PHISH AND FLORIDA

big picture: 18,300 smiling, happy dancing people grooving to the most energetic phish show in recent history. the energy in there was incredible, and the informality and liberty people had in passing around the "party favor" was downright amusing.
details: midnight. for the countdown, they started playing jungle boogy, at which point they lowered a car from the ceiling out from which a complete marching band poured, filling in the rhythm and horns of jungle boogy.
at 12:00, HUGE nets of HUGE balloons were released from the ceiling upon the stadium, and these colorful bouncy happy balloons were bounding around weightlessly while the bands transitioned flawlessly into auld lang syne. sheer bliss.
i really wish i had the money to go follow them around for a while. i had almost forgotten how much i love phish concerts! it's really one of the happiest times in my life, just to be surrounded by utter joy streaming from thousands of people, and to all be jamming to the same music that stops making sense unless you let the rhythm move through your body enough to follow it. however, i don't have the money for it. i do, however, have the money to see them once or twice if they make it up north for their february tour. i REALLY hope so, since i won't be able to get the time off from work to go any further than vermont or new york. it would be SWEET it they came to boston again, but i'm not expecting it this time. hartford, perhaps?

i also had a great time in florida. the ride to and from miami (the other end of the journey being bonita springs on the gulf coast of florida) was driven and guided by the director of a nature conservatory in the everglades. therefore, we received a great drive-through tour of the everglades along route 41. he pointed out to us all kinds of different birds, related stories about why a particular bird holds their wings open to dry, how to spot alligators (we even saw one eating a bird! it was awesome!), and how NOT to speed through the micosookie reserve. it was great. my yearning for seeing some nature was saited by such a tour.

however, all of florida, even the suburban spread of housing developments and stripmalls, is deceitfully green and lush. you know that behind that dense wall of pine, palm, and hibiscus lies another shopping or apartment complex, but it's all rather beautiful just the same. too bad they can't let the everglades be what they are though. developers even planted invasive plants whose purpose is to actually absorb the water. can you imagine thinking that's a good idea? in THIS day in age with water and polution levels being as they are, to try to get rid of water in the everglades? some people are blind to cause and effect.

i had a wonderful time visiting ariana. even though it had been seven months since we'd seen each other, we just picked up where we left off as if no time had passed. together we talked, sat silently, cooked, ran errands, and napped. it was great. her boyfriend was already in miami, so we got to spend those couple days before the concert just hanging out together. we were both exhausted from travelling over the holidays, so even our energy levels were compatible. i also met a few of her other friends, one from her home town, and a few others that she and her guy met online through the phish message board. they were all so much fun! totally laid back people who know how to chill and have a good time. i was comfortable around all of them as we ate cuban food at the bayside near the miami venue, and we felt almost like old friends by the time we left miami. perhaps i can get their contact info and see if any of them will be up north for the feb tour...

i am off to portsmouth, NH this weekend for a wedding dan is in that should prove to be a good time. then i return to boston, thus concluding my wonderfully hedonistic, albiet all too brief, winter break. back to the daily grind. but hopefully, i can fill my future with prospects of book groups and new friendships and more concerts. the upshot of being back in boston? i'll get to share my time with dan again. how i loved having the house to ourselves! that won't happen again any time soon -- i'm just looking forward to falling asleep next to him in our bed again and nuzzling him when i wake up in the morning. i'm so lucky i have dan in my life.