― Allyzay Science Explosion (allyzay), Friday, 29 October 2004 04:20 (nineteen years ago) link
i don't think i'd ever seen my parents THAT SCARED in my life. i guess that dad had seen deliverance or something.
― Eisbär (llamasfur), Friday, 29 October 2004 04:26 (nineteen years ago) link
The thing which finally made them that Florida was not for them: We were driving down, and we drove through a small town in Northern Florida, and along the Main Street there was a big ol' KKK demonstration. They were standing on the street corners with signs, waving at the passers-by. My stepfather had to quickly talk my mother out of driving directly into the demonstrators.
When we got back home, they put the condo up for sale.
― Casuistry (Chris P), Friday, 29 October 2004 08:17 (nineteen years ago) link
― latebloomer (latebloomer), Friday, 29 October 2004 08:42 (nineteen years ago) link
― Josh in Chicago (Josh in Chicago), Friday, 29 October 2004 12:58 (nineteen years ago) link
― motown modown (Jody Beth Rosen), Friday, 29 October 2004 13:36 (nineteen years ago) link
― cinniblount (James Blount), Friday, 29 October 2004 14:26 (nineteen years ago) link
Palmetto bugs = euphemism for 3" flying cockroaches
― Layna Andersen (Layna Andersen), Friday, 29 October 2004 16:06 (nineteen years ago) link
― suzy (suzy), Friday, 29 October 2004 16:30 (nineteen years ago) link
― Pleasant Plains (Pleasant Plains), Friday, 29 October 2004 19:24 (nineteen years ago) link
― battlin' green eyeshades (Homosexual II), Friday, 29 October 2004 19:45 (nineteen years ago) link
― jocelyn (Jocelyn), Friday, 29 October 2004 19:49 (nineteen years ago) link
― big chaki (chaki), Friday, 29 October 2004 19:51 (nineteen years ago) link
When we got back home, they put the condo up for sale. "
I don't know how far from Tampa "outside of Tampa" is, but this is mostly bullshit. Yeah Florida is horrible in the summer but winters are horrible up north, and your parents should have realized this before they moved here. There are dozens of excellent nonchain restaurants in Tampa - just drive a little bit up North Armenia and you'll pass at least 20. If insects are a problem screen in your porch/balcony. And as for the old "nothing to do", please - they probably put as much effort into finding "things to do" as they did finding good restaurants. Rural Florida is The South, true, which is why I live in the city.
All the anti-Florida stuff in this thread was just lame. For being supposedly smart hipsters, I'd expect more than some alligator jokes.
― florida.person, Friday, 29 October 2004 20:26 (nineteen years ago) link
I guess we could have found more things to do. We could have gone to the Dali museum again, or perhaps drive an hour for some dinner theater. At least the lack of interesting things to do, the stiflingly hot weather, and the swarms of insects meant we got to spend some "quality time" together inside our condo.
Oh, also, all the beaches we tried along the Gulf were the pits.
But this is about defending the indefensible, so: Weeki Wachee is fantastic. Although last I heard, it was in danger of being shut down. And there were these egrets who lived in the parking spaces next to ours -- there were three of them, and they were there every time we visited, always in that same parking spot, and they were the greatest thing about the only state in the union that I have no interest in setting foot in ever again.
― Casuistry (Chris P), Friday, 29 October 2004 23:42 (nineteen years ago) link
― Casuistry (Chris P), Friday, 29 October 2004 23:43 (nineteen years ago) link
― Casuistry (Chris P), Friday, 29 October 2004 23:44 (nineteen years ago) link
Actually, the thing I miss most about Florida (other than my parents) is the lizards, snakes and turtles you could see nearly any time. You'd walk by a bush next to the house, and there'd be this great rustling sound of dozens of lizards scurrying for cover!
My parents never had air conditioning the whole time I was growing up. The best we could afford was a large FAN. Today I absolutely cringe at the thought but back then I was fine! Of course, in Seattle I now wear t-shirts in 50-degree weather, when in Florida that temperature would have seen me in MULTIPLE sweaters.
― Layna Andersen (Layna Andersen), Saturday, 30 October 2004 01:29 (nineteen years ago) link
for a minute there, i thought that you were referring to FL's governor and his extended family!
― Eisbär (llamasfur), Saturday, 30 October 2004 01:33 (nineteen years ago) link
― Layna Andersen (Layna Andersen), Saturday, 30 October 2004 01:34 (nineteen years ago) link
where i learned that alligator tastes like chicken
― Sir Kingfish Beavis D'Azzmonch (Kingfish), Saturday, 30 October 2004 01:37 (nineteen years ago) link
― \(^o^)/ (Adrian Langston), Saturday, 30 October 2004 01:42 (nineteen years ago) link
― Vicky (Vicky), Saturday, 30 October 2004 11:54 (nineteen years ago) link
― Vicky (Vicky), Saturday, 30 October 2004 11:56 (nineteen years ago) link
(xpost with Vicky's lovely photos)
― ailsa (ailsa), Saturday, 30 October 2004 11:57 (nineteen years ago) link
― Vicky (Vicky), Saturday, 30 October 2004 12:01 (nineteen years ago) link
― ailsa (ailsa), Saturday, 30 October 2004 12:03 (nineteen years ago) link
― Vicky (Vicky), Saturday, 30 October 2004 12:04 (nineteen years ago) link
-- Layna Andersen (layn...), October 29th, 2004.
we have these in South Carolina too!
i went to a friend's house once, and he came out of his garage with one on his shoulder. for a second i thought he had one as a pet! i asked him about it and he saw it and was like, "gah!"
― latebloomer (latebloomer), Saturday, 30 October 2004 12:08 (nineteen years ago) link
to clarify, for a second i thought it was one of those huge hissing cockroaches they sell at exotic pet stores.
― latebloomer (latebloomer), Saturday, 30 October 2004 12:09 (nineteen years ago) link
― motown modown (Jody Beth Rosen), Saturday, 30 October 2004 13:48 (nineteen years ago) link
― mookieproof (mookieproof), Monday, 11 July 2005 22:28 (eighteen years ago) link
Season Tix to Diseny = cheap getaway to a land that is well designed and serves real alcohol. Epcot especially. Like an 82 world's fair that never went away...although they're slowly destroying it.
St. John's county beaches are pristine and barely discovered. 60's oldies radio sounds so good in that setting.
Classic 80's Miami Bass, of course.
Listening to my beloved Brazilian pop/jazz makes more sense driving down A1A than it does sitting in my shoebox apartment here in NYC.
And needless to say, in 20 years, I made a number of really smart really good friends, but it's pulling teeth to find those people.
Destroy the rest, which is an assload.
― Sir Dr. Rev. PappaWheelie Jr. II of The Third Kind (PappaWheelie 2), Monday, 24 July 2006 23:23 (seventeen years ago) link
― Maria :D (Maria D.), Tuesday, 25 July 2006 01:22 (seventeen years ago) link
― Maria (Maria), Tuesday, 25 July 2006 01:45 (seventeen years ago) link
― timmy tannin (pompous), Tuesday, 25 July 2006 02:04 (seventeen years ago) link
― trees (treesessplode), Tuesday, 25 July 2006 17:37 (seventeen years ago) link
― Will (will), Tuesday, 25 July 2006 17:55 (seventeen years ago) link
― Alicia Silverfuck (sexyDancer), Tuesday, 25 July 2006 18:00 (seventeen years ago) link
― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Tuesday, 25 July 2006 18:08 (seventeen years ago) link
When I worked for an insurance brokerage in north florida about 4 years ago, the salesmen insisted on telling me what I could do for their "clonce". It took nearly a month for me to figure out they were talking about their "clients".
Floridud.
― Sir Dr. Rev. PappaWheelie Jr. II of The Third Kind (PappaWheelie 2), Tuesday, 25 July 2006 18:31 (seventeen years ago) link
― jaymc (jaymc), Tuesday, 25 July 2006 18:34 (seventeen years ago) link
― ailsa (ailsa), Tuesday, 25 July 2006 18:38 (seventeen years ago) link
I did become very curious about this so I took a drive into it one day. Very creepy to say the least. Twighlight Zone-ish.
Can you imagine being 14 and telling people at school "i live in celebration". Pretty in Pink part II.
― Sir Dr. Rev. PappaWheelie Jr. II of The Third Kind (PappaWheelie 2), Tuesday, 25 July 2006 18:41 (seventeen years ago) link
I went to college with a guy from Celebration. Just as weird as you might expect -- never wanted to talk about it.
I used to loathe Florida until I went on a 5-day canoe trip through the 'Glades and up the western coast. Fan-fucking-tastic. Nowhere in Cali feels as tropical, in my experience (ie - muggy).
― gbx (skowly), Tuesday, 25 July 2006 18:47 (seventeen years ago) link
Heh. South Florida is NOTHING like this. More like Hispanics and indie-too-lates.
― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Tuesday, 25 July 2006 18:53 (seventeen years ago) link
Also, about the bookstores: where in S. Florida do you live? Cuz "Books & Books" or whatever it's called-- that is a totally great bookstore. Everything that a corporate bookstore should be (as in a vast selection of everything including an entire room of art/architecture/poetry), but not corporate. And their sandwiches are killer.
― trees (treesessplode), Tuesday, 25 July 2006 19:58 (seventeen years ago) link
One of the places they like to loiter is:
http://www.electroalliance.net/
― Sir Dr. Rev. PappaWheelie Jr. II of The Third Kind (PappaWheelie 2), Tuesday, 25 July 2006 20:05 (seventeen years ago) link
― scott seward, Sunday, 1 April 2007 21:33 (seventeen years ago) link
― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Sunday, 1 April 2007 21:34 (seventeen years ago) link
― scott seward, Sunday, 1 April 2007 21:36 (seventeen years ago) link
― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Sunday, 1 April 2007 21:36 (seventeen years ago) link
― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Sunday, 1 April 2007 21:37 (seventeen years ago) link
― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Sunday, 1 April 2007 21:39 (seventeen years ago) link
― ENBB, Sunday, 1 April 2007 21:40 (seventeen years ago) link
― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Monday, 2 April 2007 14:34 (seventeen years ago) link
― Whiney G. Weingarten, Monday, 2 April 2007 14:44 (seventeen years ago) link
florida is straight up fucked huh? nytimes cover article today + nyer article last week made the state seem pretty much screwed for a long while.
― max, Monday, 9 February 2009 17:08 (fifteen years ago) link
sorry--not today--yesterday
what happan
― i like to fart and i am crazy (gbx), Monday, 9 February 2009 17:08 (fifteen years ago) link
I saw a picture of 1000 people lining up to fill in 35 job positions to be a firefighter in Miami on an NYT from last week. oy.
― System Jr. (Mackro Mackro), Monday, 9 February 2009 17:17 (fifteen years ago) link
Those who would sacrifice culture for weather deserve neither.
― autosocratic asphyxiation (Hurting 2), Monday, 9 February 2009 18:51 (fifteen years ago) link
http://gawker.com/5951314/used-enemas-resold-to-cvs-customers-after-being-resealed-and-returned
mugshot = O_O
story = O_*
― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Friday, 12 October 2012 22:09 (eleven years ago) link
http://www.tampabay.com/news/environment/wildlife/wildlife-officials-ready-to-round-up-menacing-tegu-lizards-video/2190506
― go ahead. make vid where u rap about this new TMNT movie. (forksclovetofu), Wednesday, 30 July 2014 16:50 (nine years ago) link
Yeah, Florida will never run out of invasive species to hunt.
― love is how's life tonight (how's life), Wednesday, 30 July 2014 16:52 (nine years ago) link
usually they're called the sick and elderly.
― guess that bundt gettin eaten (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 30 July 2014 17:07 (nine years ago) link
Good news for Floridians: significantly less toilet iguanas in your futurehttps://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/mar/22/toilet-invading-iguanas-invasive-species-banned-florida
― G.A.G.S. (Gophers Against Getting Stuffed) (forksclovetofu), Tuesday, 23 March 2021 13:15 (three years ago) link