Aggressive Driving My Ass

I love the rhetoric the FHP uses to describe drivers like me. Aggressive.

Here's something I just saw a few minutes ago and applies to anyone who drives in South Florida:

FHP will be cracking down on those who tailgate, improperly change lanes or ignore traffic signals over the next two days. Troopers will also keep an eye out for drivers violating the Move Over Law or driving under the influence. http://www.justnews.com/traffic/20222628/detail.html

Wonderful. I tailgate, improperly change lanes, ignore traffic signals, and violate the Move Over Law. I do not, however, drive under the influence of alcohol. But it seems that I do drive under the influence of the stupidity of other drivers.

I tailgate behind people driving in the left lane at 65 or below who are passing NO ONE.

I am forced to improperly change lanes because slower traffic does not yield. Actually, no one yields. What is a yield, anyways? So, I am left with no other option except to pass on the right and swerve in and out of traffic if I want to get where I am going any time within the next century.

I must ignore traffic signals, because the douche-bags driving so fucking slow on the left hand lane are usually texting, half-asleep, day-dreaming, or a combination of the three, and have not noticed they have left their turn signal on for the past 5 miles. Not to mention, many people still have not discovered what a turn signal is, or what the difference is between left and right.

As for the Move Over Law. I cannot move over for stopped FHP because it is impossible to get out of the left lane when everyone around you has come to a complete stop because of this damn law. Yey to more fender-benders, pissed off motorists, and traffic stand-stills that come out of nowhere forcing you to slam your breaks and pray the driver behind you is paying attention! W00t!

Can't we enforce a SLOWER TRAFFIC KEEP RIGHT law, so the left lane is already mostly clear of traffic and safer for FHP and motorists who have to pull off the road? Isn't that the smarter more intelligent option?

I guess not, since Florida has no such law in place. I don't know why I am surprised.

Driving faster does not necessarily mean driving dangerously. A fast driver must pay more attention to the road. You cannot drive at 80 while being preoccupied with your phones, passengers, switching stations, reading, or putting on makeup. It's almost impossible. You are forced to pay attention at higher speeds. Going slower just means more time to comer mierda (translation= eat shit; context translation= be innatentive)!

Germany's autobahn has no set speed limit, although 80mph is recommended. They also have significantly less accidents than we do here in the states. Go figure.

So, I will continue to drive intelligently--uh--I mean aggressively. If you're cruising on the left updating your facebook status, I will cut you off so that you can appreciate the rear-end of my car and before I do that I will tail-gate your ass.

Hey, I can do that!

I'm supposed to be writing my thesis right now. There are over fifty library books sitting all over my floor and I need to sort through them between today and tomorrow. I much rather read stuff on the internet and catch up with all of the feeds I have neglected in the past weeks than tackle the gargantuan task of thesis writing that lays before me.

Anyways, in honor of useful and insightful procrastination here is another article from another great blog, Critical Miami, which relates both to my thesis in writing and Miami.

How, you ask--simple. This article exposes the elusive art of editing a la Miami Herald!

Sand is sand is sand...

Well...not really.

I've visited, spent the day at, and passed by many a beach in South Florida. I've never really found a beach that I've enjoyed completely. There's always been some feature or characteristic of the beach that kept me from enjoying my time there completely. For instance, the beach might have been too crowded, the shoreline was rocky, the waves were nonexistent--whatever--you get the idea.

Well, I recently visited a beach that I had heard of my whole life, but which I had never had the chance to visit. It is now my new favorite beach (maybe another day I will write about the beach this new favorite has replaced).

Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park in Key Biscayne (otherwise known by the Hispanic community as "El Farito") is a wonderful place to spend the day with your family, with your significant other, or even alone.

It is listed in Frommer's as one of the Best Beaches and the TravelChannel website refers to it. There are loads of other web references about this park, most of them positive.

My favorite aspects of the park:

• beautiful sandy beaches
• not crowded (granted, weekdays in the early morning are the best time to visit...but most people will visit the free beaches nearby)
• sand dunes
• little or no shell shards or rocks to hurt your feet
• bike and nature trails
• lighthouse you can climb up
• snorkeling is possible
• nice little waves (not too big/not too small)
• lots of tables, benches, and gazebos available for rent
• affordable admission prices
• pets are allowed (in certain areas, not on the beach though)
• two places to get food

Also, one more thing that made me enjoy my time there, but probably won't matter to most people, is that the place reminded me so much of the beaches in St. Augustine, Florida where I felt very peaceful, removed from the hectic city-life, and I was surrounded by nature.

This is a great place to visit and I plan on going there often. I can't believe I've never been before. I suppose most people that go to the area opt for the free beaches which abound. That's what my family and I used to do, but thankfully, Tony and I like to try new things. So we checked this place out. We're planning to go back soon!

Here's the addy and the official webpage...
1200 S. Crandon Blvd.
Key Biscayne, Florida 33149
Phone: 305-361-5811

Remember though...if you're in Miami and want to visit, but forget the address or get lost (which happens to us locals) just ask for "El Farito." You'll get strange looks if you say "Bill Baggs".

(Picture taken from http://mpancier.blogspot.com/ who has a nice entry about the Hispanic ties to "El Farito" that I, unfortunately, never had the opportunity to participate in...give it a read.)

Hialeah Cop-Out

I've been noticing a lot of Hialeah police out lately. They are pulling people over left and right. I figure it's the end of the month and all--they need to fulfill their speeding/traffic ticket quota for the month.

But just a word of caution: Tony brought me some Starbuck's coffee this morning and as he was waiting in line at the Miami Springs SB's he noticed a posting on the bulletin board about police being out and about like vultures on a feeding frenzy. This is supposed to last until August 5th or so. I'm mentioning this because anything on a Starbuck's community bulletin board is worth noting.

Also, mentioned on the bulletin board, according to Tony, is the doubling of speeding and infraction fines. I'm not sure how valid this claim is, I'm just passing along the info.

So, come to complete stops at all stop signs, don't take yellow lights (in case they turn red before you've cleared the intersection--it's a ticketable offense) and make sure you're wearing your seatbelt. If you get pulled over for one thing and they see you have another minor infraction, they will ticket you for both.

Side note: for all those who travel south down 7th Ave instead of LeJeune/8th Ave to avoid morning traffic, there is usually a motorcycle cop giving speeding tickets somewhere around 5th street. He hides out under a big, shady tree. Try to slow down, avoid the area, and flash warning lights to oncoming traffic if you see him.

I got a ticket a few months ago and I live a few blocks away...

World Market

Tony and I had a few errands to run today. First, I went to sign the deposit contract for our pre-construction townhouse at Montclair in Miramar! Then we went to buy some turtle supplies at Petsmart in Pembroke Pines. That was when we noticed a new store next door and decided to check it out.

World Market
11960 Pines Boulevard Pembroke Pines, FL 33026

According to their website there are only five of these stores in Florida, and this one in Pembroke Pines is the only one in south Florida. Tony and I wanted to check it out for a few minutes and we ended up browsing and buying for the better part of an hour. Their furniture is very Pier1esque; however, their selection is not as broad. What this store gets props for is their pretty heavy line of imported foods and beverages. We bought some Hawaiian chips, canned Salmon pate, an English chocolate bar, another imported chocolate bar, and some cool garlic stuffed olives. Their selection of foods is fun and whimsical, like the Pez candies they have on stock, or the 3 liter extra virgin olive oil jug. Also, on hand is a huge selection of teas, coffees, and imported wines organized by country.

This is a really cool store that both of us hope is still around when we finally move into our house. We'd love to decorate it with items from this store, and fill our plates with the fun food selection.

Virgin Post

Here is a quick little blurb about this blog:

My boyfriend and I grew up in Miami and we've been to lots of places, and are always visiting new ones. For a long time I have been upset about living in Miami (I hate the traffic, sometimes rude people, never-ending construction, high-rises...the list goes on). But, lately I have grown a bit fonder of Miami (perhaps because I am probably going to live here for many years to come). So I plan to post little blurbs about places that I visit so I can keep a journal of good memories about Miami and share with others some cool places to visit.

**UPDATE: haha, this post has a ton of views. Pervs!

What's all this about?

I need to voice some pent-up frustrations about Cuba, Cubans, Cuban-Americans, Castro, and injustice.

I can't believe that in America, a country so focused on justice, the concept of justice itself vanishes from discourses about Cuba. Within a system of justice, justice is ignored in order to perpetuate the status quo, in order to mystify the public of the atrocities that occur 90 miles from Key West, and in order to vanquish the voices of those who dare to notice and speak out.

I thought that the next best thing to getting an aneurism because of people's idiocy on this subject is to write about my feelings. So, I'll post articles, blogs, videos, things my friends write, and things that I have written over the years. At the very least, I hope that one or two people will stumble across my blog and be educated, and have the opportunity to voice their opinions about the subject.