you will not believe what i just saw

I don't think I mentioned that I'm in Florida this week for another government contracts law class. I know a week in Florida sounds great, what with the temperature in the 80's and the humidity in the 90%s or higher. Yeh, sure, the whole room to myself, remote control in my control, eating wherever I feel like eating and sleeping whenever I feel like sleeping thing is great.

But. I am not on vacation. It's a government contracts class. Taught by a defense attorney. Who has a loud voice. And knows his stuff.

So okay, that part is probably good. But this is the second in a series of three classes and the last class was eight hours a day with homework each night and I had this crazy idea that I wouldn't have any time to sightsee, so why get a rental car that would just sit in the parking lot of my hotel.

What was I thinking?

Besides that it would do me some good to walk the half mile each way to my class every morning and afternoon.

I must admit that the walk is nice, but man do I miss my bike.

Did anybody tell me there are critters scurrying around in Florida? During the day? All along the sidewalk from my hotel to the class location? Critters you say? Yes I did say critters.

The first one was in a parking lot that I crossed and I noticed it and remembered having seen little lizards somewhere, sometime, but I couldn't remember where or when. By the time I got to my hotel, I had seen at least 25 of the little guys and one chipmunk. And I heard much scurrying about in the shrubbery.

I did my best to stay calm as they ran in front of and behind me and alongside me, but once I let out a little "eek!" when one of them ran from the lawn on the right side of me to the lawn on the left side of me and I nearly stepped on him. And the biggest one I saw gave me the creeps when he refused to move and stared me down as I waited to cross a very busy road near my hotel.

Yes, I know they're little, they're harmless, they eat bugs, which, Lord knows Florida has a lot of, but really, they are creepy enough during the day, let alone at night. What if they go in at night and that's when the alligators come out? My cabbie assured me there are alligators everywhere here.

Think rapters in Jurassic Park. Just try to convince me you wouldn't rather be riding on a bike with your feet up on the pedals when a bunch of these guys are tearing around on the ground...it's like this place is a jungle or something.