Day 118
Location 20: Sofia, Bulgaria
Feb. 26, 2023
A few years ago, my job sent the sales team on an all-expenses paid "work" trip to Las Vegas for a sales conference. Despite my exactly zero days of sales experience, some of the team (whom I was luckily friends with) convinced the company that my presence was paramount.
It was one of the best weeks of my life that included some stereotypical Vegas experiences...
One night, I won $200 while gambling at a Texas Hold'em table until 2am. During the game, I was yelled at by a fellow player for check-raising him (a move considered by some pokerists to be a dirty play). He warned me that "if you do that again, I'm going to fuck you in your ass". Whoa! The frightening—yet somewhat flirtatious—threat came from a guy who had but moments ago revealed that he'd done some prison time. I felt wholly uninterested in getting into a fight (or into bed) with this adult man wearing sunglasses indoors. So I took $200 in winnings, left the table and my suitor, escaped to the bathroom for a quick celebration, and went to bed—after all, I had work in the morning.
Las Vegas, Nevada
Another night, my coworkers and I met for dinner. Suddenly, we were interrupted by a strange ritual where the waitress did a lap around the bar, stopping at a few tables accommodating couples. At each stop along her tour, she discreetly asked only the woman to leave. Strange! It turned out, those tables weren't accommodating couples. The women were female escorts and the men were potential clients. Every night, if they hadn't secured a John and left by 10pm, the restaurant would ask them to leave. Forget about the conference, that's real sales.
Peep the sign. | Las Vegas, Nevada
On our last evening, we were sharing drinks with a few friends we'd made at a casino bar. As the night was winding down, two men walked over and announced "a round of shots on us" before adding "...sorry fellas, only for the ladies" to me and TY, my coworker. We didn't mind, as our drinks were covered by work. Besides, I don't want a drink from anyone who uses the words "fellas" and "ladies" in the same sentence, anyway. Eventually, this dynamic duo invited us all up to their suite. We obliged...
..."Suite" is an understatement. "Penthouse" is more accurate. It was huge and offered a miraculous view of the Vegas strip. It felt like we were living out a scene from a mediocre, mid-2000s party-comedy starring Vince Vaughn. All that was missing was a comically large bag of cocaine. Right then, the two guys unveil three comically large bags of cocaine. "They're flavored: strawberry, pineapple, and grape." Never before, or since, have I even heard of cocaine being described the same way you'd describe a variety pack of Airheads. Soon after, TY and I decided to call it quits and head to our rooms.
Las Vegas, Nevada
Anyway, all of that is to say that today in Sofia, I passed a little reminder of my time in the "Entertainment Capital of the World" (Vegas is also the "Divorce Capital of the World", as Nevada has highest divorce rate of any state in the US...maybe hiring a cosplay Elvis to marry you at 2am after a Tuesday night full of Jägerbombs isn't the best recipe for everlasting love).
Sofia, Bulgaria