The End of '12

So, back from NYC, and I spent yesterday going to the King Mango Strut in the Grove. It's a fun event -- started 30 years ago when the stuffy, corporate Orange Bowl parade wouldn't let the hippies from the Grove have a float down Biscayne Boulevard. So they started their own parade, making fun of everyone and everything from the past year. And, to show poetic justice sometimes IS handed down -- the stuffy Orange Bowl Parade is no more -- while the Mango struts on. I went with my dear old friend Vince. We had a few drinks, and laughed at the floats. He and I used to hang out quite often in the Grove -- over 30 years ago! We both still love it there, and talked about maybe one day living in one of the buildings, and meeting for coffee on Main Highway. I told him I had, just the night before, watched a public tv documentary about Miami music, and there was a large part about the Grove in the 60s, when John Sebastian, Jerry Jeff Walker, and Fred Neil lived bike rides from each other. There's a lot of commercialization since then, but I still get a great feeling in the Grove -- especially on sunsplashed, cool winter days like yesterday. We capped off our drinking with a stop at Whip N Dip, and then Vince left for dinner with his daughter, and I met Dr. Barry and his family at Tropical Chinese. It was Scott's 16th birthday, and we celebrated with szechuan... From there I went to MIA to fetch Wifey, returning from Atlanta. We got home and hung with D2, in the midst of cramming in winter break partying. Then our houseguests Sheryl and Mark came over, around 9:30, and shared tales of their Keys and Miami Beach stays --including an awkward meeting on the Beach with the actor Hank Azaria, who apparently fancies himself a bigger star than he is... Today I had the final workout of '12. I weighed myself, and announced the modest goal of a 50 pound weight loss by Spring. Ah, to be a svelte 200 again... I completely relate to Homer Simpson -- oh food -- why must you be so delicious? But I will follow my budding dietician daughter D1's advice -- just eat human sized portions -- not gorilla sized... Speaking of which -- tonight we will join Sheryl and Mark and 15 others at Captain's Tavern -- the restaurant with the same decor as when it opened --in the late 50s. From there the group is retiring to someone's house, but Wifey and I may head to Dr. Dave and Maureen's to try to stay awake until midnight... D2 will be at a local 21st birthday party/New Year's bash, and D1 is in freezing Indiana with her boyfriend's family. She's due to arrive January 3rd -- Wifey and my 26th anniversary. Our anniversary always ends the holiday season for us --starting with Thanksgiving, D1's birthday, Chanukah, Wifey's birthday (which she shares with a carpenter from Bethleham), and New Year's Eve. So adios, 2012. Like all years you brought ups and downs -- as if one worked in the elevator business. Here's to change, adventure, and hopefully, mostly, tons of laughter in the coming year.