Spring Break Booty

I would like everyone to take a trip back to March 2006, for what I consider to be SyNONYM’s shining month. A new post almost every day, maybe it was about close encounters of the homosexual kind, maybe it capped some of the most painful experiences of my life, or even a midterm paper for one of the only white teachers I have ever had. SyNONYM always had something new to offer. During my time of reflection of last week’s Spring break I began reminiscing the past year, how I have made a wide variety of changes in my life many in regards simply to the way I spend my relaxation time, a weekend over at Wurstfest, attending the Houston Opera, Meditation, or even more recently Gambling. But what occurred to me is how much I enjoyed writing for SyNONYM even when the old life was in the preverbal porcelain throne, SyNONYM was a way to think about the day, turn the cell phone off and reflect on whatever it was that day that was on my mind.



The Pelicans swooped ever closer to the fantail of the Texas Treasure Cruise Ship with each pass praying the twin propellers of the 420ft ship to churn up a tasty morsel for dinner. The Texas sun glowing on the horizon as the aromatic smolder of a Don Thomas Connecticut SE Cigar permeated thick sea salt air. On the aged deck table lay a sin, a neat Glenlivet in a clear plastic cup vibrating along with engines. Somewhere in the distance a Gulf Coast supertanker blows her horn.



There is a young just married couple snuggling over towards the stairs to the upper level obviously not shy about one another. A brief flash goes through my mind of a jackpot light and the sound of thousands of nickels hitting that metal pan, “CLICK” reality set in as over the 1MC (speakers) the captain starts blaring about the safety aboard ship “oh yeah can tune that one out”. More Connecticut mild leaf soars through the air as the Texas Treasure sails past the breakwater of Port Aransas.




“Ladies and Gentleman, the Casino will be open in approximately fifteen minutes”. A barbecue stained napkin the only trace of three trips to the buffet and one smaller one for some cheesecake.

“Do do do do Ching Ching Ching” five watermelons find their way to the top row of my “ Reel um in video slot machine” “ding ding ding” the counter rings out at 300 credits wind upwards. Three Fishing lures here some oranges there. “I’ll have a whiskey and coke please”, “Scotch and Soda”, “Brandy and Seven”…………. “Attention ladies and Gentleman please congratulate Illane who has just on one thousand fourteen dollars and fifty cents in the showroom casino”. “Rum and Coke if you would”. Ding Ding chink chink chink, the hours of indulgence passed by the sounds of Dealers shouting Place your bets” and hundreds of slot machines whirling their mystifying chants. “Ladies and Gentleman we are now exiting International Waters the Casino will be closing in five minutes”.



Who knew that many hours of playing nickels and quarters turns your fingertips a shade of respectable blue that would make any Andorian proud. Thud…..Thud… Two large buckets of nickels rattle their way up to the cash redeemer. “That’s thirty four and forty five cents”. Not bad for my first night out gambling made four bux, grandma would be proud, oh if I had only stopped with those five watermelons.

A Famous Nicaraguan 2000 radiated is red glow to the dimly lighted aft section of the ship, which at one point during the evening been a happy tropical cabana bar. Far too cold for any Texan the sea gifted me with a comfortable sixty degrees, a cloudless night, a bright half moon, and nothing to distract me during our hour ride back into port. Other than that last dram of Scotch waiting ever so patiently to prove to me why twelve years is better…….. I’ll do better tomorrow. “A brief flash goes through my mind of a jackpot light and the sound of thousands of nickels hitting that metal pan”….



Its about time SyNONYM be resurrected I know how many people enjoyed reading my strange antics and cursing the Fond du Lac School District for ever “”teching me how to spel using Foniks””. Hopefully I can get a few posts out a week While SyNONYM may not get updated every day “College and all” I have a year of stories to tell and oh boy do I have some good ones.

Until the next Story
Brian

If any one knows of a certain tale which they wish would be retold in print drop me a line, who knows I might have forgotten a few over the years.