Compare and Conrast

[tbutler]

I think I was trying to go for a compare/contrast between the hard-edged glass wall and posters of the Cosmopolitan (the conference hotel) and the warmly-lit classicism of the Bellagio next door. I'm not sure it was successful, but at least it's a difference.

(The Cosmopolitan is... interesting, and I'm not sure whether I like it. The exterior is (for the most part) simple and minimalist, with the signage done in modernist sans-serif fonts; the lobby area and interior are heavily themed with dark and 'cold' colors offset with mirrors and crystal, contrasting dark and reflective glints in a way I found almost clinical and offputting. I haven't been inside the Bellagio, and the main building is too large to really carry off the neoclassical look - though at least it's not nearly as ugly as Caesar's Palace - but at least it goes with warm colors, and I do really like their signpost.)

Comments

[affreca]

Did you get a chance to visit Mike?

[tbutler]

I did! Stayed at his place, which is how I could afford to go; the company paid for the conference fee, but $600 for the hotel room was a little too much.

The good news is that he's in much better spirits; we sat around talking and playing games and such like for a good time. Unfortunately, physically he's losing energy. He has to spend more time hooked up to the oxygen machine, and just going out to lunch at the Mediterranean place was enough to wear him out.