fear and loathing for the good old days

[From Austin BlogSwap Day, this entry is being brought to you by guest writer Chip Rosenthal - thanks Chip! Several Austin bloggers "swapped blogs" this week and wrote guest entries for each other. I wrote my guest entry for Holly.

Austin BlogSwap day also happened to be the day that some high-profile bloggers did a little blogswapping: Xeni is writing for Susannah who is writing for Neal Pollack (who now lives in Austin). Coincidence?]

I think I'd like to go to Vegas.

Actually, I've been before, but I don't think that counts. That was over 15 years ago. The city I visited no longer exists. It's been bulldozed to make way for the new, grander spectacle of today.

I'm not sorry to see the old city go. I remember the strip had this this insufferable cheesy vibe. After a few days of drinkin' and gamblin' and carousin', we were close to achieving critical mass and melting down. So, we bolted the city and spent the rest of the trip in a cabin on the rim of the Grand Canyon. I recuperated pretty rapidly once I got some distance between me and all that polyester.

Vegas was a very dangerous place to be at that time in my life. I was a few years into my career, which meant while I still harbored a full case of youthful stupidity, I now had some money to throw around. Our goal for the trip was a week of fear and loathing, but without the ether and extract of pituitary gland.

We, of course, rented a convertible car. We also, of course, crashed the car on the very first day. For some reason, at the time, that seemed a mark of accomplishment.

You may think I'm making this up. Or, at least, exaggerating my memories of the Good Old Days™. I swear, every word is true and accurate.

My accompaniment for that trip was an old college buddy who I haven't seen in many years. Writing this blog entry got me thinking about him. So, I thought I'd see if I could track him down. Thanks to the power of Google, I discovered that he was not in the penitentiary, but actually had amassed a bunch of advanced degrees and was now a reputable consultant. So I emailed him and he responded quickly. He said:

I am a respectable citizen now. While it is true that we once did fear and loathing in Las Vegas, I am not sure that I am willing to admit that I ever knew you . . . unless, of course, you are buying the beer.

So, I think I'm ready for another trip. This time, however, I expect there would be a lot less fear and loathing. Truth is, the thing I want most is to visit Star Trek: The Experience.

Just love your blog!