Doc Hop

Music isn’t really Miami’s stronghold, but this past weekend I actually got to enjoy some good tunes. And as everyone knows, “one good thing about music — when it hits you feel no pain.”

Addam requested Saturday off so that we could go to the Miami Reggae Festival, a free event in Coconut Grove’s Peacock Park.  The show was going on all day, but the bigger known names came on in the evening. After a day of washing clothes, buying groceries and cooking an amazing Moroccan chickpea salad, we left around 6 p.m.

After a half-hour on the bus and a couple of miles on the bike, Addam and I found a cozy spot to settle into, right in front of the stage. I hadn’t really heard of any of the bands that were playing, but I’m always down to listen to new music and had a wonderful time vibing out.

Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it), the night wasn’t completely without incident. While Addam was picking us up some drinks a guy who was walking by accidently kneed me in the mouth. He hit me with a lot of force, and for a second I was worried that he had cracked a tooth. After finding them all intact I was more upset that the dude had knocked over my drink. (Ok, so it was almost gone, but after receiving a blow to the face can you really blame me for what happened next?)

I approached the guy who had kicked me and politely asked him to buy me another drink. He very willingly complied, with about a thousand apologies. Only, when I got back to where I had been sitting, I noticed that the guy had given me $40. Drinks were $8, so I figured he must have given me more because he felt bad. Still, it left me feeling a little like a crook. While I do not regret standing up for myself, the guy was actually very nice. I felt like I was taking advantage. But then again, I didn’t try to give any of the money back, so maybe I was. Addam was just so happy at the sight of $40 that I had to let it go. “Way to take one for the team!”

After the show Addam and I hopped on our bikes and headed home, where I spent the rest of the weekend watching reruns of 21 Jumpstreet and playing with the pup.

All in all, while it was relatively low-key weekend, I had a pretty good time. Now if only it were twice as long… (And  yes, that is what she said.)

“Don’t gain the world and lose your soul, wisdom is better than silver or gold.” — Bob Marley, musician (1945-1981).