Bright Lights City Set My Soul On Fire

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Ah, Vegas!

My first trip ever, and it was incredible! I didn't even do half the things that I could have done, but what came about that was memorable. My last vacation was to Upstate New York with my ex-wife, which happened in the same year we were married, and just after our honeymoon (weird: our first and last trips took place in the same year), but that's all I'm going to mention about my ex in this blog. Suffice it to say, this was just what I needed.

Depending on the trip, I generally come back different in many fundamental ways than I was before. Much of the time, it involves a slight accent change and less money - indeed, I've had both from this trip - but a few things stand out as personal highlights for me (and I will refrain from mentioning my friends, except for Michael who celebrated his 30th during the trip - Happy Birthday, dude!) as being pretty transitional moments:

The Lap of Luxury. We got rooms at the Wynn Las Vegas at significantly discounted prices, and it's a good thing, too: I don't think I could have afforded both the trip AND the room. Sidney Poitier wrote in his first autobiography that once you have certain luxurious experiences, you can never go back to the old routine. My service level expectations have definitely changed from this: I'm already noticing how cheap everything is back home, and oddly enough, I'm finding I have a problem with it. Price is no longer the main consideration: what's changed now, moreso than ever before, is how much I value the object of my purchase. If it's worth the money, the money ceases to be an obstacle as long as my basics get paid.

Writing at the Terrace Pointe Cafe I'm an early riser, especially on trips - I can sleep when I get home, sort of - and so on Sunday morning, as the other guys slept the sleep of the righteous, I got up and headed down to the Terrace Pointe Cafe in the lobby, got a seat by the window, and scribbled some more pages for my novel over coffee and raisin bran. My reasoning: all metaphysical. If you practice your craft surrounded by the very luxury that your work will bring in the future, you'll create a connection that will bring you back to that place through your craft. And plus, I needed a cheap bowl of cereal after days of high cholesterol and equally artery-clogging prices.

Blush Man, oh, Man, if I'd just had $1,000 more bucks to spend on bottle service... I don't know what I loved about Blush, it was just an incredible atmosphere and location. And young, high maintenance girls that are nice to look at and dance with, though I'm leery of connecting with a rich twentysomething chick who has a trust fund. Oh well, Blush is officially on my list of favourite sites in the world.

Rocky mountains . Went to bed, looked out the window, and saw nothing but Treasure Island and the Trump International all lit up, with the city vanishing into the black horizon. Woke up, pushed the buttons to open the curtains - I told you: uber swank! - and there are suddenly massive mountains on the horizon! I've always been fascinated with real mountain ranges, and this was the first time I've seen them out west.

Westernmost point. I'm pretty sure the Aquarium at Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, Nevada represents the westernmost point I've ever reached in my life so far.

The Buffet Kobe-beef meatballs. Five kinds of ceviche. Gourmet sushi. Every breakfast food known to man. Prime Rib, Lamb, and flank slices, all you can eat. Shrimp the size of my hands. And gourmet desserts. Options for unlimited champagne pours. All you can eat. 'Nuff said.

Perspective Last but not least, it was a trip to get away from problems for a few days. A time to reflect on real priorities. A chance to enjoy things and just go with the flow. To party, and to chill, with people you care about. And to restore your energy. I feel different and better from my time in Vegas, and we'll see how different I am as the days progress.

Oh, and I ate 70 Chicken McNuggets. They were on sale, $50 for ten bucks. And they said the dollar parity was a bad thing...

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