Not meeting Tim Russ would be illogical
One of the highlights of the Vegas III trip was running into Pete Rose and scoring an autographed photo of him for my friend Paul. Little did I know that he’s a frequent visitor. It didn’t matter, the thrill of actually speaking to him and discovering how cordial he was will never be eradicated by the previous fact. Running into a celebrity was a trend I hoped would continue with Vegas trips, just as winning once at roulette with our wedding date (this streak may end on this trip). On day four at the Star Trek Experience I saw that Tim Russ would be visiting between 1-3 PM on Saturday. Tim Russ? Tuvok from Star Trek: Voyager, right, the Black Vulcan. I twisted Somara’s arm into returning to the Las Vegas Hilton for this because I had to get his autograph for the biggest Star Trek fan I know, Nelson. Besides, I owed him big time for my panic attack over the timeshare, I mean vacation ownership, or I have seen in the comments, a bridge in New York someone sold me. I also feel that the mileage for the John DeLancie (Q) autograph I got him in 1998 has probably run its course.
The original plan was to rush in, get the autograph, get a picture (above), chat a bit, maybe take in a little gambling (Somara managed to still win around five bucks despite all her attempts to just lose a dollar, what a problem) and rush back to our room for a nap; we were drained from Prince and only had three hours of sleep due to an immediate errand with the timeshare (I’m feeling another look of disapproval from the bridge-joke-comment person). Instead we ended up staying two hours longer for a couple of great reasons; the aliens were walking about and they’re always a hoot, they never break character, making them the best part about the place; and I hope we made a new friend with this lady who was one of the most charming fans I’ve met, Karla (last name withheld by me). She adores Tim Russ, saying he was a better Vulcan than Leonard Nimoy. Karla enjoys all the shows plus other franchises; she teaches high school Spanish in the LA area; as the picture shows, she’s attractive (insert your own Star Trek joke here) but sorry guys, she’s married and to a Star Wars fan too. Sadly, her husband wasn’t around to meet us or Tim because he’s a storyboard artist for Futurama! Karla gave us a spoiler for the upcoming movie, I won’t share it though. We exchanged e-mail addresses and we’ll be sending her a picture or two plus she wants to replace her G4; always whoring myself out for Apple whenever I can. Again, I do hope we made a new friend, not for the connection to a favorite show but for the wonderful conversation and sincere enthusiasm Karla exuded. I think it’s something married people have too. When you’re married, you aren’t “hunting” anymore thus you can just relax with conversations because there’s no more worries about getting a repeat date.
Me & Karla, Spanish teacher, well-adjusted Star Trek fan
Moving back to Tim Russ. He let me have my picture with him and I had my geek moment by telling him that I loved his response to those who said there were no such thing as Black Vulcans. It was something along the lines of (paraphrased due to limited Internet access) “Why would the Vulcans lack the same level of genetic diversity as Earth?” He chuckled over it and said, “That’s right.” We discussed his music which made me feel a bit dumb, the fan magazines painted a picture of it being contemporary jazz like Acoustic Alchemy. Tim said it was more Rock & Pop. D’oh! The good news is that his material is available via CD Baby.com and the iTunes Store with new stuff appearing next year. Overall, a really nice man and I hope to see him play Tuvok again.
Back to TI via a second monorail pass which is still cheaper than a cab for the travel we have been doing. Anyone planning on hitting Vegas in the next year, call me because it should still have a few rides left on it and it remains valid until December 2, 2007 (too late, mailed to José in mid December). At TI came the mandatory and overdue nap.
After the nap, I hit the Apple Store which is my daily ritual because the Strip casinos don’t believe in “free” Internet access. Remember, you’re there to gamble or as they say, “gaming,” which puzzles D&D players; they have also turned that noun into a verb improperly; see tasking or tasked, ugh! I had some fun talking to the Mac Genius at the bar; the nearby tables being occupied for a Santa show. Nice guy. While I was uploading, checking and editing, we chatted about storage solutions, iPods, etc. He thought Austin was a nice place and we Enterprise guys are okay.
With Picayune and other matters tackled, I went back to TI for grown-up clothes and an evening of low-level fun. Since Somara’s dumb luck is keeping her ahead on this trip, I issued a challenge of a video poker tournament. My strategy versus hers. My crude logic versus her more intuitive style. We each had twenty bucks (I gave her the money since it was my experiment), first one out loses. I think my machine was broken! I was never up even though I was doing most of the right moves I’ve read in strategy guides. When I dwindled to five, I went with the max bets button until I was out. Somara was ahead by a few bucks then took a dive to as low as seven yet managed to break even by the end. Seems my relationship with video poker is still as lousy since our first meeting at Caesar’s Palace in 1997. Unfortunately, I didn’t take a long enough nap as my comp’d beer took its toll on my eyes. The rest of my body didn’t feel very tired yet I had to obey one of my cardinal rules of gambling, never play tired or impaired. I cajoled the wife into walking around Mirage (definitely much higher stakes than TI) and the mall at Caesar’s Palace. Talk about some overpriced clothing, especially this place called Agent Provocateur, aka expensive accessories for lap dancers. No luck there neither. My eyes remained bloodshot and we had to call it a night at the wimpy hour of 11 PM.
The losses may be growing for me but three things I have kept in mind:
- I have received free booze which is close to equitable if you drink at the clubs, remember the $26 for a pair of cosmos at Tangerine from Day Three?
- This isn’t money I “needed” urgently for the house or medicine even though I probably should’ve used it more wisely but I’ve spent more on music, comics, D&D and other geek junk without flinching.
- The most important part, I have had a great time playing, especially at craps. Again, I love craps for its social interaction. I just want a cheaper table to make my money last longer thus prolonging the fun. Rationalization or a fair explanation? Probably depends upon your opinion of gambling.
GAMBLING REPORT
Somara: $11.29
Steve: -$75