True Floridians Know...

1. Socks are only for bowling.

2. You never use an umbrella because you know the rain will be over in five minutes.

3. A good parking place has nothing to do with distance from the store, but everything to do with shade.

4. Your winter coat is made of denim.

5. You can tell the difference between fire ant bites and mosquito bites.

6. You're younger than thirty but some of your friends are over 65.6..Anything under 70 is chilly.

7. You've driven through Yeehaw Junction.

8. You could swim before you could read.

9. You have to drive north to get to The South.

10. You know that no other grocery store can compare to Publix.

11. Every other house in your neighborhood had blue roofs in 2004-2005.

12. You've gotten out of school early on Halloween to trick or treat before it got dark

13. You know that anything under a Category 3 just isn't worth waking up for.

14. You dread love bug season.

15. You are on a first name basis with the Hurricane list.They aren't Hurricane Charley, Hurricane Frances...but Charley , Frances , Ivan and Jeanne.

16. You know what a snowbird is and when they'll leave.

17. You think a six-foot alligator is actually pretty average.

18. You were 12 before you ever saw snow, or you still haven't.

19. 'Down South' means Key West

20. You think New York drivers licenses should only be valid in New York.

21. Flip-flops are everyday wear.

22.Shoes are for business meetings and church.

23. but you HAVE worn flip flops to church before.

24. Sweet tea can be served at any meal.

25. An alligator once walked through your neighborhood.

26. You smirk when a game show's 'Grand Prize' is a trip or cruise to Florida

27. You measure distance in minutes.

28. You have a drawer full of bathing suits, and one sweatshirt.

29. You get annoyed at the tourists who feed seagulls.

30. A mountain is any hill 100 feet above sea level.

32. You think everyone from a bigger city has a northern accent.

33. You know the four seasons really are: hurricane season, love bug season, tourist season and summer

34. It's not soda, cola, or pop.it's coke, regardless of brand or flavor: 'What kinda coke you want?'

35. Anything under 95 is just warm.

36. You've hosted a hurricane party.

37. You go to a theme park for an afternoon, and know when to get on the best rides.( Space Mountain during the Electric Light Parade!)

38. You understand the futility of exterminating cockroaches.

39. You can pronounce Okeechobee, Kissimmee , Ichnatucknee and Withlacoochee

40. You understand why it's better to have a friend with a boat than to own a boat yourself.

41. Bumper stickers on the pickup in front of you include: various fish, NRA, NASCAR, Go Gators, and a confederate flag.

42. You were five before you realized they made houses without pools.

43. You were 25 when you first met someone who couldn't swim.

44. You've worn shorts and used the A/C on Christmas.

45. You recognize Miami-Dade as ' Northern Cuba '.

Tyler's 2nd Birthday

My second boy, Tyler, turned 2 today so we had a wonderful birthday party for him. My wife, Kay, did 99% of the work so she gets the credit. We had family and friends over to enjoy the party. My father bought Dylan and Tyler these cool Hulk punching gloves. ;-)

Ceviche Tapas Bar & Restaurant

I took my wife to eat at the new Ceviche's on 1st in Sarasota a few weeks. I cannot remember what I ate but I do remember that it was good. I will go again and give you some recommended dishes to try. The old building has been rehabbed nicely with a lot of character. I would give it a try. The outside bar on the 3rd floor is a great setting.

Busy, Busy, Busy

I have not put much time to writing in this blog. I have said it before but I will make a better effort of writing about life in Sarasota. Perhaps, I am having too much fun to bother writing about it. In actuality, it has been a busy season.

Happy Easter

Happy Easter to everyone. I hope you have a great one.

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.