Fear and Loathing

What I should be doing: Sleeping in the comfort of my clean, newly rearranged bedroom.

What I am doing: Sitting in Vegas… in an airport.



Normally, and for most people, having a missed connection and thus an entire night layover in Vegas would be heaven. Randomly Beach Chic is also in Las Vegas, after a wild hair late last night she decided to drive and spend a few days. These are two very important factors that could very well add up to a vacation within a vacation.

However as I sit here in sweats, no make-up and a pony-tail… with no change-of-clothes or make-up (as even though I am stuck here, my luggage made its way to the comfort of the Orange County airport) I can’t hook up with Beach Chic as I would just bring her stock down… and we would not do that to one another. More importantly, meeting up with her would do nothing more than nearly guarantee missing my flight tomorrow morning… and I am already going to be late for work after taking extended days off this last weekend.

I am thankful (oh SO thankful) for wireless internet connection… so I have the internet… chatting with whomever I can still find up this late on a school night… but enjoying The Egg (seriously, you must download… listen… and find that you love it) and my blog catching up… and I have the rest of my movie I didn’t finish on the plane… and I have several books that I couldn’t get through if I tried.

Sure, they have slots machines here, but I am not a gambler… so it really isn’t that exciting for me (although I may through a quarter in, as what’s the point of being in Vegas if I don’t at least do one lever pull).



There are some things to be said about the Vegas airport, other than I imagine the designers were the same that designed many Southern Orange County cities… it sucks. It’s very poorly thought out, and difficult to get around in. Just like home. Marvelous.

In addition, the people that are here waiting to be returned to various locations throughout the country and world, especially at this hour, seem to be definitely past the expiration date of their holiday in Vegas. They have been here for at least a portion of the New Years weekend… and they look like it. Actually, I fit in nicely.

I am seeing through my must-have Google Tool Sidebar that 12 of the 13 miners trapped in West Virginia are alive. That, my friends, is a fucking great New Year. I always feel things like that put such an amazing perspective on life. Just got the updated information... I can not imagine how much of a blow finding out that they received wrong information was to the families.

Now before I delve into far too much of a melancholy tired post, typing through my burning-with-tiredness-eyes expressing my uber emo state… I should be off. Brad, George, Matt and Julia are waiting for me to see what happens next.

I hope you all had a spectacular New Year. I did. I will fill you in with all the dets later… although later may mean a couple of days. I have a feeling that tomorrow I will be crawling into that bed calling my name as soon as I get home from work…


Post Movie...

2am and I am stuck between a melange of two different melodies in the corridor. Blue Bayou and Breakfast at Tiffany’s… it is empty save for the few people sweeping the floors. I guess Vegas does indeed sleep sometimes… or at least everyone had a place to be… and it wasn’t here.

I do too… you just can’t tell by my presence.



2:4something: Truly feeling both the exhaustion and time difference taking over my body I finally took my sleeping mask out of my bag, leaving my ear plugs for fear that I would sleep through the flight or a person stealing my bags. Finally settling into a position with my computer bag behind my back on the chair (for both support and anti-theft reasons) and my legs resting upon and dangling over my roller bag, I snuggled in ready for almost three hours of sleep. (I am normally not this paranoid about theft, but I imagine the people that hang out at the Las Vegas International airport at this hour are in need of leaving this money pit of a city for good reason.) Just about ready to fall into slumber amid the mixture of music permeating this wing of the airport bells and dings were heard behind me. As if the as hadn’t learned his lesson in the city, Mr. Gambling-Addict started popping nickels into the slots here. He left for a bit… and now at 3am fingers are writhing once again to win big. I may kill him… or at least think dirty thoughts about him… and really mean them.

3:30: I forgot to tell you… I was on the tram to this concourse when a guy standing across from me sneezed. Just as I looked up to wish him a “bless you” a white mucous poured out his nose. Perhaps next time he will remember to better ingest that coke prior to leaving into public.

4am: Has anyone heard of this Couch Surfing network? Do you think it’s a good idea? Dublin is supposed to be coming up sooner than later (when is St. Patty’s day?) and this might be a cool way to stay… as long as I don’t hook myself up with axe-murdering rapists.





4:35am: It’s time to vote…



4:37am: I think I might be getting ill… I have been sneezing all day… a little achy and my nose has been running all night. I just realized that the people watching me up all night here might think I’m the one on drugs… Lord.


5am: I just put a dollar in the slot machine… thinking it would make for a great story if I won big after sitting here all night. I didn’t win. I shouldn’t have wasted the dollar… and thus my philosophy on gambling.


5:35: Rapid Downward Spiral. I apparently stayed all night in the incorrect wing of this god-forsaken airport. In my third attempt to locate the correct wing I nearly began crying. That’s never fun. I finally have located my correct gate. I have my Emergency Exit Window seat. I found a quiet seat and replaced my eye mask once again… only to have I Am Sam begin vacuuming around me. As much as I tried to ignore it, I could not. I silently picked up my bags and moved to another seat on the other side of the gate. As I type his now, he is literally hitting against my bags with his fucking vacuum cleaner “Don’t worry I‘ll go around you!” I may lose it. I must not… absolutely MUST NOT begin this year of 2006 getting frustrated and yelling at a special person. But Fuck.

One and a half hours to go until I am on my flight. (God, please don’t let me jinx that!)

I am scared to attempt to yet again fall asleep. I truly may lose it.

Nobody wants to be the crazy lady leaving Vegas. If I didn’t loath Sheryl Crow so much I might make a little quip here in reference to her song… but that shall not happen.

Okay, rereading this last part… I am not really that postal… but I am that tired…