unlikely of dreams. the longest of long shots, in the middle of the desert. a real, but imaginary space that keeps expanding, creeping ever larger across the wasteland. back in the '40s, the '50s, it was a small town. 100,000 became 300,000, became 500,000. then a million. then 2 million. but it doesn't matter if it was five years ago or 50, the town has always ended like this. an abrupt cut and the desert wraps on the horizon. but there are comfortable dark places, too. where a man can have a drink and meet like-minded sophisticates