Snorkel and Prom

Last weekend the weather cleared up enough for me, Nicky, and our friend, Taylor, to go snorkeling on a reef off of Key Largo. There were so many fish. It was such an unusual and euphoric feeling to be weightless and surrounded by fish of all sorts of colors, especially a group of yellow and black striped, palm-sized fish that simply accepted your presence and surrounded you. Something about it reminded me of flying dreams. Those are the best dreams.

We ate beforehand at a hole in the wall called the Crack'd Conch. Conch fritters and key lime pie-yum.

That Sunday we had a bbq at the Residence Inn, home sweet home for the last month and a half--one more month to go. There are a lot of new hires and therefore a lot of people there. Even people who had "graduated" to actual homes came back for the bbq and pool games involving a single tennis ball. Who knew a motel could handle such a good time?



This weekend we had planned to kayak through mangrove trees near a nudie beach but the weather would not allow it. Only two more weekends in Miami and I have a list to get through--the weather needs to give a little help, here!

We did, however, go to Prom on Saturday night. A designer from our work held a party at his house and invited the whole agency. Tiaras, limos, and miller flowed freely.





Sparkle the unicorn purse was a big hit by an intern who allowed her babysitting charges to dress her for the party. She had some nice pink goggles and a tiara, too.





Later we headed to a hotel to go swimming on the 8th floor with a nice view of--not a whole lot. It was fancy, silly, and very Miami.

I'm heading to the big state of Texas for the 4th of July. We'll see if their supermarkets can beat the pre-packs of fireworks that they have at the supermarkets here. With rainbow colors and fancy fonts and cellophane wrapping, I might just have to buy some myself.

Big Sky

My grandma used to live in Florida and all that I remember about Florida from the trips to see her besides the alligators and air conditioning is how huge the skies seemed; so much bigger than anywhere else with giant puffy clouds high up in the atmosphere. Texas might be called Big Sky Country but, to me, Florida's tropical skies outdo what I saw on the drive through Texas. What I remember from childhood still holds true; the sky here makes you feel miniscule and beyond that, has incredible power to unleash wild weather on you.

Rainbow over the Marina in Coconut Grove.


Tropical sunset (generally over land though, part of being on the east coast now--gotta get used to that)


Last weekend my belongings finally arrived and I salvaged my bike from going into storage. I had time on Sunday to bike to the Venetian Pool in Coral Gables, a historic pool built out of a rock quarry with waterfalls and lots of pseudo-Spanish architecture. Really beautiful and relaxing.


Then on my ride home I was caught in a cloudburst. I now know the true meaning of that word. To go from gorgeous skies like you see over the pool to rain like below in less than half an hour is what happens pretty much every afternoon. 45 minutes later the rain will subside and the gutters will be overflowing onto the sidewalk, simply unable to contain the flash flood that falls from the sky.


Today I was supposed to go snorkeling in Key Largo but the plan was foiled yet again, this time by the bad weather we've had all weekend. My first full weekend not working and I wasn't able to really get out! I spent today watching the world cup games in different bars (all with babies in them--lots of babies in bars, it seems) with Nicky, an editor who started work the same day as me, and her visiting friend.

We are determined to go. It will happen before I leave Florida!

work work work

I work from 8am in my hotel room to 9am and then go in to the agency and stay until 11:30pm, then come home and write more emails. Then I try to sleep. If I can just work it out to NOT work on Sunday, I'm going to go snorkeling in Key Largo.

Portrait of someone from my work: treo in one hand, cigarette in the other, bags under eyes with distant look in them, smile often on face. Really.

I live in Florida?

Fark.com has a specific heading for Florida posts. For example: http://suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-cat22.html

Florida photos to come as soon as I find my camera cord...but I'm pretty much at work all the time and my new job has strict rules on confidentiality--even what can't be blogged. So, limited photos and information, coming soon!

I pretty much work all the time. I had to ask for Sunday off last week. Reid (o mysterious X!) came to visit me and we drove halfway down the Florida Keys before we escaped the mass of memorial day traffic and found a little scrappy scrap o' beach.

It was hip-hop-weekend-at-the-beach in South Beach and I was intrigued at being one of the only white people on the beach on Monday. Miami and my workplace are the most diverse places I've ever lived and worked. It's so different, but not really.

However, I will be moving to Boulder, CO in August for yet another change of scenery and to work at a new office opening there. Having never been there, I think I will probably enjoy it. I don't have time to think during the day but at night when I'm not usually obligated to be working (though this is not consistently true) I've started to have dreams about the people I love and worked with. Although I am meeting some great people here I'll be leaving most of them behind when I head to Boulder as the office is splitting.

Hurricane season started today. I responded by buying one jug of water. I've got two cans of tuna, too. I'm so prepared.