I’ve been to Vegas, baby. So, this past summer Bj drove me through the strip three times so I could take pictures like this:

Luckily, My mom and I didn’t go to places like that. But I did see plenty of excess. It’s amazing what all lots of money can do in the middle of the desert. Now, before I say that some things I saw were cool and I did appreciate them, I MUST preface this by saying that I, in no way, support an unsustainable settlement in the middle of the desert that uses up vast resources. Much of my feelings on this matter were gleaned from the book Cadillac Desert by Marc Reisner. Most people assume that Las Vegas uses power generated from Hoover Dam, but in actuality only one of the large generators in Hoover Dam is used for Las Vegas and Arizona. The rest of Las Vegas’ power comes from other sources including coal burning power plants that are the main source of pollution for the Grand Canyon.
Okay I had to say that because water management really is important to me, but now I’ll get onto the Vegas. First of all I walked a ton and I have seven blisters on my feet to prove it. I think “the strip” is really deceiving.  You know, you ask where something is and their like “across the street,” or “two casinos down.” That really means “go up the escalator (because there are no real stairs), across the people mover, down to the street, across the walkway,past the fountain, and 1,700 shops, then you’ll get to the casino, go past 5,000 slot machines and then ask a guy named Hank.” It’s nuts!  My mom and I decided to go down to the Aladdin from where we were staying (Bally’s) and happened upon the Desert Passage shops (we were drawn in by a Sephora so it really wasn’t our fault). We walked around for an hour and a half. when we saw the street we thought we would be coming out a couple of miles down the strip but we were only about a football field from where we went in, what the!!!  So we did tons of walking and sightseeing and free things, but like my mom says, “You don’t go to Vegas on a budget.” So true. I mean who would have thought I’d ever see my mom in super trendy Juicy Couture sweat pants? You go girl! And we did a little gambling, despite my reservations it was kind of fun. I did win though, or at least break even, when I played blackjack. I sat down at the table and was dealt and ace then a face card. The guy next to me said, “you don’t know about doubling down do you?” Um, what? And I have no idea what the deal is with slot machines… do people not realize you always loose?  My mom did put a five dollars in and got twenty back the first day, but that was the only time we walked away with anything left. And seeing people shuffle over to a machine in a walker, sit down, light up a cigarette, cough, and insert a card hooked to their neck, NO THANKS!!
We had a lot more fun at the variety show we went to V . It did have some magic, which my mom apparently finds a little unsettling since she doesn’t know how it’s done, but the comedian more than made up for that for her. We had a lot of fun and it was a great couple of days, but I was starting to get a rash (allergic to Vegas?) and was sick of not taking a breath that wasn’t semi smoke filled, so it was time to head home.

Aren’t we the cutest!
Okay special props to Iman and Jane who let me know that the purple guy’s name is Grimace. Jane also sent me this link, Which McDonald’s Character are You? I’m the fry guy! Special, special props to Erin who knew the other two dudes names: Hamburgler and Birdie! Thanks Erin! You have to check out my photo album. I put up a great picture of the Chilhuly instillation at the Bellagio . It replaces another picture I posted today that has been my wallpaper for almost a year.