Sunday Morning Randomness

I will be the first one to admit that when it comes to getting gifts, the quirkier, the better.

As far as dollar amounts go, I don't really care how much is spent.  Well, actually, that's not quite true.  I don't want anyone to break the bank when it comes to gift giving.  I like things that are unique.  Some of those things you can buy at a dollar store, and some are things that money can't possibly buy.

In short, I am not a materialistic person.  Remember this for later.

Seriously, some of the greatest gifts that I have received have been of the knick-knack variety.  Gifts that I am certain that very few people have.  Gifts that show off my wacky and offbeat personality.

After all, I do have three different Rubik's cubes, seashells in a bottle of purple sand, a space shuttle ornament, and a calendar made out of Legos.  What can I say?  I like kitschy things.  Why, if that "Over Our Heads" store on "The Facts of Life" were still open, I reckon that half of the things in that shop would be displayed in my home today.

Like, have a look at this gift that I received this past Christmas.

Okay, so I imagine that some of you are fixated on the major spacing error in the text of the slot machine bank (believe me, I noticed it too).  But this slot machine bank really works.  You deposit your money in the top of the bank (it takes quarters, one dollar coins and two dollar coins), and you pull the lever.  If you get the right combination, you will hear a noise go off and coins will fly out the bottom of the bank.

It has a permanent spot on my dresser at home, and I wanted one the minute I saw it in a mail-order catalogue called "Bits and Pieces".  I think that was the catalogue where I got the infamous Lego calendar as well. 

But here's a bit of a twist.  Although I have a slot machine bank in my home, I've never played an actual slot machine in my life.

Come to think of it, I've never set foot inside of a casino ever.  Even though I've been over 21 for...oh...a baker's dozen years now, I have never really been stricken by the gambling bug.

In fact, I think that I would probably be the world's worst gambler in the world.

I know what most of the games in a casino are and how they're played.  Blackjack is easy.  You just have to get as close to the number twenty-one as possible without going over in an attempt to get a higher number than the dealer.  The odds aren't exactly great, but at least they're a lot better than those of Roulette.  Seriously, I don't know how anyone can play Roulette at all.  The odds of winning big are next to impossible.

Don't even get me started on Keno.  It's just a fancy way of playing Bingo...only without letters.  And, without forming a line.  Yeah, Keno is pointless.

Now, statistically speaking, the dice game known as Craps has the best odds for winning.  But it's not entirely foolproof either.  All you have to do is roll the wrong number and you can lose hundreds, or even thousands of dollars.

I understand that the rush of gambling is one that can't be described.  I suppose the idea of risking a small fortune playing a game in hopes of doubling, tripling, or even quadrupling your bet does get the adrenaline pumping.  I'll admit that I've played a few casino simulation video games over the years and have strangely gotten that same rush when pretending to bet money I didn't have on said video game.

However, there's a big difference between betting in a video game casino and betting in a real casino.  If you lose your shirt in the video game, all you have to do is reset the video game and try again.  In a real casino, you can get into debt really quickly.  And anyone who has ever been in deep debt knows how hard it can be to get out of it.

I suppose it's a good thing that I don't consider myself to have an addictive personality when it comes to gambling.  I would probably be bored inside of a casino, and to be perfect honest, I only play the lottery an average of four times a year.  And that number varies depending on the jackpot.  Usually, I only play when the jackpot is huge.

But for some people, gambling is a serious problem.  If you or someone you love has a gambling problem, please visit this website.

http://www.gamblersanonymous.org/ga/