The biggest little city in the world.

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Ahh . . . Reno!

Yep, that's the hotel I'm staying in for two weeks. Think Fortress of Solitude made out of green Jell-O. I'm here as part of a two week institute for high school journalism advisers.

So far, I have gotten lost in the casino twice. Thanks, casino! Could you make your exits a little more conspicuous or at least cut back on the distracting lights? Sheesh, you'd think that you didn't want people to be able to leave easily, casino.

There are is a group of cowboys staying at the hotel, too. They are in town for an online cattle auction. Less smelly, sure. But did they really need to come all the way to Reno for an online auction?

I had planned on doing an article about the "real" Reno: 911. I even arranged a Ride-along with the Reno Police Department. It turns out that anything that I witness on the ride along I wouldn't be able to write about becuase that would be a privacy violation. Not only that, but the RPD have some strict dress code rules:

"No headgear or clothing should be worn that could create a perception that the Ride-Along participant is a member of law enforcement. This includes police logos, patches, badges, insignia, writings, words, phrases, pictures, a Sam Browne belt, basket-weave leather items, flashlights, handcuffs, or any other police-related equipment."

I wonder if that would have included the pair of Officer Dangle hot shorts that I packed? At this point, I'll never find out. I plan on cancelling the Ride-along. I'm arranging a white water rafting trip on the Truckee River near Lake Tahoe instead.

For those of you who survived the "Cheese Grater" on last summer's trip, wish me well . . .

And here are my current standings, for those of you at home who are keeping score:

Present gambling winnings = $0.
Present gambling losses = $0.
Present trips to brothels = 0.