Sunday, June 30, 2013

Cash in your Wallet

I never understood why people carry loads of cash with them. I can't tell you how many times I have customers taking out a wad of cash and flip through their hundred dollar bills to get to their smaller bills. It truly amazes me to see how much cash people carry around. Do they worry about getting mugged? I had a guy buy $500 worth of gift cards today. He gave me 5 (hopefully not counterfeit) Benjamins. Why are you carrying well over $500 cash with you? Two years ago when I won $2,000 on a horse race, I was nervous carrying that much cash in my pocket from the OTB to my house. It's a very short walk but I was still nervous. I love money, just like everyone else, but I don't like carrying a lot of it on me! When I did well at Atlantic City a few months ago, I had almost $1,000 cash in my wallet. My hand was permanently in my pocket making sure my wallet was still there. There are crazy people in this world. I don't want or need anyone mugging me. Unless I am in a casino or on vacation, you will not see more than $100 in my wallet at any time. If I'm at a casino, you probably won't see any money in my wallet because I probably lost it all. I do like having cash on me though. I'm not one of those people who like to use my credit card for everything. I don't see a point in that when I can pay for it right away and not worry about it a month later. Be careful with your cash because you don't want someone to steal it on you!

Saturday, June 29, 2013

Drivers License

Out of the five people in my family, I was the only person to pass my drivers test on the first try. I find that absolutely hilarious since I am the one with the most accidents by far. With my first car, I once rubbed up against another car pulling out of a parking spot and then drove away...oops! There was a dent and a scratch in my car when I checked it out later. I don't know what damage I caused to the other car. Another time with that car, I was at a red light and was nailed in the back by a car. It was snowing and the roads were slippery. There was a small crack in the back, we didn't report it. Only one month after getting my second car, a truck backed up into the front of my car. I couldn't get it fixed for a two months because they were extremely busy with other cars first. A month later, before damage from the first accident was fixed, I was on cruise control on the thruway during heavy rain. I hydroplaned, hit the brakes, lost control and nailed a guard rail. My airbags came flying out and the front of my not even two month old car was a wreck. Of course it was a used car, but still. On the bright side, I was okay and no one else was involved in the accident. My mom was not happy at all. I was supposed to visit a friend in Pennsylvania later that month. That didn't happen. Luckily the car wasn't totaled. A year later, I was at a red light minding my own business. All of a sudden, I was hit pretty hard in the back of the car. It turns out that car 1 was going so fast and not paying attention. Car 1 hit car 2, who hit 3, then 4, and I was car 5. I didn't move very far forward, so I didn't hit car 6. I ended up having that Honda for a total of 4 years before buying my 3rd car. So far, no accidents in this new car, knock on wood. My last accident was summer 2009. My total from my driving is 5 accidents, 3 of which were reported, 2 were not. I'd love to keep my total at 5!

Friday, June 28, 2013

Movies Type of Day

I haven't done this in an extremely long time. I watched three movies today. I recently bought Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Part 2 but haven't watched it yet. I saw it in the theater. It started pouring rain so I decided to watch it. Then I started looking at what movies are available on Netflix. I decided to watch The House at the End of the Street. That was an interesting horror film. I looked up When a Stranger Calls. I've seen it before but wanted to watch it again. Netflix didn't have that but instead had When a Killer Calls which came out the same year. I watched that and it is almost exactly the same as When a Stranger Calls. I find it very strange that those two movies came out the same year by different directors yet are eerily almost exactly the same. Maybe I should watch some happy movies the next time I decide to waste a day and do nothing.

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Brain on Fire

Have you ever read the book Brain on Fire by Susannah Cahalan? You haven't? What are you waiting for? Brain on Fire is a book about the author and her fight to live through a rare disease. She was having all sorts of strange things happen to her like hallucinations, headaches, dizziness, and seizures. She had a barrage of tests and doctors could not figure out what was wrong. She continued to get worse and worse with cognitive and speech issues. They all thought she was going insane. She was extremely close to going into a mental institution until they finally figured out what was causing the problems. It's very scary what the human body can do. Her body literally attacked her brain. It made her do things she would never do. She said many hurtful things to all the people she loves. Naturally everyone thinks that something like that could never happen to them. Unfortunately you just don't know that. The body can do strange things to you whether you are expecting it or not. That's why it's so important to live each day to the fullest because you never know when it could be your last. You also don't know if you will suddenly have a rare illness. I highly recommend you read Brain on Fire because it will make you put everything into perspective.

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Dogs

When I was younger, I used to beg my mom for a dog. I wanted one so badly, yet she always refused. I knew that when I was an adult I would get a dog. My first dog would be a Dachshund, then I'd get a Chihuahua, then I'd get a Golden Retriever. When I was in seventh grade, one day a week or two before Thanksgiving, my mom told me she needed help getting something big out of the car. I grudgingly went out to help her. To my shock, there was a huge black and tan Coon Hound in her car! It was ours to keep. She got him from the pound. He was three years old and didn't like strangers too much because his last owner would feed him then go to work without taking him outside to go to the bathroom. Unfortunately we only had Max for three months. He bit my brothers friend and that was that. Exactly a week later, we picked up a Beagle from a breeder. We had her for a year and a half. She shredded everything and would bite people. We got rid of her. We had no luck with dogs. Now I have OCD around dogs. Whenever I pet one, I have to wash my hands. I now have no plans on getting a dog when I move out. In a few weeks, my younger and older brother, who live in an apartment together, are getting a puppy. I think it's a horrible thing to do because they are never home. They won't be able to take care of her for over 8 hours a day everyday. That's a problem. Unfortunately it's not my decision to make. They are big boys who can make their own decisions. We will see how it goes.

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

8 Years Ago on This Date

On 6/25/05, I graduated high school. 8 years ago already! What have I done since then? I graduated with a major in Childhood Education, graduated with a masters as an Educational Technology Specialist, wrote and self-published 3 books, and became a computer aide. I have accomplished a lot in those 8 years, yet I am still not satisfied. Anyone who knows me knows why I'm not satisfied. I still do not have an elementary teacher position. That is something I have wanted since 6th grade. There is nothing else in the world I want to be besides a teacher. I still keep applying to every job I see available. I have revised my resume and cover letter so many times that I've lost count. I've had them checked by numerous trustworthy people who know what they are talking about. They all think my application materials look great. I feel like I stand out because I am a male and a published author. How many published authors apply to be an elementary school teacher? How many are male? My guess is not too many. Although I have accomplished a lot and I am extremely proud of what I have accomplished, I won't feel complete until I achieve my life-long dream of becoming a teacher.

Monday, June 24, 2013

On Days Like This

When my younger brother still lived at home, he and I would sleep downstairs in the game room everyday in the summer. Now that he's gone, I don't typically sleep downstairs. Today and probably all of this week will be different. Besides my parents room, the game room is the one room that has the AC in it. After writing this, I will go up to my room to the sauna to get my pillows and blankets and bring them down here. I can never get a good nights sleep anyway. If I were to try to do it in my room where it's 100° in it, I'd fail miserably. I don't leave the AC on while I'm asleep because it's  noisy. I will have my fan blasting on me though. When we leave the AC on during the day, it obviously significantly cools off the room. It remains cool all night too. For these hot and humid days, you know where you can find me!

Sunday, June 23, 2013

Tom Petty

I just got back from seeing Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers for the 5th time. The opening act was The Wallflowers. They were okay. I only knew two songs that they performed, One Headlight, and 6th Avenue Heartache. They played for about 50 minutes. Tom Petty played for about two hours. I have to say, tonight was probably my least favorite Tom Petty concert out of the five. He sounded lethargic to me. My mom thinks otherwise. He also played a lot of songs that I didn't know. I know a lot of his music. He didn't play my favorite song, You Don't Know. He played my other favorite song, Free Fallin', but very slowly. He stopped singing a lot to let the crowd sing the lyrics. I know a lot of performers do that. However, while he was doing that, he just looked tired and like he didn't want to sing. I know he's 62 years old and 11 is probably way past his bedtime, it's past mine too. That's no excuse for not putting on a good show. He did a three song encore like he always does. The last song he sang, as he always does, was American Girl. We started walking out as he played that song so we could beat the traffic, and we did! Maybe the next time Petty comes to SPAC and I go see him I will be more impressed.

Saturday, June 22, 2013

Yard Work

I cannot stand doing yard work. Unfortunately, it has to be done. It looks really good when it's done, too. Today I went over to my grandparents to rake and mow the yard. I've been doing it for years. Since I don't get over to mow too often, the grass was pretty high. I also had to rake a lot in between the bushes. I had to saw down some branches that were growing out of control. I raked, then mowed, then raked again. After mowing, I had to rerake the grass because of how high it was. It took me just under three hours. I'm glad I did it in the morning. I was dripping from head to toe since I sweat when I breathe when it's humid out. I always make out well when I do yard work for my grandparents so I can't complain too much. I got a nice chunk of change, lunch, then they took me out to dinner. I love being spoiled.

Friday, June 21, 2013

Where are my Books Being Sold?

Not counting the free days for my books, I have sold over 500 copies total! I have no idea who is buying them and where they are buying from. I know I have sold 14 books in Japan! I have sold some in England. Naturally almost all of them have been sold in the United States. Amazon does not tell me where my customers are buying from. I'd be interested in knowing. I also want to know how they found my book and why they are buying it. Did someone recommend it? Did they see me post something on Twitter? Are they taking a chance on a book that sounds good? Last month I sold 97 books. This month I have already sold 64 books. Clearly the word is getting out about my books. I know there are millions of people in the US alone and that 500 isn't a large number comparatively. However, in order for 500 people to buy my books, the word has to be getting out there somehow. To whoever is helping promote my books, thank you!

Thursday, June 20, 2013

Successful Graduation

I have been working in this district for four years now. I have attended the graduation at the current school I'm working at 3 of the four years. In 2010, I substitute taught the 6th graders a lot at this school. I decided to go to their graduation since I knew the kids pretty well. The computer aide was in charge of showing the graduation slideshow. It's a DVD of pictures of the graduating kids. It took her awhile to get it working. Parents in the gym patiently waited a few minutes for the DVD to start playing. In 2011, I did not go to the graduation. Last year was my first as a computer aide at this school. I was in charge of showing the slideshow. I watched it a few times before to make sure it worked. It had no problems. Of course during the graduation, it decided to skip about 45 seconds of the pictures. I was so embarrassed since I was in charge of showing it. Unfortunately there was nothing I could do about it. Luckily each kid gets this DVD so they can watch it at home and see their picture if it skipped them during the graduation. I wasn't given the DVD for this years graduation until yesterday. I watched the 12 minute show two times yesterday. In both times, it worked no problem. Naturally this morning, I had a little anxiety that it would mess up like it did last year. What if my computer freezes? What if the projector doesn't turn on? What if the speakers stop working? What if the DVD won't play at all? These are real fears that I have every time I set up a projector and laptop for an event at school. I set up projectors for events frequently. Of course I don't show my fears on the outside. Luckily today, everything went smoothly! The slideshow played with no problem and everyone loved it. Another year has come and gone. What will next year bring?

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Cooked Meat

I used to love all of my meat well done. Now I like my steak and roast beef medium to medium well. All other meat needs to be fully cooked. Of course chicken and pork need to be cooked completely. I also don't like any pink in my hamburgers. Today at work, we had our annual staff luncheon. Parents cooked us a huge lunch and I ate a gargantuan cupcake for dessert. That cupcake could have fed a family of four, or me. They made us hamburgers and hot dogs. Unfortunately, my hamburger was bleeding and had a lot of pink in it. You know that I don't waste food and I eat everything off of my plate. Today I had to throw out most of the burger. I know some people like their meat very rare. I don't like it still mooing. One thing is for sure, I will never become a vegetarian.

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Bowling

My friend bought a Groupon for bowling on Christmas Eve. It expires June 24. We went to the bowling alley two other times before this, but it was packed with leagues. We were finally able to go tonight after all 4 of us were available. This coupon was for 4 people to bowl 2 games each, shoes, a whole pizza, and a pitcher of soda for $20 total. That's right, it cost just $5 per person to get shoes, bowl 2 games, get pizza and soda. What a great deal! I can't tell you the last time I went bowling. I can guarantee you that I did better than I did tonight. I did not get one strike all night. I bowled a 69 then an 89. Oh well. Bowling is gross. You have to stick your fingers in a ball that everyone touches. Then I was touching pizza. It probably was not the most sanitary thing in the world. Then my feet were in shoes where everyone elses feet were. I can get over the fact that I bowled miserably since I rarely bowl. Bowling is still a fun activity for everyone involved.

Monday, June 17, 2013

June Jamboree

Today was our schools annual field day. I'm glad the rain held off until the kids were gone. Unfortunately, I did not get to go in the dunk tank this year. A few weeks ago, I told the guy in charge that I was interested in doing the dunk tank again. He told me he would put me on the list. I checked the list this morning and I wasn't on it. Oh well. It was a day full of fun activities and lots of playing around. We started by throwing balls at the dunk tank and going on the bouncy bounce. When I say we, I really mean the kids in my group. Then we went inside to do some arts and crafts. After that we had recess. I played basketball with the kids. It was like 5 of us against 30. I still have ringing in my ears from the kids screaming the persons name for the ball. Whenever someone gets the ball, every kid will call that name until (if) they pass it. "John! John! John! John! John! John!" More than likely, they won't pass it and they will be a ball hog. After that, I had a break as I dropped the kids off at cooperative activities. The gym coaches were in charge of that. Then they all got to plant flowers in the garden. We had tug of war after that. Teachers were able to try to beat the 3rd through 6th graders after destroying grades K-2. I was the anchor. Unfortunately, I slipped and fell on my sunburned back and cost my team the contest. I'm a failure, haha. My group didn't get to eat until 1PM! I survived though because they fed me pizza so it was all good. We had 1 hour early dismissal today. The kids were gone by 2. Only three more days left of school for the year. Wow!

Sunday, June 16, 2013

Sunscreen Spray

It's important that when you use sunscreen spray, you pay attention to where you are spraying and that you rub it in afterwards. I put on sunscreen yesterday, but did not rub it in to my body. If you look at me shirtless, you'd scream and have nightmares from my insanely large gut. You would also see dark red shoulders with a random white spot on my right shoulder and underneath where I didn't spray very well. Yesterday was a windy day, so I didn't think I'd get too sunburned. Boy was I wrong. I can't wait for the peeling process. It should be a lot of fun (sarcasm). It will also heal very awkwardly since I have red blotches and white spots all over my shoulders and arms. Oh well. You live and you learn.

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Uganda

Today we had a Learning Enrichment day at school. The theme was water. We have had connections with a school in Uganda. They have very few resources. The well of water they used to have broke. They now have to travel about 5 miles to get water and it's not clean! We had many activities and presenters today around our theme of water. We sometimes don't realize how lucky we are to have water. We take it for granted. We use it for everything. We wash our hands, brush our teeth, clean our clothes, clean the dishes, make food, etc. People in Uganda can't even do that. They have to boil their water first to clean it out. They have to use wood and make a fire to boil the water. It's hard for them to even collect wood to do that. The moral of today was to make sure you appreciate everything you have. The next time you beg your parents for an iPhone, think about the kids in Uganda who are thrilled when they get school supplies.

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Shuffling Cards

I am probably the world's worst card shuffler. It's shocking how poorly I shuffle cards considering I play every month. When I play at Turning Stone, of course dealers shuffle cards. When we play at home, when you are the "dealer" for that hand, you have to shuffle the cards. I am slow, I can't do it well, and it's embarrassing. Another weird thing is that I deal the cards left handed. I'm right handed. I can't tell you why I deal with my left hand. I tried dealing with my right and it felt weird. Clearly I am a very strange person. You already knew that though.

Monday, June 10, 2013

The Purge

I just saw the movie The Purge. It takes place in 2022. For 12 hours, there are no laws. You can kill people and do whatever you want. The point of it is to eliminate the weak and the poor. I do not like that concept at all. However, I liked the movie a lot. The bad thing was that there were some predictable parts and it was only an hour and 25 minutes. Why would anybody participate in the purge? You run the risk of dying too. What if you don't kill the person you intend to kill? After the 12 hours, you will have many awkward encounters with that person. I'm quite glad we don't have a purge in real life. I don't want to know if people want to murder me. I, for one, have no desire to kill anyone. Those thoughts have never entered my mind. Some movies they come up with are very strange. If you are looking for an action thriller, go see The Purge. That's only if you're willing to spend $11.50 for a movie that's only 1 hour and 25 minutes.

Sunday, June 9, 2013

Fumes

You know that when your car shows the orange light when you look to see how much gas is left, it means you need to get gas pretty much right away. If humans had that feature, I'd be flashing that orange light nonstop. I started really feeling that way this morning at the grocery store. I've had a very busy last couple of weeks. There's only 9 days of school left, but I'll be kept very busy until the end. I don't have much left in the tank. There's no way to fill up either because I don't have time to do so. It's also very expensive to fill up my tank. I'm sure my tank won't be completely full until after my cruise in August. Like I said, it's expensive to refill my tank of gas. If I can get through the next 9 work days, I think I'll be about to skid by until my cruise. Here's to hoping there's enough fumes in my tank to keep me going for 9 more school days! "I think I can! I think I can! I think I can! I think I can!" Bonus points if you can name that song!

Saturday, June 8, 2013

3 Different Winners

Another disappointing day of betting the ponies for me. I thought Orb would be primed and ready for this race. When you think about it, a 1st, 4th, and 3rd when running three races in 5 weeks isn't bad at all. However when you win the Derby, you have much higher expectations. I was shocked that the Belmont track was listed as fast. The track had almost 4 inches of rain yesterday. It was listed as sloppy all day during yesterdays races. Then this morning it was upgraded to muddy. Then it went to fast. The Belmont workers did an outstanding job to get the track in excellent condition for today's race. I did not expect Palace Malace to run well. I thought he would be mid pack and then fade backwards, yet he won the race. Revolutionary didn't run a good race. Orb had his late push, then was obviously too tired to run past any horse at the end. Handicapping races like this is so challenging. I failed to do so correctly once again. On to the next race...

Friday, June 7, 2013

Choosing What Color Shirt to wear

I used to face the daunting task each day before work of choosing what color to wear. When I was a student teacher in a 5th grade class, I told the kids what color shirts I had. I then allowed one of them to choose what color I would wear. They were always excited to see that I actually wore that color shirt the next day. Once I started substitute teaching, each morning, I would stare in my closet and decide what color shirt I would wear. For over a year now, I don't have to choose. I just grab the next shirt available. I pick from left to right. After I wear a shirt and wash it, I hang it up to the far right so that I can pick the other shirts first. It makes life so much easier! Then I don't have to worry about wearing the same shirt twice in one week. When it comes to polo shirts, I just grab whatever shirt I feel like grabbing. I do the same for T-shirts. I fold them up and put them in the drawer to the far left. I grab the next shirt on the right side of the drawer. Why should I spend time thinking about what I'm going to wear each day when I shouldn't have to?

Thursday, June 6, 2013

Making a Big Deal Over Small Things

About a week ago, my mom says pretty loudly, "Oh, crap!" I say, "What's wrong?" She responds, "I forgot to eat strawberries today." I stare at her in shock. When someone says oh crap! and sounds concerned, you think something horrible has happened. I respond laughing, "You sound like the kids at school. 'Oh no, I forgot my pencil!'" Kids tend to be overly dramatic over the smallest things. It takes every ounce of fiber in me not to laugh at them when they say stuff like that. I think I have developed quite the poker face when kids say funny things. It's almost expected now. I've had kids cry over a broken pencil (when I was in 1st grade, I cried over a broken pencil, too, so I shouldn't laugh at this), cry when they can't log in, and cry when someone budges them in line. The biggest thing for kids is getting in line first to go somewhere. They will sprint from the computer to get in line. Sometimes they will still have headphones on and will almost take the computer with them. I cringe every time I see a student run in my room because I worry that they forgot to take the headphones off. It's amazing how dramatic young kids can be about the smallest things to adults. To them, these small issues are the biggest thing in the world. I tell kids all the time, "If that is your biggest problem all day, you are having a great day." Before you get worked up over the smallest things, think about how other people will react to your overreaction.

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

End of Newspaper Club

Today was the last meeting for the year with my newspaper club students. Because I'm awesome, I made them chocolate chip cookies, brought in popcorn and juice, and we had a small party. They devoured the cookies and popcorn. I had maybe 16-17 kids there today. I was pretty upset when they left. I have to admit, it's not because today was the last meeting. It's because only 3 or 4 kids thanked me for the treats today. That's sad. I try to teach my kids manners whenever they are in my lab. I spent time and money to make those cookies and get the other food for them. I didn't have to do that. All I wanted was a simple, sincere thank you from each of the kids. I don't think that's too much to ask for. On another note, there were a few fifth graders that have told me they will be back for newspaper club next year. I told them that I'd do newspaper club again if I am working as a computer aide again. I'd be pretty upset for them if I do not come back next year. Then they won't have a newspaper club. I know they are looking forward to doing it again next year. Everyone is always asking me what I'm doing over the summer and next year. My response is that I have no clue. That's a true story. I keep applying to teaching jobs. Shockingly I have applied to about 15 in the area. I didn't expect there to be any openings at all. If I don't get any jobs that I applied for, I will keep my job as a computer aide. For the summer, I could be working at the grocery store or doing tech cleanup like I did last year. I have no idea yet. One thing is for sure, I thought that newspaper club was a huge success overall this year. The kids had a lot of fun and wrote some excellent articles are year long. For that, I am very proud of them. Until next year...maybe.

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Presidential History

One of my new obsessions has become learning more about the presidents. I go to a bar for trivia every Wednesday night. Every time I go, they have at least one question, sometimes two about the presidents. I always feel like I know the answer, then I don't. Every Thursday, I talk to the librarian in my school and ask her the presidential question from the night before. She almost always gets it right. She recently gave me 6 or 7 kids books about the presidents. It has all sorts of neat facts and information about every president. As I am reading this information, I would have loved to have known it a few weeks ago! I read an answer to a question that was asked a week or two ago and I get annoyed. If I had only read the books earlier! The hard part about reading all of this information is remembering all of it for each president. Since there are 43 different presidents (yes 43, Grover Cleveland was president for 2 non-consecutive terms) there is a lot of information to keep straight. After reading every book that my librarian gave me, I should be an expert on all of the presidents!

Monday, June 3, 2013

Alarm Clock Music

It's a very rare occurrence that I sleep until my alarm goes off in the morning. My body must program itself to wake up five or more minutes before the alarm everyday. I'm not a big fan of that! I never sleep late on the one day I have off every week either. Some people have the annoying beep, beep, beep as their alarm. Many people use a cell phone alarm. I don't have the stereotypical alarm clock that they show in movies. You know, the clock that is analog and rings and the main character throws it against a wall. I have a digital clock that I have set to some radio station. Most of the time, if I sleep until my alarm, I hop right out of bed and turn off the radio and forget the song that was playing. Sometimes I just lay in bed and don't want to get up. That's shockingly pretty rare for me. Normally I can get up fairly easily. I hate when a good song comes on because I always have to turn it off right away since the music is loud and I don't want to hear it while waking up. The most ironic song that ever played as the alarm clock sounded was, "I'm wide awake" by Katy Perry. As I turned off that horrible song, I thought to myself, No I'm not! I wonder if I will sleep until my alarm goes off tomorrow. If I do, what song will I wake up to?

Sunday, June 2, 2013

Valet Parking

My grocery store has made some pretty ridiculous decisions in the past. This one tops them all. My friend told me about this on Friday and I was literally left speechless. My grocery store now has valet parking. Really? What is the point of asking someone else to park your car at a grocery store? I think the reason they are doing this is because parking is a bit difficult now with major construction happening. We have limited parking since construction vehicles are taking of most of the back parking lot. I don't want someone else driving my car. I certainly don't want to tip someone for doing that either. We tip people enough for other jobs. I truly think that this is another waste of money for my grocery store. The valet parking service is an outside company. That means my store is paying them. That also means that company is paying workers to do nothing! I don't think many people will want this service. I sure don't!

Saturday, June 1, 2013

90° Outside, Yet I'm Freezing

There are two places that I've been to in the summer where I am absolutely freezing while inside. One place is the building where I graded standardized tests. They always had the air conditioner on to keep the computers cool. I had the AC on in my computer lab yesterday and Thursday not so I could stay cool, but so the computers could stay cool. Duh! Haha. The other place that is always freezing is Turning Stone. My dad reminded me yesterday that I needed to bring a sweatshirt today when I went to make a donation. I find it ridiculous that I had to bring one with me when it was 90° again today. I needed it though. While sitting in the poker room, it was very cold. I don't know if Turning Stone keeps the AC on to keep people awake and spend more. Does a cold atmosphere get people to spend more money? I'm sure they have done extensive research on that. Either way, there I was today, wearing a sweatshirt even though it was extremely hot and humid outside.