Thoughts

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Las Vegas is not a place I could live. Not for a long period of time, anyway. I've noticed a ton of differences between here and Michigan or Ohio. Or any other place I've lived, for that matter.

First and foremost, people seem to breed here--quite early. I'm getting quite sick of questions about my (non-existant) kids and my (non-existant) husband. I realize that these questions aren't meant to annoy me, but about half of these people think I look 16, too. So, what is it? Do I look like a fabulous who has clearly been swept already? Or do I look like a stupid whore? I can't figure it out, but I hope it's the first.

Secondly, Vegas and Flint seem very similar in a lot of respects (bear with me on this one). Flint was, in the 50s, a rapidly expanding town. It was also a one industry town. Furthermore, that industry was cars. Yes, Flint's population is more brawny than brainy. People only needed to be able to build cars. Then GM pulled out and Flint crashed, with no intellectual infrastructure. In the early 2000s, the budget collapsed and the state seized control. Switch to Vegas now, if you will. One industry: Gaming. Do we need a world class education to jump on the boat? No. Is Vegas growing? Yes. Might is collapse? I can't say for sure, obviously, but Wynn just put up a resort in Macau. If Macau takes off, a lot of Asian tourists could choose to go there instead of Vegas. If that happens, it is possible that Vegas wouldn't be able to support itself, and then what are we left with? A huge (largely economically depressed) population with no solid infrastructure. The intellectual community just isn't here. Even if the gaming industry never goes down, the atmosphere is nowhere near as engaging as the Midwest or the East Coast.

There's also a guy here who I just can't seem to figure out. He claims to have a girlfriend, but is quite concerned with my marital status and talks to me everyday he sees me!!! Granted, he's an ok guy, but he spins such tall tales I can't believe him. According to him, he has family in China and Japan, has lived on his own in his own house since he was sixteen (because he got the house after his parents divorced?), understands Spanish, Japanese (but won't speak Japanese with me), Russian, English, and German. Oh, and German, not English is his first language, despite an utterly American accent. And, even though he only graduated in 2005 he already has 2 degrees and is now getting a teaching degree from community college because he loves kids. Now, I'm not saying this is all false, but it doesn't seem to add up. He's delightfully entertaining, I just don't trust him.

Ok, I think I've rambled enough for the night.

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