All good things must come to an end: Saturday, March 20 in Miami

So Friday night after Ade and Anthony dropped me off at the hotel, I decided to go for a walk. I wanted to get a soft drink or two, and maybe a snack or two, and also to see the Ocean Drive scene. So I set out and took a nice long walk, ending up at the Walgreens where I bought some Vitamin Water, Oreos with Double Stuff and Vanilla Zingers.

I surfed the tv for a passable channel, popped open a drink and the Oreos, and after eating a couple of cookies, I promptly started feeling sick. Funky throat, inflamed synuses, achy body. It was crazy - just like someone had flipped a switch from "healthy" to "ill." Apparently running myself ragged, smoking and drinking every day, had finally taken its toll on me, but that second Oreo cookie was the straw that broke the camel's back. Amazing!

Of course I immediately put the cookies aside, drank a vitamin C drink, and then sucked down like two Vitamin Waters as well as some Advil. Surely, I could nip this thing in the bud! But even after a long deep sleep, I still felt sick when I woke up in the morning. In fact, I felt worse. Noooooo! I didn't want to go back to New York sick! Oh drat.

Well, one thing was for sure. I still wanted to go with Ade and Anthony to Cuenca's in the evening for their CAO event party. I wouldn't smoke, I would stay outside the shop in the fresh air, not drink any alcohol, and it would be fine! Until they called me to come pick me up, I would be able to just lay in bed all day, rest, take more advil, and hopefully that would make me ALL better. Yeah right.

After an afternoon of lying around watching bad tv and eating leftovers from my hotel room fridge, and drinking more vitamin waters, I did in fact feel a little better, well enough to at least go out. I had like no energy and my throat was funky but I had a little bit of an appetite and I could talk without pain. So when Ade called me to say he and Anthony were on the way to pick me up, I was ready.

Of course with it being Saturday night, there was hideous traffic in South Beach. It took at least half an hour just for us to go from 15th Street to 5th street. OMG, hideous. Once we got onto the causeway leading over to downtown Miami, things got better. After that, it was simple. Up 95 to exit 20, Hollywood Blvd., then down Hollywood Blvd. to 20th avenue, then a right and a left and Cuenca Cigars was on our right. Hooray! It was buzzing there, with lots of people sitting at sidewalk tables in front of the cigar shop.

First order of business for me was to find something to eat. All they had in the shop was a couple pieces of cold pizza. Ade went for the pizza, while I opted for Thai food from across the street and Anthony went to pick up a burger. The seafood soup and Pad Thai with tofu I had was just the right thing, soothing to my throat and body.

Next up, was I actually going to buy some CAO? Originally, the event was supposed to be for La Traviata, but the CAO rep called in sick, so Ana and Miguel had expanded it to include all CAO. Ade and I zeroed in on the CAO Champions collection, a zippered travel humidor filled with ten highly-rated CAO cigars in it, plus a free sampler that came with it. Ade was interested in the cigars, and I wanted the humidor. It was a deal!

And I decided to smoke after all, against my better judgment. A Macanudo 1968 Gigante. I only got about a third of the way through it, but that was enough. My Florida smoking was done. Final tally: something like 30 cigars in 17 days, with only one day off from smoking that whole time. Crazy. Most I've ever smoked, and probably ever will again. Not like I was forcing myself to do it - I enjoyed most of the cigars - but that just isn't me. Once a week or so is plenty for me.

So we hung out, talked with Anthony, Kat and a bunch of other regulars who were there. Then it was time for the raffle. And what do you know? I won an oval black CAO ashtray! Really sexy shiny one. Cool!

And that was about it! Anthony and Ade drove me back to South Beach. We got off at the Walgreens and I bought some more soft drinks. I was leaving in the morning so I didn't want to stay up late. I said goodbye and went home to bed. The next morning was a warm sunny one. I packed in no time, got my taxi and was off for home. An airplane and a taxi later, I was back sitting in this very chair, at my laptop, catching up on my emails. Here I am now nearly two weeks later still catching up! I still have some cigars to give to Sandi from Berta Bravo and Maria Martin. I'll probably never catch up. The only thing to do is to go back to Tampa, Miami or both? Well which? Do I have to make up my mind?