Gambling and Walmart (A Glimpse of the College Life)

First, I would like to thank everyone who reads my blog.  Thank you so, so much.  I've gotten more than fifty thousand views in the last month.  You are so awesome!  I can't help but smile whenever I think about you guys.

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Each year, my dorm hosts a big event called Casino Night.  Everyone dresses in their very best and 'gambles' (with pretend money) for chances to win neat prizes like an iPad and a giant cookie.

Other than the occasional rule-free game of Texas Hold'Em on New Years Eve, I've never gambled before in my life, so the experience was brand new and exciting.

The dining room was transformed into a flashy casino.  Tables, a little laser light show, a buffet, and even a pretend bar (with sparkling cider) spanned two floors.  Although the prizes were pretty big, the night maintained a casual, fun feel.  In fact, after I accidentally left all of my chips behind at the sparkling cider bar, several thousand dollars were cheerfully given back to me at the next table I visited.

I learned how to play blackjack... and I won.  (Well, sometimes.)  Ian may have won the most rounds.  Perhaps it's because he borrowed Danny's "lucky" hat.

One young man defiantly claimed to know the secret to winning blackjack.  He lost everything twice, wandered off, and didn't come back.  I can only hope he will never enter a real casino.

At the end of the night, none of us actually won any prizes, but we all left happy.

Casino Night ended just before midnight, right as Jonny's birthday began.  We decided to head to IHOP to celebrate.  After all, nineteen is an important age that's taken for granted by most people... but hey, it's the last year to be a teen!  Unfortunately, we didn't have the number "1" with us, so Jonny turned nine instead.  He didn't seem to mind all that much.

We left IHOP around two in the morning.  Some of the guys in our group were tired and went on to bed, but Ian, Brian, and I decided to live like real college students... why sleep at normal times of the night when we could have adventures?  Not many places in our town was still open, so we decided to go to Walmart and see what exciting things we could find there.

Walmart is packed full of curious odds and ends.  We could wander around in that store for hours and still not explore it all.  What we did see filled our minds with wonder.   

Shiny glasses, expandable oars, and shopping carts.

Teddy bears almost as big as me.

Teeny tiny baseball bats.

Yes, Walmart can be an exciting place at four in the morning.