We're not in Kansas Anymore

Not that I've ever been to Kansas - wait, maybe I have been, in a dream, and there was a tornado and my dog, Waffles, was there, and you were there too, and... ahem. I am now in Las Vegas, Sin City, City of Lights, "The Meadows". As my plane slowly made its descent, I looked out my window to the right and all I could see was rock and clay and mud and dirt, expansive, with tiny nooks and crannies (mmm, makes me think of English Muffins - the nooks and crannies, that is). And it made my stomach tighten, just a bit - I am in a completely new place. I love flying into NYC, there's nothing like it. New York is bold and breathtaking with all its lights, showing off like the queen of the prom, promising something exciting, welcoming me home. But the dry landscape of Nevada didn't conjure up anything familiar, and perhaps that is the point. To go outside the box of comfort into the unfamiliar. Or maybe I was just on the wrong side of the plane. Maybe the other side could see the strip outside the window, who knows. At any rate, when we were finally on the ground, I could finally see familiar landmarks in the distance, the pyramid and Sphinx of the Luxor, the space needle (is that what it's called?). And they look different in the daylight, exposed, like seeing your favorite movie star without the makeup. The weather is GORGEOUS, and that put me at ease, sun always makes me feel more positive. And the apartment looks great. I think I am going to like it here. And you know what, I want to see what all that mud and rock and clay is about.