I’m a hair more moody these days, looking at life through my azure tinted glasses, but there’s a good reason. It’s nothing serious, just your garden variety, mid-medication change depression. I just thought I’d say this post is an example of effect, not cause. Last week we said goodbye to my in-laws. They’re doing something I haven’t done since the leukemia diagnosis, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t jealous. They’re taking a vacation. The kind where you go someplace. What’s worse, they’re going to New England – my first home, making stops in New Hampshire and Maine. [...]
The Sunshine State
Bad taste and butchery
I get a little uncomfortable when people start talking about “trimming” trees. My reasons break down like this: any jackass with insurance and a chainsaw can get a licence to trim trees in Florida, and Floridians in general don’t seem to like trees. That’s what I gather from the results anyway. I’m not against all forms or reasons for tree trimming. There are times when a tree needs to be trimmed for saftey’s sake, or for the tree’s health. But that’s not what’s happening here. I work(ed) in a large office complex on the water (Tampa Bay) with a lot [...]
They say its spring
Friday was the first day of spring – or so the calendar says. In sunny Florida it’s been spring for the last month. I’m not normally big on spring: the sign of high humidity and mid-90s around the corner. But this year I feel a bit different about it. I don’t mean the weather has been different. It’s more of a mood thing. Nothing but doom and gloom is in the news. The economy is tanking, the planet is cooking, Cheryl is slowly recovering, and even our normally sunny Gov is starting to look a little worried (although, probably not [...]
In session
I almost hate to say anything before it’s over, but the truth is this won’t be over for a long time, regardless of when our legislature is in session.I’m being cryptic again. Sorry.The Florida Legislature is in a special session to deal with the 2 billion hole that appeared in the state buget last quarter. There’s been a similar hole in each of the last several quarters, so it’s getting to be old hat by now. Still, folks are a little more worried this time. It may be a little worse than thought, with holiday sales dropping off a cliff, [...]
A little worried
Our governor seems like he’s working really hard to be our best friend this week. Today he announced he was closing all state offices on 12/26 and 1/2, giving us all two consectutive four day weekends. This doubles the number of holiday hours we normally get (next week).They say you shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth. I never quite got that by the way – do horses have a reputation for being opportunistic man eaters? I know this though, I’d be wary of those extra portions if you’re a turkey.Gobble, gobble.
America beware!
Florida could be on the verge of forcing another Bush down your throat. Any hope I have that Florida is really a moderate state is dampened by the smarter Bush brother’s popularity here. Jeb! was just about as conservative as they come during his two terms as governor. His apparent mantra of “I’ve never seen a government agency or program I liked” may play well with the voters, but it’s a f…ing disastrous way to run one. Countless appointments to led departments/agencies from the business community promoting “get tough” policies ran their departments into the ground. (Just ask my wife.) [...]
Having a life
I’ve always believed in public schools, even if some conservatives in Florida don’t. I’ve been skeptical of our system of school grading, high stakes testing, and quasi-privatization – ushered in by Bush the Smarter. Now picture me this week: considering the idea of pulling my daughter out of public school. It’s eating me up inside. So how did I come to this place, just six weeks into my daughter’s first year of middle school? I like to think I’m a little level headed when I need to be. I don’t think I’m prone to rash decisions, lurching from one reaction [...]
Hurricane day
The track is leaning back to the east, so if it holds we’ll probably be spared most of Fay’s oomph. Older sister is right in the thick of things again though (this will be their first storm since Katrina – not that this will/could be anything approaching that). Just in case there’s a Charlie like shift in track, public schools, the courts, and most local and state offices are closed tomorrow in Pinellas County. I just got done rounding up and stowing the loose stuff outside. I’m thinking we’ll skip boarding up the windows this time. I’m usually a bit [...]
There seems to be a pattern here
Would you believe me if I told you the two day forecast track doesn’t bother me either? Personally, this forecast seems like the worst one yet, and not just because it’s 48 hours out. As most residents of the gulf coast will tell you (many of us are amateur meteorologists), the northeast quadrant of the storm is typically the worst. In any case, we’re now officially under a hurricane watch. You’d think we’d have this down by now, but state emergency managers seem to have been a disorganized mess this weekend. First, they announced this morning that schools would be [...]
