My first stop in Florida was to see Francine. She is a recent Tampa transplant seeking sanctuary at the University of South Florida from the rotten cell of the dungeon-like atmosphere that she coped with for three years at UT Austin. She is much happier now. It was great to see her and know she made the right decision
Next was off to the happiest place on earth to visit my all time favorite roommate Erin. She is working at a magical place and has been known to work some magic of her own to grant me access to worlds known only in fairy tales. I stayed with her for four days during which we made sure to eat delicious food, drink mediocre though free beverages, and partake in guilty pleasures such as beaches and cream shops. I spent one morning working in A freakin safari and had not felt more at ease in a while.
Off to Gainesville next to the University of Florida where i looked at dead fish -- a whole LOT of dead fish in fact. They have a great new exhibit up about the largest sharks that ever lived... oooo... aaaahhh... I recommend checking it out -- but be warned, some of them look kinda fake... right Erin? Three highly successful days at UF later and I was off to my next stop in Tallahassee to visit a friend and make connections in my research community.That part of the trip started off rather rocky but it seemed to pick up as i met many well renowned folks in the biology department of FSU. There was a going away party for a couple researchers and though it was said, it means the eminent arrival of a long awaited and highly coveted computer program. Hip-hip-hooray!
Next i was off ter find me dat horizon. Ain't she a beauty deh sea she is. I was pumped and ready to go off on an adventure in the name of science to understand more about deep sea sharks. It started off great and i had a wonderful 18 hours before becoming undeniably sea sick. The crew were apparently worried about me and voiced their concerns to make sure i drank water and wouldn't need to be air lifted off the boat -- it had never even occurred to me that i was in that rough a shape! I was fine in the end though. 
When we finally docked, two days early due to 'weather' and bad luck with equipment, we opted for land sickness and hit a local bar. I stuck to club soda though and played several rounds of darts to get back into good spirits. The night went late and my heart soared when i found out there was ice cream on board the vessel. Why i didn't know this beforehand is beyond me. It could have made for a better trip. I won't trade it though because i got lots of thinking done and made headway in terms of my research between fits of vomiting ;-)
We got back early as i mentioned but i couldn't afford to go back early so i've been held up in Tallahassee a few days and found a great little coffee shop to spend most of my time. I am there now and i recommend it to all in the are "Brew & Bean" -- nice folks. I also did a little wandering in the area and stumbled upon a mission The original was burned to the ground in 1702 but since 1983, archaeologists and the state of Florida have been tremendous efforts to reconstruct the buildings that stood there, including this counsel house that is about 120ft in diameter. A modest fort stood by and a friary and a church. It was a nice little retreat so close to strip malls and honking horns. Also worth a visit.
Well, that's all for now. I should be home in a few hours. It's been a fun ride.
