What happens in Vegas...
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I spent most of this past week in Las Vegas, at a conference about marketing and technology in the financial industry. It was my first time in Vegas and also my first work conference with my current company, so I was a little nervous. Would the bankers take one look at me and immediately know I’d gone to art school? Would they be able to sense that I lean more communist than capitalist? Would I get lost exploring the strip and end up working the rest of my life in a burlesque club? What if my flight was canceled?
I would not call myself an anxious person. My blood pressure is very low, and I'm usually pretty calm despite (or maybe because of) my love of lists and charts and calendars and goals. The only things that really make me anxious are very large crowds, and the vast unknown. For example, when I learned scientists had captured the first-ever photo of a black hole, I broke out in a literal sweat.
Las Vegas is the opposite of a black hole. It teemed with boisterous people, bright lights, flashing signs, and three-foot tall drinks. The conference was in Caesar’s Palace, a hotel that seemed to be designed without the input of an architect, each tower tacked on haphazardly. The first floor contained a maze of casinos, which I didn’t bother to play. Prior to the conference I thought I might try the penny slots, but once I was there, throwing money into a machine and pulling a lever felt far too futile.
Despite all that, it was a good conference. I attended an extremely fancy work dinner at Nobu, a famous Japanese restaurant, and ate what was probably the most expensive meal of my life (I didn’t pay, obviously). I saw Love, a Beatles-themed Cirque du Soleil show, and it was really fun and absolutely over the top and should have come with an seizure warning. I ate a sushi burrito, which is exactly what it sounds like and emblematic of Las Vegas as a whole. Everything at the same time, even if it doesn’t quite make sense.
On the flight home, gazing down through the clouds at the mountain ranges that circle the city, I felt like I was traveling out of a black hole, but inverted. All that jagged empty space, inhospitable and unknowable, surrounding a whirling, flashing, vibrating center, a riot of excess.
While I didn’t love Las Vegas, I respected its commitment to itself, the sure-footed way it strolled its streets. It’s a city that leaves nothing to the imagination, that has no use for the vast unknown. Unless, of course, you're pulling a lever. In that case, all bets are off.
Roll the Dice
Outdoor Voices Blurs the Line Between Working Out and Everything Else, The New Yorker. Holy shit, this might be the best article of 2019. It's long, but it has everything - fitness, business, ambition, beauty, Instagram, fashion, and some damn fine writing by Jia Tolentino, my number one favorite cultural critic. 📸
What I Bought With My Oprah's Book Club Money, The Cut. I read and loved An American Marriage last year, and after reading this interview with Tayari Jones, I love it even more. 💰
The Batshit Lengths These Guys Go To Retire By Age 40, Mel Magazine. Come for the list of quirky frugal habits, stay for the inevitable sexism that plagues every community, including the debt-free one! 🤦♀️
Y'all, went viral AGAIN, and I related hard to her latest famous tweet. Houseplants and pets forever! 🌱
✨ Snack of the Week✨
The snacks are back, and I'm celebrating with this delicious granola from - where else? - Trader Joe's. In addition to the usual suspects, this crispy and crunchy combo includes sprouted quinoa and toasted coconut chips. I like to eat it sprinkled over Greek yogurt and sliced strawberries, as part of my second breakfast. (First breakfast is usually eggs and toast. I really like breakfast!)
A Tiny Challenge
The best part of my trip to Vegas was the fact that I read a whole book on the way there, and another one on the way home. (The better of the two was Zoo Nebraska, by my friend Carson. You should read it!) In honor of uninterrupted reading time, this week's challenge is to visit your public library and browse the shelves. See what's new on the display table. Check something out. Reading, after all, is the best way to illuminate the vast unknown.
See you next Sunday! 💌
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