Greetings From Reno, Nevada!

"I shot a man in Reno," and now I'm attending a Johnny Cash Convention to honor the late singer.

Well, not really.

I'm in the Silver State visiting my fabulous sister, incredible brother in law, nephews and nieces and picking up the "Queen Mum" to bring her home to the Sooner State.

Silver State, Sooner State, Sunshine State......what a marketing technique.

Reno, Nevada is the 'Biggest Little City in the World', and they'll tell you that every time you drive through town.

First, the good news, I won $159, okay, I spent about $30 to get it. Then I spent about $40 more, so I'm taking home around $90.....not the norm. You're supposed to LOSE money, that's why Nevada doesn't have an income tax---visitors leave that money here.

Here's some observations: gambling is a sad way to make money for a government and the people who come to Reno are going to leave more money here than they brought with them.

I had one of those $8.99 prime rib dinners last night, and it was surprisingly good. The waitress asked me if I would like to sit at the counter, since I was alone, but I requested a seat closer to the casino floor because I wanted to watch people. She looked at me curiously, I think she wondered why I would want to watch people.

Perhaps it's an overactive imagination or just a creative mind-set, but every person I see, I create a life story. Looking at their eyes, their mannerisms, their face, their bodies, the way they walk, it all gives me an idea of how their life has been.

Everywhere there are people, there are happy and sad stories to see.

In Reno there may be a few more sad stories than in usual places.

Like the man last night standing in front of a closed casino (which is a much better term than gambling house) attempting to make eye contact and asking for money.

Then the faces of the cocktail waitresses, dressed in tuxedo tails and hot pants with dark fishnet stockings. They ask if you are interested in "cocktails?" Drink up, they are free, but tip them, they deserve it.

Their faces sometimes give away a life that is far from stellar. When I see them, I read failed relationships, families apart, perhaps children without parents and a life on the edge staring at poverty.

Too much? I read that on the face of a cocktail waitress last night. I felt sorry for her, without knowing a thing about her. I hope I am wrong and she has the most wonderful life. It would be a good bet that those who are most happy are the ones who have great jobs OUTSIDE the entertainment and tourism industry.

And walking back to the car in the dark there was a man with a tattered beard and clothes on his knees on the post office lawn, picking the clover and putting it in a cup. Maybe he's very happy, maybe he's a reclusive millionaire who does this to entertain himself and see how others treat him? Or maybe, he's just like everyone else, who made some poor choices over the years. Now, he's a homeless man in Reno, a town where people just might want to take $20 and give it to him as a way of investing in his future, rather than gamble it at a casino.

You have to wonder which option would offer the best odds?