I am in my usual Cuban bar. Having just recently moved here to sobe, this is the place that comes the closest to home. Smoking a Cuban, writing, and drinking a mojito. When I first showed up here a few weeks ago, whipped out my laptop, threw it up on the table, ordered a drink, and started madly pounding away, stogies dangling out of my mouth, I don't think the Latinos knew what to make of this strange gringo who sits in the corner by himself. What the hell is he doing with that computer? Is he like a spy or something? they once charged me $25 for a cappuccino. I thought perhaps to frighten me away. This was about two weeks ago. I politely approached the manager, in Spanish of course, ‘hey what's up guys? Great cappuccino and all but I was wondering why it was $25? Isn't that a lot for a cappuccino? Perhaps it was a mistake?’ they assured me that it was indeed the right amount, surprisingly enough, but that they would spot me a few drinks on the house for the inconvenience. And remarkably I haven't been charged for a drink since, and I come here every night. Go figure. Only in Miami. 

I have my own table now. In the corner. I'm greeted like an old friend. I sit for hours and smoke and write and drink. Bands come on and off the stage. Various patrons come and go. and no one notices me in the corner. The place is packed tonight. A truly sick afro Cuban band plays salsa and meringue and standards; drums congas bass and piano. There are a few couples dancing around the room like crazy. and up on TV is John Kerry delivering his acceptance speech to the democratic convention. Or as the TV actually reads here in this club in Miami: DISCURSO DE ACCEPTION DE John Kerry. Of course his speech is actually being dubbed in Spanish. And I am thinking to myself, ‘what a crazy place. where else can you sit in a public place and type on your laptop, smoking a cigar, drinking mojitos, while a live Cuban band plays meringue, couples are dancing salsa, and John Kerry is on TV giving a speech dubbed in Spanish? Man this is one crazy place. it is truly a world unto itself.

Current spin: brmc. Great album. Really cool. reminds me of Jesus and Mary chain, love and rockets, the stooges. But its still new and cool. a lot of comparisons to this from critics regarding the sleep with you album. Coming from the same schools with that one I guess. 

Went to an amazingly fun party today with the band. many synchronistic events with several of the people there, who I didn't know at first and then after more careful exploration we realized that we had all these connections between us. cool. One thing I have noticed with no particularly air of importance attached to it is that as soon as I made a firm commitment to sell the house and car and move to NYC, all of a sudden I am making all of these really great new friendships here in Miami. so strange.

Juliet called today. spoke like old friends for an hour or so. Time whizzing by. She comments that the mind is the ultimate erogenous zone, the mental is the ultimate aphrodisiac. I would agree. Style is important. God knows I believe that one. insert chuckle here. But it is the mind that really turns me on. I think a lot of people here don't realize that yet. hence its reputation for shallowness. Certainly not unwarranted in its current stage of infancy. But South beach is growing on me. the other city that never sleeps. You feel it creeping up on you unexpectedly. One minute I'm selling everything I own to in order to move to New York; two days later I'm looking at properties to buy so I can “have a place to come back to here.” you know, its just kind of an addictive place. the city is growing so fast its unbelievable. You can be smack dab in the middle of a burgeoning business development area and still see wild chickens crossing the street and vendors selling things on every corner of the busy streets---old Cuban guys in little tank tops holding up five mangos for a dollar or bottles of water. That's Miami. it’s a crazy place. as Bas likes to say, it feels like we live on a remote island here, far away from the rest of the country. there is this ‘you can do anything you want to as long as you don't hurt anybody else’ attitude in Miami that is probably the most predominant aspect of the city besides its primarily-Latino culture. Anything goes in Miami. and everyone knows it. including the governmental officials and the police etc. its very relaxed like that. office buildings are filled with people who come to work in jeans and sandals. Fashion is everything to the average Miamian. And because its so goddamn hot here fashion can mean something as simple as how low your jeans are hanging off your ass or how high a girl’s halter top rises from her belly. That's one of the cool things about Miami. but it gets old pretty fast. you miss real fashion. 

Current Read: Studying Morocco now.

Where do we turn when it feels as though there is no place to turn to?

I sometimes feel as if I were not working out everyday that I would go crazy; and honestly I'm not sure that I am not already crazy. Sometimes I think I'm the last one to know. 

Had a small gathering with friends for my birthday. Some new, some old. A brunch. We were just as amazed by the people who attended as we were by the absence of those who did not. It was an entirely unbelievable affair. Brown Bear as always was there and that made it very special. The older we get the less and less we see of each other. Omine. Bas, Ferret, the Tortoise. Vancouver of course, and he is always fun no matter where you are. The piano man didn't attend and we have been playing in a band together for five years running. Writing about it actually saddens me. There was a time when the piano man first moved here. He was so shocked by how people were. He used to get drunk and cry to me, “I've been here for two years and I don't feel like I've made one real friend,’ he would say. And I would agree with him. “Its just like that here for some reason piano man. I don't know why. But you’ve made friends with me and the guys bro.” I would say. But the truth is that I think the area has gotten to him. like it seems to with everyone. Ferret and The Tortoise were there of course. Deliberating on how many plates they needed to fill up with food from the buffet table before they got their money’s worth. 

I am getting a sneaking feeling that I have woken up to a dream that I do not belong in anymore. As if I have woken up only part of the way, and know that I am still dreaming somehow and long to wake up fully. 

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Went to the Road to see Jim Camacho play. Amazing show!!! This guy is on fire right now. He is just perfect. Spent a lot of time talking to Enzu and other guys in the scene about making a documentary about the Miami music scene. Meeting on Sunday to put a plan together. 

Thought you've seen it all? Bush and Blair now nominated for the Nobel Prize! This is really funny! Its not a joke. Reject this nomination by signing this petition. Please forward this email to others you believe share your concern. To view additional petitions, please click here: http://www.thePetitionSite.com 

Last Movie:  Rufus wainright video for April fools day

Christmas in Miami feels like… is it really Christmas time yet? Christmas all over the world, but so much harder to notice in the southern states, even though lots of cards are coming in from all over—that is the only reminder that it is Christmas. 

I stood outside today, had to take my shirt off, perspiring like crazy in the high 80’s maybe, low 90’s—so un-Christmas. I think they have put up some carnivals or something in certain parts of town, I swear to God—big flashing lights and rides begging for you to spend money, maybe that's Christmas to them... very weird. No one really decorates. I think I had a nervous breakdown sometime in the last 48 hours. I haven't heard “Happy Holidays” yet, or even a Christmas song. 

Went to pick up a bunch of books on Italy and Italian for a trip to Florence in September. I want to spend a couple of weeks there at a school learning about Italy and studying the language before the band tours. For a while I couldn’t figure out which one I wanted to do next, French or Italian, but then while I was in Costa Rica I saw the Italian channel Rai on TV. And that pretty much made up my mind. I watched it every night before bed. Hired a company to research my genealogy, tracing back my roots. Go to ellisislandrecords.org and you can see the ship’s manifest with all of your relatives’ names and home towns on their first trip over here. I  am going to go to the towns where my family came from in Italy. The language is beautiful, the women are beautiful. The culture, the art, and the music are the beginning and ending of modern civilization.

Spent all day on South Beach today. A juice and smoothie bar inside of the Polo Sport store, a Mexican mariachi band outside of Senor Frogs, big guitars, big hats, horns and all. Beautiful girls and boys everywhere. People on roller blades and scooters. The beach, the sun, the fashion, the cars, Ahhhh, Miami. I love it. If Miami could discover rock and roll, if we could inject some rock and roll into Miami, it would be paradise. No matter where you go on South beach, club, bar, clothing store, every one is playing the same music, the same fucking song almost, it's either hip hop, house or techno. It's as if they get hypnotized there and they think that it's the only music being made right now. as if just by the mere act of playing it they will be cool, as if being cool means being like every one else. I have never really seen a city with people so unwilling to go against the norm. It's almost like there is a dress code there, like a private school. This is the ugly kid sister to the goddess that is South beach. Every girl thinks she has to wear faded low cut hip hugger jeans and last year’s J Lo sun glasses and they’ll be cool. Every guy thinks he has to wear sandals and sleeveless t-shirts and he’ll be cool. And everybody has to listen to that music. Today in a shop a guy asked if I was going to wear these pants I was buying with a  sleeveless t-shirt. I just looked at him, gave him the old ‘whachyou talking bout Willis?’  People think Miami is culturally diverse. But still, it's a very exciting place to call home. If I do ever put on one of those fucking sleeveless t-shirts, I hope the boys in the band shoot me before I leave the house.