Happy New Decade

The last decade of my life has been an adventure that hasn’t unfolded in the way that I expected it would when I was a 20-year-old college student watching the century turn over while hanging out with friends, most of them now engaged or married, who wanted nothing more than to find a stranger to kiss at midnight. Can you see my eyes rolling? The weird thing is that when I was 20 I really did expect that my life would follow along one of a few courses that I had in mind. None of them entailed living in South Florida. One of them saw me living in New York and working at a publishing house or magazine. Cocktail parties and book shelves spilling over with dogeared tomes (the show “Hoarders” terrifies me) were part of that vision. I did not enjoy New York when I lived there after graduation. Another vision saw me living in Paris, same parties, same books, just a slower pace of life. When I lived in Paris, I was homesick something awful. These circumstances, I believe, were possible for me the same way that the life anyone envisions is possible for him or her, but they were not my life.

Same thing three years ago when I moved to Los Angeles. I woke up almost every day and asked myself, “What am I doing here? Seriously where am I?” The imagination presents many possible selves, but there’s really not time, for me, to attempt to live out all potential identities. From the day I arrived at college, not in Florida, I was greeted with a world full of exciting and intelligent people with whom I could not identify. Getting “it” as I saw “it” was not their strong point. I thank providence for endowing me with the inclination to wander and explore, but I am truly grateful that it always leads me home to South Florida. The last year and a half of my life has been, by far, the most enjoyable. I could easily do without 80% of the culture on the southern tip of this peninsula — from tacky sports cars to vodka happy hours to dance floors that come to life when the DJ spins “Brick House” — but the other 20% of the wonderful people who compose my group of friends and acquaintances really keep my dance card full. They get “it”. It is enough for me. I can contentedly live my life within that little pocket of 20%. I am truly happy to be ringing in the decade right here in SoFla. Thanks to everyone for being exactly as you are, my touchstones.

Also, thank you to all of the remarkable bands and venues that have made wandering and blogging this year a real adventure. Poor House, Propaganda, The Bubble, Alligator Alley, The Dive Bar, Radioactive Records are amazing. And to the best bands ever, who demonstrate the vitality of S. FLa live music ,thanks for keeping me entertained. The Freakin’ Hott, Stonefox, Zombies Organize!!, The Pretty Faces, Quiet River, Dooms De Pop, Sweet Bronco, John Ralston (Invisible People and Invisible Music), Ketchy Shuby, The Methodaires, Surfer Blood, Murderous Rampage, Alex Nelson, Fusik, Retrocities. Ana, Misha, Jeremy, Erica, thanks for being suckers and reading my blog.

All that being said, I have no idea what I’m doing tonight!!!!!Agghhh!!!!!!!!!! Poor house???