December 7, 2007
I'm looking out at The Strip from the north tower of the Riviera Hotel. Rained overnight, tattered clouds hug the mountains.

Got here at about 5:30 yesterday. Kathy and I drove. Stopped in Kingman and met Scott Dunton at the old Elks Hall. Charlie Waters and I are planning a big gig there next year and I wanted to see the venue.

The Top Secret Writer was the keynote speaker at the opening of the SASS convention and he and I went out for dinner last night. We walked up The Strip and landed at the Capital Grill which is on a third floor of a modern glass building across from the torn down Frontier. The lonely sign still stands as one of the last vestiges of Las Vegas's attempt to be Western. Meal was excellent, although pricey ($125 plus $25 tip, Sue account).

Kathy didn't want to endure our endless chatter about plot points and character arc, so she ate at Denny's ($9 cash).

I have a presentation this morning at 11 and then dinner plans with Charlie and Linda Waters. We have a bet that I intend to win. More on that later.

After a nightcap in the Riviera lounge I got back to the room way past my bedtime at 11:30 and realized I hadn't done my six sketches. Couldn't find my sketchbook. Reluctantly, woke up Kathy and made her describe where she parked the car (she parked while I brought the luggage up with the porter, $25 cash tip). She mumbled where she thought the car was so I went out and in the sea of parking lots, found her Escape, three parking lots down and in the second row, got my sketchbook and came back to the room, via the casino where all the SASS guys were roaring at full volumne. Sat on the edge of the bed and whipped out the sketches. As I look at them this morning I kind of admire the loosey gooseyness of the red pen strokes. There is something to be said for a wasted mind, it shuts off and allows your hand to do the work. Interesting. I'll post it when I get home.

Gee, I wonder if Florence has anything to say about this?

"I attribute my success to this: I never gave or took an excuse."
—Florence Nightingale