I guess I’m over it… I’ve never been a person who loved to visit Las Vegas, but I’ve never been a person who disliked going there, until this time. The noise and smoke and overpriced food and the sledgehammer tactics to make you WANT… enough already, I’m too old. And all that was the scene *inside* the trade show. Outside, the casinos and shops and escort-service touts and discount-show-ticket hawkers are worse. In and out as quickly as possible (and sorry, cousins, for not calling: schedule was too full to even think about a visit).

Still and all, it is a marvel. I was glad to see real Flamingos at the Flamingo, and I did enjoy imagining that I might win big so I could buy a new suit. But, when you can’t get a drink until 10 AM, it’s hard to keep the dreams alive…