My summer vacation: Mayor of Ponce does Tampa w/the Hiss
Friday, August 29th, 2008TROUBLESHOOTING WITH PALM TREES
Finding perspective with the Hiss on a road trip through Florida
By J. Winter
“Life moves pretty fast. And if you don’t stop to look around every once in a while, you just might miss something.”
Palm trees.
I don’t know how they do it, but they can have an amazing effect on you.
It’s not scientifically proven, but I’m pretty sure they release some sort of chemical endorphin in your brain that makes you feel better. Gives you a careless confidence. Coupled with the right light and a nice breeze on the fringe of an afternoon buzz, they can sometimes make all your problems go away.
With the summer months wearing thin and the sight of the same city faces wearing thinner, an impromptu road trip with the boys is welcome relief from the dog days of August. In a last minute decision, I joined the Hiss in a weekend romp through the Sunshine State. It’s the same trip we made last spring in which we appointed ourselves to a fictional state department — the Department of Nightlife.
After a quick pass through Gainesville to reminisce at the University of Florida, where Todd Galpin (drums) and Adrian Barrera (lead vocals) met, we roll into Tampa for a Thursday night show. Three of the four guys in the band hail from here, so it’s a homecoming gig of sorts.
Tampa Bay is a weird town. It’s not so much the heat; it’s the chlamydia.
