least) one of the screens in its cinema was dedicated to foreign and indie movies. A great way to see certain movies on the big screen that you would almost never get a chance to see at a regular movie house.
Jay
@Chris T.:
cold in winter, lmao.
In Kamloops I would put the light longjohns on in September, take them off in late May or early June. Often layer them with the heavy ones or the really heavy ones.
Well north of you in YVR, wore the long john pants four days in December, the shirt, for about 2 weeks, but that’s just because I go outside with out a coat.
Damp yes, cold, no.
opiejeanne
@Morzer: I hope it turns out to be the least damaging of the three possibilities, and a swift recovery.
I missed this info if you posted about it in another thread. I saw JRinWV’s wife had what they think was a minor stroke and was going in for tests. I hope the best for them, too.
opiejeanne
@Steeplejack: We were in Vegas a couple of weeks ago for our son’s wedding, and my opinion of the place hasn’t changed: it’s just weird. We stayed at The Bellagio and it is a beautiful hotel, but their casino has not conquered the issue of cigarette smoke. Those fancy air-filtering systems Vegas was so proud of 20 years ago just aren’t doing the job like they did back then.
We didn’t see any shows but we watched other people and the fountains and checked out the other hotels on the strip: Paris, the Venetian, Mandalay Bay, and didn’t like any of them.
Lost $5 to a $1 slot machine on a single pull and that was the whole of our gambling. I loved the old nickel slots and all the noise they used to make, but all of that is changed. I didn’t see anyone carrying a paper cup full of coins, almost everything is run on credit cards, and some of the machines played loud music but didn’t really make much noise when someone won. At least your fingers aren’t black from the nickels. I won $60 once on a nickel slot and it made a “ding” for about 100 of those paid out, and then the coins started dropping into the tray to make even more noise, and the people who needed to be in Gamblers Anonymous rushed over to watch, and were disappointed that it was only $60 in nickels. That’s a whole lot of coins, and thankfully, one of the employees came over with a bucket to put them in.
We saw a couple sitting together at two one-armed bandits, just hitting the spin button over and over, and not even waiting to see if they’d won. They were in a trance.
oldster
Re: the opioid crisis.
The Sacklers made billions by preying on people’s easy addiction, and left millions of lives in ruins as a result. They should be forced to give up all of the money and sent to jail.
re: casinos.
Ditto.
opiejeanne
@sab: That sounds like fun.
One time we were there with our girls for a dance convention and asked someone who worked in the casino where they liked to go to eat out, and she told us how to get to a Mexican restaurant about 5 miles away, and it was really good and not expensive. The locals know or they wouldn’t be able to afford living there.
opiejeanne
@Steeplejack: There’s an indoor miniature golf place owned by some of the band members of KISS. That was fun, the time I went with to Vegas with a bunch of Angels fans to watch the All-Star game.
Also, there’s a pinball game museum, where you can play some of them and even buy them.
Chris T.
@Jay: Yeah, I know, I have been in colder places. But it’s cold compared to say Florida or coastal GA / SC. I was hoping for “doesn’t stay below freezing for a week so that snow, if it comes, vanishes within a day”, but no such luck.
NotoriousJRT
@Morzer: Hoping for the best fot you. I know the waiting is scary and hard.
Robert Sneddon
Energy is civilisation, basically. Do without it for an hour and it becomes uncomfortable, take it away for several days and the world has come to an end. It’s why the developing world is digging up and pumping as much fossil carbon it can find or buy to provide energy to its citizens and fuck the sanctimonious energy-rich first-worlders and their Kyoto Protocols and Paris Accords.
Steeplejack (phone)
@opiejeanne:
Like I said, I avoid the Strip. The “local” casinos are generally newer and have better HVAC systems. And they’re not as gigantic, so there’s a smaller population to deal with. That’s my theory, anyway.
Reverse tool order
All a CPAP needs is specified power input, doesn’t matter exactly how that is derived. That is: 12 VDC for one popular brand and 24 VDC for the other, with correct polarity (+ & -), thru correct plug, and amperage (variable) to meet machine demand.
You, the user, want enough run time (= stored energy) for your needs, be it 8 hours for 1 or 3 nights or whatever. And, a small enough total energy drawdown until recharge that the battery lifetime is reasonable.
That could be done with AAs (with too many of them + too little good sense), proprietary lithium battery (if big enough), lead-acid battery (see my #50), or ???. The marketed proprietary lithium batteries are compact & clean but short on capacity & long on price to me. That kind of leaves some form of lead-acid battery for easy availability and affordability.
As usual, best to do the math and read the specs before sizing something. If anyone says they want the simple math, I can lay it out. I should be in bed by now, so…
Low Key Swagger
John, if the casino you stayed in was the same one (beau rivage maybe?) I’ve been to a couple of times…the best thing about it is the salt pool. My first time being in one and now I can’t use chlorinated pools anymore. Hair and skin feel wonderful after your swim. Highly recommend.
I second the commenter above who said (paraphrasing) that everything is credit cards and flashing lights. No more of that fun clanking sound. And yes, stay off the strip, you can have fun in the local joints.
satby
@Morzer: Keeping my fingers crossed for you!
EmbraceYourInnerCrone
@Morzer: oh wow, I hope it’s the least bad of the diagnoses. Keeping a good thought for you. I hope you have an answer soon.
EmbraceYourInnerCrone
@opiejeanne: I will have to remember these if I ever go to Vegas, mini golf and fun local museums sounds just my speed. Can not handle the crowds or the lights/noise of casinos and saw too many of my parents friends waste their SS checks on going to the casinos.
HeartlandLiberal
Son and I recently moved two shelves and a chest of drawers up and down two flights of stairs. At 76, I think I have finally internalized, especially after back surgery replacing disc and stapling my spine back together last year, that I am indeed older.
So I understand what John is feeling, although compared to me, he is still a spring chicken.
raven
My mobility issue surfaced just as covid hit. I’ve been in PT, had back surgery and spinal injection and nothing is working. I can still do my 45 minute a day water running and be on my feet for an hour or so at a time before my left quad begins to burn like mad. I’m going to keep trying to figure out what the hell is wrong with me but, damn, I’m 72 not 51!
opiejeanne
@EmbraceYourInnerCrone: The only reason people were in any of the casinos was because of the conventions. World of Concrete, some Big Game Hunter con, and a private gun dealers’ con. The Bellagio was pretty empty and the casino area was like a ghost town but we were only there from Monday through Thursday afternoon.
The one museum I wanted to see and totally forgot about is the gangster one. I didn’t remember it until we were in the airport waiting for our plane, and I saw an ad for it. Dang!
Dorothy A. Winsor
@Morzer: I hope they schedule the added tests quickly. I’m rooting for the blood that gets reabsorbed.
Another Scott
@Morzer: Thanks for the update.
The thing I remember is that 1) you said your neck is sometimes stiff and 2) the bad sensations sometimes vanish. That makes me (not an MD) think that it might be a mechanical issue.
My J was rear-ended in her car in grad school. A few hours later she was having blinding headaches, dizziness, nausea. Went to the ER, they didn’t see anything wrong. 10 years later she started having similar symptoms after having some dental work. The dentist wanted to do lots of expensive stuff (root canals, crowns) because that’s all he knew to do. :-(
She found someone who worked on TMJ patients. He showed her that her jaw was slightly dislocated, probably from the past accident. There’s an important nerve that runs by the joint… Surgery was a possibility, but the surgeon didn’t think that it was necessary. She ended up wearing a special mouth guard and braces for a couple of years, and it solved the problem.
I hope that you are able to find a clear diagnosis – bodies are complicated! And that the treatment is fast and successful. Good luck!
Cheers,
Scott.
scribbler
@Morzer: Hoping for the best possible outcome for you!
cope
Maybe you should move to The Villages in Florida. As an irascible old curmudgeon, you could hook up with the local Dems and have a good old time flinging bombs. The article linked below makes that argument.
https://m.dailykos.com/stories/2022/2/4/2078558/-What-it-is-really-like-being-a-Democrat-in-The-Villages-FL-And-why-Democrats-should-move-here
PaulWartenberg
As a Floridian, I can’t speak to many gated liberal communities down here, although The Villages is a bit more diverse than people think. But given the sex and drug trade going on that community, I wouldn’t move there.
If you’re looking for liberal havens in Florida, your best bet is Gainesville, FL due to the large university population (it’s also gone through a construction boom the last 20 years to where housing shouldn’t be a problem). Also look to Pinellas County near around Safety Harbor, or parts of Broward County (Coral Springs/Parkland area).
RevRick
Aberdeen in Boynton Beach. It’s in a huge Democratic voting part of the state. It’s far enough inland that you don’t have to worry about the full force of hurricanes, but you’ll have to get used to the daily afternoon blare of the lightning alert horns warning people to get off the golf course. Everything’s on one floor, but you’ll need to wear footwear with grippy soles on the polished tile floors. The roads are on a north-south, east-west grid, so you’d really have to work at it to get lost.
The downside is you’d have to buy a club membership to get in, though there’s a lawsuit to break that requirement.
My mother-in-law lived there for about twenty years.
WaterGirl
@Morzer: So scary. Hoping it’s the least worrisome possibility and the most fixable. Let’s go for the double-double. Thoughts and prayers, really. The original, before the Republicans turned it into something meaningless.
GoBlueInOak
@Steeplejack: Las Vegas has increasingly become sui generis amongst casino resort areas. Outside South Lake Taho/Reno & Atlantic City, I can’t think immediately of any other cities with a lot of multiple casinos – most are single casinos, with hotel/food/shopping are super ancillary to the slot pits and almost uniformly depressing AF.
LV has spent last few decades really building itself into as much an Uber-convention destination / “Disney adult theme park for adults who don’t want to go to Disney”. Like, one can go to LV for a long weekend and completely avoid the casino floors the entire time. On a nice day, could spend entire day at the swimming pool area in hotels like Palazzo or Mandalay Bay, etc. Its basically a glitzier, more enjoyable Mall of America.
JAFD
Salutations, Mr. Cole,
It’s February. As I said on 18xx.games* this morning “There’s a reason ‘Autumn in New York’ is a popular song and ‘February in New York’ is not”
*The ’18xx’ series is several esoteric board games, largely on 19th-century railroad building and finance; 18xx.games is a website for playing them on. (And I shall, finally, go to read last Sunday’s ‘Medium Cool – Board Games’ thread and find them comprehensively critiqued therein. ;-) )
pmc
What a depressing post. My god Cole you’re 51 and ready to pack it in to Florida? In bed at 8:05? Get a grip. I used to love this blog because you posted with zest and energy. I liked it even more because you live in the same area I do (I live on the river 20 miles north of Steubenville). It was nice to know that there was an ex-military guy living in the valley who proudly espoused leftish views that were an affront to the overwhelming red neck culture we live in here. I hope you find your way out of whatever funk you’re in. I’m 67 and an ex-drinker and, barring our current political situation, feel pretty good about life. I look forward to the day a bit of the old Cole emerges.
Ohio Mom
@Morzer: oh crap. Very late to this dead thread. Crossing digits for you.