18

1. Did I mention that I was going to Vegas mid-week on an impromptu 48 hour girls getaway?
2. Me and my travel buddy decided an inexpensive spa retreat at our favorite downtown destination was in order and we made it happen.
3. We arrived Wednesday midday and after settling into our room, we went downstairs for happy hour frozen cocktails and then, a swim in the pool.
4. The pool is one of the best things about the Nugget. It's round, with a spectacular shark tank in the center and the fastest water slide I've ever ridden. 
5. Those sharks in the tank are huge and seemed to have grown ginormous since the last time we were in town. 
6. Especially the big one that has always lurked on the bottom who was very active this visit. 
7. That beast is well over five feet long. 
8. I'm not much of a gambler, but I do love slot machines. 
9. The more bells and whistles the better. I love when the chair shakes with sound effects and there'd better be lights. Blinking and sounding off, even if it's only 300 points.*
10. My favorite machine is the Wizard of Oz. The best part is when Glinda floats across the screen in a pink, glittery bubble granting wishes, (usually in the form of free spins.)
11. I wanted to go back to Vegas to finish my black and white photo series. 
12. Unfortunately, I was having a pretty shit time shooting this trip. 
13. Nothing was turning out great, I had a lot of duds and only a few, marginal winners, up until the very last 20 minutes in our room when I got the money shot.
14. I wasn't planning to  make that image, it came to me organically and proves a valuable lesson for me.
15. Despite the idea I've heard a lot recently, that the better portfolios come when there's planning and creating before the actual shooting begins, is not how I work best. 
16. I made two images that I'd planned before-hand that are decent and will likely make it into the finished series, but the last shot I made, the one that happened as we were packing our bags, was an inspiration.

*300 points would be an incredible win if I was playing up on the strip where penny and nickel slots no longer exist. Old town Vegas is pretty awesome if you like to gamble but don't like to lose because they still have slot machines for grifters and cheapskates.