2009-04-12T19:24:00.000-07:00

I could never imagine that life will take me where am I going now... I'm on the plane to Las Vegas. With me - pink Japanese suit case, computer, photo and video cameras. In the suit case - strippers shoe and underwear. I'm 35! I'm looking at my reflection in the window and see that I'm dressed like I'm 20. Maybe I don't notice how years fly by or maybe I just refuse to notice and don't want to believe in it. From 20 years old I work at night. Often without holidays. Always thinking that soon real life will start. Recently I understood that what I have - it is my real life and years spend on waiting for WONDER will never return. I decided to go to Las Vegas to find out how is it to be a stripper there. Remembering famous saying that life is "just a game". I decided to stay in hotel "Circus Circus" in a memory of the clowns classes I had in Moscow State University of Culture. The name of the girl who checked my ID on the entrance was also Vera. Back of my t-shirt say: "FLYING STRIPPERS" and to be honest, I feel a little nervous when I feel people looking at me. I'm not sure if I look like a stripper or not, but that sign on my back definitely leaves them confused...

This is what bothers me: STRIP CLUB IS NOT ONLY A GENTLEMEN'S CLUB. IT'S LADIES CLUB TOO.

In Las Vegas I sow something that I was thinking about - KARAOKE ROOM IN STRIP CLUB!!

McDonald's is SEXY.

Finally, I understood what Jimmy Buffet is doing. I sow him ones. I went to see his concert with Jean Pigozzi. In silicone valley. I never heard of Jimmy Buffet before and was surprised that he was not meeting us at the door to the arena.

During the concert I sow many people there with their families and they all had Hawaiian shirts on. They were conservatives. I never heard any of his songs, except one. All people in Hawaiian shirts were looking like Unification church members. I was at their seminar in Latvia at 19 for two weeks for free. Then in my first trip to America I went visit our "group leader" in New Jersey and slept with Japanese girls in one of the churches dorm. They made us sing American songs like “Take me home, country road”. Then it continued in karaoke clubs in Japan.

I met a stripper in Margaritaville

She looked like Madonna. Maybe it was Madonna rehearsing before her new sweet and stick tour?

Then I went to karaoke.
Passed by this place,
On the way to CASINO!

And went to sleep.

In the morning I went to get working permit. Getting a job in Las Vegas as a dancer is not very sexy. You need to do all that:

Gun - in Japanese is word for Cancer.

and this place located a bit too far from the center...
in the desert.
After asking me where I am from, some woman told me a story how her brother a millioner from California died after he go married young Russian mail order bride.
It was very typical story... The brother was drag addict and drunk in his young years then had a girlfriend for 10 years, who got fat after having a baby and millioner decided to marry a beautiful young Russian woman. After one year he died and Russian girl got everything and sister is not happy about it.
I waited for 30 min for taxi to go back to the Strip, but it didn't came. Then I asked a biker to give me a ride to close by hotel, so I can take a taxi to the Strip from there. He agreed, but had only one helmet. Like a perfect gentlemen he gave it to me.
I was exited to ride a motorcycle.

"New Orleans" was just 5 min. away.
But of course we got stopped by Highway patrol.
And a biker got big ticket for not wearing a helmet and also..... for not having a motorcycle license...
My bag was inside....
In the hotel I got a beer for 3$ for the biker and said "Good bye". I found famous event was starting there. Lot's of people with old cars, who liked 50s got together from all over the USA!
I felt close to them a little bit: I like oldies myself - from Japan.... Also I found restaurant with this food! In USA I don't see it often, but in Russian we love it! IT'S also CALLED RAK. (CANCER) I think all world should eat it.
and I had some cakes too.
I went to bath room and found Life Guard there.
There I also found out that Las Vegas festival is going on and I decided to visit it of course. It's always like that with me: as soon as I want to become a stripper, I have to go to some film festival....
I spend almost $40 for the taxi to get there and some local filmmakers invited me to their screening. It was pretty bad. But I was happy that film festivals for bad movies exist too! I also got a ticket for the party after the film.

I decided to take bus back to the Strip.... The bus price is only $1.75. Shoes I made from palette of Zurab Konstantinovich Tseritelli for my new fashion brand "FLYING STRIPPERS".
In the morning I decided to take photos in my room.

And went to have breakfast...

Finally I made it to the strip club.
And I met my girl friends there. London and Rene. (Rene was a name of great hair person I had in Tokyo, in Omotesando. He was from France. He had a girl daughter about 7 years old. She had a very long beautiful hair.)
That night I had to move to close by motel, because Circus Circus gets expensive for weekends... The Japanese woman worked on the reception there, so I felf pretty safe. My new friend, I met at the film festival, invited me to have a tea.
In the morning I woke up early.

/ some people who are very Jealouse they manipulate my photos.../

And walked to work...

I'm very impressed with clubs in Las Vegas. This week they paid $80-100 to taxi drivers for each guest! I love how honest people are there. Every single person I met told me right away that NOTHING IS FREE in Las Vegas! EVERYONE IS HERE TO MAKE MONEY. And it's fantastic! I wish I knew it when I went to Japan for the first time. But then, I would not have my stories... So it's great that everything turned out the way it did...

I can't wait to go back!

And I went back. This time it was necessary to register myself as a business "get a business license" and I took a bus to some place I didn't know. Bus passed down town Las Vegas and i had to get off and take another bus. People were very helpful to show me the way.The different reality was here. People were poor and many of them probably never seen any famous Las Vegas shows.As much as I hate to walk around with luggage, I already checked out from the hotel and had it with me. Thanks god Japanese suit cases have good wheels. The bus took me no where and from there I decided to walk myself to the government building. People warned me that I will pass kind of Las Vegas ghetto and it's not safe to walk there alone, but it was ok. Big black man asked me where I was going. I showed him address. It was on his way and we walked together. He was going to the local library. He looked poor, but when I asked him what he does in Las Vegas he said he plays poker and he explained me the game. "You play the best cards you have." "But what if you don't have a good cards?" I asked. "Then you wait until you get them". He turned right on the light. And I continued waking... I started to feel hit and remembered that Las Vegas build in the desert. Cars were passing by. Soon I sow a building I needed to visit.

I never understood why some people afraid of police. Usually police is very friendly. This time they told me where I needed to go.I found the office and waited in line to do the paper work. And when I was done I sow another policeman and he told me his wife is Korean after I answered his question where I was from...This time I found taxi fast and asked the driver to take me to Spermint Rhino - famous strip club in Las Vegas.
Life is not a game.

HOW I BECAME A STRIPPER IN LAS VEGAS