All By Myself

There are certain pleasures that come with having a job. Sure, I bitch-and-moan about the long hours and thankless tasks I routinely perform but the truth is that steady employment affords me the opportunity to travel frequently to places I enjoy to partake in activities I enjoy and eat foods I really enjoy.

I did just that earlier this week. I flew to Las Vegas and spent time with someone I've not spent much time with lately. Me.

I took me on long walks up and down Las Vegas Boulevard, stopping to look at whatever I wanted to look at. I watched construction. I listened to music. I even stopped and had a cocktail at three o'clock in the afternoon - because I could and I didn't have a single place I needed to be. No schedule, no one to answer to, nothing.

I took me to dinner. I went where I wanted to go. I happened to want to go to some pretty nice places. I ate where the celebrity chefs put their names on the menus - Michael Mina, Tom Colicchio, and Emeril Lagasse. I had steak and lobster one night. Another night I only felt like soup and salad, but it was delicious. I had martinis, dirty.

I slept by the pool, dozing off after reading a magazine, enjoying the luxury of the "adults only" section of the vast complex.

I dressed each night, how I like to dress. I never worried that I was over- or underdressed. My biggest concern was whether or not I could reach my zipper. I could.

I took myself to a show and laughed myself silly, especially when Howie Mandel somehow managed to pull me into his dialogue and we carried on a conversation for about five minutes with the rest of the crowd laughing around us. It was unforgettable.

Don't get me wrong, I wish I'd had this time with someone else, but I managed just fine by myself. I enjoyed myself. I even documented the first time wearing a fantastic dress. All this running has done something for me. It lets me wear dresses pretty well. Next time, maybe I'll have the love of my life in the picture next to me. In the meantime...I had a pretty good time, with myself.