I was going to write something really inspirational this month, but frankly, I’m just too damned hot to be positive.

It’s not so much the 110-degree temperatures outside. I’m familiar with that. It’s just part of life in the desert. It’s our penance for the eight months of beautiful weather we enjoy while the rest of the country is frozen under 18 inches of snow.

Nope, it’s the busted air conditioner sitting lifeless on top of the condo-conversion I’m renting. The thing has been doing nothing more than holding down the roof over my unit for the better part of six days, and I’m expecting to see that number hit at least seven, if not reach double digits before anything is done about it.

My absentee landlord is entirely uninterested in addressing the situation, even though I am paying the mortgage on his failed condo-flipping venture (he bought in months before the bubble burst and his condo is worth roughly 50 percent of what he paid for it). And it appears that Advanced Air Conditioning and Heating isn’t very much interested in fixing it, either—despite they fact that it is under a 10-year warranty, with the coverage starting when they installed a new unit last August.

Normally, I wouldn’t mention the company by name—I’ve been living in various casinos since the AC died and I’m not going to disclose the locations of some of the worst culinary abominations I’ve witnessed—but in some situations, such as this, it is required. I feel it is my responsibility to let as many people know as possible to stay away from this outfit.

They were quick to respond to my first request for service, sending over a technician the very next day. This technician, however, made a statement that tops the list of stupidest things I’ve heard in my life. He suggested that the unit is simply overheating, and that to avoid problems, I should turn it off every couple of hours so it can cool down.
 
Now that would be great if I didn’t have to work during the day and could make frequent trips to and from the unit to turn the AC on and off. It would also be great if we weren’t getting into that time of year when a high of 99 degrees counts as a cold spell. But as it stands, turning off the AC for a couple of hours during the day brings the temperature in the unit into the high 80s.

Now, the guy might have been correct when he said that the unit is overheating. But that is more a symptom than a cause. Something isn’t working right in the unit, causing it to blow warm air, which results in it having to run constantly, therefore causing the unit to overheat and shut down. I don’t know from air conditioners, but I know enough to know there is some other problem that is forcing the unit to run constantly, causing it to overheat and ultimately shut down.
 
So for six days going on seven I’ve been calling Advanced and schedules an appointment with another technician and for six days going on seven no one has showed up. And thus, for six days going on seven I’ve been living out of a duffle bag at various casinos throughout the city.

That wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing if I could pull more than three-of-a-kinds and flushes out of a video poker machines or if I could last more than 30 minutes at a blackjack table before the cards bust me out, but that hasn’t been the case thus far. Perhaps my luck will change in the next couple of days.

During my mini Las Vegas vacation, I have noticed that there are still a large number of people crowding the casinos floors throughout the city. They seem to be drinking it up, feeding the machines, riding the tables and having an overall good time. It may not be as many people as were doing so last year—at least that is what the numbers are saying—but it doesn’t seem like it’s off by that much.
 
An ancient Chinese proverb that doubles as a curse says, “May you live in interesting times.” With everything happening in our economy, in our city and with our presidential election, ours are truly interesting times.

Interesting times tend to be challenging times as well, and the coming months will be a challenge for everyone but the very rich, who aren’t affected by the rising cost of fuel and food, but for the rest of us, it will be a challenge. Challenges, however, have the potential to make us stronger, better and more well-rounded people, so it can’t be all bad.

Despite what the reports say—even those on some pages in this magazine—Las Vegas will overcome and we will all be better for it. It may be difficult going for a while, but in the end, we will all be better for the experience.

If only I could say the same about the experience with Advanced.

By Greg Jones

Greg Jones is managing editor of Casino Connection Nevada, as well as associate editor of Global Gaming Business magazine.

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