Vegas Virginity Revoked

I had always thought that if I went to Vegas I would get bored with it quickly. But once I got there -- and while I was suffering from excessive alcohol intake -- there was so much to see around me. I preferred to walk around. I didn't want to sleep.

I've had a tough time conceptualizing my Vegas blog. What can I say that hasn't already been said? I closed clubs, saw strippers, rode in a limo, gambled, was wooed by the bright lights. I didn't see a show or show girls, and only noted one Elvis. Still, even without those, I feel like I had the typical Vegas experience.

But what was fascinating was that people go there with expectations (allow me to generalize). Everyone expects you to leave your former life at the gate of the airport. You are expected to let loose and forget any decent upbringing you might have had. You are expected to engage. If you don't, you should go back to your hotel. And for that matter, you should go home. If you aren't there to get crazy, what are you there for?

I would like to reiterate that these were not my expectations going in.

Maybe that's why I was so taken with Vegas. I've never been to such a place. How does a place like that develop? Who thinks all that stuff up? Who wakes up one day and says "I'm going to rebuild the New York skyline" and not only that, but has the confidence that people will like it? At first, my head was swirling.

But I don't think it's the concept people like, it's the escape. Everyone is well aware it isn't real. And because of that, maybe people start to think that, while they are there, they aren't real either. Without reality, the other beliefs fall away.

It's Tough Living in Health Food Nation

Let's face it, we still like our junk food.

I am of the camp that believes if you are eating healthy most of the time, exercising, and drinking lots of water, that you can slack off every now and then. I give in to my little cravings, which don't come very often.

Like this afternoon, when I went to the vending machine to get a tasty snack. I wanted potato chips, or something salty, maybe a little greasy. I felt like being naughty. Naughty tastebuds. But standing in front of the vending machine, there was none of that. Dried fruit. Sunflower seeds. Trail mix. Oatmeal. Who puts oatmeal in the vending machine? And the sticker on the glass in the top right hand corner taunted me: Healthy Options Vending, Do What's Right For Your Body. Bah!

There was one empty row in that vending machine. I bet that's where the baked Lays were. Wake up Healthy Options Vending! You lost a sale because you failed to indulge my insatiable lust for junk food this afternoon. Forcing your supply on us will not increase our demand. I left the building and found a place that could give me what I needed.

And tomorrow, on my own terms, I might be ready for the trail mix.

A Few More Wedding Pictures...




And yes, it was very cold outside!