Thursday, August 11, 2011

Day 85: Vegas, Baby, Vegas

Fair warning: this post has almost nothing to do with Vegas. But everybody who has seen "Swingers" remembers that famous line.

I've only been to Vegas a few times. Official American debauchery comes in two prominent stripes: glitzy and grimy. Vegas is glitzy, an amusement park for the dark side of our nature. An example of grimy would be like what New Orleans was pre-Katrina (and could still be, but I haven't been there in a while). In Vegas debauchery is a product. It's shiny and slick. In New Orleans it's organic. It just is part of the fabric of the town... "Let the good times roll."

Usually I get into the post before I tangent. This one starts with the tangent. That being, in Vegas when you're inside, you can't see outside. Obviously there are no windows in the show venues, and there are no windows in the casinos. This is because they don't want you thinking about real life outside. They don't want you distracted by things the have no control over.

So what you wind up with is an experience that is very disconnected from reality. My advice: go outside.

This is also true for the jobless. It's very easy to get a bunker mentality. This is pretty unhealthy. You've got to try and normalize things as much as possible.

Not easy. You can go days without doing the "normal" things most people in the working world experience. I've had a few long periods of non-shaving, for example. This only works if you're in the NHL playoffs or are Adrian Grenier.

You also have some days when you literally don't venture beyond the porch to check the mail or supervise peeing dogs.

You've got to get out and normalize.

2 comments:

  1. But I don't like getting out and normalizing. People talk at me.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh, Alvin, how I hope that prospect comes through. Were your ears burning, because someone who shall remain nameless (but not unidentified... it was Megan!) and I were talking about how your giant crazybrain should be in a place where it/you can do more (damage) good. We need you!

    ReplyDelete