Strippers, Breakfast, and Alcohol

     I moved to Vegas for a reason: to simplify my life and get back to the one thing in which I always excelled. Mission accomplished! However, attaining this goal has not been as gratifying as I believed it would be (the grass is always greener), and yet here I am. I am reliving the life I left, reluctantly; but not finding the gratification for which I hoped. This is not a complaint: I am happy to have returned to doing what I have always loved; it just does not seem the same. I would blame Vegas, I would blame my age, I would, um, blame it on the rain; but none of those excuses seem viable. I believe it may be just me. Do not misunderstand: the money is great, the job is great, the benefits are AWESOME (and when I say "benefits", I mean... use your imagination); but something just does not feel "right".
     There is no "family" vibe like I remember.  This could just be wishful thinking on my part, but I remember the time when we would all go out to breakfast together: dancers, employees, management... where did that get lost? I could put forth the effort to resurrect this lost tradition, but I am not sure it is worth the effort. In this time of "instant gratification", I feel that even a proven, yet archaic tradition of this would fray at the seems before it ever became anything of substance. Even though there are many, twenty-four options in Vegas, I am not sure there is any level of interest in sitting down, having a semi-meal, and conversation.
     Conversation seems to be a lost art, here in Las Vegas. We are all conversant in fake, meaningless, small-talk; but can anyone remember anyone else's real name? I am good at learning the "work" names, having drinks and talking about the club, the pace of business, the surface needs of money: but sometimes, I miss a real conversation. I may be the only person who seeks something below the surface, something real; but a "real" moment would be nice every now and then... Shit, now I sound "needy", which was not my intention; just missing the way things used to be... But then, we can seldom get what we want...