Remind me to not move to Florida

[Ragnar]

I lived in Florida in the late 80's. Worked at a car dealership in Titusville. Occasionally I'd have to drive to dealerships in Orlando to pick up parts. Once, about 1 or 2 pm I was driving down one of the busy 4 lane divided highways. Cars bumper to bumper so no room to pass or go faster then 30-40. I was driving along when I noticed in my rear view mirror this beat up mid 70's sedan with this skinny guy driving. He had greasy hair and worn clothing. He was either coked up or had been up for a week doing meth because he was jerking around in the car, swearing left to right looking frantically for a way to pass me, only there were cars on all sides. Rather than just drive until the traffic thinned, he kept pinging to one side of the lane to the other almost like a path was going to suddenly open for him. Maybe he was jonseing and going to reup or something. This was the time of the Cocaine Cowboys in Florida and shootings and road rage had been in the news a lot. I was convinced that at any moment this nutter was going to pull a gun and start shooting. Only, there was no way the dealership would have let me carry and at the time I didn't even have a gun! I know I know. It wasn't until Slick Willie decreed the useless AWB that I saw the writing on the wall. Anyway, I nervously eyed this guy while searching for a way to change lanes. It seemed to take hours before a way opened beside my speed freak friend. He jerked the car over and roared ahead one car length! I had to laugh at that point, him making such little progress for so much effort. Eventually traffic thinned enough for him to charge off to his destination and headed back east with the parts we needed. Oddly, I never forgot that incident even though nothing really happened. I'm sure it was one of the things that made me decide to protect myself rather than relying on the state. I really loved living in Florida. Way better weather then Louisiana and far more pretty girls, haha!

 

[Camelfilter]

I lived in Florida...

Paragraphs would be helpful.

 

[Flopsweat]

Paragraphs would be helpful.

Jeez, Camel, pickin' on the new guy.

 

[OldBroad44]

I lived in Florida in the late 80's. Worked at a car dealership in Titusville. Occasionally I'd have to drive to dealerships in Orlando to pick up parts. Once, about 1 or 2 pm I was driving down one of the busy 4 lane divided highways. Cars bumper to bumper so no room to pass or go faster then 30-40. I was driving along when I noticed in my rear view mirror this beat up mid 70's sedan with this skinny guy driving. He had greasy hair and worn clothing. He was either coked up or had been up for a week doing meth because he was jerking around in the car, swearing left to right looking frantically for a way to pass me, only there were cars on all sides. Rather than just drive until the traffic thinned, he kept pinging to one side of the lane to the other almost like a path was going to suddenly open for him. Maybe he was jonseing and going to reup or something. This was the time of the Cocaine Cowboys in Florida and shootings and road rage had been in the news a lot. I was convinced that at any moment this nutter was going to pull a gun and start shooting. Only, there was no way the dealership would have let me carry and at the time I didn't even have a gun! I know I know. It wasn't until Slick Willie decreed the useless AWB that I saw the writing on the wall. Anyway, I nervously eyed this guy while searching for a way to change lanes. It seemed to take hours before a way opened beside my speed freak friend. He jerked the car over and roared ahead one car length! I had to laugh at that point, him making such little progress for so much effort. Eventually traffic thinned enough for him to charge off to his destination and headed back east with the parts we needed. Oddly, I never forgot that incident even though nothing really happened. I'm sure it was one of the things that made me decide to protect myself rather than relying on the state. I really loved living in Florida. Way better weather then Louisiana and far more pretty girls, haha!

It is long for a single paragraph, however there is no obvious place to break it. I think it works better for me the way it is, as one single long immersive paragraph. Nice piece of writing. Vividly descriptive.

Reminds me of the many times I have driven through Corvallis on 3rd/4th which is HWY 99 outside town. There will sometimes be an idiot who weaves and dodges and speeds around everyone else only to get caught by every light and make no progress at all compared with the rest of us who are doodling along sedately at the posted speed limit. Actually, the lights are timed. If you go at the posted speed you can often get all the way through town without hitting a red light. If you go faster than the speed limit you won't get through town any faster. You just spend all the time you "save" at the red lights.

 

[Flopsweat]

It is long for a single paragraph, however there is no obvious place to break it. I think it works better for me the way it is, as one single long immersive paragraph. Nice piece of writing. Vividly descriptive.

Reminds me of the many times I have driven through Corvallis on 3rd/4th which is HWY 99 outside town. There will sometimes be an idiot who weaves and dodges and speeds around everyone else only to get caught by every light and make no progress at all compared with the rest of us who are doodling along sedately at the posted speed limit. Actually, the lights are timed. If you go at the posted speed you can often get all the way through town without hitting a red light. If you go faster than the speed limit you won't get through town any faster. You just spend all the time you "save" at the red lights.

Only OldBroad would write two paragraphs on breaking up your paragraphs.

 

[OldBroad44]

Only OldBroad would write two paragraphs on breaking up your paragraphs.

Ahhhh, c'mon @Flopsweat . The second paragraph was my own story not about paragraphs at all. However, I admit my posts tend toward (cough cough) thoroughness. People who want the the five second version can always put me on ignore.

 

[Flopsweat]

Ahhhh, c'mon @Flopsweat . The second paragraph was my own story not about paragraphs at all. However, I admit my posts tend toward (cough cough) thoroughness. People who want the the five second version can always put me on ignore.

Oh, yeah, so it was. OK, cool, cool.

 

[The Heretic]

Ahhhh, c'mon @Flopsweat . The second paragraph was my own story not about paragraphs at all. However, I admit my posts tend toward (cough cough) thoroughness. People who want the the five second version can always put me on ignore.

Being a writer (of both code and otherwise), I tend towards verbosity myself and I generally have no problems dividing my words into paragraphs.

-- segue--

I used to find it a little annoying when someone was themselves annoyed when my words extended beyond a sentence or two - usually because they themselves can only respond with a short quip that is insufficient to convey any useful information on a subject.

 

[nammac]

Being a writer (of both code and otherwise), I tend towards verbosity myself and I generally have no problems dividing my words into paragraphs.

-- segue--

I used to find it a little annoying when someone was themselves annoyed when my words extended beyond a sentence or two - usually because they themselves can only respond with a short quip that is insufficient to convey any useful information on a subject.

Yes sir, us systems guys have a tendency to be verbose, but in the written word and the spoken word….

 

[Camelfilter]

Being a writer (of both code and otherwise), I tend towards verbosity myself and I generally have no problems dividing my words into paragraphs.

-- segue--

I used to find it a little annoying when someone was themselves annoyed when my words extended beyond a sentence or two - usually because they themselves can only respond with a short quip that is insufficient to convey any useful information on a subject.

I just got told!

 

[Flopsweat]

Being a writer (of both code and otherwise), I tend towards verbosity myself and I generally have no problems dividing my words into paragraphs.

-- segue--

I used to find it a little annoying when someone was themselves annoyed when my words extended beyond a sentence or two - usually because they themselves can only respond with a short quip that is insufficient to convey any useful information on a subject.

I'm sure that's not aimed at me, right?

 

[Camelfilter]

I'm sure that's not aimed at me, right?

...

I just got told!

 

[johnny bob]

I used to find it a little annoying when someone was themselves annoyed when my words extended beyond a sentence or two - usually because they themselves can only respond with a short quip that is insufficient to convey any useful information on a subject.

Oh yeah.

 

[OldBroad44]

The literary contracts for my first and second gardening books, as is usual, specified a minimum and maximum number of words for the final the manuscript. By the second book I had figured out that nobody really knew whether that upper word limit included the chapter notes and appendices. And both can be in a smaller font size than that of the chapters. When my literary agent and I began discussing the first version of the contract for the third book I said to her, "Did you notice they gave me just an upper limit? They completely forgot to give me a lower limit." My agent broke out laughing, then said, "They've got your number." That omission remained in the final contract. Apparently the publisher was completely unconcerned about the possibility of my writing a book that was too short.

 

[The Heretic]

I'm sure that's not aimed at me, right?

If the shoe fits...

 

[Ragnar]

It is long for a single paragraph, however there is no obvious place to break it. I think it works better for me the way it is, as one single long immersive paragraph. Nice piece of writing. Vividly descriptive.

Reminds me of the many times I have driven through Corvallis on 3rd/4th which is HWY 99 outside town. There will sometimes be an idiot who weaves and dodges and speeds around everyone else only to get caught by every light and make no progress at all compared with the rest of us who are doodling along sedately at the posted speed limit. Actually, the lights are timed. If you go at the posted speed you can often get all the way through town without hitting a red light. If you go faster than the speed limit you won't get through town any faster. You just spend all the time you "save" at the red lights.

Damn! Lights in my area used to be timed that way. For whatever reason they decreed that chaos must rule our traffic system because all lights seem set to stop someone no matter their speed.

Wait, weren't paragraphs exposed as a globalist plot??
Walls of text are my stream of consciousness first drafts. I ran out of time and couldn't edit. No worries.

 

[OldBroad44]

...
Wait, weren't paragraphs exposed as a globalist plot??
Walls of text are my stream of consciousness first drafts. I ran out of time and couldn't edit. No worries.

Hello @Ragnar --
It looked like a draft from a guy who usually writes fiction. What sort of stuff do you write?

I did a very short career as a science fiction writer. Wrote about 5 SF short stories. Sold two to Amazing Stories and one to Asimov's. I thought I would write SF so as to support what I really cared about, which was plant breeding and research related to sustainable agriculture and food systems. The three pro SF creds gave me the minimal creds to join SFWA and an invitation only workshop for SF writers. Whereupon I discovered that even most successful SF novelists have real jobs to support their SF writing. Fortunately it turned out I could make way more writing about the plant breeding and other ag research I was doing than writing SF. Life is interesting.
Carol

 

[Diamondback]

Besides, they have huge alligators and larger snakes that eat the alligators and swamps and stuff.

YAWN. I share my house with two midget tyrannosaurs, an overly affectionate velociraptor and an Ill Tempered Mutant Landcrab, not impressed.

 

[solv3nt]

YAWN. I share my house with two midget tyrannosaurs, an overly affectionate velociraptor and an Ill Tempered Mutant Landcrab, not impressed.

Do you have any pets?

 

[Diamondback]

We have a squirrel outside that's taken it upon himself to be a living alarm clock. (SERIOUSLY, every morning at crack of dawn the little beggar's climbing in the door screen reminding us "time to wake up and feed me," and again when it's time for OUR meals...) Other than that, it's my mother and the lizardkids... LOL