This and That

I really haven't had a whole lot to blog about but it's been a week so I figure it's time to report in.

Sunday's game was quite profitable for me. I bet on the Giants and made a tidy bundle of cash. We also had some pools (49 to be exact - the Moose love pools) and I won a couple of those too. We had over 100 people at the lodge watching the game and since it was pot luck, we had more than enough food and snacks. Like my cousin Joan, I behaved pretty good food wise and only had a few chicken wings (the very mild ones), a couple of potato skins and veggies. I wasn't too hungry since I drank a full Snapple tea and it was quite filling. Since the football season is now officially over, I am in the blue stage but since it's only 7 months until the new season begins, it gives me something to look foward to.

Yesterday was voting day. I always file an absentee ballot so I actually voted over two weeks ago. When I moved here in 1964, I remained a Canadian for the first 20 years, which prevented me from voting. Lynn and Joan had this wonderful aunt (their father's sister) who was very conservative. When I would complain about the Government, she would remind me that I had no right as long as I refused to become an American. Finally in 1984 I worked for a company which required me to become an American citizen (they even had their attorney fill out the paperwork) so I agreed providing I could maintain dual citizenship. What this means is that while I am living in the USA I will have an American passport and can vote here but not in Canada. If I ever move back to Canada (don't think that will happen), I would have a Canadian passport and I could vote there but not here. I have always had a soft spot for my birth country (well soft in the summer, fall and spring - not so soft in the winter) and really wasn't ready to completely abandon my Canadian citizenship so this was the best of both worlds.

The part of the ballot which challenged me was not the presidential choices but the Indian Gaming measures. There were 4 which requested that the Reservations be allowed to increase the amount of slot machines in their casinos, thereby increasing the amount of money they give the State of California (desperately needed). They also claim they would share money with the other tribes which don't have casinos for hospitals and schools. The opposition claimed that only 4 tribes would be making a lot of money with the other 70 tribes being left out. The people for the increases claimed that Los Vegas was actually funding the oppoisition, not wanting to lose the money they are bringing in. There has been quite a lot of discussion in the lodge for and against. I finally decided to vote for the increase because any extra money coming into the State coffer is better than none at all. I figure that it would be impossible for all the new slot machines to be used at one time anyway so what difference would increasing the casino size make and hopefully the 4 big casinos will be honorable and the money will be shared with the other tribes. I guess most agreed with me because all 4 measures passed.

So there you have my week in a nutshell. Now that it's finished and I have read it over, it sounds pretty boring to me!! Hope you all had a great Mardi Gras Tuesday.