here comes the sun

The third reason should be fairly obvious: I had a three-day weekend and some comp time to take advantage of, had been working hard without a break, had cabin fever from an extremely long winter, and needed a vacation! It had still been snowing the week before in Salt Lake and Vegas was 95 degrees, with a plush hotel room and a lovely sparkling pool. Need I say more?

We stayed at the Mirage, host hotel to LOVE. So golden and glitzy. We didn't bother leaving the hotel at all for any of the rest of the Strip. Just nested in here and went downstairs to ogle the casino occasionally.

Don't judge; this position was extremely comfortable after a day of driving. I spent much time chillaxing with this bolster.

We were pretty enamored with our window view. Those golden panes were crazy reflective and made for some awesome indoor-outdoor collage effects. I am partial to replica Eiffel Towers, of course.

Go outside to watch the fake volcano erupt and other such ridiculous acts of Vegas artifice? Nah, we'll hang here and watch, thanks. Those drum beats and eruptions became quite soothing sounds to us.

Daytime collage. Coincidentally, that dome houses the only fancy restaurant I've eaten at in Vegas, Kokomo's, an indoor rainforest. I had French onion soup there in December when I was here for work.

Good hair day; favorite sweater.

Hello.

Cameron opts out of the water; I channel my inner fish.

Pretty colors and neon signs in Old Vegas.

Every gamblin' town has a Wendover Will.

love is all you need

The second justification for our trip to Las Vegas: Cameron and I are sorta-kinda celebrating the five-year mark of loveliness. We haven't quite figured out what to do with "anniversaries" so far in our relationship (we don't have one), but five is a big one, we feel. Vegas represents the worst kind of schmaltzy over-the-top love (more like flashy/trashy - oh the bachelorette parties!) which I knew would be the perfect ironic destination for our love-themed getaway.





I so appreciate my partner and his shared interest in visiting landmarks like the Little White Wedding Chapel (and "Tunnel of Love" for drive-thrus!), the Atomic Testing Museum, and the old-school Vegas signs at the Neon Museum on Fremont (unfortunately just the ones restored on the street; the "Boneyard" is closed for construction all summer.) Another adventure for the adventure book.

Love Las Vegas

We took a little road trip adventure to Vegas for Memorial Day weekend for three main reasons. The first and foremost: it was Cameron's birthday and he had been talking for years about wanting to see The Beatles LOVE by Cirque du Soleil. His birthday present was an extra special treat this year: he had no idea we were going until two days before, and thought I had only gotten him an electric griddle to make me breakfasts on! Breakfasts in Vegas, my dear.






We both loved the show. There was more dance and fewer gimmicks in the choreography than I had expected, which I appreciated, and the costumes, set, lighting, and multimedia were stunning. The show truly fills all dimensions of the space and makes it very participatory - performers are above, below, in front of, and behind you; props and people fly over your head; images are projected all around the theater (which is in-the-round, in a pretty hexagon); at one point, Cameron and I were underneath a giant, shear, flowy sheet (I think this was during Octopus' Garden?) that was extended over part of the audience to form a "sea," then snapped back and sucked into the pit at the center of the stage; and at the end of the show (during "All You Need Is Love") the whole audience was sprayed with marroon crepe paper, which I happily draped around my neck and kept on as an accessory the rest of the night (bottom photo).

And the music. Well, you know. It was something special to behold. When the female cast started screaming at the beginning of "I Want to Hold Your Hand," I got goosebumps. My very favorites (probably just a reflection of my favorite Beatles songs, no? Beautiful performances also) were Blackbird, Here Comes the Sun, Hey Jude, and All You Need Is Love. Because really.

There's nowhere you can be that isn't where you're meant to be. It's easy - all you need is love. Love is all you need.

(Stage photos copyright Cirque du Soleil, all other photos by moi.)

it only ends once

Here's the deal: if you've never watched LOST, this post will mean next to nothing to you. You'll just have to bear with me for a moment and appreciate the most creative, thoughtful, well-put-together theme party I've ever attended: LostSLC.

Here's the backstory: you can read more about my LOST addiction here and here. Unlike most fans, I just started watching the series in September, prior to the airing of the final season. For a solid five months, most of my leisure time was spent with LOST on Netflix, episode after episode after episode. So while I have not been a super geek for the past six years, spinning internet theories, hanging out on Lostpedia, I did feel that my commitment to the plotline and characters of LOST represented a significant chapter in my life and it deserved a proper closing.

So. Here's what went down: the night before the finale, I was clicking around on the internet (as is my wont), and decided to google "Lost finale party Salt Lake City." I found this Tribune article, and nearly died of excitement (Dharma Initiative binders! Plane crash decor! A library of Sawyer's books!) and also jealousy that I could not be a part of this. Then I became rash and bold and did what any self-respecting internet-savvy LOST fanatic would do: I googled the party planner. Found her Twitter. Followed the #LostSLC hashtag. Found the invite (amazing). Abandoned all inhibitions and social anxieties and invited myself via tweet. The gracious hosts accepted! The next day, Cami and I put together costumes - we were Zach and Emma, the kids from the tail section of Oceanic Flight 815, post-kidnapping by the Others - printed out Dharma Initiative labels for our food items, and attended the party of perfect strangers, united by a love of LOST.




















(First 3 photos by me; remainder by party host brandelion from her amazing flickr set.)

A few of the LOST-tastic party details:
-Greeted with "namaste" and leis, a la Dharma Initiative circa 1974
-Fence marked "Quarantine" a la The Hatch/The Swan Station
-Tiki torches
-Luggage strewn about like the plane crash
-Oceanic luggage tags & water bottles
-Costume contest with the following characters represented: pregnant Claire, Kate, Libby, Charlotte, Widmore, Lapidus, Locke, Zach & Emma (the kidnapped children), "Henry Gale", Daniel Faraday, a Dharma Initiative motor pool worker, "Not Penny's Boat" Charlie, the Smoke Monster, Vincent, and several Others
-Candidates name wall
-Soulmate photo of Desmond and Penny
-The entire collection of books Sawyer was seen reading on the Island (!!!)
-Misc. Dharma food labels
-Fish biscuits, as seen in Sawyer's polar bear cage
-A stuffed polar bear and a child dressed in a polar bear costume
-Hurley's winning lotto card with "the numbers" (4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42)
(There's also a Dharma Airstream trailer in there, which has nothing to do with the show but is nonetheless awesome.)

While I am saying farewell and getting this out of my system, allow me to link to these pitch-perfect, incredibly clever Target commercials that aired during the finale: smoke alarm, keyboard, bbq sauce. And the only thing that got me through the final season: the Vulture recaps. And finally, seasons 1-5 in 8 minutes 15 seconds.

Namaste, live together die alone, etc.

America's pastimes

Mini adventures in the month of May, when fresh air and outdoor sports stadiums feel oh so good.








A lovely Sunday outing to Sugarhouse Park with a $2 Batman kite.








A Real Salt Lake (defending MLS champs) game with the local chapter of the AmeriCorps Alums in celebration of AmeriCorps Week. Unfortunately, it was a freezing cold, windy, thunderstorm-threatening evening, forcing Cameron to wear a bag on his head to try to keep warm, and us to leave early.






A Twins vs. Yankees game at Target Field during a 36-hour business trip to Minneapolis. Killed two birds with one stone by walking through the amusement park in the Mall of America on my way to catch the lightrail to the stadium. Snapped some pics, watched some baseball, ate ballpark pizza and soda, stretched and sang "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" at my 2nd major league game of all time.