In Gainesville Again...For the Last Time?

Gainesville changes once you graduate. Many of your friends have moved on. And for those that haven't yet, that may speak for itself depending on the situation. I have been back a few times since I graduated a year ago, and each time I feel like Gainesville slips away a little more.

I've been in Gainesville a few weeks now. The first leg of my cross-country journey, and it will probably be one of my longer pit stops. Some of my friends that stayed in G-ville for an extra year to complete MBAs are in the process of moving to their future cities of success. Many younger friends have gone home or abroad for the summer.

And then there are the hard core old friends.

I find I can't quite keep up with these people. Up to before I got here, I was waking with the sun (sometimes earlier if puppy Kaya demanded), and going to sleep after a couple of glasses of wine, maybe a few chapters of a good book. An exciting evening would be a happy hour with neighbors or coworkers, most recently my momma. Now, these Gators start drinking at noon (or later depending on when they wake up). Maybe beer pong by the pool, followed by a bar, then a house party till 5 in the morning sometimes. I don't think I ever stayed up till 5 when I was a student! When 2 AM comes around, I'm usually itching to crawl into the shower and then the bed, in that order.

This is making me feel old. Many nights I have opted to stay in, giving my roommate a lame excuse, and avoiding the nightly text messages. Yes, I get the "you're lame" text occasionally, but that's ok. My pajamas and doggies and a good book make parties in gross apartments filled with cheap beer and people I don't know who seem like boring torture. I feel quite satisfied with being "lame".

I went to one party last week. So bored. By 2 AM I was dying to leave, but none of my group was. So what did I do? Found an empty corner of the couch, slipped my shoes off (old party rule: you can only mess with a passed out person at a party if their shoes are on: I hoped the young'ns were aware of that), tucked my purse under my head and went to sleep.

No, I didn't pass out from drinking too much. It's impossible for me to drink enough cheap beer to get drunk. I was just bored, and worn out from making small talk over loud music.

I was probably the grouch, and laughing stock, of the party. But I don't care.

I'm too old for this. How people do this everyday (which is everyone here but me!), is beyond me. and why would you want to? Some days are fabulous ended with a quiet night, and maybe a glass of wine or two.

But also there's the fact that if you drink that much, you don't really live. You can't get up early while it's still cool enough to walk the beautiful trails here. You can't get up early enough to have a long and fun day floating down the Itchatucknee River. Usually you're fighting off a hangover until it's time to drink some more. (Did I mention that I don't think I drank nearly as much as a student? I never saw this side of it before....)

I'm glad I came back to Gainesville this last time. I am completely ready to leave my college days in the past. Did I have the best times ever in college? Yes. But it
s time to leave those days as good memories, and continue on. As we get older, I think what we appreciate changes. And that's ok. It's part of getting older. Though I never understood how some of these kids live in these apartments. I have become nauseated in certain apartments/houses and thank my lucky stars I was always a neat freak, as far as college standards go. I always appreciated a clean bathroom and kitchen.

As I move on northwest of Gainesville, I'll be leaving a part of me in Florida. But that's ok.

But I still went to the museum today. I am a nerd. I also like free things to do, and wandering around the exhibits gave me time to clear my head, while learning about Florida's history. Yup, Florida's history for me now too I suppose.

How to Meet a Guy on a Road Trip?

I feel like brainstorming. I want to think of some adventures in which there were/are some opportunities to mingle with some hotties.

1. Toby Keith Concert. Hot cowboys in pick-up trucks offering shots of Crown Royal? Check. Not remembering much by the time Toby Keith finally gets on stage? Check. Pros and cons to this situation.

2.A big mud bog in the middle of the swamp: From my experience the guys are too busy drooling over the trucks and jeeps to notice you. Plus it's too loud to talk. But there is some eye candy. Love a man in a cowboy hat, or camo hat, and fitted jeans. Throw a belt buckle into the mix. Yum.

3. Camping: Meeting other campers is pretty easy, and the male to female ratio is pretty good. But I'm always afraid that I stink (from sweat'n to put up that damn tent!), and I probably look like crap. eh. It's hard to get romance out of camping.

4.Floating down a river: Depends. Probably depends mostly on how good you look in a bikini and how much beer you have in your cooler floating next to you. Guy's WILL flirt with you for beer (especially when their an hour into a 3 hour river float), and then leave you high and dry. Or should I say floating and wet?

5.Football games: Nope. The men are too drunk. ugh. Plus the cheerleaders are distracting him.

6. Anybody have any luck with cruises? I have only been on one, and I was with a guy at the time.

7.Trains could be fun? I don't know.

So what are some good places/ways/destinations/events to meet decent guys? So far the best place for me is the dog park. But now that's out since my dog got aggressive.

****Oooooh, I have a JUICY story to tell you ladies about regarding an airport and a pilot and a private night flight. But I want to keep you coming back for more...... so you gotta wait :)

Anna's Weeki-Watchee

What did my Anna want to do on her birthday a few years ago? Go on a day trip to Weeki-Watchee Springs . And it was totally fitting for us to celebrate Anna's birth in a classic example of Retro Florida. I think Weeki Watchee's most booming time was the 60's, and when you go it still breaths "retro", it reminds me of parties on Cocoa Beach with astronauts and cat eye glasses. I also think of Anna as someone who has been reincarnated form that era. Her soul is not done living in that era. So I dedicate this post to you Anna!!!

*In the rest of the post Weeki-Watchee will be WW.

It was Anna, Sam and I, on a little adventure to middle of nowhere. That's the thing about WW. It's a little gem in the swamp. There is NOTHING else to do around there. Just some stilt houses (because it's a swamp), and I think I recall a dollar store? Not quite worth a 5 hour drive, but definitely worth a 2 hour drive. You can't call yourself a Floridian without going to this legend.

I'm talking MERMAIDS here! Real mermaids! In an oasis of a spring in the middle of the swamp!

I love mermaids.

So. It probably would have taken 2 hours to get there but we got lost. I's and 1's are very different apparently. Tip #1: PRINT out your directions directly from mapquest, do not write it yourself. This is also why country music is important (Tip #2). No one gets frustrated or annoyed when your belting out some Garth Brooks. And that's what us 3 do really well. Belt out country. and get "un-lost". we're pros.

So all the sudden you're in the middle of nowhere and BAM! you see it. old white cement walls, maybe a mermaid perched on it, getting some sun and waving to you. And you're lured in. $12 later, we are running around the park, furiously looking for mermaids. We see peacocks. mermaid statues. Cypress trees. souvenir shop. But where are the mermaids? Duuuhh, in the spring!

So we settled in this cool underground auditorium, but except for a stage, there is a big glass window looking into the spring. Think seaworld's Shamu tank. But Retro. Sooo cooool!

And the show starts. The shows rotate, but I think the one we saw was The Little Mermaid. not sure. It was an underwater ballet version. Very beautiful, those mermaids can really swim/dance! The ended with a tribute to the US Flag. Mermaids are patriots too!

After the show we wandered around the park. Got a pic with a mermaid. Got harassed by a peacock. Took a ferry ride down the WW river. Could of used a margarita. Yes, margaritas would have perfected it.

All in all, it was a very fun adventure. We where back in Gainesville before dark, to end it all with a Sex and the City Marathon and martinis. What more could a girl ask for? Mostly what stands out the most from that day is lots of laughs, we had so much fun on our girly adventure. And isn't that really the point?

Check out weekiwatchee.com to learn more about the park, or to see upcoming events. I'm so happy it didn't close down, I know there were rumors. I think it got bought out by the state and is now a state park. A state park with mermaids, that's gotta be unique! How come more people don't know about this?!

All of the sudden I'm craving tuna salad for lunch. Never post a blog on an empty stomach.