Yes, these storms are distant but they are there.
This really has to be my favorite time of the year here in Vegas. They call it monsoon season. The afternoons boil to the point of firing off storm clouds over the surrounding cool mountain peaks and end up lighting the sky with violence at night.
Something happens to the town during these nights. It�s hard to describe it. I�m sitting at a stoplight, the only car in sight, watching the trees sway in the gusty winds, as the relative red and green lights illuminate the dancing branches. The red and green lighting scheme of the flora reminds me of those lights usually reserved for those poorly Americanized Asian families, which is to say, Asian families that Americanized, but just did kind of a piss poor job at it.
Yes, much like those lights.
Maybe you only see them in Vegas, who knows? But they are around. The stillness, despite the wind, is what makes the scene surreal. The quiet is palatable, you can feel it, and you could pour it into a bucket. Combined with the lightning playing across the dark horizon, much like some old silent movie, Vegas is transformed into a different place entirely.
Oh, I almost forgot to mention, I start my second (or is it third?) job tomorrow. Not only did I land a huge deal today, I also took a piss test and was given the second name badge of my life. That�s right, age 28 and I�ll be wearing a little name badge. For the second time.
Well, that�s not entirely accurate. I had a name badge for the USAF when I worked on the Pegasus project, which was morphed into the Predator. I also had a Boeing Space and Satellite badge for when I saw one of my projects launched into space off the coast of El Segundo. But those really don�t count, now do they.
Anyway, the whole thing is just strange. It�s honest.. well, it isn�t honest work, but it�s work. Bartending isn�t honest at all. I�ve no idea how I�m going to like this place but it�s just a second job. It�s not really designed to be well liked, in the grand scheme of things; it�s designed to help alleviate financial difficulties while the season gets stronger for the company.
Plus! And this is a big one, it�ll give me even more bartending experience for when I run off to Australia, or somewhere around there, so I can get a job slinging cocktails while I pursue the whole freelance photography gig. It�ll be soo much fun!
So yes, this is what I�ve been up to. Life is� strange for me right now. My desires and driving motivations are different right now then they�ve been in a long time, and I think certain people are having a hard time coping with it :P. It�s a long story, best saved for some other time.
I�m going to go outside and soak up the electric air some more.
-G