I went to Valley View Casino last night for a blackjack tournament. Busted out in about five hands. Lost a mint on video poker, then hit a machine with my last few dollars, and ended up leaving ahead. Good buffet as always (love the berries and angel food cake, with fresh whipped cream), and I earned the gift of the month (wine glasses I'll probably never use). The tournament was okay, but the tables were just crammed into the back of the casino in what seemed to be a clear fire hazard to me, and like about everything they do, the execution could use some work, as I had to wait in about five lines to finally get my tournament registration, and the woman who signed me up was a bit testy. The tournament probably wasn't worth the long drive, but I combined the gambling junket with a trip to the Wild Animal Park, showed my mom their botanical gardens, and watched some road runners run around their cactus and native plant gardens. A pretty fun day overall, but it wore me out, and as I haven't been sleeping well lately, I was barely able to get myself out of bed to go to work, even though I didn't start until 10:30 today.