Miami update

Ok, so I figure you all got sick of hearing me talk about Miami (and pretty much my disdain for it), so I chilled out for a while. But I can only suppress my feelings for so long. So here's the latest.

1. I don't know how I am supposed to feel that they have placed one of those police marquees, electronic road sign things on the street right outside our building. It says: Commit a crime with a gun and get 10 years - life in prision. This area under surveillance. Nice.

2. There have now been about three non-humid days since I've lived here. That means the other couple hundred have still been humid. It is the middle of November people, and the last time I checked the weather it was 89% humidity. UGH. Yes, the temperatures are getting lower (like 80s), and that's a little better, but not when it's still so dang humid. I know, if you live here, you're going to say, "Oh really? It's still humid?" Yes. And I'm still sweating in the middle of the night.

I realized how bad it was when I took the babies to physical therapy a week or so ago and I walked in and one physical therapist said, "Woah, you did your hair." Then a second one walked in and said, "Wow, you look nice - you did your hair." And then another one, until I finally said, "OK, OK! I know - I pretty much always look like crap since I've moved to Miami." I just hadn't realized it was that bad! But seriously, why would I bother doing my hair here when within 2 minutes of walking outside, I look like this:
(Ok, except with clothes on.)

3. People here are so quick to get mad at you, and be all up in a rage, even when you're not in the wrong. I cannot tell you how many times I've gotten the throw the hands up in the air, lean forward and give you the what-the-heck glare. Like driving. Yesterday, it happened to Ryan and I a couple of times. One time he and another lady happened to round a corner in the parking lot at the same time - honestly, not a big deal, no one to blame, and it's not like anything happened, one of you can just wait for the other. But of course we get the what-the-heck throw the arms up in the air from her. Ok, that was totally unnecessary.

Then today I was leaving a parking lot. Let me just say, we have very squealy tires. They have always been that way. This parking lot had especially waxy or slick floors. So when I was leaving to go pay the parking attendant, I rounded the corner and my tires totally squealed on the floor. The guy coming up the opposite way stopped his car, glared at me, mouthed some words, and of course gave me the throw-your-arms-up-in-disgust. Um, if you had stopped to think about it, idiot, you would have noticed that I was only going 5 miles an hour. I was only parked around the corner, not even enough time to get up speed, it's not like I was skidding and sliding around the corner, or like I somehow infringed on your driving at all. I could give you about 5 other driving examples like this too.

And yesterday we were in Wal Mart. Granted, we all know Wal Mart is the armpit of America, but it is especially true in Miami. I was walking, pushing my cart and I was sort of looking back at some items that I had just passed. Well, I turned around in time to see another cart coming along the other way in front of me, so I stopped and gave a friendly courteousy "Sorry," for really nothing at all, just the fact that if I hadn't turned around in another 2 seconds I could have run into her. The woman stopped her cart and glared at me. I could see the arms itching to be thrown up in the air in disgust, and muttering under her breath. She even glared me down and waited another awkward 5 seconds, as if to make sure I didn't try to pull another fast one and just start walking and ram into her cart. Seriously, so unneccessary. And I'm pretty sure if I could hear in their minds or in their cars they're all muttering, "Stupid white girl."

So on another note about Wal Mart, I had to return a couple things when we went. So I had to go wait in a nasty long line, and by the time I got to the front, the girl said to me, "do you have a sticker?" I said, "Um, what sticker?" She said, "You have to get a sticker saying you walked in the store with those items." I said, "Oh, I've never had to do that before, I didn't know." "Well, you have to go back and get one and then get back in the back of the line." "Are you serious? After you've already seen me here without a sticker, you want me to go back and get a sticker just for the sake of getting a sticker, even when I have a receipt and everything?" "Yes." Grr. And of course the line was twice as long when I got back. But the lady who gave me the sticker said that you wouldn't believe the things people do in this Wal Mart. I believed her further when honestly, nearly every item I tried to pick up had already been opened. Boxes of crackers - already opened and eaten from, rolls - same thing, and even salad dressing. Seriously, who the heck is going around opening a bottle of salad dressing in the middle of Wal Mart. Someone just have a sudden craving for a swig of ranch? Seriously.

4. People continue to be SO put out when you ask them to do anything for you - even when it's their job. Even when it's their mistake you're asking them to fix. I don't understand it. I am STILL trying to get things from my doctor's office for issues that I started calling them about in August. A few weeks ago, I called and said, "I haven't gotten my test results yet and I've left a few messages and no one has called me back. They said it would take 2 days and it's been over a month." The girl tells me, "Oh they're in the mail." "Oh, they are?" I said, "because I haven't seen anything yet." "Yeah," she says, "We mailed them out." Then I asked her another more detailed question and she sighs and says, "Alright, what's your date of birth?" She hadn't even been looking at my chart! And here she is telling me they're in the mail just to get me off the phone when she really has no idea. UGH. Then when I finally did get my results (which she did have to get mailed out), I had to call back and say, "I think the wrong test was done on me. I see one on here that I have no idea why they would have ordered it, and there were a few she said they were going to do that aren't on here." The annoyed response I get from the girl after a long pause, "So, what do you want me to do about it?" Oh, I don't know - do your job and figure it out???

Ok, if you're still reading, thanks for letting me rant. There are also many things I do like here - like the great group of girls I hang out with, all the little friends for Cash to play with, and um, there's water to look at that's pretty?