So, I went to a casino today, having turned 21 less than a week ago. Played some slots. And I must say: I do not get it. People actually pile into these places to pour money into something which is more likely than not to keep that money, and they somehow enjoy it. I suppose I could see enjoying slot machines if there was some way in which your actions might actually affect the results, but no, all the reels stop by themselves. And if a sort of bonus screen comes up on one of the digital ones, there's absolutely no way to know, besides being psychic, which choice will yield the most money. And I'm not psychic.

I took note one or two hours into the bore-fest that the only people I saw smiling were those turned away from the machines to talk to whoever happened to be there.

I think I pretty much broke even, but I'm not sure anymore. Mom dragged me around to play too many machines, and I lost count. She somehow believes that I'll like one slot machine over another because it's themed differently. Even if there's a machine about ninja pirate robot dino-zombie cyborgs, it's still a completely "luck"-based money sink.

At some point, my uncle and I walked around the various game tables, watching people throw away hundreds upon hundreds on roulette and blackjack and such, and wishing we had that kind of money to waste.

Well, at least there was free soda.

Talking"777"Dog