Saturday, November 24, 2007

With a Love Like That, You Know You Should Be Glad

I got home from my first ever trip to Vegas early this evening and thought I'd give you all a report. 


I got married.


Kidding.  That was only there because of all of the "Don't get married or knocked up!" pieces of "advice" I received.  Why is it that these are the things we say when someone is going to Vegas instead of, "Good luck!" or, "I'll cross my fingers that you win big!"?


I'm pretty sure that if you'd been less worried about my marital status and more concerned with my financial situation, we would have won something.  I blame it on MySpace.


Anyway, I'd like to share with you some of the photos I took.


 


 


 


 


 


*crickets chirping*


 


 


 


 



 


As it happens, I wasn't particularly inspired to take any photos.  I do wish I had been more insistent upon one photo in particular but it would be safe to blame that on my passive nature (instead of on MySpace). 


Why was I not inspired to take touristy photos?  Mostly because I was not all that impressed, folks.  I've seen Vegas in photos and movies and always thought that it would be the kind of place that would bring out the fun in me.  Only it didn't.  For a place with so many different kinds of people walking about, it was void of culture.  Kind of depressing, if you ask me.


Oh.  And there's that whole we-could've-bought-a-plane-ticket-with-all-of-the-money-we've-collectively-wasted thing.  That's depressing, as well.


It was not a waste of time, though.  We did have some fun.  I won't give you an exhaustive list, I just want to talk about the shows.


On Wednesday, we saw Lance Burton, a magician.  That was entertaining; we were in the front row so we got picked on a bit.  Even though we know better than to believe it was magic, we did have the inevitable "How'd he do that?" conversation.


On Thursday, we saw George Carlin.  I fully expected to be ROFLMAO but it was not to be.  Carlin was funny but he's getting older and there were too many jokes focusing on old age that we couldn't entirely relate to.  There was also a conspicuous lack of political satire in his routine.  Something was missing.  It may have been that he was testing out new material for his next HBO special.  We were guinea pigs.


On Friday, we saw Cirque Love.  Oooh, I'll give you a picture yet!



That was my favorite.  I found the interpretations intriguing.  It was basically a Cirque acrobatic show set to Beatles music.  And, of course, it made me think of love. 


At times, the background screens would flash politically charged images, for instance, the KKK.  Not all Beatles songs are peppy, either.  I noticed that, no matter what the tone of the song or what the image on the screens, the dance was hopeful and joyous almost entirely.  That could be lots of things.  It was a couple of things particularly to me.


Music gets us through.  Even when it's not jubilant in nature. 


Music (and the Beatles, consequently) remind us that...well...all you need is love.


So, I listened to the music and watched the art in front of me and I thought about all of the different kinds of love I have in my life.  This was my first Thanksgiving ever away from my family.  I thought of those relationships.  I thought of a very dear friend who, if she wasn't working, was probably very tired and I smiled.  I thought of the unconditional love I have in my children.


I thought of the fingers laced through mine and I clutched tighter.


Cynicism.  I thought of how universally cynical people, myself included, can be in our relationships.  I think that's a blog for another day, this is getting too long, but I really want to avoid that cynicism that does less to protect and more to destroy.  Why?


Because I'm glad.

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