Nau speak: Vegas: Last day in town

It's always a little bittersweet when you call it and close out your tab in any particular location, knowing you won't be stopping back again any time soon. The city of Las Vegas, for better or worse, has served the designation of being my launch point, my hometown, the old familiar, for the vast majority of my life thus far. I was born somewhere in the city, in a hospital one evening some eons ago, and I graduated elementary to high school within the warm glow of the neon's periphery. A certain pride and obstinance is needed to be among those who remain, the residents of a city that thrives on transients when everyone is always leaving. To dig in deep into the dusty soil and somehow take root takes strong, deep-running arteries that can miraculously find the water from nothing. It's a tough city that will eat the reckless alive if given the chance, so you'd better not give it the chance. Personally, I was never much for gambling, so all the chittering machines with their varied animations never really enticed me much. Sometimes Antho will point out a machine to me as we pass through a casino because of the theme, like a Lord of the Rings themed machine or Ghostbusters one, but I've never actually fed any cash into them. While table games make a little more sense in their appeal, I've never wanted to try my luck playing them much, either, after seeing friends and acquaintances struggle with temptation. Vegas is a great place to visit, but if you're not into the heat, gambling, or fending off perpetual hucksters and sleazy salespeople eager to take advantage of any doe-eyed tourist, there are perhaps better cities to seek out in the name of home.

And this, folks, was the space we called home for the better part of a year and a half. Antho, myself, all of our tie-dye, the squeakers, and the majority of the rest of our belongings were crammed into that little space. We bought a refrigerator somewhere along the line but given that it was our's we took it when we left. We pretty much left the place in the condition it was originally presented to us in, minus some diatomaceous earth that had been scattered around as pest control prior to our arrival. While it was definitely on the smaller side as we had multiple dressers, bookshelves, a computer desk, cages, a microwave, and more, we made it work and believe it or not it was an upgrade from the living situation I came back to upon returning from Korea. While I won't delve into that dark time, look at that super-efficient studio (my company apartment in Japan was bigger) and know that this was the escape. And now, finally, it's time to strike out for bigger and brighter things!