Mo Money, Mo Problems

Yes, I made a Notorious B.I.G. reference in the title of this post.  Circa 1997.... I was in 7th grade.  But I think Biggie had it all wrong.  If I was a rapper, I'd make a song called, "No Money, Mo Problems."  It would reference my life as a medical student with close to a quarter-of-a-million dollars in debt, trying to support my family.

Well, instead of rapping about my financial woes, I decided to venture down to Foxwoods Casino this past weekend to see if I could pay off a bit of my student loans. I went with my parents and my cousin, as a birthday gift for my mom.  Last time I was there was for my 21st birthday, which was quite the event.  All the girls wore bright colored wigs, and we played the "Take a picture with a random stranger without them noticing" game.  Though we didn't make that much of a spectacle this time around, it was equally fun and entertaining.

My cousin & I still smiling after losing our $

I don't know why but every time I go there, I have these ridiculous fantasies about coming home a millionaire.  I picture myself playing the slots, three 7's popping up in a row, alarms sounding, people cheering, and confetti falling from the ceiling as I win the jackpot.  Hey, a girl can dream!  I thought I was on a roll when I played my first $20 and instantly won $100.  Then I had quickly doubled the $100 my dad so generously gave me in only a half hour!  My dreams of graduating debt free were soon to be met.  Not so much.....

After a night of gambling away all my (dad's) money, followed by consuming more alcohol than I had in a long time, I woke up to the sobering reality that I was not going to pay off my med school loans anytime soon.  Not that I expected to win $250,000 playing the penny slots.  At least I had fun, though, especially while I was playing the Sex & the City slots sitting next to the funniest chain-smoking old lady who was cheering me on every time I got the bonus game by yelling out, "Mr. Big!!" (that was the $1,000 prize).

Well, even though I didn't win any money, I definitely came home a winner when I walked in the door and my little man gave me a great big smile.  Now that's priceless.