I really don't mean to turn this blog into a dumping ground for all my "getting out of New York" yearnings.
Honest I don't.
But it just seems like that's the path my camera and summer is leading me down. It seems to me like this summer in particular, this magical time of the year, has been set up perfectly to not only be drastically more unproductive than I would like, but also to rub my face in it, as it were.
I mean other than one dinner party and some old pictures from last year this blog has been as much travel blog as food. With only more to come.
New Orleans (which I'd move to tomorrow,) Vermont, North Carolina, and of course our rapidly approaching tourturefest (from which I can't imagine coming home from); two weeks in Spain.
So for my favorite kind of measure (that would be "good") my sister decided to up and get hitched.
In Las Vegas.
Of course.
I mean, it's not like I love and miss the desert almost every day or anything, so why not rub some salt flats in that jagged, sky-lined-looking wound of dispise for urbanity...
Why not...
Not that Las Vegas itself is anything other than pure urbanity, but at least it admits it's a fantasy land filled with marks just lining up to waste their lives/money in it. It has the balls to be what New York isn't, horrible but honest about it.
Plus, I love the contentious locals vs. tourist relationship already, and it doesn't get much better than Vegas for some good old fashioned "they" bashing....
Anyways, neither here nor there my friends....
Neither here nor there.
What this post is, is a congratulations to my sister Jessi, and (even) new(er) brother-in-law Justin.
It was nice to see that weird thing called "my family" and long over due (my uncle Mark in this next picture I haven't seen since I was probably 6 or 7...)
The fact that she happens to live in Vegas is a nice change from the usual trip there on The Strip (not cheaper though!) as we got to see a whole other side of Vegas, much the same way that a visitor to NYC will have a much different experience visiting family/friends that live there rather than just hitting up the major tour spots.
So we did, and it was nice.
It was also a full moon, and watching the full moon rise over the desert every night I was there sent me spinning into missing the desert.
So here (because I was tethered to my stupid family the entire time!) are a couple pictures from my hotel room, as that was really as much of the desert I got to see.
It's still beautiful though!
So the desert. So majestic and awe inspiring.
I really do miss it. Living in Arizona for a year-ish really changed me, but even the deserts outside of LA and the general dryness of San Francisco. I really miss being on the west coast.
As if you didn't know.
But to wrap this up before blabber on again...
Yes, I lost a lot of money gambling.
Yes, we went to the strip.
And yes, of course I saw the Pawn Stars pawn shop...
One other cool thing we saw on the strip...
But lo! What is that little white dot in the arch of the Feiffle Tower?
Why, that's the sign for my BIL's construction company!
Hooray!
He's just building a night club in the Paris Casino.
So that's pretty just whatev's, right?
Anyway, really, congrats Jess... I love you and hope that we can be better about coming out to see you guys and being a better "this side of the family" guy.
Justin, welcome to the family! I'm sure that Jessi has warned you that we're sort of weird in an unrefined/white trash sorta way, but that's more to do with our upbringing, and less to do with who we are as people.
Once you get past the shock of the brevity of knowledge of anything not on the E! channel, or from Mormon-friendly movies from the 80's, you'll come to realize that (if you like fart and burp jokes) we're funny, and (if you think being mean to people is kind) kind.
Yes, I realize you and I (and I think everyone else but my mom) disagree on politics, and probably religion, but I'd rather have a thoughtful, kind person who loves my sister and treats her right as her husband than the most liberal atheist in the world (who would that be, like George Clooney? Or Alec Baldwin? Probably Matt Damon.)
We'll just never bring it up.
At least we have the harmonious Yankee/Red Sox rivalry to come to some sort of common ground on...
Oh, wait.
You like the red sox...
Well, what are you going to do?
Not everyone's as enlightened and intelligent and as devastatingly good looking as I am, so we'll have to agree to disagree on politics (I mostly hate all politics anyways, and definitely all politicians) and we'll have to just accept that the Yankees are a far superior team, and two little world series championships in the last 93 years isn't going to change that...
Twenty fuckin' seven, buddy. Okay?
Seriously though, I look forward to spending more time with you guys, and I hope that you'll come visit, and I promise we'll make it out there more frequently.
Especially now that the Red Rock Casino has so much of my money.
Anyways, congrats, mazel tov, l'chaim, chip chip cheroo, and all that good stuff!
Now if you'll excuse me I have many things to do.
Toots,
n*
