Florida Animals

I have talked about how Florida's physical environment is different than Maryland's. There's warm weather and palm trees. Well those aren't the only differences. Florida is known to have alligators hence the Florida "Gators". They are abundant in Lake Alice which is on campus.

Another animal that is unique to Florida is the anole. The ones here are brown and range in size. They don't get too big unless its a pregnant female anole. It took awhile to get used to especially when they manage to get into bedrooms. 

My Roommate Erin Tells Me Some of The Changes She's Noticed

Erin has lived in Virginia which is very close to Maryland and we share a lot of similar culture. She tells me some of the different things she's noticed since moving to Florida.

Don't Make Me Think By: Steve Krug

“Don’t Make Me Think” by Steve Krug is a great read for teams looking to get great web design tips and improve their websites. I would absolutely recommend it to beginners like myself and people who just started venturing into web design. It’s a short read with basic concepts that are very easy to follow. The book incorporates real life situations making the tips easier and more logical to follow. It’s not only for beginners. Every member of the team from managers to web designers can get great information and suggestions from this book.

What makes a good website based on what the book recommends?

·      A good website should have short precise, straight to the point topics, stories, themes.

·      A good website should be self-explanatory, meaning it shouldn’t have instructions to follow. And if they do, make sure they are well thought out and thorough.

·      Test the website by having people visit it. After you’ve created it you are likely exposed to it many times and are desensitized. Have someone else look at it and offer feedback. Fresh eyes will help in catching details that your eyes have missed.

·      Great visuals such as pictures, videos, slideshows, galleries.  These need to instantly grab the users attention. Bold, eye-catching words and big banners across the page or on the sides also catch user’s attention.

·      A great website should have content that improves the user’s life in some aspect.  Whether it is something they didn’t know or how to fix something. New information should be presented to better the user’s life.

·      Put time and commitment into the website. The time put in will show in the quality and success of the site. Make sure you do a good job and if that requires spending a lot of time then so be it. It will pay off.

·      The users should be able to make mindless choices hence, “Don’t Make Me Think.” They should not have to think twice before clicking a link or a page.

·      A website shouldn’t demand a lot of time from users.  It is less likely to be used if it is time consuming.

·      The site should be simple enough to use that people of average ability or below average can figure out without difficulty.

·      Comment box should be available to allow opinions to be shared and discussions to start within users. This increases chances of creating a community amongst users.

·      Search box and FAQs link should be included as well to guarantee the users find exactly what they are looking for.

Fried Egg

Aside from grits, southerners  also have another food craze that I am not all that familiar with. They get friend egg on their burgers. No matter what burger place you are at it is offered. I have never ordered it on my own burger but I've had a bite of a friend's and I didn't hate it. Who knows I might make it my new guilty food pleasure.

Trees!

A dead giveaway that you are no longer in the north is the emergence of palm trees! I look forward to mini palm trees in South Carolina that turn into beautiful tall ones once I'm in Florida. While driving down here it lets me know I am close to my destination. Palm trees are a staple of warm/ tropical climate, and as I've said before I thrive in warmer climate. They are just so different from the boring old trees back home in Maryland and I find them very beautiful and relaxing. Another tree that I have only really seen down here is spanish moss trees. They are eerie but in a beautiful that I can't quite explain.

Palm trees at Panama City Beach

Spanish Moss

I would like to discover more trees and plants that Florida has to offer. I would love to take a trip very soon to the Botanical Gardens. It would be amazing for a future blog story!

Brunch

Brunch is the mixture of the words breakfast and lunch and is usually eaten during the late morning. I personally don't often eat breakfast so this trend was foreign to me until I came to Florida. My southern friends love to grab brunch on the weekends after a night of going out or just to catch up. It has actually became a thing for us and many avid brunchers to hit the best brunch places in Gainesville. This weekend my girlfriend and I went to Flying Biscuit. I had never been and I thought the concept was cool. This place is basically built for brunch. They open early in the morning and close at 4. Perfect for serving their brunch lovers. Anyway, I enjoyed one of their classics, "the flying biscuit breakfast" and my girlfriend got the same with a side of grits. Grits are another thing I feel like are very southern. I've heard of them but have never really wanted to try. It seems like every breakfast menu in Gainesville though has cheesy grits as a side. Who knows maybe one day I'll give them a try. Until then I will brunch on.

(Scrambled eggs, chicken sausage, seasoned potatoes and a biscuit on top)

(Delicious mocha coffee)

Snow!

The worst thing about living up North was by far the snow! I like warm weather and cannot stand the freezing cold, but nothing makes it worse than snow. Sure it's pretty to look at and Southerners are always in awe when they get to see it but for people who have actually lived in states where it snows there is nothing fun about being trapped in your house, having to shovel inches of snow and hoping that the roads have been plowed so you can make it to work or school. Driving in snow is one of the scariest things you can do. This week the North is expecting a snow storm that could bring two feet of snow. People are going to be up to their knees in snow. This brings me back to my decision to attend college in Florida. Friends always ask me why I chose the University of Florida and I tell them plain and simple, "I hate the snow." Okay, maybe other factors contributed to the decision but the weather definitely played a part. I asked my family to send me a picture of the snow so far and they sent me these photos:

The cars are literally buried in snow. They would not even step outside to take the picture because they would just sink in the snow. I am grateful for the lack of snow in Florida, although it's still cold it's nice to know I don't have to shovel 2 feet of snow.