Heading out but someone asked about Keith's financial condition ......
Keith was involved as a partner in two very worthwhile start-ups
The first involved Product Placement in top ten TV shows and major motion pictures.
The second was a Hawaii Coffee Company.
And all involved in both those businesses would say that he was damn good at doing what he did in each.
And he was in the process of making big bucks, but like most 'start-ups' the profits were just beginning to materialize and Keith was the kind of person who spread any dollar he ever got among his friends and those more unfortunate than he was and who needed it for more important purposes than Keith presently had.
Keith was receiving great checks but he was never one to save a buck or two. He only carried a heavy wallet for a few brief hours before its contents were in someone else's pockets.
In a word ..... Keith was a very generous guy when he had the money and thankful most of all when he didn't.
And regarding spending his cash in a casino!
I was always there when he gambled and only saw him live the life of a 'whale' (oh-oh! .... but that's just casino talk for "Big Spender at the tables") when he spent time with C.N. and an uncle who was actually was one of the biggest 'whales' of modern day Las Vegas.
Back then Keith's group would fly to LV in a private plane and fill up the entire floor of one of the local casinos and gather in the John Wayne Suite before attacking the downstairs tables.
That group of 'whales' was so important back then that the casino bosses would have meetings before they showed up to ensure that everyone was treated properly and they'd keep one of the craps tables private for their gambling 'pleasure'.
And that's when the $1,000 chips came out in abundance.
And the top restaurant in Las Vegas always had a private table ready for their possible arrival.
And when they did arrive .... everything was compt and since the meals were very fancy and somewhat small, the larger guys were always served on bigger plates with lots of extras.
But Keith (believe it or not) was always satisfied with the regular entree of the House Special - Filet of Sole (Dover Style). Even back then he never ate too much.
And I can't recall a time in LV when the fart machine didn't show up suddenly in the least expected places .... casinos, elevators, bathroom stalls, behind the Mayor's ass, behind a street walker's ass (which made the Mayor fall on his ass in hysterics), and in fancy show-rooms among many other Las Vegas places.
I failed to read all of Keith's GetBig submissions but I bet he mentioned a lot of this much earlier.
Later whenever I went to a casino with Keith, I'd act as his 'unofficial banker' whose job it was ... was to walk by his position at the craps table about every 20 minutes and remove his winnings from the chip slot and cash them in before he had a chance to lose 'em.
That worked well each and every time but there were a few times when I'd fail to see any 'winnings' so I'd just oontinue on back to the blackjack table from whence I came.
By the end of Keith's session at the table, the Boss would comp dinner or lunch for two, so we always had a decent meal before heading on into the sunset with a bag of winnings which was sometimes empty.
Those were fun times. And even funner when I found his fart machine and hid it for a week or two. I hated that damn thing.
He thought the dog ate it and he hated that dog for eating it.
I was intending to find one of those things and have it buried with him but Keith was cremated so the opportunity never arose.
If I get a chance I hope to squeeze one into that little ceramic jar I should be seeing at his memorial in Hawthorn. I only pray that it won't be a windy day!
Bye, Keith! Thanks for all them good times!
Even most of the arguments were enjoyable from this perspective.
