The shirt and slacks I'm currently wearing in a cafe near my work were last worn by me two nights ago at Drai's, a rooftop club in Vegas. My friend Nathan (y'all know Nathan) texted me Tuesday morning, telling me about a business trip that had fallen through, and rooms at a hotel that had already been paid for. An invitation to an impromptu, two-day Vegas trip was extended, and I eagerly accepted. After a few hours drive and a quick check-in to our hotel, Nathan and I hit Caesar's Palace, where I bought this shirt/pant combo in preparation for whatever came our way that night.
Our luck was such that we were able to get on the list at Drai's through a friend, and that evening we found ourselves dressed up and jumping the line to get into the club, where we spent the next few hours people watching and dancing. This was a first for Nathan, who had never really danced in public before; I danced with a fun girl named Alexis, who I'm pretty sure was a prostitute, which was a first for me. All in all, not a bad night.
The next day was spent meandering through the hotels and casinos- passing through elaborately decorated hallways and over richly carpeted floors. Fendi, Dolce & Gabbanna, Diesel, Marc Jacobs, Giuseppe Zanotti, and other luxury shops were all visited and drooled over (as were the multitude of young, attractive people milling all about). Britney Spears paraphernalia was purchased, and when we'd had our fill, Nathan and I shuttled back to our hotel, climbed into my new little Nissan, and headed back home to Arizona.
This trip, while short and relatively inexpensive, reaffirmed and reawakened something in me that I've been missing as of late; in all the stress and anticipation surrounding my work, buying a car, figuring out where I'm gonna live and who I'm going to devote my time to, I'd all but lost passion for the future that awaits me. A vision of it would come in glimpses, but nothing more than a passing buzz. Here's the deal, though: I can't afford to lose that drive- the desire to keep moving forward and up. I don't only want to almost-accidentally end up on a list at a club during a two-day break from a job that is not at all what I want to be doing, but which pays the bills. I want to be on the list, and at a table, at that club because of what I've achieved and who I've come to know through pursuing a career/lifestyle that I've chosen and earned myself. And I can't do that, or any of the thousands of other things I want to experience and accomplish, if I become complacent, or if I allow everyday stresses to knock me out.
So, I'm gonna figure it out. I'm going to work hard at the job that I have, while I make plans to pursue a career that I love. I'm considering getting a second job, one that will help to put me through school- an opportunity which hasn't been afforded me yet, but which I may just be able to take full advantage of soon. My time will be devoted to me and bettering my situation, and if the opportunity to devote some of my time and attention to a significant someone comes along, I'll figure out how best to balance that with the other important aspects of my life. This will all take a lot of work, but I'm going to get there eventually.
Now to figure out what the hell I'm supposed to do when I go the gym I just joined . . .
Much Love,
Adam