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Highlights of the Vegas leg of the trip:

Hanging out with my grad school pal Lou: One of our missions was to pour his dad’s ashes into the fountain at Caesar’s Palace (his dad was a big boozer and gambler—once gambling away the house that they lived in-- and Vegas lover). We were a little nervous but it all went perfectly. First, we rendezvoused at the Bellagio fountains as the precise moment the water started dancing to the strains of Rondine Al Nino which began the mission on a beautifully somber note. Then we snuck over to CP where the area around the fountains was oddly peaceful and empty so no one noticed us as we poured the ashes into the fountain. We took some swigs of wild turkey before emptying the rest of the bottle into the fountain to mix with the ashes. Lou thought that his dad would be very happy with how and where he was laid to rest.

Panel in honor of one of my grad school advisors: Even though it was at 8 am on a Saturday morning in Vegas the room was packed. She has been very sick and we all read and commented on her latest work so as to accompany her in her writing, which has been slow going since chemo. There were 12 or 13 of us on the panel for her; her long-time friends and colleagues as well as her grad students old and new. It felt like intellectual work as celebration, unalienated labor at its best.

Sneaking into the Bellagio pool: It seemed too weird to swim in the pool at our conference hotel while I should have been attending sessions, so I headed to the snazzy bellagio pool instead and lazed away a sunny afternoon there. Not only was it a glorious pool but I had the rebel thrill of sneaking in—without exchanging a word, this great woman my mom’s age let me slip in beside her as if I was with her. I think she was thrilled too because after we cleared the gate she said “we did it!”

Coming out ahead at Vegas: Okay so at +$10 the casino didn’t exactly send over the cooler but I was thrilled with my winnings.


Low point of the trip:

Having to sell my Friday night Prince ticket when I realized that my conference presentations were back-to-back at 8 am and 10 am on Saturday morning and that he wouldn't get on the stage until midnight. Dang. The guy I sold it to called me the next day to give me a blow-by-blow of the concert though, so at least I could live it vicariously through him.
posted by cricket at 2:02 PM