Yesterday, I ended up doing two huge loads of laundry. I don't mind doing laundry one bit. The machines practically do all the work.

I left the house yesterday at 17:00. Gas prices have shot up. I filled up my car's tank at 86.5 cents a litre, which is fine, considering it had started out being 90.3. I went inside the Petro-Canada store and ended up getting a bag of two-bite brownies (love!) and a king-sized Bounty bar (love, too).

My goal was to be at Casino Rama by 19:00. I do have a heavy foot. I got there faster than I had anticipated, even with all the slow drivers on highway 7. It kills me that the speed limit is set at 80 km/h, and the highway is apparently "aircraft patrolled". I have travelled along that stretch often to know that it isn't. Yet, you have these folks doing 60 km/h. I wish they would live a bit. Hitting the speed limit will not damage your tires on a clear day, you know.

Driving northbound on highway 400 was a treat. Most cottagers were likely enjoying their surroundings, so I didn't have to fight with a lot of vehicles on the road. It was nice driving on that stretch again. Almost a year ago, I was driving down it. Oh, getting back to my heavy foot, at one stage, I was doing 150 km/h for a bit. I didn't realize it until I moved into the centre lane and realized there wasn't a single car behind me.

The drive to Rama, ON was breathtaking. The casino is on an Indian reservation. Looking at Lake Simcoe was breathtaking. You can't miss the property, with all the bright lights and Native-themed buildings. Lots of free parking is what I like to see.

It was nice to see all the machines that I write about in the casino. Every model was in there. I think the casino has at least twelve of them. So, I looked around, played a few slot machines, had dinner, and did a lot of browsing.

I went in and out of the premises perhaps three times. I was carded once. The good thing about Casino Rama is that once you are carded, you get a stamp on your hand, indicating that security is satisfied that you are old enough to enter the premises. Thank goodness!

Doors to the entertainment centre opened at 20:00. I got in at around 20:30, observing all the pictures and signatures of famous folks on the walls. Regis Philbin was there. He would have been fun to have seen, I think.

At 21:00, Cyndi Lauper came on stage. I was pretty close up. I was in row nine. An extremely nice woman had guided me to my seat. I love good client relations.

Yes, I know, I'm going through another reliving-happy-80's-moments phase. So what? She and a number of artists kicked off my love for listening to music. It was nice to see her live.

Cyndi is full of energy. Her hair is blonde these days, blunt-cut, and it suits her. She had a white shirt on with wide sleeves, a blank pair of pants, and she looked great. She still dances like a flower child, which was both refreshing and uplifting.

She visited the audience on a number of occasions. She stood on a chair a row in front of me and kept singing. Even though cameras were prohibited, I didn't care. I snapped away.

She's got great hearing and a good sense of humour. I had forgotten that she was from New York (Long Island, to be precise) until she started talking to everyone. Ah, it was all coming back to me...

At one stage, someone yelled out a request for her to sing "Girls just wanna have fun." She replied, "It's at the end. I've been doing this for twenty years. It's always at the end." Even though it was my first time seeing her perform, I kind of predicted that, too.

Cyndi did a cool rock version of "She bop," and she played guitar. It was terrific to see both the violinist and the lead guitarist were female. I haven't seen that too often, unless you're Melanie Doane.

Her rendition of "I drove all night" makes Celine Dion's version seem weak and fabricated. She started to sing "True colours," which she had indicated was her favourite song, and then stopped to tell us a story right in the middle of it. She talked about wearing a tight, silver dress to the Grammys and dancing to Steppenwolf's "Sweet home Alabama." She's cute. We tried to sing along with her, but we sucked as a group.

She was all over the stage, greeting fans who were standing there, dancing on top of the piano, sitting on top of a speaker, ... she's a bundle of energy. The energy in her seems infinite.

My favourite song of hers is "Time after time." It means a lot to me. She sang it while playing a zither, accompanied by her lead guitarist and the violinist. It was wonderfully crafted.

She sang "Above the clouds," a new song off her upcoming CD. I loved it. She also did covers of "Don't let me be misunderstood" and an Edith Piaf song that escapes me right now. "Money changes everything" was great, too. The entire show was. I can't think of a single dull moment last night.

She can sing. Great pitch. Full of emotion. Terrific rapport with the crowd. I'm so glad that I went to see her. It was such a treat. Not a single person was disappointed there.

This week's Unconscious mutterings:

1. Domesticated:: Animal
2. Cask:: Vessel
3. Wayne:: Newton
4. Insidious:: Seductive
5. Cool!:: Awesome!
6. Dishwasher:: Detergent
7. Little house:: on the prairie
8. Stepford:: Wives
9. Hung:: Mind just went into the gutter... okay, how about suspend? That works.
10. Falling:: Cathy Dennis

That car salesperson called me yesterday. He wanted to know if I'd be buying the G6 soon. A tad pushy for my liking. I told him that I'm okay driving my car right now. When I'm ready, I'll call him. It's sad when my dad picks up the phone. He doesn't bother asking who's asking for either my mom or me. He doesn't care that I'm trying to eat breakfast. Nope, the call is more important. Just drop everything, even if I'm in the middle of a shower.

Anyway, Casino Rama does everything so well. There are folks who direct traffic, which makes things a lot easier, I tell you. Folks down by the Air Canada Centre should take pointers from Rama. My drive back was pleasant. It reminded me of driving in Minnesota. The roads were clear and nice, with an occasional deer wanting to cross and risk its life.

I got home this morning at 00:30, wishing that I could stay out all night. It was such a great night out. I didn't want it to end.

Today, I ran a number of errands. I ended up visiting two Food Basics stores, two Shoppers Drug Marts, and a Chinese grocery store to get everything that I needed to purchase. It was fun.

I was supposed to work on booking various reservations for my upcoming road trip this weekend. Did I? Nope. Instead, I've decided on what I'll be wearing this weekend to a wedding. See, I'm not a complete procrastinator.

In the mail the other day, I got a nice card from somebody I don't really know. She's knows me by name. It's mutual, really. She asked me to do something for her. It's such a strange situation, but it's all good. I wish I could elaborate on this, but she has told me to keep it a secret between us. I'm okay with that, despite not having spoken to her at all. It's for a good cause. That's all I can say about the whole situation.

This weekend, I did get a lot of correspondence done and filled out a number of forms for my mom. More importantly, I got a bit of fun in there, too.

I've got to write a few birthday greetings out now, before I become a true procrastinator.

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Song that's stuck in my head: Cyndi Lauper's "Sisters of Avalon"
Yummy food eaten today: Steak with dill mashed potatoes
What I crave: A Kit Kat (need to try the banana flavour that's out)

Recent thoughts:
Readings, lights, and random thoughts - 2009-03-15
Thoughts about work, school, and peeps - 2009-03-09
Working from home and a mini life update - 2008-12-19
The weekend is here! - 2008-01-06
A new year - 2008-01-01