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Florida report
Another spring break has come and gone, and with it, another Zeratsky family trip to Marco Island, FL. So, in the style of my Chicago Reports, here’s a first-ever Florida Report.
The weather
Trying desperately to avoid Jimmy Buffett puns here, but the weather was beautiful. The end of March is a special time in southwest Florida — no matter what the weather up to that point, it always clears up for the families and college kids on spring break. This is not a one-off observation, either. I’ve been visiting Marco Island for 18 years, and it’s the same every year.
On traveling with the family
It’s been a long time since I’ve actually traveled with my family. Sure, I’ve met them in Colorado the past couple of years, but this is not the same as doing The Airport Thing with Bur, Kelly, Jenny and August (i.e. my family). Let’s just say everything moves a little slower than when I am alone. But that’s not a bad thing.
What I did
Pretty much nothing.
Michelle (my beautiful girlfriend) joined us for the first half of the week, which was a real pleasure. Each day was about the same — wake up, light or no breakfast, relax poolside, light lunch, relax poolside, stroll up and down the beach, visit with my grandparents, relax poolside, wonderful dinner followed by ice cream and more relaxing. Can’t beat that!
I managed to read three books during the week. Briefly, and in chronological order, they are:
- Emergence, by Steven Johnson. Interface Culture nearly changed my life a year and a half ago, and I finally got around to reading Steven’s second book. It was written before weblogs got huge, but I kept noticing that many of the “limitations” of the web proposed by the author had been addressed at least in part by blogs. Except, it’s people doing the learning, not machines.
- The Myth of the Paperless Office, by Abigail Sellen and Richard Harper. It’s hardly appropriate beach reading, and a little academic for my tastes, but Sellen/Harper have done some of the only and best research about why and how people use paper in their work. As someone who fancies himself a creator of smart web applications, this is all very good to know.
- Stop Stealing Sheep, by Erik Spiekermann and E.M. Ginger. Jam-packed with great information and clear explanations, this was a wonderful lesson in typography for me. I’ll be referring back to this book.
And now what?
Now things start to get scary for me. Graduation is in seven weeks; seven very busy weeks. I have to finish classes (and try to do well), get a job, find an apartment, move and do a bunch of other things I hardly want to think about. (Scratch that; too negative.)
I have seven challenging weeks ahead of me before graduation, but everything will be all right. If all goes according to plan, I will be in Chicago by June — with the same great girl, a new job and a new apartment. Wish me luck!