By Don Hall

...that while a bowl of tom ka gai soup is among the most delicious concoctions known to man, it’s wise to remember that when you request it extra spicy, you will pay dearly for it in the morning.

...that nothing is more desolate than an empty casino; nothing is more exciting than a full one. A whole room full of people buying bits of hope is a gas.

...that no one is to blame but yourself if you hate your job. You chose to be there, you chose to trade your time for money. If you hate your job, choose to get another job.

...that, given a choice between 95˚ weather in Chicago and 107˚ weather in Las Vegas, I’ll take the desert. The lack of humidity somehow takes much of the edge off and it’s still awful in Chicago even in the shade. Vegas shade is like walking into another room.

...that about 10 percent of humanity is comprised of complete, unapologetic monsters and about 10 percent is comprised of heroes and saints. The rest of us are comprised of something more reasonably in between.