Those that have been to these parts of the interwebs in the past might recall that that this blog took a semi-hiatus after I announced I was leaving florida for a new job. I’m back in FLA as of last month and I see you people are still as screwed up as ever!
Smells like fodder to me.
Anyway, I took the opportunity to move the blog to a new host because I’m a cheap fucker and promptly lost about half of my images, from what I can tell. So I have some work to do to recover those. !@##$%^!!!!!!!!!!
In the meantime, take off your shoes, grab a beer, and feel the sand between your toes.
Seeing blog posts and tweets from various and sundry bloggers that seem to have gathered for a trip to Sea World – Orlando brought back memories of my time working there one summer in college. Normally, I was assigned to the Fantasy Theatre, working the Under the Sea show as an usher, or Dr. Lovecraft’s Night Magic Show (this was a veeeerrrrryyyyy long time ago!). One day, I was assigned to cover the Shark Encounter for whatever reason. While there, I noticed a dead grouper on the bottom of the tank.
The special in the employee cafeteria the following day: Grouper Bits.
I am an unabashed fan of the Gators of the University of Florida. I am a proud attendee of 6 entire weeks during the summer of 1985. I firmly believe every young man should spend a year in Gainesville.
Good times, good times…
Now, I live in Huntsville, AL. When people ask how I like it in Huntsville, my pat reply is that the only thing wrong with Huntsville is it is surrounded by Alabama.
As this post is written, ESPN’s College Gameday program is being broadcast from Baton Rouge, where the Alabama Crimson Tide (WTF is a Crimson Tide supposed to be anyway?… [shudder]…) is rolling into town to take on the Tigers of the Louisiana State University. Normally, not must-see TV for the average Gator fan especially with Florida heading into a potential trap-game against a better-than-usual Vanderbilt on the same day. Howver, Florida has a stranglehold on the SEC East title and Alabama has a stranglehold on the SEC West title, meaning these two teams will most likely match up in early December in the SEC Championship Game.
And right now, Alabama is the #1 team in the country. So, Florida fans, if you want to see our beloved Gators in the BCS title game, playing for the national championship, the ideal situation you can hope for is for Alabama to roll into Atlanta undefeated and still #1. If Florida beats the #1 team in the country in their final game of the season, a CHAMPIONSHIP game, guess who goes to the title game?
Among the bloggers I am friends with there aren’t many that I agree with politically, but I hope most of you will agree with this sentiment: Miserable Failure
A few months ago I wrote about what my wishes were in the event of my untimely death. My wife made me write it because she knew members of my family might have trouble with some of it, and she was right – they weighed in.
I will say my brother Mike had an awesome alternative, except he left out dolphin fishing off Key Largo and a poker game. But remembering the strip club (now closed, unfortunately) is certainly a masterstroke, and he has my permission to find an appropriate substitute. Lord knows, we supported many a single mom in our day. But his trip still needs to finish at the gulf with my wife and kids.
Last week, a friend of the family on my wife’s side passed away. A neighbor, a gentle man, unassuming, always willing to lend a hand. He would help my father-in-law when he had particularly difficult or heavy chores to handle. He was so vigorous I had no idea he was in his 80′s until my mother-in law told me. His yard was full of old boats in various states of repair, and he loved fishing.
He told his wife he didn’t want a memorial service, and he wanted to be cremated. His family went ahead with the memorial service because sometimes families need that sort of thing. But they did a wonderful thing.
My wife posted an excellent homemade ice cream recipe on her Florida blog. Her mother and grandmother made it at every summer gathering – yum!
I love the idea that my daughters are learning traditions that have passed from mother to daughter for generations. I’m not sure how much of that goes on anymore, but I bet the afternoons they spent making ice cream with Mom and grandma will be the things they’ll remember when they have grandchildren.
What are some of the traditions passed down in your families?
