Day In, Day Out

The Sunshine State, we are not. The state nickname proclaiming such? A lie.

...which makes this time of year really frustrating, since the frequent storms often do not permit any outdoor activity beyond 10:30am. Uninformed tourists tend to somehow equate the months from May to October with fun at the beach in the peninsular state, but this could not be more distant from reality -- a fact which those visitors quickly discover after having deplaned and step outside and into an atmosphere which one can practically swim through. Thick, topical air brews cloud tops to the limits of the stratosphere moments after the sun peeks above the horizon and the lines of rain quickly march inland to destroy any hopes of recreation. Kayaking, bicycling, outdoor games, and even those brisk walks through the neighborhood are genuinely made much more exhilarating when that unexpected moment of purple light and searing heat from the heavens violently explodes a tree as a bolt of lightning finds that the pine just sixty feet away from you was a choice ground. Stomping through an inch of standing water as the ground shakes after each strike, swatting at ravenous mosquitoes as one pushes aside thick vegetation feels more akin to being immersed into a Vietnam combat simulator than an afternoon grocery store errand run. Trapped in this repeating pattern for days, weeks, months, and you begin to wonder if your conscripted tour will ever end. One begins to go stir crazy, clinging to the life support system that is central air conditioning, praying the the power holds through the afternoon bombardment on the city's infrastructure.

That being held prisoner indoors is what proves the most difficult to cope with. Shopping malls, bookstores, and cafes turn into emergency areas of refuge -- shelter with climate control that one can resort to and not continue to be stuck at home. It is only a temporary solution, as window shopping or sipping tea while reading a magazine with no intent to purchase can only go so far, though. It isn't long before the afflicted contemplate escaping into the heavy weather...

Dammit, rain! I can't get anything done!

No, really. A lot of my projects are on hold due to weather. It is eroding my sanity!