Seven Florandom Observations

1. Dirt is scarce. Soil, around here at least, seems more sand-based. I like it because it can give you an off-guard "I'm at the beach" feeling even if you're two hours from the coast. Also, for some strange reason, I like seeing sand on my tires.

2. Phantom cloud mountains. They'll sneak up on you when you least expect it. Probably easier to chop down with the edge of your hand, though.

3. The agriculture commissioner's name, which name appears on all gas-station pumps and most checkout counters, is Charles Bronson.

4. Irrigation in our neighborhood comes from odd-smelling well-water. If our (or our neighbor's) grass is being watered, there's a faint smell of rotten eggs. A which point, I scream "stinklers!"

5. People have absolutely no concept of fast lanes, or slow lanes, for that matter. On a three-lane highway, it's not uncommon to see three cars — one in each lane — all going the same speed. This is frustrating, especially when you're rushing to get to a high-school sporting event.

6. No dark beer.

7. The license plate game is nearly impossible to play. Florida has at least 50 different official state license plates. My favorite is "Save the Manatee."

Timestamp it, part deux

Watching the Super Tuesday returns.

John McCain is speaking in Arizona, and who's standing behind him?

None other than Charlie Crist, governor of Florida.

Mark him down as McCain's running mate.

Losing coach looks at me and says, "Damn. Looks like a football score."

Covered my first softball game of the season tonight: Avon Park 26, Sarasota-Booker 0.

You read right: A 26-0 SOFTBALL game. If it was a football game, it'd be a blowout.

Kind of tough to write a story about a game like this, but I'll try.