Going to Disney World

I am taking the family to Disney World today for a weekend getaway. If you love the theme parks of Orlando one of the benefits of living in Sarasota is that you are only about 2 hours away. We are staying at The Contemporary hotel so the kids can easily ride the monorail. Through the eyes of a 3 and 1.5 year old that will be one of the coolest things they see this weekend.

Warm, sunny and miserable

This morning I read an amusing article from David Grimes of the Sarasota Herald Tribune. I thought you might enjoy it as well.

Yes, it's 75 and sunny, and yes, it's early February, but we're not as happy as you would think.

There is always the threat of a cold front. Occasionally, the temperature will plummet to a frigid 62. This is cause for universal alarm and panic. Extra blankets are hauled out of the closets. Air conditioners are turned down to low. Furniture is burned in a futile attempt to stay warm.

Oh, yes, you Northerners scoff at our travails, but you have no idea. It has been dry lately and our lawns are looking a little brown. Your lawns are covered in snow. Looking out upon a semi-green lawn in February is so depressing, we sometimes forget to use sunblock and get over-tanned.

Driving is another reason we're miserable. Since it has been warm and sunny recently, we have been obligated to drive with the tops down on our convertibles. This has resulted in mussed hair and additional over-tanning. It is also hard to hear our Beach Boys CDs when the wind is ruffling our Hawaiian shirts.

I have lived up North in February, and it is a beautiful thing. You start the day by hacking the ice off of your car. Then you slide down the road into a 12-car pileup. Then you return home with the flu. This pattern repeats itself until early April.

Because of our nice weather, we remain disgustingly healthy here in Florida, which gives us little to talk about.

While you folks up North get to commiserate at parties about your colds, flu and general ague, we are left to discuss the stock market, real estate prices and Hillary Clinton's emotional stability. Trust me, these conversations seldom turn out well.

People think coming to Florida for a winter vacation is a good idea, but they are wrong.
Everyone here is sunburned and cranky. The real estate market is in the tank. Our roads are lined with orange construction cones. Jimmy Buffett isn't as young as he used to be.

When I go out and fetch the paper in the morning, I shiver.

Not because it's cold (it isn't), but because I know I'm going to have to squeeze a dozen oranges from the backyard tree for our Sunday-morning screwdrivers.

Who can put up with that kind of pressure?

Call it! Friend-o

I saw No Country For Old Men when my sister was visiting me last month from out of town. It was directed by the Coen brothers who made Fargo. If you have seen Fargo it has that same type of feel. The movie has some violence so if that turns you off I don't recommend you seeing it. I enjoyed the movie, especially the villain Anton Chigurh played by Javier Bardem. It looks like he may win an oscar for his performance. This is one of those movies you need to see twice.

I also saw There Will be Blood with Daniel Day Lewis. I did not care for it. However, Daniel Day Lewis did a great job of acting.

I saw this at Burns Court Cinema. It has been probably 10 years since I have been to this theatre. I am not the foreign or artsy movie type. The theaters are charming and homey. If you are into foreign movies go to Burns and enjoy one.

Lunch today

I just noticed that my last post in this blog was in late November. Sorry for the laziness. December was one big blur with the holidays. I also several Canadian clients in town and was busy with them. Their dollar is very strong right now so I am getting inundated with real estate calls.

I will get back in the groove of writing more posts. Amazingly enough I was showing a unit in The Renaissance in downtown Sarasota when the potential buyer told me he read this blog and appreciated some of the posts about Sarasota that were not real estate related.

I had lunch with another SKY Sothebys associate, Tom Kelley. We ate at Carigiulos on Palm Avenue in downtown. I had a tasty chicken sandwich. Tom had the steak salad. He ate it like it was his last meal. If you have not eaten there give it a try.