South Beach

I just got back from three incredible days in South Beach, Miami. It was so much fun. Too much fun. Aside from losing my phone temporarily (of course), it was the best vacation I have ever been on. Everything worked out, we met great people, had delicious food and drinks, enjoyed beautiful weather, went to some awesome clubs and bars and restaurants, and just had a nearly perfect time.

Some pictures (or, you can see the entire photostream here):

The view from our hotel. Breathtaking.

The three of us lounging by the Delano Hotel pool.

My view of the ocean for three days. How can you not relax?

Enjoying our gift of fruit. Does it get better than this?

What did I learn on my trip?

-- Vacations are a MUST. Everyone needs them to relax, forget about their "regular" lives, and enjoy themselves.

-- Friends are a MUST. Without friends, what do we have? They know us best, tell us when to shut up or when we are being mean, listen to us, advise us, force us to live better and be better people, take care of us when we are down, stick by us, protect us, and help us enjoy life.

-- I need a new camera because mine is way too clunky and big and precludes me from taking more (and better) pictures.

-- I LOVE SOUTH BEACH. It's like Las Vegas on a beach (without the gambling, which I don't care for anyway), with tropical weather, beautiful people, incredible, gorgeous fashion, great music, and delicious food and drinks.

-- Italians also love South Beach. Most people we met were vacationing from Italy. Yum!

-- It is easy to stay up until 5 a.m. when you are on vacation. It is easy to stay up until 5 a.m. when you are dancing at a club on vacation! It is not easy to get on a 6 a.m. flight after having stayed up all night dancing at a club on vacation. In fact, that kind of sucks.

-- Inhibitions also suck. Though they are there for good reason, there is something cathartic and enriching about breaking free from yourself, even if it is in the most insignificant way.

-- On the flip side, alcohol is not necessary to lower inhibitions and have a great time. In fact, I've learned that a sober high is one thousand times better than one brought on by alcohol.

-- I love Justin Timberlake, and anyone who is too snobby or stupid to acknowledge how talented he is and how fun his music is can bite me.

-- The most tragic form of loss is not the loss of security, it is the loss of the capacity to imagine that things could be different. I'm stealing that from someone (who stole from someone else). Nevertheless, it is true.

-- Do something every day that scares you. What a great thought!

My New Car

My New Car
Originally uploaded by bertzi.

A sign that we were meant to be.

LollapaHOLYSHITEa

Oh. My. God. I had the most insanely fun time this past weekend @ Lollapalooza. Holy crap. And strangely enough, I owe that to Thievery Corporation, of all bands! And to Manu Chao, whose music I had not heard prior to Saturday at 8:30. We were in the front row at Thievery Corporation's concert on Saturday evening, and it was f-ing unbelievable. I have not had that much uninhibited, spontaneous fun in a long, long time. Too long. We danced, yelled, screamed, helped the reggae rappers body surf, found our faces on the jumbotron, met fun (and cute!) people, laughed, and just had an unbelievable time. They were incredible performers. You would think a chill, loungey act would be boring at an outdoor concert, but they put on a fantastic show with live bongoes and tonga drums, a sitar, guitarists, live horns, a bassist, gorgeous, lively dancers, the reggae rappers, and it was just insane. There is something about being in the front, where you can see the expressions on the musicians' faces and feel their energy and collaboration and be among other rabid fans of the music that just combines to create a fantastic energy. The musicians, including the two synth guys who make up TC, sincerely looked like they were having a blast. I actually feel like I'm detracting from how f-ing cool it was by writing about it and trying to describe it with words. Even the setting sun and dusk contributed to creating the perfect atmosphere. It was f-ing amazing -- a beautiful, natural high.

I also owe this guy for giving one of the most energetic, crazy, fun, outstanding concerts I've been to. I'd never heard his music before, but he still had me and the rest of the crowd dancing, screaming, singing along, and completely forgetting about everything else but how much fun we were having. Amazing. His set was seamless, and he went from reggae to punk to reggae/hip-hop to rock to punk/hip-hop without stopping; "energetic" does not give him justice to the kind of performer he was. Fantastic. Incredible. 100% sincere. I don't regret missing Kanye in the least. On top of that, Feist and Gnarls Barkley and the Flaming Lips were pretty cool, but nothing compared to TC and Manu Chao.

All in all, an unforgettable, experience, 1000 times more fun and more memorable than last year. I didn't even care about the heat! Well, not after Thievery Corporation started. : ) It also made me appreciate how incredible a city Chicago is. An amazing outdoor, world-class concert like that with that incredible skyline as a backdrop is something only Chicago can offer.

Random Thoughts

-- If I hear one more goddamn Republican deny the existence of "climate change" (it's GLOBAL WARMING) I am going to puke.

-- The mind is a funny thing. I think our brains know better than we do what we can and cannot handle before losing our marbles, and operates independently from us and our conscious thoughts. In other words, it sets up many walls to protect our psyches from dealing with traumatizing events, letting down those walls only when it thinks we can handle it. We react in differing ways (denial, alcohol, overworking, working out, and leaning on friends being some of these ways) but ultimately we are forced to deal with reality and are better and stronger people for it in the end. Of course, if I start discussing the difference between "our brains" and "us" I'm going to get confused real fast. Anyone with a psychology degree care to chime in?

-- I f-ing HATE Angela from Project Runway. I HATE Macy's even more than before for selling her stupid design. F&*! Macy's. I want Kayne, Robert, Laura, and Michael to win in a four-way tie. I heart Bravo.

-- The Sartorialist is coming to Chicago! My goal is to get photographed this weekend. If only I was a 90-pound wisp of a woman. Still, I will have to choose my outfits carefully - the key is style.

-- I'm learning more and more that things are never really as they seem. We can trick ourselves into believing anything, but ultimately, logic and reason are the only things that can be trusted.

-- I found a new store that I love. Penelope's, in Wicker Park. Check it out. Unique, pretty, individualist designers and not completely over-the-top expensive.

-- I haven't worked out consistently since I got back from New York. I'm partially disgusted with myself, and I partially don't GAGS (Give A Goddamn Shit). I need a break. Good thing I'm not racing this summer, but I've been enjoying staying up late, going out all the time, and sleeping in. Dancing burns calories, right? I'll get back in the groove soon.

-- I'm trying to figure out a way to afford a new car, especially because my beloved Civic is on its last legs. I don't want to jinx it, but I think my next car will be a 2006 Volkswagen New Beetle Convertible. I mean, how awesome is this car? IF I can afford it.

-- On that note, being an adult kind of sucks. It means getting your car fixed without getting ripped off, dropping $$$ on boring things like a new hot water heater, home repairs in general, haggling with contractors, and setting and accomplishing goals. BLEACH.

-- J. and I are going to South Beach, Miami in two weeks, and I'm so excited! I guess I really will have to get back to my workout schedule because apparently, South Beach is populated mostly with fashion models, actresses, and heiresses. I know, beauty is only skin deep, be happy with who you are inside, yadda yadda. Yeah, fuck that shit. I need to look good in my bikini!

-- Things I love right now: Central air conditioning, my Teva flip flops, Cibelle and Astrud Gilberto, Kerastase hair products, my new Trina Turk pants, pinot grigio, Wikipedia, grape tomatoes and basil, Trader Joe's sparkling grapefruit soda.

-- Things I hate: Cowards. Liars. That 80s fashion is coming back. Hipsters. Gaucho pants. Blowdrying my hair, especially in this heat. Lawyers. Mediocrity.