After one short hour's flight from SJC, we landed in Reno.
Outdoors and into the darkness, we were greeted by the cold,
crisp, and bracing mountain air. It was my first time here and
it reminded me of Canada.

Entering the hotel lobby, Tim took one look at the machines
and mostly unhealthy- and unhappy-looking elderly people 
sitting in front of them and said with disgust:
    "All these bozos with nothing better to do than sitting
    there splurging their money away!"
    
That was mean but he was 12. Tim had always been tightfisted.
(I guess I don't have to worry about his financial future.)
    "Be careful not to end up one of them when you get old."
    "Sure, Dad."
    
came the glib reply which left me helpless trying to impart
some hard-earned life lessons. I wish he could see the irony in his own screen addiction.

I don't really mind staying at a casino resort crowded with
people. Except for jetlag and lack of moving, I could even
enjoy trans-continental flights. When noise and activities
reached a certain level, I always was able to focus better
on my own stuff. With folks gambling, drinking, smoking, and
otherwise killing themselves around me, this was the perfect
place to study and work.

I was not a fan of skiing, not even when I was in Canada.
While Tim and the wife were at it, I played a limited
supporting role. Skiing sure has its charm and exercises
the body better than programming. But for me, it has
almost no value for survival. I explained my philosopy to an
encouraging staff at Mt Rose and showed him my Captains
of Crush. He countered that it was good for one's mental
health. Well. I didn't want to argue but he didn't convince
me the necessity of the sport. I am sure I can learn to
enjoy but my attention budget is small.

The only requirement for me to be able to love this vacation
(or anything else for that matter) was health and I got it.
I observed the same diet and sleep. The gym here could be
better: I could do pull-ups but there were no kettlebells.
There was no better deal than walking to the nearby Walmart
in the early hours to load up groceries and carrying them back.
It saved money and exercised my body and I got to talk to
real people.

So far, so good.