Las Vegas: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly
The Bad

I’ve been to Las Vegas several times. By several I mean regularly. If I wasn’t just there to give them money every trip, I probably would be able to establish residency. I started going because I like the action. I was just an up and comer (no jokes, too easy) lured to this city of sin. Putting down $5 at a time at the blackjack table. Excited at every hand, every turn of the cards, and enjoyed every moment during the roller coaster of up and downs the table brings.

As I played hours and hours of each game and learned all the intricacies of every move, I would become bored and moved on to the next game. Game after game I would master. By mastering, I mean I finally realized I can’t win at them.

So I eventually stop wanting to go for the gambling. About the same time, my friends began developing a taste for Vegas. When you get an email in your box from a friend, and the subject heading reads: Vegas - Your heart starts beating a bit faster as you open that email. Even though you know exactly what the email is going to say, you want to read it, sometimes twice just to make sure. Yup, it’s that time again. Yay!

Vegas with good friends is a wonderful thing. There’s nothing like it. Just a few guys talking the shit. Reliving some good old times, making some new memories, and getting freaken hammered. What could be better?

These trips have gone on for years now. A few of the guys have gotten married to wonderful ladies (should’ve bet on that, odds were incredibly high). A couple of us still hang in bachelorhood. The people are the same, but they’re not. Or maybe it’s me that’s not.

During this time, my boredom of these games of chance has only grown. I would raise the stakes greatly just to keep the interest ($5?, Ha, I wish). Although I would stay and go every time for the camaraderie of my pals, the games were not a lure at all anymore.

During this last trip to Vegas, I was doing the same things with the guys that we usually do. Drinking, gambling, talking, eating, you know, hitting like 4 of the 7 sins, trying to nail the other 3. A strange thing happened this time that was different, and this is indeed very strange.

For some reason, I wasn’t able to get drunk. It didn’t matter how much I drank, and I had been drinking liters: beer, liquor, mixing’em. Nothing. I could not get pass being a bit buzzy. What in the world is going on? What kind of cruel joke is this?

As I sat there watching the blackjack dealer hit 20 after 20, I was thinking what I was missing. Why wasn’t I able to get drunk? What was different about this trip? What was different about me this time? This is what I came up with. Feel free to comment.

I think in life, there are things that you must do by yourself, there are things that could be done with or without a mate, and there are things that can only be done with someone else. I think in my experiences, I’ve done everything I could possible do as a single guy. I’ve done the crazy stuff that needed to be done (without getting arrested), the nasty stuff that shouldn’t be mentioned, and learned things from people who doesn’t even know that they’re wise. Not that I couldn't do this anymore, but the parts that were for the single guy to do, or to learn, I'm done with.

I really think I’ve done all that I want to do. All that I care to do by myself. Everything else that I have left to do, and that I want to do, I don’t want to do it by myself. I just don’t. I could. I just want to. It just wouldn’t be nearly as enjoyable if I’m not able to share it with someone. Sure I can do that thing again when I find my mate, but why waste the time?

I guess I was a bit down at the prospect of that. I'm sort of staggering in my life. I need to move on, and I probably will, with or without her. It just wouldn't be nearly as enjoyable. There's no reason to be medicore.

I also could be sad that I’ve helped put up yet another wing at the Mirage with the money that I’ve “donated”. I hope they put up a statue of me this time though.


Nah, that’s not it. More money can be made. That ATM thing seems to keep spitting it out.