Living in Vegas, I was very lonely. Call it culture shock, but the adjustment to Vegas from Chicago was tough. Back home, you freely talked to the person sitting next to you in a waiting room, or even a person sitting at the restaurant table right next to yours. In Vegas? You found blank stares. People wondering why a stranger wanted to talk to them, why a stranger would even dare to bother them. Much of the time, my work kept me sane, I made “40-minute friends”, learning about the many different regions, cultures, and cities of the US, and the world. I would come off tables, writing notes on places I had to visit: the Blue Ridge Parkway, Peter Lugers in New York, a West Point football game in the Hudson River Valley, Arches National Park,the Santa Cruz County Fair & Rodeo in Sonoita, AZ (where the other horse statue is). I would also leave the tables writing down stories I had heard: the outrageous, the funny, and the inspiring. I wanted to journal those stories and remember to share them with others.
That said, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that now and again, you had mean customers. Ones who belittled you smoked cigars in your face, ones who tried to cheat you. And it was on those days when I suddenly remembered that I was alone, 3600 miles from my family and my friends. I saw no other option but to cheer myself up, and frequently I did so by you-tubing 3 simple words, “ Robin Williams interviews” There is something about watching those interviews, which makes me so happy. It should be no surprise then that my ultimate comfort movie is Mrs. Doubtfire. It is beautiful how another person was able to utilize their gifts and make a positive impression on so many lives.
Which shows bring you comfort on the days you need it?
Some Snippets:
On Johnny Carson w/ Jonathan Winters
Just Robin w/ Johnny Carson “and you realize it was one of the doctors” ha!
Mork and Mindy
This article