Viva Las Vegas

So here I am at one of the cafes in Paris LV, having coffee (not green
tea, or papaya juice), and taking very little bites of a lemon pound
cake (instead of the usual yogurt w/flaxseed oil). I'm taking a vacation
from my cancer.

A friend is spending her birthday in Vegas, and Ali, Andrew, and I drove
from LA last night. We're actually staying at the Monte Carlo, but after
a restless nap I decided to venture out at 7:00 in the morning. Andrew
is playing blackjack and Ali is sleeping off the gambling and drinking
he started as soon as we were checked in.

I already lost $20 at the crap tables, but there were cute guys there
flirting with me, so who cares?

I don't really plan on gambling very much this trip. Armed with my
bottle of Tylenol 3, I plan on eating and drinking my way through the
weekend. As soon as Ali wakes up, we're headed for the Bellagio Buffet.

Amy, the birthday girl, flies in today. But I'm flying out tomorrow
morning so I can catch my brother's birthday party.

More relatives are flying into town. Some were already planning on
coming to LA, but a couple came because of the surgery. I'll probably
have more people in town for my cancer than for my wedding (no, I'm not
getting married any time soon, Mom).

Twelve more days until slice and dice. It's taking more effort to keep
it together, which is why I REALLY need to get away. Everyone keeps
assuring me that I'm doing fine, so I guess I am. But like I said, the
bad moments are getting more frequent.

It's been raining in Hanoi for nearly 2 months now. I hope that by the
time it clears up I'll be well enough to fly there.

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