Ohio Life Basics

--Skyline Chili is acceptable and consumable. I have only eaten it once, but I would eat it again. The cheese is of good quality and adding cinnamon adds an intriguing flavor.

--The freezing weather is continuous -- BUT -- Ohio gets so many more sunny days in the winter! They were warning us that winter would be "so gloomy." hahaha We have had WARM days with sun, cold days with sun. Very nice. The only problem is that even if the sun IS out...it doesn't mean you can go outside. I have been confused.

--Drivers are horrible. Parking lots can be dangerous.

--Traffic lights are long and ridiculous. (That's why everyone SPEEDS up when they see yellow and proceed on through when it's red.)

--Stores are so CLOSE.

--We don't have as far to drive, but now when I drive for 25 minutes I think I have been gone for an eternity. (The 45 minute drive seems so LONG now.) haha

--There is no recycling.

--Everybody drinks.

--Garbage is everywhere.

--Watching football and commitment to a team is serious business. [Katherine and I have plans to take up baseball and next year's football as serious business. This year's Super Bowl was so much better to watch because I had "CONNECTIONS" with a team. I had a reason to hope for the victory of the Packers -- namely so the Patriots (enemy of Cincinnati) could be defeated.]

--There are gyms on almost every corner.

--Wendy's' (how do you pluralize that word?) are numerous and every lunch hour there is a HUGE line in MacDonald's drive-thru's.

--They need some Jamba Juice's around these parts.

--When they don't hear what you said they don't say, "Excuse me, what did you say?" or "Can you repeat yourself?" or "What?" Instead, they say, "Please?"

--I now know the reality of Michigan being the enemy and Michigan's enemy being Ohio.

--I enjoyed the color of the fall leaves. I look forward to the WARTH of spring. I am nervous about the humidity of summer.

--Churches and religion are apart of the culture. Didn't know that still happened. Thought that died out and was replaced by liberalism long ago. (People still attend Christmas Eve service as a family tradition. Strange.)

--Some homes around here look like the postcard homes.

--"Bye Bye Birdie" takes place in Ohio. Never knew.

--George Clooney is from Cincinnati.

--"The Christmas Story" takes place in Indiana. I find more humor in why the little brother is fully bundled on his way to school.

--I now understand why most calendars have pictures of snow in January.

--I hope we can travel the short distance to the East Coast. Does it compare in beauty to the Wild West?! (I don't think it's possible.)