Enjoy Las Vegas

The so-called festival of lights in Kiener Plaza was also a festival of commerce. Some of it has a bit of the huckster in it. The awning just to the right of the statue of the runner says Enjoy Las Vegas, maybe selling some package tour you may regret buying. The one on the far right is selling replacement windows.

We've been to Las Vegas, or maybe better said through it, a number of times. We spend the first or last night there on trips to Death Valley, our favorite place in this country to clear out our heads. We're not really into Vegas. We don't gamble. You can get some decent rates on hotel rooms. Lots of restaurants (of varying quality - the buffet at Luxor was awful), Seen some shows - Cirque du Soleil - flashy but yawn; Paula Poundstone - pretty funny. We'd rather be away from the lights, way out in the dark of the desert night.                   

Ye Of Little Faith

It's hard to understand but most of us, particularly in this country, have seen it. The young man carrying the sign had a headset microphone and a loudspeaker in his hand. He paced the sidewalk around the little festival and tree lighting ceremony, spouting the usual rant. If you think of it as behavior, he wasn't getting a lot of positive reinforcement. Dr. Skinner would be puzzled.

The man in the knit hat was one of the event officials. As I passed by the two of them I heard the official shouting "I want you outta here now. We have a permit and it's just for us. Get off of this block!" Or words to that effect. The preacher ignored him but the official stayed stuck tight. The cops didn't come. Then it occurred to me: the organizers may have a permit for the plaza but the preacher was on the public sidewalk that surrounded it. In the end, it was kind of a freedom of speech in a public place issue. Good that we still have that.          

Madeleine Monday

Meanwhile, Killian, Madeleine's family dog, decides it's time for a sloppy kiss. Grandma tries to push the pooch away but the kid seems completely blasé.        

I Didn't Know They Were Acquainted

Santa and Ms. Missouri seem to be on very friendly terms. If I were an old guy with snow-white hair I'd find this exciting. Actually, I'm not that far off but I dress better than Santa.

The whole Ms. America/Ms. Missouri (formerly Miss) thing is pretty awful. I remember watching Miss America as a kid and thinking it embodied unattainable elegance. There was an evening in a cousin's living room in Ireland when the whole family, young and old, watched the local equivalent, the Rose of Tralee Pageant, with rapt attention. But really. It's such an out-of-it vision of women and their place in society. Makes me think of Frank Zappa's Suzy Creamcheese.