Vegas: Drunkachu and so long to Stan The Man

We live in strange, unpredictable times where anything is possible, no matter how incredible or how awful it may seem. Some of our greatest heroes have left us behind as they venture off to traverse the Rainbow Bridge, leaving a gap that many fans of superheroes and comic books will sorely and deeply feel. So long, Stan the Man. It's been an incredible ride, and your empire of creative work will undoubtedly continue to inspire and strike awe into the hearts of young and old for decades to come. Sigh. Not only did we lose Stan the Man, but then we got the trailer for Detective Pikachu. A live action Pokemon film in and of itself doesn't necessarily bode of impending cinematic craptitude, though previous anime adaptations to the third dimension have generally struggled to bring their subjects to satisfying reality, but we get a wise-cracking Ryan Reynolds as the voice of the typically linguistically limited character of Pikachu. To be fair, anthropomorphizing the little squeak isn't exactly new terrain as speaking animals have always been a favorite in films for Disney, but when it comes to Pikachu the last time he(she?) spoke people lost their minds.  

I guess, if I were a real-life Pikachu, I might want to run away to Vegas for a weekend of debauchery in a futile effort to escape my situation or the reality of losing another architect of my childhood. The world can be a dark and disturbing place, and we need people like Stan Lee to help us reimagine things, to look for the good, the heroic in people. While sometimes the stories of Good Versus Evil can feel trite, it's because they've been built upon an archetype established by the imaginations of men like Stan early in the advent of widely accessible comics. The premise of this escape from the difficulties of life was a huge part of what inspired the founder of Critical Care Comics to establish his non-profit organization! It may be only 28 pages of fantasy, but when you're stuck in the hospital it can be an absolute lifesaver to have a distraction from the endless beeping of machines or unsettling nature of hospitals themselves. Due to my location, I'm no longer able to volunteer my services to the group, but it makes me so happy to see them out there still doing their good work for the community of Las Vegas and any nearby hospitals they get called to. They're a seriously wonderful group of human beings, and I know that they'll be mourning the loss of Stan over the last week and into the future. I guess we all kind of need an escape these days, huh?

Photos in this post were taken by Antho!

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!

Naturally, the sky decided to give us all the cotton candy for our last sunset in the city. Right on!

Vegas: Cloudy Strip Sunset

Living in the desert, one becomes accustomed to seeing vast, open swatches of sky peeling out in all directions because most of the things that grow out there are stubby and low to the ground, including the residential houses, typically sprawling single story things, though more multi-story buildings are popping up more and more as the population grows. Generally speaking, though, once you move away from the teeming heart of the city, things tend to get low and long, creating an unobstructed stretch to the horizon. Even on the Las Vegas Strip proper the city has relatively few skyscrapers, and there's still ample room between the towering monolithic structures to keep that view of the sky wide open. There's a lot of open spaces, a lot of long, empty drives through deserted two-lane roads to escape that insane oasis and the horizon can seem an endless, unreachable stretch. It was only after living in Japan for two years and becoming used to the labyrinthine crisscrossing of electrical wires, the shadows of multi-level apartment buildings and business crowding in from all sides, and the comforting blanket of heavy urbanity that I started to realize how an agoraphobe might feel when trying to step beyond the confines of their nest. The first time I drove upon returning to the United States, a stretch from one small satellite city beyond the borders of Las Vegas metropolitan area to the big city proper, the sheer expansiveness of it all hit me. 

 There remains many open, empty spaces still in this country, patches where humanity has barely impinged, which is both gratitude and horror-inspiring.  When you seek to escape from the oppressive needs and rituals of the city, with their taxes and menial jobs and road rage, these empty, untouched spaces symbolize that freedom you're craving, but if you need help or assistance they can be painfully desolate and empty. Strange, isn't it? The sheer power of perception. The city of Las Vegas is kind of like that, too. It's something different for everyone who visits, and just like finding shapes in the clouds, it's entirely up to your own interpretation what you make of it. The expansiveness of it does allow for some nice views of the sunset, I suppose. All that emptiness has to be good for something, after all. 

Vegas: Sunset drive towards Henderson

Henderson, Nevada, is a city all it's own, but really it's just a suburb of Vegas. The two bleed more or less seamlessly into each other, the edges nearly unintelligible unless you know where to look (like that other "Welcome to Vegas" sign, for example). Somewhere on Boulder highway, to the East of Vegas, seems to be the official line of demarcation, and if you go past Nellis or Russel road you're typically seen as heading into "Hendertucky". Personally, I've got no qualms with Henderson. When I lived in Boulder City, which is another 20-40 minutes down the freeway from Henderson, it provided a nice change of pace, a close escape from home that bled into the city proper. Many of my friends and myself have lived in Henderson over the years and I can't complain about the area too much, though there are some stories I could certainly tell. My experience living on that side of the tracks isn't that different from my experience living anywhere in Vegas, which is generally to say it's been hot, people are frequently assinine, and there are slot machines crammed into any possible corner of any publicly accessible business. Vegas, baby. Where homeless crackheads congregate in the baking sun, shouting their misery at any and all who'll listen. 

On the flip side, we do get some rather stunning sunsets with all that unobstructed desert vista. The roads are rarely steep, unlike Seattle, with more of a smooth hilly gradient if you look for it. There are a few exceptions- Bonanza and Maryland Parkway have a pretty sizeable incline,  and there's another out off of Hollywood road somewhere, where teenagers and daredevils can try their luck on their preferred method of rolling- skateboards, rollerblades, whatever. Mostly, though, it's easy driving. The freeways aren't bad, at least when they aren't blotted in orange cones or clogged to capacity with out of state plates. There's always construction going on, somewhere, to improve the roads, but there are some seriously pot-holed spots- over on Eastern Avenue, by Tropicana and Flamingo area, for example. Maryland parkway in the university district was pretty rough for awhile, too. Our drive on this particular outing didn't take us that way, though. We were picking up our good friend Ceedro from his casa, then heading over towards Henderson to check out an open mic night! 

Vegas: Clouds and rainbows

Rain isn't exactly a common occurrence here in the dry and arid desert, where dust and cactuses rain supreme. Cacti are the primary foliage specifically because they've used centuries of hard-fought experience and evolved to capture and hold onto any and all precipitation they can find, kind of like a clingy mother-in-law who won't let her little birds off into the world or the arms of a loving partner for fear of losing them entirely. These things. Nature seems to have a way with patterns, an affinity for them, when applicable- whether it be behavioral archetypes or weather patterns. Despite having roughly 363.5 solid days of sunshine and dry weather unsullied by unexpected wetness falling from the sky (egads!), there are still those few and far between showers that break up the routine. As much as these sporadic and often brief rain showers and storms can literally rain on people's parades, they're a much-needed burst of literal life-blood to the dehydrated lands and people that reside here. Water is an absolutely precious resource here in the desert and is also sorely lacking, with this drought lingering for decades now. As the city continues to grow and expand, the demand for water will also rise and things may end up rather tricky in the future. 

So when it rains, the locals cheer. We pray it pours, that the sky cracks violently open and decades of pent-up sadness come sobbing out of god's giant blue eye to flood the valley and refill our long-dwindling lakes and reservoirs. Sometimes, the typhoons bring us dashed hope and flash-flood filled roads, but more oft than not the tempests blow themselves out before they can do much damage and we're left doing our paroxysmal rain dances again, waiting. But at least these brief showers bring rainbows with them, a reminder that beauty inevitably blooms in the space left behind when the storms clear away. Another metaphor from nature, perhaps? Indubitably. Just like how the sun will always shine again, no matter how deep and dark the night or storm may rage, things in life will improve for you with time and space if you let them. And that's kind of cool. Thanks, nature! 

Photos in this post were, as usual lately, provided by Antho. Thanks babe!

Vegas: Cloudy day on the Strip

Las Vegas is nothing if not a city of extremes: popular settlement for Mormons in the early days (and frequently seen riding bikes in their dapper missionary uniform throughout the city to this very day still) and den of hedonistic revelry, debauchery and sin, there's something for everyone! The weather itself follows this pattern of extremity, due in large part to being situated squarely in the midst of one of North America's deserts. Drive beyond the dazzling neon of Las Vegas Boulevard for more than 30 minutes in just about any direction and you'll find yourself gazing into the abyss of sand and stone, the occasional shrubbery or cactus daring to break the monotonous landscape's overarching tone. In some directions you'll notice an increase in the Joshua trees, others the elevation, and some even lead you towards some small reservoirs of water lingering in the lowlands or dripping off a snowmelt in the mountains, where even the pale looming trees keep their sun-bleached eyes on you...as do the coyotes and cougars, from their dens in the dark.  

Of course, the ravenous cougars aren't just limited to the mountains here, so don't let your guard down too much in the city if you're easy prey. In a city of extremes, just like the intensity of the environment that surrounds it, there's a certain degree of toughness needed to survive the long haul. Skin grows thicker, leathery and tanned by the blistering sun that makes it's brilliant presence well known for the vast majority of the year, and when the chill of winter finally does sink into the land it brings a bracing grip with it. As few and far between as they tend to be, any cloudy or otherwise alternate form of weather that brings a break to the endless routine of boiling hot and baking is a welcome respite from the intensity that makes Vegas. People are a little less angry, a little less harried and hostile, when the sun retreats for a little bit and the heat dips back into a reasonable level.  Enjoy it while it lasts! These things have a tendency to blow by as quickly as they appeared, unfortunately. 

Nothing last forever, especially not in a city like Las Vegas that's built on constant evolution. 

Photos kindly taken by Antho!

Vegas: Springs Preserve Botanical Gardens

As much as we love all things cute fluffy (be them our mischief of rats or gila monsters lounging in a zoo) there was a lot more of the Springs Preserve to explore beyond the Space Exhibit at OriGen Museum and their zoo. Onward, we strolled, along the many winding paths through the gardens. We'd been in a hurry to see the museum and now our meanderings were aimless, simply looking to see what there was to find as we went and to, you know, stop and smell (or photograph) the flowers. Perhaps not all too surprisingly, there's quite a lot of garden that can be fit into 180 acres! That's a lot of flowers, even for us, so we weren't able to acquaint ourselves with each and every blossom, but that's ok. Saves something for next time! 😘

Of course there's abundant bounty of gorgeous flowers to see throughout the grounds, from the tiniest of wildflowers to shock bright cactus flowers jutting out from their spiky abutments like some kind of alien growth, but there's also plenty of benches to sit and ponder the beauty (or horror) of nature... or sit and pick your teeth, plus informative signs, hidden trails and all sorts of other fun things to discover. We spent at least an hour enjoying the mild weather and the beautiful sights and scenery. The Springs Preserve is a very, very photogenic location and it's easy to see why it's a popular destination for weddings! They also offer hosting for private events like corporate parties, special occasions, and often have public events celebrating the holidays like their Haunted Harvest event and the upcoming New Year's Eve celebration in their Cafe which sounds pretty spectacular.

There's a lot of classes available, too, which all sound like a lot of fun! 

This really is one of our favourite places here in town. It's conveniently located near the Meadows Mall, so if you don't feel like eating at their cafe you can always grab some Panda Express just around the corner. On top of being easy to get to, there's tons of parking (even for our awesome van, Vanticore) and it feels like the oasis in the desert that it is. 

More photos after the cut!

Leaving Las Vegas July 8th, 2015

To celebrate our one year anniversary Antho & I ditched the scorching summer heat of Vegas for the cooler breezes of San Francisco for 6 days. It was an all around wonderful trip! As you may have noticed we really like to travel fairly often having gone to Los Angeles in April and hitting spots like the Whiskey, Venice Beach, Santa Monica, and Union Station as well as having gone to L.A. last fall. It's always nice to explore someplace new and when the tickets are going for as low as $44 it's pretty budget friendly. Hopefully we'll be celebrating our anniversary with new locations for many years to come!