Wednesday, August 5, 2009: Last Day

[If you would like to start reading this trip report from the beginning, you can do so by going here.]

My first thought when I wake up at the California Hotel this morning, is that I cannot wait to get home and see one of my favorite bands play.  They are the reason today is my last day. I had to change my flight to come back a day early because they are playing.  This excitement about LEAVING Las Vegas is unprecedented.  It really makes my time in Vegas seem like a waste of money.   I’ve never had any thoughts anywhere remotely along these lines before.

I am woken up by a completely unnecessary text at 5:46 am which causes me to curse myself for getting a phone charger.   I get dressed and go out figuring I can always nap later as my flight isn’t until 11-something tonight and I have the room for the night.

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Tuesday, August 4, 2009 – My Only Full Day in Las Vegas

I am up at the California hotel and out at 7:00 am.  I am exhausted and would go right back to bed, except that I never checked out of Harrahs when I moved yesterday.  I realize I don’t HAVE to check out (the hotel will eventually figure out you are gone and check  you out) but I use this as an excuse to get moving and get OUT and experience my only full day in Las Vegas.

I eat breakfast at the California coffee shop.  Cheddar omelet. It’s delicious.

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So what is a Liebster Award?  The basic rules are simple.

1.  Thank the blogger who has nominated you.  Easy peasy!  Thank you so much to: Ashley and Alex at http://inpursuitofadventure.org/, Simone and Jay at http://jslivingthedream.com/ and Emily at http://thecosytraveller.co.uk/  It means a lot to me that you thought of me.

2.  Answer the questions.

3.  Nominate five other bloggers (I have seen this number range anywhere from five to eleven)

4.  Ask them ten questions.

I am going to keep this simple and nominate five people.  In no particular order…

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Seattle, Washington.  Sigh.  When people think of this city, they tend to think of rain or grunge.  For me, I think of my life’s biggest sliding door moment.

With all the advanced technology available to us now, I am hopeful that I live long enough to be around for the actual sliding door app that will take you back in time to allow you to see what your life would be like if you had made just one different decision.   With the way my life works though, the announcement of this new marvel will appear on the headlines of every news outlet the day after my death.

Back in 1992 I had an opportunity to move to Seattle.  Someone I knew was going and was willing to pay my expenses, to have companionship during his life changing move.  At the time, I was 20 years old and collecting unemployment during an off season from my job, while spending my time drunk and going to hardcore/punk shows in NYC.  There were a grand total of zero things in my life that tied me to where I was.

The only things I knew about Seattle were grunge, and that it was very far away.  I would not have been able to find it on a map. I am not even sure I would have known where to find a map.  I had never had any use for one.

So here is my big chance.  Seattle.  Someone funding my trip.  While collecting unemployment.  I could go and always come back when the off season ended and I had to go back to work.  I had a few months of freedom.  Why not go?

I did not go.

Have you ever had a fantasy that starts out small and grows and grows over the years to the point you never stop adding to it no matter how many years have passed?  It grows so big that years later you find yourself still adding to it?  That is what Seattle is to me.

It did not even start right away.  It wasn’t until a few years later that I began to dwell on it.   I don’t even remember how it was we were supposed to get to Seattle when he first brought it up.  Were we going to fly?  Take a bus?  I have no recollection at all.  But it doesn’t matter.  Because all that I know about that trip I did not take, is what I have turned it into in my mind after the fact.

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I used to read a lot of blogs.  I still do.  I thought starting my own blog would be easy.  Especially since I had years worth of some sort of practice, via posting trip reports on various Las Vegas message boards.  Writing comes naturally to me and my reports often received high praise.

In addition to that, I figured I could upload those trip reports for easy content during times I was not traveling.  This would leave me one step ahead of the pack since I already have a TON of content all ready to go!  All I would have to do is run a quick spell check to capitalize everything I didn’t capitalize the first time I wrote it.  Then a simple copy and paste and VOILA!

Well I was wrong.

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