A Birthday, The Eagles And Sonny Crockett

Cocaine Princess here.

On Saturday I celebrated my sister's birthday. I asked her awhile ago what she wanted and the answer I receive is the same one I get ever year, 'nothing really and please don't make a fuss.' I wanted to throw her a big huge bash with all the bells and whistles but she always seems to be dead set against it. But when it comes to her presents I buy at least one over the top gift, I just have too, it's in my nature. Her birthstone is emerald so this year I bought her several pieces of emerald bling which thankfully she loved since she doesn't like wearing a lot of jewelery. On the weekend and when she's lounging around the house she loves wearing really casual clothing, mostly sweats and hoodies. I bought her several Ed Hardy zip up hoodies and hats and a new summer wardrobe from Abercrombie and Finch and Hollister. She loves doing Sudoku puzzles from the newspaper while she's eating breakfast or while in front of the TV. I bought her one in the form of an electronic portable hand held version. Could my sister and I be any more opposites? Valentina one time commented, 'maybe there was a mix up at the hospital and the nurses gave your mom the wrong baby?' I asked my mom about that possibility. She laughed and assured me there was no mix up. 'A' is indeed her biological daughter and my real sister.

For her birthday dinner I took 'A' to a really beautiful restaurant. The weather in the morning started out soggy but then cleared up. We hit a high of +26 so we were able to dine out on the patio. I know I sometimes tend to go on talking about the weather but when you live in a country where 4-5 months out of the year is spent in frigid temperatures and the very second you step outside your ear can crack and fall off or there's so much snow you're stranded in your own house, any sign of warm weather is taken full advantage of. Even if it means wearing shorts, t-shirt and flip flops in +5C. As we were enjoying dinner my sister mentions The Eagles and how they're going on tour and how she wants to go see them. When it comes to giving gifts I pay real close attention to someones' likes and dislikes and I plan well ahead. I'll do whatever it takes to get whatever that person desires whether it's for their birthday, Christmas or some other special occasion. If I had the slightest indication she wanted to see them or that she even liked the Eagles I would have surprised her with tickets but she didn't. I felt so bad on Saturday night that I didn't have a moment's peace until I knew I was able to secure the tickets for her.

The Eagles Long Road Out Of Eden Tour will be doing a concert and the show is sold out. I had no idea they were that popular. Yesterday morning I started combing through the classifieds under LIVE EVENTS and all these people, aka scalpers, were selling tickets. I didn't go through them because the only way they would sell me the tickets is if they showed up at my door or if I met them. Either way they wanted cash. I wasn't about to allow some stranger to come to my house nor was I going to meet a stranger in a seedy location. Instead I contacted a reputable concierge service. The total amount I paid for two of Madonna's Hard Candy Tour concert tickets, I had to pay twice that amount for one Eagle ticket and I had to buy two because my sister wanted me to come along with her. Please don't think I'm complaining because I'm not. I was more than happy to buy the tickets and felt so good afterwards since it put a big smile on her face, I think even more than the bling I bought her.

Afterwards I was on You Tube watching some of the Eagles videos. I don't want to go their concert without being able to sing along to at least a couple of their songs. I only recognized one, Hotel California. Then I realized one of the band members is Don Henley. Of course I thought to myself, The Boys Of Summer which he sang during his solo days. I remember the song and the video, both quite phenomenal. The video was released twenty four years ago and that got me thinking, 'what was I doing in 1984?' Let's see, I remember wearing lace gloves and rosaries and lip syncing to Madonna, covering my bedroom wall with pictures of Simon Le Bon, I once saw the same movie five times, it had a really famous quote, 'wax on, wax off',' I was collecting as many Cabbage Patch Dolls as I could, I was waking up early Saturday mornings to watch the Smurfs and of course Friday nights I was glued to the tube like probably everyone else watching a ground breaking new show, Miami Vice.

Back then my sister was in high school and speaking of Miami Vice, 'A' was dating a Sonny Crockett wannabe. Oh my God this guy was so obsessed with the show. Anytime you would see him he would be dressed in Crockett's trademark wardrobe, linen and pastels and he had the stubble. He mirrored himself after him but there were a few differences: Crockett drove a Ferrari and lived on a boat with his pet alligator Elvis. The wannabe drove his dad's Volvo, had a 11pm curfew and lived in a bungalow with his parents. While she dated him my mom took my sister and her boyfriend and I all out for lunch one day. Miami Vice had been on the air for about six months and I'm not sure how many episodes had aired at that point but the fanatic went through every single episode in detail analyzing and breaking it down scene by scene. Halfway through he got up to go to the salad bar with A. I turned to my mom and said, 'he talks too much mommy.' My mom replied, 'I know but your sister likes him,' and then ordered herself a drink, she developed a headache from his non-stop chatter. There are TV shows fans and then there are TV show fanatics. I don't know what category this guy belonged in. When the two returned, before he even sat down he next started discussing the music from each episode. My mom smiled and nodded and tried changing the subject but she couldn't get a word in, no one could! I just sat there crunching very loud on my croutons so I couldn't hear him speak. According to 'A' his locker was filled with magazine pictures of Sonny Crockett and taped at the bottom corner was a tiny photo of my sister while sitting on his top shelf he had a mini rubber alligator. He wasn't my sister's boyfriend for very long. When mom asked 'A' the cause of the breakup (like she didn't know) she replied, 'he's more in love with Sonny Crockett than me.' I was going through A's yearbook after thinking about him and there's one section of pictures devoted entirely to the prom. The theme was Pretty In Pink in honor of the film. Every girl wore pink and all the guys were dressed like Ducky. (For those of you who have seen the film you know what I'm talking about) and the theme song that night was If You Leave by OMD.

I got a little reminiscent and decided to watch Miami Vice. I have the entire collection on DVD. Last night I went in my mom's room and laid on the bed watching a few episodes from season 1.

Sometimes in the middle of the day I'll go in and lye on my mom's bed to just think about things or to clear my head. There have times where I have felt my mom stroking my hair to even feeling her embrace me from behind while whispering, 'follow the signs to help you find your way.' I'm guessing some of you must be thinking it's just my imagination playing tricks on me or even wishful thinking on my part. Maybe perhaps that's what it is. But you know what? I like to believe it really is my mom.

XOXOXOXO,
Cocaine Princess