with hurricane ike, the 3rd or so tropical event to threaten our area, now churning in the gulf, i have noticed a disturbing trend here at the beach. people seem to live on a hurricane timeline. i find it unnerving to constantly hear comments like "oh, we installed the new countertops after ivan" or "we got the new pine plank floors after dennis" or "i got my 400cc implants after katrina."
i also heard someone say, regarding hurricanes, "it's a small price to pay to live in paradise." considering ivan wiped out about half the houses here and filled the other half to their roofs with sand and debris, i would argue that it was a rather large price to pay - but i guess i haven't been here long enough. i can see how over time, living at the beach would lead to that mentality- and perhaps rehab. when we first moved here, i wondered why people weren't drunk all the time because the beach just makes me want to have a beer. then i realized they were drunk most of the time. in addition to fighting drinking beer at 10am, i discovered that it was difficult not to order fried foods every time we went out and to otherwise eat like i am on vacation. but that truly is a small price to pay to live in paradise, i guess.
