… actually doesn’t stay in Vegas when you’re a blogger.

(I need about sixteen naps before I recover my ability to write English in complete, grammatical sentences. Until then, I have nothing to say about Las Vegas and CES but this: SHINY. VERY SHINY.) (Which, as it happens, describes Ms. Alli’s sequined beanie in the photo above. It is always good to match your headgear to your surroundings.)

*****

Catching up on my kindnesses and random generosities:

1) Chatted up a Vegas cab driver on Thursday. Asked him about his experience driving geeks and porn stars around for the week, and really listened (hat tip to @MarinkaNYC for championing the idea of  ‘really listening’ to others as an act of kindness), and then asked more questions. For the record, porn actors tip more than geeks.

2) Made a conscious, concerted effort to not roll my eyes at anyone on the casino floors while trying to find my way to and from CES events. This was really hard, you guys, and it totally counts.

3) Gave up my space in the overhead bin on the flight home on Saturday. I removed my large-ish bag from the bin and jammed it under the seat in front of me, so that a late-boarding older woman with a very large bag could get hers up there and not have it sent to the back of the plane. I didn’t have anywhere to put my feet for the duration of the flight, but – Pollyanna alert! – it was worth it. (I might have lost the karmic points on this one when, a few minutes later, I joined everyone else on the plane in groaning and rolling my eyes at the angry man in polyester pants who yelled at the flight attendants because there was no room up front for his luggage. And then again, just now, in blogging about him and pointing out that he was wearing polyester pants. Tan ones. I have my struggles.)

4) Played with Emilia and Jasper all day yesterday. All day. After arriving home in the wee hours on a delayed flight from Las Vegas, and with Kyle absent on a shoot. Two rounds of pretend birthday party, two rounds of pretend shopping, one round of pretend dentist, one game of hide and seek, and the construction, deconstruction, and reconstruction of one fort. And I never once suggested that we all sit down and watch Toy Story while Mommy closes her eyes for a bit.

(Yes, I know that we’re supposed to play with our kids, that it’s in the contract, that’s what we signed up for, blah blah blah. But that doesn’t mean that we always go at it enthusiastically or even mindfully, or that we don’t limit it and schedule it and say things like not now, honey, Mommy’s tired. In any case – and the larger point here – I think that it’s important that we include our loved ones in our efforts to promote mindful kindnesses and acts of generosity, that we not distinguish between making an effort out there and making one in here. We should, in fact, be working to eliminate that very idea, that there are different codes and mores for how we treat people that we know and people that we don’t. So. We can start with our children, right?

The better to finish there, too.)