Alone and Unobserved

The drive home was like a surreal nightmare. As soon as the sun went down the crazed Utah drivers came out, passing on the right, tailgating everything and everyone, applying the accelerator and brake pedals in seemingly random order, and (unfailingly) making sure their high beams were on whenever they saw another car ahead. This situation was not helped by the herds of massive orange construction barrels that crowded close to the lanes, or by the haphazard road “improvements” that left different areas of the pavement at different levels and transformed a simple lane change into a game of 80-mph Russian roulette.

The main thing is that I’m home, and that tomorrow I get to sleep in for the first time in a week and a half.

Last night, we went to see Sarah Silverman live at The Mirage. Let me tell you, if you ever get a chance to see her live, seize that opportunity with both hands, because she is funny. DAYUM. Assuming, of course, that you enjoy having your prejudices and preconceptions tossed in your face by a winsome, pretty young woman with the mouth of an especially vulgar sailor. A hilarious sailor with no filter whatsoever.

Anyway, since no trip to Las Vegas—and no trip to see Sarah Silverman—is complete if you don’t make at least one extremely questionable personal decision, we got drunk and ended up tottering around the Strip at high speed, laughing as we navigated the crowds on unsteady feet. We closed the night at a café at the Paris, holding an intense discussion about war and politics that started out loud and got progressively softer and more reasonable as we sobered up.

And then, three hours after our bedtime, we shuffled back to the hotel to go to sleep, in order to get ready for today, which is THE LAST DAY OF THE LIBRARY SCIENCE “WEB INSTITUTE.” I’m coming home, baby!

Day Three of the “Web Institute.” The first day kind of sucked, and the second day was pretty good*, so if this trend continues, today could be awful, middling or amazingly awesome. One thing that is certain, however, is that we will have scarcely any time to ourselves—they schedule us down to the second. Stay tuned.

Tonight we’re going to see Sarah Silverman live (!!) at The Mirage. Tomorrow night we’re coming home. Can our hero last until then?????

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* Except for the part where a group of us (including me) were singled out for a tongue-lashing because we had forgotten a special scholarship orientation session that had been alluded to once several weeks ago and then never mentioned again. Once the instructor cooled down, though, she kindly ran through the entire contents of the orientation with us and everything was gay and blissful once again.

I’m going through the amusing experience of being both exhausted and wired at the same time. Caffeine can only do so much to counteract lack of sleep. Unfortunately for me, I forgot my earplugs at home, and didn’t think to buy any until late last night when it was too late. A strange bed, in a strange room, with strange noises and no earplugs to block them out equals a wakeful, stressful night for me. And that equals a lovely fun time the next day, especially when I have to sit still and stay awake and pay attention in a classroom all day.

Class is starting again. Gotta go. Maybe I’ll be able to sleep through the TA’s presentation . . .

Tomorrow I’ll jump in a car with my coworker/classmate and drive to Las Vegas for the opening seminar of my library science program. Classes start on Friday at 8 AM sharp. And for some reason, I’m incredibly nervous about it! Last night, I dreamed that two implacable women tested my ability to sing a complicated melody as I fled from [dogs? policemen? other?] through an obstacle course. When I finished, out of breath, they derided me for forgetting the words and fudging the syncopation, and everyone laughed at me. I hope this is not an omen.