Something Shiny! » Florida

Waiting game

emily — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 23:44:27 +0000

One of my favorite quotes from a book reads, “it does not to do dwell on dreams and forget to live.” Lately, I confess, I’ve been dwelling on dreams. I try so hard to live in the now, as it were, but I feel as though I’m failing entirely. With my dissertation safely in the hands of my committee members, and the dissertation status meeting more than a month away, I’ve got some time on my hands. Sure, I’m working on potential articles and dabbling in dissertation-related work, but I also find myself dreaming a lot. Maybe too much. About where we’ll be a year from now, about what kind of job (if any) I’ll be able to land, and, mostly, about what our life will look like When We Get Where We’re Going (TM). It doesn’t do to dwell on dreams, of course, but I can’t help but dwell a little bit. Especially in the middle of all this waiting.

Attack of the killer ants

emily — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 17:33:21 +0000

As if I needed more proof that humans aren’t actually supposed to inhabit this part of Florida: I was attacked yesterday at the dog park. Attacked by vicious, flesh-eating, soul-maiming, confidence-sucking ants. Ants. I’ve written before about how I got bitten by an ant. Ant, singular. But this was different. Swarming and crazed, they bit every part of my feet they could find. And then, just as I started looking like a crazy person, complete with flailing arms and enough cursing to make a sailor blush, they took on both John and the dog, biting everything in sight. Then, perhaps egged on by the ants’ success, the flies started biting. If we’d then been hit by frogs falling from the sky, I wouldn’t have been surprised. The end of days: let me show you it.

Broken

emily — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 17:03:40 +0000

I’m sorry to have to be the one to say this. But shit just doesn’t work right down here. People always ask us why we don’t like Gainesville, and it’s so hard to pinpoint. Certainly one of the reasons, though, is that shit just doesn’t work right down here. Case in point: the main library on campus. I turned in a recalled book last night, a full hour before closing (yes, on the day that it was due– what are you, the police?). I brought it into the library and took it to the Circulation book drop. I didn’t turn it in to the book drop outside the library because I wanted it to be taken off of my account sooner rather than later. People, it’s still on my account. The Circ workers last night weren’t outwardly busy and yet, what, couldn’t be bothered to empty the bookdrops sitting four feet away and discharge the books? And here’s where I go all Andy Rooney on you, grousing about stickers on fruit and stuff: where’s that midwestern work ethic I grew up with?!? I worked at a university library my entire undergraduate career and let me tell you, that shit would have never flown there. If I get a library fine because of this, there will be hell to pay. And while I’ve got your attention, let me tell you about stickers on fruit, too!

Spring Break, Florida style

emily — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 03:21:21 +0000

So! [claps hands] Where were we? After Friday’s debacle, I’m pretty relieved to be on Spring Break right now. Spring Break as a grad student is so very, very different from Spring Break as an undergrad. To wit: I’m on Spring Break Day Two and there’s nary a beach in sight. I’m in Florida, sure, but that’s about it. (My brother called the other night and, choking back laughter, asked if I was going to Florida for Spring Break. Har har har.) So what am I doing with my time, you ask? I’m catching some sun! I’m sleeping in late! I’m enjoying the beautiful weather! I’m… completely lying: in fact, I’m working on my dissertation. While I could pretend to be bummed about that, I’m actually totally jazzed. I’m so jazzed that I just used the word “jazzed.” It’s been since last summer that I had this kind of time to devote to my own research and I honestly couldn’t be happier. I only interrupted my work twice today: once for lunch and once to update my Facebook page about the Lohan-a-holic brouhaha. Because, seriously, could she be more crazy? Milk-a-whaaat? Good stuff. Here’s to Spring Break 2010! Come on down, the weather’s fine!

NaBloPoMo: Hunkering down

emily — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:08:27 +0000

One thing I really bemoan about living so far south is that we don’t really have a winter. I love super cold winters where you get to hunker down in your house with the fire blazing, wrapped in multiple layers, and really enjoy the warmth inside juxtaposed against the cold outside. Everyone I know got so tired of snow, ice, and cold fingers last winter, which I certainly understand. But I’m also secretly jealous.

Southern survival tip

emily — Thu, 28 May 2009 13:55:15 +0000

The scene: John and I were in bumper-to-bumper traffic yesterday evening, barely moving an inch. Now, we don’t live in New York City. We live in a town whose population is, in fact, less than the population of New York City in 1820. Not a lot of people live here, is what I’m saying. And yet we find ourselves in big city traffic a lot.

Me: [making a noise akin to a bleating sheep]
John: The less you care, the less it hurts.

Me: Huh?
John: It’s just life in the South: once you stop giving a crap, the pain goes away.

The swarm

emily — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 02:32:15 +0000

Tonight at the dog park, I looked across the field that lay before me and it appeared to be swimming. Upon closer inspection, I noticed that individual blades of grass were moving, but not all of them. This was weird in and of itself for a few reasons, not the least of which was that there wasn’t even a trace of a breeze. When I discovered what was making the grass move, I was horrified. Internet, I couldn’t make this up: hundreds, maybe even thousands, of fat black mosquitoes were swarming around in the grass. WELCOME TO FLORIDA. WE HOPE YOU’RE INOCULATED AGAINST WEST NILE VIRUS. HAVE A NICE DAY.

And what’s in YOUR forecast?

emily — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 15:56:01 +0000

The Beach

emily — Thu, 29 May 2008 13:29:31 +0000

Two weeks ago, when Mindi and David called to invite us to stay with them at the beach, I was a little worried. Excited to see them, yes, but nonetheless a little worried. It had been since Christmas 2003 that we last saw them. Before we moved to Florida, we’d spent countless hours with David and Mindi. We met them in 2001 at a mutual friend’s wedding and instantly hit it off. From then on, we saw one another whenever we could. But after we moved, life got in the way and we didn’t stay in touch as often. So naturally I wondered: Would it be awkward? Would we be able to pick up where we left off? What if they had changed? What if we had changed? As soon as we got there, though, I realized that I had nothing to worry about. They’re just as they used to be. A little more careworn, as are we all, but nothing else has changed. It was a great couple of days with two wonderful friends, and we picked up just where we left off.

Out of office auto-reply

emily — Tue, 20 May 2008 12:56:19 +0000

We’re headed to the beach for a couple days and since I’m not bringing my laptop with me (gasp!), I won’t be blogging. See you later this week!