a map showing US states by date of statehood

a map showing US states by date of statehood

Which of the United States is the best?

Florida’s always been my favorite state, long before I ever went there, mainly because it’s the warmest. I hate being cold and get cold easier (quicker) than most people, but I’m generally not bothered by hot weather. When I’m getting too hot, I’m more concerned with potentially passing out from heatstroke rather than being miserable from the feeling of being hot itself.

I also like the fact that the state is surrounded by (warm) water but not totally isolated like Hawaii. I get motion sickness on boats and can’t swim, so about knee deep is as far as I ever go into the sea or ocean; I don’t go in lakes at all because most are dirty and harbor snakes/alligators; but I do enjoy going to beaches for their natural visual and auditory aesthetics.

There are other states I like or would like to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else. Nowhere even comes close. Georgia is the closest physically, so if I had to live somewhere else, it would be there. California used to be my second favorite, but it’s being ruined by crazy politicians. Texas is one of the better states, but I don’t want to live anywhere near the Mexican border.

my vote : Florida

One For The Road ( story ) … Stephen King

The title refers to the flask of brandy a man named Booth brings along as he, his friend Tookey and a stranger named Lumley venture out into a winter blizzard to rescue Lumley’s wife and daughter. They’re stranded in his car, stuck in the snow, “six miles south” of Tookey’s Bar.

This is a tale, straight-forward but for a funny flashback about a drunken pulp truck driver, that might’ve been even more engrossing than it is if it’s concept weren’t buried in vampiric folklore. The plot rolls along a path of realism until the end, where it starts to get silly.

my rating : 4 of 5

1977

review : Night Shift ( book ) ... Stephen King