Whew! I made it to Las Vegas.
That's right, it's finally happened. After months of planning and preparation (most of which has gone to shit in one way or another) I've finally arrived. I got in on Thursday the 15th, giving me exactly 6 weeks to turn a few bucks in Disneyland for Adults. I'm currently seeking temporary employment to keep me busy and fed until the basketball tournaments start in about a month - which is my stated reason for being here in the first place. The more honest reason is that I'm here to provide support for a good friend who is making his play in the world of poker...and as he's up over 2k in less than a week, I feel like I chose the right horse. We're having a great time figuring things out and trying to establish some sort of normalcy amongst the glitz and tits bombarding us from every angle. Being that I'm not much of a club-goer or a supporter of the stripping industry, it has been pretty crazy to get used to a lifestyle where that is the norm instead of the exception.
While at first it's shocking to discover places like Alberstsons in near disrepair and filled with smoke from the aisle of video slot machines, it does provide me with a bit of hope that there is always farther to fall and room to grow. Many people view Vegas as the axis of evil, and in many ways they're right. It's got bits of everything that's wrong with our society and values as a country, but at the same time it is very much about the American Dream. What is the point of striving for success of some sort without a place to enjoy that toil and trouble? And I find it beautiful that there is a town that exists solely for that purpose for the segment of society who enjoys things like bright lights, impressive man-made structures and blatant commercialism. To each her own, right? I mean, there are just as many people who'd consider a week of camping in Moab a little slice of hell as there are haters of the elaborate excess that is Las Vegas.
That'll be my last trip to the soapbox for a while. I'll check back in soon, when I'm exhausted by it all and ready to do anything to get out...unless of course I get discovered for my hidden talent at tray-spinning and end up with my own show in an off-strip rock-paper-scissors casino.
And if you're wondering...the new Hooters casino sucks. ugh.
posted by Nate C @ 2:25 PM
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