Final gigs, Hyde Park and The Perils of Platform Wedges

On September 1st, Duran Duran plays their final gig for the "All You Need is Now" tour. It's been almost 2 years, umpteen cities, a really hard, long haul for the guys with a difficult, disappointing and near tragic  beginning. I'm pleased and proud to say I'm going to this final gig. It's like seeing them across the finish line of a very long and arduous race. It's a smaller venue than the one I saw them in in October on Simon's birthday. Maximum capacity for this venue is 5000 people, at the Air Canada Centre in October, there was probably twice that. It's got the capacity to be one hell of a party, but the intimacy to be a very special night. I look forward to sharing this evening with my husband; who has not only never been to a Duran concert, but also never been to a concert EVER; and my friend Rachel; my Duranie partner in crime, who came with me in October to celebrate Simon's birthday in Toronto.


But yesterday was the opening of the Olympics in London. What a fantastic day. I only saw part of the opening ceremonies last night after work and it wasn't until this morning that I even got to see the Hyde Park gig that Duran played. Donned in a Union Jack jacket Simon had them eating out of his hand from the get go by the looks of things and Duran rocked the SHIT out of that park. From the footage I have seen, it was PHENOMENAL. No one could argue that Duran didn't honestly deserve to be there. And I think that whomever had the misfortune of going on AFTER Duran had a tough act to follow.


Rachel had asked me yesterday morning what I was doing for the day. Sadly it was another day of work at ye olde gas bar, so no fun to be had for me. She was wanting to go do some shopping, and I unfortunately could not oblige. I suggested to her that if perhaps she wanted to go today (I'm off) we could go hang out. I could do some window shopping, while she did some actual shopping. She's one of my nearest and dearest so either way it was win win. 


I told you all of that, to tell you this:


I picked Rachel up at just after 11. I had bought some new platform wedges for the final gig and have been sporting them around the house to break them in, and today I decided to wear them out for the first time. Just to give them a bit of a test drive ya know? They're likely the highest heel I've ever worn (I think they're about 4.5 inches or maybe even 5 inches) but are quite comfortable. 


She said she'd like to go to Masonville Mall, and I obliged and drove us there while we chit chatted all the way. We parked, got out of the car and had just mentioned about how I was working them in because the last thing I wanted to do was to go ass over tit at the Duran concert and go sprawling to the floor in front of John fucking Taylor. She laughed and said that John likely would help me up being the good guy that he is.

Like any good surreal, comedic story I'll preface what I'm about to say with:


"So there we were.." walking into the mall, we held the door for a woman who was walking with a cane through the first set of doors, who, in turn held the door (until I grabbed it from her) for us. When I grabbed the door, my toe jutted between the crosses of the leather straps on my shoes and the tip of my shoe shifted forward, got caught under the door and I went sprawling backward to the floor narrowly missing a bank of pay phones against the wall behind me. 


The woman with the cane came back, and offered me help up. By this time, I've now stared in amazement at the underside of the phone base (By the way if you want a number for a good time...I know it) wondering how I didn't hit it, realized I wasn't hurt and have sat upright laughing hysterically. My friend Rachel however for whatever reason thought I was playing her up and joking around at first. Then when she saw how nearly close I came to hitting the phone base, she almost had a stroke. I just kept laughing because to me, I felt like such an ass, such an idiot, wondered how the HELL I had managed to fall as I had and there I sat. Not to mention the fact we had JUST talked about me going ass over tit. Once Rachel had calmed her nerves, we were amused that this woman with a cane had come back and offered her assistance and yet these other people had just casually kept walking past. 


My Mom used to say to me "Honestly Kendra, dress you up...can't take you anywhere!" Same shit different day  Ma, same shit...different day.


One Last Glimpse,


~K