"Just Another Day in the Life"

So....another week of poker comes to an end....
It was a really good week with 2 very nice wins and 2 small wins....along with 1 small loss.
If every week on this trip goes like this one, I'd go home very pleased.
The highlight of the poker week was dragging a $1320 pot with a pair of sixes.
When you can win a decent pot like that, with a marginal hand like 6's, things are going good....

As some of you may know, I don't stay in the 'high rent' district while I'm in AZ.
This sometimes leads to having some interesting neighbors.
I've met a couple of them since arriving.

The first guy just happened to see me outside my room enjoying the evening air and he wandered/staggered right over.
He asked me if I wanted a beer... to which I kindly accepted.  He did make clear to me though that if I had a 'problem' with alcohol, he didn't want to 'talk me into' having one.
I let him know that I was only interested in having a single beer and that more than likely wouldn't put me over the edge.
He went back to his room and grabbed a Coors Light for me.... and then asked me if I happened to have any pot....  lol
I hated to be the bearer of bad news....but I had to tell him that I did not in fact have any pot....

We visit for a bit and he asks me what I do....
Now when people ask me that, I have a number of things I can honestly say, so I judge each situation and the person doing the asking, before I reply.  By the time our conversation was over, I had pretty much used up all my answers for that question.... with this particular gentleman.

I started out by telling him that I was an artist/sculptor.  He asked what I was doing here in AZ and I told him I was on a business trip and playing a little poker in my spare time.
His eyes lit up when I told him that, and he proceeded to tell me about the games he liked to play.

I then asked him what he did.... and he said, "I'm an RN."
I said, "Really???"  What type of nursing do you do?
I went on to tell him that I was an EMT.
I was genuinely surprised by this RN thing coming up, because this guy did not strike me as a professional anything.
He was hammered...and could hardly stand up, even with the help of the rail along the sidewalk out front.
He then clarified that he used to be an RN, but now he's just doing some home health care.
I asked him if he worked for a local company.... and he kind of in a round-about-way told me that he really wasn't working anymore, but he would when the opportunity presented itself.
He went on to tell me that he had lost his job at the hospital because of his alcohol problem.
It really is/was kind of sad, because we did talk some about health care and it was obvious that he had a great deal of knowledge and could easily make something of his life if he could give up the booze.

After talking for awhile, he summed it all up by saying, "I'm a drunk."
"If it weren't for me being a drunk, I'd still be working in the hospital."

My beer was nearly gone....and our conversation had pretty much run its course, so I told him to "Take care of himself"....and "I'll see ya later."  "Thanks for the beer!"

I went back to my room thinking how sad it was that a 40 year old guy like this, who had so much knowledge, was in all reality, probably living off from a disability check, paying rent that was being subsidized by the gov't, and getting his food & beer off from his EBT card.  Health care was probably being taken care of by Medicaid.
What a life.....

I meet this next character on the very next day after I get back from playing poker for the day.

I was walking to my room, and this guy was literally walking faster than I was, to try and catch up to me.  That's a situation that will usually make me very nervous and edgy...  I'll either make sure that I get into the safety of my room...or if I can't do that, I'll simply stop and be ready for a confrontation.

With this guy, I didn't make it to the room....  I ended up stopping outside the room and turning to meet the guy.
It didn't take long at all to see that I was dealing with someone who either needed to be on meds and wasn't... or was indeed being prescribed meds...but wasn't taking them.
It didn't take me long to figure out that he had some mental issues, so you can probably imagine... we ended up having quite a conversation.

After I turned around, he basically stopped...and asked me what my name was.
I politely told him my first name....however I didn't bother to ask him his name.
At the time, I still wasn't sure what to make of this situation.
I wasn't really scared, because this was someone I could easily handle, unless if he had a gun....

I wasn't going to open the door to my room yet, because there was NO way, this cat was getting in there.
I sat and leaned over the rail.... and he proceeded to follow my lead....
It really was kind of awkward, because I wasn't looking for any conversation with this guy.
I did notice that he kept pulling a single cigarette out of his pocket....and within a minute or two, it would go back in his pocket, protected by his hand.  I suppose he wanted to make sure he didn't break it.

He then pulls out a lighter... and turns to me and says, "Do you like my zippo?"
I'm like....  "yeah... looks like a nice zippo"
He says, "Do you have a zippo?"
I say, "I think I might have one or two back home"....

He then puts his lighter back in the pocket, pulls out his cigarette for the 5th or 6th time....and actually lights it, using a book of matches from his other pocket.
Then he kind of talks to himself for a bit...and finally turns toward me and says in a matter of fact way, "Well,......  That's the end of that."
I didn't say anything....and a few seconds later....   "Well,....  That's the end of that," he says again....
He obviously is looking for a reaction from me, so I say....  "That's the end of what?"

He says, "That's the end of those matches....but at least I still have my zippo."

The empty book of matches must have held some value to him, because he had put it back into his pocket.

A little more awkward silence, and he pulls out his zippo again.... and says, "Do you like zippo lighters?   lol
For those of you who know me, you probably can imagine by now that I've about had enough.
My eyes are probably rolling back into my head every time the guy opens his mouth.
I'm certain the guy doesn't have a gun by now, and I'm about to put an end to this visit.
I respond to his question by saying, "Yeah... zippo's are nice lighters."
He says to me, "They're kind of like little brothers, aren't they?"

Now how the heck is a sane man supposed to respond to a question like that?
I don't respond....and he says, "Do you know what I mean?"
I say...  "Noooo... not really...."
He then goes on to say, "They like to start fires."    lol
Then he looks me in the eye.... and says to me,    "Get It?"..... just like a 6 year old kid might say to you after telling you a knock-knock joke.....   lol
I just laughed and said... yeah, I guess that does make some sense...."  as my fricken eyes must've been completely rolled back into my head by now....

You just can't make this kind of stuff up.....
It gave me just a glimpse into the thought process of someone who's not mentally stable....

I'm sure this guy is also probably a guy whose well being depends on the gov't.... He is more than likely being taken care of financially by the rest of the taxpayers....and in all likelihood will be taken care of by them/us....until the day he dies....

I proceeded to end the conversation by telling the guy, "Have a good one..." as I took the key out to enter my room....

I guess you might call it.....  just another day in the life..... of yours' truly....