Hot Toddies and My Time as a Drinker and Gambler

Well, I'm sitting at Brock's desk in his new room, sick as a dog, thinking about the past couple of weeks and my procrastination of updating all you fans of the Nickel-Plated Wayfarer. I'm drinking a Hot Toddy of my own recipe, which I discovered in those moments of hallucination when you're too sick to think clearly:

In a tumbler, mix:

• a little honey,
• 1/2 part Peppermint Schnapps
• 1 part Rum
• Fresh lemon juice
• Hot water

Garnish with lemon for a tasty, soothing treat!

It's a damn good recipe and I hope you all give it a whirl next time you're feeling under the weather.

Where was I last week? Right. I was touring the "Big Sky" of Montana, starting with Missoula. I learned a lesson on my Sunday flight to Missoula. DON'T EVER JOKE AROUND AT THE AIRPORT. Don't even smile. Nuff said. It snowed all night and I woke up to beautiful, rolling hills of white that I didn't take pictures of because I was too crabby and tired from the previous night's travels to find any beauty in the landscape. Then it was on to Billings, a real armpit of a town. The next stop in my weeks travels was to Denver, where I met up with my old friend Nathan Tripp and his brother Luke. We had Mexican food and a couple pitchers of beer, but I couldn't relish in their company for long because I had a big day Wednesday, with over 150 librarians filing into the banquet hall of the Radisson fiending for coffee, bagels, and "professional development hours."

Trying to take a picture of myself in front of Reno's biggest and most famous landmark

Wednesday night, we flew to Reno, "The biggest little city in the world!" That night I got drunk and won $100! The next morning I set up the day's seminar and hit the slots as I waited for lunch, winning around $30 by pushing some buttons and watching lights flash. At the end of the day I hugged my presenter goodbye and headed to the blackjack tables at Circus Circus, where I lost my winnings, won them back, ate a prime rib dinner, lost my winnings, won them back, and flew home to lovely Seattle sick and tired and a little buzzed. For the time I spent in Reno I grossed around $200.