I went to Dinah Vegas this past weekend. It's the Vegas version of the more traditional Dinah Shore Weekend in Palm Springs (which I wrote about a few weeks ago), but this one is sponsored by L.A.'s Girl Bar. It's another lesbian spring break. Ironically, I am no longer young enough to act like a spring breaker, but I never did spring break when I was young enough, so why not go and have some fun?
It was pool by day and club by night. What to pack? I tend to overpack, always. Overpacking may be something that some people normally attribute to our fairer femmes, but I'd bet that plenty of butches overpack. Our hair products alone could fill one carry-on. Let me give you a quick and dirty list of my essentials:
- Two bathing suits, one for each day at the pool. What does this butch wear to the pool? Bikinis are out. A one-piece? Nah, still feels weird. A muumuu? Super sexy, but no. I finally figured out a couple of years ago that men's surf trunks and a muscle or surf shirt work great for me. I fit in and feel comfortable. So I took two sets. Variety is the spice of life!
- Sunglasses, to protect my eyes from the desert sun, yes, but mostly so that I could observe other lesbians at the pool without detection. Sly, right?
- A fancy camera. If I was going to blog and share any photos, I really needed to take them myself. Plus, my fancy Sony DSLR is sexy (at least to me, a nerd). Also, it's another thing to hide behind.
- Flip-flops. Again, two sets, black-and-white and brown. Each matches a suit.
- Sunscreen. I tried hard to remember to use it, because I needed to protect a fresh tattoo and (yes, Mom) my skin. Plus, if I packed my own, I could save the $15 that the casino would charge me for a $3 bottle.
- Club attire: jeans and four linen shirts. Yes, four. I never know what color I will feel like wearing. I think the desert dictates linen. No ties; they're unnecessarily formal. It's harder to be stylish with fewer accessories, so I decided to utilize some tank tops to add layers.
- Bracelets. Unlike ties, these are not too much for the desert, and they can make up for the boring linen shirts. No rings, because of the pool, and because the heat sometimes makes me puffy. T.M.I.?
- Gobs of electronics. Though I was only going for three days, I took my fancy headphones, my iPhone (with only about 6,000 songs), my work phone, my iPad and my MacBook Air. Why? What if I needed one of them and didn't have it? Plus, I might have gotten bored around all those pretty women. I had to be able to write!
- Rat Pack-style hat. This hat says "vacation," and it definitely says "Vegas." Also, it covers the after-pool hawk, which is not a pretty sight.
- Southwest drink coupons, natch.
- A sense of adventure. I bring this with me everywhere I go, but because I was traveling alone, it was even more important. I wanted to be open to fun. I wanted to not be afraid to sit on a lounge chair at the pool alone and relax. I wanted to talk to people. All kinds of cool things happen when you are able to say "hello."
Some might say it's butch to pack lightly, but because I never do, I don't say that. I can still carry my own suitcase and help any friends who are with me carry theirs, so what the hell? It's butch to search for adventure while being overpacked. Be butch!