" U Must B used to me Spendin'!!"

R. Kelly

Today was a tourist day for us in some ways.  You know it's easy to take for granted the M.I.A, as we know it. The Magic City really is a unique place to live and kick it at.  And our home down in South Beach always provide crazy sights and sounds.  Anything from this guy talking with his boy in an alley rock 'n' jocking a Reggie Bush Miami Dolphins outfit.  When I say outfit, I Mean Joe Green it!  This dude had on the aqua Bush jersey on, with the actual pants tights on to match!!  I thought it was Reggie himself, and I was gonna walk up on him, like "dude I love ur pizza commericial" or something like, "Be honest dawg, daytime in LA or nighttime in Miami?", but I let him be.  Then I was hearing all these women cussing out folks in person and on the phone.  I was walking down Washington Ave., and this girl was on her celly going off on somebody, I thought I was watching on a shoot of Love and Hip Hop...one thing we've learned don't messed with a Miami Chica while she's going in on somebody.  I almost crossed the street cuz I know how it goes down.  U see the hand movements...a neck dip...a few, "u know what's" here.., followed by a "@#$! you" there...then at the 9 min. mark of the blowup u get that patented "What are you looking at?" to passing patrons.  Its like your watching Dick Van Dyke fall over the stool in the opening credits.  You know what's about to go down yet u still watch.

Got a few cool pics from today one being of this prototype Smart Car convertible.  I was walking into the Gannesvoort Miami Beach to get our workout in at David Barton.  And we saw this. (Pictured Right)  It was cool, b/c it had the hook ups in the back for two bicycles.  Cool colorway with the yellow interior and the black on black (Is Miami the capital of those wheels??) thangs sitting on those Mario Chambers.  The car was gone after I walked out...huh, I wonder does it take a genius to steal a Smart Car?? (Please insert laugh!!!)

I still get chills when I walk by this place.  This is Gianni Versace's mansion (Pictured on left) on Ocean Drive.  One being how his death went down, still brings chills, even though I was still a kid back up north.  And also, this represented the 90s style of South Beach.  I've always said I wished I could have lived in New York from 1980 to like '86.  Then moved to LA through the late 80s til the riots in '92.  Then I would have loved to been down here for those Miami Glory years.  Oh my, the stories.  Man, I feel like a club song from that era.  I bet they played this jam a lot back then.  Boy I feel like putting on some neon colored clothes, with some Doc Martin's and danced the night away off of that.  Hey, if anyone has Yasmin Bleeth's math can u please tell her to holla at ur boy!!






"Love" is still the reigning theme for this month of February.  This is when I get my mouth in trouble, by talking about some crazy relationship issues, all the while telling personal love stories that sounds like lost episodes of Fox's old show For Love or Money.  That's a perfect analogy of our life.

Wait a minute, that sounds like a great topic to talk about. Does money really matter in relationships when it comes to true love?  Now, this could go a number of ways...for instance, are we talking about the actual estimated value of a person as in Bill Gates dollars or are we talking about the "illusion" that somebody has money as in the bank.  Miami is in another league of its own when it comes to dental flossing.   Many a times u think u getting with somebody who as a perfect set of 32, but once u dig deeper u find a whole lot of cavities that u just don't wanna deal with.

Let me talk from a guy's perspective...girl's I know u got something to say already, but just hold on un momento...it's so easy to, Harry Houdini trick off money on a date or "hang out".  First u get ur car all shined up, it's Miami, so u gotta look right.  Do it early in the day, so u can ur drop top can be dry by night.  U gotta hang that Gucci Sport paper sample from Macy's weekly ad in the window, so that scent be right...then u drive to scoop her up, might even splurge and put in that Premium 93 octane gas (from U-gas of course!)...alrighty, so u already spent some dineros already.  As u on that ride to pick her up, and since I love fashion, the thing I'm thinking about is what is she wearing?  If she steps out in old Dontrelle Willis Marlins jersey, then we're gonna hit up Checker's and tell her to "hold the cheese" cuz we ain't splurging tonight, and I don't even care if u show ur double D-Train!  If she come out rockin' that nice Trina Turk hip-huggin dress, then I'll start to pray for two things.  1.  Yes, there is a God!!!  and 2.  I hope she didn't listen to Blu Cantrell before she left her place because I don't wanna end up washing dishes in the kitchen all because she wants to order lobster and a wine from the days of the Yankees' "Murderer's Row!!"

It's tough for guys.  And then u start to get some Richard Branson swag, and tell homegirl, "Order what u want!"  And then she hits u with, "Are u sure?"...Guys when u hear that, just pull out your latex gloves, and grab a Carol Brunett mop, cuz she's about to order the sexiest pronounced things just for the heck of it!!  (She even orders maitre d' !!) ...meal's good, but then the check comes.  What do u do?  I like to pay for the meal, just because I think that's the gentleman thing to do.  And I'm not even on a Biggie and Kells tip when I do that.  Some girls like to split, but some like to just lay back or give that, "I gotta go to the bathroom" line.

What I'm saying, if I guy spends money, does that get him "in" more than if he doesn't?  We live in a time where times are hard for some and a night out is nothing more than a night off from eating pancake batter for dinner.  I'm not into buying drinks, simply for the fact, I've HEARD girls literally say, "we don't have no money...that's ok...we'll just go out and have some guys buy for us!"  They were attractive girls, so it probably was easy for them.  I'm kind of frugal anyway, a bought chicken nugget means a hug...a hamburger means a kiss on the cheek...a cheeseburger...on the lips....and a drink, oh man, I'll have to stop by Walgreens before we go home, or if u've read our diary post before last, stop by CVS.  That would make a real fun night!

We are a crazy dude, but it's real out here.  Tonight let's leave with some real questions?  Is there a power trip when girls make more money than guys?  Is it ok to date someone from a family who may not have as "much" as yours?  And how about if you do have money, is it best to be low key in the beginning, and let love be for love or do u floss ur cash to impress?  The person or the lifestyle, that is the question..

Til Next Time.
Austino Galaxia...the future one.