Culture

I'm getting pretty excited about our upcoming move to DC. Vegas has been fun, really fun, but it's time to move. This is not home. DC isn't home either, but I'm looking forward to the change.

We lived in DC before, we left about five years ago to move to Japan for two years, then we moved to Vegas. I'm smarter in DC than I am in Vegas. There I read the Washington Post every day, here I read the Vegas paper which amounts to gossip columns and crime stories. In DC I went to museums, historic sights and national monuments, plus heard the National Symphony Orchestra a few times. Here culture consists of casinos, nightclubs, and the occasional performances of ballet and violin by our nieces.

So apparently the culture of a town does affect me. It's kind of the life we lead, I guess, we just jump in to our new town. From the beginning of this journey we've always made a huge effort to really get to know a place, to take advantage of what was offered there. When we lived in Virginia we went to countless battlefields and historic sights. When we lived in Alaska we took up all things outdoors--kayaking, canoeing, backpacking and cross-country skiing. When we lived in Japan we traveled all over Asia, and here in Vegas, well, we go out on the town. Even when we don't really want to go downtown, some friend from out of town will be there (everyone comes to Vegas), and we'll end up having a drink or sitting at a blackjack table with them. Fun, but I've done it a few too many times.

However there will be things I will miss, really miss about Vegas. Mostly I'll miss the people. I have great friends here, who I'll miss dearly, but even just Vegas people in general. There's something a bit refreshing about people who live in Vegas. There's an honesty about the shallowness of life and a recognition that everyone uses something to help them get through the day. In other places I don't think people want to acknowledge that. But here, the city makes its living off of it, so there's less pretense--you're constantly reminded of the lowest common denominator of being human. I wasn't crazy about the DC crowd when we were there before, it's very conservative, self-important and consumed with work. At cocktail parties the first question is, "Who do you work for?" and the conversation really never goes anywhere else. They've sized you up, decided where you are on the importance scale, and whether or not they should really invest their time with you. Here people are wacky. It's a lot more interesting, and I feel no judgments about not working for a Congressman or failing to have an Ivy League education.

I'll also miss the desert. I have access to it at the end of my street, and I can take my dog out there, let her off the leash, and we can run forever and not see a soul, at least not a two-legged one. I've seen a few coyotes out there eyeing us recently. I'll miss the mountains too. It's so damn flat back east, I feel like I can't get my bearings.

So all this to say that while I've liked living here and I will miss it, I think Vegas has affected me, and I'm ready to be affected by a different culture. It feels like its time to throttle back on the partying and I believe I will enjoy a change of scenery and lifestyle. People who come here for fun say that about two days in Vegas is enough--and you feel hungover from it for weeks. After three years, I wonder how long it will take to recover, and how long it will be before I'm ready to come back.