Stripping in Vegas

I've learned that by using sex in the blog post title, it gets a lot more attention.  I didn't strip in vegas... I was on the Vegas Strip where all the casinos are.  Big difference... huge!  I bagged going to Mt. Charleston for a ride to my old neighborhood when I lived here... a half mile from there to Red Rock Canyon... and then to MGM Grand to have dinner with my friend, Paul, who works there.

When I lived here in Vegas, I never went near the Strip... especially to drive down Las Vegas Blvd.  It's mainly filled with Hummer-driving-wifebeater-wearing-Jersey Shore-watching-VIP-wanna-be tourists who are hoping that they win big enough to quit their job and sit on their ass for the rest of their lives.  Doesn't happen, and yet they still flock in here.  You learn to avoid it all really quickly.  I've been here four times before I moved here... I always liked the energy, the lights and the fact that it's open 24 hours a day.  Mainly though, it's sensory overload and visual vomit... something flashing or ringing or spinning and one thing outdoes the next.... you don't know what to look at first.  I met Paul when I lived here and we became friends and remained friends after I moved home.  He's a great guy and we caught up fast, just like I had never left.  He keeps up with me through the blog and me with him through Facebook.  He's one of the good things that came out of the experience for me.

This trip was partly about closure for me.  My experience out here was debilitating, both mentally and finacially.  You can read about it here ( My Time In Vegas (probably my most raw writing ever)), but the short of it is that after being severely depressed, then suicidal, I was lucky to pull out of it at all.  I haven't been back since, and it's been a long road to recovery, processing the issues and moving on and forward.  Despite not being able to get a job, I loved it here.  It represented a fresh start and hope for me which were both quickly dashed... but being back here makes me feel like I wished that it worked out.  I feel at home here... and I fit in well to the environment.  Perhaps someday.  I went past my old apartment complex and walking around sparked some of the thoughts that I had when here of how proud of myself I was for taking the huge plunge... how aggressive I was about making it work... and how I felt as though I had 'made' it... when, in actuality, I never really did.  The area is so fresh and new and clean... you just felt successful, even when that was far from the case.  The apartment was so modern and new... and that 'shine' turned to 'smudge' as I laid in my bed for days at a time without seeing the light of day.

I also went to Red Rock Canyon, which was literally a mile up the road, being that I lived on the outskirts of town.  Here, the most beautiful, colorful rock formations lie in a gorgeous desert setting, littered with Joshua Trees and wild burros.  I used to come here to think and hope and pray that my dreams would come true.  It's still a special place for me, and I really enjoyed visiting it today.

Tonight, I'll head out to my old stomping grounds, Charlie's... the country-western bar where I met a lot of nice people who welcomed me into the community and gave me valuable advice that I eventually took, although not intentionally.... "pack up and go home".  Vegas is definitely home to the troubled and twisted soul... and few make it here.

(Double-click and click again for larger pictures)