Well, not quite. Atlantic City today is just like I remember it from other visits here. I think that is done on purpose – but does it have to be so fake? Casino and hotel facades can be spectacular as they are in Las Vegas. But there is just something about a building that is supposed to replicate the great Taj Mahal when it is set along the New Jersey coastline and abuts a worn, wooden boardwalk where only a few feet from the entrance is an opportunity to get your palms read or buy a $5 Sopranos t-shirt.

Still, buses line up one after the other to dispense gray haired old ladies, some toting portable oxygen tanks, as if the buses are mobile pez dispensers. One after the other they get off the bus well rested after the multi-hour drive, now hyped up with their rolls of quarters and quest for the best lunchtime buffet. Me? I am snacking on a salad after a long morning run and getting ready for my presentation later this afternoon (3pm!).

Now I just sit and watch people as I keep one eye on the clock that ticks closer and closer to game time and one eye on the polyester suits and beehives, two classic New Jersey looks that send the clear message that no one from Jersey was there for the style meeting when they announced a switch to a more comfortable and flattering pantsuit material. This particular conference is being held in the Tropicana Casino and Hotel, one of the older establishments right on the boardwalk. Casinos surrounding the Trop as it is called have been imploded and are currently being rebuilt as taller and grander facilities. Right now it is swarming with police and emergency personnel from around the state who are carrying their free tote bags filled with flyers, pens, pads, brochures, and anything else that was free and on display in the exhibition hall…similar to what I do at the health and fitness expos held before each marathon. So I can relate.

Some of these conference attendees will be seated in a hall later this afternoon listening to me talk about school shootings, threat assessment, and crisis plan development. Boy, do they have a treat in store for them! Until then, I’ll keep sipping my coffee and reading a book, typical Atlantic City behavior!

As you can see, I also tinkered with the look and feel of the blog design…what do you think?  Do you think the side bars are user friendly?  The original blog design was described by the creator as “moody” (go figure!) so I thought maybe to try something fresh this morning.  Yes, I am procrastinating…but what is the overall feel for the blog’s new look?  Please be brutally honest….go ahead, I can take it!

By the way, I saw this t-shirt today and thought it was hilarious! I should get one!!

OK, back to work.