Wow, that’s an understatement. It’s almost 6PM and I have just woken up from a nap. The past few days have been kind of overwhelming. It seems like everything here is a just a little too much.

Yesterday, we (my former manager aka Big C) went kayaking on Lake Mead for half a day. It was really beautiful. We left early in the morning when the heat was only 93 degrees 😉 I’ve never enjoyed 55 degree water so much! I couldn’t figure out why I was having so much difficulty keeping up and keeping the kayak on a relatively straight course. When I gave up being worried about not doing it right and deciding just to enjoy my slow and awkward and off course journey up the river, I was rewarded by the site of big horn sheep right by the water’s edge. He had his head in the bushes, in a small bit of shade and seemed to be working with the idea of “I can’t see you so you can’t see me”. Here’s what I was looking at:

At the turning point, we were the first fools into the 55 degree water and stayed in until the last possible moment. On the way back, one of the guides switched kayaks with me and we were off. It much easier downriver, which I attributed it to the kayak having a rudder. When we got back to the launch site the guide told me he wanted to show me something. He pointed to the kayak I had been in going upriver and there was an enormous dent – he called it the kayak equivalent of the Titanic Iceberg. I thought I had caused it and he told me no. He did say that’s why I had so much trouble on the way out because on the way back he had to fight it to keep it on course as well. What a relief 🙂

After getting back to Las Vegas, the C wanted to go to a mall. I know. Both Cs in my life have this similar shopping kick. Into the heat and off to an outdoor mall no less. Luckily, it was Sunday and the shopping time was limited due to the mall closing at 6PM. It was relatively peaceful because it is an outdoor mall. I am going to guess that it gets much more business in the winter.

And then we topped the day off with going to see the Cirque du Soleil’s “O” . It was breathtaking. I’d never seen something like that before. It promptly made me want to learn to dive like that. Don’t worry, I won’t. Walking back from the Bellagio, it took nearly 30 minutes. Which doesn’t make sense when you look at the distance but you can’t move at top speed because of the heat, the insane crowds of people and the way nothing seems to be laid out in a straight line between two points. I get the feeling that Las Vegas is all about trying to distract you from your purpose.

This morning, I went to the Boys & Girls club to spend some time volunteering and getting grounded back in the regular world. I had a great time with the kids and it reminded me again of how great they are at the age of 7-8. ‘That’s the age Raven was when we met, a month past his 8th birthday. You had to be 8 to attend the summer camp and he had just made it in.

I’m having dinner tonight with my friend from Portugal. She asked if we could meet for dinner at 830PM, which is typical for Portuguese meals 😉 We compromised and settled on 730PM. I’m looking forward to seeing her.

Tomorrow, there are Sessions and parties. In particular, a party to celebrate the end of the organization that I was part of until 1 May. I expect to see old teammates and colleagues. Then two hours after that party starts, there’s the one for the Netherlands.

I’m drinking bottles of water, applying lavender oil under my nose frequently and trying to remember to breathe. 🙂