In which you might have missed me

because I certainly missed you, my dears! I am still playing dodgeball with blogger--it wasn't speaking to my server, yada yada, and as of May 1, as I've said, it will no longer be hosting my blog. I don't know details of the transfer, or even where I'll be blogging, but I will keep you posted the minute I hear something. Keep checking back, and be sure to use the main page of the website with its blog link if everything else fails. (It's all very Daniel Day-Lewis in "Last of the Mohicans", isn't it? "Stay alive...I will find you!")

So last week was the big vacation, and OH MY. Hasn't Vegas changed in the past decade or two? The husband has been there recently on business, but I haven't, and it came as a shock to see how built-up it's gotten. (And how close the mountains are. Seriously, how did I forget there are mountains looming almost at the edge of town?) I suppose it wasn't a very good idea to schedule my annual physical for this morning after a week of modest hedonism--the doctor took one look at my back and said, "Do you sunbathe?" Oops. Um, no, except at the Venetian pool where the bell tower rings the hour and there are pool attendants delivering chilled herbal towels. I mean, if they had poolside cocktail service I would be there STILL.

And my weight, not surprisingly, is up a pound or two after eating our way through some extremely good restaurants. Unexpectedly, the best meal we had was lunch at Canaletto--limoncello, pears and prosciutto, a gorgeous salad, and pasta Bolognese. And a breadbasket the size of my head. We had dinner at Delmonico's one evening and it was delicious, but by that point, I had eaten so much rich food that I would have been perfectly happy with some celery and a wheat cracker. If we'd stayed another day, I probably would have come home with gout. Or an inflamed liver. Or any of the other woeful maladies of the overfed and overwatered. But it would have been worth it just for the beignets at Bouchon alone. (If you find yourself with a morning in Vegas, pawn your children for breakfast at Bouchon. I'm not kidding. You can always win the money back at the slots. You'll thank me.)

The Venetian, besides the lovely pool and superb restaurants, has a shopping arcade where I spotted the MOST gorgeous gown. (I was RITA shopping, you understand.) It was black and mermaidy in style, made of ruched tulle, which sounds vile, but I promise was exquisite. I went to try it on and the sales clerk informed me it was one of a kind and my size. And $9200. That's $9200 AMERICAN DOLLARS. I laughed and told her it was beautiful but that was SO not going to happen. I don't care if I win the lottery, I am never going to spend that much on a dress I plan to wear once. I could buy a CAR for that.

So I pootled off, and wouldn't you know, I found a dress almost identical, but many, many dollars less. Almost nine thousand of them, in fact. I tried it on, fell passionately in love, and now I have a dress and can still send my daughter to college. It's a win for everybody. (And if she decides to wear it to prom in two years, I will actually be making money.) Come to think of it, I did make money in Vegas. I kept finding hot slot machines, and now my husband thinks I have mystical powers because I would point to one and say, quite mysteriously, "This one is getting ready to pay." And it did. Three times. Then I went cold, but hey, it was fun while it lasted.

But enough about me, darlings. What have YOU been up to? Oops, just a little more about me--I want to plug the book festival being hosted by the Danvers Public Library in Danvers, Massachusetts. If you're in the greater Boston area--or not and just like a long car ride--come and be a part of the fun! Details on the Tours page that you can find by clicking on the Author page.