See you later Las Vegas

... As you may guess from the lack of posts I traveled and I am home. If not with my sword, at least not on my shield... As for the actual travel part, it was not too bad.. not quite to the root canal level, but certainly nothing to be remembered.

But what of the trip...??? Hey, saw a bunch of old friends and a lot of new technology. Had dinner at Joe's Stone Crabs and it was great. Did the buffet at the Bellagio and it was so-so.. my hotel was okay except that its high speed Internet access was not high speed... And when I complained they told me it was because they were full...

"Your ad," I pointed out, "doesn't say that you have high speed Internet access except when full..." Somehow my logic failed to impress them, but they did make a modest reduction to the room bill...

I liked it better when I was younger... heck, I liked everything better when I was younger.. But what I don't like about Vegas now is that there are lines everywhere... and they were always there, but then they were small enough that a modest tip could take care of things... Now you can't even figure out who to try and bribe..so I just ignore anything with a line associated with it..

And I use to never rent a car. Cabs were, and are plentiful. But now every ride is $10.... and with $4.00 gas I would guess they are losing money... Most are minorities, I would guess Muslim and have limited English. But all were polite and didn't scare me too badly when cutting across four lanes at a 89 degree angle..

And like the airlines, in my past lives the men wore suits and ties and the ladies dresses that were chic and pretty. Now the men wear jeans and cut offs and the ladies wear shorts that they really shouldn't...dunlops aren't a pretty sight...

Las Vegas changes but never changes. It remains an island of things that appeal to our baser desires. Some have called it Disneyland for adults. Others have said it is Disneyland for adults who never grew up.. I find that taken in small sips it is lovely, but like super rich food it can cause problems with digestion and the arteries....I fear that its culture now reflects the culture of the country..just as it did 30 years ago.... and if so.... Houston... we have a problem!

"Say good night Dick!"

"Good night Dick!"