A Jaunt To Vegas

“He could mix in any company, but he always knew who he was.”--Ben Macintyre, AGENT ZIGZAG
My days seem to drag a bit.  I feel like a mouse in a maze at times while various ideas sift in my mind.  I look at want ads and a weekly magazine for potential employment but nothing strikes me at this point. 
Alan is involved with his commercial real estate properties and he always has a story about an employee, a tenant or his business partner.  He makes like so interesting.  I feel connected with the outside world when he comes home.   I like living at Sea Colony, near the beach with him.  The cool foggy misty mornings are special.   It makes me feel like home in Alameda (only I am much closer to the beach and I see plenty of palm trees).  It’s just why I moved to Southern California.   I prefer the sunshine but these misty mornings are perfect for January and February. 
As I am alone working on a painting or taking a break I think of my dad.  He is gone and I realize how much he gave to me.  He could mix with any person.  He knew how to talk to people and was always a likable man.  I feel I have taken that quality.  I don’t like to judge people.  I like to know all peoples.  I may not agree with all of what certain people say but I refrain from disagreement.  It only hurts me inside to be negative.  I’d rather avoid conflict and walk away.  I think my dad would often do the same.  He always played neutral ground with a smile.
Alan and I went to see another movie that we really loved.  It was called SCENES FROM A MALL.  It was a comedy and we actually laughed.   It was starring Bette Midler and Woody Allen.   They played a married couple on their 16th anniversary.   They take a trip to a Beverly Hills mall and it becomes the stage for personal revelations and deceptions.  They made a great team.
Alan and I met on November 20th in 1989, so we consider the 20th of each month our anniversary.  I joked, “Maybe we should go to the mall on November 20th…or even March 20th…and see what words come out.”“Yeah right,” Alan replied.
On March 1st I sent a postcard to mom from the Caesars Palace Hotel in Las Vegas.  Yes, Alan and I took a weekend escape there.   Alan surprised me with tickets to see JOAN RIVERS.  He’s the best.  I wrote the following to mom:
Hi Mom,Did you hear Marlon Brando’s son got away with murder with a sentence of only ten years?  He will be allowed parole release in four to five years.  It is amazing, isn’t it?I made it to Las Vegas and almost won $1200 on KENO but it was a “pretend” game that we had placed.  Wouldn’t you know it!  I still have two days left here.  I will see JOAN RIVERS “Live” here at Caesars Palace tonight.Thinking of You, Always. Love,Michael
March 3rd… I received a menu card from Gloria Romero from her visit to the DANVILLE HOTEL Restaurant and Saloon.   I liked the picture of what looked like a hot chocolate paired with a cup of hot tea with a cinnamon stick.  It seemed like two perfect anecdotes to enjoy on a cold winter day.  Inside the card, Gloria wrote:  “Hi!  I enjoyed a day with the girls.  This was a nice place, a nice postcard menu of drinks.  Thinking of You.  Love, Gloria”
And a day or two later I received another card from Dorothy Rua.  She and I still have an occasional telephone conversation.  Like Alan, she often inspires me once I hang up the phone.  The Black and White photographic image on her card reminded me of SPANKY from the LITTLE RASCALS.  I liked the old mid-century kitchen scene.  And I got the message of SPANKY looking up at a 'pie' that seemed so utterly unattainable.  It's amazing how a photo can relay such a good message.  Dorothy wrote:3-4-91Dear Michael,The think you want are NOT always as out of reach as they initially appear.  You and I both know it’s possible to find a way to get what you want.  You have to be determined.   And above all you must have the talent!  Just remember when you grab hold of that pie (or job)…enjoy it!  It is all going to happen for you.  I just know it!

I enjoyed our talk last week.  Thanks for the movie tips.  You’ve probably returned from your “jaunt to Vegas”.   Was it great fun?  It’s great to have a change of scenery and I bet the shows weren’t bad.  How did you do at the Black Jack tables?  Tell me you won enough to retire on.  Ha-- Was Alan lucky?
It’s been a while since I’ve gone to the TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN to ‘Dream Impossible Dreams’ but here I am today.  I didn’t have anything planned for lunch and you’ve been on my mind, so here I sit, enjoying the rain pouring down, the wind blowing everything in sight and the sky getting darker by the minute.  I love it.  I guess I’m in the mood for stormy weather.  It’s been a while but I am also in the mood to contemplate that unwritten book of mine.  I think part of it is the weather or maybe it is because yesterday I woke from a dream about you!   This time I didn’t jump up and walk four miles (like I did one and a half years ago).  I would have been nuts.  It was raining cats and dogs yesterday morning.  Sometimes life is a real puzzle and I wonder if I will ever get even a portion of it solved.  Maybe the unexplained mystery is what it is all about!
Why am I so into the enjoyment of this stormy weather?   At the same time, thinking about running on a sandy beach with the sun on my back and the wind in my face would be equally nice.  Perhaps the real question is why can’t I have it all?
How are YOU doing?   Are you HAPPY with most of your choices?  They all sound right.  I mean…based on the direction you’ve wanted to go it seems right.  I am sure you’ll have even better choices ahead!  Let me know what possibilities arise, okay?
The PAC TEL Sale went through yesterday and the company is now owned by PAC TEL MERIDIAN (a joint venture between PACIFIC TELESIS and NORTHERN TELECOM).  I am still around at the request of Larry, the Director…for how long I don’t know.  I guess we will all see who remains in the picture. Do you and Alan have any more trips planned?  Or are you just saving your Vegas winnings?I am enjoying my OREO cookies and thinking of you.Love, Dorothy
“I don’t know much about government and economics and all that, and I don’t want to know much, but I do know that the Federal Government to me, to one small citizen, is mostly dreary hallways and waiting around.  The more we have, the longer we wait and the tireder we get.”--Harper Lee, GO SET A WATCHMAN