Playing for Keeps and Cashing Out.

Within hours of arriving at your glitzy desert destination you feel you've been there for days. Complete strangers on the elevator ride up to sharing wallet sized photos on the way down, all within less than half an hour, and no one has been drinking yet. Cocktail waitresses are on a first name basis and so are the 3 guys from New York that appear over and over again throughout the day. We can't wait to "get away" and "leave it all behind" but as soon as we "get there" we set up house, make friends with the neighbors, and invite Teresa the cocktail waitress to a wedding.

Why do we need to make the unfamiliar the familiar so badly even when the intuition fairy is screaming "Get out of Dodge!" over and over again in our heads? We know a hotel isn't a home and an acquaintance isn't a friend, but the lines become blurry in our desire to make it work, regardless of the reality. Kenny Rodgers may have said it best, “You got to know when to fold ‘em, know when to hold ‘em and know when to walk away, when the dealings done.”

At a fancy dinner party, one is served sorbet to cleanse the palate to assist in discriminating the next taste. A clean opportunity for the mouth to be selective and aware of what it will experience next. Unlike the culinary world, in relationships we want to quickly establish it as an old favorite, based on the hunger to feel comfortable. Sometimes, we're not really content with what we have created, but initially it feels like we are. When we wake up and realize what we have done, we panic. Can we undo the present we never really wanted? Boys and Girls, is it so scary to just make it up as you go along, push through something unknown, and stop trying to MAKE it work?

The biggest and brightest Casinos in Lost Wages are the crown jewels of the most glamorous cities of the world: Paris, The Venetian, and seriously retro Rome, Caesar's Palace. In sin city, you can kiss under the Eiffel Tower, ride in a Gondola and if you can't make it anywhere, you can make it in New York New York.

Even in the land of make believe, the known and comfortable lead the pack. Is it because we are comfortable with the available choices? That they are the only visions we would entertain anyway? Imagine Calcutta Casino. Karma Coins, Reincarnation Roulette (and don't tip the beggars - they're on payroll) as atmosphere along with the skinny cows roaming around the lobby.

Deutschland has rooms available if the Calcutta is full. It's got 6 restaurants and 4 cafes, all serving Bratwurst, pretzels and kraut. And that's all. Open 23.6 hours a day, the wait staff wears Heidi dresses or Lederhosen, and the drinks come in a keg sized souvenir Dachshunds. And make sure you visit The Wall. It's a hot new club serving beer, beer and beer. Did I mention beer? Sit on the West side; it's the only way to actually get a table or anything else for that matter.

Then there's the new darling on The Strip, Israel. Make sure you visit the Wailing Wall when you've lost all your Kosher Koins. It talks back! "Didn't your mother tell you not to gamble? How about some nice Chicken Soup to make you feel better - and go wash your hands you don't know where the Kosher Koins have been."

Miss Kitty's Casinos may be a little crazy, but you couldn't help but go there in your imagination and take a peek. It's fun, and you can always make up your own. Imagine The Vatican, The Airport, or Oxnard (just put strawberry fields in between the Blackjack and Craps tables).

When it comes to your current or pending idea of a relationship, check in with yourself frequently to make sure the cards you are holding are the ones you really want. If your gut knows they aren’t right, don’t be afraid to thrown them back and wait for something better. You won’t be lonely, those guys from New York and of course, Theresa will be there to keep you company. (Mom, since I know you will ask, I am still madly love with RM, this is just a premise for KITC)

Have a naughty day!