florida - first impressions

First visit to Florida. My feelings toward the place are mixed, to say the least. I recall hearing a voice in my head audibly intone, "Oh no," when I saw the blue-green expanse of mostly flat land rise up toward me as the plane began its descent into Miami. I am not a fan of the tropics. Indeed, my tendency is to go precisely in the other direction. In addition to horrible weather (heat and sunlight), the wealth in these parts appears to be quite filthy. The car rental garage at the airport was chock full of Corvettes and Ferraris, and the streets were filled with asshole drivers. The gray-white streets look like imitation white sand, and the buildings look like they were carefully put together by clay people. The tallest tree for miles was probably a little taller than me, so the whole place looked like a Lovecraftian nightmare. Nevertheless, I concede Florida does have its charms when one is not driving through its post-apocalyptic cities. Plants and animals are cool. So much better than people, though after a while the general impression that this is supposed to be a happy place gets to you, and you feel a little guilty for not enjoying Beach climate like most of the populace. Just a little. And like most places that have been infected with the virus of tourism, the residents of Florida have been far pleasanter than the tourists. Certainly less socially awkward than Washingtonians. A prosaic blog post could never capture the full extent of my emotions, so I think I shall write a story instead, in my capacity as the Deranged Clown. Stay tuned.