I See Flamingos, Pink Flamingos

And I'm not even intoxicated. Imagine that. Me not being intoxicated. And seeing pink flamingos. Yes, I am self aware. And hyperly aware. I guess Vegas is doing me good. It must be the oxygen. Or the strangers. I like strangers. The stranger the better. Well, kind of. The people I hung out with last night weren't strange. But they were fun. I stayed out very late on a school night with male conventioneers and a TGIFridays bartender from Manhattan named Meghan. I had a blast. I haven't had a blast in awhile. And it was a relatively inexpensive blast at that. (Better yet!) And all because I wanted a glass of wine while I read my Boscia paperwork.

I haven't been to Vegas in something like 6 years. I know, I know. But I haven't really been anywhere. I'm not a gambler and I hate playing Vanna White-- which to me, means just standing by -- being a spectator while other people gamble. I like conversation. And people watching. Six years ago there wasn't this much to do here--at least not that I remember. That time I stayed at the Hard Rock. There weren't any pink flamingos there. But there was Ben Affleck, my friend Kristine, a guy I used to date who I just ran into (much like I ran into him in NYC when I moved there-- weird, huh?), and all the people from the show. There was drama, too. But that wasn't why I haven't come back. One of the girls I invited was a basket case about some guy she was dating who she kept calling and fighting with and when got off the phone she'd yammer on about as if she was heartbroken only to turn around and scam on another guy the first opportunity she got. That wasn't all. While scamming, she left us to take in her hyperly active and far too young acting guy friend who wouldn't stop talking. While we were trying to sleep. It definitely was an experience... and one I doubt Kristine will ever forget. Although I'm guessing she's tried. And tried. And tried. Much like I keep trying to forget the pink dress I wore the one time I came to Vegas before that -- when I was canoodling with the now famous actor. That's when I learned he saw prostitutes. And had a thing for gambling. Well, the gambling I kind of knew about. The prostitute thing was a little more of a surprise. Of the not so good variety. So in the end, the pink dress probably didn't matter. Or else it just might have helped me dodge a bullet.

Anyway, I had no idea I'd be having this much fun while I'm working. In a place like this, it's kind of perfect for me to have a task during the day since I'm not pool girl any more than I'm gambling girl. In the morning, I get to walk to said task and look at things en route. And then I get to walk home and look at more things-- things I've never seen, some clothes, some alcoholics, some scary outfits, some people wearing no clothes, some other people drinking and eating so they're spilling out of their clothes yet still shopping for more clothes anyway at far too expensive stores. It's quite entertaining. Because even if there are chain restaurants and chain stores here, in Vegas, they just have a different feel. Amen for that.

Which brings me to Sephora. Here they have not just one, but two. Which in this rarefied environment feels odd yet apropos. Smoking and drinking and flying are not exactly stellar for the complexion. Which in turn, makes me feel useful. Here, I get to fix other people instead of fixing myself. Ah, there's a switch. Maybe this is a vacation after all. I'm oddly peaceful in this crazy environment. I'm tired, but peaceful. My feet hurt. Still, peaceful. So no outing this pm even though I did kind of make plans with Meghan and the conventioneers. But I have to save myself for Nordstrom. For facials and such. So I'm going to take a bath in a bathtub that people from all over have stepped in and try not to think about it. Unless of course, I think that I'm lucky that I get to be somewhere else and work. That I'm not even paying for it. But am actually getting paid for it. That I'm finally out of the house. And I'm having fun. And that I have something to look forward to -- not only can I pay my rent after having had fun, but I also get to visit Kate next month in New York because of it. Maybe I'll bring her a flamingo.