key west part two

day two through four:

figuring now much could top the night before i set out to see if this town had more to it than sodomy and liquor. i soon discovered there was a tremendous amount of character spread throughout the southernmost city. cuban restaurants chameleoned with art galleries along with coffee shops and souvenirs for every humor and drunken state. banners hung with pb directed feelings while shop keeps allowed their 1800's architecture speak for itself. the bartenders and above shop keeps

the naive key west

about eight weeks ago i was presented with an opportunity to coach a four day soccer camp at key west high school in key west, fl. being a mid-westerner without much beach exposure except for the rare visit since moving to fort myers, fl and the gulf shores ten months prior, i was what most would still consider a virgin or at the most, one with a freshly popped cherry. i quickly jumped on the chance to work in "the conch republic." "why not" i asked, the camp would cover everything; free housing, free food, free beer, free water sports, and most of all, free experiences. all i had to do was get myself down there.

and i'm back

so i know its been awhile and the only excuse i can conjure up is that i just have not made any time to post updates over the past few months. in order to remedy that i will give a condensed, bulleted, overview of my life;

*went to cincinnati, served in one of my best friend's wedding, visited wilmington, realized i made a very good decision about a year and a half ago, became an eskimo brother with a great friend (again) and...reunited with friends who i do not get to see very often

a mini viennese reunion

last week, one of my "old" friends, corrinne, from vienna was in town for the weekend after spending a week doing relief work in haiti. while using ft lauderdale as her main transportation hub, the greyhound as the carrier, and the chance to reunite with someone who lives at the extreme opposite side of the continental 48 as the motive, a mini viennese rendezvous was able to take place. this was not only a great way to touch base with the happenings of the past year, but also a way to reminisce in a way that only a fellow traveler can understand. we talked about the trip itself, how we

march

as my friend kristen made me realize, the beginning of each month brings a fresh start. i guess it is along the same lines of switching the year on a calendar and deriving a new resolution, but in this case we get the same opportunity twelve times a year. this idea made me think, much like kristen's new monthly to-do list, what do i hope to accomplish this month. so i made up a small semi-manageable list of personal conquests for me to fulfill over the course of 31 days.

first, it is florida so i want to enjoy to outdoors more

christmas, does it really exist here?

i have come to find from living in southwest florida that christmas does not exist in this part of the world. it is all fake down here, no real christmas decorations, no merry singing, no overcast skies with blistering winds, and no snow. how the hell can a parent live with themselves while providing a child a "christmas" without the winter wonderland? being from ohio, having a white christmas may not have been a guarantee, but at least it was always a great possibility. i remember being young and running down to stairs to see what santa brought me only to be momentarily side tracked by the fresh powder, marked only by what i thought were reindeer tracks, that could be seen through the front door windows. not only that, i was in pajamas-meaning flannel pants and soon to be a sweatshirt because it was winter in