Bright light city...

Here's a post that's not for my mother. I'm not saying she can't read it, I'm saying she already knows all this stuff.

Why am I going to be in Las Vegas?

Of the many things I do in my work, one of them involves going to Las Vegas to set up a show booth for a convention. The convention is in Las Vegas. The convention is for adults. If you're not an adult (or if you are related to me) stop reading now.

So if you're reading this you must be an adult and you must not related to me.

Perfect.

So it all seems so glamorous to people who don't work the show (you know how exciting it is to fly away on vacation and to not be the flight attendant who has to smile and serve you cocktails then turn right around and smile and serve cocktails to another set of travelers to get home) for me it is exhausting. I go early for booth set up.

I pack about 5 pairs of vastly different shoes because at the end of each day I take off one pair, throw them in a corner and announce "I am NEVER wearing shoes again!" Then I have to put on shoes to go to dinner.

It's not all shabby. I do get to go to dinner. Las Vegas has done a bang up job of getting in some incredible chefs from the around the world. The only foreseeable problem is getting to dinner. With feet so sore, why is nothing ever close in Las Vegas?

Oh, and the whole show is about adults and straight sex. Now, I'm no prude... oh wait, yes I am! I find the entire show to be a big squirm when I walk through it with my hands in my pockets so I touch nothing and no one touches me, as I view from afar because I don't want to look interested and oh yeah, I've probably already seen that. I'd rather be at the mall.

After the booth is built, I will probably only go to the show to see people who work for the company, walk in or out with the talent (so they aren't bothered by fans), or to bring in lunch or coffee for someone working. Last year I didn't go back in until the last day of the show and only because I would be helping with tear down.

front view of current booth

Old booth

Stormy showing off her sharpie.
It's in her hand...
On the right...

jessica is getting a hand cramp

Each year I tell myself I am only there to drink all the booze out of the mini-bar and to shop till I drop. Each year I never drink anything out of the mini-bar and am in a rush to get all my mall time in. We stay at the Venetian and I can see that Fashion Show mall across the street. It looks so close. It takes me half an hour to get out of my room, down to the lobby, across the casino, across the street to treasure Island, past Treasure Island to the skybridge crosswalk, over the bridge, down to the mall and into the mall door. Half an hour or more, at a very fast walk (near run) from door to door. Then I tour the mall at the same speed walk and its another half an hour to get back to the hotel.

Or I could get my car from the Valet. That takes about half an hour as well with a 5 minute drive to the mall.

I've got a full schedule ahead of me in Las Vegas. Three days of show set up. Two major parties. Eight days of designer food from international chefs. Three stage shows. Sale at Zara. New H&M in the new Towne Centre mall. An outlet mall (or two). And a visit to the gym each day to keep healthy against all odds in the germy cesspool of humanity that touches every surface ahead of you (I've yet to return from Vegas without getting sick).

So, watch this space for updates. We begin booth building on Sunday.