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Wednesday, July 31, 2002
I've been a Florida resident for 31 days. What have I learned?
First and foremost, all references to the West Coast no longer imply anything including or remotely close to California. No, the West Coast now refers to Tampa, Ft. Myers and a bunch of other places on the other side of Florida.
I made the mistake of assuming as much, chit-chatting with someone, somewhere, sometime recently, and we were good ten minutes into our conversation about traveling to the "West Coast" when I finally clued in on what this person was actually referring to. Fortunately, my having said, "You know, I've never been out there," was true, and I hadn't said anything stupid like, "I wished I had some time to stop there on my home from Hawaii."
What have I not learned yet? That bugs are a fact of life and that I have to get used to them.
I suppose I freak out less by the day with every large ant I find on my office walls or bathroom floor, but never will I not mind large black spiders or anything resembling a cockroach sharing my living space. I don't think I've spotted any roaches yet, but there are some roach-looking bugs that fly, and they remind me too much of the things I saw all too often at the Manhattan sublet I occupied last summer. Ick.
Really, there are many comforts of "home" here in Florida. There are many of the same stores, like Target, TJ Maxx, 7-11, and even a "New York-style" Chinese food restaurant. I'm not sure I can define what makes it "New York-style," because I thought Chinese food was Chinese food, whether you got it in New York, China or somewhere on the West Coast, but I felt compelled to eat there purely for the New York connection.
Meanwhile, I avoid at all costs Florida's versions of "New York pizza" and "New York bagels." But, for the record, I have eaten at at least two New York-style delis, and Pizza Hut's hand-tossed pizza wasn't all that bad.
I do miss Dairy Barn, the little red drive-through convenience stores that dotted Long Island--it's pretty cool, needing milk and not having to step out of the car to get it. But I'm really enjoying Dairy Queen--soft-serve ice cream at its best!
I don't miss my commute to work. I went from two hours door-to-door, to two seconds, room-to-room. I find I get only a little less aggravated working from home as I did working in the office. And contrary to what seems like popular belief, I really do WORK from home. I thought maybe, just maybe, I might find a touch more time during the workday to check my personal e-mail, but that hasn't been happening. I have no boss looking over my shoulder in the literal sense, but I do have a boss I very much need to prove to that I can, indeed, be just as productive, if not moreso, working remotely. Now that's a challenge!
And it goes without saying that I miss Joe, and I really miss my dog. But each day, the Sunshine State is feeling more and more like home.
Maybe, just maybe, I'll even start calling it that.
Quote Of The Day:
"Home is where the heart is." --Unknown
Worth Noting:
Daisy loves her new home and has picked up a new hobby: sleeping in the bathroom sink!
In The Background:
"Always On Time" by Ja Rule