Waitress
Turns Tables on One-Armed Bandits
"Do
something unique," I told the lady who wondered why she never saw her
name mentioned in this space. "Do something spectacular and give me something
to write about."
And then I thought no more about the matter, but she obviously did.
Came her birthday and Rosemary Lopez took the personal holiday off from her
usual waitressing chores at Cassidy's Family Restaurant on Folsom Boulevard
at 51st Street.
She took it off and trekked up to the Jackson Rancheria to test her luck against
what used to be known as "one-armed bandits" until they became electronic
and armless.
Rosemary's luck passed the test, and after she paid for the day's expenses,
she came home with something over $700 profit in her pocket. I know, I know.
You're asking what was unique or spectacular about that. After all, plenty
of folks come back winners, right?
But how many, I ask you, do it the way Rosemary did -- on nickels? No major
plunger, she. She works too hard for her money to risk big bucks.
So she stayed with the five-centers, increasing her wagers to multiple coins
but never more than nine or 10 at a time. And I submit that 700 bucks in profit
on nickels definitely is unique and spectacular.
No, she didn't jingle with coins coming home; but she certainly rustled with
greenbacks. Took it all in stride, too, pouring coffee for customers next
day as usual, without spilling a drop.
OK, Ro, satisfied now?
• • •
That nightclub fire in Rhode Island really took us back 40 years or more to
what might have happened to us but fortunately didn't.
It was out at the old Zombie Hut on Freeport Boulevard, where the decor --
ersatz palm fronds and the like -- looked to be about as flammable as possible.
There was a floor show with the dancers, in Polynesian dress, gyrating around
and doing a little tossing back and forth of flaming torches.
Because we'd all been teenagers when more than 500 lives had been lost in
that Coconut Grove fire in Boston, we sat there in somewhat breathless suspense,
looking less at the floor show than for those green "EXIT" lights.
Just in case.
Nothing untoward happened, but we were still edgy some years later when waiters
carrying flambéed desserts ignited some decorations in an Alaskan cruise
ship dining room.
Quick action by a well-trained crew ended the threat, fortunately.
But as I say, that recent fire really rekindled -- no pun intended -- a couple
of unpleasant old memories.
• • •
Back in the early 1940s there was a popular song titled "Milkman, Keep
Those Bottles Quiet!" It would never make it today. The majority of the
population wouldn't know what either a milkman or a milk bottle was.
So it was with a little shock that I picked up a flier left at my door with
a big, bold-face "Milkman" at the top.
I was assured that "the days of the milkman are not a lost memory"
and that still available was the "kind of personal service once enjoyed
in our grandfathers' and great-grandfathers' day."
Well, actually, it was enjoyed in my father's and my own youthful days as
well, but I had no idea it existed today.
Besides dairy products, this service also offers bread, bacon, eggs, juices
and coffee.
It sounds tempting, and cartons wouldn't wake the neighbors the way that clanking
bottles once did, but I don't think I'll sign up. The way things are these
days, I hesitate to even look far enough ahead to buy green bananas.
• • •
The Wright Brothers' first flight isn't the only centennial celebration
this year. Another event of significance to the traveling public is the
100th anniversary of the Ford Motor Co. Local observance of that landmark
year is taking the form of the Ford Centennial Forum, set for Saturday,
March 29, at the Towe Auto Museum.
It's being billed as "a full day of activities," and it'll be
just that, from the 9 a.m. opening to the conclusion at 10 p.m.
Included are classes on the Model A, Model B and Early V-8; discussions
of the pioneer Piquette Plant and of Ford's hydroelectric mills and employee
housing; biographical material on Edsel and Henry Ford, and the latter's
friend Thomas Edison; a museum tour, and a historical perspective of the
Ford company.
There'll also be a catered lunch and dinner.
Cost
for the program only is $30; with meals, it's $50.
Because space is limited, preregistration is required by Saturday of this
week. Call Kristen Hartley at (916) 442-6802 for details.
• • •
You
have to wonder what gets into people that makes them want to get into
jail. Or, to be more explicit, back into jail.
Recently in Vermont, an inmate with a powerful thirst sneaked out of a
minimum security lockup just a few weeks short of completing his sentence,
picked up a 24-pack of beer and a carton of smokes and then was caught
sneaking back in.
He had just a few weeks left to serve. Now he has six months.
Then there was the fellow in Oregon, freed after serving a sentence for
manslaughter, who couldn't find a job and was nearly broke. So he held
up a bank -- not to replenish his cash but to get back to those guaranteed
three hots and a cot. He may have them for another six years.
After
retiring from a long and respected career with the Sacramento
Bee, Stan Gilliam found that he just couldn't stop writing. So
he brought his "Stan's Sacramento" column to the Spectrum,
where it has been a favorite of readers for 14 years ... and counting.
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