Ace

When I was in college I took a psychology class. There were only six of us in that class which allowed for some good discussions and field trips. One of the trips we took was to a theater to see the movie Casino. I really didn't know much about the movie, except that it was long. We were supposed to have taken notes in the movie, but I was so enthralled with, well, everything, that I didn't take one single note. Now, if you have not seen this movie, be advised that there are violent scenes and they are disturbing. But oh the music, and the blasts of color, and the fact the the movie is based on a true story. A little fun fact, the main character's nickname played by Robert DiNiro is Ace in the movie. In real life his nickname was Lefty. What's so interesting about Lefty, is that on the outside it looked like he was living the good life. He ran the Stardust (without a gaming licence, which eventually caught up to him), he had a beautiful wife, kids, and all the money a man could want. That's what people saw. On the inside, he had a best friend that was sleeping with his drug addicted wife, he had people (hired by his best friend) waiting to pop him, and all the money in the world wouldn't take away the pain he had. Here's a picture of Left'y car after the explosion that HE WALKED AWAY from. Life in Vegas in that time period was not what it is now.

One of my favorite things about the movie, besides the music, is watching Lefty's fashion change. In one part of the movie he is drinking from a bottle of some kind of antacid, and his suit literally matches the color of the bottle of his medicine. It's one of the clearest memories I have from the first time I saw that movie. He lived on that stuff. I suppose I would too with the life that he had. You watch as he gets older, his glasses get thicker, but it's still Lefty. I can see how so many people were attracted to him, not necessarily in a romantic way, but he just had that "it" factor. Of course, I am swayed by Robert DiNiro. I would so hang out with him. And maybe he could invite Pesci too, but that might be scary.

Dion and I went to Vegas for our honeymoon. It was his parents gift for us. We stayed in a suite at Treasure Island and now, ironically we live in a town that has a casino named Treasure Island. We spent so much time walking around the city and going to shows. We were a mere 23 years old. So young to wander around that crazy town. Of course, back then we didn't feel so young, but now, that seems like little toddlers. I would love to go back there some day, a little older and wiser (ha...wiser) just to walk around with different eyes than the 23 year old I was. And with my camera. Oh to have my camera in Vegas...can you imagine the shots I would be able to take? Be still my beating heart.


Casino still ranks as one of my favorite movies. It is so messed up, but Lefty was a smart man. And powerful. Or was he? I guess there would be different opinions about that. I only wish that I could go to the Stardust where all of this took place. If you like being able to experience a casino vegas style through the Internet, you can. But if you do that, you have to make sure that it is authentic. You will have to use all the good luck superstitions that exist. Let's see, that would include, tapping the monitor of your computer, maybe rubbing your fingers across the screen, but I wouldn't slap you computer like some people slap their machines. I don't want to be responsible for computers breaking.