FIRST DAY OF SUMMER

PREFACE
Summer in south Florida is like living 8" from the sun. Daytime temperatures can 'feel like' 100+ degrees. Sure everybody loves to invade us when it starts to get cold up north. But when they leave, the REAL FLORIDIANS come out to play (or rather, stay in the AC and find other things to do...lol).

STORY
Just like when the snow falls and the wind blows a gale, and the temperatures drop to the teens or single digits, the northern dwellers stay inside, under blankets, drinking hot chocolate, and inching the thermostat up a degree or two. They hibernate. Not much you can do outside without chancing frostbite, so catching up on movies or series's missed is the activity of the night.

Those that work and have to brave the weather during the weekdays, forge ahead, dreaming of the Florida vacation in the spring (February or March) when the ground is still frozen up north. Florida is having it's most enjoyable weather. It's winter from the middle of January to the middle of March, and there are about two weeks of winter for us. One or two days at a time, the temperature will dip down below 60 degrees. It's glorious! We have to put on sweaters and jackets, to the sheer amusement of the snowbirds.

CONCLUSION
Every location has it's good and bad to recommend living there. The good you enjoy and the bad you'll put up with. It has to balance out for you to stay. I've been here for more than 50 years. I wasn't born here but moved here when I was 2. I've left for 5 years or so at a time, but have always come back. "Once you get the sand between your toes, you never leave (for good)." With the sea level rising, that may be the only reason that I leave Florida...for higher ground. We are at (or some places below) sea level here! Time to head north! 😊

4 DAYS 'TIL SUMMER!

PREFACE
Summer in south Florida started in March! Truth be told, we've had a few days this spring that were quite nice. Below 70 degrees even. But when you're 8 inches from the sun, SUMMER is half the year.

STORY
Having lived most of my life in south Florida, I'm not surprised that it is over 80 degrees on April 2nd. But when it gets to be June, it's over 90 degrees every day! And that is just the thermometer reading, not factoring in the humidity over 80% most days and lack of cloud cover (read as "sun beating down relentlessly"). I remember half a dozen days in the summer being over 100! when I was a kid. I remember downtown flooding "because it's near impossible to drain sea level" and more than 2 days of straight rain causes flooding. There's no place for water to go 'down' when you're at sea level!

What is surprising to me is to look at the rest of the country and their weather. My son lives in Madison, WI and today it was 74 degrees there. My nephew lives in San Francisco, CA and it was  70. There are other places to live besides here! The only problem is that THEY have their extremes too. Where I can't live is a place where it gets colder than freezing (32 degrees F), or I can't see the sky most of the year (gray, cloud covered, low hanging sky is SO DEPRESSING!), nor a place that has lots of tornadoes. I need to be close to water (even if it's not the ocean, which is preferred). Now that the sea level is rising, HERE is not a good place to live.

CONCLUSION
We've been looking at Georgia and South Carolina for places to live. It's hard for my sister because she's got so much history here (50 years in the same house, this year). She has connections to the community. (And she HATES change.) I'm not so rooted.

I have lived with my sister for the past 5 years. I know that due to my income and PTSD, that I'm not likely to move out and get my own place. Where ever she decides will be a good place for her, will be fine with me. I can eBay from anywhere. I'm retired, so no job to sever myself from. My friends have moved away or I moved away from them. Most of my friends are now online, more than in person. I can live anywhere. I would just like to live somewhere that it doesn't feel like I just walked into HELL's front door when I walk out my front door!

AND HERE WE ARE AGAIN

PREFACE
It seems that every three years, I am unemployed from teaching at college level. Never mind that I don't have my terminal degree (Master's in Fine Arts, like a PhD but not called a PhD, still no degree above it). Never mind that I get higher student review scores than full time professor colleagues. Never mind that I'm a woman, and post-secondary institutions are notorious for being male-heavy in their instructors/professors! Oh, and besides, I have no significant man in my life.

STORY
I have worked for this college for 3 years. I was told that my "credit hours" were to be cut due to Obamacare and I couldn't go over the requirements of 30 hours. WHAT!? I teach 10 hours a WEEK! That requirement to provide health insurance coverage for employees that work over 30 hours...is per WEEK. I teach 4 classes, 2.5hrs each class = 10 hours for fall semester (12 credit hrs). Plus 10 hours for spring semester (12 credit hrs).. Plus 2 classes, 6 hrs/week for 6 weeks for summer terms A and B  (12 credit hrs total). That comes to 36 credit hours for the YEAR! not per week. Ok, so cut me back to no classes in the summer = 24 credit hours (NO, TOO CLOSE TO 30!) Frustrating getting a straight answer out of anyone.

Along comes SACS accreditation and 4 adjuncts get axed due to no MFAs. 2 women, 1 black man out of 4. Hmmm. A vague promise to hire me back in the spring when SACS is off their backs. Meanwhile, I'm living on $692 (+ $162 food stamps) per month. Not a whole lotta living-wage jobs out there for a 57 yo woman without a masters degree.

CONCLUSION
I am confident that everything will work out for the best for me. Right now, my depression has kicked in and I have to go to sleep. Tomorrow is another day (actually it's already tomorrow...hmmm, looking out the window...looks like a better day!). Namaste'

THE CANADIANS HAVE ARRIVED!!

PREFACE
I was driving to Fort Pierce on Friday and noticed three (3) motorhomes traveling south with Quebec license plates. Fort Lauderdale is the mecca for Canandians in January.

STORY
I was going to Ft. Pierce to apply for a payday loan and reflecting on these motorhomes...these self-contained, gas-guzzling, house-on-wheels...driving south to park for a month or more in south Florida in order to avoid the crippling cold of Canada. I don't blame them!

As an acclimated Floridian (one that's lived more than 30 years in Florida...actually 42 years for me), I chose to live here. I am a "lizard" and not a "snow bunny." I spent enough time in snow, cold weather with wind blowing 35 mph and not able to wear enough clothes to keep the cold wind from cutting through you...to the BONE! Nice to visit...not nice to live in. It is not quite far enough into the winter for it to be THE RIGHT TIME TO BE IN FLORIDA. The last week in January to the third week in February are the BEST time in Florida. It is the reason people come to Florida.

CONCLUSION
The "optimum time" of the season in Florida is what keeps the economy in Florida going for the rest of the year!! it officially runs from Labor Day to Memorial Day (Sept - May) but that is the whole "season" in Florida. There are four "optimum" weeks...and they are almost here...and so are the CANADIANS!! LOL God Bless 'em!

HOW MANY IS TOO MANY?

PREFACE
How many blogs is too many? What if I don't have anything to say? How about if I don't want to say it six times? or even three times? The proliferation of blogging has made it impossible to keep up with postings!

STORY
Yahoo and most social networks offer blogs now. Yahoo recently incorporated "live comments" into their email environment and I don't want to post what I'm doing! I'm checking my email!

I started with LJ, then set up a fairly regular blog on blogger.com (then two more separate ones, totaling three on blogger!). Then I joined Tagged.com (social but overtly adult) which has a place on your profile for 'journal' entries, besides a 'daily comment' box right by your ID. I'm also on Facebook, Twitter, and SEVERAL dating sites (all of which have forums and some have blogs on the profiles too). AARP has blogging on your profile (imagine grandma blogging?! well I do!). I'm on LinkedIn and Joined, which are business oriented networking sites, which you can link to your website, social networks, and Twitter accounts!

How much is too much information? Plus the older generation (and the younger one in fact) aren't really aware of who might be "Googling" their name and coming up with all the links to ALL their information. All the snarky remarks that you've vented about your boss on Twitter or Facebook or YOUR BLOG! Venting on the internet with ALL THE WORLD to see!? Not the best idea without some advanced thought about the consequences.

CONCLUSION
There have already been incidents of people getting fired over information posted on public blogs. I'm sure there have been law suits too (but since I cut myself off from daily assault by the news media, I'm not familiar with any). I post when I can, when I have something to say or something I want to remember. I have never cared if anyone reads what I post, but I have put some thought into who might read it. I don't post what I wouldn't want to see on the "front page of a newspaper" so to speak (since they are a dying media, not that I think print is dead or will ever be). What if all the wireless connectivity were to cease for some reason? Then what? We'd have to find a pen and paper again...

HATE TO THROW UP!

PREFACE
I know, who doesn't hate to throw up (except those with an eating disorder). I cannot fathom how they do it more than twice. The damage that is done to the throat and esophagus alone. I spent my twenties learning my limit for alcohol and a lot of time "praying to the porcelain god," in other words, vomiting into the toilet until there was only dry heaves and then nap-time on the tile floor. And then there were the bouts with food poisoning of every description and stomach viruses. I HATE TO THROW UP!

STORY
The time change we Americans went through on November 1st this year, marked a disruption to my sleep pattern as I have never experienced before. It is always difficult for me to go back to the standard time reference and the shorter daylight hours. My adjustment usually lasts two weeks or so (which I'm right on schedule). I have been staying up all through the night and then going to bed at 8AM or noon or 3PM!! just to wake up/get up at 9PM or 11PM!! I tried 2 or 3 times to stay up all night and go to bed at a regular time to try to re-set my internal clock but it didn't work. I would just continue to be awake until 2 or 3 in the morning.

Anyway, I was on this sleep roller-coaster on Monday night when I decided to make a pot roast. I cooked it in a roasting bag and after it was done, I put it on the stove-top to rest before carving it, then while relaxing on the couch I fell asleep. It was all sealed up in the bag, but I didn't put it in the refrigerator until three hours later when I woke up, heated up a little of it and ate. Then I worked on my classwork for several hours before I went to bed for another 6 hour stretch.

Tuesday night I heated up a little more of it for a late dinner and worked on the computer for several hours. I took a break to watch some TV and fell asleep on the couch. About 5 or 6 hours later I woke up with a belly ache. It was around 4AM and while sitting on the toilet waiting for some resolution to the rumbling tummy I got the unmistakable feeling of increased saliva production...I grabbed the waste basket and put it in front of me, just in time to vomit (while still sitting on the toilet!). Diarrhea and vomiting...oh, what fun. I don't think any other animal but man goes through this helpless, uncontrollable malady. After about 20 minutes of this, it finally subsided and all the BAD was out of my system...thank god! I crawled into bed and slept until 8AM.

CONCLUSION
I felt worn out but not sick throughout Wednesday until it got to be 24 hours from the time I was sick. I started to feel pain in my back and ribs. Had I really exerted that much while throwing up? Damn...I'm outta shape! All day Thursday I couldn't even cough or laugh without feeling it in my back and ribs. So I guess the lesson learned here is, don't cook a major meal when you might fall asleep and inadvertently give yourself food poisoning! Always store your leftovers right away in the fridge, not three hours later! And don't fight the time change...just let my body adjust in it's own time, in its own way. I don't have this problem at all in the spring, when we go to Daylight Savings Time. Why can't we just stay on that all year long??

CATCHING UP IS HARD TO DO

It's the fourth day already of the 31 Days to Build a Better Blog Challenge and I'm two days behind already. First day was to create an elevator pitch for my blog. Well I did that. It's up there at the top of the page. This blog is about everything...and nothing...depending on what day you read it. I figure if "NOTHING" content was good enough to have SEINFELD run for 9 years, it's good enough for me. But I do cover everything eventually.

I also have to explain that I have two other blogs that are very honest and very explicit in expressing the events in my life and my feelings. So when this challenge required me to concentrate on one blog, I picked the tamest one to expand upon. Sorry if this makes my starting point somewhat dull, but as I learn, I will spice it up some and drop some censorship. My other blogs are more like a "no holds barred" diary and could cause problems in my relationships with my friends and family.

There will also be a lot of personal information and experiences in online and real life dating and relationships. Helpful hints that I've learned and resources both in print and online.

Let the adventure begin!