Alloting

There is more than one type of fan. No matter what the subject of the fandom, fans can be categorized based on the extent of their inclinations. Some people are content to appreciate and seek out certain subjects while others literally become obsessed. It doesn’t matter if they are a fan of a sports team, a celebrity singer, or a writer of science fiction novels. Aficionados run the gamut from simple admiration to stalking .

The deeper a fan’s obsession is, the more likely it is that they are attempting to escape from unhappy or unpleasant things in their life. They use their interest in their object as a way to step outside themselves. By making their fandom the focus of more and more of their time and energy, they have less energy and space for the thing they are trying to escape. This could be an unhappy home life, a soul crushing job, or even physical or personality traits in themselves that they can’t stand.

Distraction in itself is not an indication of a problem. Everyone needs to distract themselves from daily troubles once in awhile. There’s no reason to assume that the crazy fans in mascot costumes at the football game are exhibiting a dangerous form of obsession. They may just be enjoying a momentary escape from their boring life. It is when the costumes are worn over and over and the regular course of daily life is interrupted or abandoned that the obsession indicates a level of escapism that should cause concern.

The first day in Miami is almost always reserved for a long and tender date with the beach. Stepping out of Miami five star hotels and into the sun is one of the hallmarks of paradise. Even when the travelers are coming from a sunny climate, the sun here feels different, and the water is another shade of blue that exists on another palate altogether. At least, that’s how it seems on the first day, and it is usually a good time to see the water. One rarely hears people who, at the end of their life, regret that they spent too much time enjoying the sea.

The next day, however, the city starts to open up, and there are certain signs that it’s calling. There are so many things to do, and corners to investigate, that it’s impossible to cover all of it. Clubs and bars are always popular choices, but there’s much, much more. Anything that can make the beach even better is a great idea, and books are a necessary part of the good life. There are plenty of bookshops in town, but Books & Books has a special place in everyone’s heart.

There are a few locations all over South Florida, and each one is distinctive architecturally, and they share the same vision that the flagship store in Coral Gables began with. Over 25 years as an independent bookstore, Books & Books gets some points for hanging in there, but it’s a place with a lot of readers, so the community gets some of the credit. With indie bookstores, that’s the way it should be, where the relationship to the community is entirely reciprocal.

This is the place to get great reads and fantastic recommendations from a very informed staff, hear author readings from a wild range of literary stars, and an occasional celebrity visit, along with some amazing food. Their cafe is legendary, and has won multiple awards. It’s not just the usual muffin place. When there’s a chorizo sofrito mentioned on the menu, it’s a clear sign that this is another world.

In your travels to Florida, don’t overlook Miami’s only publicly owned and operated National Historic Landmark, the Vizcaya Museum and Gardens.  This is not just another home tour of an historic mansion.  The elegant 1916 winter home of the vice president of International Harvest, James Deering, created a mansion meant to resemble a centuries old Italian Renaissance villa, making it one of the best places in Florida to enjoy art, music, and film, as well as other cultural events which take place three hundred and sixty-four days a year.  Set on Biscayne Bay, the home offers amazing gardens and historic buildings as well as a view.

As one of the cultural offerings, just recently, there was a showing of D.W. Griffith’s Intolerance, which starred Lillian Gish.  In her time, she showed up regularly to Vizcaya as a house guest.  Next week, on February 29th, you can go out for an afternoon of music listening to something few people get a chance to hear anymore: a 1917 23-rank Welte-Mignon pipe organ.  There’s very few friends and neighbors who can lay claim to having heard an historic musical instrument, especially a pipe organ.  There will be visiting organists at the console and the host, Michael Barone, will talk about the meaning of pipe organs in homes in the early part of last century.  The show is titled, “Pipedreams.”

But perhaps, best of all, is the Moonlight Garden Tour of Vizcaya.  They begin at six thirty at night and cost fifteen dollars (but ten dollars if you’re a student or a senior).  The Moonlight Garden Tours don’t happen every night, so you’ll need to plan ahead and arrange for one of the hotels on the Florida beach.  Spend the days at the beach, and then head out to the Deering estate of Vizcaya and take in a tour under the stars on March 3rd, 30th, 31st, and April 27th and 28th

Have you ever been to Florida? Well, I have. I’ve been all through it and I’m here to tell you that it’s really an incredible state. My husband and I decided to take an extensive road trip for our summer vacation last year and in doing so we thought it would be really cool to just drive all across Florida and stay wherever we wanted for as long as we wanted. The first day we started out very early in the morning and by noon I had begun to be afraid that we had made a mistake. However, after we stopped and had a great lunch in a little road side café I relaxed into the ride a bit. I mean, after all, I had two weeks of that ahead of me and I thought I should make the most of it. But soon I remembered that we could do exactly what we wanted to that meant we could go ahead and spend our entire trip on the Miami beach because by late afternoon we had already reached Miami.

Of course we didn’t do that and only spend the following day in Miami. We did go to the beach and had a great time overall but it suddenly became exciting to get back in the car and explore more of the state. That night we stayed in an out of the way Florida hotel and resort and it was really fun to be just out there in the middle of nowhere without a care in the world.

The next day we toured the Coral Castle of Ed Leedskalnin. This was such an amazing place and though I had read about it and even studied some of the electromagnetic theories that are associated with how he did all this, there really is just no way of understanding how incredible awesome those sculptures are without seeing it live and in person. Both my husband and I had our mouths dropped open in wonder through most of our visit there. It’s funny because we were always catching each other in mouth agape poses and we even have a couple pictures of each of us looking like that. It was absolutely amazing and I still think about that place constantly and like everyone else who reads about it or visits it I’m determined to crack the code that’s supposed to be in A Book in Every Home and discover how he was able to do all of that.

There is an unavoidable attraction to water that we all have, and it’s impossible to get away from, and absolutely delightful to embrace.  There’s no reason not to embrace it then, and some people do this by getting their own hot tubs and spas in their own back yard.  It not only satisfies a mysterious, primordial urge, but it’s a great addition to any backyard barbecue.  There are tremendous benefits to having your own hot tub, and they range from stress reduction to improved circulation.  Not to mention relaxed muscles.  For most people, that’s the first thing they think of when they think of hot tubs.

It’s certainly true.  Hot water and jets provide a kind of relief that sore muscles take to, like, well, like a fish takes to water.  Or like a human takes to water.  Water has a certain mystery, no doubt about it, that goes back to the origins of consciousness itself.  Whatever mystical connections there might be with the body and water, there is also the scientific fact of equilibrium.  When the body is in water, it is up to 70% lighter than when it’s not.  This means that the spine doesn’t have to work so hard to sustain the rest of the frame, and the organs can float free of the usual gravitational pull.  This provides instant relief, and the effects are very positive over time.

In a lot of ways, it’s like the upside down poses in Yoga, where the pressure is off, and the whole physical structure can readjust to itself.  With practice and repetition, these poses are said to increase the blood flow, help circulation, as well as taking pressure off the heart and lungs, which can be quite beneficial if it’s done with attention and in short duration.  As if to cheat physics, hot tubs can have similar effects with very little effort.  It doesn’t take the place of any other kind of regimen, but it’s awfully nice to know that positive effects can come from doing nothing less than looking for a little pleasure in the day.