65 shines. I wonder how many are necessary to beat the game? I think 70 were needed in SM64. The status screen looks like it's more like 2/3 or 3/4 filled rather than just half, but I suppose that there must be a lot of Shines in the hub world to make up the difference (I also think that all shines that come from blue coin trades count as hub shines, regardless of where the blue coins came from) I think I'll call it quits for tonight in any case.

I first thought the shine in the spa area of the hotel was like a Zelda type puzzle. But I was making it much more difficult on myself than it needed to be, because it seemed like Mario couldn't open a door while holding an item (which he can).

The last Shine I got was from a platformer stage, the casino in the hotel. Actually, I thought it was one of the easier stages like that. But that didn't bother me too much, because just reaching the stage was a pain in the ass (not challenging, just annoying). You have to get triple 7s on two slot machines (at least one of which seems to be purely a matter of luck, though I suppose the game must somehow stack the odds in your favor, or it would have taken forever). Then you have to switch a 4 (or 5) by 4 set of panels so that they all have the "Shine" side facing out. That's tricky because it's almost impossible to get the water spray to hit exactly one panel and leave the rest alone.

"Perhaps one did not want to be loved so much as to be understood."
-Orwell