Ok, so I'm drunk.
Perhaps a bit beyond drunk since I was drinking absenth with a friend who's here for a visit. *we drank half a leter of the shit between us and she's smaller than I am* (a whole whopping 108 lbs). My friend , Also a 3rd generation Miam native, informs me of all the development along Useless one ( US1) between the end of the pike ( Florida turnpike) and Key West in the last 3 years since my visit home * hey I'm a broke ass secritary I can't go home every year* . And I trip the fuck out and call a friend in the islands who says "call your uncle Charlie. He's ready to leave Marathon ( an island in the midle keys) and head the fuck up to Georgia."
WTF!?!
Simeon Frow (my 4x great grand dad) came to Key West from Spain via the Bahammas in the 1820's, our family has been in south Florida since ( OK his brother Josef went to N.Carolina but I'm decended from a child of Sineon *Joseph if you must know*) and now the only ones left in the area are my father ( in the grove) my Uncle Charlie ( marathon) ansd my near 90 yearold grand pa Floyd ( also on Marathon) and my sons by a first marrage ( unless great aunt Fey is still alive and in S.Maimai) and all this because my family can't take it when they start with another round of development?
The guilt trips hit again * and hard this time*. My family screwed up when they startted to sell their land * Jonh William was the first to buy and later sell land in The Grove and talked his dad (Simeon) and brothers,including my great great great grandpa and his brother Charlie who died at 25 ,and my great great great grandfather Joe in to buying land till we owned nearly half the town. And now we have no say over what happens down there because every thing was sold over they years * my father ended up a shrimp boat operator working for for some prick weed transplant* Someone Fucking shoot me!
I honestly don't get it. How could this shit happen? We have sea crocks, manatee and species of turtle and dolphin who breed in this area aren't some of these animals endangered? shouldn't these areas be protected and shit?
Fortunatly it's like 6PM over there ( yeaterday) so I do call uncle Charlie and learn this shit is true! There are skyscarpers in the Keys ( he hasn't been off the islands in 20 years *last time he saw"Last Chance"it had another name and was a dive for locals only*) and people are makin offers on his little bit of land *1/2 acrer in one place and 2 acers in another on Marathon island plus a house in The grove* ( he's a childless man of 61 so the developers are on him like stink on shit) . I know I've had fuckers on me to sell my property n the grove *it's just off grand ave* but wholy fuck!
I drip some more sugar water on to thr highly intoxicating green liquid and go on with my visit.
I have a rental just doors down and across th street from the Stoneman Douglas house. I can do without the $520 I get in rent after the agents cut (mind you I pay grove taxes after this). I need to go home.
Monday, February 26, 2007
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
She's taking the Flag.
I just got an e-mail from one of my friends back home telling me she's given up and she's moving out to some hole in the wall town out of state. It's sad cause her family has been around as long as mine ( her people moved in around the mid 1850's) and she is the last of them left in the area.
We both have that Spanish /Bohamian ansistory and yhea we're distant cusans if you trace things back a couple of generations beyond the families showing up in Key West so to me it's particularly painful to hear that she has finally had it with the foolishness down there.
Back in the days when there was the whole "official language" debate going on we were part of a group of residents who screammed at the tops of our lungs that allowing the shit that has happened since to take place (that is to say Allowing the Cubans who wanted a Spanish speaking Miami to have their way) would eventually kill the city. We offered up arguments about how with the regions dependancy on Tourist dollars and international buisness it made sence that we keep English as the primary if not the official language. Globe trotting type tourist and big business men from around the world learn English at least well enough to get by because you can always find people who speak at least some English in the places they visit and let's face it most international buisness is conducted in English. Hell you even find people who speak English in the tourist destinations of places Like France, Itially and Germany where English isn't taught in basic (grade school) schools. In fact on my recent trip to Slovakia I encountered a weird thing as the people under 50 in the cities there Speak better freaking English than I do! But I digress. SO back to what I was on about. We argued that people who have already had to deal with learning Engllish to do what they wanna/gotta do outside their home land are not gonna wanna have to learn yet another language to do their thing in some small region no mater how wonderful the place may be otherwise. And Americans ( particularly the students we were then busy tring to get from Daytona for Spring Break) are not gonna want to feel like they're visiting another freaking country when they're in the freaking US. But things have gotten even worse than we immagined.
She has teenaged kids now. They're better than half Spanish (Her husband is from Spain as is her great great great grandfather) they all speak perfect Spanish and have an understanding of Latin American history that would put alot of people to shame but they are an odd sort of outcast in the areas where their family has been for generations because they're not CUBAN. Her son has gotten in to a world of shit with the highschool kids that roll in to town (non locals but from Miami proper) to the point that she feels they have to move to keep him from becomming some freaking hoodlum. All this because they see him as the outsider little wanna be latino white boy telling them where to get off when he speaks up and tells them to show some respect when they get out of hand.
Yes, as the so called racist and xenophobes of the 80's predicted Miami and much of Dade county it seems has become but an extention of Cuba. They seriously feel they own the place and it's taking it's toll now. How much longer will it be before the poweres that be pull their heads out of their asses and realize that this whole "opening up to Latin America" has closed the area off to the rest of the freaking world including those who were there before all this shit started?
And don't even get me startted on all the construction designed to bring in more wealthy tourist and transplants! I'm just waitting for a nice big hurricane to come along and teach those fuckers a thing or 3 about how not smart it is to do this shit! Evacuation hell, their precious condos shot to shit oh yhea I'll be laughing my ass off when the shit happens and it will happen soon. Just look at the hurricane history of the area Andrew was the start of a patern that's repeatting in the next 5 years the shit is seriously gonna hit. Just watch.
We both have that Spanish /Bohamian ansistory and yhea we're distant cusans if you trace things back a couple of generations beyond the families showing up in Key West so to me it's particularly painful to hear that she has finally had it with the foolishness down there.
Back in the days when there was the whole "official language" debate going on we were part of a group of residents who screammed at the tops of our lungs that allowing the shit that has happened since to take place (that is to say Allowing the Cubans who wanted a Spanish speaking Miami to have their way) would eventually kill the city. We offered up arguments about how with the regions dependancy on Tourist dollars and international buisness it made sence that we keep English as the primary if not the official language. Globe trotting type tourist and big business men from around the world learn English at least well enough to get by because you can always find people who speak at least some English in the places they visit and let's face it most international buisness is conducted in English. Hell you even find people who speak English in the tourist destinations of places Like France, Itially and Germany where English isn't taught in basic (grade school) schools. In fact on my recent trip to Slovakia I encountered a weird thing as the people under 50 in the cities there Speak better freaking English than I do! But I digress. SO back to what I was on about. We argued that people who have already had to deal with learning Engllish to do what they wanna/gotta do outside their home land are not gonna wanna have to learn yet another language to do their thing in some small region no mater how wonderful the place may be otherwise. And Americans ( particularly the students we were then busy tring to get from Daytona for Spring Break) are not gonna want to feel like they're visiting another freaking country when they're in the freaking US. But things have gotten even worse than we immagined.
She has teenaged kids now. They're better than half Spanish (Her husband is from Spain as is her great great great grandfather) they all speak perfect Spanish and have an understanding of Latin American history that would put alot of people to shame but they are an odd sort of outcast in the areas where their family has been for generations because they're not CUBAN. Her son has gotten in to a world of shit with the highschool kids that roll in to town (non locals but from Miami proper) to the point that she feels they have to move to keep him from becomming some freaking hoodlum. All this because they see him as the outsider little wanna be latino white boy telling them where to get off when he speaks up and tells them to show some respect when they get out of hand.
Yes, as the so called racist and xenophobes of the 80's predicted Miami and much of Dade county it seems has become but an extention of Cuba. They seriously feel they own the place and it's taking it's toll now. How much longer will it be before the poweres that be pull their heads out of their asses and realize that this whole "opening up to Latin America" has closed the area off to the rest of the freaking world including those who were there before all this shit started?
And don't even get me startted on all the construction designed to bring in more wealthy tourist and transplants! I'm just waitting for a nice big hurricane to come along and teach those fuckers a thing or 3 about how not smart it is to do this shit! Evacuation hell, their precious condos shot to shit oh yhea I'll be laughing my ass off when the shit happens and it will happen soon. Just look at the hurricane history of the area Andrew was the start of a patern that's repeatting in the next 5 years the shit is seriously gonna hit. Just watch.
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Now that I'm awake
Ok so last night/this morning I met a friend of a friend (the son of my friends ex actually) and of course the first thing our mutual friend told him was that I was from Miami but I've lived here for just over 6 years now (this was to explain my accent). I knew exactly what was to come the moment I heard the words pass through our friends lips. Here we go with the assumptions that All of Miami is like you see in the movies and stuff you hear from TV and the news and shit. Wonderous joy!
This guy (a 23 yearold farm boy) has it in his head that he knows exactly what I gave up to live here. A nice big house with about an acere of land an olympic sized pool and hot tub a living room the size of most one bedroom apartments here... Either that or one of those nice apartments with a view of the beach or whatever. Yhea right! Try a tiny (under 800sqft) little 2 bedroom 1940's bongalo who's one outstanding feature (other than it's age) was the outdoor (though shilded) shower next to my back door that I could just barly mannaged to afford. Ofcourse this guy doesn't beleive such places exist in Miami though he understands it would be an expensive place to live.
As it happens he's planning on taking holiday soon and he was thinking to visit the States so one thing leads to another and Mr.Unbeleiving is gonna go visit my old neighborhood to see this shit for himself. Boy, is he in for a surprize! This is a guy who's never been outside Europe and when he ventures out of his own little village he heads straight to the most trend-o-riffic sections of a nice big trendy city. He's never seen a single family neighborhood in real life. Farms, townhouses and appartment complexes are all this boy knows.
Ah the joys of inflicting total culture shock on a poor unsuspecting farm boy who thinks he knows everything. For a moment I concitered sendding the little fucker to go check out a few other choice spots in and around Miami but chose not to be so cruel though I'm still thinking it would do the little asshole some good to stay with my stepbrother out in Little River durring his visit. Ofcourse he's been saving for his big trip to the states for years and he's got a few grand put away for it so he wants to stay in some fancy hotel on South Beach ofcourse (though he has yet to check the per night rates at any of these places and has yet to realize that a freaking room at a "mid range" place will run him the same as some of the designer holels here) and won't hear of staying some place on the cheap or off the beatten path so I didn't even mention it.
I can just see him thinking about booking a room at the Sagamor or Royal Palm and finding out he'll be lucky to afford the Cleavlander or President for a week since he plans on rentting a car and going places to see and be seen and buying shit. Perhaps I should get his e-mail address and send him a list of places he'll be able to afford. But then again it might be fun to sit here and wait and see how long it takes farm boy to actually research the cost of this trip he's planning and see if he's got the good sence to ask someone who knows what he's stepping in to.
This guy (a 23 yearold farm boy) has it in his head that he knows exactly what I gave up to live here. A nice big house with about an acere of land an olympic sized pool and hot tub a living room the size of most one bedroom apartments here... Either that or one of those nice apartments with a view of the beach or whatever. Yhea right! Try a tiny (under 800sqft) little 2 bedroom 1940's bongalo who's one outstanding feature (other than it's age) was the outdoor (though shilded) shower next to my back door that I could just barly mannaged to afford. Ofcourse this guy doesn't beleive such places exist in Miami though he understands it would be an expensive place to live.
As it happens he's planning on taking holiday soon and he was thinking to visit the States so one thing leads to another and Mr.Unbeleiving is gonna go visit my old neighborhood to see this shit for himself. Boy, is he in for a surprize! This is a guy who's never been outside Europe and when he ventures out of his own little village he heads straight to the most trend-o-riffic sections of a nice big trendy city. He's never seen a single family neighborhood in real life. Farms, townhouses and appartment complexes are all this boy knows.
Ah the joys of inflicting total culture shock on a poor unsuspecting farm boy who thinks he knows everything. For a moment I concitered sendding the little fucker to go check out a few other choice spots in and around Miami but chose not to be so cruel though I'm still thinking it would do the little asshole some good to stay with my stepbrother out in Little River durring his visit. Ofcourse he's been saving for his big trip to the states for years and he's got a few grand put away for it so he wants to stay in some fancy hotel on South Beach ofcourse (though he has yet to check the per night rates at any of these places and has yet to realize that a freaking room at a "mid range" place will run him the same as some of the designer holels here) and won't hear of staying some place on the cheap or off the beatten path so I didn't even mention it.
I can just see him thinking about booking a room at the Sagamor or Royal Palm and finding out he'll be lucky to afford the Cleavlander or President for a week since he plans on rentting a car and going places to see and be seen and buying shit. Perhaps I should get his e-mail address and send him a list of places he'll be able to afford. But then again it might be fun to sit here and wait and see how long it takes farm boy to actually research the cost of this trip he's planning and see if he's got the good sence to ask someone who knows what he's stepping in to.
Nothing like tourists on drugs to fuck your night up
We went to Amsterdam to visit with a friend tonight and ended up venturing in to the tourist zone for a little bit. I'd forgotten what it was like to be in a tourist zone at all since I got here and it wasn't long before I remembered why it is I hate tourist so much. I swear they leave their brains (if they had any to start with) at home when they head out for a week or two. And just my luck it's Carnaval time here so not only the tourist but the fucked up locals and university students are out in full force as well.
As we made our way to the Burger King where we were to meet up with a friend of our friends I found myself feeling oddly creeped out by these people. At first it was kinda weird cause I don't creep out easily. I figure it's just that I hate Cranival (it's like Mardi Gras in the French quarter only with alot more acid and shit on hand). Then it hit me. I was hearing way too much English and far too many American accents and these fuckers were here strictly to get high. Bad 80's flash backs of home hit me and all I wanted to do was get the fuck out of there before someones trip took a wrong turn but there I was stuck just meters from The Bulldog Palace and I had no chance of getting out of there for a while.
Just as we did back home the locals kinda sit back and watch the tourist make total asses of themselves and yes, there are those who prey on the poor little brainless fucks as well. But the big difference is that here the kick isn't just that you can find shit everywhere but that it's freaking legal you actually go in to shopes and buy the stuff and you can sit out in the street doing your thing and so long as you don't have an excessive amount of stuff on you and you're not causing a problem you won't have any problem with the cops..
Many years ago, I made the mistake of going tourist watching with some friends over Spring Break. I learned then that I can't take being around drunk, stoned , stuck up, dipshits who may flip in an instant and kept the fuck out of the trend-o-riffic spots in town and stuck to those joints only the locals seemed to know of back then and I've pretty much avoided the tourist as much as I could since so being in tourist hell as the fuckers startted to loose their shit from being fucked up all day was no fun at all. And ofcourse the shit had to start in the BK and we were stuck in a spot with no hope of excape packed in with a bunch of fucked up idiots who have yet to learn to handle their shit.
So OK some 18 or 20 yearold guy filps out cause the walls are breathing and melting and shit (excuse me, but yes, dip shi,t this is what happens when you're on acid or did you have a clue what you were given? relax just go with it and all will be fine). He's running all over the place fightting with people tring to calm him down we're stuck there while it gets sorted step in to the street and some other shit breaks out (a fight I think) cops on horses and foot cops in riot gear and an ambulance show up and people are realy loosing their shit for about 10 minutes while that gets broken up and people get haulled off. Then there's this weird bitch who thinks our friend is Jim Freaking Morison and she's going on about knowing he was alive and shit. I'm like "Bitch do get a grip Jim would be about 20 years older or do you think he was criogenicly frozen?" It ends up taking us about an hour to get out of there and when we do get out I'm soaked in beer and God knows what our friend suddenly realizes that the tripped out chick managed to get his ring off him, his friend is brused from the skuffle at BK, boyfriend persons new shoes are Jacked and I inform everyone that if anyone dares to ever ask why I refuse to enter a tourist zone again I'm a rip their fucking nuts off and shove them up their god damed noses for em!
As we made our way to the Burger King where we were to meet up with a friend of our friends I found myself feeling oddly creeped out by these people. At first it was kinda weird cause I don't creep out easily. I figure it's just that I hate Cranival (it's like Mardi Gras in the French quarter only with alot more acid and shit on hand). Then it hit me. I was hearing way too much English and far too many American accents and these fuckers were here strictly to get high. Bad 80's flash backs of home hit me and all I wanted to do was get the fuck out of there before someones trip took a wrong turn but there I was stuck just meters from The Bulldog Palace and I had no chance of getting out of there for a while.
Just as we did back home the locals kinda sit back and watch the tourist make total asses of themselves and yes, there are those who prey on the poor little brainless fucks as well. But the big difference is that here the kick isn't just that you can find shit everywhere but that it's freaking legal you actually go in to shopes and buy the stuff and you can sit out in the street doing your thing and so long as you don't have an excessive amount of stuff on you and you're not causing a problem you won't have any problem with the cops..
Many years ago, I made the mistake of going tourist watching with some friends over Spring Break. I learned then that I can't take being around drunk, stoned , stuck up, dipshits who may flip in an instant and kept the fuck out of the trend-o-riffic spots in town and stuck to those joints only the locals seemed to know of back then and I've pretty much avoided the tourist as much as I could since so being in tourist hell as the fuckers startted to loose their shit from being fucked up all day was no fun at all. And ofcourse the shit had to start in the BK and we were stuck in a spot with no hope of excape packed in with a bunch of fucked up idiots who have yet to learn to handle their shit.
So OK some 18 or 20 yearold guy filps out cause the walls are breathing and melting and shit (excuse me, but yes, dip shi,t this is what happens when you're on acid or did you have a clue what you were given? relax just go with it and all will be fine). He's running all over the place fightting with people tring to calm him down we're stuck there while it gets sorted step in to the street and some other shit breaks out (a fight I think) cops on horses and foot cops in riot gear and an ambulance show up and people are realy loosing their shit for about 10 minutes while that gets broken up and people get haulled off. Then there's this weird bitch who thinks our friend is Jim Freaking Morison and she's going on about knowing he was alive and shit. I'm like "Bitch do get a grip Jim would be about 20 years older or do you think he was criogenicly frozen?" It ends up taking us about an hour to get out of there and when we do get out I'm soaked in beer and God knows what our friend suddenly realizes that the tripped out chick managed to get his ring off him, his friend is brused from the skuffle at BK, boyfriend persons new shoes are Jacked and I inform everyone that if anyone dares to ever ask why I refuse to enter a tourist zone again I'm a rip their fucking nuts off and shove them up their god damed noses for em!
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Here I go again.
Yet another one of these community blogs I'm startting cause oops I went surfing for something and ran in to one cool blog that led to another that led well, you get the point. I found something I like here.
This time it seems to be making myself homesick. I just had to look for stuff about the arts festival and ended up at coconutgrovegrapevine and well here I go again falling back in to other paterns that would bore you to death so I'll actually be kind and spair you the details. Lets just say if you hear that some nut case 5th generation Miami/Grove native chick bitching about her town being dressed up and turned out like a whore loosing her mind and taking a bat to the heads of people she holds responsable for this you'll know it's me.
This time it seems to be making myself homesick. I just had to look for stuff about the arts festival and ended up at coconutgrovegrapevine and well here I go again falling back in to other paterns that would bore you to death so I'll actually be kind and spair you the details. Lets just say if you hear that some nut case 5th generation Miami/Grove native chick bitching about her town being dressed up and turned out like a whore loosing her mind and taking a bat to the heads of people she holds responsable for this you'll know it's me.
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