jumping, usury, misuse of livestock, assault, grand theft auto, also the respected author of such food-related classics as "the french laundry cookbook" and "soul of a chef." he washed up in vegas at just the right time. vegas was always the most 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 two. but it doesn't matter if it was 5 years ago or 50. the town has always ended like this -- an abrupt cut and the desert rats on the horizon. but there are comfortable, dark places too.