I don’t wanna go! My husband is on the way home from a job interview in the Tampa area as I write this, and although I have no idea how it went, the phone interview was good enough for them to fly him down there.
The problem is: I don’t like what I have seen of, or know about, Florida. I’m not good with heat and humidity, and I really love four seasons in a year.
Can somebody, please, tell me some really good things about the area to help me out with this?
How’s this:
If global warming continues the whole state will be under water soon and you’ll have to live somewhere else.
Don’t mention it.
“To do her justice, I can’t see that she could have found anything nastier to say if she’d thought it out with both hands for a fortnight.”
Dorothy L. Sayers
Busman’s Honeymoon
The cockroaches are big enough to hitch a ride on so you don’t need public transit. 
I really try to be good but it just isn’t in my nature!
Tampa does have 4 seasons, if you know what to look for. The changes are subtle. You can expect some winter nights in the 40 degree range.
Many people save all year to go to the Tampa area for a week or two. While Tampa itself is not so beautiful, 30 minutes in any direction and you are in paradise.
Get to know the “real” Florida. Huge oaks draped with Spanish Moss. Century old bald cypress stands. Wet prairies covered with flowering plants.
You are a one day drive from one of the most unique places on earth: the everglades.
Going for a early morning swim and having an unexpected dolphin encounter.
Fat cigars rolled on the plump thighs of Cuban beauties.
The Tampa Bay Bucks.
Busch Gardens, and you are one hour from Orlando.
I could go on. If you bring your own happiness with you and are optomistic you’ll be fine.
Not so fast, you mucko!
Now I want to go!
Best reason to live in Tampa: It is not Orlando.
Worst reason to live in Tampa: Way too close to Orlando.
Gosh I can’t wait to move back to Atlanta.
Well, shut my mouth. It’s also illegal to put squirrels down your pants for the purposes of gambling.
You and your profile don’t say where you are now - maybe it would help to be able to compare. I’ve made quite a few trips to Florida - the east coast and the keys mainly, although we did drive through Tampa. I’ve been told that the gulf coast is nicer than the ocean. I had a wonderful time, BTW. Oh, and don’t let Purple scare you with the cockroach stuff. I didn’t see one of them while there…now the mosquitoes - that’s another story :eek: I don’t think the skeeters are year-round though. I’m used to four seasons too, and a little snow in winter. I was there one October and it was in the '90’s. But hey, you’re gonna have A/C, right? As I recall, the nights cooled down considerably. I mean, you can go swimming any time of the year! And I swam with a manatee - that was cool! Everglades, boating, snorkeling – there’s tons of stuff to do. So, you and hubby can take a vacation in the fall or winter and come back north and visit relatives. Take long weekends and drive north thru the mountains. YOu don’t say either if you work outside home or are a full-time housewife. Maybe you’ll discover a new interest or job you’ll love.
Good things about Tampa, and Florida. Hmmmmm. Let’s see. The really big mosquitoes don’t bother you much, cause they can’t get in the house anyway. Those big cockroaches you hear about are not the flying ones. Those flying cockroaches aren’t all that big. As long as you stay further than the length of a particular alligator away from it, they hardly ever bite. Politically, the sugar companies let you vote for whichever one of their candidates you want. The drug money keeps the economy booming, so prices stay waaaay up. Tourists don’t come by much in the really hot weather. Nearly half the population is under sixty.
What goes: Clop, clop, clop, clop, Bang! Bang! Clop, clop, clop?
An Amish drive-by shooting.
Thanks, guys, I think.
I know there’s more to the state than heat and humidity, and I plan to try, I really do.
If we go, I will definitely be taking my happiness with me, since hubby and the kids will be there. Not to mention that the Lord will be with me (even if Florida).
Right now, we’re in the suburbs of Chicago, and while I don’t mind getting a little farther away from the city, I wasn’t thinking quite that far.
BTW, the interview went well, but they still have one more guy to talk to, so we don’t know yet.
But thanks for the pep talk. I’ll let you know what happens.
“What kind of people will I find in the village ahead?” asked the young traveler.
“What kind of people did you find in the village you came from?” the old man inquired.
I lived in Tampa/Clearwater when I was in my twenties, in the 80’s. It’s a real party town with lots of wild women… but you probably don’t care about that. There seemed to be a lot more women to men there.
I did see a police scam when I was there that was odd. They would dress an officer up like a bum and put some cash in his back pocket (from what I was told it was just enough cash to make it a felony I believe) and then when some poor sap would come along and see this “wino”, supposedly not caring about the money sticking out of his back pocket, they would take the money and then the cops would arrest them.
TenSpeedJohn,
Well, the cigars and the Bucks don’t do anything for me, but the rest of the list sounds pretty good. Part of the four season thing is that my favorites are spring and fall and those seem to be the most “subtle”.
Doug Bowe,
Well, in that case, they’ll be friendly and easy to get along with.
People I don’t have concerns about. It’s the rest of the stuff.
Actually a large part of the problem is that nearly all of my family and all of my husband’s family is in this area. All of my children’s grandparents are withing easy visiting distance.
And my mother, who has become one of my best friends since I grew up, is 80 years old. She’s reasonably healthy, but she does have some heart problems, and I hate the thought of not seeing her often.
I know we’ll work it out. I just needed to talk it out a little.
Thanks
The lizards are damned good eatin’.
Uke
Y’all are forgetting the best thing about Tampa - Michelle lives there!
Well, it’s been 20 years since I’ve been in Fla, or lived in St Petersburg, but I do remember the magnificent electrical storms! Very impressive. My advice, if you’re not into the heat and humidity thing, is to move out there in the winter or spring, and give your system lots of time to acclimate,
Larry
Fruit is cheap…
“Do or do not, there is no try” - Yoda