366 days* of insanity...and counting!
So I settled into my daily internet routine of checking e-mail, Facebook, MySpace, Failblog, etc., when I realized that it was exactly one year ago today that I officially arrived in South Florida to make it my new home.
And as always, a lot of stuff has changed in one whole year.
When I got down here, I had no job. A year later, I'm on job number 2. (But have no fear...I'm intent on staying at this one for a while. Really. I promise. That's the plan, ok?)
When I got down here, my trusty and beloved tank (aka my '98 Corolla) had no problems adjusting to the heat and gave me very little trouble. Until the door latch fell apart in a parking lot 2 months ago, forcing me to re-attach it with masking tape and drive home at a maximum speed of 45 mph lest the tape fail and the door flew open.
A year later, I have a new(ish) car. May The Tank rest and rot in various stages of disassembly at the U-Pull-It Lot. (Remind me to tell you about my adventure at the U-Pull-It. It's a great one.)
I've been to South Beach a few more times, I've learned what a Florida "winter" is like, I've grown to loathe snowbirds and 15 mph school zones. I'm adjusting to the horror that is a Muscovy Duck. I've accepted the fact that I will pay higher car insurance here than I did in New Jersey, thanks to rampant car theft and hordes of unlicenced and uninsured (illegal immigrant) drivers. I have come to terms with the fact that the only good Chinese food here comes from P.F. Chang's, and good pizza is something I'll only get to have during trips back home or to Chicago (mmmm...authentic deep dishhhh....::drool::). And a good deli? What's a deli?
I miss a highway system that could take me 20 miles in any given direction in roughly 25 minutes. A 15 mile trip to the beach is a 1/2 hour trek. I miss NYC so bad that I died a little inside while watching the Tonys a few weeks ago. I'm not even exaggerating about that. Miami is a poor, poor substitute for anything resembling a major metropolitan center.
I miss cell phone headset laws (although I must admit that I don't use one down here), 10% humidity days, being only 45 minutes away from Six Flags (I'm 3 hours from Busch Gardens and 3 1/2 hours from Universal/Disney, and yes, that is a long way to drive, so no, I will not stop whining about being so far away from either of those places. Stfu already.).
So I miss all these things about New Jersey, and I complain about all of these things in South Florida.
Then I get up early on a Saturday morning, go to the beach, and sit there with a good book and a nice breeze off the water. And nothing matters anymore, because I can do that just about any time of year, if I wanted to.
And that is what living in South Florida is all about, Charlie Brown.
Off to go kick it tropical style, y'all. Later!
*This year was a leap year, remember? Hence the extra day. And you got all excited because you couldn't wait to point out that I suck at math. Ha! Eat it, sucka!
And as always, a lot of stuff has changed in one whole year.
When I got down here, I had no job. A year later, I'm on job number 2. (But have no fear...I'm intent on staying at this one for a while. Really. I promise. That's the plan, ok?)
When I got down here, my trusty and beloved tank (aka my '98 Corolla) had no problems adjusting to the heat and gave me very little trouble. Until the door latch fell apart in a parking lot 2 months ago, forcing me to re-attach it with masking tape and drive home at a maximum speed of 45 mph lest the tape fail and the door flew open.
A year later, I have a new(ish) car. May The Tank rest and rot in various stages of disassembly at the U-Pull-It Lot. (Remind me to tell you about my adventure at the U-Pull-It. It's a great one.)
I've been to South Beach a few more times, I've learned what a Florida "winter" is like, I've grown to loathe snowbirds and 15 mph school zones. I'm adjusting to the horror that is a Muscovy Duck. I've accepted the fact that I will pay higher car insurance here than I did in New Jersey, thanks to rampant car theft and hordes of unlicenced and uninsured (illegal immigrant) drivers. I have come to terms with the fact that the only good Chinese food here comes from P.F. Chang's, and good pizza is something I'll only get to have during trips back home or to Chicago (mmmm...authentic deep dishhhh....::drool::). And a good deli? What's a deli?
I miss a highway system that could take me 20 miles in any given direction in roughly 25 minutes. A 15 mile trip to the beach is a 1/2 hour trek. I miss NYC so bad that I died a little inside while watching the Tonys a few weeks ago. I'm not even exaggerating about that. Miami is a poor, poor substitute for anything resembling a major metropolitan center.
I miss cell phone headset laws (although I must admit that I don't use one down here), 10% humidity days, being only 45 minutes away from Six Flags (I'm 3 hours from Busch Gardens and 3 1/2 hours from Universal/Disney, and yes, that is a long way to drive, so no, I will not stop whining about being so far away from either of those places. Stfu already.).
So I miss all these things about New Jersey, and I complain about all of these things in South Florida.
Then I get up early on a Saturday morning, go to the beach, and sit there with a good book and a nice breeze off the water. And nothing matters anymore, because I can do that just about any time of year, if I wanted to.
And that is what living in South Florida is all about, Charlie Brown.
Off to go kick it tropical style, y'all. Later!
*This year was a leap year, remember? Hence the extra day. And you got all excited because you couldn't wait to point out that I suck at math. Ha! Eat it, sucka!
Comments
Pizza: thick and thin is a quasi substitute...Sal's italian restaurant also does not suck.
Snowbirds: are a pain in the ass but they kinda keep our economy running smoothly, they are only around a few months out of the year and you can talk to them however the fuck you want too
What the fuck happend at the u-pull -it lot?