What Happened in Vegas…

We’ve all heard that old adage: what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. Well I guess it’s not always true because last weekend here’s what happened in Vegas.

The boys pay homage to Siegfried and Roy
The boys pay homage to Siegfried and Roy

The largest hackers’ convention in the world, DefCon, takes place in Vegas every year. My geeky husband has been dying to go to it for years but has never managed to make it. This year I promised him that not only could he go but that I would actually accompany him.

The boys eagerly wait in line to change their temp badges for super geeky ones
The boys eagerly wait in line to change their temp badges for super geeky ones

We went down with a large group of geeks that included Aaron, Dave, my brother Drew, and Jason’s brother Jeremy.

Chillin on the strip
Chillin on the strip

Some things about this convention were not too surprising, like the occasional whiff of BO you encountered as you walked amongst the geeks. I was surprised however by just how many of these hardcore geeks actually looked relatively normal and seemed to have some semblance of social skills. The proportion of normal to abnormal appearing geeks was much higher than I expected, though I definitely saw many attendees that fit the part of the stereotypical nerd.

I attended a couple seminars with Jason just for fun. (Did I just say “for fun”?) I was surprised and disturbed by just how much of the lecture material I actually understood. I guess all that geeky stuff Jason has been telling me over the last decade has taken its toll.

Aaron wearing the awesome hat I helped him pick out
Aaron wearing the awesome hat I helped him pick out

Since we were in Vegas we couldn’t just geek out, we had to party a little too. I was keen on doing some shopping, of course. I was really stoked to go to the new Vegas H&M store. But after having been to the huge H&M on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, the tiny H&M in Vegas was a bit of a disappointment. I still found some good stuff though. And more importantly, I bought a couple pairs of shoes.

The crazy Sabin boys at the Blue Man Group show
The crazy Sabin boys at the Blue Man Group show

We also decided that we should go to a show while we were in Vegas. Although our original plan was to see one of the Cirque du Soleil shows, we didn’t buy our tickets in time, so we ended up going to see The Blue Man Group. Jason and I saw this show in Vegas a few years ago but we still really enjoyed it the second time around.

Catching some of the performers after the show
Catching some of the performers after the show

And what’s a trip to Vegas without a little gambling? I tried playing 21 for the first time on this trip. It was a lot of fun. Jason and I managed to win $52 dollars with the $20 we gambled. But my most amazing gambling feat was winning $90 in about ten minutes on a 1 cent slot machine, using only a dollar. I was surprised and thrilled! It was awesome that Jason and I managed to actually make some money in Vegas, over $120, using only $21. I’ve already spent most of our winnings on shoes. After all, there’s really no better way to spend your money!

Catching one of those blue boys
Catching one of those blue boys

It was a fun trip, perhaps a little too testosterone and geek laden, but still a lot of fun! Sorry boys if I ruined your geek-a-thon with my girly presence.

4 comments

  1. Ahh, the prejudice against geekery again slips it’s way into the post, revealings the authors predisposed disdain for the geekery. Is it due to a driving need to feel superior to the geek that the author ladens the posts with stereotypes and derogatory generalizations? The Nerd/Geek no longer is shackled to playing DnD in their mothers basement until they are 47. No longer is the geek unable to obtain the booty unless they pay for it professionally, and no longer is the nerd unable to detect his own Hygiene quality. That is the Dork of the 80’s and is no longer the modern nerd. Geeks now a days could be any one of us, with others crossing into the realm constantly. Why I remember when the only people that played videogames where the truly nerdirific, yet come the 90’s Jocks of all preferences would spend hours in front of a console mashing buttons away, playing against and with the math tutor.

    Just another blog post where the anti-geekmatic statements of the author become clear.

  2. Obviously I am partial to the geek. Duh…I married one. Although, some nerds are above BO and understand that World of Warcraft isn’t real. I can testify from my own Vegas experience, there are definitely those who do not.

  3. You keep using that addage that you married one so you must be partial to them, yet over and over I see obvious anti-geek propaganda, and unfair geekery stereotypes. It reminds one of those stories of individuals who perfer members of the same gender, but marry the opposite just to hide their preferences. Could it be that you married a nerd to hide your raging dislike of this class of individuals?

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