WMC 2011, Miami

I was woken up from my crusty dreams this morning by a call from home...my heart ached! I heard my little boy on the other side asking me for huggles ...gosh, I nearly broke down! I mss him with every fibre in my body.

On the other hand, I've been very preoccupied with the World Music Conference in Miami.

It's been a week of partying, networking and too much of walking! Submitting myself to the luxury of cabs these days! Five Dollar - cheap-cheap!

On the whole, I've been somewhat disappointed with the international dance scene in Miami. The idea that the World Music Conference (WMC) represents the international dance scene seems subjective and limited. Most of the events and parties organised for the Conference are House music parties and to my surprise, most of the music is dated and commercial. On two occasions now my friend and I have tried to find a throbbing club with heavy dance tracks to no avail. None of the clubbers seem to mind though; whooping and waving their hands in the air with vacuous delight.

As far as the potential for visual stimulation at the parties is concerned, I have been further surprised that the art of vj'ing is something of a novelty still. The images have been mediocre and dull and seem to be pre-recorded and automated. I have only seen one vj at a club and his visual story lost my attention very quickly. Although this undeveloped art is disappointing and unexciting, this spells opportunity for me. Clearly the art of the vj has a long way to go before it becomes an interdependent element in the club experience and it's encouraging to see that South Africa might actually be ahead in this department - I have seen some amazing visuals at parties in Johannesburg.

Not all bad though; the weekend is upon us and there are some brilliant events lined up so I'm excited to see what the WMC is able to conjure up for its fans.

Until then...nts-nts-nts...

Chorizo Sausage Bikini Body

I have a little bottle of rescue drops attached to my belt and every time I have a panic attack, I take a swig. Instant relief.

Why am I so nervous, you ask? I'm only going to...MIAMIII!! Sure, the mammoth plane trip shouldn't freak me out, nor the nasty injection I have to administer before the plane trip, thanks to my maddening thrombosis (I can see myself now, hiding in the toilet cubicle in the airport while my flight is boarding, willing myself to puncture myself and get on with it...sweat and the shakes...oh hell!)

I am looking forward to absorbing myself in my my new book during the flight though - calming my nerves and escaping the jitters. 'The Delta', by Tony Park. Supposed to be a gripping read. I also bought myself a notebook to jot down my demented ramblings. That should keep me occupied during the flight. And then there's always whiskey!!

So I took myself off to the salon today to smother my body in spray tan. The beautician asked me which shade I'd like: light, medium or dark. "Medium" I blurted, thinking it would be a mild transformation for my in-the-process-bikini-body. Well, thank goodness I didn't go for the dark; I look like a chorizo sausage! What's worse, when I de-robed at home to survey the transformation, my heart sank...hiding below my butt, were two strikingly white stripes where the paint had come off after sitting in the car! Groan...Aren't they supposed to warn you about these things? She said I should avoid any contact with clothes or water for eight hours (extremely difficult unless you're walking home in the nude!) but as soon as I can, I'm going to attack those stripes with a bottle of fake tan and hopefully, my zebra status will diminish rapidly!

So here I sit, procrastinating the mountain of packing behind me; its messy mound messing with my sanity as I ponder the chores ahead of me before I leave 'terra firma' tomorrow.

Well, I best get to it. Where to start? Where does one start - shoes? A good a place as any. Here goes. The next time I drop a line, will be in Miami, Baby!!

Good-bye and love you all.
PS: My heart breaks at the thought of leaving my beautiful boy for a week and I'm going to be miserable for a few hours, but I'm hoping that'll all disappear as soon as my feet hit the ground.

To infinity and beyond!!!