Hot and Steamy in Florida

No, not me, just the weather. It' s been raining like crazy the past week and a half--thunder, lightning and buckets of water being dumped everywhere. Usually I get caught in the biggest downpour of the day when I'm in the process of driving somewhere. I grit my teeth, and try to focus on the tail lights of the car ahead of me. Otherwise I can't see anything. Despite the fact that my windshield wipers are going as fast as they can, my vision is blocked by rain falling in the biggest drops I've ever seen in my life. Welcome to the Sunshine State.

I finally got my library card, so I'm hanging out there while I wait for the Flea Bombs to disperse in my apartment. It turns out that the 25 mosquito bites on my feet and ankles are really flea bites. No wonder they've been itching like crazy for the past two weeks. Thank you, previous tenent and your dogs. I had to sleep on the floor several days while I waited for my new mattress and box springs to arrive, and that's when I realized that I had company. Fortunately it's not a massive infestation--the bombs should thoroughly eradicate them, but I feel pretty disgusted about the whole situation, like it somehow reflects on my own personal hygiene. In spite of the situation with the bugs, I find myself wanting a dog or something. My apartment complex allows pets, and it seems everyone has a dog, mostly chihuahuas for some absurd reason. If it were me, I'd get a terrier. I've always wanted a big dog, but I couldn't fit one in my apartment. Not once Lindsey gets here, especially. But I'm a little daunted by the cost: vet fees, flea prevention, food, licensing, apartment deposit. Maybe if I save up and Lindsey likes dogs. Who knows. It might just be that I'm lonely and want something else in the apartment that's alive (houseplants don't count).

The whole process of moving has been radically different than I expected. I didn't exactly expect it to be easy, but I was hoping it might be more like moving back to college after the summer. It's not. But I think I'm finally beginning to feel settled. I've made sure that everyone knows my new address and phone number (athough I'm sure there are a few uninformed friends out there), I'm getting mail now, and I don't have to buy anything else for awhile. It seemed that during the first week or so, I was going to the store every day for something else that I had forgotten to get the last time I was there. I think the people at Target are beginning to know me on a first-name basis. Maybe they'll ask me to hang out with them the next time I'm there buying batteries or surge protectors. I might have a social life then.

I have yet to go to the beach. With the weather and everything, sitting outside isn't as appealing as it otherwise might be. I did get to the beach on Longboat Key when I visited my grandparents, but it smelled like dead fish and the sand burned my feet. The wind was blowing the recent Red Tide back to shore, and pufferfish and eels were washing up and being eaten by seagulls. I also promised my grandma back in Nebraska that I would only get knee-deep in the water. She's afraid I'll be eaten by a shark (a legitimate fear, lately). Next week I'm going to the ocean of grass in North Dakota for a friend's wedding. A lot of friends from college will be there, so I'm looking forward to that. I'm not looking forward to driving a '77 Buick back to Bismarck at 4 am, but I guess that's the price a person has to pay for partying in North Dakota.

That's all for now--it will be safe to enter my apartment in approximately forty minutes, so I'm going to go book-browsing. I just picked up the new one by Anne Lamott--Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith. I really liked Travelling Mercies so I'm hoping I'll like this one. Any other recommendations? Let me know.