Vegas, Baby

Back from Vegas. Had a great time catching up with my writing buddies, most of whom I hadn't seen in several years. The funny thing about meeting back up with people in person who you talk to all the time online via e-mail and messageboards is that you've already caught up on the smalltalk by the time you meet up. "I was going to ask you what's going on," my buddy Patrick said at dinner the first night, "but, well..."

Yea.

I think the most amusing part of the trip was watching our buddy Greg (who had never been to Vegas) staring, stunned, at the cocktail waitresses and birdwomen (alas, he missed the Sirens of TI! show).

This was the first time I'd been to Vegas when I was old enough to drink and gamble, and I gotta say: it's much more enjoyable that way. I lost $10 at the slots and bought several $8 drinks. The highlight "event" of the trip was trekking over to the Bellagio and seeing Cirque Du Soleil's latest show, "O". It was worth the exorbitant price, and I'm glad I went. This was one of those, "Let's do everything we usually do, only more of it, in water, with bigger costumes, and a ship hanging off the ceiling. Can you bend that way and then *dive* off the trapeze?" Amazing shit. It was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen.

I arrive home poorer in pocket, but richer in experience. Most of our time was actually taken up lingering over our meals. We often spent two hours eating, talking, and playing keno.

It was just what I needed.

And now: back to work.