The Leave 7

Even though, the majority of what I have written about my conference here seems wholly ancillary, the national conference I attended and presented at is a wonderful, valuable conference for me.  And, my presentation there also went well!  

There are five big national conferences associated with different facets of my research background.   I pick and choose between each year and if I am lucky enough to have my work accepted.... I try to attend as many as I can afford each year.  Usually it is two a year, and so of those five national conferences, I usually aim for the two (one in a lean year) that are in the more "interesting" locations.  There are (of course) a number of regional conferences I attend, and have many of my researchers attend as well... those are cheaper.

With things being a bit more "lean" this year especially with the huge inflation we have been experiencing especially in air travel, I still have managed to aim for and have my work accepted at two conferences.  But, this one I was at.... was chosen NOT so much for the "interesting" location (tongue-in-cheek, you will see why below), but because, relatively speaking, it was on the "cheaper" side of costs and I could reasonably expect to reasonably afford to add this one to the more costly one in Washington D.C. later this year.  Please do keep in mind that "cheap" is a relative term.  Penny pinching me, finds most things far too damn expensive.

So.... this city is renowned for one thing.... gambling and casinos.  That is its original "claim to fame."

It may come as a SHOCK to you (meant tongue-in-cheek)..... but I find absolutely NO fun nor enjoyment in gambling.  I believe I have been at a casino twice..... MAYBE three times in my life (the experiences are wholly forgettable to me).  The first time I went.... just to see what it was all about, but was admittedly nervous.  The other one (or perhaps TWO?) times I was "dragged" there because others I was with wanted very much to go.... this (these) were while at "deer camp" many years ago.  

Gambling just does not enthrall me in any way.  I have played slot machines (yawn), I have played blackjack (yawn), and I have even played a roulette wheel (yawn).  I only did each of these things once or twice each, because..... to me, it is not enjoyable or fun.  IF I have a gambling gene in my genome, it must be fully ensconced and encased within methylation proteins so they are shut down completely and do not express.  I think..... perhaps I have thrown away maybe ~ $40 total (perhaps a bit less) in these casino games across my lifespan.   

Do not get me wrong.... I do not begrudge folks gambling at the casinos if it is their "thing" and they do so responsibly.  It just is NOT for me. My most frequent kind of "gambling" is that I will occasionally,  perhaps once a month or so, buy a $2 "Lotto" ticket and daydream a bit, until of course I lose.

My wife.... finds it mildly entertaining to go to the casino.  She is fortunately reasonably frugal, and probably goes perhaps once a year.... usually with a plethora of relatives from her side of the family who greatly enjoy such pursuits.  

So, being in the "land of gambling" my wife did have the idea that she would want to spend at least a little time in one of the casinos.  To my manner of thinking, in 2026, they are even less appealing than my prior forays from long ago..... the same (to me, silly) games.... but they have all been enhanced with dramatically more flashing lights, dramatically more and much larger electronic displays, and..... the worst part..... dramatically MORE noise (beeps, boops, etc). So, we came up with a plan.

In my pre-travel research, I happened to find that there was a cigar bar/lounge located in the complex of one of these massive hotels that also had a shopping center and a casino.  It happened to be in the complex that is called the "Paris" (I presume there is a Paris Hotel tied to the casino and what was likely called the "Paris" shopping complex or some such thing.... but part of this shopping complex had the cigar bar/lounge called "Montecristo".  

So on the last evening before our flights to return home began.... after the conference had concluded in the midday.... we moseyed over to the "Paris" complex, and she aimed for the casino (with the shopping complex as a backup if she grew bored), and I headed to the "Montecristo".  

My envisioned "plan" before we went on the trip, would be that I would go in to the Montecristo and indulge in a cigar and in a gin and tonic (as I think I have written about here, I really enjoy gin and tonics on the rare occasion I have an actual mixed drink.... I last had one in January of this year, at the 50th Wedding Anniversary party held for my sister and brother-in-law). 

The Montecristo was extremely elegant and "upper-crust" in appearance and all the staff were formally attired.  The place was REALLY impressive and beautiful.... and quite large.  Its "look" was quite classy.... and it definitely "outclassed" in appearances the more "homey" place where the "Retiree's Cigar Group" meets... which is in a smallish, semi-rural town in an historic, but somewhat decrepit storefront in its downtown.  

Upon entering the humidor room, I was met by a tuxedoed fellow who asked if he could show me around some of the various cigar offerings.  I let him talk with me a bit and show me a few things, but then I told him I would still like to look around more before I made my decision.  

Of course, things were outrageously expensive, and there were many cigars there that were in the $100 or more price range.  I did see one offering that was slightly above $500.   But, they had a wide assortment, even a few of which I recognized even from seeing them as an offering at the shop where the Retiree's Cigar Group meets.... but (as to be expected) much more expensive at Montecristo's. 

I ended up choosing a budget friendly, larger gauged "Churchill" style cigar called "JFR 770" because I truly am not that nuanced about cigars and did not want to spend my "life savings" (penny pincher that I am) on a cigar.  I paid for the cigar...  and proceeded into the lounge.  

When I sat down in a very comfortable, leather chair at one side of the room, a young lady, again very formally attired came out and offered me a drink menu.  But, truthfully, the extreme heat (of course Montecristo was air conditioned, but I mean all the heat we had been experiencing all through the trip) made the thought of drinking ANY sort of alcoholic drink generally rather unpalatable to me.  So, I ended up asking her if I could get a large, iced tonic water with lime in it.  I do enjoy the bitterness of tonic water so it was a good choice, though I did miss the juniper flavoring of the gin itself.   

The large JFR cigar was a 7x70 so it was VERY large.  It was pleasant.  I sat, enjoyed the cigar in the peace and quiet, read a little bit of some of the literature I had accumulated at the meeting, but mostly I stared out the windows of the Montecristo into the shopping complex and people-watched... as a large array of people milled around from shop-to-shop.  

It was a nice way to spend the afternoon.  It was quiet.  When I met back up with my wife, she happily reported that she "broke even" from her adventure.  So, it was a nice late afternoon before heading back to the hotel to swim and plan dinner.  The Montecristo was nice to visit,  but I did very much miss the more homey feel of and the tremendously enjoyable conversations of my friends in the "Retiree's Cigar Group".  

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