Reporting on a "Meet the Wizard" coffee
First, I should report that the Wizard was a most gracious host and representative of Vegas, suggesting a fine location for our get together and tolerating the fact that my rambling conversation almost intruded on his schedule for a tennis session.
We talked on topics far and wide, including our similar interests in collecting stuff. I made the claim that I was on the verge of having a souvenir chip from every casino in Clark county (a set that I believe is now complete), and the Wizard made several unsuccessful stabs at naming an obscure casino whose chip I was missing. I even told him of one chip I had collected the evening before from a casino that he himself was unaware of, but that is a story for a different upcoming thread.
The photo below is presented as evidence of this coffee (The table was cleared for the photo, but I had been drinking tea, and the Wizard had some outrageously healthy fruit-based beverage, I think). For those of you who have not seen him before, the Wizard is the pudgy old dude with the white beard and bifocals, and I am the handsome young guy sitting across from my wife. And if you believed that, I would like to get together with you for a few hours of poker.
As for the gambling on this trip, it did not go so well, and it had all the potential for being a disaster. Prior to meeting with the Wizard, I had had five sessions at crap tables, every one of them being a losing session. Fortunately, the Wizard imparted some of his professional advice, and for the remainder of the trip I had three winning crap sessions out of four. I would relay that professional advice to the rest of you, but (if there really is such a thing as luck) there is the risk that blabbing could screw with the mojo. That partial recovery means that I am still slightly in the positive for 2010 gambling.
Even with the late turn-around at the crap table, I wound up down just over $500 for the trip. My wife is even less of a gambler than I am, sticking to low denomination slots, with a $40 session being a big one and $5 to $10 being more common. On our last day, she was short of cash, so I gave her $20 to play penny slots while I headed to the crap table. I told her to come see me if she needed more. A few minutes later she tapped me on the shoulder, not to ask for more cash but to show me her cash-out ticket. She had turned the $20 into $571 and change on penny slots. Yep, she made more on penny slots than I had lost at craps all week. And when we got home, she even gave me the cash. How can you complain about a trip like that!
Quote: DocAs reported elsewhere, I have just returned home to NC from Vegas (and other Pacific time zone locations), and I have a few things I thought others might find interesting. This first thread is to report on what may have been the second ever weekly coffee-meeting-with-the-Wizard arising out of this forum. It was a small gathering, but since it included both the Wizard and me (plus my wife), it met the primary criteria I had in mind. I would have liked to meet more of you, and I hope that those who are going to be in Vegas next week are able to have a great time, together and individually.
First, I should report that the Wizard was a most gracious host and representative of Vegas, suggesting a fine location for our get together and tolerating the fact that my rambling conversation almost intruded on his schedule for a tennis session.
We talked on topics far and wide, including our similar interests in collecting stuff. I made the claim that I was on the verge of having a souvenir chip from every casino in Clark county (a set that I believe is now complete), and the Wizard made several unsuccessful stabs at naming an obscure casino whose chip I was missing. I even told him of one chip I had collected the evening before from a casino that he himself was unaware of, but that is a story for a different upcoming thread.
The photo below is presented as evidence of this coffee (The table was cleared for the photo, but I had been drinking tea, and the Wizard had some outrageously healthy fruit-based beverage, I think). For those of you who have not seen him before, the Wizard is the pudgy old dude with the white beard and bifocals, and I am the handsome young guy sitting across from my wife. And if you believed that, I would like to get together with you for a few hours of poker.
As for the gambling on this trip, it did not go so well, and it had all the potential for being a disaster. Prior to meeting with the Wizard, I had had five sessions at crap tables, every one of them being a losing session. Fortunately, the Wizard imparted some of his professional advice, and for the remainder of the trip I had three winning crap sessions out of four. I would relay that professional advice to the rest of you, but (if there really is such a thing as luck) there is the risk that blabbing could screw with the mojo. That partial recovery means that I am still slightly in the positive for 2010 gambling.
Even with the late turn-around at the crap table, I wound up down just over $500 for the trip. My wife is even less of a gambler than I am, sticking to low denomination slots, with a $40 session being a big one and $5 to $10 being more common. On our last day, she was short of cash, so I gave her $20 to play penny slots while I headed to the crap table. I told her to come see me if she needed more. A few minutes later she tapped me on the shoulder, not to ask for more cash but to show me her cash-out ticket. She had turned the $20 into $571 and change on penny slots. Yep, she made more on penny slots than I had lost at craps all week. And when we got home, she even gave me the cash. How can you complain about a trip like that!
Quote: DJTeddyBearFor the benefit of those people, like me, that need to scroll to read it:
I take your comment to mean that on your computer screen, my post does not appear the same way that it does on mine. Can you give me some advice on what I might be doing wrong? I just posted another thread using the same technique, and I apologize if my method makes posts difficult to read.
For a longer post, I usually do my composing and editing in Word, then cut and paste into the input box on the forum. Perhaps that is the source of the problem, but I always do a preview, and it always looks fine before and after I hit the post button. Is there some better method? I mean other than trying to type all of the entry right on the web page entry box. Out of curiosity, does this paragraph I am typing right now appear properly formatted on your screen? Did the original photo show up on your screen?
I do not know 'exactly' what causes it, but, when images are included exceeding a certain size, the text goes wider than the text box, wider even than the image size, to the point where it over prints on the BoDog ad.
It only affects certain internet browsers. I see the problem with MS Internet Explorer at my office at work, but not on my Apple using Safari at home.
JB is aware of the problem.
Admin note: removed image www.djteddybear.com/images/wov_bug.JPG
If the problem is really that I am posting (linking to) an image that is too large, I would appreciate some advice on image size limitations. Did the image I posted on my Silver Saddle thread cause the same problem? It was smaller.
Quote: DJTeddyBearP.S. Here's a partial screen shot of your post, to give JB an idea of what's going on:
And here I thought you were just inflating your post count, kind of as I'm doing now :)
Can't wait to hear any more Vegas stories that you or others may have.
BINGO! THAT'S the key to the problem.Quote: DocIf the problem is really that I am posting (linking to) an image that is too large, I would appreciate some advice on image size limitations.
JB -
On this thread, the text extends to the same size as the NATIVE size of the photo.
On the 1 million spins thread, the text extends further - to the NATIVE size of the chart!
The photo was re-sized to fit the forum default column size, but then the text went further anyway!
Advice for the max size? Can't really provide anything. JB 'may' be able to give guidelines....
No problems with that one.Quote: DocDid the image I posted on my Silver Saddle thread cause the same problem? It was smaller.
I just nagged JB again about the problem with large images. Everything looks fine on his computer, which explains part of the difficulty fixing it. Until it is fixed, if you have the choice, please use small to medium sized images.
By the way, that was the third "coffee." The first was with thlf. He was proud to beat me in a game of liar's poker for the lunch check. He also took the picture of me in my Deconstructing Megabucks page.
I thought I had trimmed the photo adequately (from ~3 MB .jpg to under 300 KB), but I didn't follow through in terms of actual inches of column width.
And perhaps I should mention to others that the license plate shown in the photo was actually my bribe to you for meeting with us thank-you gift to add to your collection.
Quote: DJTeddyBear
It only affects certain internet browsers. I see the problem with MS Internet Explorer at my office at work, but not on my Apple using Safari at home..
Quote: DJTeddyBear
...I see the problem with MS Internet Explorer at my office at work.
Quote: DJTeddyBear
...MS Internet Explorer
There's the problem. Is there any way to *not* use that piece of junk at work? You can put browsers on flash drives using PortableApps (I prefer chrome). At any rate, I go to great lengths to not use that turd of a web browser.
I don't have Administrator permissions so I can't install anything.
On the flip side, I have no idea why I am the only employee who has unlimited internet access, so I'm not about to say anything....
