100 things to do in 2011: month in review (and some other stuff).

oh my godddd how is it august? it's hard to believe that i'm sitting in my new living room in orlando right now, looking at a damn palm tree outside my window. the past 4 days have been hectic and weird, but i'm finally starting to feel a bit more at home now that i have actual furniture (thanks, rooms to go!). i think i'm gonna love it here once i befriend more than the 3 ducks that hang around the pond at my apartment complex 24/7...and yes, i named them isaac, taylor, and zac just because it makes me chuckle. still, i'm having a bit of culture shock.

some things i've noticed about orlando so far:

• everyone is SUPER nice. like, i'm-not-used-to-it-and-it's-almost-creepy nice. literally every individual i have encountered has been overly talkative and helpful. and i mean, a random dude came up to me in bed bath and beyond the other day and asked for help finding his mom a birthday gift. the new englander in me said "run away!" but i knew that i had to embrace this newfound approach. "does she bake?" i shrugged as i pointed at a cake pan. meh!
• i have no allergies here. i seriously would wake up in new england and run for the box of tissues every morning, and i haven't picked up one since i got down here. SCORE!
• the heat is fiiiiine. i've been hanging out on my balcony every night and it's totally effing pleasant. my conclusion? people just love to complain about everything so they exaggerate about everything. or i guess i'm just a sun child, man.
• everything is spread out. i haven't even ventured out of my little corner of the city yet and i'm already a little overwhelmed. but more to explore, i guess!
• i wish i could bring my friends and family down here with me. i miss my buddies a ton already, so they better visit.

anyways, i was pretty much totally consumed with moving this month, but i managed to add two more movies to my list ("no strings attached" which was surprisingly cute and "the back-up plan" which was predictably stupid...but alex o'loughlin oh my oh my). i also had a whirlwind week of goodbye dinners in boston which included sushi at yoki, yummy pizza at pisa pizza, and chicken parm at a townie place in malden. i also discovered a gem of a chain restaurant in pooler, georgia called FATZ en route to orlando, where the manager sat down to chat and was super-nice. i ate some fish called basa which was badass.