I had just gotten back to my hotel in Kathmandu after three weeks of trekking, sleeping in floorless teahouses that were heated by burning yak crap, and side stepping Maoist Militants and government curfews, when some of my companions and I found a casino on the hotel grounds. 

Now, I don’t know if you’ve seen any James Bond movies, it would help if you have, because this place was exactly like some casino in a Bond flick from the 60s.

I take a seat at the Craps Table, play a couple lines, and get a couple drinks from women dressed in Asian Silk.  I’m having a good time - I have no idea how much money I’m winning or losing because the Rupee is impossible to convert to the Dollar.   Sooner or later, I make my way to the blackjack table, and I hit.  I mean, I’m winning like crazy – just then, I start to notice these bouncer type guys making there way around me.  I’m not all that afraid by their size, I was taller than anyone in Nepal, but Nepal isn’t exactly America - everything’s a little black market.  When I was there the Maoist insurgency was at its height, huge, bloody protests in Kat – I caught one of the last flights back to the States before they shut down the country to foreigners.

Anyway, I see these guys slowly circling, and the guys I’m with motion for us to make a hasty exit, I leave my chips - who knows how much I had – and we make our way out.  But as we're leaving we hear this great techno beat coming from this little door.  I peak my head in and there are stairs leading down to this enormous club, smoke, lasers, the works – it was like some European club that was picked up and dropped in the middle of the third world.

Needless to say we made our way down to the club, beautiful people everywhere - still taller than everyone - and to the bar.  One of the guys I’m with asks for a beer, the bartender turns around and pulls out a bottle of Don Perignon, "Haha, no we just want a beer."  "Oh, sorry."  "Wait, how much?" He gives us a figure and pulls out a calculator for us to convert - $32.9 – thirty-two ninety for a bottle of Don - one of the guys tosses a bottle to me and I make my way to the dance floor.  Jay-Z’s “Big Pimpin” comes on and I’m waving the bottle in the air pouring it all over myself.

The night wanes, and we go to pay our tab - $850 - eight hundred fifty – WHAT!?

Turns out we misread the decimal, the bottle cost $329 not $32.9.  The owner comes down and I start to make my exit while the guys with the money talk business.  I’m waiting outside, sitting on the street, taking my last swigs when they walk out, kind of quickly, "Nathan, move!" I get up, and start walking "What’s going on?" "Nothing just walk, go up to your room, and don’t worry about it." Yeah, because that tone really makes me feel like I shouldn’t worry about it.

Obviously nothing terrible happened, my legs we’re not broken by some mob boss, we survived, but what a night!  I still have the bottle.

Nathan

This a few weeks ago I had the chance to see history. My wife Jean asked me to go to Grand Casino Mille Lacs. She thought it would be fun to go see of all people Glen Campbell. Now I have never really been a fan and his music was the hottest in the 1960-70’s. I thought why? But I also thought the same thing when I was at the State Fair years ago and saw Ringo Star. (One of the best concerts ever) So we left Sat morning to head up and stop along the way since we both have never been to Mille Lacs.

And surprise it was a great concert and we found a needle in a hay stack. On the way up we stop at a place that sold close-out everything. And what did we find? To melt mozzarella cheese for the sandwiches we use this plastic measuring cup that is great but no longer avlb. Not only did we find 1 but we found 54!! And we asked about a discount if we bought them all and got one. Now we have a ten year supply.

Back to the show, Glen comes out and sounds as good as the songs of his I have heard on the radio. NO cutting notes short, slowed down tempos, nothing. And as for his playing the guitar? If you closed your eyes and just listened you would think it was the 1960’s! Then he introduces his daughter Debbie who sings a few songs, then his daughter Ashley who sings and is his keyboard and banjo player, and then his son who is playing the drums. What fun! He sang Tom Petty, Jonnie Cash, to a hard rocking blues tune. I even had the chance to talk to a lady after the show only again to be surprised it was his Glens wife Kim. As I learned later I can only hope to be even close to as good or healthy and energetic as Glen at the young age of 74.

Netflix is my new best friend.  My parents have had it for years and my sister used to work at one of their distribution centers, but I had my doubts.  My biggest hang-up was the lack of immediate gratification: how was I suppose to know if I would still be in the mood to see this or that movie three or four weeks later when it made it to the top of my queue?

I finally caved in when I went to my local (insert national movie rental chain here) and was told that they had raised their prices to $5 per rental.  Five Bucks!?  Between the movie that I really wanted to see, the movie my partner really wanted to see, and the one we both really wanted to see, I paid as much as I would have for a months worth of unlimited movies from Netflix.

Needless to say, I’m in love.  Nothing beats coming home from work at our location on West 7^th in Saint Paul, pulling up my laptop and streaming episodes of “Bones” or “Lie to Me” instantly over the internet.

 But the thing that really impresses me about the company was brought up in an interview of the founder I read in Inc. Magazine last summer.  He recognized, years ago, that physical movies (DVDs, etc.) would someday become obsolete, and the future of watching movies was via the internet.  Unfortunately, not everyone else had the same foresight – sorry to those of you that bought a blueray player this Christmas – he had to start where his customer base was comfortable while adding a level of practicality that physical movie rental stores were lacking: DVD Delivery.  But the ultimate goal is to make movie rental and watching an internet only experience.  As the founder explains in the interview, “There’s a reason we’re called Netflix and not DVD-By-Mail.”

Genius.

It’s my turn to write something and not much going on outside of the day to day grind so I thought I would share something that happened to my cousin. His name is John and he lives in California and because of the great weather he has decided to learn how to ride a motorcycle. He is not a daredevil type just likes new experiences and had been playing with the idea for while now. He has taken his classes and passed the license test and is looking for a first bike. I have spoken with some of ...

My life’s M.O. is to seek multitude esoteric pursuits.  It’s really nerdy, I know, but it has given me some amazing experiences.  I’ve walked barefoot across 20 feet of burning coals, almost died while putting up a first ascent on a jagged peak in Patagonian Chile, learned Latin, trekked to the Base Camp of Mount Everest, practiced Applied Behavior Analysis Therapy as a children’s therapist, and continue to study to become a sommelier for fun.

My latest obsession has been collecting found coins and paper money.  Numismatist, the study of paper money and coins, is something that I fell into while working the register at Chris & Rob’s on West 7^th in Saint Paul.  I was blown away by the amount of foreign coins that made their way into our till.  Of course the majority are Canadian, but I’ve found Dutch, Moroccan, Norwegian, and old Francs.  Just yesterday, I traded one of my new 10 dollar bills for a almost mint condition 1967 Hamilton that a customer used… it’s cool because they used a different kind of ink before the late 20^th century…

Like I said, really nerdy.  

Nathan