The Story of Lori

[davina61]

And if there are pebbles around it whats it been up to!!

[Lori Dee]

And if there are pebbles around it whats it been up to!!

 

[CaringWhisper]

An interesting turn of events...

My best friend was about to head to the local laundromat. Her sister decided it could wait and that my friend, the sister, and my friend's son should go to Deadwood to the casino instead.

Her son was playing a dollar slot machine and was down about $100 but then started winning free games. He kept playing and won over 1,000 free games. Meanwhile, my friend is freaking out and sending me pics of the slot machine. Win after win.

He is currently cashing out and paying his taxes on his final count. $3,532.70

I have spent a lot of time in Las Vegas casinos. I gave him the best advice I could. STOP PLAYING!
Go have a very nice lunch to celebrate, but take the money home with you. You are not a winner until you get home with more money than when you left.

He listened. They are having a very fancy lunch and then walking away as WINNERS.

Yeah, who needs to do laundry when you can go buy a new wardrobe? 

I've never been to a casino in my life. Well, it looks like the winnings limit was exhausted after this case, and no one can win for an extended period of time. If you enter such periods, you have no chance of winning when it concerns any electronically controlled games.

If I wanted to win, I would approach it with mathematical precision. I would watch everyone who wins and record the time intervals between wins, finally starting to play in the exact time period from the last win. Of course I'm kidding, it's nonsense, no one is able to figure out what the limit of money to give away at a particular casino is. I am always unlucky, so I like reliability and confidence in the future.

[TanyaG]

I am always unlucky

No you are not always unlucky! What about your daughter? You won the great slot machine game of life with her, did you not?

[CaringWhisper]

No you are not always unlucky! What about your daughter? You won the great slot machine game of life with her, did you not?

Yes, you're right, but unfortunately in our world it is not enough just to give birth, it is necessary not to lose your baby, and to win a place for your child in the society. I don't want to talk much about my motherhood on a blog that isn't mine because of respect for Lori Dee, sorry.

[Lori Dee]

When I lived in Germany, I took the bus back and forth to work. At the bus station, there was a slot machine that I enjoyed. I had been working all night, so was at the bus station early in the morning to go home. The wait was going to be about 45 minutes, so I ordered a coffe and waited.

A man came in and unlocked the slot machine. He was carrying a gray plastic basket with holes in the sides. The basket was about half full of coins. He pulled a similar basket out of the machine, and as he did I saw a spring-loaded tray connected to some cables and pulleys. I quickly started drawing on a napkin what I saw. The coin basket sat in the metal tray. When he lifted the old basket out, the tray elevated which pulled cables and turned some wheels. When he replaced the basket in the tray it settled back into position again.

I figured out that the machine is monitoring the weight of the basket. If the basket is full and heavy with coins, it needs to pay out so that coins do not overflow the basket and fall into the machine's mechanisms. If the basket is empty, it cannot pay out as there would be no coins to pay.

After that, any time I saw one of those machines I would watch it. If someone won, I would not play it. But if they kept feeding it coins and they didn't win, I would play it inserting the heaviest coin (5 DM back then). Sometimes I would win rather quickly, sometimes it would take a bit for the weight to engage the mechanism. But I always won more than I spent.

I loved that machine.

[CaringWhisper]

I loved that machine.

All the mechanical vending machines I've seen in my town have always been toy machines. I wouldn't go near them if my daughter didn't want to get one or another plush toy. My first sensation was that the machine's fingers were opening on their own at the very last moment. Maybe this machine has certain numbers programmed in it when the claws don't open, and the greedier the owner, the more minuscule the positive values are. I have discovered another pattern - I am able to get the toys out of fresh, recently delivered machines, while I always fail to get the toys out of old machines.

[Oldandcreaky]

When I lived in Germany, I took the bus back and forth to work. At the bus station, there was a slot machine that I enjoyed. I had been working all night, so was at the bus station early in the morning to go home. The wait was going to be about 45 minutes, so I ordered a coffe and waited.

A man came in and unlocked the slot machine. He was carrying a gray plastic basket with holes in the sides. The basket was about half full of coins. He pulled a similar basket out of the machine, and as he did I saw a spring-loaded tray connected to some cables and pulleys. I quickly started drawing on a napkin what I saw. The coin basket sat in the metal tray. When he lifted the old basket out, the tray elevated which pulled cables and turned some wheels. When he replaced the basket in the tray it settled back into position again.

I figured out that the machine is monitoring the weight of the basket. If the basket is full and heavy with coins, it needs to pay out so that coins do not overflow the basket and fall into the machine's mechanisms. If the basket is empty, it cannot pay out as there would be no coins to pay.

After that, any time I saw one of those machines I would watch it. If someone won, I would not play it. But if they kept feeding it coins and they didn't win, I would play it inserting the heaviest coin (5 DM back then). Sometimes I would win rather quickly, sometimes it would take a bit for the weight to engage the mechanism. But I always won more than I spent.

I loved that machine.

Clever girl!

[Lori Dee]

You know it is time to go grocery shopping when you are cleaning cobwebs out of your freezer. 

I know the situation will be dire. Early scout reports indicate heavy concentrations of enemy troops in the area. I have donned my battle armor and brought extra grenades. I am sure I will survive the battle but at what cost? We will see. Onward into the fray.

I hate shopping at Walmart. 

[Lori Dee]

Well I survived that fiasco. Only minor battle scars from it.

My neighbor was working at the Money Center counter. She said people are shopping to day to avoid the dreaded Food Stamp Day tomorrow. But today, corporate is conducting their annual inventory. I asked why they don't do that at night when there are no customers trying to spend money. She shrugged her shoulders and said, "I don't make the rules, Hon. I just work here."

I am now engaging in chocolate-covered-donut therapy. I might recover from this trauma.
Can you catch PTSD from Walmart? 

[davina61]

My turn tomorrow dear, yup its my weekly battle around Lidl helping mum get stuff from the top shelf! Between the folks with the oversize trollies and the "old" folks dawdling it can be a battle to get up the aisle.

[Lori Dee]

My turn tomorrow dear, yup its my weekly battle around Lidl helping mum get stuff from the top shelf! Between the folks with the oversize trollies and the "old" folks dawdling it can be a battle to get up the aisle.

Then add all the employees in the aisle picking orders for delivery, plus others trying to inventory and a squad of security guards that have never been here before. ARRRRGGGGHHHHHH

[davina61]

No security guards here as its a nice area but yes I forgot about the shelf stacking carts!

[ChrissyRyan]

Did you get your food despite your obstacles?

[Lori Dee]

Did you get your food despite your obstacles?

I did!

I also got a new selfie stick for taking photos today, but it didn't work. I had to go back into the fray to exchange it. That one wasn't working either, but I figured out that the Bluetooth remote was broadcasting a different ID that what the instructions said. So I got it working. Yay!

[davina61]

Dont you just love a German supermarket, got a new pair of work trousers and mum treated me to a work gilet (okay body warmer to me!). Whizzed round today!!

[Northern Star Girl]

Dear Lori:
Every few months when I make the trip to Fairbanks to go shopping and I am at Walmart,
I always look for the employees with their carts that are picking up orders for online
customers... they know where everything is in the store... saves me a lot of time
looking for that hard to find item in the store.

One thing about Walmart and similar stores, the "people watching" can be very
entertaining and enlightening for sure.

HUGS, Danielle

Then add all the employees in the aisle picking orders for delivery, plus others trying to inventory and a squad of security guards that have never been here before. ARRRRGGGGHHHHHH

[Lori Dee]

One thing about Walmart and similar stores, the "people watching" can be very
entertaining and enlightening for sure.

Have you seen the website called People of Walmart?
Ugh.
I needed extra therapy after people watching there. 

[Lori Dee]

Yesterday was my best friend's birthday, so we drove up to Spearfish Canyon. We drove south through the canyon to see the Fall colors which are almost at their peak. The drought made the waterfalls a bit ... meh. The smoke from the Elk Creek Wildfire near Sheridan, WY produced a haze that you can see around the hills in the distance.

I had my dashcam running, but the video file is too big for Imgur or even email, so I posted it on Facebook. My profile there is not public, so you would have to be logged in to watch the video at Lori Dee's posts

After driving the canyon, stopping at every turnout to take pictures, we went back to Deadwood and had luch at The Lodge. Then, since it was a birthday celebration, we donated some extra cash at the casino. It was a long day, but a lot of fun. Another hour drive home and I was wore out.

Spearfish Canyon's Fall colors with evergreen trees against a backdrop of limestone cliffs. Pictures and video just don't do it justice. But I'll try.



Believe it or not, this photo is actually upside-down. I think it looks better this way.




This is Bridal Veil Falls. In non-drought conditions, it is quite spectacular. The falls are about 60 feet tall.





We ended the canyon drive down near the town of Savoy. From there we drove over to Roughlock Falls. The falls got their name from the term rough locking because early pioneers had to roughlock the wheels on their wagons when going downhill. It involves tying a rope through the wheels so they don't turn, thus preventing the wagon from rolling down into the pack mules that are pulling it. The mules then have to drag the wagon downhill with the brakes locked.

Roughlock Falls is only half as tall as Bridal Veil Falls. It's hard to tell but the falls are 30 feet tall.



There are more pictures of the canyon in an album on Imgur at: Spearfish Canyon, SD 10/10/2024

[ChrissyRyan]

Pretty pictures.