I was in the zoo at Grant Park, when a bee became at home between my fingers.  I frantically jerked my elbow and fingers.  The bee flew off but the stinger was inside me.

“CLo,” I screamed,  ” a bee bit me.”

She thought I was remarkably calm.  I was as I was in shock.

My finger felt rigid and hurt but I was breathing properly so we did touristy things.  OK I had never been in a Trader Joe’s before my trip to Atlanta.  That night we went with W to Piedmont Park where we saw The Eagles.  I began remembering different phases of my life–passing The Hotel California in Paris in my 20′s and wondering if the song had anything to do with that hotel–as The Memory Motel in Montauk inspired The Stones song–that was before I knew The Hotel California in Santa Monica.

I loved Miami Vice and always associate Glen Frey with it.  I had taken CLo’s sister and another friend to South Beach the year before and said “this will be the next big thing.”  They laughed.  I wish I had the courage to act on my beliefs–as in buying property.

I was young, and Miami Vice was a new type of show.  Glossy, showcased houses, a very hot actor (Don Johnson,) and great music.  “You belong to the city,” came from that show.  It was the first action series for the MTV generation and I guess I was part of the original MTV crowd.

Being a good New Yorker I was very familiar with Europe, the Eastern seaboard from The Cape and Boston to DC, then South Florida but had only been around the country several times.  I thought about this at the concert as I made a bucket lists of concerts I want to go to before I die or the group does.  My finger was throbbing.

The next day we went walking Piedmont Park and the surrounding areas–I think you can only learn a place on foot. It was weird that my body felt so stiff when we were continually walking.

That night I went to see one of my goddaughter’s–CLo’s daughter Thai who lives in CLo’s old loft, downtown.  CLo and W live in a stunning loft in Midtown.

Thai’s loft can only be compared to BUPPIE Friends.  She’s 40, her friends are all ages and in and out constantly.  We went to a Pan Asian food where you pick out the food and they cook it.  It’s a lot more adventurous than the Mongolian Grill in North Myrtle.

The thing about CLO, W, Thai and her assorted friends is that they’re all interesting.  Into books, politics, music, TV yes TV, all kinds of culture, good food and physical activity because it’s fun.  I so needed to be with people who care about the things I care about.

But by the time we got to dinner I was nauseous and I looked at my right hand.  It was all red and a third larger (all swollen than my left hand.)Thai gave me some Benadryl and the swelling went down.  It came back but is much better.  My body no longer feels stiff.

I was so happy to be in a city that wasn’t NY I never complained.  The only go to NY–Myrtle Beach, Myrtle Beach-NY, at least 20 times in the past three years curse is over.  I so needed to be around people from all over the world who aren’t suspicious of, even if just a bit, of people who don’t look or act exactly like them.   We all type people and I need “PBS lady,”  “former punk,”  “dark haired men with wry sardonic senses of humor,” “arty woman,”  “hippie dippie,” and more.  Oh I need to be accepted for me without reservation.  Here  I have to work too hard at being accepted and that’s never fun.

Especially for somebody who has spent much of her adult life being embraced by people, and still is by city people.  I can no longer be  quiet about my politics or agnostic but Jewish beliefs.  Yet it makes life so much easier.  But is it worth it?

I realize a lot of my focus on NLD the past year has been because I’ve been online too much.  I personally need  in person classes, book readings, and a whole lot of mental stimulation.And of course writing the book brings up all the bad stuff.  I think I can have that under control if I stay aware.

Oh I loved Atlanta and plan on going back frequently.  I’m not going to NY for any part of the Thanksgiving to New Years scene–I think.  I’ll be working on my book and I need a break from New York. I would love to see New York as a true tourist and just go too frequently. I know that is a problem many people would  love to have.

I probably will be posting excerpts or the sheet I thrashed out or threw out.

I had a facebook sticker of the Steven Colbert/Jon Stewart rally up.  A good friend here who should have known better asked if I was going to the Colbert march for anger.

I’m going to Jon Stewart’s rally tor sanity as I know first hand that sanity needs to be restored.  There’s way too much anger in this country.  I’m proud to be a Democrat in a Republican stronghold.  If you live in NY you have no excuse not to go as Ariana Huffington’s chartering free buses!!!!!!

I feel a zillion pounds lighter than I did last week.  And the bee inflammation is much better.  Itchy if you must know.

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