Twilight at Indiana Live!

Instead of venturing to Indiana Live during the daytime hours as we had planned, LKM and I ended up visiting much later. When we arrived we realized we were not the only ones on the night owl circuit. The surface parking lot near the casino was full, the secondary surface lot was 1/2 full and there were cars waiting for valet parking. LKM decided to park in the garage and we managed to find an available spot on the fourth floor.

We entered the casino with a few other people before being stopped by security. Of course, he wasn't stopping me or any one else behind me in the line, only LKM. After running her i.d. through his scanner two times, he let her go in, apparently satisfied that she was not a 16-year-old trying to party with the adults.

My first impression of the venue is that is it is better than the riverboat I visited, and any of the older casinos that remain in Vegas. The decor is stylish and modern and the cigarette smoke while ever present, is not as intense as it is in Vegas. My only complaint is that there are far too many 1 cent and 5 cent slot machines. I have no use for these, I like one dollar slots. I did find them, but it took some searching.

Since we arrived on 3rd shift, there were not many restaurant options. We had the choice of going to Nascar Grill or Live Market, which is like a food court but with more upscale offerings. All Live Market had at that time was sandwiches, snacks and desserts, so we went to Nascar Grill.

Nascar Grill had their limited after hours menu, so I ordered chicken tenders w/ranch dressing and crinkle fries. LKM had a cheeseburger and fries. I don't eat chicken tenders often, but I must say they were the best I've ever had. They were large, firm and moist, and most importantly, not greasy. They appeared to have been baked instead of fried. I made the mistake of spending $2 for a coke at the restaurant. There was no need to do this since the casino floor has self-service soft drink stations where the drinks are free. There also is an area where there is free coffee.

I should mention there is music in various locations at Indiana Live. There was a loud rock band doing covers in Nascar Grill, a band called Groove, Inc. (that had a female vocalist) in Center Bar and dance music at Mosaic nightclub. LKM and I did not go in Mosaic but could hear the dance music when we stood near the entrance. The cover was only $5, but I needed what little cash I brought with me for gaming.

There is table action at Indiana Live and a poker room but I don't play poker, and did not get a chance to visit the tables. I did notice the poker room was brimming with business.

Before leaving, we decided to return to Live Market to get a closer look at the assortment of pastries. I purchased a chocolate mousse mini-tower that had a combination white/milk chocolate candy base. I did not get a chance to sample it until this evening. It was quite tasty, and a bargain at only $2.

I look forward to returning to Indiana Live during the evening hours so I can try Maker's Mark Bourbon House & Lounge, the casino's fine dining offering.

Welcome To This Century

That is what people probably are thinking when I share my enthusiasm about my generic MP3 player that I just purchased (photo on left). It is small, stylish and has a touch screen. The best part is that I paid only $25 for it, and it came with 600 songs included and a warranty that is still in effect.

I was able to get this deal because a couple of months after R.B. purchased it, she decided she did not like its main feature, the touch screen. She offered to sell it to me after she spotted a Sony Walkman MP3 that had features she preferred. She e-mailed "I know it isn't what you wanted but I thought I'd let you know it's available."

I had wanted an iPod, but I jumped at the chance to buy this generic player because I am all about not having to download or copy a bunch of songs from CDs. If I know a person has above-average and diverse musical tastes, I like having the opportunity to enjoy their music library. Her library has everything from Mariah Carey and Coldplay to Corrine Bailey Ray and the Raconteurs. The only genre missing is jazz, and I easily can add that.

The most interesting item in the library are chants from monks. Apparently these monks release CDs of chants from time to time (Who knew?). R.B. occasionally listens to them to drown out background noise (and likely her awesome department manager) at work. I listened to the chants last night and found them to be a great sleep aid.

In the future, I'm sure I will buy a pre-owned iPod but this really is the perfect unit for me right now.

Mad Men on AMC

After a recommendation by longtime friend Cori, I started watching the first season of Mad Men on DVD. Mad Men is a series on American Movie Classics. I first heard of the series because it won Emmy and Golden Globe awards, which is uncommon for a series on a lower-profile cable network. What I like most about the series is its ability to effectively recreate an earlier era.

Mad Men, set in the early 1960s, is about the professional and personal lives of Madison Avenue advertising executives. There is a glamour presented.... from the Danish Modern furnishings in the executive's offices and residences, to the secretaries decorated in dresses (or twin sets and skirts) with fashionable heels. No under-dressed people seem to exist in this world. It makes me long for a visit.

This was not a politically correct time and Mad Men does not treat it as such. The ad men drink to near inebriation, smoke constantly and sate their carnal desires on their lunch hours, occasionally with one of the secretaries. The secretaries give willingly of themselves and cover for their bosses if they are not around when their wives unexpectedly show up. Lead secretary Joan Holloway in particular gleefully accepts her role as sex object but knows how to manipulate men to her advantage.

The cast does a fine job of making their characters authentic, especially Christina Hendricks as Joan, John Hamm as Don Draper and Vincent Kartheiser as Pete Campbell. I have included a scene from an episode.


I also must mention the opening theme(see below). There are few instances I can recall of a theme capturing the essence of a show so well.