Hello, hello!

I’m having a hard time getting back in the swing of things, mostly because I haven’t been “in the swing” for nearly a month now. Between medical mishaps and a kamikaze social life, I’ve been pretty burned out. Reno was a great vacation though, and it was good to spend three days unwinding somewhere wound so tight.

Zaq and I drove out Wednesday from his house in San Jose and we stayed at the marvelous Circus-Circus. Conjoined with El Dorado and Silver Legacy, these three massive casino-resorts take up nearly four blocks of downtown and provide everything you need to refrain from stepping outside or seeing sunlight for the duration of your stay. It was absurd. There was something depressing and glamorous about all the flashing lights and total lack of fresh air.

Between Keno, Poker, and Slot Machines, Zaq and I spent a grand total of about $15 and I won 80 cents at one point. We were smart and put the big bucks into the arcade. Skeeball, cyclone, air hockey, guitar hero, and wheel of fortune were infinitely more fun and profitable than anything in the casino proper. We also went to the Salt Oriya Circus show, and saw an acrobat duo at the Circus Circus midway. There was a Microbrewery that made the best draft-style root-beer I’d ever had. The buffets and restaurants were delicious, and there was one bar that just sold alcoholic slushies and jello shots. I also ran into Zoltar while I was drunk (second time in my life…and only because Zaq was disappointed he didn’t get to see the first time) Zoltar was fantastically entertaining to my inebriated mind, and he told me amethysts would bring me good luck.

On our last day we went to the Island Buffet at the Pepermill, which is (mark my words) the most impressive buffet you’ll ever see. We also cashed in all our tickets from three cumulative days of arcade fun, and walked away with a lot of tootsie rolls and two little monsters Zaq christened Ick and Plick.

Despite all this, I’ve been having unpleasant mood swings and battling what can only be described as post-partum book deal depression. It is an odd realization when you see that you are in the middle of everything you always wanted. I don’t feel any different. I didn’t consciously expect to, and I was happy as a clam to begin with, so I’m not sure why I’m occasionally overtaken by this downhearted mood. It’s been easy to fall behind even on reading my favorite book blogs, so everything seems a little out of sync right now. I’m getting back into the rhythm of my life though, and staying on top of my work as best I can. I went to Stanford yesterday with Zaq and was reinvigorated by a nostalgia and ambition that is unique to my old, illegitimate home in the shadow of that ivory tower. I’m plugging along, and looking forward to the future, as always.