Miami...my mammy

Zelda is sleeping in way late this morning, so I am going to take advantage of this and catch up on my blog. She is so cute, she stayed up watching the third Star Trek movie with us, eventually falling asleep toward the end although she tried to fight it. (I know, I'm actually watching Star Trek now…Shauna, I know you are proud ;) ) The cat also decided to sleep next to her…see how sweet:

Ok, so anyway, I've been wanting to write about my last little trip. My mom flew out on June 12 so she could watch Zelda while Ry & I went to a few shows in Miami. It was great to see my mom, she is looking good, and I know the trip was good for her. The drive wasn't too bad…about 3 hours. Our hotel was on the beach in North Miami Beach, right between the Trump Towers. No…it wasn't as posh as Trump, but the beach was so nice I could have stayed in a shack and have been just as happy. The weather was gorgeous, little rain in the afternoon that kept any insane heat at bay. The ocean water was a stunning turquoise, like the Keys, but unlike the Keys there were beaches to hang out on. Zelda was still a bit intimidated by the water, but she loved to try out every seat in every cabana, and wash the sand off her feet using the little sprayers.

She and my mom had a great time while Ry & I were at our shows. The resort we were at was very family oriented, so they always had something going on. There was almost always live music, which Zelda adored. She would go right up to the band to be able to dance. My mom even got hit on by a Cuban guy asking her to dance, too. Wish I was there!

Speaking of the Cubans…going to Miami was the first time I took a trip in Florida when I actually felt like a tourist, as in I didn't feel like I was in Florida. Very few people spoke English as their primary language. I really enjoyed the rich cultural difference. It was refreshing. We found an awesome Cuban restaurant nearby the hotel, one frequented by locals, and it was amazing.

So our first night Ry & I headed out to see The Cure in Sunrise/Ft Lauderdale. I was so blown away from their performance. Having recently come from Duran Duran, a band of about the same age, I was expecting a similar show…enjoyable, fun, but good enough to see once and be happy with it. I didn't expect to have the band full of energy that reminded me of seeing Placebo back in the day. They filled the whole arena with it. Robert Smith's voice was as clear and beautiful as can be. The music spoke with its own aura. Their opening act, 65daysofstatic, was quite impressive as well. After this show I definitely plan on going to see The Cure as often as possible. I'm so glad I actually had a chance to catch them this time around.

A camera phone pic of The Cure from our first seats...we eventually moved lower because the people around us were lame and sat down through the entire show

The next day we drove down to South Beach and I was immersed in memories from Grand Theft Auto 3: Vice City. I'm glad I wasn't driving, as I had impulses to ram into lights, buildings, and honk @ the hoes. ;) I love that game, heh heh! We stopped off at Escondido which was an area that was highly Spanish influenced, even more than the rest of the town. It was gorgeous, but not wanting to spend money we left after walking around a bit, heading back to enjoy our resort. Later that evening Ryan and I took the bus back down to South Beach, enjoying the variety of architecture and different neighborhoods. 

We then got to enjoy a wonderful show from Eddie Izzard, who was brilliant as ever, and who made a sure point in a tactful way that red-neck ignorant Americans need help ;) ha ha…even though that was just a little snippet, the rest of his act delved into daisy eating dinosaurs, the insanity of Moses and that his followers believed in a guy who talked to a burning bush, followed him from a desert to another desert, staying for decades…to the ridiculous fashion of the length of words in latin....believe me he made it work. A definite must see, I will so go to him again if the chance arrives.

Walking around South Beach @ night, we almost got hit several times, it was crazy, as was our bus ride back to the hotel which took half as long as the bus ride previously, since they were going twice the speed limit and had run some red lights. I felt like I was getting my just rewards for running people down and stealing buses in Grand Theft Auto. Karma! ;) We enjoyed the beach @ night, then the next morning the water was as still as a lake, which made for a wonderful end to a great little vacation.

My mom stayed a few more days, and it was not long enough…never is. Zelda had a wonderful time and easily recognizes who Grandma is now. Hopefully we'll all get to visit again soon….I'm trying to make a way to come out to Salt Lake again this year.

I've been craving going back to Miami since leaving. I just really enjoy going places that are exiting and tropical at the same time. Every time I see the sign on I95 showing how many miles to Miami, I think how awesome it would be to get some girls together and stay a weekend in South Beach. I'm going to start saving up for that very idea, and any of you ladies reading this that want to join in, you should! It would be a blast!

Ok, now that I've gotten that down, I'm going to go wake Zelda up before she sleeps through half the day. What a cutie.

Cheers,

Heather

Its Official...

Well...I am now 28, and no longer a Duran Duran virgin. I stretched the birthday celebration over the past couple of days which has been fun. First on the 18th we dropped Zelda off with Julie, Helge, & their daughter so that Ryan and I could go head off to see Duran Duran for their Red Carpet Massacre tour. It was so awesome to finally see them! Our seats were pretty good, a little over on the side, but that is ok. The opener, Your Vegas, was actually good, but of course the highlight was finally seeing Duran Duran on stage. Simon's voice is just as good on any record. They performed a few songs from the new album, with Timberlake's influence really showing through. Naturally they played songs spanning their career. I was thrilled to hear View to a Kill and Come Undone. Halfway through the set the band lined up in a quartet of sorts and did a 20+ minute medley of songs played in a minor key, which included The Normal's Warm Leatherette...it was definitely the highlight of the show. Anyway, here is the setlist:

THE VALLEY
RCM
NITE RUNNER
HUNGRY LIKE THE WOLF
PLANET EARTH
FALLING DOWN
COME UNDONE
SKINDIVERS
THE REFLEX
SAVE A PRAYER
A VIEW TO A KILL

ELECTROSET;
LAST CHANCE/ALL SHE WANTS/LEATHERETTE
I DON'T WANT/SKIN TRADE/TEMPTED

NOTORIOUS
GIRLS ON FILM
ORDINARY WORLD
SUNRISE
WILD BOYZ

RIO

After having a fab time with Duran Duran, we headed back to get Zelda, and hung out with a tired Julie & Helge for a little bit. Next on Monday we went out for the traditional birthday dinner along with Eliza. We went to my fav, Wolfgang Pucks. It was so yummy! When we got home we danced the night away, previewing our convertable dance club before the grand opening next month. Kenna even stayed up past midnight dancing away. It was a blast.

Yesterday I woke up to the phone ringing, but didn't get to it due to my wanting to sleep in. An hour later I got up and it was a message from my Dad singing me Happy Birthday. I called him back and spoke with him and my Mom. It is hard being away from family on my birthday...birthdays are important with us. I realized this is the first one without any of my immediate family here. I've been spoiled the last few years; in 2005 my sister flew out here, in 2006 I got to meet all of them in Vegas, and last year my parents arrived early for a planned trip to surprise me. I love my family and miss them, but it was still great to be able to talk with them. How I wish I could be with all of my good friends and family now!

Later I met up with Jen @ a PostSecret exhibit in Melbourne. It was very interesting and spanned all sorts of human emotions and frailties. Most all were touching in many ways...some quite sad and desperate, and some funny. If you aren't familiar with it, go to postsecret.com. Zelda & I headed out to a few stores and I got her a little milkshake..she had such fun making a mess! Speaking of her and making a mess, when we indulged in my birthday cake Zelda's face was completely covered with chocolate. It was so cute. Anyway, Jen came back over later yesterday evening, and we played Worm's Armageddon for the XBox and watched some Flight of the Conchords...both of which were hilarious.

Well, thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes, gifts, friendship and love. I've now got 2 more years in my 20's...so I'm going to make them rock! So far I'm off to a great start.

Cheers,
Heather

U2 3

Saw U2 again for the first time in 4 years. This is my third time seeing them live...each other time has been 4 years apart, and each time has been an AMAZING communal and spiritual experience. Have I ever mentioned to you how just how much I love U2?

First time was in 97. This show had a lot of flair and showmanship....fabulously glam and yet it made everyone in the concert feel like one big giant family. I still feel this is the best show I've ever seen, and I'm sure the fact that I was front row (front row and center during the last two songs) really helped.

Then there was the second time in 2001. This was shortly after the September 11 attacks. This show was very emotionally intense for everyone. We were all still shaken up by what happened to this world, and Bono had just lost his father. "Kite" made him tear up while he was mentioning it reminded him of his father...and then when they performed "One" they projected all of the names of everyone who perished int the September 11 attacks.

This last show, here in Tampa, was good. I loved seeing the band, and they sounded great. This one, however, was VERY political. I figured it would be, but I could tell that some of the crowd wasn't getting into it. If only everyone would take just a hint of what was said back home with them, this world could change