Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

I am off to Las Vegas this weekend. I'll be staying at the Golden Nugget in the heart of downtown.

I won't give any details on what I plan to do, but I will try to give my impressions when I get back. I'd like to write a "gonzo" post ala Thompson's book. I plan to bring along a notebook and scribble notes as I go.

I actually studied Hunter S. Thompson my first year of college and wrote a few "gonzo" journalistic pieces throughout my time at ASU. One piece told of a friend and myself searching for a store throughout Washington D.C. for a place that sold beer at night. [Editorial note: the author of Panis Circenses is not imbibing alchohol during his time in seminary.] The piece was quite good and was published in my school's history journal. I attempted to write some "gonzo" pieces this summer and early fall but a few good people in high authority did not appreciate what I was trying to do. I think I will try again, but this time I plan to make sure that everyone knows that this journalsitic story is simulated fiction/non-fiction. That is, it's a true story that has been exagerated with fiction for effect and emphasis. The only problem is that I do not think that it can be called "gonzo" if you admit that the story is partly fiction.

I've been writing a novel both off and on now for four years, but mostly off. I do have this one chapter that is ... well, I won't describe it, but it does involve subjects which my experiences in Las Vegas might help inspire. I might incorporate some of my "gonzo" post into the chapter.

Regardless, I do have a great number of other posts I have been planning to write but I will probably not post them until after Christmas when I am on my break from work.

Enjoy your weekend. Anything worth doing is worth doing well.