Husband's birthday was a few weeks ago, and being the kind and loving wifey I am, I decided to make the extremely selfless and magnanimous gesture of buying for him one night's stay at a lovely hotel in Niagara Falls, a mere one block from this casino. We left on Saturday morning, and returned late yesterday morning. He thoroughly enjoyed himself, and while I don't like to gamble, I had a nice time too. The entire experience was interesting, and proved to me once and for all what I've been suspecting for some time. I am, indeed, getting old. I went to bed at 10pm.

But let's start at the beginning. Husband likes to gamble. Not the "Oh-God,- I-wonder-if-he's-brought-with-him-the-deed-to-our-house?" kind of gambling, but he enjoys spending a few hours sitting at a poker table with four or five other like-minded individuals, forking over a little money in the hopes of winning a lot of money. He enjoys the activity, even if he doesn't win. I don't understand this. Gambling is not what I would call "entertainment" at all.

My kind of entertainment consists of having something tangible to hold on to after handing over my hard-earned money. Sure, I played the slots for about a half hour and had fun doing it (spent $30 and won $40! Big $10 payday for me!), but at the half hour mark, there came this nagging sense that I could use the money I was up for something else, rather than to continue playing the slots with it, in the hopes of making even more. I had had my 30 minutes of fun, but at that point, gambling had lost its allure for me.

So I left the slot machine, met up with husband and arranged to meet again about two hours later, and off I went. I walked around the casino, which was actually quite beautiful, for awhile, admiring the fountains and high-end stores in the mall area. Then I left the casino and walked along the path in front of the falls, a natural wonder I definitely take for granted, having grown up only 1.5 hours from them, and having visited Niagara Falls so many times before. I walked back to the hotel, grabbed the book I had brought (for I knew before I left that I'd need something to entertain myself with while husband gambled), hit a Starbucks, and found a comfy bench to sit, and read, and people-watch.

Later that night, I met up with husband and we had dinner at the "Grand Buffet" in the casino. I am a casino buffet newbie, never having had the experience of eating at one, but apparently, they are known for good food and lots of it. And that's exactly what we had-good food and lots of it. We stuffed ourselves, and then shared several desserts, including lemon meringue pie, cheesecake, and ice cream sundaes.

At that point I was tired. Husband went off to gamble some more (I'm sure it sounds like he HAS gambled away the deed to our house at this point, but it was only about a hundred dollars), and I went back to the hotel. Read some more. Watched the falls grow dark outside our hotel room window. And yes, I was in bed by 10pm. Husband came home soon after, having won not a penny, but happy to have had a good time all the same.

29 years old (young?), and in bed in Niagara Falls at 10pm. Should I book myself into a retirement community? What's wrong with me? Granted, gambling isn't for everyone, but I should have found something a little more interesting to do with myself that night, right? Funny thing is, I don't feel guilty (or that guilty) about hitting the hay so early in the evening on a night away from home. The bed was comfortable, the view from the room was incredible, and I was content to let husband have his fun. It wasn't as if I could have joined him at the poker tables, considering I don't even know how to play. I had a good time in my own quiet little way.