The Winter Music conference just ended here on South Beach. It is five days of music nirvana. DJ's, musicians, record producers, and everyone else in the business gather here every March for five days of music madness. New music is not only presented, it is promoted with great enthusiasm and backed by all the hype money can buy.

Day and night (there is not an hour unused) the parties rage; once again the sun, the time, and the law have relinquished rule for that period. Parties rule a party town. It is as if an old theory is proved: music soothes this beast of a town. It is a very well-behaved crowd that only wants to present, demonstrate, and enjoy all that the element of music offers the soul.

The Palace presented DJ's on Saturday and Sunday to capacity crowds. There is nothing quite like dancing to abandon while overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. I did a little dancing myself at the risk of being "unstately". Come on, a little Quadrille never hurt a girl's reputation. It's that Polka you have to beware of and those brazen Guardsmen holding your body close while the medals dance on their magnificent chests and you are lost enough to raise the hem of your dress which reveals stockinged ankles of pearl-white splendor.

Oh, but I lose myself.